During their sophomore winter break, Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru went home for the Chinese New Year and ran into Yan Yuxin and Li Xudong at the airport, both of whom looked extremely unwell.
Yan Yuxin stopped in her tracks, looking at Xu Zifan with a complicated expression. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Xu Zifan take Ji Yaru's hand and walk away. He simply walked past her as if he didn't know her. Unwilling to give up, she took a step forward, but Li Xudong grabbed her arm. "Yuxin, what are you doing? We came back on important business. Don't cause any trouble."
Yan Yuxin's face darkened, she shook off his hand and strode out. Li Xudong looked displeased, but quickly masked it, pushing his luggage as he chased after her. As soon as they reached the outside, they saw Ji's parents warmly embracing Xu Zifan and his wife. Ji's mother pulled Ji Yaru into the back seat, her face beaming with happiness, chatting incessantly with Ji Yaru. Xu Zifan put his luggage away and got into the passenger seat. Ji's father quickly drove off in a Mercedes-Benz, a new model this year. Yan Yuxin had only heard from a friend a few days ago that it cost over 2.6 million!
Although this car was several levels below the ones in the Yan family's garage, it was still unbelievable that the Ji family could afford it. Had the Ji family made that much money in the past two years? Had they upgraded their car from something worth a few hundred thousand to one worth over two million? How could that be? If the Ji couple had that kind of wealth, why had they been content with an ordinary life for the past ten years? Why… had they let her live such a mundane existence?!
Yan Yuxin's facial features were somewhat distorted. What was even more painful was the attitude of the Ji family couple towards Ji Yaru. They doted on her so much, while she rushed back to China without even daring to tell her parents. Of course, no one picked her up. This contrast was unacceptable to her.
The Li family sent a car to pick up Li Xudong. Li Xudong told her to get in the car and comforted her, "Go home and see first. If it really doesn't work out, then don't go abroad. The little one is just a baby after all. Just try to please your parents and win their hearts back."
Yan Yuxin clutched her purse tightly, frowning as she got into the car. The Yan couple had been trying to conceive for a long time before finally getting pregnant, and then carefully protected the pregnancy without telling anyone. It wasn't until recently, when the baby boy was born, that people in their social circle learned of the new addition to the Yan family. The Li family quickly informed Li Xudong, and Yan Yuxin only heard the news from him. In two days it would be the baby boy's one-month celebration, which she heard would be even grander than Ji Yaru's 18th birthday party. Incredulously, Yan Yuxin booked a flight back to China, her heart filled with apprehension about the future.
She stared blankly out the window. If her parents had a son they'd raised to be successful, would they still care about her, their daughter? She suddenly remembered what her father had told her before she went abroad. He told her to study hard, then learn how to manage a company, and later told her not to regret it. Was that her father's last chance for her? She gave it up, so her parents gave up on her too, and had a son instead. She had thought everything in the Yan family would be hers, but now, she might not even be as good as Ji Yaru; at least the entire Ji family belonged to Ji Yaru.
Yan Yuxin didn't know what she was supposed to do back home, and in reality, there was nothing she could do. Her parents didn't care about her at all; seeing that she showed no joy at the birth of her younger brother, but rather rather rejection, they became even more dissatisfied with her. Even in other families where brothers were fighting over inheritance, at least they maintained a facade of brotherly affection in front of their parents. But Yan Yuxin couldn't even feign affection for a baby; they had lost all patience for her.
The full moon banquet arrived as scheduled. The Ji family, as a rising star in the business world and with their connection to Ji Yaru, were naturally on the invitation list. Xu's father, now the mayor of another city, had returned home for two days during the Spring Festival to visit the provincial party secretary. Since the Yan family couldn't invite the provincial party secretary, they naturally invited this close confidant of the secretary. Thus, both families attended the banquet.
They had no opinion on the Yan family having a second child. They didn't fully understand the disappointment the Yan parents felt in Yan Yuxin, and even if there were a third or fourth child, Yan Yuxin would still be a member of the Yan family; she just might not be able to manage the company. They had no intention of fighting for the family fortune, so they couldn't sense Yan Yuxin's anger and grievances. In any case, Yan Yuxin's life was much better than before, and they genuinely congratulated her when they attended the event.
Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru walked hand in hand behind their parents. Ji Yaru stepped into the Yan family home again after two years, feeling as if she had returned to a different world. She recognized most of the guests, and now that they were all attending the same banquet, her status was different.
Xu Zifan asked in a low voice, "Will you find it difficult to adapt?"
Ji Yaru shook her head. "I'm fine now. My parents are fine, and Mr. and Mrs. Yan are fine too. There's nothing I'm having trouble adjusting to."
Xu Zifan smiled; he knew she didn't care about other people's opinions. In reality, most of those present, around the same age as them, were children of wealthy or powerful families. They weren't stupid. Now that Ji Yaru's parents were entering the business world, their future looked bright, and her boyfriend, Xu Zifan, was the mayor's son with close ties to the provincial party secretary. Who would want to provoke them? Making a good friend might be a future asset. Everyone was smiling and chatting.
At the start of the banquet, Mr. and Mrs. Yan thanked everyone for coming. Then, they had the nanny bring out their one-month-old son for everyone to see. After that, they introduced Yan Yuxin, who was standing to the side, and said casually, "The babies were switched at birth. This is our adopted daughter, Yan Yuxin. She is quite playful and has been studying abroad for the past few years. If you happen to meet her, we hope you will take care of her. Thank you."
Everyone could tell that the Yan couple were just being polite, because they had no intention of introducing Yan Yuxin to the guests. It was clear they didn't value her; saying she was playful and sending her abroad was practically a form of exile. Now that the Yan family had a son, this younger son must be the heir, otherwise why would he have been born at this particular time! This reassured many business partners; it turned out Yan Yuxin wasn't the heir, and the Yan family wouldn't be without a successor.
We can put aside our ulterior motives now, and we can still be good friends.
The banquet began, and Li Xudong immediately invited Yan Yuxin to dance. The Li family business had been declining for the past two years, and he didn't want to give up on Yan Yuxin yet. At the same time, Xu Zifan also took Ji Yaru's hand and entered the dance floor.
Two pairs of handsome men and beautiful women dancing on the dance floor were quite eye-catching, but the contrast was also stark. Yan Yuxin's smile was too stiff; she hadn't really mastered etiquette, and now, standing so close to Ji Yaru, she looked like a clumsy imitation. Li Xudong was also no good match; both his character and family background had excluded him from many people's dating pool. The fact that this daughter of the Yan family was with him was truly blind.
Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru were the complete opposite of them. Both of them had natural smiles on their faces, and their every move was full of tacit understanding. It was obvious that they had a good relationship. Moreover, both of them and their families were developing rapidly, and their future potential was limitless. These were the people that they thought were worth befriending.
In comparison, Ji Yaru is definitely better than the other girl in the exchange.
Yan Yuxin overheard a few whispers and was instantly furious. Just before she went downstairs, her mother had warned her that if she dared to ruin her brother's full-moon celebration, she could forget about ever returning to China. No matter how angry she was, she dared not lash out. She could only make an excuse to leave the banquet hall after finishing the first dance and wait in a corner on the balcony.
Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru didn't notice her. When Ji Yaru returned to the familiar Yan family home, she remembered the tree she had planted in the garden when she was a child and wanted to take Xu Zifan to see it. She told the housekeeper, who immediately had someone take them to the garden and set out champagne and fruit for them on a small table.
Yan Yuxin was furious when she saw this. Why was the Yan family's butler all smiles and respectful to Ji Yaru, but so businesslike and robotic when he was with her? Was she really inferior to Ji Yaru in everything? Had all her good fortune been stolen by Ji Yaru when she was born? Otherwise, why was everything going wrong for her?! Feeling unhappy, Yan Yuxin quietly followed him.
Ji Yaru stood in front of a large tree, reached out and touched it nostalgically, and sighed, "I was five years old that year. My parents' business had grown, and we moved here. That was also the first time I celebrated my birthday with my parents. I was so happy, and we planted this tree together, hoping that I could grow strong like this tree, and when I grew up, I could shelter them from the wind and rain, so they wouldn't have to work so hard and could spend more time with me. But since then, they've been so busy that they've long forgotten about this tree. Only I water it every day, hoping it will grow quickly. Luckily, there's a gardener to help me, otherwise, I'm afraid this tree would have been watered to death."
Xu Zifan looked up and smiled, "Now this tree has grown up and can provide shelter from the wind and rain."
Ji Yaru looked at the big tree with complicated emotions and shook her head. "Unfortunately, I no longer have the right to do anything for them, and I don't think they need to. What they need is an heir with their bloodline. I hope the baby grows up quickly, so they can really relax and rest then."
"Hmph, that sounds nice, Ji Yaru, are you feeling smug right now?" Yan Yuxin walked out from around the corner, staring at Ji Yaru with hatred in her eyes. "You've been in the Yan family for eighteen years, and they never even considered having another child, afraid of jeopardizing your position. And me? I've only been home for two years, and they've already had a son. Today, with such a big event, they didn't even introduce me to the guests, practically telling everyone they don't like me. Ji Yaru, this is all your fault! If you hadn't taken my place for eighteen years, I would be their proudest daughter, how could they possibly despise me?"
Ji Yaru turned to face her, frowning. "Instead of wasting your time complaining about these useless things, you should work harder to make Mr. and Mrs. Yan satisfied with you. Don't forget, you've also occupied my position for eighteen years."
"How can that be the same! What does the Ji family have to compare with the Yan family? You're probably laughing at me in your heart, aren't you? It's easy for you to say when you're not the one suffering! I didn't work hard? For the first six months after I came back, I received elite education every day. My life was like hell. Wasn't I working hard enough? You have no idea about these things. What do you know!"
"I understand. Because I've been receiving an elite education since I moved to this villa when I was five." Ji Yaru looked at her sharp and out-of-control appearance, her gaze remaining calm. "Everything I have gained is because of my hard work, and everything you have lost is simply because you didn't know how to cherish it."