“Eighteen years.”
Lin Wei stood before the grand iron gate, her heart pounding with excitement. Inside, lay a mansion she had only ever seen on TV—fountains, lawns, a stately villa.
Outside the gate, her ride awaited—a driver-driven, eighty-meter stretch Lincoln.
This was the Su family, the top aristocrats of S City, and she, Lin Wei, was the one and only true heiress.
“Heh heh heh!”
There was excitement, sure, after all those hard years had finally come to an end. But more than that was a rage bottled up for eighteen years, and a heightened vigilance.
Why?
Why had she, Lin Wei, been starving and struggling all this time, while that fake Su Nuannuan got to live it up here, enjoying all the luxuries under her name for eighteen years?
She had to be some evil antagonist!
Just like in the novels—spoiled, cruel, cunning; pretending to be a pure little white flower on the surface. Lin Wei already had Su Nuannuan’s image firmly planted in her mind.
She had to be the kind of brat with a haughty nose and a spiteful glare.
The gate silently slid open, and the butler in a crisp suit bowed.
“Welcome home, Young Lady.”
His tone was polite, but Lin Wei felt his eyes sizing her up. She straightened her back, forcing down the discomfort.
From today on, she was Niohuru Lin Wei!
“Weiwei, my daughter!”
Su Mother, dressed elegantly, rushed over and hugged her tightly, tears falling like rain.
“You’re finally home. You’ve suffered all these years.”
Su Father stood nearby, his expression complicated—relieved, but also troubled.
“Good to have you back.”
His voice was deep and steady.
Lin Wei felt stiff in her mother’s embrace; this belated affection was a little hard to get used to. Her eyes scanned the grand living room before settling on the empty staircase. Su Mother seemed to notice.
“Where’s Nuannuan?”
Su Mother wiped her tears as she asked.
A servant quickly replied from the side.
“Young Lady… Second Miss said she’s feeling unwell and resting in her room.”
Unwell? Lin Wei sneered silently three times. Hah, hiding from me? A show of power? Playing the weak and seeking sympathy? Well, well, the first move has been played!
Su Nuannuan really knew her tricks!
She forced a somewhat decent smile.
“Health comes first, it’s okay.”
In her mind, she firmly wrote a note beside Su Nuannuan’s name.
Cunning and cold-hearted, expert in the martyr act!
She was led to her own room—so huge you could run a marathon in it—with a walk-in closet full of new clothes, tags still on, and a dressing table glittering with blingy jewelry.
Everything screamed: You lost eighteen years, all because of that impostor!
Her parents chattered on about how hard it was to find her and the family situation, before carefully mentioning Su Nuannuan.
“Nuannuan is… rather soft by nature, and timid,”
Su Mother’s eyes held a hint of pleading.
“Weiwei, you’re the elder sister, so… please be more tolerant?”
Su Father chimed in, “Hmm, Nuannuan may not be the quickest learner, but she’s obedient, well-behaved, and… quite… adorable.”
Adorable? Obedient? Well-behaved?
Lin Wei almost rolled her eyes.
There it was again—the same spiel the servants had fed her on the way here. Brainwashing, huh?
Someone who had stolen her place and lived the good life for eighteen years—how could she possibly be adorable? Definitely an Oscar-worthy actress! A sugar-coated poison dart!
Lin Wei took a deep breath and pushed the sarcasm down, forcing a fake smile.
“Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I’ll take good care of my little sister.”
She bit down on the word ‘care’ with extra emphasis.
Dinner time.
The long dining table was laden with dishes, the sparkling crystal chandelier dazzling her eyes. Lin Wei changed into a new dress, sitting upright, her manners polished and graceful.
This was her debut; it had to be perfect! She chatted with her parents, emphasizing her past hardships, highlighting her independence, strength, and responsibility. She wanted everyone to see—real gold is real gold!
Yet from the corner of her eye, she kept glancing at the empty seat across from her.
A few minutes into the meal, a small head finally peeked in at the door.
Lin Wei looked up, and in her heart, she cursed.
This… was not the image of an evil antagonist she had imagined!
Su Nuannuan wore a soft white loungewear set, her hair messy and loose, making her face seem tiny, palm-sized. Her skin was porcelain-white and glowing; her eyes large and round, moist like a frightened fawn. Her lashes were long enough to brush with, her nose pointed, lips pink and plump.
The whole person… looked like an oversized sticky rice dumpling! Sweet to the point of unfairness!
Lin Wei felt her heart hit by something, not hard, not soft, but then alarms blared.
Beautiful! Too deceptive! That pitiful little white flower act was definitely top-tier camouflage! Don’t be fooled!
Su Nuannuan glanced at her quickly, then immediately lowered her head, slipping to her seat like a thief, whispering in a mosquito-soft voice.
“Dad, Mom… Sister… I’m sorry for being late.”
Lin Wei kept a poker face, coldly humming in response, forcing herself to look away.
Don’t be fooled by appearances! The cuter, the more dangerous!
Lin Wei continued her elegant true heiress performance, while opposite her, Su Nuannuan… Lin Wei kept watching in secret.
Head down the whole time, looking like she wanted to bury her face in her bowl, her eating was oddly suspicious—not ladylike at all, more like a squirrel starved for three days!
Her mouth moved rapidly, cheeks stuffed full, eyes fixed on the food with a look of indignation—like eating her own death meal?
Lin Wei’s brows knitted into a tight knot.
What was she doing? Playing a mukbang? Pretending to be dumb?
Or… trying to hint that ever since Lin Wei returned, she’d have no food? A new sympathy ploy?
The meal ended with Lin Wei’s graceful posture and Su Nuannuan’s squirrel-like hoarding.
Su Nuannuan emptied her plate, immediately sprang up, threw down a quick, “I’m done,” then bolted upstairs like she had fire under her feet, leaving behind a flustered, fleeing silhouette.
Lin Wei stared at the staircase, her gaze icy cold.
Hiding? Let’s see how long you can hide before your fox tail shows.
After dinner, Lin Wei helped the servants clear the table. Su Mother pulled her aside.
“Weiwei, now that you’re the Young Lady, how can you do such chores?”
Lin Wei looked puzzled.
“It’s okay, Mother, I’ve lived like this all these years.”
Hearing Lin Wei’s words, Su Mother’s eyes welled up again, and she hugged her tightly.
“My daughter, you’ve suffered…”
Lin Wei’s mouth twitched. Su Nuannuan, just wait to be kicked out of this house!
After a moment, Su Father interrupted their mother-daughter exchange and called Lin Wei to the study. Once the door closed, the atmosphere turned tense.
“Weiwei, it’s good to have you back. Whatever belongs to you in this family won’t be lessened.”
Su Father got straight to the point, looking at his daughter.
“Nuannuan…”
Lin Wei’s heart tightened.
“She’s also a pitiful child. The past was all a misunderstanding, and it’s not her fault.”
Su Father’s tone was weary.
“She’s simple-minded, a bit slow, and timid. We all keep an eye on her.”
Lin Wei’s heart sank to the bottom of a valley. Dad! Wake up! You’ve been blinded by that white lotus!
“I know it’s unfair to you,”
Su Father looked at her, somewhat worried she might bully Nuannuan.
“But it’s like this now. She’s used to living here. I hope… you can get along peacefully. Treat her as your sister. She’s not scheming, she won’t cause you trouble.”
Sister? Get along peacefully?
Lin Wei almost laughed out loud. Have her be sisters with a thief? Simple and not scheming? Dad, your rose-colored glasses are too thick!
She suppressed her anger, lowering her eyes, her voice calm and steady.
“Understood, Dad. I will get along well with her.”
Leaving the study, the hallway lights cast a cold glow. Lin Wei looked at Su Nuannuan’s tightly closed door and smirked.
Be my sister? Simple and adorable? Hah, keep pretending. Let’s see how long you can keep up the act—I will expose you!