I watched my mother’s composed face and felt a warmth in my heart.
Last life, when my mother discovered Lin Xiaoyue wasn’t her biological daughter,
she used the excuse of traveling to avoid her.
My father, meanwhile, showered Lin Xiaoyue with gifts, ignoring my mother’s pain.
She traveled through remote villages and bustling cities, donating millions to orphanages, hoping to find me.
She finally found me in Auntie Wang’s hometown, filthy and feeding pigs.
But soon after, she passed away.
I, too, was killed.
[Mom, I’m so glad I’m with you this time.
We won’t be separated again.
We’ll make lots of money, and after we leave Dad, we’ll live happily ever after.]
I drifted off to sleep, content.
Lin Xiaoyue’s adoption went through, thanks to my father’s insistence.
Everyone in the business world knew the Lin family had a rare daughter,
and they’d also taken in a foster child.
“Yuxin, look! Here’s the room I decorated for our daughters.
Do you like it? Both rooms are identical. Anything you want to change?”
Lin Jianyu showed us the rooms, beaming.
I glanced up.
The room was pastel pink, with a princess bed in the center.
The wardrobe was filled with frilly dresses in pink, white, and blue.
[Wow, Dad really treats his own and the foster daughter the same?
Who taught you to decorate like this?
If possible, just give me lots of money.
After all, Dad’s fate later on…]
I babbled away as a baby.
“Jianyu? My real daughter and some random girl get the same treatment?”
My mother was annoyed.
Lin Jianyu looked awkward.
“Don’t worry, Yuxin. Yanran’s room is the biggest and brightest on the floor.
Xiaoyue’s is just decorated the same.”
He tried to grab my hand to show affection.
I turned away, ignoring him.
“How about I give Yanran the apartment in the city center?
That way, you won’t be upset.”
My eyes widened.
That apartment would skyrocket in value when I turned eighteen.
[Great idea, Dad. If you could just give me the deed now…]
“How about you have your secretary bring the deed right now?”
My mother was a true queen—I cheered for her in my heart.
I stared at Dad for five seconds.
To be fair, Lin Jianyu had the aura of a CEO from a novel.
Ten minutes later, a bright red deed with my name on it was in my hands.
“Ah!!!”
I clutched the deed and gave Dad my first smile.
[Well done, Mom! The more money we get from Dad, the more powerfull we’ll be when we leave.]
Thinking of our fate last life, I clenched my tiny fists.
Over the next year, my life changed completely from before.
Lin Xiaoyue, under my mother’s watchful eye, no longer got the best of everything.
She was left to Auntie Wang’s care.
I received all my mother’s love.
As for Dad—whatever.
At my first birthday banquet, I met the entire Lin family for the first time.
There was the grandfather who’d pushed for Lin Xiaoyue’s adoption,
and my brother, Lin Minghao, a seven-year-old prodigy.
“Mom, is this my little sister? She’s got such a round face—so cute!”
Lin Minghao peered at me curiously.
He was being groomed as the next heir, so he had a packed schedule.
This was our first meeting.
“Yes, Minghao, this is your sister Yanran,”
my mother introduced us.
“Hi, Yanran, I’m your big brother. I’ll look after you from now on.”
He hooked his finger around mine.
I glared and grunted at him.
“Here’s a gift for you—a toy car I made myself.”
He placed the toy in my stroller.
A wail erupted from Lin Xiaoyue nearby.
“She’s my sister too? I have two sisters now?”
Minghao’s eyes lit up, and he tried to hug Lin Xiaoyue.
“Hmm, but I only made one toy car. What should I do?
Oh, I’ll give Yanran’s car to Xiaoyue. Yanran has a big family to love her, but Xiaoyue seems so lonely.”
Minghao muttered to himself.
I was fuming inside.
Minghao was still as biased as ever.
Last life, he gave all his affection to Lin Xiaoyue and treated me like a useless outsider.
Now, when everyone ignored Lin Xiaoyue, he pitied her.
[Yes, she’s your sister.
But you have a soft spot for her.
When I was brought home, you always defended your fake sister.
But, too bad—she’ll run you over with a car one day.]
Minghao jerked his hand back as if burned.
Everyone was startled.
“Minghao, what’s wrong?”
Grandpa rushed to comfort him.
“Grandpa, I don’t like this foster sister.
She’ll run me over one day, waah!”
Minghao hid in Grandpa’s arms, sobbing.
At seven, he already knew what “run over” meant.
“Impossible. Minghao just has too much pressure from school,”
Grandpa tried to reassure him.
This was only my third time seeing Grandpa in two lifetimes.
The first was when I was brought home:
“Our Lin family has a reputation to uphold.
How can we accept a real daughter who’s uneducated?
We’ve invested so much in Xiaoyue—she’s our blood!”
Because of that, I was demoted from real daughter to foster child,
while Lin Xiaoyue took my place.
The second time was when Grandpa was on his deathbed.
[Go ahead, spoil Lin Xiaoyue. She’ll pull your oxygen tube out one day,
just because you won’t give her your shares as a dowry.
How tragic.]
Thinking of his fate, I couldn’t help but say it in my heart.
Grandpa paused, then waved his hand.
“Auntie Wang, take Xiaoyue to rest.”
He sighed deeply.
Chapter 02
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