Feng Xueling sat in the back of a nondescript school bus and sighed.It was finally Monday morning, and after that whirlwind of a weekend, she really felt too tired to deal with school.
Getting shot had been the easy part.The bullet had gone clean through, merely a sting, no more. In both her lifetimes, this has been the most minor injury ever.
Getting Mo Shenyu to let her leave the hospital, that had been the real trial.
The man was like a fortress in human form.Every time she so much as mentioned school, his jaw had locked tighter, the muscles in his temple ticking like a countdown to detonation.
"You were in a gunfight," he had said flatly the night before. "You're not setting foot in a classroom like nothing happened."
"It's the last week," she'd replied, matching his calm tone with her own. "If I don't go, my test results would be talked about and my absence could even affect my Gaokao".
His eyes had darkened. "Let them talk. It's not like you need the Gaokao to get into college anyway"
"Easy for you to say," she'd countered, arching an eyebrow. "Not all of us can study abroad and get double degrees like you"
That had earned her a low growl — actual, audible growl. For a man known to the world as a perfectly polished CEO, it was almost absurdly endearing.
"Let me go, please" said Xueling quietly. "All that I have endured in the Feng family, everything that I have worked hard for will truly be meaningless if I don't see this to the end".
It was the quiet pleading that had broken his resolve.
"You're impossible," he'd muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face and giving in against his will. "If you insist on going back, you're not going alone."
And so, she wasn't.The two men in dark civilian jackets sitting three rows ahead might have looked like ordinary passengers, but Xueling didn't need to guess whose men they were.
Although the civilian guards were over the top, Xueling had to admit that she liked the feeling of being cared for, genuinely cared for by somebody. Mo Shenyu had not let her lift so much as a little finger all weekend. He had driven away the Chu family simply because she did not want to meet them. Even the back-to-school trip was only because she insisted on it. His actions had consistently shown that he prioritized her and her thoughts over anything else. For someone like her who had chased genuine love, protection, and belonging for two lifetimes, this was an addictive feeling.
Why did they not meet in the past life? Xueling wondered. From her nightmare, she had figured out that he had indeed found her in the sanatorium and later avenged her death. Had she been too caught up in the Feng family and missed Mo Shenyu completely?
And clearly, Mo Shenyu had not been the only person she had missed. She had also missed her true family – the Chu family. The DNA results had come in on Saturday and they had apparently been a 99.99% match. She was the lost daughter of the Chu family, there was no mistake. Why had missed her true family as well? Had she missed it or was she made to miss it?
Xueling distinctly remembered the Chu family from her past life and the eldest miss of the Chu family in particular. The Chu family's eldest miss had a typical fairytale life as the only young miss of a powerful family with doting older brothers to boot. She still remembered hearing about the Chu family and later watching them on television when she was the sanitorium. Chu Mingzhu – the darling pearl of the Chu family, the proclaimed only young miss.
It was because of this memory that she had adamantly refused to meet the Chu family members and asked Mo Shenyu to drive them away. She could not reconcile the injustice of her past life and meet them without reservation. Why did the Chu family not keep looking for her, but accept and lavish affection on this distant cousin? She had been so desperate, so hurt, so lost that even if they had helped her out of her quagmire, she would have been grateful. But instead, she had never been found and the family that should have been hers were doting on someone else. Try as she might, Xueling could not feel affection for a so-called family where members could easily be replaced.
Xueling sighed deeply. She would eventually have to meet them, she supposed. If for nothing else, to reclaim what was hers. In this life, she would not chase what didn't belong to her. But what belonged to her, she would never let it fall in the hands of someone else.
The Chu family estate was rarely quiet, but today the atmosphere was taut — a current of barely contained anticipation thrummed through the marble halls.
The paternity results from the Jinhai Military Hospital had arrived and everyone knew what that meant. The Chu family's lost daughter had finally been found.
Inside the study three of the brothers — Chu Weiyun, Chu Lingxiao, and Chu Jian — stood together, their faces drawn tight. The only one missing was the eldest, Chu Haoran who had gone to check on their grandmother. Li Shuqin, the matriarch of the Chu family who had withstood wind and rain had finally collapsed under the shock of finding their lost granddaughter. She had been clamoring to go to Jinhai to meet her granddaughter but had finally calmed down when told that their granddaughter would come back after the Gaokao next month.
"I suppose it is reasonable that wants to finish her college entrance exams before she travels away from Jinhai" began Chu Weiyun, the second eldest of the four brothers.
Then, light footsteps clicked on the polished floor.
"Second brother, Third brother, Fourth brother! Why are you all here?"
A clear, honeyed voice lilted through the tension.
The men turned as Chu Mingzhu swept into the hall.
Dressed in a soft pink qipao embroidered with peonies, she looked every inch the elegant young miss of the Chu family — her glossy black hair pinned with a pearl comb, her smile warm and guileless.But behind the sweetness in her eyes, there was a gleam that never quite reached the light.
"Why does everyone look so serious this morning?" she asked lightly, folding her hands demurely. "Did something terrible happen? And where is grandma?"
Chu Jian's expression darkened. "You already know why we're here, Mingzhu. The results came back."
Her smile didn't waver — it only softened, as though she were humoring a child. "Oh? Results for what?"
"For her," cut in Chu Haoran curtly as he walked into the study. Tall and broad shouldered, he had the majesty of the eldest grandson and Chu family heir. His sharp voice carried the quiet dominance of someone used to having his orders followed with question. "The girl from Jinhai. The one with the mark."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Mingzhu's lashes fluttered, and she let out a small, incredulous laugh."Oh, that?" she said airily. "Surely you don't believe such nonsense. There are thousands of people who practice similar techniques. Coincidences happen."
"Coincidences don't share blood," Haoran snapped.
Her face paled — just slightly, almost artfully. "You mean… it's confirmed?"
Lingxiao, who had been silent until now, nodded. "Ninety-nine point nine percent."
The words landed like a blow. For an instant, Mingzhu's breath caught — and then she pressed a hand to her chest, forcing a trembling smile.
"Then… we should be happy," she said softly. "After all, it's wonderful news for Uncle, isn't it? To find his daughter after all these years…"
Her tone was flawless — gentle, sympathetic, even filial. It conveyed the right amount of concern and love for this uncle who has found his daughter and her fear of what it meant for her.
"It is wonderful news for all of us" continued Chu Haoran. "We can finally welcome back our only little sister".
"Your on on only sister…." Chu Mingzhu's voice trembled as she shed a quiet tear and smiled with false bravado. "Yes, I am afterall the distant cousin who doesn't truly belong.."
Her performance moved Chu Lingxiao. Of the four brothers, Lingxiao was perhaps the closest to Chu Mingzhu. He had been too young to remember his younger sister when she went missing and had easily adapted to pampering Chu Mingzhu as only sister in the family.
He exhaled and said "Mingzhu don't be sad, you will continue to be our younger sister…."
"Don't make promises you can't keep" cut in Chu Weiyun. He was the second of the brothers and probably the most cold and ruthless among them all. He had been a preteen when he had lost his mother and he distinctly remembered his adorable younger sister – her big eyes, her chubby cheeks, and those soft white hands. She had held his hand and followed him everywhere. To have lost his mother and his beloved sister on that same day had shifted something in him. Since that day, he had ruthlessly trained himself to head the family's internal and external operations. He was now the family's head of intelligence and his quest had even led him to have strong connections to the underworld. And to have missed finding this sister for these many years despite her being in Jinhai city of all places.. "We have only one younger sister and you have always known that. What are you pretending now for?" he asked, ruthlessly exposing Mingzhu's tears.
"I..I..I am just moved and so happy for you all" said Chu Mingzhu, changing tactics once again. This bastard Chu Weiyun! How she hated his blunt personality!
Then she tilted her head, just slightly, and said, "Where is grandma? She must be so happy! I can't wait to congratulate her."
"Grandma is a little overwhelmed and is resting. Don't disturb her" said Chu Haoran.
"Sister's news made grandma sick?!" said Mingzhu pretending to be shocked.
The words dropped like ice into the air.
"Mingzhu!" Chu Jian barked. "Don't sow discord!"
"What?" she asked, the innocence on her face a little too polished. "I didn't mean to sow discord… I was only surprised that grandma who had been in such excellent all along suddenly fell sick because of sister..."
Chu Jian's jaw tightened. "That's enough." He said. "Our sister didn't cause anything.. don't go spouting nonsense"
She bit her lip prettily, lowering her gaze. "I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."
The four brothers exchanged glances, tension simmering.
"Chu Mingzhu" began Chu Haoran seriously. "We are willing to let you borrow the Chu family name and indulge you calling us family because your father helped us move abroad fifteen years back. But remember, our real sister is our true family and will be our most precious sibling".
Chu Mingzhu's eyes filled with tears and they spilled over her highly made up cheeks. "I.. I.. Know big brother" she said in a soft trembling voice the very picture of pear blossom in rain.
Chu Lingxiao took pity on her. "Go back for now. We will have a reunion soon and you can come back then" he said.
"ok..okay" she said and dashed away with quiet tears dripping down her face. She bumped into the Chu family nanny as she went downstairs.
"What happened miss?" asked the nanny startled. Chu Mingzhu was literally the pearl in the hands of the Chu family and to think she was crying so badly… did something bad happen?
"No..nothing aunt Huang" she said, looking wronged but trying to put on a brave front. "It's just that sister's news made grandma sick but my brothers scolded me when I said I will meet Grandma. Afterall, I am not their true sister…"
"What?!" said Aunt Huang startled. She has been a nanny with the Chu family household only for the past five years and was most familiar with Chu Mingzhu. Mingzhu always had a smile for her and gave her small benefits and it was also easy to see how she was liked in the family. So Nanny Huang was happy to pamper and indulge her. "How can that be, miss?! Your brothers dote on you the most!"
"Yes they do" said Mingzhu smiling shyly. "They are probably just confused finding this new sister…"
"What new sister?!" said Nanny Huang sharply. "She is probably a country bumpkin who grew up without manners. See how she has already caused a disaster for the old madam?! The brothers will see through her soon! Don't worry, miss. You are the true sister who grew up with them and they will continue to pamper you. Don't cry now…"
"Thank you aunt Huang" said Chu Mingzhu "You are the best at comforting. I already feel so much better! Yes, these are my brothers and I should help them when a difficult sister is joining the family. I'll go out and buy some products… she may not have had the chance to use them outside. It would make her feel welcome and cause less trouble"
"You are the best!" sighed Aunt Huang as she watched Chu Mingzhu walk away. What a kind child. She thought. Really, this new miss was just too much. Already causing trouble before joining the family.
As Chu Mingzhu walked out of the house, her expression shifted. She no longer looked woebegone or sad. In it's place was only cold calculation.
So she's truly been found!
If she returned, Mingzhu's fifteen years of perfection —her carefully cultivated role as "Little Miss Chu," beloved by the brothers and admired by the servants — would vanish overnight.
No!! She wouldn't allow it. She and her family had worked so hard to reach this high into the Chu family. She would not let everything go waste! She had already sowed seeds of discord with the servants. Aunt Huang would definitely talk about this with the other servants. But she needed a more foolproof plan. Her parents could help….
"Welcome home, dear sister," she whispered under her breath as she thought of the many traps and tricks she could use. "I am so eager to show you your place in this family."