The two sisters entered the room affectionately.
Chen Liuyue, with her sharp eyes, spotted a photo frame on the bedside table and picked it up quite naturally.
Pointing at the familiar-looking man in the photo, she turned her head and smiled:
"He's so handsome. Is he your boyfriend, sis?"
Hearing her question, Chen Ruanruan felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest.
She was somewhat displeased that Chen Liuyue had touched her things without permission.
She took the photo back from her hand and held it carefully in her own.
She explained:
"He's not my boyfriend."
"He's my fiancé!"
Chen Liuyue seemed to find this term quite novel and repeated it.
"Fiancé?"
Chen Ruanruan nodded and said, "That's right, we're already engaged."
After speaking, she observed the other's expression anxiously.
After all, she and Qin Xuanye had gotten together initially due to a marriage alliance between their two families.
Their genuine feelings had developed gradually after the engagement.
Now, with the arrival of Chen Liuyue, the true biological daughter... a trace of unease and fear stirred in Chen Ruanruan's heart.
Wanting to use a sense of propriety to restrain her,
she added another sentence:
"We've already decided to get married after graduating from university. Liuyue, would you be my bridesmaid?"
Chen Liuyue nodded vigorously with great interest,
like a simple and innocent girl next door.
She laughed and said:
"Of course! Being a bridesmaid means wearing pretty dresses, how nice."
"I can even help hold the train of your wedding gown then. I'm really looking forward to it."
Seeing that Chen Liuyue didn't seem particularly affected, the worry in Chen Ruanruan's heart gradually dissipated quite a bit.
She knew very well that Mom and Dad would support her.
Xuanye also liked her.
As long as Chen Liuyue didn't cause trouble, her engagement with Xuanye should proceed as planned.
Although she wasn't the Chen family's biological daughter, the talent and temperament cultivated through years of elite education and a high standard of living had made the Qin family quite satisfied with her as their daughter-in-law.
"Sis, I've finished looking around. I'm very satisfied with this room."
"You can move all your things out now."
"Oh, by the way, if I want to change all the curtains in the room to light blue and the carpet to green, I just need to tell the butler, right?"
Chen Liuyue directed changes around the room, clearly acting like the mistress of the space.
Chen Ruanruan told herself not to get angry, not to get angry, after all, she is their parents' real daughter.
Suppressing her grievance, she responded, "Yes."
...
Chen Liuyue would never wrong herself.
That night, she slept soundly in the Chen family mansion, in Chen Ruanruan's room—no, in her own room.
Waking up early the next day, she saw in the mirror a girl with sleek, jet-black hair, bright almond-shaped eyes, pale cherry lips, and a high nose bridge.
She looked as if she had stepped out of a manga.
Her slender, arched willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her small mouth pouted, giving her the appearance of a perfectly delicate, seemingly fragile green tea btch.
After admiring her own beauty for three minutes,
she shuffled downstairs in her slippers. The servants looked at her with curiosity.
Chen Liuyue wasn't the least bit timid; instead, she waved at them warmly.
"Just call me Second Young Miss from now on. My older sister is Chen Ruanruan."
Upon hearing this, the servants all addressed her as Second Young Miss, though they wondered privately that they had never heard Madam gave birth to twins back then.
Chen Zhenye was sitting on the sofa holding a newspaper. Hearing the commotion, he nodded silently to himself.
His biological daughter was quite sensible.
She didn't put on an act of being well-behaved in front of them only to reveal a malicious side to others.
In contrast, Wu Peihua was displeased to see her come down so late.
Adjusting the cashmere shawl around her shoulders, a hint of displeasure showed on her well-maintained face.
Her tone carried a trace of complaint.
"Liuyue, it's almost nine o'clock. Why are you just getting up now?"
Chen Liuyue descended the stairs, entered the main hall, glanced at the wall clock, and then slowly nodded.
"Oh, it really is nine o'clock."
"I've never slept this late before."
"It must be because I found my parents, so I slept exceptionally soundly last night. No wonder everyone says home is a warm harbor."
Chen Liuyue spoke with a tone full of tender affection.
She even went forward to try and take Chen Zhenye and Wu Peihua's hands.
This, on the contrary, left the Chen couple somewhat flustered.
Especially Wu Peihua, who simply couldn't understand why this daughter seemed incapable of understanding straightforward speech.
Every time she clearly spoke words of reprimand, the girl took them as caring and kind words.
It was like punching a ball of soft cotton.
Your fist goes in, but there's no reaction at all.
Wu Peihua awkwardly pushed away the hand trying to take hers.
She remembered what had happened earlier that morning.
When she got up, she saw dark circles under Chen Ruanruan's eyes and knew the child must not have slept well.
Chen Haotian, who had gotten up early to go to the company, saw this and couldn't help but complain:
"Mom, you know Ruanruan is particular about her bed."
"She definitely didn't sleep well last night after changing rooms."
"That Chen Liuyue is so disobedient and lacks humility. I can't stand having a sister like that!"
In front of the children, Wu Peihua couldn't show her favoritism too obviously.
She patted his shoulder and said, "Alright, you should hurry off to work."
Then she beckoned to Chen Ruanruan and said:
"Ruanruan, to be honest, Mom didn't sleep well last night either. I've been thinking about this matter."
"Don't worry, no matter what the outcome of meeting with The Tao couple is today, I will definitely make sure you stay by my side."
Chen Ruanruan was almost moved to tears.
She called out softly, "Mom."
Wu Peihua's nose also tingled with emotion. She stepped forward and hugged her, saying:
You are Mom's close confidante, you were before, and you will be in the future. No one can replace your place in Mom's heart.
Chen Ruanruan's voice choked with emotion as she nodded excitedly, "Mhm!"
Seeing his mother so protective of Ruanruan, Chen Haotian's worries also lessened considerably.
But he couldn't help adding, "Dad seems to quite like that girl."
Wu Peihua shot him another glance.
"What 'girl'? She is your sister, after all."
"She is also of the Chen family bloodline. Of course your father would value that."
Hearing this, Chen Ruanruan's lips silently drooped again.
Yes.
No matter how lacking Chen Liuyue might be, she was of the Chen family bloodline.
And she herself was not.
Wu Peihua sensed her thoughts and gave Chen Ruanruan's hand a gentle squeeze, saying softly:
"But your father is also partial to you. I asked him quietly last night."
"He said the five percent of the company shares previously given to you will remain yours."
"Keep them with peace of mind."
No superficial words or warm feelings were as real as actual shares.
Hearing that her father said the shares would still be left to her,
Chen Ruanruan's anxious heart gradually calmed somewhat.
She reverted to being the elegant and gentle Chen family young lady, returning the squeeze on Wu Peihua's hand.
She said softly:
"Mom, I'll go out first this morning to accompany Xuanye for a medical check-up. Please send me the location for the noon meeting with... them later."
Wu Peihua smiled and nodded.
"Okay, go ahead."
She was also very satisfied with her daughter's engagement to the Qin family's son.
The two were simply a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman, an ideal couple.
Her thoughts returned to the present.
Wu Peihua heard the question from Chen Liuyue, the daughter she had just taken back, asked in a boisterous manner.
"Eh? Why aren't brother and sister here?"
"Could it be they haven't gotten up yet?"
Wu Peihua let out a scoff.
Did she think everyone was as lazy as her?
It was Chen Zhenye who put down his newspaper and said:
"Your brother has long since started training at the Chen Group. He's at work at this hour."
"As for Ruanruan..." Chen Zhenye turned his head to look at his wife.
At the mention of her son-in-law, Wu Peihua beamed with a smile.
"She's with Xiao Qin. Their relationship is so good it makes me envious."
