For a fleeting moment, Yu Shishi even felt that everything she had painstakingly designed—the deliberate distance she had created between herself and her sister, the carefully maintained class divide—had crumbled.
The pride she took in her family background, the elite education she had received since childhood—all of it suddenly lost its luster.
No, she couldn’t think like that. The invisible resources she possessed now, the future possibilities, were far beyond what mere money could buy.
And yet, despite this, Yu Shishi couldn’t shake the bitterness.
That was an amount she had never come close to in either of her lifetimes. And yet, her sister had effortlessly obtained something she lacked—even if it was only temporary.
But Yu Shishi found herself slipping back into the shadows of her past life.
Her lips twitched into a stiff smile as she asked, "What kind of private business charges over ten million per transaction?"
Shen Ying replied, "In Dr. Jiang’s case, it’s mainly two things: crushing competitors and emotional consultations."
Yu Shishi felt another pang in her chest. Crushing competitors?
Jiang Liuxu’s rivals were either industry giants in the medical field or the most outstanding figures within the Jiang family. Did these people really need her help to be taken down?
But her attention quickly shifted to the latter part.
She was even more stunned. "What kind of emotional consultation starts at ten million?"
What she really wanted to ask was: Are the renowned psychological teams under the Jiang family suddenly useless?
To her surprise, her sister immediately clarified, "Please show me some respect. It’s not that a consultation starts at ten million—that phrasing might mislead people into thinking ten million buys them long-term service."
"It’s ten million per transaction, thank you."
Yu Shishi: "…Is that really something worth emphasizing?"
Shen Ying: "Of course. First, it sets the price threshold—those who can’t afford it shouldn’t bother me. Second, it prevents long-term clients from getting the wrong idea that I’ll do extra work for free."
Yu Shishi forced a smile. "Liuxu is right here. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to say that?"
Jiang Liuxu shrugged. "It’s fine. A high price barrier ensures Ms. Shen’s client base stays small, so she can prioritize my appointments."
"As for the second point, the value of Ms. Shen’s services is indeed worth every penny."
Then, with a meaningful glance, he added, "Though Ms. Shen’s clientele is rather… specialized. Often, the roles of client and target overlap in the same person. Instead of setting boundaries, she deliberately obscures this fact to secure more business. That’s not ideal."
Shen Ying leaned forward slightly. "That’s not entirely fair. I have to ensure a balance of strengths and weaknesses among my clients. Otherwise, I’d be forced to completely abandon some just to favor others."
"Besides, without this approach, we wouldn’t have the Dr. Jiang we see today."
She didn’t say it outright, but her expression made it clear—she was quite satisfied with the current version of Jiang Liuxu.
Hearing this, Jiang Liuxu’s face remained composed, but his fingers twitched slightly.
Yu Shishi, sharp as ever, sensed the shift in the atmosphere. She glanced at Jiang Liuxu and relaxed.
She knew from her past life that Jiang Liuxu’s behavior toward her sister had never been like this. That meant he truly harbored no unnecessary feelings for her.
Reassured, she asked, "Now I’m curious—what exactly do these services entail?"
Shen Ying smiled. "I’m obligated to maintain client confidentiality. If you want to know, you’ll have to ask them."
Yu Shishi turned to Jiang Liuxu, but to her surprise, the man who had always indulged her shook his head. "Sorry, but I’d be too embarrassed to discuss this in front of you."
Some things were just awkward.
Yu Shishi’s irritation flared, though she kept her expression concerned. "Why?"
"You’re spending such exorbitant amounts on my sister, yet both of you are being so cryptic. It’s hard not to worry."
Jiang Liuxu feigned surprise. "Exorbitant? Compared to others, I’ve spent the least—yet received the best service."
"My measly seventy or eighty million is nothing. Pei Ying is the one who’s poured the most money into this."
Yu Shishi’s voice rose. "Pei Ying is involved too?"
Jiang Liuxu nodded. "Of course. Pei Ying has deep pockets. You know how he hates waiting—he paid a premium to secure priority service from Ms. Shen."
"And then there’s Yu Ting. That fool is so clueless he keeps misidentifying his targets, so he’s wasted a fortune. Not to mention, his requests are the most varied—you can imagine how many orders he’s placed."
"Even Chang Ming, who initially resisted working with Ms. Shen, couldn’t resist her service quality. He keeps sending her new assignments."
Jiang Liuxu smirked at Yu Shishi’s stunned expression. "So don’t worry about me. I’m the most rational one here."
Yu Shishi never imagined her sister had connections with all four of them—and such deep financial ties at that.
After all these years of carefully nurtured relationships, she had never extracted this much money from them.
She had always forced herself to decline extravagant gifts, playing the long game to secure something greater. And yet, this woman—
She stared at Shen Ying, silently begging her to deny it.
Please, she thought, tell me Jiang Liuxu is joking.
But Shen Ying only said, "Of course. Dr. Jiang’s business alone couldn’t sustain my luxurious lifestyle."
"Besides, he’s so capable that he hardly needs my help anymore. If I hadn’t begged, he’d have stopped giving me assignments long ago."
"So I have to keep my other clients happy."
Jiang Liuxu scoffed. "Ms. Shen’s ‘begging’ was so moving that I couldn’t possibly end our collaboration."
Hearing the confirmation from Shen Ying’s lips, Yu Shishi felt the world go silent.
The cup she had been holding tilted in her daze, water slowly seeping into her dress.
"Ah—!" The cold sensation jolted her, and she let out a sharp gasp.
Shen Ying turned at the sound and saw Yu Shishi standing abruptly, her dress now stained in an embarrassing spot, her face flushed red.
Shen Ying stood as well. "Come with me. Let’s find you something else to wear."
She led her stepsister to the master bedroom’s walk-in closet. "We’re the same size. Anything here should fit you. Pick something and change. I’ll get you a towel."
When the closet doors opened, Yu Shishi felt another stab of envy.
She wasn’t some naive girl who’d never seen luxury—Pei Ying and the others owned closets a hundred times more extravagant than this.
But in her past life, her sister had been the center of attention. Though the Yu family treated both sisters equally, whenever Pei Ying and the others gifted her sister something, they’d throw in a token item for her as well.
Just like those gifts, everything she received had always been an afterthought—never matching her sister’s in quality or quantity.
And yet, even in this life, where she was supposed to be the one with the upper hand, she still couldn’t escape this suffocating jealousy.
Yu Shishi’s own closet wasn’t lacking. It was filled with clothes, shoes, and bags from her parents and the four men.
But to maintain the image she remembered from her past life—the poised, unmaterialistic woman who valued sentiment over wealth—she rarely accepted extravagant gifts outside of birthdays or special occasions.
She had to play the role perfectly: refined, heartfelt, never greedy.
But what about her sister? The entire walk-in closet, nearly as large as the master bedroom, was filled to the brim.
Inside, designer outfits from top luxury brands hung neatly in rows, an entire wall dedicated to shoes and handbags, and in the center, a massive circular jewelry cabinet displayed expensive watches and gemstones.
Yu Shishi’s vision darkened slightly, a voice in her heart questioning her:
What was the point of all her pretense?
To prove she wouldn’t accept gifts beyond her family’s means, she had repeatedly refused extravagant presents from Pei Ying and the others.
Eventually, to avoid rejection, they only gave her things within the Yu family’s budget—items she could reciprocate.
For years, Yu Shishi had maintained this facade, even taking pride in her so-called "integrity."
Yet her sister’s lavishness shattered the illusion she had almost convinced herself was real.
Seeing her frozen in place, Shen Ying rummaged through the racks and pulled out a dress similar in color and style to the one Yu Shishi was wearing.
"Here, wear this."
Yu Shishi glanced at the dress handed to her—a C-brand haute couture piece from this year’s spring-summer collection, priced at over 200,000 yuan.
She remembered the savings she had reluctantly used days ago to pay off her sister’s loan, and fury surged through her.
Biting back her anger, she asked, "Weren’t you just being chased by loan sharks a few days ago? If you have this much money, how could you not repay them?"
Shen Ying shrugged. "The payment hasn’t come in yet, and I spent it in advance. They wouldn’t even give me a few days’ grace."
"So my money was just to fill the hole left by your luxury splurges?"
Yu Shishi couldn’t keep the sharpness out of her voice as she pushed the dress back. "Forget it, it’s too expensive."
"You should really cut back on these expenses. Like you said, what you’re doing now isn’t sustainable."
"If you get used to this lifestyle and can’t downgrade, don’t expect me to bail you out next time loan sharks come knocking."
Shen Ying smiled. "With my money-making skills, why would you need to worry about me?"
"Relax, your sister isn’t short on cash. And if business dries up, I can always marry some fool."
Yu Shishi’s eyelid twitched—a bad feeling creeping in. "From the sound of it, you already have candidates?"
Shen Ying: "Of course. Four options."
Yu Shishi was so furious she nearly choked. It felt like her territory was being invaded.
She had worked tirelessly for over a decade to become the center of attention, yet Shen Ying had the audacity to casually pick from the fruits of her labor?
But deep down, Yu Shishi knew her rage was rooted in fear.
Memories of her past life, where everyone had orbited around her sister, flashed before her eyes. The dread of those four men getting entangled with Shen Ying again without her knowledge gnawed at her.
Warily, she asked, "Is it Liuxu and the other three? Is any of them pursuing you?"
Shen Ying: "Oh, not yet. But I’m confident in my charm."
Yu Shishi exhaled in relief—for now, it was just her sister’s wishful thinking.
She told herself that years of effort wouldn’t be undone so easily by a sister who had done nothing.
With feigned amusement, she teased, "That confident? From what I know of them, those four have very high standards."
Shen Ying: "Not a problem. Look at the fortune they’ve already piled up for me in just a few months."
"With how gullible they are, I could swindle them blind."
Yu Shishi’s vision darkened again at the sight of all that luxury, knowing it was all funded by those four men.
In the end, she didn’t stay for dinner and hurriedly left.
Since Jiang Liuxu had brought her, he was responsible for driving her home.
In the car, Yu Shishi asked, "I had no idea you and the others had so much contact with my sister in private."
Jiang Liuxu: "Not much. Mostly just business dealings."
"Your sister never meets us outside of work."
(After all, every meeting with her cost them dearly.)
Yu Shishi relaxed slightly, then pressed further: "Do you feel any familiarity when you see her?"
Jiang Liuxu raised a brow. "Familiarity? At first, a little—you two look almost identical."
"But once you interact with her, the differences are obvious."
Yu Shishi ignored the latter part, pressing, "Just because of me?"
Jiang Liuxu: "What else?"
Yu Shishi finally let go of her tension.
In this life, without a privileged upbringing or adoration, her sister had struggled in the lower rungs of society—nothing like the kind, radiant woman who had once reshaped Jiang Liuxu’s ideals in his "dreams."
But as she relaxed, Jiang Liuxu’s frown deepened.
He knew exactly what Yu Shishi was probing for.
Yet before her, he had no connection to Shen Ying. Why was Yu Shishi so wary of that vague "shadow"?
That "shadow" was a story Shen Ying herself had fed him—a riddle only the two sisters knew.
But Jiang Liuxu was burning with curiosity.
After confirming that her sister hadn’t told Pei Ying about the scar, Yu Shishi felt at ease enough to reach out to the others.
She created a group chat and announced her return.
Instantly, the group buzzed with excitement—everyone expressed surprise and delight at her sudden homecoming.
Chang Ming even insisted on visiting her immediately.
But after a twenty-hour flight and an exhausting encounter with her sister, Yu Shishi had no energy left for socializing.
She replied in the group:
[Tomorrow. I’m exhausted today.]
Chang Ming:
[Then rest early. I’ll come see you first thing tomorrow.]
Yu Shishi:
[It’s been half a year since we last met. I’ve missed you all. How about dinner tomorrow at Starlight Restaurant?]
The others eagerly agreed. Yu Shishi basked in their enthusiasm.
These were busy men—Pei Ying, whose time was nearly impossible to claim; Yu Ting, who was currently hours away on a film shoot.
Yet for her, they dropped everything just to reunite.
For a moment, the irritation her sister had caused faded.
But remembering how Shen Ying had casually marked her suitors as targets, Yu Shishi took a screenshot of the group’s excited planning.
She opened WeChat, where she had recently added Shen Ying, pasted the screenshot, and began typing:
[Sis, the four of them are throwing me a welcome party tomorrow. Do you want to—]
Before she could finish, a notification popped up at the top of her screen:
[Yu Ting added Shen Ying to the group.]
Yu Shishi: "???"
She quickly exited Shen Ying’s chat and returned to the group, where she saw:
Yu Ting @Shen Ying:
[You’re coming to your sister’s welcome party tomorrow, right?]
Shen Ying:
[No.]
Yu Ting:
[Why not?]
Shen Ying:
[I’m busy.]
Yu Ting: [What could be more important than seeing your sister? She’s your own flesh and blood, the sister you haven’t seen in over a decade. I drove for hours and even took time off from filming tomorrow to be here. Can’t you just cancel whatever it is?]
[Shen Ying has left the group chat.]
Yu Ting: […]
Jiang Liuxu: [Idiot!]
Yu Shishi stared at the screen, stunned.
What was wrong with Yu Ting? Sure, he was standing up for her, but something about it felt… off.
