[SUNDAY EVENING]
A car stopped at the gates of the Su family mansion. Driver Mu glanced back. "Miss Su, hurry up," he urged, motioning for her to open the car door. "Old Madame's already waiting for you by the entrance!"
"Okay."
Su Nian shrugged and gazed at the stoic woman by the double doors.
A 65year old woman standing at the door was dressed in head-to-toe designer wear. There was something fierce and domineering about her features. It was obvious that she was not easy to get along with. She knew the woman because she had seen her photo in an album. That woman was her grandmother, her grandfather's younger sister-in-law, and her uncle Su Fan's biological mother.
The maid finally pulled open the car door, revealing a beautiful face.
Qin Man gazed at Su Nian as if she was staring at some object sitting on the rack. "You must be Su Nian" she said coldly. " I am your grandmother. I am sure you are already informed you of your...situation. As you're already here, however, I'd like to go over a couple of rules before you settle in."
Qin Man was quite satisfied with the young woman's looks.
Although she had grown up in the countryside, she obviously did not look the part.
However, as soon as she remembered what Su Fan had told her, she frowned. Su Fan told her that this girl had taken all the property from Su Jie and she had history of skipping school multiple time, fighting with people, having bad reputation there overall. Displeasure filled her expression as she regarded the young girl. "I do not care what you are like in the past, or where you have grown up. What matters is now. You're a member of the Su Family, so I'd expect you to act the part."
"This place is nothing like that Y Village you grew up in where you can do whatever you want." She clucked her tongue. "Your sister–she has been the pride of this family for many years, and many more years to come. While you are nothing compared to her, you should still put an effort in not pulling her down."
"While you cannot do anything to lift our name, we expect you not to disgrace it. Is that understood?"
Su Nian had listened to her grandmother's "teachings", if she'd like to regard her threats and insults like that. However, her nonchalant expression belied this. Her fingers drummed against her thighs, seemingly lost in thought.
Qin Man scowled.
"Were you even listening to a word I've just said?" she snapped. "
"Do I have to remind you then? If an elder speaks to you, you should listen carefully. When he asks for your opinion, you respond accordingly. Has no one taught you this?"
Qin Man observed the way the young woman had moved so disgracefully. Even if she came from such a prominent family, there was not the slightest bit of ladylike about her! Disappointment brewed in her heart.
This was nature versus nurture at its finest.
"Oh, I've heard you." Su Nian slowly raised her head to look at him. Her porcelain features still looked unbothered by her mother's lecture. "May I enter now?"
Qin Man scowled at the young woman. She had been speaking for God knows how long, and the girl would not even listen? All her small brain could think about was entering the house.
However, she was not surprised. After all, Su Nian grew up in the countryside. The last thing she had was a proper upbringing.
She should not have set the bar too high.
Even then, Qin Man could not help but gaze at her with disdain. "If you don't want to return to that terrorizing mountain again, then I'd suggest you drop the act and listen to me," she snapped.
"I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You may not be able to control anything that you've gone through, but the moment you step inside, you don't have the luxury of becoming careless. If you've done nothing but hold us back, then you shouldn't blame me for sending you back where you came from!"
As soon as the words slipped her lips, Qin Man turned her head to the side, refusing to look her in the eye.
Despite this, Su Nian's face remained indifferent from her sneers and insults. Her dark eyes were as calm as the wind. It's as if she was simply watching all of this on-screen.
"Driver Mu will be calling someone to send the luggage in." She sniffed, turning away. "You may greet your sister when you head inside."
Su Nian suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as she headed into the mansion.
When Qin Man saw the familiarity in her steps, her face shadowed over with even more disdain. The young girl didn't even wait for her to show her inside! Her fingernails dug into her palms.
How rude!
That country bumpkin was nothing compared to their daughter! All she brought back to them was a series of potential problems and misfortune. If it weren't for their Feng-Shui Advisor stating otherwise, they wouldn't have retrieved her from the mountains. As long as she was predicted to bring fortune to them all, she'd have to bite her tongue and live with it and again the patriarch had given a lot of shares of Su Corporation to this girl and she would have to plan about snatching it somehow.
Let's see if that old bastard was right.
If this girl was nothing but trouble, then Qin Man would find another reason to send her back to Y Village.
Su Ran, who was sitting in the mansion, couldn't help but overhear a pair of footsteps coming to the front entrance. A graceful smile slipped into her lips as she ran towards the door. However, what she didn't expect was to see the stranger in front of her.
"Grandma, this woman is..."
Su Ran immediately looked the woman up and down, feeling a sense of worry brewing in her chest.
"Ran Ran, meet Su Nian." Her voice wasn't as gentle as it had been. Her eyes were also quite void of any warmth. "She'll be staying with the Su Family from this point forward."
"I..." Her eyes widened in surprise.
When she glanced back at Su Nian once more, she had to suppress another gasp. She blinked. Of course, she had known that her parents were planning to bring their actual daughter back from the countryside. She couldn't really care any less than.
After all, the girl was nothing more than a country bumpkin. She'd survive.
What Su Ran didn't expect was for this country bumpkin to actually be beautiful. She bit back her words, suddenly feeling a bit faint from the revelation. Even her seemingly naive smile and friendly gaze couldn't hide the trace of hostility in her expression.
"Su Nian!" she exclaimed. "I'm Su Ran. I've heard so many stories about you from Mom and Dad, and now, I can finally meet my sister."
She may be flustered, but she wasn't going to make it obvious.
She smiled sweetly, extending her hands. "From now on, we can finally be a family. We'll have our backs from this point forward, okay?"
This time, Su Nian lifted her eyes. Her patience had already worn out from the exhaustingly long lecture she had from her "grand mother". The indifference fell away from her expression, replaced with a small and mocking smirk. "A family, huh?" she said softly.
"I...Yes." Su Ran blinked. "Is there a problem?"
Su Nian pursed her lips, shoving her hands far deeper into her pockets. Ignoring her small hand, she sneered. "I'm sorry, but we're nowhere near to becoming a family."
Seeing her confused expression, she added, "After all, we both have different parents, and this is the first time we've met."
Su Ran turned even paler as the next batch of words slapped her across the face. "Wouldn't be a little hypocritical to say that we're a family?" Su Nian's smirk widened even further.
"I...Sister, how could..." Su Ran stuttered, staring at her in disbelief.
"I–how could you be so rude?" the old woman sputtered out, looking like a burning pot. "Your sister was already kind enough to welcome you, and you have the nerve to treat her like this!"
Seeing the apple of her eye being ridiculed like this, Qin Man could feel her heart burning with anger.