Chapter 4: Shattered

When Jiang Muguo was a child, she didn’t realize that her family was broken beyond repair. There was a language tutor at home, a maid who took care of her daily needs, and a driver who chauffeured her to and from school. Everyone treated her exceptionally well. She was the cherished princess, with everything handed to her on a silver platter.

But as she grew older, she noticed that the “father” mentioned in her textbooks seemed distant in her own life. They met only on holidays, and even then, he spoke to her coldly, exchanging only a few perfunctory words.

When she was young, she had hoped to build a good relationship with him. In elementary school, she was overjoyed when she heard from others that her father would be coming home. She even saved an ice cream she barely dared to eat, holding it out with both hands that afternoon when he arrived.

Alongside him was a young man, who, upon seeing her wide-eyed, exclaimed, “So this is your family’s little baby? How cute!” She understood it was a compliment and smiled brightly.

But on Mu Anyan’s youthful and handsome face was nothing but displeasure. She still remembered that expression vividly. He almost gritted his teeth as he said to the man beside him, “Get lost.” The words were barely audible, but she heard them clearly.

At that time, she didn’t understand why her father said that. She just smiled earnestly and said, “Dad, please have some.” Mu Anyan stared at the ice cream in her hands, hesitated for a long time, but didn’t take it. Instead, the man next to him leaned down and grabbed it, saying, “I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it. Your dad doesn’t like sweets, but I do!” Then all she saw was Mu Anyan’s retreating back.

Five minutes later, she found the melted ice cream discarded in the trash. From that moment on, she sensed that Mu Anyan disliked her, even felt ashamed of her.

As a child, she couldn’t understand how he could treat her that way, even if his relationship with Jiang Wei was poor—she was his own flesh and blood.

It wasn’t until she was older that she learned what had really happened. When she was three, something unknown occurred. A paternity test shattered Jiang Wei’s lies: before their marriage, she had already betrayed him, bearing another man’s child. But due to a company crisis, she had schemed against him and married him anyway.

She had once been called Mu Gui.

By the time she entered high school, she had armored herself, stifling all her former innocence and romance. She wore makeup, dated, and engaged in those activities that only adults typically undertook.

Naturally, a certain place that only those eighteen and over could enter became her regular haunt.

“Hey, Muguo!” Lin Nian waved at Jiang Muguo from a distance.

Jiang Muguo’s lips curled slightly as she saw the curly-haired woman and ran over, taking a seat in the booth Lin Nian had reserved.

“Finally found time to ask me out to play?” Jiang Muguo teased lightly, accepting the drink Lin Nian handed her and taking a sip.

Lin Nian clicked her tongue. “Your young miss needs to prepare for exams. How could I dare to call you out during that time? Cut me some slack.”

Jiang Muguo glanced coldly at Lin Nian’s new boyfriend beside her. “Our school lets anyone in. Don’t project your tendency to forget friends over a pretty face onto me.”

Lin Nian pressed her lips together. That was something she found puzzling, too. The young miss had good grades but chose neither to study abroad nor attend a local university. Instead, she was applying to a completely ordinary comprehensive university in another city’s dance program. It baffled her.

But Jiang Muguo was always someone who followed her own will. Even she didn’t know what she was thinking—perhaps it was because of her original family background.

“Almost forgot to tell you. A few days ago, I saw your dad’s current girlfriend at the International Finance Center.” Lin Nian’s casual remark made Jiang Muguo’s hand freeze mid-pour.