Chapter 32: The Family Recognition Drama

Shang Ying withdrew her gaze, picked out the prime VIP view, and quietly waited for the upcoming family recognition drama. Lin Yuan had just gone to the storage room to put away some odds and ends, so she would be back in a moment.

Grandma Sun leaned in close to her, asking softly how the chicken soup tasted. Not wanting to overpraise it, Shang Ying simply gave a big thumbs-up, followed by a firm, approving nod, bringing out the fine laughter lines around the corners of Grandma Sun’s eyes.

Mrs. Lin cleared her throat, elegantly brushing back her lovely hair, and carrying a luxury designer handbag worth who-knows-how-many tens of thousands, walked over to Shang Ying with a smile.

"Hello, little girl. Are you here learning Go as well? What's your name?"

Shang Ying swallowed the orange segment she had just peeled, feeling thoroughly speechless at Mrs. Lin coaxing her like a toddler. Still, she answered in a good temper. After all, she was about to watch this woman's family drama.

She shook her head, lifting her chin slightly toward the Go table.

"I'm Shang Ying, here to accompany my brother."

‘So she really is the Shang family's eldest miss, Shang Ying!’

Mrs. Lin's heart lit up with fireworks once again.

"Oh~ what a lovely name! My Qian'an is sixteen this year, looks about the same age as you. Where do you go to school?"

Shang Ying cast a casual glance at her, inwardly scoffing.

‘Checking my family background? Wrong person, lady! I'm neither a golden goose nor your Lin Yuan.’

Noticing Shang Ying wasn't interested in talking, Grandma Sun naturally diverted the topic, placing a plate of pastries brought out from the fridge onto the table.

"These are pastries my son brought back from Suzhou. They taste quite good, give them a try."

Shang Ying picked up a piece to taste and found out that it was indeed pretty good. She noted the name printed on the box cover, planning to buy some online to stock up once she got home.

Feeling disappointed that the conversation was cut short, Mrs. Lin didn't dare push further after seeing Shang Ying's reluctance to talk. It wouldn't do to anger the Shang family's eldest miss.

After all, she had heard plenty of rumors that this Shang family miss had a strange temper and was easily provoked. If she accidentally set off a fire, it would end up doing more harm than good.

Shang Ying picked up a few pieces of pastry, walked over to the Go table, and kindly offered them to Lin Qian. Lin Qian was taken aback for a moment before accepting them and offering her thanks.

After a moment's thought, Lin Qian spoke up: "My name is Lin Qian. What about you?"

"Shang Ying."

Lin Qian nodded, repeating the name under her breath, then picked up a pastry and ate it. It tasted surprisingly good. Sitting here watching Go had nearly put her to sleep. Was someone finally seeing through her tough front and coming to relieve her boredom?

Seeing the girl's quiet, cool demeanor, Shang Ying couldn't help feeling a bit sympathetic.

‘Eat up, eat up. After eating something sweet, the road ahead won't leave behind only bitter heartache.’

No matter who it was, living in a family for over a decade only to suddenly be told they weren't their parents' biological child would leave anyone dumbfounded. Let alone when the real child was brought back, sending waves of panic crashing like a flood inside.

Plot aside, every time Shang Ying read stories about real and fake heiresses, she found it quite harsh. So, consider these pastries her way of making the kid happy. As for the road ahead, they would have to walk it themselves.

Snapping back to reality, she felt a gloomy gaze fixed tightly onto her. Turning her head to look—oh, it was her freebie silly brother.

Shang Ying picked up a piece of pastry and stuffed it casually into his mouth. "Eat up, help you grow taller." She wasn't one to show favoritism. If there was good food, everyone got a share.

Shang Yi, who had merely been feeling a bit envious, froze when Shang Ying personally fed him the pastry. Feeling the subtle sweetness spreading in his mouth, the corners of his lips raised by at least two pixels.

"Grandma Sun, Grandpa Feng, the courtyard has been cleaned up. I'll be leaving in a bit."

A clear, sweet voice echoed from the courtyard, drifting in like a breeze brushing past freshly ripened fruit. A slender figure appeared outside, gentle sunlight spilling over her body, outlining a soft, glowing halo.

Shang Ying raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across her lips.

‘The most important protagonist has arrived. The good drama is about to start~’

Hearing the voice, Mrs. Lin hadn't expected anyone else to be here. As her gentle eyes looked out coolly, her pupils contracted sharply, and her spine went rigid in an instant.

Lin Yuan's clear, delicate, and youthful face caught her completely off guard, entering her field of vision. When she smiled, her eyes turned into crescent moons. A bright gaze that made Mrs. Lin feel increasingly panicked the more she looked.

‘How could this be... Why did she look so much like her?!’

Mrs. Lin's breath felt as if it had been sucked away in an instant. Sitting there completely dazed, her mind turned into a chaotic mess.

‘Why did this young girl look just like her younger self?’

At the very first glance, she actually felt as if her younger self had appeared right before her eyes.

Watching Mrs. Lin's knit brows and slightly trembling lips, Shang Ying watched with great relish, picking up another piece of pastry to eat.

‘Hahahahaha, this is it. The familiar taste, the familiar recipe! Yes, that's right! She's your biological daughter, hurry, hurry, go to her!’

Watching the drama unfold without finding it too big of a deal, Shang Ying couldn't hold back the smile on her face. Grandma Sun, noticing Mrs. Lin losing her composure, mouthed a question to Shang Ying asking what was going on.

Shang Ying pouted her lips, gesturing for her to look at Lin Yuan. Sharp-witted Grandma Sun followed her gaze, her eyes resting on Lin Yuan's face for two seconds before turning to look at Mrs. Lin sitting sideways, her eyes widening instantly.

‘Gossip served on a silver platter?!’

Mrs. Lin barely managed to maintain her composure, forcing a kind smile back onto her face. Stepping in her high heels toward Lin Yuan outside, the closer she got, the more she felt this face resembled her own.

"Hello, little girl. May I ask what your name is, and how old you are?"

‘What a familiar line and set of questions.’ Shang Ying chewed on her pastry, somewhat speechless. ‘Author, when writing a novel, couldn't you have a bit higher literary standard?’

Flustered by this unexpected encounter, Lin Yuan answered politely nonetheless.

"My name is Lin Yuan. 'Lin' as in forest, 'Yuan' as in wish. I'm sixteen this year. Is there something I can help you with?"

‘Sixteen—sixteen as well, and also surnamed Lin. Was this some kind of divine sign?’

The smile on Mrs. Lin's lovely face could barely be maintained. She turned her head to look at Lin Qian, who was sitting between Old Man Feng and Shang Yi. Her eyes softened for a moment.

‘That was her daughter, the daughter she had raised for sixteen years.’

Yet turning back to look at this girl who looked identical to her younger self, the mess deep in her heart tangled even tighter into a chaotic knot.

Her steps grew unsteady compared to when she arrived. Hurriedly offering an apology to Grandma Sun and Old Man Feng, she led the bewildered Lin Qian away.

Lin Qian: ‘Her mom had suddenly shown immense mercy and stopped forcing her to watch Go here?! Fantastic! Any longer and she really would have passed out.’

Walking into the courtyard, Mrs. Lin stole another deep, long glance at Lin Yuan. Lin Qian, being smart, noticed her strange behavior and looked toward that girl standing there as well.

The moment Lin Yuan turned her head, bringing her entire face into view, a wave of shock finally surfaced on Lin Qian's cool, distant face.

‘This girl... why did she look so much like her mother when she was young?’