Chapter 3: The First Confrontation

How unlucky must she have been—to be harmed to death by her worthless father and sister, only to then face her worthless mother and sister-in-law? One betrayal was not enough; now they sought to utterly destroy her!

No, she could not sit idly by and accept her fate.

Unable to fully trust her father, Ruosheng Xia placed her only hope in Madam Chen.

That afternoon, Madam Chen brought her a bowl of bird’s nest porridge. As Ruosheng ate, she cautiously asked, “Madam Chen, is there some conflict between my father and me? And my mother and sister—I always feel they don’t like me.”

“Xiaxia, you’re right,” Madam Chen replied. “Though you can’t remember the past, you must remember this: do not get close to that mother and daughter pair, and never trust a word they say. As for your father... well...” Madam Chen faltered, her gaze filled with deep sorrow.

“What’s between you and your father, it might be better that you don’t remember,” she continued. “Xiaxia, just don’t ask. The truth is, in this world, the only person you can truly trust is yourself. I, Madam Chen, would never harm you, but I am just a maid—there are many things beyond my control, and I am constrained at every turn. You must learn to rely on yourself.” Her voice bore the weight of storms weathered, a mystery hard to fathom.

But to Ruosheng, these words rang the truest. She lowered her head and continued eating, burying all her emotions deep within her eyes.

Around five in the afternoon, the Xia couple came to visit Ruosheng and stayed for quite some time. Mr. Xia suggested she return home to recuperate, with the family doctor attending to her—both more comfortable for her and less troublesome for him. Ruosheng did not refuse.

The next day, though her father could not come to discharge her personally, he sent his private car. The Xia family’s villa was in the most coveted residential district of City A, far more luxurious than where she used to live. Yet, the grander the residence, the more it resembled a gilded cage—whether entering or leaving, one would inevitably suffer bruises.

“Back already?” Madam Chen pushed Ruosheng’s wheelchair into the foyer, where a dignified elderly lady approached. Upon seeing Ruosheng’s heavily bandaged face, her expression immediately turned cold. “Go rest in your room first.”

“That’s your grandmother,” Madam Chen whispered into Ruosheng’s ear.

“Yes, I’m sorry to have worried you, Grandmother.” Ruosheng’s voice carried respect and apology, knowing from Xia Yu’s obedient demeanor that the grandmother was the true authority in the household.

The grandmother hesitated at Ruosheng’s tone, about to inspect her further, but Madam Chen had already helped Ruosheng upstairs.

The Xia villa had three floors. The first floor was the elderly lady’s domain; the second housed the Xia couple’s rooms, study, and guest rooms; Ruosheng and Xia Yu stayed on the third floor. Above that was a small attic. Ruosheng silently assessed the layout—each room unique, with one master bedroom and several studies and guest rooms.

As Madam Chen guided her toward the master bedroom, Xia Yu suddenly blocked the door.

“Sorry, sister,” Xia Yu said apologetically. “I thought you’d be in the hospital a long time, so I moved into this room temporarily. It’s too late to move now, so please make do in my old room.”

Ruosheng’s eyes betrayed no emotion; instead, she glanced at the other rooms. Aside from the study, which had sunlight and ventilation, the other two rooms were wholly unsuitable for a recovering patient. Xia Yu must have assumed she was doomed, which was why she had seized her former room—claiming it temporary, but certain never to leave.

“Madam Chen, is there any room with ample sunlight and good ventilation?”

“The only room on the first floor belongs to the old lady. The north-facing rooms on the second floor are like those on the third—one occupied, one a study. Now, only the attic is left... Oh dear, how can you, the eldest lady of the Xia family, live in the attic?” Madam Chen lightly smacked her own cheek in dismay.

“It’s fine, I’ll take the attic. Madam Chen, please prepare it.” Ruosheng said, then made her way upstairs alone.

“Wait,” came the calm, steady voice of the elderly lady from the second-floor landing. “Madam Chen, let Xiaxia rest in the guest room for a while. She can move back to her original room tonight.”

“Grandmother!” Xia Yu immediately frowned, wanting to coax the elder to change her mind. But the grandmother merely cast her a cold glance before instructing the family doctor to brief the maids on daily diet and care.

A faint smile curved Ruosheng’s lips. From the grandmother’s impeccable dress and meticulous hairstyle, she saw that the matriarch was a woman of pride. With a family doctor present, no one could afford to let outsiders mock them. The scandalous story of the eldest Miss Xia being pushed to live in the attic by her sister would be a disgrace.

“Then sister should pack her things quickly. Madam Chen, please disinfect the room—I don’t like unclean things in my space.”

“You—” Xia Yu was not foolish; she knew Ruosheng was scolding her but dared not lose her temper. Her mother had warned her: when grandmother was home, no outbursts were allowed, and she must always behave with decorum.

Ruosheng rested in the guest room for two hours. Madam Chen tidied the room, and soon it was lunchtime. The grandmother announced she would have all her meals in her own room. She never wanted to trouble the family with her appearance, so she never came downstairs to eat, though she always called out greetings to the grandmother through the door when she went to the garden.

That afternoon, Ruosheng’s adoptive mother returned excitedly from outside, reporting that the plastic surgeon for Ruosheng had been found. After a brief review, Xia Rui instructed her to arrange Ruosheng’s admission as soon as possible.

At that moment, Ruosheng was unaware that these matters had already been finalized. Instead, she was fixated on an even more unsettling piece of news—the follow-up report on her “suicide by jumping.”

As expected, after the police announced her death, her primary heir, Lu Siyang, utterly dismissed the inheritance, relinquishing all claims. The entire fortune passed to Su Jing, who, after overseeing her funeral, immediately took control of the company, fulfilling her ambition of becoming the largest shareholder of Hyatt International.

Her beloved sister Su Xi overnight transformed from a false princess into a true phoenix, quickly rising to prominence among City A’s socialites. Not only did she thrive within Ruosheng’s former circles, but she also invested her sister’s money into the entertainment industry, realizing Ruosheng’s dream of becoming a singer and living the life she had always yearned for.

Her nominal husband, Lu Siyang, failed even to attend the funeral, legally severing ties to become her ex-husband and clearly distancing himself from her and the Xia family, continuing on as the golden bachelor.

Those who once had ties to her now, through every intentional or inadvertent act, proved that the newspapers had spoken the truth. The scandal surrounding her death spread nationwide. Though it slowly quieted with time, it remained an indelible stain, impossible to erase or forget.