Chapter 1: The Seaside Villa

A blue Porsche sped through the bustling city toward the sea, the two people inside exchanging not a single word along the way.

Meng Zexiao’s dark eyes brimmed with cold indifference. If not for his father's command that he fetch this woman, he would now be drinking with his friends from the social circle. He had never wanted this marriage. Originally, he intended to treat her with courtesy for ten months, for the sake of the child she carried. But this wretched woman had managed to lose the baby in a fall!

At the thought, Meng Zexiao’s handsome brows drew together into a single line.

The car reached the seaside. From the passenger seat, Wang Lingyi saw a villa perched on the hillside, its distant silhouette resembling a medieval castle, shrouded in an ineffable air of mystery.

This must be the seaside villa her younger sister Kong Lingxin had mentioned in her diary.

To many women, this European-style coastal mansion was both a dream castle and a fairy tale made real. To become its mistress was to become the second daughter-in-law of Meng Haoquan, chairman of the flourishing Ding Sheng Group; no matter what her family background had once been, her maiden family would instantly ascend into the upper echelons of B City society.

Alas, both of Meng Haoquan’s sons were already married.

But marriages could always end in divorce.

There was a saying among the socialites of B City—the marriage of Meng Zexiao, the second son of the Meng family, had been arranged by Meng Haoquan himself. After he wed Kong Lingxin, daughter of Kong Changdong, chairman of Changyue Real Estate, Meng Zexiao was never without female companions: A-list actresses, world-renowned models, social debutantes…

The Porsche stopped before a pair of black gates, which swung open automatically. Wang Lingyi caught a side view of two security guards standing at attention, greeting the master of the car. Inwardly, she sneered—such so-called wealthy families were the root of social inequality. They paid salaries, but expected their employees to bow and scrape as if they were nothing but servants.

The villa itself was still some distance from the gate. According to her sister’s diary, the grounds of the estate were as large as two football fields. Had she not witnessed it herself, Wang Lingyi would have thought the diary exaggerated.

The Porsche came to a halt in front of the villa. At last—they had arrived at the mansion so many women dreamed of marrying into.

To Wang Lingyi, however, this place was the prison that had confined her sister for a year. In that year, Kong Lingxin had transformed from a cheerful, imaginative, outgoing girl into a joyless, resentful woman, drained even of the will to live.

The moment the car stopped, Meng Zexiao impatiently leapt out of the convertible, as though another second in “Kong Lingxin’s” presence was unbearable. Watching the back of Meng Zexiao—who had captivated countless women—Wang Lingyi’s eyes showed only coldness and hate.

Once she crossed this grand threshold, there would be no more Wang Lingyi in this world. From now on, she would be Kong Lingxin. As for those who had bullied or wronged her sister—they could wait. She would deal with them, one by one! She, with nothing to lose, would not fear those who hid behind their gilded shoes.

**

Two days ago, Wang Lingyi’s kindergarten had just let out for summer break. On her way home, she was pondering where she might take her mother for a holiday. Turning into the alley leading home, she noticed a black BMW 7 Series parked at the entrance. In this rundown neighborhood—a veritable slum by the city’s standards—a car worth nearly two million stood out like a sore thumb.

Wang Lingyi could not help but steal a few more glances.

What awaited her at home was even more astonishing: two strangers, both appearing to be in their forties. The man was tall, upright, and handsome, exuding an air of refinement, although fatigue marked his face. Beside him stood an elegant woman in a Chanel suit, who, upon seeing Wang Lingyi, beamed and took her hand. “This must be Lingyi. She looks just like our Lingxin—delicate face, slender brows, large eyes, high nose—such a beauty. If I didn’t know they were twins, it would be truly unnerving.”

The man shot his wife a look. “Lufang! Mind your words. How could it be unnerving?”

At this, Lufang lowered her gaze, her expression aggrieved and tinged with sadness.

Perplexed, Wang Lingyi approached her mother, Li Lijuan. “Mom, who are they?”

Li Lijuan looked up, her eyes red as if she had just been crying. She patted her daughter’s hand gently. “I’ll tell you in a bit.”

The man turned to Li Lijuan. “Sister Li, please explain everything to Lingyi. We’ll wait in the car. Once you’ve decided, I’ll come back in.”

Watching this couple—who clearly held wealth and status—depart, Wang Lingyi could not wait any longer. “Mom, what’s going on? Why were you crying? And why did that woman say I look like someone named Lingxin? Why does that girl even share the ‘Ling’ in her name?”

Li Lijuan glanced at her daughter, then silently stood and went to an old cabinet. From its deepest recesses, she retrieved something wrapped in red cloth, carefully unwrapping it layer by layer.

Wang Lingyi stepped closer, seeing what her mother held—a well-worn color photograph of two newborn infants.

A realization dawned on Wang Lingyi.

Li Lijuan stroked the image of the child on the left with trembling hands, murmuring, “Xiner, it’s your mother who has wronged you! But I had no choice. After our family’s car accident, you two came into this world a month early. Your father never even got to see you. I couldn’t raise two children alone, and you were weaker—if you were to survive, you needed long-term care in the hospital. So… so I could only bring home your slightly healthier sister and leave you with the benefactor who saved us…”

Hearing this, Wang Lingyi was certain the photograph showed her twin. She had occasionally heard from acquaintances that her mother had another daughter, lost after a premature birth in the accident, just like her father.

But her sister had survived the crash.

Yet an ominous feeling crept over Wang Lingyi. She crouched down, looking up at her mother. “Mom, did something happen to Lingxin?”

Li Lijuan paused. Her eldest daughter had always been clever—able to glean the truth from the smallest clues. After graduating junior high, knowing her single mother could not afford her further education, she had insisted on attending a teaching college, despite her mother’s protests. At eighteen, she became a kindergarten teacher, and had been working for three years now.

If Lingyi had been adopted by a wealthy family like Lingxin, she would surely have graduated from a prestigious university by now; her life would have been entirely different. Li Lijuan could not help but sigh as she looked at her daughter’s delicate face.

“Mom, please say something.” Wang Lingyi gently shook her mother’s leg.

Li Lijuan woke from her reverie, recalling what Mr. Kong had said earlier. She looked at Wang Lingyi. “Lingyi, your sister took her own life. The couple who just left—Mr. and Mrs. Kong—they are the ones who adopted her. Years ago, Mr. Kong was passing through our small county on business when a motorbike hit your father and me, then fled the scene. He was the one who took us to the hospital. If not for him, our family would have perished together… Your sister was in poor health and her treatment was expensive—Mr. Kong paid those bills. Seeing how dire our situation was, he discussed with me: his wife had been childless for years, and if I was willing, he would adopt Lingxin.”

“I agonized over the decision, but for Lingxin’s survival, I agreed. Before they left, he took this photo of you two as a keepsake for me, and promised that apart from changing her surname to Kong, she would keep the name Lingxin, as your father had chosen. Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Kong treated her as their own daughter, showering her with every privilege. Mrs. Kong said Lingxin was smart and driven—she skipped several grades at school, graduated from a renowned university at twenty, then married into B City’s illustrious Meng family as the second daughter-in-law. A few months ago, Lingxin became pregnant, but then suffered a miscarriage. She developed depression, and while recuperating at the Kong home, she ended her life by carbon monoxide poisoning—”

Li Lijuan choked back a sob as she spoke.

Wang Lingyi slumped to the ground. So she truly had a sister. All these years, she had sensed there was another “self” somewhere in the world—sometimes appearing in her dreams, living a carefree life, buying whatever she wished, traveling to distant lands, enjoying every delicacy. Lately, though, her dream-self had seemed deeply unhappy.

Could twins truly share such a mysterious bond—linked across miles, sensing each other’s existence?

Wang Lingyi took out a tissue to wipe her mother’s tears. “Did Mr. and Mrs. Kong come just to tell us about Lingxin?”

Li Lijuan clutched her daughter’s hand, her expression filled with longing. “Mr. Kong hopes you will take Lingxin’s place as the Meng family’s daughter-in-law.”

“What?!” Wang Lingyi leapt up as if electrified. “That’s—how could that be—why would they do that?”

Though Li Lijuan was loath to part with her daughter, she could not deny the debt of gratitude owed to Mr. Kong. She and her daughters had no way to repay him except by agreeing to his request and letting Lingyi become a daughter of the Kong family. Besides, the Kongs would surely treat Lingyi as they had treated Lingxin.

Li Lijuan said, “Mr. Kong is in real estate. This past half year, the financial crisis has hurt his business badly. If the Meng family learned that Lingxin took her own life while in the Kong home, they would blame Mr. Kong, and his company might collapse. So he wants you to take Lingxin’s place. Once his company weathers this storm, if you don’t wish to remain married to the Meng son, you can divorce.”

Wang Lingyi felt lost. She knew she owed a debt, but to suddenly become someone else’s wife—a woman who had even been pregnant—was a daunting prospect for an inexperienced girl.

“If I go to B City, who will take care of you?” she asked sadly.

Hearing her daughter’s question, Li Lijuan knew she had agreed. A wave of sorrow washed over her, but since this was her chance to repay their benefactor, she buried her reluctance deep within. “Mr. Kong will arrange everything. Don’t worry. My health is still good—I can take care of myself.”