Sun Lili was already waiting outside Shen Yelan's door when she finally came out. She had her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face, tapping her foot like she had been standing there for hours.
When she saw Shen Yelan, she gave her a displeased look.
"Why are you so late? I told you last night that breakfast is served at seven."
Shen Yelan checked her phone. "There are still five minutes until seven."
"Ha! You think you are the master of the house, who can show up at the table whenever you want to? Everyone has to be seated before Master Shen arrives at the table."
What was he? The emperor? Shen Yelan mentally sneered but kept her face blank.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said. As for whether she will follow this ridiculous rule or not, that was a different story.
Sun Lili already knew what her boss was thinking. She clicked her tongue but did not say anything. It was really hard acting with boss.
On their way to the dining hall, the servants did not bother to greet her, but they did steal a look in her direction when they saw her, thinking no one noticed.
"Is that really her?"
"I never imagined she'd come back like this."
"I heard she can barely read."
"She has really become a waste."
"This is what you call karma. She used to cause so much trouble for Young Miss."
"But I must say, she is really beautiful."
"What's the use of beauty if you are a waste?"
Sun Lili heard them but did not stop them. Instead, she deliberately slowed her pace. She looked at Shen Yelan to look for a reaction. She scoffed loudly when she saw Shen Yelan remain unbothered as if she had not heard anything at all.
When they arrived at the dining hall, there were already people present there. A man in his fifties sat at the head of the table. He was wearing an expensive suit and an even more expensive watch on his wrist. His black hair was peppered with gray at the temples. Beneath the suit, his tummy bulged noticeably, pushing against the buttons of his vest.
She immediately recognized him as the father of this body. Shen Chenwei.
To his right sat a woman in a designer dress with a pearl necklace around her neck. This was Feng Xin, his third wife and the mistress of the family. Even though she was in her mid-forties, she had maintained herself well through various procedures and could easily pass for someone in her mid-thirties.
To Shen Chengwei's left sat a young girl around Shen Yelan's age. This was Shen Wanwan, Feng Xin's daughter from her previous marriage, who had adopted Shen Chengwei's surname after Feng Xin married him.
Shen Wanwan was dressed in a soft blue dress with lace trimming the sleeves and a ribbon tied at the waist. Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders in soft curls, framing her round, doll-like face. Her eyes were big and round, with long lashes that fluttered whenever she blinked. Her lips were painted a soft, glossy pink that made her look sweet and innocent. A hint of blush warmed her cheeks, and her skin had that dewy, glowing look that only came from high-end foundation.
Anyone who looked at her would feel an immediate urge to protect her. But Shen Yelan knew better than anyone that the sweetest-looking flowers were often the most poisonous.
There was another empty chair at the table, which was reserved for Shen Yucheng. He was Shen Chengwei and Feng Xin, a thirteen-year-old son. As for where he was right now, she Yelan, did not know and did not care to find out either.
Right now, Shen Wanwan was happily telling them about her school exam, where she had scored third in her class and was even appreciated by her teacher.
Shen Chengwei nodded along to her with a pleased expression on his face while Feng Xin kept on praising her.
Shen Yelan sat in her wheelchair just inside the doorway, taking in the scene. Behind her, Sun Lili gazed at them coldly, but it was gone before anyone could see it.
Feng Xin was the first person to notice her. She froze for just a second, caught off guard by Shen Yelan's appearance. But she was was an experienced woman. Years of living in high society had taught her how to control her emotions perfectly. She immediately schooled her expression into a smile.
"Yelan is here." Her tone sounded welcoming, like a loving mother greeting a child who had finally returned home.
Shen Wanwan turned to look, and her chopsticks froze halfway to her mouth. Her eyes went wide, and for just a second, something ugly flickered across her beautiful face.
This was Shen Yelan?
Shen Wanwan had been secretly thrilled when she learned that her long-lost sister was nothing but a crippled waste who had dropped out of school and spent the last decade rotting away in some backward village. But seeing her now, she suddenly had the feeling of crisis.
She was expecting Shen Yelan to look rough and ugly. Instead, she now looked even more beautiful now that she had lost the childhood immaturity. A hot spike of jealousy shot through her.
Shen Wanwan's grip tightened on her chopsticks.
Shen Chengwei was also surprised to see her appearance. But rather than seeing her beauty, his focus was more on her sickly look and the wheelchair she was sitting on. A flash of guilt appeared in his gaze but it was gone before he could even recognize that emotion. Instead, he stared at her with disdain.
"It seems that after living in the countryside, you have forgotten basic manners. You even made others wait for you at the table." He snapped at her.
Shen Yelan stared at him for a second and then at the half-eaten dishes on the table. The meal had clearly been going on for a while.
The first time this man was sitting across from his biological daughter after an entire decade of her being gone and this was what he opened with.
A mocking smile appeared in her eyes. Without uttering a word, pushed her wheelchair to the empty space, which was clearly arranged for her.
Shen Chengwei slammed his chopsticks down.
"You ungrateful thing! You don't even have the courtesy to greet your father now?"
The air around them stilled as everyone stared at Shen Yelan. Even the maids standing along the wall looked horrified, as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing.