“Shi Nian, I’m here to offer you a marriage proposal,” Yun Nan casually uttered from where she sat on the opposite side of Shi Nian’s office desk.

Shi Nian was just then signing a document and his hand twitched at her words, causing the last stroke of his name ‘Nian’ to drag out a little.

He frowned and looked up at the beautiful woman before him and then politely reminded her, “We’ve only just met for the first time today.”

“Indeed,” Yun Nan nodded and continued, “But we both know of each other. You have an engagement with the daughter of the Yun family, but you don’t want to marry Yun Liu. However, you can’t disobey your elders, so you keep delaying it.”

“That won’t work for long. I’m the real daughter of the Yun family; this engagement is between you and me in the first place. You’ll be free from your predicament if we get married.”

Shi Nian looked at Yun Nan and asked calmly, “Miss Yun, you wish to discuss a collaboration with me?”

Yun Nan smiled; it was certainly a pleasure dealing with intelligent people, “That’s right.”

Shi Nian was dazzled by her bright smile and decided to hear her out. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. He then raised his eyebrows and stated, “What’s in it for me?”

Yun Nan gave him the ‘marriage agreement’ she’d prepared beforehand.

Shi Nian flipped it open and read it carefully whilst Yun Nan’s voice flowed past his ears like a stream as she listed the main points within the agreement.

“The term of our collaboration is five years. Once the five years are up, we will divorce and the fault in our ‘relationship’ will be mine—we can say that I was unfaithful.”

“You will have absolute freedom during these five years and I will act as your wife in all your activities and social gatherings, with family or in public. I will present myself properly and never embarrass you. However, behind closed doors, we are strangers and will not interfere with each other.”

Shi Nian placed the document on the table and pointed at a paragraph with the pen in his hand and said, “And in return, you request that I provide you with a safe haven and give you the help you need?”

Yun Nan nodded, looking very relaxed as she answered, “That’s right. I find myself in need of support from a bigshot like yourself.”

Shi Nian steadily gazed at Yun Nan as he probed, “You went missing when you were a child, hence your parents adopted Yun Liu. You returned to the your family two years ago, right? I’d expect the Yun family to pamper and spoil their princess as compensation for those lost years so why are you seeking aid from me? Despite the engagement, no one can force me if I insist on not going through with it.”

He spoke truly; Shi Nian was a talented man with great influence that few wished to tackle. At the age of eight, Shi Nian was accompanying his grandfather as he attended board meetings. When he was sixteen, he opened an overseas branch company by himself. At twenty-five, he had already secured the position of chairman of the Shi Corporation.

Shi Nian experienced great storms in his life, but he’d never met anyone who dared to come up to him and brazenly negotiate conditions like Yun Nan did, especially when she looked like a young girl barely into her adulthood.

“But your grandfather can’t afford to wait any longer!” Yun Nan smiled. “His greatest wish currently is to see you get married, right? My adopted sister, Yun Liu, always wanted to take the engagement for herself. If you like her, I wouldn’t be here discussing this with you but since that’s not the case, Shi Nian, why not concede and give this collaboration a chance?”

“It’s only for five years; it’s not a loss for you and it will make your grandfather happy. All I want is the title of Mrs. Shi so that I can break free from the Yun family; I’m not interested in you or your money. It’s all written clearly in black and white; it’ll be a clean break when we get divorced. What do you think?”

Honestly, this agreement was flawless, and Yun Nan’s words hit his soft spot.

Shi Nian pondered for only a moment before he signed the agreement. He handed it back to Yun Nan, who took it with a cheerful smile and said, “I look forward to working with you!”

Shi Nian glanced at his watch, “There’s just enough time. Let’s go register our marriage!”

…

Standing in front of the Yun family’s villa, Yun Nan let out a soft sigh. Her adoptive parents were a pair of modest traders. They led hard lives, but they had given her the greatest gift in the world: selfless and abundant love.

She had gone missing when she was a child and had almost no memories of the Yun family. It was her adoptive parents who spent a lot of effort to find her kin. They had even given up the opportunity to live the rest of their lives in peace and relaxation, traveling far and wide in search of Yun Nan’s family and dying in a foreign land.

Whereas her original family had adopted a girl of similar age to Yun Nan to deal with the grief of losing her. After raising the girl for so many years, it’s understandable that they had developed deep feelings for each other.

However, Yun Nan’s adopted sister had been targeting her ever since she returned to the family, but her parents and brother turned a blind eye to it. Instead, they were always picking on her and restricting her, causing her once expectant and fiery heart to gradually cool down.

A family is something you make, not something that’s given; this applied to both her and her biological parents. They didn’t find each other acceptable and since that was the case, she had to take care of herself.

As soon as she entered the house, she could hear her father—Yun Xiang—begin to furiously berate her.

“Where were you? What right do you have to change your sister’s role? She bared her soul to you and tried her best to please you. What else do you want from her? She relied on her own hard work to get to where she is today. Not only did you disregard your bond as sisters, but you even secretly tripped her up! Why are you so malicious?”

Yun Xiang was livid; he pointed and yelled at Yun Nan from afar, while her so-called sister, Yun Liu, was sobbing on the sofa.

Her mother—Gu Wei—quickly came forward and pressed her father’s raised hand down as she tried to calm him. “Oh, honey, keep your voice down. Why are you so angry? Give Yun Nan a chance to say her piece.” She then gave Yun Nan a look, indicating for her to take the initiative and apologize.

“Mom, don’t help Yun Nan this time; she’s the one at fault!” Yun Zhang spoke up angrily, “Director Zhang already agreed to give the lead role to Yun Liu, but Yun Nan refused to accept that. She even threatened Director Zhang, stating that if he chose Yun Liu, she wouldn’t direct the film anymore and would even take back the script. She clearly has it out for Yun Liu!”

Yun Zhang glared at Yun Nan so heatedly it was as if his eyes could spew fire.

Yun Liu stopped crying to move towards Yun Xiang and clutched his arm, saying in a panic, “Dad, don’t be angry, it’s all my fault. This has nothing to do with Yun Nan, I’m just not good enough for the role.”

Her tears fell like pearls from a broken string as she began to cry anew.

“Yun Liu, don’t cry. What do you mean it’s your fault? Why are you blaming yourself again?! Mom and Dad are here; we’ll definitely support you and set things straight. Please don’t cry!” Yun Zhang rambled as he tried to stem Yun Liu’s tears. He’d been unable to bear seeing his sister cry since he was young; when she cried, his heart ached.

“Yun Zhang, say no more. It really has nothing to do with Yun Nan. It’s my fault for not being good enough,” Yun Liu cried sorrowfully. Her entire body shook as she sobbed and leaned into Yun Zhang’s arms.

“I’m just an adopted child; I don’t know what kind of family I’m from. I’m slow-witted; no matter how hard I work, I’m not good enough. Mom and Dad wasted their time and effort raising me—” Yun Liu’s last sentence ended in a wail.

Gu Wei’s heart felt like it was being cut by a knife when she saw her daughter in distress. She hurriedly hugged Yun Liu and gently consoled her, “Silly child, what are you talking about? You are very outstanding! We raised you and that means you’re our daughter, so stop this foolishness about being adopted and whatnot!”

Her emotions got the better of her as she spoke and Gu Wei started crying too. The two weeping women riled up the men even further and they stared daggers at Yun Nan in unison.

It had been two years since she returned to this family, and Yun Nan couldn’t remember how many times this scene had been repeated.

Yun Liu’s acting skills were much better in real life than within a film set. If she could act like this before the cameras, Yun Nan still wouldn’t let the woman be the female lead in her movie but she would at least recommend Yun Liu to other directors.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself? Speak!” Yun Xiang roared at Yun Nan.

There was nothing to explain. If they were truly willing to listen to her, she wouldn’t be so disappointed.

She took out the marriage certificate from her bag and showed it to the whole family.

They were so stunned that even the crying stopped, and she took the chance to lightly say, “I’m married now so I’ll move out immediately and we can go our separate ways in the future.”

“W-who are you married to?” Gu Wei asked reflexively.

“Shi Nian,” Yun Nan answered in a flat tone.

“What?!”

Shi Nian’s name was like a bomb that blew up the four members of the Yun family. The matter of the female lead was no longer important; it was completely inconsequential in the face of Yun Nan’s news.

“Come again? Who are you married to?” Yun Zhang questioned shakily.

Yun Nan cleared her throat and raised her voice slightly so that everyone could hear her clearly as she repeated, “My fiancé, Shi Nian. The betrothal you arranged for me when I was a kid.”

“No! Impossible! Shi Nian is my fiancé! Mine!” Yun Liu screamed and rushed over to snatch the marriage certificate from Yun Nan’s hands.

Yun Nan swiftly dodged Yun Liu’s hands, put the marriage certificate back into her bag, and added, “You can call Shi Nian to verify it.”

Yun Liu was dumbfounded.

“No! Yun Nan, no! You can’t marry Shi Nian! Shi Nian is your sister’s fiancé!” Gu Wei stared at Yun Nan firmly and resolutely with eyes that were bloodshot from her crying jag.

“Mom, what do you mean? I’m your biological daughter, aren’t I? I’m the one promised to the Shi family back then.” Yun Nan met Gu Wei’s gaze and returned it with the same determination.

Gu Wei was flabbergasted by that response. She averted her gaze for a moment, before stoutly stating, “But your sister has liked Shi Nian since she was young.

They are the childhood sweethearts who grew up together! You can’t steal your sister’s boyfriend! You can’t be a homewrecker!”

“Homewrecker?” Yun Nan echoed; she didn’t expect her biological mother would stoop so low as to throw such allegations on her.

”

*Smack!*

” A heavy slap landed on Yun Nan’s face.

“You are shameless!” Her father’s voice was cold and angry as he delivered this after having soundly whacked his daughter.

Yun Nan covered her stinging cheek, looked at her flesh and blood relatives, and laughed bitterly, “Who is the actual thief here? Exactly who is the shameless one? Who are you calling a homewrecker?”

“You stole your sister’s boyfriend. If you’re not a homewrecker, then what are you?” Yun Xiang replied angrily.

“Her boyfriend? Didn’t the Shi family state that they would hold an engagement ceremony when the Yun family’s daughter turned eighteen and get married after graduating from university? Yun Liu is twenty-six years old now so why is Shi Nian still unwilling to marry her?”

“You keep insisting that Shi Nian is her boyfriend but did he ever admit to it?” Yun Nan coldly gazed at Yun Liu, whose face alternated between red and white as she glared back at her venomously.

“The Shi family is indebted to the Yun family. They personally agreed to this marriage; it was set from the moment you were born!” Yun Xiang said roughly. “Shi Nian has no choice but to go through with it; this marriage has to happen whether he likes it or not!”

Yun Nan smiled and gently remarked, “Dad, so you do still remember that this marriage was promised to me

When I was born. Then, what’s all this about Shi Nian being Yun Liu’s boyfriend?”

Her mocking smirk made Yun Xiang’s anger rise again. “You’re both daughters of the Yun family! Although Yun Liu isn’t our biological daughter, she grew up with us and that makes her our family! Yun Liu is your elder sister; you have to respect her seniority! Moreover, she has liked Shi Nian since she was young, so this marriage is naturally hers!”

Yun Nan lowered her eyes. When she raised her head once more, her eyes were misty with unshed tears as she lamented, “Back then, you lost me when we were on a trip. I was only two years old and couldn’t even speak clearly. In order to make it easier for you to find me, my adoptive parents didn’t dare to leave that place for five years and worked part-time to raise me.”

“Even in their last moments, they implored me to find you guys. They said that you all must be worried sick and so very heartbroken to have lost me. Hah!”

Yun Nan laughed self-deprecatingly. Her kind adoptive parents always expected others to live up to their standards, but they didn’t know that the world wasn’t as generous as they were.

Gu Wei’s eyes shone wetly and were filled with guilt as she looked at Yun Nan. She spoke softly, “We’d been searching for you, too. We put up notices everywhere and even called the police, but three days in, still no one contacted us. Who knows, maybe your adoptive parents took you away on purpose!”

“Exactly!” Yun Zhang chimed in. “We lost you in the most famous tourist city in the country; it was a high-traffic area with many travelers so it’s quite difficult to find a missing child there. Our parents were so saddened that they had to adopt Yun Liu to ease their grief. For so many years, it was Yun Liu’s presence that alleviated our parents’ pain of losing their daughter!”

‘

Three days! The couple who found their daughter searched for her birth parents for a lifetime, whilst the parents who lost said daughter only persevered for three days!

‘

‘

How ironic! The heavens were too cruel to my kind adoptive parents.

‘

Hearing her cue, Yun Liu bawled out, “I’m not good enough! I’m not fit to stay in the Yun family, and I’m not worthy of marrying Shi Nian. I’m just trash that no one wants!” Yun Liu wailed and threw herself into Gu Wei’s arms.

Gu Wei’s heart ached, and tried to soothe her like a child, “There, there, don’t cry.”

Yun Liu’s knees buckled, and she knelt on the ground. “Mom, Dad! Don’t feel bad! It’s not your fault, it’s mine! I’m the one who stole Yun Nan’s home; I stole her parents and brother! I’m a thief, a thief!”

Tears streamed down her face as she pounded her chest. “I’m not as outstanding as Yun Nan nor am I as beautiful or capable. I know I don’t have what it takes to be famous. I just want to stay in the company and help my brother.”

“With a director for a sister and me as an actress, I thought I can also contribute a little to our family’s company and repay my parents for raising me. I never wished to fight with Yun Nan for anything! Daddy, a person like me doesn’t deserve anything!” Yun Liu cried her heart out and hugged Yun Xiang’s thigh.

Yun Xiang’s expression changed as he pulled Yun Liu to her feet and loudly proclaimed, “Stop crying! Daddy is here! I won’t let anyone steal your things! You’re the eldest daughter of the Yun family!”

He handed Yun Liu over to Gu Wei, pointed his finger at Yun Nan, and yelled commandingly, “Get a divorce immediately! Return Shi Nian to Yun Liu! Don’t think that you’re great just because you have some fame! You’re nothing without the Yun family, nothing!”

“In the future, do as you’re told to in the company; you will direct whatever drama your brother asks you to direct! You’ll support whoever I want you to support! I’ll pick a suitable marriage for you; the Yun family won’t mistreat you!”

‘

What a patronizing tirade! It’s like he’s doing me a favor and giving me handouts.

‘

Yun Nan knew she couldn’t reason with this family. Perhaps from their point of view, she was the one being unreasonable. Since they had such differing viewpoints, it was best for them to part ways.

“That won’t be necessary.” Those were Yun Nan’s last words before she left to pack her bags.

She’d returned to her original family and fulfilled her adoptive parents’ wishes. There was no need for her to stay any longer.

The rest of the Yun family panicked; they didn’t know if they got through to Yun Nan.

“Mom, Dad, I’m the one who made Yun Nan mad. I’ll apologize to her and beg her forgiveness,” Yun Liu said in a trembling voice, but she didn’t move an inch from her spot.

Yun Zhang frowned as he mumbled, “I didn’t expect her to be so vindictive.”

Gu Wei sensed that there was more to that comment and quickly asked, “What is it? What did you do to provoke her?”

Yun Zhang hesitated for a moment before he revealed, “Yun Nan’s previous two movies received very good reviews and her reputation has risen because of that. Riding on the previous success, we’re now starting to prepare for the third movie.”

“Yun Liu and I took a look at the script and got someone to modify it into an urban romance drama; this genre is very popular nowadays. We also decided Yun Liu should play the female lead; with her current fame, she only needs a blockbuster hit to boost her to the next level. She could make use of Yun Nan’s fame.”

Yun Zhang’s voice lowered as he continued, “But who would have thought that Yun Nan would become so angry when we mentioned it to her? She didn’t want us to touch her script and firmly forbade Yun Liu from playing the lead role.”

“She made a big fuss in the company; it was a shameful affair. Yun Liu asked her nicely, but she refused to listen. In a fit of anger, I told her that if she didn’t comply, I wouldn’t give her any funding for her movie. She told me not to regret it.”

Yun Liu hurriedly said, “It’s my fault. The script was written by Yun Nan; I shouldn’t have changed it.”

“She’s mad over such a small matter?” Yun Xiang frowned.

When Yun Zhang heard this, he hurriedly answered, “Yeah, it’s just a small matter. Dad, you know what her temper’s like—willful and stubborn.”

“Although everyone says that she’s a genius and showered her with praise for achieving such fame at a young age, we can’t just focus on her in the company’s operations! We still have other directors and actors. Although she’s my biological sister, I can’t favor her! Such nepotism would ruin the family company’s reputation!”

Yun Xiang waved his hand to stem his son’s ranting. “Fine, enough! You did the right thing; she was being unreasonable! She grew up in the countryside; what kind of upbringing could a pair of uneducated country bumpkins give her? Since she has returned to our Yun family, she must follow our family’s rules! We can’t have others make fun of us and say we lack decorum!”

“When she comes out of her room, bring her to the Shi family and make sure she apologizes and gets a divorce! When Elder Shi returns in the next few days, I’ll personally pay him a visit and settle the marriage between Shi Nian and Yun Liu! This matter can’t be delayed any longer!”

“Sir, Mr. Shi’s assistant is here,” a household staff came in to report and interrupted Yun Xiang.

Yun Xiang was startled and looked at Yun Zhang.

Yun Zhang immediately perked up and said, “I suggested to Shi Nian to invest more in our company and he agreed. His assistant’s probably here to discuss the details with me.”

He turned to the staff and ordered, “Hurry and bring him in now!”

Yun Xiang’s expression relaxed. In the end, it was his son who was the most promising among his children and didn’t cause trouble for him.

Shi Nian’s assistant—Chang Yuan—was the grandson of the Shi family’s head steward—Chang Pei. Chang Yuan was Shi Nian’s classmate and had been by his side since he started his first business venture. He was the person Shi Nian trusted the most and had a high status. For someone with Yun Zhang’s standing, seeing him was like seeing Shi Nian.

Yun Zhang greeted Chang Yuan with a smile as he reached out to shake his hand, “Assistant Chang, it’s a pleasure to see you! My apologies for the wait. Why didn’t you call me beforehand? I would have booked us a room at the ‘Spirit Pavilion’ so we could have tea together.”

Yun Zhang thought his comment was witty, but Chang Yuan didn’t respond at all. His business-like expression conveyed a sense of distant aloofness as he simply stated, “I’m here to escort the Young Madam home.”

Yun Zhang’s outstretched hand suddenly froze.

Yun Nan came out of her room, dragging her luggage along with her. Chang Yuan respectfully informed her, “Young Madam, Young Master asked me to escort you home.”

‘What?!‘

The Yun family members were thunderstruck, whereas Yun Nan was only startled for a moment. ‘

Shi Nian is quite astute, she thought to herself so she politely thanked Chang Yuan.

Chang Yuan handily took Yun Nan’s luggage, but any further conversation was interrupted by Yun Liu’s heartbroken sobs.

“Stop right there!” Yun Xiang came to his senses when he heard Yun Liu crying.

Chang Yuan turned around and graciously asked, “Is there anything you need, Mr. Yun?”

Yun Xiang glanced at the tearful Yun Liu and patiently explained, “Assistant Chang, Yun Nan can’t go with you. Shi Nian must have made a mistake as the one he should be marrying is Yun Liu…”

Chang Yuan frowned and asked, “Is Miss Yun Nan the biological daughter of the Yun family?”

The faces of the Yun family members paled and Yun Xiang nodded with great reluctance. “Yes, she is! But-”

Chang Yuan interrupted him. “Then, there’s no mistake. Back in the day, Old Master had arranged for Young Master to marry the daughter of the Yun family.”

“Miss Yun and Young Master has registered their marriage and received their certificate today. Their wedding will be held when Old Master, Sir and Madam return but even so, Young Master said that they are already legally married. As such, Miss Yun—my mistake—the Young Madam should go back home to the Shi family!”