006 Xing's Girlfriend?
968 Words
Time passed slowly.
Over the course of half a month, more of Tan Mo's bandages had been removed. With rehabilitation training, she could now stand using crutches.
She looked in the mirror.
When she first returned home, her face had still been swollen—only hints of good bone structure were visible. Now that she had recovered, she could finally see what she really looked like.
The girl in the mirror had skin as smooth as more, bright almond-shaped eyes, short hair falling to her shoulders, and a slight curve to her lips. She wore a simple rose-red little dress with a unique ruffle design at the off-shoulder neckline, which cleverly concealed the bandages on her arms.
She gently lifted the bangs from her forehead, revealing a small scar that hadn't yet healed.
Because of the red scab on her face, she hadn't put on any makeup. Fortunately, her natural features were good enough—without a trace of powder, she was still plenty captivating.
Xu Piao watched as the young girl, with assistance, slowly made her way over.
"As expected of our family's true young lady—your bearing is truly extraordinary." She wore that same smiling expression, as if none of the recent troubles had ever happened.
Although Old Master Tan had taken Tan Rou to the capital, and he himself was absent, his right-hand man, the butler Uncle Wang, remained.
With him keeping watch, Tan Qi couldn't act tough at all.
As for Tan Yi, he was hiding out in his studio, ostensibly preparing a new song, but in reality, he was too afraid to back home.
The accident files stored on her computer had inexplicably vanished, and there was no sign of them online. This fact hung over her head like the Sword of Damocles, weighing on her more and more.
"Stepmother looks lovely today as well." Tan Mo returned the compliment with flattery.
The old fox Xu and the young fox Tan exchanged smiles, hidden hostility flickering in each other's eyes.
Late July, the air was hot and dry.
Jiang Tingfang, the daughter of Jiangdong Group's chairman, had been born in this season.
Chairman Jiang doted on his daughter, and the entire birthday party was exceptionally grand.
The Jiang family villa sat atop a hill, with the villa itself as the centerpiece. Marble steps fanned out in all directions, carving the hillside into segmented flower beds.
Tan Mo followed Xu Piao into the sprawling villa.
As an unfamiliar face, she naturally drew the attention of many.
Xu Piao briefly explained a few points to watch out for before heading off to her familiar circle of wealthy wives. Tan Qi, unwilling to stay with her, naturally abandoned her and left.
Now alone, Tan Mo made her way to the self-service desserts tower, grabbing some small cakes to fill her stomach quietly, lying low and avoiding attention.
The center of attention today was Miss Jiang, surrounded by a crowd of elites celebrating her birthday.
Currently speaking with Jiang Tingfang was a young woman in a black dress with long hair.
"Happy birthday, Miss Jiang. My employer couldn't make it today, so he specially selected a gift for me to pass on." Huaisheng presented the gift.
"That's thoughtful of Young Master Tan." Jiang Tingfang smiled in response, then opened the gift and put it on.
A silver bracelet set with pink diamonds, exquisitely crafted—a perfect match for her silver fishtail dress tonight.
After delivering the gift, Huaisheng found herself a spot and indulged in the Jiang family's dessert tower.
"Xing, you're really missing out by not coming. The little cakes here are absolutely amazing," she said, enjoying a Mont Blanc while chatting on the phone with Yuan Xing.
"Not interested."
With his family's vast business interests, he'd seen it all—a delicious cake just didn't spark his interest.
"You're really not coming?" she asked again.
Yuan Xing repeated, "Not coming. Catching a flight."
"Oh."
"Don't drink. Come back early. I'm not there, and butler Du goes to bed early—no one will let you in," he instructed.
"Nagging old housekeeper." Annoyed by his repeated reminders, Huaisheng hung up and stuffed the phone back into her bag.
Same old lines every time, like a broken record—it was giving her a headache.
No sooner had she hung up than she overheard the wealthy wives around her chatting.
"Did you hear? The Tan family's missing daughter has been found."
"I saw her—still has bandages on her arm. So pitiful."
"Heard she was in a car accident, spent days in the ICU, barely survived."
Car accident, hospitalization—sounded familiar.
Huaisheng approached and asked.
"Excuse me, ladies—may I ask which Tan family daughter you're referring to?"
Her lightly made-up face resembled an exquisite doll, and with her sweet, fresh voice, she quickly caught the attention of several wives.
Despite her good looks, her outfit clearly wasn't very expensive, and one of the ladies wasn't particularly keen on engaging with her.
"As expected of the Yuan family—even their family physician is remarkably capable."
The three ladies ignored this sudden interruption and continued their conversation.
On the other side, Tan Qi, arm in arm with her close friend Wen Youwei, was greeting familiar faces.
"Qiqi, is she really your aunt's biological daughter?" Wen Youwei looked at the person near the dessert tower, curious.
Tan Qi replied, "DNA test confirmed it. No mistake."
"You don't like her?" Wen Youwei probed.
"No kidding. If it weren't for her, I'd be visiting the Chong family in the capital with Grandfather right now." The thought made Tan Qi's blood boil.
Tan Mo must have tattled to Grandfather—otherwise, why would he have taken that adopted daughter with no blood ties instead of her?
- Writer
