Actually, everyone wore a hypocritical smile, harboring ulterior motives; their words were nothing more than empty pleasantries.
No one truly expected Jin Ke’er’s return.
Jin Ke’er coming back to the family only meant there was one more person to divide the cake, and a rather large portion at that.
Even Lan Yinyun, as the housekeeper, saw this clearly, yet Jin Ke’er remained immersed in her illusions of family warmth.
Lan Yinyun said nothing and didn’t remind Jin Ke’er.
Even if she had warned her, it wouldn’t have mattered—Jin Ke’er wouldn’t have taken it to heart.
And if she later accused Lan Yinyun of sowing discord among the family, that would only complicate matters further.
After all, Jin Ke’er always had her own agenda, and when carrying it out, she was like a tyrant.
Lan Yinyun was certain Jin Ke’er would do something like that.
Moreover, in a family like this, genuine affection simply could not exist.
Perhaps it was true that those involved are blinded while onlookers see clearly.
What Jin Ke’er could not sense, Lan Yinyun felt with perfect clarity.
When they spoke, it wasn’t straightforward but rather sarcastic and backhanded compliments.
Jin Ke’er was too arrogant, not taking the family members seriously and believing herself to be the ultimate victor.
If the family really cared about Jin Ke’er, then how could they have left her alone, abandoned to roam the Villa unattended?
Yet Jin Ke’er took their words to heart, convinced that abandoning Su Li to return to the Jin Family was the right thing to do.
Having received the warmth of family, she believed her life would only get better from here on out!
“Yinyun, you’ve worked hard. Now that Ke’er has returned, you can leave it to us. No need for you to trouble yourself anymore.”
Uncle Jin Zhenbang said this as he looked toward Lan Yinyun, who was standing behind Jin Ke’er, pushing her wheelchair.
Lan Yinyun didn’t move but instead glanced at Jin Ke’er.
It seemed she noticed the entire family’s gazes fixed on her, and since tonight’s gathering wasn’t a suitable occasion for the housekeeper to appear, Jin Ke’er waved her off, signaling for her to leave.
“You know what you need to do now, don’t you?”
Jin Ke’er whispered, in a tone only Lan Yinyun could hear.
Their relationship was purely employer and employee; Lan Yinyun was not obligated to endure Jin Ke’er’s temper or anger.
But precisely because of this, the task she had to carry out required Jin Ke’er’s approval.
Now that Jin Ke’er had spoken, Lan Yinyun naturally had no reason to stay, and she understood perfectly what Jin Ke’er meant—she wanted her to find Su Li’s whereabouts.
Since both of them had returned to the country, they no longer needed to be so restrained; it was much easier now to search for Su Li.
Seeing Lan Yinyun stand and leave, Jin Zhenbang’s eyes returned to Jin Ke’er, a smile appearing on his face as he said,
“Now that Ke’er is back, let’s prepare to eat. Wang Ma has prepared quite a feast today. It seems there’s garlic lobster, your favorite.”
Jin Ke’er’s smile vanished for a moment but flickered back quickly.
She didn’t like lobster—and she was allergic to it.
But it was understandable that her second uncle didn’t remember her preferences, considering how long it had been since she last returned to the family.
After speaking, Jin Zhenbang followed several Jin family members to welcome Jin Ke’er’s relatives, chatting and laughing as they left.
They seemed to have forgotten that Jin Ke’er had mobility issues and couldn’t walk quickly.
No one noticed or helped her; they chatted happily, as if nothing had changed.
To them, the recently returned Jin Ke’er was like a stranger.
Jin Ke’er didn’t think anything was amiss. She figured it was just because she had just come back and the family unconsciously forgot about her leg problems, maybe still assuming she was trailing behind them.
She only regretted that Lan Yinyun hadn’t stayed longer, leaving too soon.
Otherwise, seeing her struggling like this, she might have helped.
The Jin Family Residence was enormous; even pushing the wheelchair herself took an immense effort.
She watched her family’s retreating backs, stubborn as always, pride getting in the way, and still refused to ask for help.
To avoid developing psychological dependence and muscle atrophy, or even causing reflex decline, Jin Ke’er chose not to use an electric wheelchair.
She believed her time in the wheelchair was temporary—that one day she would stand again.
Besides, with Lan Yinyun by her side, she didn’t worry about accidents while using the wheelchair.
But today, driven by a strong desire to return home, Jin Ke’er hadn’t anticipated the scene that unfolded.
It wasn’t until she was nearly pushing her wheelchair into the Residence that her cousin Jin Xueli noticed her stubborn expression.
A smile tugged at the corner of Xueli’s lips before fading into a worried look as she approached Jin Ke’er.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier that you couldn’t keep up?”
Xueli said, coming to Jin Ke’er’s side to help push the wheelchair.
No matter how strong Jin Ke’er tried to appear, in their eyes she looked no different from a defeated dog.
Jin Ke’er remained silent, and immediately Xueli’s face twisted into disdain.
Only after dinner and a bath, lying alone in a luxurious bed at night, did Jin Ke’er think of Su Li again.
The night was deep, the room bathed in soft light.
Moonlight streamed through the curtains’ gaps, casting silver ribbons across the floor.
The bedside lamp glowed dimly, illuminating a corner of the bed and a yellowed photo on the nightstand, stirring memories of the past.
Everything in the room was so peaceful; only the clock on the wall ticked quietly now and then.
Perhaps because the room had just been cleaned, Jin Ke’er could even detect a faint trace of dust.
Loneliness crept in, and a fierce desire arose in her heart.
“Su Li…”
Jin Ke’er couldn’t help but call out the name. She slowly moved toward the window, her mind replaying the moment when her legs regained sensation and she mercilessly trampled Su Li beneath her feet.
Meanwhile, on her phone, Su Li’s voice echoed repeatedly.
As for the voices of the MOKA Group, Lan Yinyun had already helped Jin Ke’er edit the videos, removing all MOKA Group voices.
Curled up in the moonlight by the bay window, her fingertips absentmindedly traced patterns…
Outside, the cherry blossom tree suddenly shed petals in a gentle shower, the night breeze carrying an invisible frequency that resonated like quantum entanglement with the pulse at her wrist.
When the midnight bell rang in the distance, ripples defying the laws of physics formed concentric circles on the surface of the water in the Celadon Water Bowl—her very own Mystic Tide.
“Su Li…”
Jin Ke’er’s voice grew weaker and weaker, calling Su Li’s name as she gradually drifted into sleep.
In her mind, the scene of punishing Su Li kept replaying…
She would take a ruthless revenge on that arrogant woman!