Jiang Lai pulled the lonely little girl who had been standing out in the snow into the nearest coffee shop.
As she used a dry towel borrowed from the café to wipe the damp spots on the girl’s body, she couldn’t help but marvel at the convenience of being a woman.
In front of strangers, being female could earn you more trust.
Although it might sound a bit narcissistic, beautiful girls truly did receive more trust in situations like this.
If, in the past, a boy had tried to bring an unfamiliar girl to sit in a café together, it would definitely have been seen as hitting on her, or even as being a creep.
Not to mention, right now she was even wiping the girl’s body with a towel.
While drying the girl off, Jiang Lai also kept sizing her up.
The girl was about the same age as her own daughter, and she was very pretty—tall and graceful, with a proud air like a white swan.
At a glance, it was clear she was a child from a wealthy family.
But why would a girl like this be standing foolishly alone in the snow, not even thinking to take shelter?
Once the snow melted and soaked her, the cold would seep into her body, and it would be so easy to catch a cold.
Jiang Lai knew she had a bit of a Goddess of Mercy Complex, especially when it came to girls the same age as her own daughter.
She had a natural fondness for them; she doted on her daughter, and so she couldn’t bear to see girls of that age being bullied.
It was the same when she helped the female intern who had been harassed by Si Yina in the elevator.
And now, she couldn’t stand to see the girl before her getting drenched in the snow.
She’d always had this sort of mindset, but now, unable to openly visit her own daughter alone, her longing for her daughter made these feelings even stronger than before.
Besides the Goddess of Mercy Complex, it was also motherly love overflowing in her heart.
Jiang Lai could be called a complete daughter-con; aside from her late wife, her daughter was the most important person in her life.
“If you don’t have an umbrella, I can lend you one. Next time, don’t stand outside in the snow like that, okay?”
Jiang Lai had brought two umbrellas with her this time.
She’d originally planned to give one to her sister-in-law and then use the other to go home herself, but now she figured she could just go back together with her sister-in-law.
It wasn’t anything valuable, and helping others was always a good thing.
“Big sister, what’s your name?”
The girl, who had just been like a doll, letting herself be moved around, finally spoke.
If Jiang Lai’s daughter were here, she would have recognized the girl being fussed over by her stepmother as her most cherished best friend, Shen Ruxue.
Before the New Year, Shen Ruxue was never restricted by her family; this period of time was entirely her own, free to do as she wished.
She should have used this time to do what she’d always wanted to do.
But after spending a few days with her best friend, she suddenly didn’t know what she should do, or in what role she should do it.
Now, Shen Ruxue could stay by her best friend’s side as a confidante, giving her the best care.
But when it came to her husband and her younger sister, how was she supposed to express her love?
When it came to Jiang Lai, as long as the Mistress problem wasn’t resolved, Shen Ruxue was afraid to face her.
She worried that Jiang Lai wouldn’t like her anymore.
After all, over more than ten years, a person could change completely, and pure love could change in someone’s heart too.
Back when Shen Ruoxue still loved her husband deeply, if she learned that Jiang Lai no longer loved her, her heart would truly break—even if it was likely, even if even her own daughter wanted Jiang Lai to find someone who could accompany her for life.
Even if everyone blessed it and it was only natural, Shen Ruoxue absolutely didn’t want it to become reality.
But if her Jiang Lai really did fall for another woman, Shen Ruoxue had even thought of using her current youthful looks to seduce her back—though that was a thought for after defeating the Mistress.
Before Jiang Lai returned from her business trip, Shen Ruoxue’s main concern was how to face her own younger sister.
The reason Shen Ruxue had been standing motionless in the snow just now was because she had seen her sister, who seemed like a completely different person.
Her sister had truly grown up.
In her memory, Chi Yingyu should still have been that slightly timid girl who needed her care and protection, but the woman she’d just met downstairs at the law firm was completely the opposite.
She’d imagined these things before, but when reality was right in front of her, the shock and the pain numbed her, making her forget everything around her.
But at this moment, Shen Ruxue’s mind was on something else.
Beneath her long, elegant lashes were thoughts she couldn’t quite make sense of, because the woman in front of her looked so much like… It was incredible.
Aside from gender and age, in just a short time, all the feelings this woman gave her, and that familiar face and the eyes she’d seen thousands of times, all pointed to the most important person in her heart.
Shen Ruxue simply couldn’t believe it, so she desperately wanted to know the woman’s name—because it was all too much of a coincidence.
Whether before or now, Shen Ruxue was always proud and aloof in front of outsiders, her aura enough to keep people at a distance.
She never wasted words on unnecessary people, nor spared them a glance.
Because she poured all her thoughts and feelings into the most important people in her life.
Loving her husband Jiang Lai was enough; at most, her heart had a place for her younger sister from back then.
No one else left any trace in her heart.
Back when she was still Jiang Lai’s wife, Shen Ruxue had practically carved her husband’s face into the depths of her soul.
No matter how much time passed, no matter how Jiang Lai changed with the years, she would recognize her at a glance.
Because she was the person who loved Jiang Lai most in the world, even willing to give her life for her.
So when Jiang Lai, now a woman, appeared before her, Shen Ruxue was utterly stunned.
She couldn’t trust her own instincts, because in that instant, she was sure this woman was her husband, her daughter’s father.
But how could that be?
The ages didn’t match at all; the woman in front of her only looked a few years older than her daughter.
So Shen Ruxue wondered if the woman before her could be her husband’s long-lost younger sister, or maybe… someone even more secretive.
Could it be her husband’s illegitimate daughter from his youth?
From the day she first met Jiang Lai, she had truly witnessed her husband’s charm.
For others, paying a fortune for a child was just a scam, but for Jiang Lai, there were rich women who were truly willing to spend a fortune for it.