Ye Caiping looked at her: "Mrs. Lin invited me here today, not to praise me, right?"

Lin Yaxian suppressed her displeasure: "Ye Yiren is a capable person, why should she remarry and suffer for herself?"

Ye Caiping said, "I don't think this is suffering. I've always been after Shen Zhiyan, and we're very compatible."

The last four words caused Lin Yaxian a sharp pain in her heart.

Mutual affection? Ha, does she deserve it?

How could Zhiyan possibly like her!

I've been with him for ten years, but we still can't achieve a deep emotional connection.

With her?

He must have married her because of his parents' arrangement, or for some other reason.

Lin Yaxian's face turned slightly frosty: "You climbed up from the bottom, you should know that noble families and peasant households are different."

"The saying 'Once you enter the gates of a noble family, it's like entering a deep sea' is not just a saying."

"In this world, people value matching social status; bamboo with bamboo doors, wooden doors with wooden doors. You may feel excited now, but once you actually marry into the family, you won't be able to adapt to that kind of life."

"I'm not just talking about rules and customs, but about how your humble origins make it impossible for you to live openly and honestly in this kind of family!"

"At that time, you will live with inferiority every day, thinking about how to please others. Won't that be tiring?"

After speaking, Lin Yaxian stared intently at Ye Caiping, her gaze both aloof and sincere.

Every word she uttered came from the bottom of her heart and was a statement of fact.

She had expected the other person to frown or fall into thought under her gaze, but instead, Ye Caiping chuckled lightly.

"Inferiority complex? I don't feel that way at all. I've always felt good about myself!"

"As you said yourself, I climbed up from the bottom step by step, and I know exactly what I'm going to face. This isn't a path I absolutely have to take, but once I've decided to, I'm fearless. Naturally, I won't feel inferior!"

Hearing this, Lin Yaxian felt annoyed, thinking that Ye Caiping's attitude was frivolous and disrespectful! Moreover, this was not the effect she wanted.

In her eyes, no matter how capable Ye Caiping was, she was still just a village woman...

She deserves to feel inferior!

She didn't believe a word Ye Caiping said!

What do you mean by being fearless? It sounds as frank and capable as it does.

Finally, Shangxue, who was standing next to Lin Yaxian, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward with a stern face: "Ye Yiren, stop pretending."

"What are you after by climbing up to Second Master? Do you think no one can't see it? It's nothing but wealth and status. We've seen plenty of people like that."

Ye Caiping calmly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear: "Ah, does it matter?"

Lin Yaxian and her servant were stunned. What did they mean by "important"?

How can it not be important?

How shameful are those hypocritical and vain women who crave wealth and status!

Ye Caiping chuckled lightly: "Whether I'm after Shen Zhiyan as a person or the wealth and status of the Shen family, what does it have to do with you? The important thing is that the Shen family is also interested in me, isn't it?"

That last sentence was like a sharp dagger, stabbing Lin Yaxian in the heart.

Ye Caiping continued to stab her in the back: "I believe that you, Madam, have made a lot of efforts over the years. But as the daughter of the Prime Minister, the Shen family simply ignores you."

"I wasn't even here yet! So, does my existence matter? What was the point of me marrying into the Shen family? Does it matter?"

"Women, don't just focus on other women." Ye Caiping stared intently at Lin Yaxian. "The problem lies with Shen Zhiyan and the Shen family. Why don't you look for the reasons within yourself?"

Lin Yaxian's pupils contracted slightly, and she clutched her chest tightly.

Ye Caiping said casually, "The Shen family gave me a dowry of 88,888 taels of silver, plus other betrothal gifts, totaling 100,000 taels. In addition, they gave me a five-courtyard mansion in the second ring road of the capital."

"The Shen family has sacrificed so much for someone as lowly as me in your eyes, yet they are unwilling to accept you back, which proves that I am better than you."

Lin Yaxian's icy expression finally crumbled, and she snapped, "How dare you!"

Ye Caiping stood up, tilted her chin slightly, and looked down at her condescendingly: "Mrs. Lin, let go! From the moment you abandoned them four years ago, your fate was over. If you truly love Manman, then stop pestering her."

"To avoid you, Manman has hidden herself in some remote mountain valley. Even after returning to the capital, she doesn't dare to go out. She's afraid of running into you."

"She lived in constant pain."

Ye Caiping recalled the first time she met Manman. She sat there alone and forlorn by the window of the restaurant, looking pitiful.

"Let go? How can you expect me to let go!" Lin Yaxian exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table. "That's my husband! My daughter! Ye Yiren, you're a mother too, can you let go of your own daughter?"

Ye Caiping stared at her intently: "I can't. But you... can! Didn't you let go a long time ago?"

Lin Yaxian's mind went blank.

That winter four years ago...

He, so proud, knelt before her.

The little girl, only ten years old, looked like a pink dumpling, hiding behind a pillar and staring at her intently.

The little boy stared at her with eyes that didn't belong to his age, cold and indifferent.

But in the end, she resolutely turned and left...

Ye Caiping left at some point.

Lin Yaxian hugged herself tightly, trembling uncontrollably.

His face turned deathly pale, and finally he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Madam!" Shangxue rushed over and helped her up.

"At that time... at that time..." Lin Yaxian was already in tears.

Why was she unwilling to take her with her back then?

Why?

She didn't understand...

She finds it utterly unbelievable whenever she thinks about it.

How could she abandon her daughter and husband and leave...?

How could Lin Yaxian do such a thing?

“Madam…” Shangxue cried when she saw her crying, and hugged her tightly. “It’s not Madam’s fault! It’s not Madam’s fault! Madam was just too scared at the time and made a mistake.”

"How about... forget it! Madam, I'll go back to your hometown of Mingzhou with you! I'll never stay in the capital again..."

Lin Yaxian struggled to push her away: "No...it doesn't count. It can't...Zhiyan...if I can't go back to his side, what's the point of my life?"

She liked him when she was very young.

Back then, her father wasn't the Grand Secretary; he was just a Minister, and his family background was far inferior to that of the Shen family.

She worked so hard for him.

Become a woman of exceptional talent! With impeccable manners and a renowned reputation for virtue...

It was only with great difficulty that the Shen family finally took a liking to her, and it was only with great difficulty that Shen Zhiyan finally nodded in agreement.

Little did she know that her dream would be shattered in just ten years.

Everything was completely ruined.