The next day.
The birthday party was scheduled for the evening, and early in the morning, Shen Qingwan brought several dresses to Jiang Ran's room.
"Xiao Ran, come and take a look. Which of these dresses do you like?"
Jiang Ran casually pointed to one of the clothes and said somewhat shyly, "Mom, today is your birthday, so you're the star of the show. I can just wear anything."
Shen Qingwan affectionately stroked the top of her head: "Today is not only my birthday banquet, but I also plan to announce your identity to the public at today's banquet. I want everyone to know that you are my biological daughter."
Looking at Shen Qingwan's gentle face, Jiang Ran's eyes welled up with tears.
She didn't know how much pain and torment Shen Qingwan had suffered in her past life, but in this life she would definitely protect her and never let the tragedy of her past life repeat itself.
After Shen Qingwan left, a furtive figure appeared at the door of Jiang Ran's room.
Jiang Ran twitched her ears, her deep gaze falling on the dress on the bed, her eyes holding a profound meaning.
They arrived as expected.
She deliberately left the door ajar when she closed it, knowing she would come.
In her past life, Jiang Xinrou took advantage of this opportunity to tamper with her dress, making her look foolish in front of everyone.
Jiang Ran turned her back to the door, a cold smile flashing in her eyes, and deliberately walked towards the bathroom.
Soon, Jiang Xinrou tiptoed into the room, her eyes filled with hatred as she looked at the dress on the bed.
The banquet was scheduled for 8 p.m., but many people had already arrived before 8 p.m.
Jiang's mother stood in front of the French windows, wearing an elegant cheongsam, with extravagant jewelry around her neck, and all ten fingers on both hands adorned with gemstone rings. Even her hair, which was styled in an updo, was filled with various gemstone hairpins.
The aunt who was helping her get dressed couldn't help but speak up, "Grandma, isn't this... a bit too formal?"
Jiang's mother disagreed: "It's better to be solemn. These are all gifts from my son, so naturally I have to wear them. Otherwise, how will others know how successful my son is?"
"...yes."
Supported by her aunt, Jiang's mother swaggered into the banquet hall and spotted her old friend from afar, immediately beaming with joy.
"You're here, come and sit down."
Originally, given her status, she wouldn't have been able to attend this banquet; it was only because Jiang's mother personally invited her that she was able to come here.
Not for any other reason than to show off in front of her.
She and the old lady in front of her were from the same place. In the past, her family lived a miserable life and she couldn't even hold her head up in front of her. Now that her son has become successful, she naturally wants to show the people in her hometown how rich and powerful she is now.
"Oh my, Jiang's mother, you're living like a rich lady now! Look at this ring, such a big gemstone, it must be very expensive!" An equally extravagantly dressed old lady strode forward, grabbed Jiang's mother's hand warmly, and showed envy in her eyes.
Seeing the envy in her eyes, Jiang's mother's vanity was greatly satisfied, and she laughed loudly, "Oh dear, it's all because my son is so filial that he insisted on buying these for me."
"You are so lucky to have raised such a successful son."
The old lady looked at the guests coming in from outside and said, "These must all be Xiao Jiang's business partners, right? They are all prominent figures. Xiao Jiang is really honored to have so many people here."
Hearing this, Jiang's mother proudly raised her chin: "Of course! My son is just too successful. The fortune teller said he was destined to be a top scholar since he was a child, and now he's living a life even more carefree than a top scholar!"
"You're so lucky! But I heard that Xiao Jiang only got rich because of his wife's family."
"Nonsense!" Jiang's mother immediately raised her voice: "They did provide some support, but isn't it all thanks to my son's talent that he's where he is today? It's also because they have good judgment that they saw my son was no ordinary person, so they took the lead and even offered to marry their daughter to him."
Their conversation reached the ears of those attending the banquet, and everyone frowned.
What kind of occasion is this, that such vulgar people are making such a racket here?
Everyone knew perfectly well that a son raised by such a vulgar person would not have been able to climb up the social ladder without the Shen family.
Jiang's mother approached the housekeeper, her eyes revealing greed as she looked at the exquisite gift box laid out before her.
"Were these all gifts from the guests who came today?"
"Yes, madam."
Jiang's mother picked up the most exquisite gift box inside, and upon opening it, she found a bracelet inlaid with gemstones.
She immediately took it out and put it on her wrist.
Upon seeing this, the butler immediately spoke up to stop her: "Madam, this is unacceptable. These are all congratulatory gifts from the guests to the lady."
Jiang's mother was displeased upon hearing this and shouted, "I'm her mother-in-law! What's wrong with taking a few things from her? Consider it a gift from her!"
Such a commotion naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of the surrounding guests. Everyone who came here was a lady or daughter of a wealthy family, and they were extremely contemptuous of Jiang's mother's behavior.
What kind of mother-in-law in a large family would covet her daughter-in-law's things? If word got out, she would be ridiculed for life.
This old lady Jiang is truly an eye-opener.
At eight o'clock, Shen Qingwan appeared before everyone with Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran wore a light blue princess dress, but her thin figure couldn't fill it out. Her hair was also yellow and rough due to long-term malnutrition. Although she was wearing makeup today, it couldn't hide her unhealthy complexion.
She was so thin that there was no flesh on her body; she was like a walking skeleton.
Even though Shen Qingwan tries every day to prepare delicious food for her and has consumed a lot of supplements, she has always been in a state of not having enough to eat since childhood, and has a small appetite. Now she doesn't dare to eat too much at once because it's bad for her stomach.
So a month has passed, and Jiang Ran looks no different than before she came to the Jiang family, except that she is much more energetic.
Everyone looked at Jiang Ran and speculated about her identity.
I heard that the Jiang family recently adopted a daughter. Could it be her?
The crowd's expressions became complicated. Shen Qingwan was a recognized beauty, so how could her daughter be like this?
Is she really my biological daughter?
Just then, Jiang Xinrou slowly appeared, wearing high heels.
To everyone's surprise, the dress she was wearing was exactly the same as the one Jiang Ran was wearing.
However, the dress seemed to look even better on Jiang Xinrou.
She has a tall and well-proportioned figure and fair skin, and this dress makes her look even more like a princess.
Everyone sighed.
The same dress looks completely different on the two people; that's what makes someone a princess.
Many men present lingered on Jiang Xinrou, and she smiled slightly, clearly enjoying the admiring looks from the crowd.
Jiang Ran is nothing but an ugly duckling; how can she compare to a true swan like her?
Jiang Ran looked at her calmly, her expression serene, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
Everything was as she expected; she just hoped Jiang Xinrou would still be able to smile later.
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