Finally, Shu Yan showed Lin Zixiang photos of herself and her children, photos of herself looking thinner, and recent photos. Only then did Lin Zixiang believe that Shu Yan was indeed her daughter.
She chuckled awkwardly and said, "You've changed so much. If you had been willing to dress yourself up like this earlier, Ye Zhiqiang wouldn't have divorced you."
"Mom, my skin has become fairer, and I dress more stylishly, but my facial features..." Shu Yan pointed to her facial features, "I looked like this before I had children. I haven't had any work done on my eyes or nose. How can you remember what I looked like two years ago?"
These words stunned everyone, including Shu Jianyang. They seemed to genuinely not remember what Shu Yan looked like before, otherwise they wouldn't be so unfamiliar with her.
The old lady coughed lightly and scolded Lin Zixiang, "Even if you don't get a divorce, you can't meet someone as good as Ayu. If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all." Turning to Fang Zeyu, she smiled and said, "This is Shuyan's mother. She's not usually very talkative, so please don't mind her."
"Hello, uncles and aunts, I'm Fang Zeyu, Yan Yan's boyfriend." Fang Zeyu, who had been standing silently to the side, formally introduced himself.
Shu Youfu and Lin Zixiang simultaneously sized up Fang Zeyu. He wasn't as good-looking as Ye Zhiqiang, nor was he dressed as elegantly. It was obvious he didn't come from a wealthy family. Why would Shu Yan choose someone like this?
Could it be that he's after Shu Yan's money?
Lin Zixiang was about to speak when Shu Yan narrowed her eyes and interrupted her: "I remember we signed a document not long ago. You should mind your own business."
The thought of the money and food they would receive each year immediately silenced them.
"Hello, I'm Yan Yan's mother. I'm not very good at talking. Are you settling into things in Xicheng? The food here must be different from what you eat back home, right?"
"It's alright, I'm not a picky eater." Fang Zeyu smiled.
People are truly perverse. The more filial a child is to their parents, the less they are treated; the more they boss their parents around, the better the parents treat that child. Take Shu Yan, for example. Now that she ignores them, they dare not cause any trouble and keep buying her nice things.
"Yan Yan, Dad and Mom have never stayed in a hotel before! Isn't this hotel really comfortable?"
The implication was that they wanted to stay in a hotel! Shu Yan glanced at them, pretending not to understand, and asked Shu Jianyang, "Third Brother, how are the preparations going on your end?"
"Everything is ready. We'll go pick up the bride in a bit," Shu Jianyang said cheerfully.
In Xicheng, the custom is that in addition to the best man, there is also a bridesmaid, who is the groom's sister-in-law who accompanies him to pick up the bride. They are usually chosen from the groom's sisters or cousins, and they must be unmarried. Divorced women like Shu Yan shouldn't be mentioned going along; they can't even be too close, as it's considered bad luck.
They didn't want Shu Yan to get close, and Shu Yan was happy to have an easy time.
The bride was brought to the hotel in a lively atmosphere, and Shu Yan finally saw her third sister-in-law. She was very beautiful and had a bright and charming smile.
They held a Western-style wedding, which is currently very popular, and exchanged rings and kissed in front of everyone's witness and blessings.
Then, when toasting the guests, the bride looked at Shu Yan with some surprise.
Shu Yan was certain that they had never met before; the bride's eyes and expression told her that she knew her.
Shu Yan glanced at Shu Jianyang and smiled as she offered many words of blessing. The bride turned her head, and as her eyes darted around, Shu Yan suddenly felt that she resembled someone she knew, but she couldn't quite place who it was. Perhaps she had actually met her before, or perhaps the original owner of the body had met her but didn't remember her well.
"What's wrong?" Fang Zeyu had been paying close attention to Shu Yan.
"Nothing, I just thought of something." Shu Yan smiled and urged Fang Zeyu to eat quickly. Shu Yan's table was full of her older cousins and the like. Don't underestimate them just because they are women; they are even more competitive than men when it comes to grabbing food.
"What is this?" Shu Yan's cousin picked up a crab, completely baffled as to how to eat it.
Xicheng is inland, and in those days, it was rare for people in rural inland areas to eat seafood. The only thing that might be related to the sea was seaweed, so it's normal that my cousin didn't know how to eat it.
Shu Yan picked up one and whispered to her how to eat it, while the people chatting nearby glanced at Shu Yan.
"So that's how you eat it, thank you, sister." My cousin is Aunt Shuyan's child. There are only two children in their family, and my cousin is the younger one, so she is more favored.
My cousin and her husband picked up the crab and started eating it with great enthusiasm, as did my two younger cousins.
"Little sister, you're really something. Why didn't you ask me if you didn't know how to eat it? It's such a simple thing," the older cousin said with a light smile after eating half a crab.
"Can you do it?" Her cousin glanced at her, showing no respect whatsoever. "You just learned it from this older sister. You were peeking the whole time she was teaching me, don't think I didn't see you. And you ate the wrong thing just now, the yellow one is edible, but the white stripes are not."
My aunt's family runs a business and is quite well-off. My older cousin is currently helping my aunt with her work, and not daring to offend her younger cousin, she directed her anger at Shu Yan.
"What are you looking at? So what if you can eat crab? What are you showing off for? Whose daughter are you? I've never seen you before. Are you here to freeload?"
"Big Cousin, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. No matter who I am, I'm a guest invited by Third Brother. If you dare to ruin Third Brother's wedding today, what do you think Third Brother will do?"
My older cousin immediately fell silent.
Shu Jianyang is very close to his relatives when he is in a relationship, but when he gets angry, he can be ruthless and disregard even his closest family ties.
They finished their meal quietly. During the meal, Shu Jianyang even came over to toast Fang Zeyu with a glass of wine and chatted with Shu Yan for a while before leaving.
The sisters looked at each other, wondering which of them had ever been the kind of sister in the family that Shu Jianyang would treat differently.
One of the people who was on good terms with Shu Jianyang asked him about Shu Yan's identity. They were all stunned to learn that she was Shu Yan from his second maternal uncle's family.
"Are you really Cousin Shuyan?" The younger cousin asked in disbelief.
"Yes, what's wrong, don't you recognize me?"
"You've changed so much, not to mention us, I doubt even your parents would recognize you." My cousin thought her second uncle and his family definitely wouldn't recognize her.
"Are you really Shu Yan?" Looking at Shu Yan's fair and smooth cheeks, her second cousin thought of her own face full of freckles and asked, "How did you get rid of these?"
"I'll use laser..." Shu Yan explained the effects, side effects, and cost in detail. Her second cousin was fine with the effects and side effects, but she immediately backed down when she heard the cost.
"Looks like you have a lot of money now?" The older cousin looked at Shu Yan with shining eyes. "Shu Yan, your brother-in-law is preparing to start his own business recently, and he's short 20,000... no, 50,000. We're relatives, can you lend me some first? I'll pay you back when I make money."
The people around Shu Yan immediately looked at her, as if they were eager to try.
"First, we've never gotten along, so don't put it so nicely. Second, what business is it of yours if I have money? Can't I keep it for myself?" The original owner might feel embarrassed, but Shu Yan certainly wouldn't. They were practically best friends anyway—no, not even that, so why would she lend them money?
My older cousin snorted, "Fine, I won't lend you the money. I don't care about your few stinking coins."
"Thank you," Shu Yan said calmly.
Shu Yan ignored them and left with Fang Zeyu as soon as the wedding banquet ended.
The next day, Shu Yan and Fang Zeyu went downstairs for breakfast, where Shu Jianyang and Li Miaomiao were also present.
Li Miaomiao, wearing everyday makeup, really looks like someone I know, but I just can't remember who it is.
"You worked so hard yesterday, why didn't you get some more sleep?" Shu Yan teased them with a smile.
"It's not hard work, I'm used to waking up early." Li Miaomiao smiled sweetly and lowered her head shyly.
In an instant, Shu Yan suddenly remembered who she resembled. She and Li Jiaojiao really looked alike; their eyebrows and eyes were almost identical. Only their noses, mouths, and face shapes were different, which was why Shu Yan hadn't noticed at first. But when she smiled with her head down just now, Shu Yan suddenly remembered who she looked like.
Li Jiaojiao has an oval face and a slender figure, giving her a somewhat pitiful appearance. Li Miaomiao, on the other hand, has an egg-shaped face, looks exceptionally gentle, and has clear, honest eyes, completely different from Li Jiaojiao. Most importantly, their names are also very similar; both have the surname Li and both use repeated characters.
After the meal, Shu Yan called out to Shu Jianyang, "Third Brother, I haven't seen your company yet. Shall I go visit your company sometime?" Shu Yan asked with a smile.
"Sure, you, the big boss, can give me some pointers too." Shu Jianyang laughed, "There's no time like the present, so why not do it today?"
"No need to rush. Today is your first day of marriage. Enjoy yourselves." Shu Yan wasn't that insensitive.
"It's alright, your third brother and I see each other every day, it won't make a difference if we wait a little longer," Li Miaomiao said kindly.
"That's right, you'll be going back in a couple of days. Come visit my company now and give me your feedback."
Shu Jianyang already knew about Shu Yan's company, but he didn't know how big it was. Judging from her tone, it seemed to be doing well.
The company is located in the most prosperous area of Xicheng. Shu Jianyang bought an entire floor, and half of the offices are still empty. He didn't rent them out, saying he would keep them for future employees. This shows that Shu Jianyang has great ambitions.
"How was it? Not bad, right?" Shu Jianyang led Shu Yan back to his office, pulled out a chair behind his desk, plopped down, and asked proudly.
"That's great." Shu Yan was genuinely surprised that Shu Jianyang's business had grown so rapidly. "I heard you recently set your sights on a piece of land. Where is it?"
Do you remember Jianghe Road?
Jianghe Road? Shu Yan searched her memory. Wasn't this the Changjiang Road in her own world? That place was definitely going to be incredibly valuable in the future. She remembered that a relative of hers had bought a small two-bedroom apartment on Changjiang Road for nearly 3 million yuan back in 2012. By 2019, the price there seemed to have doubled.
“I know Jianghe Road; it’s a really good location.” Third Brother has a good eye for business. “The prices must be high, right?”
"I don't know yet. The auction is at the end of this month, just joining in the fun," Shu Jianyang said with a grin.
After chatting for a while, Shu Yan asked, "What is the relationship between Third Sister-in-law and Li Miaomiao?"
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