Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Your Future Husband
Lan Yan’s smile looked to Dong Xiaoxiao like one of smugness and boasting.
She suddenly sat next to Lan Yan and intimately hooked her arm around Lan Yan’s.
Lan Yan frowned slightly and was about to pull her arm back when Dong Xiaoxiao grabbed her tightly and refused to let go.
Dong Xiaoxiao, smiling sweetly, looked at her and called out, “Sister, I was just a little emotional earlier. Please don’t take it personally.”
Lan Yan didn’t want her to call her “sister,” but Dong Xiaoxiao did it just to provoke her.
“I’m the type of person who feels things intensely but gets over them quickly. I promise I’ll try to control my emotions better in the future.”
Lan Yan tilted her head slightly and met her gaze. “Why would I take it personally?”
Dong Xiaoxiao replied, “It’s good if Sister doesn’t mind.”
Then, she turned to the sales assistant and barked, “Why are you just standing there? Hurry and bring my sister the shoes to try on!”
The sales assistant hadn’t fully recovered from their earlier argument.
Taken aback by her sudden command, the assistant snapped back to attention.
“Ah! Alright, sorry about that,” the sales assistant quickly apologized.
Hu Yunqin watched the two as they acted so affectionately, but she said nothing.
Meanwhile, Dong Xiaoxiao leaned closer to Lan Yan’s ear and whispered, “Let me tell you, don’t get ahead of yourself. Even though Mom acknowledged you, you’re still not the most important person in her heart.”
Lan Yan barely reacted, tugged at the corner of her mouth, and simply ignored her.
Wherever they went afterward, Dong Xiaoxiao clung to her arm.
To outsiders, they would seem like the epitome of sisterly love.
“Sister, you must feel really happy today, shopping with Mom and me. This kind of thing doesn’t happen often, does it? You’ve probably never experienced this before, right?” Dong Xiaoxiao said coquettishly, smiling.
Her words held absolutely zero sway over Lan Yan.
But Lan Yan’s ears were, in fact, suffering; Dong Xiaoxiao’s syrupy tone was nothing short of unbearable.
Lan Yan understood perfectly well that Dong Xiaoxiao spoke this way purely to disgust her.
But Lan Yan had always been brutally straightforward.
“Happy is not the word I’d use; disgusting is more like it.”
Lan Yan responded quietly.
The remark was audible only to Dong Xiaoxiao; Hu Yunqin, walking ahead, had no idea.
Lan Yan then added in a low voice, “Miss Dong, do you truly think your mother values and cherishes you? If I recall correctly, you have a younger brother, and you and Ms. Hu don’t share any blood ties. Do you think her kindness toward you is genuine, or is she simply using you?”
Dong Xiaoxiao instantly frowned.
Ready to loudly confront Lan Yan, her words were blocked when Lan Yan interjected, “Miss Dong, I’d advise you to think twice before speaking. Otherwise, you might ruin the goodwill you’ve earned with Ms. Hu.”
Dong Xiaoxiao’s protests died in her throat.
Lan Yan had done her research: the Dong Family favored sons over daughters. Hu Yunqin, an astute and calculating woman, wouldn’t dot on Dong Xiaoxiao without an ulterior motive.
The only reason seemed to be that Dong Jian still doted on Dong Xiaoxiao as his eldest daughter—not that her status outweighed Dong Junhao’s.
Hu Yunqin didn’t care much about Dong Xiaoxiao; she simply didn’t want to provoke unnecessary problems. After all, Dong Xiaoxiao would marry out eventually, and the Dong Family’s inheritance would land in Dong Junhao’s lap.
In truth, Dong Xiaoxiao posed no real threat to the position of her son.
“Moreover, you might want to think carefully about why she’s so good to you, a daughter with no blood relation to her. Otherwise, when someone sells you out, you won’t even realize and might foolishly help them count their profits.”
Lan Yan said casually.
Dong Xiaoxiao lowered her voice. “Stop trying to stir up trouble. I know what you’re doing—you want me to drift apart from Mom so you can worm your way in. I won’t believe a word you say.”
Ever since Hu Yunqin married into the Dong Family, she had treated Dong Xiaoxiao exceptionally well. Even after the birth of her younger brother, her treatment of Dong Xiaoxiao didn’t waver.
Thus, she saw Lan Yan’s words as pure manipulation and refused to believe them.
Still, Lan Yan’s words planted a tiny seed of doubt deep in Dong Xiaoxiao’s heart.
Lan Yan simply smiled without saying anything.
After finishing their shopping, and with their bags in hand, Lan Yan suggested they head back.
“Yanyan, where do you live? Should I drive you home? It’s not easy carrying all of this on your own.” Hu Yunqin offered.
Lan Yan glanced at the driver and assistant carrying the items—armfuls of large and small bags.
“Alright,” she said.
…
Pear Garden Pavilion.
This upscale residential area was notoriously hard to buy into.
Seeing Lan Yan’s luxurious residence, Dong Xiaoxiao felt a twist of resentment.
She had initially hoped to witness Lan Yan’s humiliation.
After helping her carry the shopping upstairs, Lan Yan had them drop the items at the door.
She didn’t open the door or let them inside.
“Sister, aren’t you going to invite Mom and me in for a look?” Dong Xiaoxiao asked.
Hu Yunqin also looked at her and added, “Yanyan, if it’s inconvenient, it’s okay.”
Lan Yan responded directly, “It’s indeed inconvenient.”
Hu Yunqin: “…”
Dong Xiaoxiao smirked maliciously, “Inconvenient, or afraid? Sister, could this not even be your home?”
Lan Yan replied with a tight-lipped smile, “Miss Dong, you’ve got that exactly right. It’s not mine; I’m just staying temporarily. Naturally, I can’t let you in—it’d be troublesome if it got dirty and I had to hire someone to clean it.”
Dong Xiaoxiao’s lips twitched in anger. “You…”
She realized Lan Yan had indirectly called her dirty again!
Even Hu Yunqin could see that Lan Yan’s personality was stubborn at times. If she didn’t want to do something, she wouldn’t cooperate—this mirrored someone else’s demeanor.
Dong Xiaoxiao, with scorn in her tone, quipped, “Sister, wouldn’t it be better if you moved to Heart Lake Villa to live with Mom and me? Borrowing someone else’s home is never ideal.”
Turning to Hu Yunqin, she added, “Mom, we should bring Sister back to live with us. It’s too pathetic otherwise, and wouldn’t it be bad for rumors to start?”
Her final comment struck a chord with Hu Yunqin.
Once Lan Yan’s identity was officially revealed, continuing to live here would indeed be inappropriate.
“Yanyan, Xiaoxiao’s right. Why don’t you come back and live with Mom? After all, we’ll be living together in the future anyway,” she suggested.
Lan Yan curled her lips lightly. “No need. I’m used to living alone.”
Realizing the apartment wasn’t Lan Yan’s, Dong Xiaoxiao quickly lost interest and turned to leave.
Seeing Lan Yan’s persistence, Hu Yunqin didn’t push further, but she did say, “Have a good rest tonight.”
After they were gone, Lan Yan opened the door and moved her purchases inside.
Soon after, she grabbed her car keys from the entryway and left.
Thankfully, she’d left a car here earlier, or she wouldn’t have been able to get back to Moon Gift Villa.
The area near Moon Gift Villa wasn’t accessible to just any vehicle.
At the parking lot, Hu Yunqin and the others hadn’t left yet.
As Lan Yan appeared, Dong Xiaoxiao was the first to spot her.
“Mom, look, isn’t that Sister? Why is she leaving again?” Dong Xiaoxiao sneered. “So she lied about being tired?”
They then watched as Lan Yan got into a white Mercedes G-Wagon.
“Don’t tell me this car’s borrowed too. It looks expensive judging by appearances—she probably couldn’t afford it,” Dong Xiaoxiao muttered under her breath.
“Li, follow her,” Hu Yunqin instructed.
The driver replied, “Yes, madam.”
…
Forty minutes later.
The road grew increasingly remote.
“Mom, maybe we should turn back.” Dong Xiaoxiao grew uneasy at the sight of the desolate surroundings and voiced her concern.
“What kind of girl would dare venture alone to such a deserted area?”
Dong Xiaoxiao couldn’t fathom it.
Hu Yunqin remained silent.
Then the driver asked, “Madam, should we keep following?”
Observing the well-groomed flora along the roadside despite the area’s remoteness, Hu Yunqin concluded it wasn’t completely uninhabited.
“Is there a problem?” she asked the driver.
The driver replied, “If Miss Lan Yan turns left ahead, we should stop following, as the road leads to a private villa we can’t access.”
“A private villa?”
“Yes.”
Dong Xiaoxiao chimed in, “Does that mean she can get in?”
The driver responded, “She likely can.”
After all, why else would anyone come here?
The nearby dwellings were mostly private homes; only residents would visit.
Right then, they saw Lan Yan’s car turn left at the junction.
“Mom, look—she really did turn in!” Dong Xiaoxiao pointed ahead.
The driver stopped the black sedan near the turn.
“Madam, we truly can’t follow further; the area ahead is guarded,” he informed.
“Who lives up there?” Hu Yunqin asked.
The driver explained, “It’s the Jiang Family’s estate.”
“The Jiang Family? You mean the Jiang Group’s Jiang Family?” Hu Yunqin asked.
The driver confirmed, “Yes, madam.”
Now, Hu Yunqin frowned deeply. How did Lan Yan know people from the Jiang Family?
She hadn’t mentioned this before.
Meanwhile, Lan Yan glanced at the rearview mirror to confirm the absence of the black sedan she knew had been tailing her.
From the parking garage at Pear Garden Pavilion onward, she had been aware of being followed.
Once she identified the car as Hu Yunqin’s, she decided to let it be.
Arriving at Moon Gift Villa, Lan Yan saw Xiao Si already there.
“Hey, Xiao Yanyan, long time no see!”
He was lounging on the sofa, grinning cheekily as he greeted her.