C1 Someone from the Jiang Family Came!

It was mid-August, and the sun blazed like a fiery orb, with the heat rising in waves.

A luxury car jostled along the dusty road of Riverside Village.

The villagers hadn't seen such a sleek car in ages. It wasn't until the vehicle came to a halt in front of a modest farmhouse that the village elders and children craned their necks curiously in its direction.

A middle-aged woman stepped out first, clad in black pants and a white blouse, her hair coiffed to perfection.

She stood tall, confidently knocking on the weathered door of the Yan household.

Following her, a middle-aged man emerged from the driver's seat, his brow furrowed as he surveyed the surroundings with palpable contempt. He averted his gaze from the villagers as if they were something vile.

Inside, Yem Xi was seated by the wooden lattice window, grinding herbs.

At the sound of the knock, her lush, feather-like eyelashes fluttered, and she glanced toward the door.

In her past life, it was around this same time that the Jiang family's driver and butler had come to Riverside Village to fetch her.

She was the Second Miss of the Jiang family, lost to the outside world and long sought after by the Jiang family people, who couldn't stand the thought of their bloodline vanishing. They had searched for many years before finding her.

Back then, her adoptive grandparents had already been deceased for years.

Desperate for familial love, she had gone with them to the Jiang family in Yi City.

Looking back, she realized how foolishly naive she had been, mistaking the Jiang family's insincere gestures for genuine affection. She was maligned, betrayed, disfigured... Eventually, she was confined to a sanatorium, where she met an untimely death at just twenty-four.

Upon awakening, she was astonished to find herself back at eighteen.

Thankfully, everything was just beginning...

The knocking grew more insistent.

Yem Xi composed herself, her features settling back into their usual calm.

She tidied away the herbs from the table and made her way through the wooden corridor to answer the door.

The butler, Hsu Lirong, was a distant relative who had served the Jiang family for over a decade. Though merely a butler, she was held in high esteem by the Jiang family people.

Being left to wait outside the door like this was a first for her. On such a sweltering day, standing outside for just a few minutes felt like being baked alive.

Hsu Lirong, trying to keep her rising temper at bay, was about to knock again when the door creaked open. A tall, slender silhouette appeared in the doorway.

For a moment, Hsu Lirong was taken aback by the sight of the person before her. She had seen Yem Xi's photograph prior to her visit, but in person, Yem Xi was even more stunning. The girl's long, lustrous black hair framed her face, and she was dressed in a white ruffled-sleeve T-shirt that highlighted her fair and delicate arms. Below, her loose-fitting jeans accentuated her slender waist. Her beauty was captivating, the kind that was a rarity.

The driver had assumed that this Second Miss Jiang would be like the other villagers of Riverside Village—gaunt and timid. Yet, upon seeing her in the flesh, he was struck by her celestial beauty, which outshone even Miss Jiang Shuyao.

Yem Xi remained silent, her expression cool and detached, her demeanor exuding aloofness. She neither inquired about the visitor's identity nor extended an invitation to come inside.

With a less than pleased look, Hsu Lirong asked, "Are you Yem Xi?"

"Yes," Yem Xi confirmed with a nod.

"We're here on behalf of the Jiang family. Madam must have already spoken with you on the phone. We've come to take you back with us to the Jiang family."

It seemed Hsu Lirong's patience had worn thin, and she dispensed with the formalities she had rehearsed in the past.

Leaning casually against the door frame, Yem Xi's radiant features were relaxed, her gaze indifferent. "What phone call? I don't know what you're talking about."

"You..." Hsu Lirong was both frustrated and flustered, feeling sweat form on her back from the oppressive heat.

Before she could finish, Yem Xi unceremoniously shut the door in her face.

"Steward Hsu..." the driver interjected, phone in hand, "Madam is asking for you to return her call."