Rong Shengsheng woke up with a sore body, alone on the spacious bed, last night's events felt like a dream.
She tried to get out of bed, but her legs were stinging with pain, instantly reminding her of the nightmare from the previous night.
Enduring the discomfort, she quickly left the Charme Nightclub, only to be confronted by several burly bodyguards who, without a word, dragged her into a car.
Rong Shengsheng recognized them as the Rong Family's bodyguards and asked nervously, "What are you doing?"
"The young miss said she won't allow anyone in this world to look exactly like her."
"What....."
Rong Shengsheng's eyes widened in terror, did Rong Wanwan want her dead??
Her own parents had delivered her to a man's bed, and now her twin sister wanted her life.
All those years she had spent waiting and yearning in the countryside had been a joke.
A single tear fell from her clear, bottom-seeing eyes, leaving her body and soul icy cold, devoid of any warmth.
She pleaded desperately with the bodyguards, "Can you please let me go? I will work like an ox or a horse to repay you in the future."
The bodyguards turned a deaf ear; they only listened to Rong Wanwan.
The car sped up, heading toward the seaside.
Dragged out of the car, Rong Shengsheng looked around frantically, trying to seek help.
But the area was deserted, and the waves were incredibly fierce.
"Help!"
"Is there anyone... save me!"
Her feeble cries were swallowed by the sound of the waves.
Rong Shengsheng struggled with all her might, but her strength was too feeble; the bodyguards threw her into the tumultuous sea with no mercy, as if she was nothing but a small chick...
Five years later, at the airport.
After getting off the plane, two adorable toddlers, cute as buttons, toddled along unsteadily, like little penguins out for fun, melting the hearts of onlookers.
Dressed in a faded shirt and jeans, with unkempt hair and dirt-smudged face, Rong Shengsheng followed, dragging her luggage. Her face was full of acne scars, her skin sallow, and her frame frail and thin.
Though she was in her twenties, she looked like she was in her forties.
This piqued the curiosity of many, "How can such an ugly woman give birth to such adorable children?? It's unbelievable."
"Could the kids be stolen?"
"I think so too, I don't think the kids look anything like her."
"Shall we call the police then? We can't let these cute little ones fall into the wrong hands."
One righteous old man went ahead and grabbed Rong Shengsheng's arm, "Come clean, did you kidnap these two kids?"
Rong Shengsheng was both angry and helpless; over the years, anyone who saw her with the kids would doubt that she was their biological mother and grab her for a thorough questioning.
But she had gotten used to it.
Five years ago, she had been thrown into the ocean, fortunately rescued by a nearby good Samaritan, and her life was saved.
Latter, she found out she was pregnant. Thinking of how she had been abandoned and persecuted by her relatives, and how she was alone in the world, she decided to have the children.
As time passed, Rong Wanwan became a wildly popular celebrity, known by everyone, her posters plastered on streets everywhere.
Looking exactly like Rong Wanwan, many mistook her for the star, stalking her, taking photos of her, causing her endless trouble and harassment.
Left with no choice, she had to intentionally disguise herself as ugly.
"You've really misunderstood; the child is indeed my own. It's just that right after she was born, her father died. I had to be both father and mother, working four jobs a day. Often I had to work overtime through the night and over time, my face became covered with pockmarks, and my skin got worse and worse..."
As she spoke, Rong Shengsheng didn't forget to lower her head and wipe the non-existent tears from the corner of her eyes, appearing pitiable and distressed.
Whenever people asked, this was how she replied—it saved a lot of trouble.
Passersby sympathized when they heard her, sighing, "Being a single mother is really tough these days."
The old man also felt ashamed, scratching his head, "Young lady, I'm sorry, we misunderstood you."
Then he pulled out a few hundred dollars, "This little one is just too adorable. I really like her from the bottom of my heart. Take this to buy her some treats; it's my way of showing I care."
"I can't accept this, but thank you for your kindness."
Rong Shengsheng, with her luggage in tow, prepared to continue on her way and looked up only to realize that the child was gone, her heart leaping to her throat.
"Miaomiao!"
"Qinqin!"
The airport was crowded; she anxiously dropped her luggage and began to search everywhere.
—
"Young Master Li, this is the jade bracelet the old lady asked me to bring back."
Zhou Kuan carefully handed the exquisitely crafted box to the tall and handsome man before him, "The old lady says you and Miss Rong have been engaged for five years, and you must marry her this year, no matter what. You can't keep delaying her life."
Li Hanxian narrowed his eyes, opened the box, and saw the heirloom bracelet of the Li family.
It was usually only taken out on the day the bride entered the family.
The grandmother was getting impatient.
He didn't want not to marry Rong Wanwan; it was just that...
Suddenly, a little bundle of flesh bumped into him, and the box in his hand fell to the ground, the jade bracelet rolling out and snapping in two with a crack.
A cold glint passed through his peach blossom eyes, and he looked down to see a cute little girl.
Miaomiao nervously bit her tender pink lip, "Handsome brother, I didn't do it on purpose."
She was playing with her brother Qinqin, and accidentally bumped into someone.
At that moment, Qinqin caught up, "Miaomiao, I got you!"
Seeing her brother, Miaomiao's tears of fear immediately fell, "Brother, I've caused a problem. I accidentally bumped into this handsome brother and broke his bracelet."
Zhou Kuan, witnessing this, felt pity for the small child. It wasn't on purpose, but the jade bracelet was a dowry piece from the Li family, and even money couldn't resolve this.
Rong Shengsheng pushed through the crowd and ran over in a hurry. The moment she saw her child, the heart that hung in suspense finally sank back into place; she had feared the child had been taken by traffickers.
Miaomiao, crying miserably, recounted the incident in a voice filled with grievances.
Rong Shengsheng looked at the jade bracelet on the ground and gasped, feeling a chill down her spine.
The bracelet looked incredibly valuable; even selling herself short would not cover the compensation.
On the first day back in Dizhou, she was burdened with a huge debt.
If she had known, she would have never come back.
With a flicker of resignation, she lifted her head to meet the man's cold, sharp gaze, shivered, and knowing she had no other choice, braced herself and said, "Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't look after my child properly. How much is the bracelet? I will compensate you."
Li Hanxian's brows and eyes expressed impatience, and he had no desire to waste words with Rong Shengsheng. His initial thought was to send these three to the police station, but as he turned to leave, he caught sight of the little girl's pitiful eyes.
He hesitated for a second, "Can you afford to compensate?"