```
The past buried deep within her heart gnawed at her vengeful spirit like countless ants.
In her heart, Jiang Muwan truly wished she could kill Yang Shan, but having resolved to exact revenge once again, how could she allow herself to be defeated by her emotions?
To attempt murder without success, only to end up besmirched.
How was that any different from attempting to steal a chicken, only to lose rice in the process?
But who was Jiang Muwan? How could she allow herself to be defeated by Yang Shan?
"When people are young, they tend to cherish their belongings and are reluctant to share their toys with others. I did what I did simply because I felt someone was trying to take my father away," Jiang Muwan said. "If Auntie Yang still bears a grudge about this matter, I will make an effort to appear less in front of you from now on."
Having said that, she got up, intending to leave.
To her, that incident seemed no more significant than a petty childhood squabble over toys, but for Yang Shan, it was a grievance she couldn't let go of.
Yang Shan had assumed Jiang Muwan would feel guilty since she had attempted murder after all.
But she didn't.
She faced the matter very calmly.
Moreover, she spoke of it as though it was the most ordinary thing.
Yang Shan opened her mouth to retort, only to hear Jiang Lin say, "Enough."
Yang Shan knew that this 'enough' was directed at her.
"Why bring up past matters?"
In this battle, Yang Shan had lost.
That day, after Jiang Muwan left, Yang Shan questioned Jiang Lin in the bedroom.
Jiang Lin shot her a glance and said uncivilly, "When questioning a child, think about what we, as adults back then, had done."
They were the ones at fault to begin with, not a child.
Otherwise, the old master wouldn't have suppressed the matter.
Yang Shan was left speechless, evidently furious.
Shaking as she looked at Jiang Lin, she said, "Jiang Muwan came back out of the blue to fight for Si Nan's inheritance, and I can't even talk about it?"
"If Hua Rong hadn't left back then, Si Nan would forever remain an illegitimate child unworthy of acknowledgement. One should not be insatiable," he replied.
Jiang Lin was slightly better off than Yang Shan in that he could see the pros and cons of the current situation clearly, while all Yang Shan had in her head was the worry of Jiang Muwan returning to fight for the inheritance.
That night, upon leaving, the old master had the butler drive out the newly repaired Mercedes. Jiang Muwan stood behind the car, staring at the rear that showed no signs of past damages, and pursed her lips.
The hand carrying her bag slowly tightened.
In the dark of night, Jiang Muwan scoffed coldly. In the cool April night, she gritted her teeth and uttered, "Gu Jiangnian."
This name was enough to occupy her careful contemplation.
By her side, the butler, hearing her mutter this name, was slightly surprised and glanced at her.
In the early hours of April, with a cool night breeze blowing, Jiang Muwan drove away from Mengxi Garden and returned to her apartment.
That night, having just come from a social engagement, Gu Jiangnian leaned back, drunk and furrowed-browed in the rear seat.
He glanced sideways and saw a white Mercedes parked next to him, blocking the left turn lane.
Perhaps recalling something, the man took a second look.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a woman with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cigarette.
The warm yellow of the streetlight illuminated her face.
Inside the white Mercedes, Jiang Muwan perhaps felt the gaze. But with the other's window nearly closed, she couldn't see clearly, so she stretched out her hand and raised her own window.
The moment the window closed, the red light turned green.
The two of them continued on their way, one taking a left turn, the other going straight, parting ways.
"Robby," the man in the backseat started to speak softly, his breath carrying the scent of alcohol that wafted through the car.
"Boss," Robby, the driver in the front seat, responded respectfully.
```
The man asked again, "Do you believe in fate?"
It was Robby's fifth year following Gu Jiangnian in 2008. Over five years, the numerous days and nights had proven to him that Gu Jiangnian was an absolute controller who dictated his own destiny.
So today, when Gu Jiangnian questioned whether he believed in fate or not, Robby's first suspicion was that his hearing had hallucinated.
The person driving glanced at him through the rearview mirror a few times before saying, "Fate is nothing but an excuse."
Mutual affection is ascribed to fate.
Unrequited love is due to insufficient fate.
Parting ways is to have fate but not destiny.
All the blame under heaven is laid upon fate.
Then what's the point of people at all?
Hearing this, Gu Jiangnian laughed, the drunken man leaning in the back seat, his face brimming with mirth.
He said, "Indeed it is so."
Not far along, a man got out of the backseat of the car, standing on the street as if to breathe in some fresh air.
After a moment, Robby handed over a bottle of water and gently asked, "Are you alright?"
The man took the water, twisted the cap off, and nodded, silently indicating that he was fine.
Jiang Muwan returned home to find Fu Jing reviewing documents under the lamp on the dining table, her anti-blue light glasses on, with a kettle boiling water humming in the background.
Hearing the sound at the door, she turned slightly and said, "I thought you were going to stay over tonight."
Jiang Muwan placed her bag on the entryway cabinet, switched to slippers, and said lightly, "Staying at the Jiang Family's house, I'm afraid I wouldn't wake up."
Walking to the kitchen table, the kettle automatically shut off as the water was ready. She stepped over and washed a cup, then poured two cups of water.
"Have you figured anything out?"
Fu Jing turned her laptop around, pointing at the screen and motioning for her to look.
Jiang Muwan stared at the screen for a moment, a smile curling up gently at the corners of her mouth.
"How was the dinner tonight?" Fu Jing asked with curiosity.
Leaning back in her chair, Jiang Muwan took a sip of water and said with a faint smile, "Aren't all adults actors?"
It's nothing but a bunch of actors performing for each other at the table.
"I'm afraid your stepmother won't be able to sleep tonight," Fu Jing said as she turned off the computer and got up with her cup, heading to the living room sofa.
A pale pink silk robe swayed and fluttered as she walked.
"Not being able to sleep is nothing," she mused. There are far worse things in this world than insomnia.
What Yang Shan has to pay is much more than just that.
Having returned, how could she let her have it easy?
She walked slowly to the balcony, looked up into the distance, and from the 28th floor of Lanjun Residence, she saw the whole night view of the Lan River, with cruise ships slowly making their way, some downstream, some upstream.
At twenty-four years of life's journey, she was crystal clear about what she wanted, and if she wanted it, she would get it by any means necessary.
"The stage is merely set up, the play hasn't started yet, no rush."
This was the tenth year Fu Jing knew Jiang Muwan, from the Capital to C City, what she wanted was clear enough without saying—Fu Jing understood it all.
"Jiang Sinan will start his first year of graduate studies," came Jiang Muwan's soft voice from the balcony, her tone gentle and calm, without much emotion, as if it was just a simple statement.
But was it?
No.
Jiang Muwan wouldn't let anyone off, and that included Jiang Sinan from a very early point.
"That's Jiang Lin's lifeline," she added as Fu Jing remained silent.
"What do you think, without this lifeline, how would he fare?"