At the airport pickup zone, a girl with a bun jumped high, waving and calling out to Yang Yuran.
"Yuran, over here, over here."
Yang Yuran quickened her steps, and just as she stepped out of the security line, the girl pushed through the crowd and jumped to her side, giving her a big bear hug.
"Yuran, I've missed you so much."
Yang Yuran gently patted her bestie Zhou Yuanyuan on the back and looked up at the familiar yet strange city, responding softly, "Yuanyuan, I've missed you too."
In the moment she looked up, her gaze turned from tender to fierce.
Under her unfriendly gaze, the woman in the distance who was holding up a phone to film hesitated for a moment and then hurriedly turned and left.
Watching her cousin Yang Fei leave in a panic, Yang Yuran didn't feel much delight, as she could guess the drama that would unfold once her cousin got home.
Not only would she spread her scandals abroad, but she would also tell Mr. Yang that she didn't have the face to stay overseas and had sneaked back, and even had the audacity to refuse her considerate cousin's offer to pick her up.
"Yuran, come back to earth, what are you thinking about?"
Zhou Yuanyuan's hand waved in front of her eyes, and Yang Yuran concealed the hostility in her gaze, smiling lightly and saying, "I saw someone I thought I knew, but I must have been mistaken, let's go."
"Could we wait a little longer?"
Zhou Yuanyuan held onto Yang Yuran's hand, chuckled sheepishly and requested, "My brother just got off the plane too, let's wait for him and go back together?"
"Your brother?"
Yang Yuran was surprised, as she remembered the Zhou Family only had Zhou Yuanyuan as their child. Even if Mr. Zhou answered the government's call for a second child, it should have been a younger brother.
Zhou Yuanyuan's cheeks tinted with an unnatural blush as she led her to the VIP lounge. They settled down in a corner sofa and ordered two cups of coffee from the waiter.
After sending the waiter away, Zhou Yuanyuan leaned close to Yang Yuran and whispered, "You remember the incident when I was kidnapped five years ago, right?"
Yang Yuran nodded and added vaguely, "I remember, you told me, some handsome guy rescued you."
"Yes, actually, he's the son of my dad's old flame. They rekindled their relationship after my mom died. My dad was concerned about my age and didn't make it public, but after I was rescued five years ago, he took the opportunity to do so."
Joy flickered in Zhou Yuanyuan's eyes, but it was soon replaced by sadness, "He is now my brother, my stepmother's son."
Yang Yuran coughed lightly, swallowing the coffee that nearly choked her, and steadied her cup back onto the table. Glancing at her distressed best friend, she thought of a clever plan.
"It's okay, you know what they say, proximity brings closeness."
Before the phrase 'brings closeness' was finished, Zhou Yuanyuan's hand covered her mouth.
Zhou Yuanyuan glanced furtively behind her and let her hand fall, calling out guiltily, "Brother."
Yang Yuran turned toward the voice and saw a tall figure come into view—the man from the plane!
The man responded with a 'hmm', his eyes lingering on her face for a few seconds with a look of relief Yang Yuran couldn't understand.
Then the man extended his hand toward her, introducing himself, "Hello, Qin Muyu."
"Zhou Yuanyuan's best friend, Yang Yuran."
After a quick handshake, they exchanged names and let go.
On the way back, Zhou Yuanyuan didn't mention any of the scandals abroad to save Yang Yuran's face.
It wasn't until Qin Muyu got off at his company that Zhou Yuanyuan earnestly lectured her, "I warned you before, the Li Family and the Hen Family are very close! You should have been clear about who you were dealing with; the Hen Family has a significant historical background. The man they have chosen for their daughter, you shouldn't have fallen for him."
Yang Yuran sighed deeply, "Feelings that can be controlled at will aren't really feelings at all. When I met Li Shuo, he wasn't engaged to Hen Ningyue yet."
"Emotions that can freely shrink and expand aren't emotions anymore..."
That sentence struck right where Zhou Yuanyuan felt her heartache, and she quietly agreed, "That's true. But with such a big fuss this time, Li Shuo really lacks responsibility, choosing to hide like a coward and pushing you out to take the brunt. You should learn from this, don't get involved with him again. With his grand ambitions, he's bound to take over the Li Family, and he'll definitely marry Hen Ningyue or a woman who can be of assistance to the Li Family."
"Right, I know what I wanted and I've already gotten it."
Yang Yuran supported her head with one hand, her gaze listlessly drifting toward the scenery flashing by the window.
Seeing Yang Yuran's soulless demeanor, Zhou Yuanyuan silently restrained the urge to launch into a long-winded attempt to persuade her friend.
"Shall I take you back to your apartment?"
As the car descended from the overpass, Zhou Yuanyuan proactively suggested a safe haven for her best friend to avoid further harm.
"Let's go back to the old house on Wuyun Mountain instead."
Yang Yuran's tone was calm, without a trace of emotion, but Zhou Yuanyuan still felt uneasy and volunteered to help with the trouble: "I'll accompany you back. With me there, the wicked women might restrain themselves a bit."
Embracing Zhou Yuanyuan, Yang Yuran planted a kiss on the soft right cheek of her round face as a sign of thanks, then candidly expressed what was on her mind.
"You don't have to come. You'll get upset if you come with me, which might affect my performance. Some troubles are better dealt with sooner rather than later."
Zhou Yuanyuan pursed her lips and agreed reluctantly, "Alright then, but call me if you need any help."
"Ok."
After a half-hour drive, they arrived at the Yang Family's ancestral home.
Standing in front of the European-style gate, Yang Yuran illuminated the electronic lock and tried face recognition three times, only to be met with the same message: "Unrecognized face, please do not repeatedly press the unlock button."
"Unrecognized face," she muttered to herself with an ironic smile at the harsh declaration.
The four words had soured her mood, and she couldn't imagine how painful her mother's daily life must have been.
She pressed the doorbell as an unrecognized face should, waited for more than ten seconds, until the video intercom lit up and the face of the old butler appeared.
The butler was initially stunned to see her, just beginning to utter the word 'Miss' when he heard an inquiry from behind and quickly turned around to respectfully answer.
"Madam, the young miss has returned."
A regal woman passed by the field of view of the video, casually giving instructions, "Oh, then open the gate for her."
After giving the order, a complaint swiftly followed: "This girl is utterly unreasonable. She didn't come back for the New Year and didn't bother when the master was ill. Sigh, now that she's back, she's sure to cause trouble and make the master angry again."
The gate opened, and with no shuttle to pick her up, Yang Yuran took a half-hour walk through the garden to the main building.
Pushing open the carved mahogany door, she was greeted by three smiling faces, aunt Bai Yan, cousin Yang Fei, and the butler.
There was no doubt Mr. Yang was sitting inside the main hall. The trio did not intend to start a confrontation upfront, as it might expose their true nature.
Curling the corners of her mouth, Yang Yuran sweetly said, "Auntie, the gifts I brought for you and Feifei exceeded the customs limit, so I had them mailed back. They should arrive in a couple of days."
Bai Yan's expression stiffened slightly. Yang Yuran had always had a tempestuous temper with her, and now that she had returned to the country, she seemed to have reined it in. Bai Yan was unsure whether to be happy or worried, hoping it was just because the young girl had listened more to her mother and had grown wary.
She quickly exchanged glances with Yang Fei, warning her daughter with her eyes not to provoke any conflicts and disrupt their plans.
When she turned back to look at Yang Yuran, only an expression of affection remained in her eyes as she took her hand and led her into the house.
"Don't stand on ceremony, we're family. You're a student with no real income; you don't need to prepare gifts for me and your sister."
With a gentle voice, Bai Yan spoke these comforting words while she walked, showing off the house's new interior decorations as if she were the lady of the manor.