Su Li drove all the way, the relaxed mood she had felt upon coming having vanished without a trace.
A trace of melancholy flickered across her stunning face. No matter how cold-blooded she might be, she was ultimately still a creature of emotion.
Returning to the ancestral estate today to pay her respects to her grandfather had left Su Li with a complex jumble of feelings.
She knew deep down that in this second chance at life bestowed by rebirth, she must live truly for herself.
The drive back was met with green lights all the way. Glancing at the watch on her wrist, Su Li couldn't help but marvel at how fast time flew. Being out had taken up a good half of the day, and by the time she returned to the Su Family Villa, it was already noon.
Thinking back to her past life, in order to be a virtuous wife and devoted mother, she had been trapped within the tiny confines of the Ji Family, facing that disgusting mother-in-law and eccentric sister-in-law day in and day out. Every single day back then had felt like a year.
But now, unfettered and free, she could finally let her spirit soar.
This naturally brought to mind Petőfi's famous lines in "Liberty and Love": "Life is dear, Love is dearer. Both can be given up for liberty."
To hell with all that bullshit romance!
Su Li performed another act that was equal parts foolish and adorable, pinching her own thigh hard.
"Ouch!" The sharp pain shooting from her thigh made her draw in a sharp breath.
Pain was good; pain was good. She had constantly worried she was just dreaming—after all, how could something as wonderful as rebirth possibly happen to her?
Such an incredible phenomenon left even an atheist like Su Li deeply baffled.
Regardless of whether it was the Jade Emperor, the Western God Jesus, the seven-star alignment mentioned in novels, or some other time-travel machine, Su Li silently thanked the heavens once again in her heart for giving her the chance to live a new life.
The Su Family Villa was nestled in Haining's most prestigious hillside villa district, a gathering place for the top echelons of wealth.
This wasn't a place that could be bought with money alone; financial assets were only one of the factors considered.
Even celebrities, wealthy as they were, struggled to gain entry here. The privacy was exceptional. While it couldn't match the grand, estate-like magnificence of the old family home, it was definitely beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Take the orientation of the villa itself, for instance: it had been personally surveyed and determined by the most renowned feng shui grandmasters in the industry.
In the case of the Su Family Villa, it faced southwest and northeast, a configuration known in feng shui as "guarding the golden throne, embracing the coiling dragon, anchoring the precious pagoda, and gathering the treasure basin."
With towering, solid mountains at its back, an infinitely vast vista ahead, and a prominent, glorious location, it could draw in wealth from all directions and forever protect the household's peace and health—undoubtedly an extraordinarily rare and auspicious piece of land, a veritable paradise.
After parking the car, Su Li took the new computer and phone Old Cheng had prepared for her, and looked up to see Auntie Lan standing quietly not far away, waiting for her.
Su Li wasn't surprised at all to see Auntie Lan waiting. After all, her car was equipped with positioning software so Auntie Lan always knew where she went. This was to ensure Auntie Lan could pinpoint her location in case of any emergency, so it was only natural that Auntie Lan knew she was back.
The moment she spotted Auntie Lan, the older woman was already walking quickly toward her.
Taking the items from Su Li's hands, Auntie Lan lowered her voice and said, "Miss, lunch has already been prepared for you. You can go straight upstairs to rest for a bit and have something to eat. Also, Miss Li has some friends over, and they are all chatting in the front hall."
Auntie Lan always called Li Xueyao "Miss Li" rather than "Second Miss"—a very official address, as if she were merely a guest visiting the house.
To put it bluntly, Auntie Lan refused to acknowledge her status; in the Su family, Auntie Lan only recognized Su Li.
In the past, Li Xueyao had tried to make things difficult for Auntie Lan over this, but Auntie Lan was no pushover and had shut the mother and daughter down in just a few words.
So furious she could have killed someone, Li Xueyao had no choice but to swallow her anger.
Angry as she was, there was nothing she could do against Auntie Lan, because Auntie Lan wasn't just Su Li's person—she was also the dowry maid who had accompanied Su Li's mother back then. Even Father Su respected her and treated her with utmost courtesy.
As a daughter brought in by a stepmother, having finally attained a life above others, she absolutely must not ruin the big picture over small matters.
She and her mother had to walk on eggshells in this household and constantly butter up Father Su, their meal ticket. Therefore, no matter how angry Li Xueyao got, she could never cause Father Su to be displeased over a matter involving Auntie Lan.
Hearing Auntie Lan put it this way, Su Li understood instantly and asked, "Do you know who came?"
Hearing Su Li ask this, a subtle flash crossed Auntie Lan's eyes. She thought to herself that in the past, the young miss had never paid much attention to this adopted daughter's affairs, nor had she ever deliberately made things difficult for the mother and daughter.
Although the mother and daughter were always good at playing the victim in front of Father Su and the young miss, they couldn't pull the wool over her eyes.
All along, Auntie Lan had felt that the young miss was still young, worldly-wise, and unable to see through human nature; as long as she kept a tight watch, those two women would never be able to flip the script.
Bullying the young miss was out of the question.
In truth, in her past life, Auntie Lan had indeed watched closely, but alas, Su Li had been a love-struck fool who fell headfirst into the giant trap of so-called romance and could never be fished out.
Later, right up until her marriage, Auntie Lan insisted on following her to the Ji Family, but ultimately her wish went unfulfilled.
That was why the later Su Li had been left utterly isolated and surrounded entirely by people from the Ji Family—who among them would ever truly listen to her?
Today, Su Li's sudden inquiry about Li Xueyao's visitors, coupled with how she had not only put Li Xueyao in her place at the breakfast table this morning but also stripped her stepmother Li Mei of her dignity, made Auntie Lan feel that the young miss was different from before. She was truly growing up, and truly growing stronger.
Although Auntie Lan was loyal to Su Li, she was someone brought over by Su Li's mother, not a true member of the Su family, so she did not yet know about Su Li succeeding as the head of the family.
The reason she was able to keep taking care of Su Li was precisely because she harbored no disloyal intentions toward her, and Old Cheng had thoroughly run background checks on everything about her.
Observant as she was, Auntie Lan sensed Su Li's transformation and was genuinely happy for her growth.
Leaning closer to Su Li, she lowered her voice and said, "The ones here to see Miss Li are the brother and sister from the Ji family, the up-and-coming nouveau riche in Haining's business circle, along with the brother and sister of the prestigious Shen family."
"Oh?" Su Li uttered, hesitating slightly.
If Auntie Lan had looked at Su Li right then, she would have seen the fierce glint flash briefly through Su Li's eyes.
Hearing Su Li's hesitation, Auntie Lan assumed that because Su Li rarely went out to socialize—seldom attending charity galas organized to build connections or boring debutante balls she considered utterly tedious—she didn't recognize these people.
So Auntie Lan continued, "The Ji family has no deep roots. Because Haining is a coastal city, their grandfather used to make a living down at the docks. Later, following the nation's economic reform policies, Haining leveraged its geographical advantages to open up all-around foreign trade. The Ji family grandfather started out with just two cargo boats in his hands, and by the current generation, they have several long-term operating routes and dock warehouses nationwide. They are considered quite a prominent up-and-coming nouveau riche within the borders of Haining City. But compared to the profound heritage of established elite families, they fall short by more than just a little.
Compared to the Ji family, the Shen family's background is levels and levels higher. The Shen family is a prominent, time-honored clan, and the Haining branch is merely a cadet branch of the Beijing Shens. Even as a branch, however, they are a resounding presence in Haining's political sphere."