Jian Jian had walked this road in her past life, though her state of mind was different then. Back then, her heart had been filled with joy and worry, which eventually curdled into a deep, helpless, and sorrowful sense of powerlessness before she finally chose to leave.
After leaving Jingdu, Jian Jian returned to the house her mother had left her, and subsequently went back to the city where Du Yanran lived, which set off the series of events that followed.
Now, everything was different. She would not wrong herself, but neither would she let the Zhao Family gain so much as an inch of advantage. Whatever belonged to the Jian Family, she would take back.
The car wound its way up the tree-lined mountain road. This was Jingdu's famous wealthy enclave known as "Half-Mountain Bay," designed to offer tranquility amidst the bustle. Composed of garden-style luxury villas, its core concept was "letting you live inside a garden." In Jingdu, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, one could easily imagine that the residents here were either immensely wealthy or of high social standing.
Although the Zhao Family was also a prominent clan in Jingdu, they were still a notch below the top-tier families, so their villa was only located halfway up the mountain. Even so, this was a matter of considerable pride for other minor families.
The car slowly passed through the open black iron gates, surrounded by clusters of blooming flowers and winding paths through the woods. In the very center stood a circular fountain with a koi carp statue at its core, symbolizing a fish leaping through the dragon's gate—though precisely which gate it would leap into remained to be seen.
Jian Jian gave an ironic smile. This was one gate belonging to the immortal family that she would never let the Zhao Family leap through.
The car turned onto the shaded avenue and drove smoothly all the way, coming to a halt before the entrance of a three-story villa. Designed in a Western-style villa aesthetic, the building featured a white primary tone paired with a red roof, while the wall reliefs depicted flowers, trees, and foliage. Simple yet grand, it was clearly the work of a master hand.
Jian Jian cast out her spiritual sense, taking in everyone inside the three-story building in a single sweep. She raised her head and locked eyes for a fraction of a second with someone by the middle window on the third floor.
In truth, at this distance an ordinary person would not have been able to see clearly, but Jian Jian had already entered the Dao, and this short distance was more than enough for her to perceive everything.
Behind the curtain was a pale and slightly haggard face with dense eyebrows, slightly drooping outer corners of the eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips.
The gaze fixed on Jian Jian held complex emotions—hope mingled with hesitation and a trace of intricacy. Upon seeing Jian Jian look back, the person froze for an instant, and a pair of pale, slender hands immediately pulled the curtain down, blocking the view.
"Second Miss, this way please. Your father is waiting for you in his study on the second floor. I will take you there."
Only then did Jian Jian withdraw her gaze and step through the front entrance. Two rows of people stood at attention by the door, dressed in unified uniforms. Seeing Jian Jian enter, they immediately bowed in greeting:
"Good day, Second Miss! Welcome home!"
Their voices and movements were uniform, instantly marking them as well-trained servants. Jian Jian merely nodded slightly and followed Steward Zhao across the grand hall.
Following the staircase to the second floor, they stopped in front of a door. Steward Zhao knocked lightly and said respectfully:
"Sir, the Second Miss has arrived."
"Come in!"
A commanding male voice sounded from within. Steward Zhao opened the door and ushered Jian Jian inside.
The study was quite spacious. Three sides lined with bookshelves filled with various books surrounded an antique pearwood desk at the center. Opposite it was a small reception area with matching pearwood tables and chairs, while several pieces of calligraphy and traditional paintings hung on the walls, presenting a minimalist yet high-end aesthetic.
Seated behind the desk was a man of about thirty-odd years. Well-maintained and looking remarkably young, he had a square face, fair skin, sword-like eyebrows, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips. His gaze was sharp, and even a pair of gold-rimmed glasses could not conceal his scrutinizing look toward Jian Jian.
With a casual sweep, Jian Jian discovered that her biological father's bone age was already forty-seven. It seemed he truly possessed remarkable skills in preserving his youth.
Jian Jian showed not a shred of timidity, generously allowing him to appraise her before addressing him with a beaming smile:
"Father, I am Jian Jian. I'm very glad to meet you."
Though she addressed him as father, the courtesy and detachment in her tone were detected even by Steward Zhao.
"Sir, you and the Second Miss have been separated by flesh and blood for so long; you must have a lot to say. I will go downstairs first to arrange the young lady's quarters and prepare tonight's welcoming banquet."
Steward Zhao proved quite tactful, assigning himself a task and stepping out of the room while closing the door behind him.
Zhao Mufeng took off his glasses, wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose, and waved a hand toward Jian Jian:
"Sit down. You've had a hard journey."
"Mm. It's alright, not very tired. Steward Zhao arranged everything very thoughtfully."
"Alas, I know you resent your father for not accompanying you as you grew up. It's just that your mother... well, she is gone, and nothing I can say now will change that. I only hope you can return to live with the Jian Family, so I can fulfill my responsibilities as a father..."
"Father, you don't need to blame yourself. I did resent you when I was little. Other children all had a father's pampering and a happy family of three, while I only had my mother. But as I grew older, my mother told me about what happened between you two."
Jian Jian offered a bitter smile, lacking the alienation she had shown at first, and continued:
"Mother said that her marriage to you was a political alliance. At the time, you already had someone you loved, but you couldn't resist the pressure from both families, so you gave up your own love and married Mother.
"After the wedding, you treated Mother with the utmost care. Mother had been sickly since childhood, but you never looked down on her; it was just that Mother knew you weren't happy.
"After I was born, Mother noticed that you poured all your energy into your work, so she proposed a divorce right after I was born. Unable to withstand Mother's tears and pleas, you finally agreed to the divorce, and allowed Mother to take me out of the Zhao Family and give me her surname."
"In the end, I failed your mother. She didn't hold a grudge against me, and for that I am already content. She raised you well; even though I wasn't by your side, I was present for every single one of your birthdays."
With that, he pulled open a drawer, extracted a photo album, and handed it to Jian Jian.
Jian Jian opened the album. Inside were photographs of her from infancy onward—there were family photos of the three of them when she was a newborn, as well as annual birthday pictures with her mother. Once she was old enough to understand, there were only photos with her mother, capturing every major milestone: elementary school graduation, winning first prize in an essay competition...
Yet in the corner of every single photograph, one could invariably catch the back or profile of Zhao Mufeng. Not a single picture was missed. In her previous life, it was this very album that had completely dissolved her guard against her father, leading her step-by-step into the trap they had meticulously planned.
Causing her to stroke the image of her mother in the photographs, Jian Jian's eyes grew red, and tears quickly welled up, a single droplet falling with a soft "pat" onto her mother's gentle, radiant smile in the album.
"Thank you, Father. This is very precious to me. May I keep it myself?"
"It belonged to you in the first place. Take it."
He then handed Jian Jian a tissue, wearing an expression that seemed to hold much more left unsaid.
Jian Jian wiped the tears from her eyes, looked up at Zhao Mufeng, and said in a hoarse voice:
"Before Mother passed away, she asked me to pass along a message to you. She said that sending me to her side was the greatest harvest of her life, and she was even more grateful to the heavens. She instructed that once I reached adulthood, I must return to check on you for her, and return twenty percent of the Zhao Corporation's shares to the Zhao Family."