Chapter 25: The Mistress's Daughter

As Xia Xia’s coming-of-age ceremony approached, the atmosphere within the Xia household grew increasingly delicate. Xia Rui spent his days coming and going, tirelessly inquiring about the plot of land mentioned by Old Master Lin. Unfortunately, after several days, he had made no progress. Everyone he approached remained tight-lipped with unprecedented uniformity, as if they had been instructed to do so. Consequently, Xia Rui began to consider discussing with his mother the possibility of exchanging the inheritance for the land.

"If we can truly win the bid for that land, the profits won't necessarily be less than Shen Yi’s inheritance. More importantly, the land has great potential, room for appreciation, and holds significant meaning for the company. Since Old Master Lin dared to make such a statement, I believe it is worth fighting for."

Old Madam Xia was well aware of this, but she was truly unwilling to be forced into handing over the inheritance through such tactics. Xia Rui, unwilling to lose a golden opportunity out of sheer spite, persuaded her repeatedly. Finally, Old Madam Xia relented. That very afternoon, Xia Rui brought a lawyer home and, in front of everyone, transferred the entirety of Xia Xia’s mother’s inheritance to Xia Rusheng.

"Father, now that everything has been given to me, what will happen to the company?" Xia Rusheng had not expected that a mere piece of land would carry such weight. Though she felt a surge of excitement, she had to feign concern for the Xia family.

Xia Rui’s expression was naturally grim, but he forced a smile and said, "It doesn't matter. I have already found new sources of funding. The capital from several previous investment projects is slowly returning. Even without your money, I can manage to weather the storm."

Xia Rusheng offered a look of feigned relief and smiled at Xia Rui before decisively signing and stamping the documents. She had finally reclaimed Xia Xia’s inheritance, even though she was about to lose her own freedom.

By evening, the news had reached the Lin family. Lin Yichen called shortly thereafter, and the following day, he took Xia Rusheng to a law firm to finalize all the procedures.

"Xia Xia, congratulations. You are about to become my fiancée."

"Congratulations doesn't feel right. Let's just say, 'happy to be working with you'." Xia Rusheng shook the documents in her hand, her face betraying an irrepressible joy. She had not expected Lin Yichen to keep his word and grant her a six percent stake in Huanyu Media.

Su Xi, the woman who had caused her death, had also invested capital into Huanyu Media and was one of the company's shareholders. Moreover, she was an artist under the Huanyu label. This grand gift from Lin Yichen was exactly what she had hoped for.

Seeing a glimmer of light return to her eyes, Lin Yichen could not help but smile. He then added, "Now, you no longer have the right to regret this, or it will be considered a unilateral breach of contract."

Xia Rusheng shot him a haughty look and retorted, "I never regret my decisions. Besides, what if I do breach the contract? I have already obtained the shares; you are the one who cannot afford to regret this."

Leaning against the car door, Lin Yichen looked at the proud Xia Rusheng, finding her more and more pleasing to the eye. He asked, "How about this? Tomorrow is the coming-of-age ceremony, the day you officially become my fiancée. Shall we go for a drive to celebrate and perhaps cultivate our relationship?"

Xia Rusheng hailed a taxi at the entrance and, after climbing inside, leaned out the window. "I’m sorry, I have things to do. And between us, we only discuss business, not feelings."

To show her gratitude, Xia Rusheng had also given Lin Yichen half of her shares in Fengcheng Investment. They were now truly tied to the same rope. Since they were partners, it was better not to involve personal feelings; that way, she would have no cause for worry.

Lin Yichen did not follow her in his car. Instead, he watched quietly as Xia Rusheng sped away, ruminating on her words: "Only discuss business, not feelings?"

Why did he feel a faint sense of loss at those words?

Xia Rusheng, having departed, had no idea Lin Yichen was pondering these thoughts alone. She returned directly to the Xia residence, only to find that Xia Yu was the only one home.

"You really are quite capable. Once you latched onto the Lin family, you started targeting your own family." The thought of Xia Xia inheriting such a massive fortune left Xia Yu deeply displeased. With no one else around, she seized the opportunity to unleash her sarcasm, as she had no other way to deal with Xia Rusheng and could only vent her frustration through words.

"I’m willing to, and does that concern you? A mistress's daughter, with no power or influence at home—even if you wanted to target your own family, you wouldn't have the means, would you?" This time, Xia Rusheng did not hold back, meeting Xia Yu’s provocative gaze head-on.

"What did you say? I am not a mistress's daughter! Your mother was the mistress, and you are the one who is the mistress's daughter!" Xia Yu was extremely sensitive about the status of being a mistress, as her mother had indeed played that role in Xia Rui’s marriage.

Xia Rusheng walked to the stairs unhurriedly and looked down at her with a hint of irony. "Everyone will know who the mistress's daughter is by tomorrow. Don't forget, we are the same age, and your coming-of-age ceremony is three months after mine."

Xia Yu was furious. She knew exactly what that implied. She was only three months younger than Xia Xia. In previous years, Xia Xia had not held birthday banquets, so naturally, no one knew this detail. But after this ceremony, the age gap would become an open secret. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would be able to see the truth behind it.

"So what if everyone knows? My mother is pregnant with a baby boy, and in the future, everything in the Xia family will be ours. What does it matter if we are 'mistresses'? The one who laughs last is the victor."

Xia Rusheng walked upstairs, brushing past Xia Yu with a meaningful smile. "Is that so? Then I shall wait and see."

With that, she returned to her room. These two women were not worth her time. Once Tan Li’s child was born, they would fall from the clouds to the bottom of the abyss on their own. When that time came, she would add fuel to the fire, and this pair of mother and daughter who had once harmed Xia Xia would never have a chance to rise again.

Xia Yu stood at the stairs, watching Xia Rusheng enter her room as if she had won a battle. Just then, the doorbell rang. She ran to open it and found a stranger in uniform holding a package.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Xia Xia?" the man asked politely upon seeing the stylishly dressed young woman at the door.

Xia Yu’s eyes darted, and she replied, "I am."

"These are the gown and shoes that Young Master Lin asked me to deliver." The man handed the two gift boxes to Xia Yu and politely took his leave.

Xia Yu secretly took the boxes into her room. Upon opening the first one, she found an exquisitely crafted gown. The cute bodice, paired with a two-layered skirt—one long and one short—was noble yet playful. The neckline and cuffs were entirely hand-embroidered with diamonds, looking incredibly luxurious. The second box contained a pair of custom-made high heels that perfectly matched the gown.

"Hmph, you dare call me a mistress's daughter? Just wait until I make you humiliate yourself tomorrow!"

Xia Yu took a small knife from her drawer, turned the gown over, and carefully cut a few slits in the stitching along the back and waist, leaving no visible traces of the damage. She then used the blade to tamper with the heels of the shoes. Having done all this, she quietly put the gown and shoes back and placed the boxes on the first floor.