Chapter 5 - Three: Rejection
"Who is it?"
"Li Si, it's your Second Aunt and Fei'er."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, it was as though those words echoed in her ears again: "That Li Si is just unlucky, born with the fate of a short life. Your mother-in-law was saying yesterday, otherwise, she would have died by now at her age. But dying wouldn't be so bad; at least she'd leave behind some compensation money. That way, her death wouldn't be totally meaningless. It's just that Fei'er's engagement banquet turned out less than perfect because of it."
"Oh, Mom, if you say so, then both my uncle and Li Si have the same short-lived fate. Like father, like daughter. But both have brought benefits to our family, so you could say they're quite self-sacrificing in a way!"
It was this calculating woman who schemed against her time and time again. Taking a deep breath, Li Si knew the version of herself that once was was gone. None of it had happened yet, and now was not the time to tear off the facade.
She reached out and opened the door. Looking straight at Second Aunt Zhang Meihua, she noticed the woman seemed rejuvenated. A gold necklace lay around her neck, and she wore a black dress. Her gaze was warm and caring as she looked at Li Si—back then, it was this exact face that had deceived her again and again.
Beside her, Li Fei wore a white dress, her beauty striking, her figure slim, her over-shoulder black hair flowing freely. Her appearance radiated purity with a touch of ethereal charm. But behind the seemingly caring eyes, there was a hint of calculation.
"Sis, are you okay? Mom and I were worried about you."
Such transparent schemes—why had she been so naïve before, blindly misjudging people's intentions? Li Si pressed down the complex emotions in her eyes.