Ch 15: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Shu Yue responded on Shen Yunxuan’s behalf, “Just by looking at the height, it’s not suitable for you. The hem would drag on the ground, and the proportions wouldn’t flatter your figure.”

Lin Jiaojiao was petite, similar in stature to Shen Yunrui, whereas Shen Yunxuan had a tall, elegant frame that made the dress look stunning on her. On Lin Jiaojiao, it would appear awkward and mismatched. This was simply an objective observation, just like there were outfits that looked amazing on others but might not suit Shen Yunxuan.

However, Lin Jiaojiao took it as a personal insult. She turned to Shen Yunrui angrily. “You brought me here just to let them mock me for being short? Aren’t you supposed to be some rich and famous lady from the capital? Isn’t your family so powerful? Hurry up and handle this!”

For a moment, Shen Yunxuan felt a surreal sense of déjà vu. In her previous life, Lin Jiaojiao had also been this difficult to deal with. In the Lin family’s eyes, since Shen Yunxuan was supposedly a wealthy heiress from a prestigious family in the capital, she should have been capable of solving anything. If she failed in any way, it was because she wasn’t trying hard enough.

In the early days of her marriage, she had endured countless side-eyes and whispers. Especially after she broke ties with the Shen family, the Lin family saw her as someone without a powerful backing and bullied her freely. It wasn’t until she figured out their personalities and weaknesses, gaining full control over them, that they finally stopped making trouble for her.

So now, having returned to this point in time, she likely knew the Lin family better than even they knew themselves. She understood everything about them.

Shen Yunrui seized the opportunity and put on a slightly aggrieved expression, looking at Shen Yunxuan. “Sister, usually you get whatever you want, and I never compete with you. But this time, it’s my husband’s younger sister who likes the dress. As her older sister, why not let her have it?”

Lin Jiaojiao stared at Shen Yunxuan in shock. “What? She’s your sister? The one who almost became my sister-in-law? Good thing you switched brides. If it were her, there’s no way anyone in my family would like her!”

Shen Yunxuan chuckled, adjusted the dress in the mirror, and said to the sales assistant, “I’ll take this dress, as well as the other ones I looked at earlier. Please wrap them up for me.”

The assistant enthusiastically took her card. “Thank you for your patronage, miss!”

Lin Jiaojiao was furious. “Didn’t you hear us talking to you?” Then she overheard the assistant announce the total price. Shen Yunxuan’s purchases came to 200,000 yuan, more than Lin Jiaojiao had spent the entire morning. Feeling humiliated, Lin Jiaojiao shot Shen Yunrui a glare, as if blaming her for the embarrassment.

Only then did Shen Yunxuan turn to Lin Jiaojiao and smile. “The wedding dress from that ceremony was custom-made for me. Do you think it would suit your sister-in-law?”

Lin Jiaojiao froze. That wedding was far grander than anything she could have imagined, and when Shen Yunxuan walked out in the wedding dress, she had been so stunned she couldn’t speak. In comparison, when Shen Yunrui wore the same dress, she looked completely ordinary and unremarkable.

Shen Yunxuan continued, “You and your sister-in-law have similar body types, but the style that suits me is entirely different. The stores your sister-in-law usually shops at have clothes that would highlight your beauty more. Why didn’t you visit those instead? Actually, if you don’t mind, you could just pick from her wardrobe. She clears it out every season, and many of the pieces, worth tens of thousands each, are barely worn.”

Tens of thousands! Lin Jiaojiao immediately latched onto the key detail. Shen Yunrui’s clothes were so expensive, yet she had been taking Lin Jiaojiao shopping for items worth just a few thousand? She hadn’t even planned to bring Lin Jiaojiao to her favorite stores! Clearly, Shen Yunrui thought she was clueless and was trying to fool her!

Seeing Lin Jiaojiao’s changing expression, Shen Yunrui knew things were going south. She hurried to explain, “Jiaojiao, it’s not what you think…”

Before she could finish, Lin Jiaojiao had stormed off.

Shen Yunrui cursed under her breath and glared at Shen Yunxuan. “You’re deliberately stirring up trouble!”

Shen Yunxuan raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Isn’t this just your usual way of speaking? I barely learned a thing from you, and now it’s called ‘stirring up trouble’? At least I’m honest, unlike you.”

Shen Yunrui sneered. “Mom and Dad were right about you. Now that you’ve gained some power, you look down on your family. One day, you’ll fall flat on your face! When that happens, let’s see who’ll help you if not your family!”

Shen Yunxuan found it amusing. “As if my family ever helped me before.”

Shen Yunrui stared at her, as if seeing her clearly for the first time. In their previous life, Shen Yunxuan had severed ties with the family after achieving success, ignoring all attempts to reconcile. Now, the break had come even earlier. Shen Yunrui assumed it was because Shen Yunxuan had secured a hefty dowry and married into a wealthy family, making her bolder and exposing her true nature sooner.

Everyone had been fooled. Shen Yunxuan, quiet and unassuming, was just a wolf in sheep’s clothing who turned on her family the moment she gained power. But little did anyone know—the wealthy Huo family was about to face serious trouble!

Shen Yunrui smirked. “Huo Siheng went abroad? I wonder what surprises he’ll bring back when he returns. Enjoy your life as Mrs. Huo while it lasts. Flowers don’t bloom forever. When the day comes that Huo Siheng can’t back you up anymore, I wonder if you’ll still have that smug smile.”

Shen Yunxuan’s gaze flickered. “What surprises when he returns?” She already knew that Huo Siheng would soon be in a car accident and end up in a coma. She had planned to warn him to be cautious, but now, seeing Shen Yunrui’s expression, she began to suspect that the accident might not be so simple.

Just as Shen Yunxuan had a thorough understanding of the Lin family, Shen Yunrui seemed to know the Huo family equally well. If there were hidden secrets about the Huo family that were not disclosed in her previous life, what Shen Yunxuan thought she knew might not be the full truth. That would make preventing disaster for the Huo family much more difficult.

Shu Yue, standing beside her, angrily retorted, “Shen Yunrui, who are you cursing? Maybe you should worry more about yourself. Your little sister-in-law just stormed off; I doubt you’ll have the last laugh today!”

Shen Yunrui’s face turned pale, and she quickly ran off in the direction Lin Jiaojiao had gone.

Shu Yue noticed Shen Yunxuan still watching Shen Yunrui’s retreating figure and tried to comfort her. “Don’t pay attention to her nonsense. She’s just jealous that your life is better than hers, like some crazy person biting at everyone out of spite.”

Shen Yunxuan snapped out of her thoughts. “I’m fine. Let’s go. Let’s check out the next store.”

The secret of her rebirth wouldn’t be revealed so easily. Even if Shen Yunrui occasionally let something slip out of arrogance, it wouldn’t be enough for her to fully understand the Huo family’s situation. Furthermore, much of what Shen Yunrui thought she knew was likely unreliable.

It seemed that many things would require a long-term plan. Shen Yunxuan realized she needed to approach the Huo family with fresh eyes, relying less on what she had known in her previous life.

In the beginning, when she didn’t know the Huo family well, she had thought about waiting until Huo Siheng became comatose to take control of the family’s wealth and power during the chaos. But after spending time with Huo Siheng and Madam Huo, she dismissed that idea.

Perhaps it was because she had rarely encountered genuine kindness in her life that she deeply cherished those who treated her sincerely. Both Huo Siheng and Madam Huo were good to her, and there was no way she would stand idly by, knowing they might face a crisis. Instead of exploiting the situation, she believed it would be more advantageous to use the Huo family’s resources to build her own empire alongside them.

After shopping, Shen Yunxuan and Shu Yue headed to a private club to discuss their investment plans. Meanwhile, chaos broke out on Shen Yunrui’s side.

Lin Jiaojiao returned to the hotel in tears, accusing Shen Yunrui of thinking she wasn’t worthy of good clothes. She claimed Shen Yunrui had deliberately avoided taking her to luxury stores and had spent the morning buying her clothes that didn’t even come close to the value of what Shen Yunxuan had casually purchased for a friend. “She clearly looks down on me and thinks she can fool me! I thought she was such a great sister-in-law, but if Shen Yunxuan were my sister-in-law, I bet she’d buy me the best things without a second thought, not act so stingy like Shen Yunrui!”

Shen Yunrui’s face turned red with anger. She had spent days trying to please her sister-in-law, only to hear that Lin Jiaojiao wished Shen Yunxuan had married into the family instead? What made Shen Yunxuan better than her?

But then she remembered how the Lin family had treated Shen Yunxuan so well in her previous life. Seeing the glares from the Lin family members now, Shen Yunrui began to doubt herself. Was she truly inferior to Shen Yunxuan? Impossible! If Shen Yunxuan were better, her family wouldn’t have favored Shen Yunrui all these years.

Madam Lin, heartbroken over her daughter’s tears, demanded that Shen Yunrui apologize to Lin Jiaojiao. She even criticized Shen Yunrui to Lin Huaizhi, insinuating that if Shen Yunrui could deceive Lin Jiaojiao today, she might deceive the entire Lin family tomorrow. “Don’t forget, she fainted on the street and insisted on marrying you. Wasn’t that her way of fooling you too?”

Already annoyed since their visit to the Shen family, Lin Huaizhi slammed the door and left after hearing this.

Shen Yunrui was furious. Their honeymoon period, which should have been sweet and romantic, had turned into a nightmare thanks to these people. She decided it was time to act. If she wanted to control the situation, sacrifices had to be made.

She secured her dowry from the Shen family and spent millions on luxury clothes and jewelry for the Lin family members, even giving gold accessories worth tens of thousands to their relatives. Her gestures won their praise, with the relatives now singing her praises.

She also began taking Lin Huaizhi to networking events, reasoning that his lack of ambition stemmed from his limited exposure to the lives of the wealthy. Once he experienced it, his desire to succeed would naturally motivate him to work harder.

After half a month, the Lin family finally returned to their hometown, allowing Lin Huaizhi and Shen Yunrui to stay in the capital to develop their careers. Lin Huaizhi, having glimpsed the extravagant lifestyles of the elite, felt inspired and was eager to make a name for himself. The thought of returning to a mundane life in his hometown was now unthinkable.

Once the Lin family left, Shen Yunrui convinced Lin Huaizhi to move into the Shen family’s house, saying that the staff there could take care of their needs and that the elders could guide them in business. This arrangement would allow them to focus entirely on their work.

Lin Huaizhi initially felt uneasy about living with his in-laws, but Shen Yunrui assured him it was only temporary and expressed her full confidence in his ability to earn enough for them to buy a large house of their own soon. Her words were filled with trust, and Lin Huaizhi reluctantly agreed.

During this half-month period, Shen Yunxuan had been busy too. She selected two projects from the ones Huo Siheng offered her and identified two other promising investments on her own, inviting Shu Yue to join her. She also made regular visits to the Huo family estate, sharing meals and casual conversations with Madam Huo, through which she gleaned valuable insights into the family. However, she had yet to uncover any clues about the impending crisis.

Half a month later, Huo Siheng was set to return to the country. Shen Yunxuan was particularly focused on this and asked about his arrival time, deciding to drive to the airport to pick him up personally. When Madam Huo heard this, she was overjoyed, believing that the young couple’s affection was stronger than ever and that grandchildren might soon be on the way.

In truth, Shen Yunxuan was unsure about the exact date of Huo Siheng’s car accident. In her previous life, she had still been in the Lin family’s hometown during these months. To ensure his safety, she decided to personally drive to the airport, even having her car thoroughly inspected before leaving to guarantee there were no issues.

At the airport, Shen Yunxuan didn’t have to wait long before she spotted Huo Siheng and Yang An coming out. Just as a smile began to form on her face, someone walked out from behind Huo Siheng—a sunny, cheerful, and strikingly handsome mixed-race man.

She recognized him instantly. It was the younger Huo family heir,, who would later hold power in the Huo family for a time!

He was returning to the country with Huo Siheng at this moment? Could the “returning surprise” that Shen Yunrui mentioned actually refer to Second Young Master Huo?

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