A strangled snort escaped someone in the crowd, followed by a wave of stifled laughter. *Were this mother and daughter some kind of comedy act?* Mortification washed over Mu Xinyue, so intense she felt her toes curling in her shoes. Ye Sijue didn't recognize her either. Who was he here to see? Then, a thought struck her like lightning… Mu Xia—the girl everyone looked down on, the one she herself hadn't given a second thought—had apparently stepped off Ye Sijue's private helicopter. Mu Xia’s arrival had been so sudden, her appearance so disheveled, that Mu Xinyue hadn't connected the two of them for a single moment. Could it be that Mu Xia knew Ye Sijue? The thought had barely formed when Mu Xinyue watched Ye Sijue bypass her completely and stop directly in front of Mu Xia. “Are you sure this is what you want? It’s not too late to change your mind.” Mu Xia looked at him, completely baffled. “What are you, a genie in a lamp? I told you just dropping me off was enough.” Everyone, including Mu Xinyue and Situ Qingshan, stared in disbelief at the exchange between Mu Xia and Ye Sijue. What was going on? This beggar knew Ye Sijue? Ye Sijue’s dark eyes were fixed on Mu Xia, and he was about to speak when Mr. Situ's excited voice boomed across the lawn. “Mr. Ye! Why didn’t you call ahead to let me know you were coming? Please forgive my poor hospitality!” The moment the words left Mr. Situ’s mouth, he realized that everyone was staring at him as if he were an idiot. Mu Xinyue squeezed her eyes shut. What was happening? Situ Hai finally sensed that something was amiss and cast a suspicious glance around. When his gaze fell on Mu Xia, his brow furrowed instantly. “Qingshan, why did you invite a beggar to your birthday party? Get her out of here! Don’t let her offend Mr. Ye’s eyes!” Situ Qingshan’s face froze. A flicker of delight mixed with her confusion as she said, “Dad, she’s…” “Dad!” Mu Xia cut Situ Qingshan off, speaking up herself. “Don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Shanshan.” Shanshan was her childhood nickname. “Shan…” Situ Hai’s eyebrows shot up. Two seconds later, his eyes widened in shock. “You’re… Mu Xia?” “It’s me, Dad.” Mu Xia stepped forward. Ten years had passed, and while she had no memories of her childhood, she felt a strange familiarity looking at his face. But at her words, Situ Hai instinctively took a step back. It was a flicker of fear—the fear of a secret being exposed. Mu Xia caught it instantly but kept her expression neutral. “Dad,” she continued, her voice soft, “I’ve missed you so much all these years.” Situ Hai’s expression was stiff. He forced himself to reach out and pat her shoulder. “It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back… But what’s with your clothes? And Mr. Ye, you also look… not quite so clean?” It was only then, prompted by Situ Hai, that the guests noticed. They had been so focused on Ye Sijue himself that they hadn't seen that his clothes were also wrinkled and damp, as if he’d been soaked in water. Situ Qingshan’s eyes darted suspiciously between Mu Xia and Ye Sijue. Could there be something between them? She quickly dismissed the thought. A man of Ye Sijue’s stature would never fall for a filthy, ugly, and foul-smelling country bumpkin like Mu Xia. He would have to be blind. Seeing how awkward the situation had become, Mu Xinyue quickly interjected, “Mr. Situ, I believe it was Mr. Ye who brought our Mu Xia back.” “Is that so?” Hearing this, some of the disgust in Situ Hai’s expression toward Mu Xia faded. After all, Mu Xia had been just a child when that incident happened, and he’d heard she’d lost her memory. She couldn’t possibly remember. But if he could use Mu Xia to get in with the Ye family… that would be a venture that couldn’t possibly fail! A wide smile immediately spread across Situ Hai’s face. He turned to Ye Sijue. “Mr. Ye, so you know my precious daughter! Thank you so much for bringing her home. If you don’t mind, please come inside, freshen up, and stay for a meal before you go.” Mu Xinyue added, “Yes, Mr. Ye. We have several new sets of clothes for guests. Why don’t you change into something more comfortable?” Ye Sijue was about to refuse. But he was a bit of a neat freak, and wearing seawater-soaked clothes for this long was already pushing his limit. Seeing that Ye Sijue didn’t immediately decline, Situ Hai made an inviting gesture. “This way, please.” Then he whispered to Mu Xinyue, “Get Mu Xia cleaned up and properly dressed.” Having been married to Situ Hai for nearly a decade, Mu Xinyue understood the deeper meaning behind “properly dressed” at once. He wanted to use Mu Xia to hitch their wagon to the Ye family. Such an opportunity should belong to her daughter, not Mu Xia! Mu Wanyue had lorded over her while she was alive; now that she was dead, Mu Xinyue would never allow Mu Wanyue’s daughter to outshine her own. Outwardly, Mu Xinyue agreed, but she secretly pulled Situ Qingshan aside. “Take Mu Xia to get cleaned up. From now on, she’s your older sister. You two must get along.” Her words were pleasant, but the look she gave Situ Qingshan was loaded with meaning. Situ Qingshan understood instantly. She turned to Mu Xia with a brilliant smile. “Sister, let me take you to get cleaned up, okay?” Mu Xia didn’t for a second believe this mother-daughter duo was as welcoming as they appeared. Without showing a hint of suspicion, she offered a guileless smile. “Okay, little sister.” The two of them walked into the villa together. On the lawn, the party guests began to whisper among themselves, speculating about why Ye Sijue was really here. But regardless of his reasons, his mere presence meant that from this day forward, they would all have to treat the Situ family with much more respect. On the second floor of the villa. “Sister, this is a guest room. Your room isn’t ready yet, so you can use this one for now. All the toiletries are inside. I’ll go get you some clothes.” “Okay, thank you.” “Oh, right, Sister,” Situ Qingshan added with a look of “kindness,” the contempt in her eyes poorly concealed. “Do you know how to use the water heater? It’s set to a constant temperature, so you don’t need to adjust it.” As if she hadn't noticed, Mu Xia gave a faint smile. “I know how.” She had countless identities abroad; did they really think she wouldn't know how to take a shower? “Good, then. I’ll go get your clothes.” Situ Qingshan smiled, turned, and left, the smile vanishing from her face the instant the door clicked shut. She pulled out a handkerchief and vigorously wiped the hand that had held Mu Xia’s, then threw the cloth on the floor as if it were contaminated. That ugly wench absolutely reeked! There was no way Mr. Ye would be interested in her. Bringing her back must have been an accident. … Inside the room. Mu Xia luxuriated in the hot shower. After a week on a deserted island, she felt like she was about to rot. As the hot water streamed down her face, the layers of black soot and mud slowly washed away, revealing the fair, delicate skin beneath. In the billowing steam, her flawless, palm-sized face looked as ethereal as a fairy’s. A dozen minutes later, Situ Qingshan knocked on the bathroom door. “Sister, I’ve brought the dress. Open the door a crack, and I’ll pass it in to you. I’ve left the shoes by the door for you to wear when you come out.” “Alright.” Mu Xia opened the door just enough to take the dress. She didn’t see the mocking glint in Situ Qingshan’s eyes. This was a Gucci haute couture gown, even more expensive than the one Situ Qingshan was wearing. She had gone to great lengths to acquire it. The only problem was, after buying it, she couldn’t wear it. The dress, while perfect in design, was incredibly demanding of one’s figure. Its cut required a supermodel’s physique—impossibly slender without a hint of fat, yet still requiring a generous bust to fill it out. An ordinary person would either look fat or fail to fill it out at all. She couldn’t wear it because she lacked prominent collarbones and had broader shoulders, which was why she hadn’t chosen it for today. When that ugly hag Mu Xia put it on, everyone would laugh her to scorn.