Volume One, Chapter Two: All Gone, Uniquely Different

Good heavens!

Upon seeing the couple’s faces, Shen Shuli froze on the spot, stunned beyond words.

In her heart, she kept whispering, “Good heavens!”

How could these two look exactly like her biological father and mother?

No, wait—they appeared at least a decade older than her parents.

Their aura was completely different.

Especially the way they looked at her—why did it feel so strange?

She truly hadn’t expected this.

The unscrupulous author of the runaway princess story had not only directly borrowed the names of her and her family members,

but had also portrayed the characters identically to their real-world counterparts, as if copy and pasted.

She had to admit, that was something.

Wait a moment!

Shen Shuli suddenly recalled something, quickly turning around to lift her dress and hide her face.

How could she have forgotten? Her face was no longer human.

Had she really come all the way from Qingzhou with this bruised and battered face?

Time seemed to freeze...

“Miss, were you just asking where Su Wanwan’s home is?”

Su Yunhai noticed her suddenly turning to hide her face and realized their shocked expressions must have upset her. Hastily, he tried to ease the awkward atmosphere.

“What a coincidence—we are Su Wanwan’s parents. Is there something you need from her? Why don’t you come home with us and talk?”

Shen Shuli’s ears twitched.

This man’s voice was exactly like her father’s—so gentle and resonant, strangely pleasant.

If she didn’t know these two were just cardboard cutouts copied by that shameless author, she might have mistaken them for the real thing.

Her nose tingled with emotion; at that moment, she missed her parents even more.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. Covering her face, she leaned closer to them and whispered cautiously.

“Uncle... may I ask, what is a mischievous child’s favorite class?”

“Recess!” Su Yunhai replied immediately.

“What kind of person doesn’t use electricity?” Shen Shuli’s expression grew more animated.

“Myanmarese!” Su Yuehua stared steadily at the bruised girl before her and answered without hesitation.

“Why did your daughter get zero on her third-grade composition?”

“Because I told her that after the test I’d take her out for a feast, and she was so eager to eat that she handed in a blank paper...” Su Yuehua became increasingly emotional.

“Where do you like to hide your secret stash of money?”

“I hide it in my daughter’s red envelopes!” Su Yunhai answered without a moment’s thought.

At that moment, Shen Shuli had no doubt left.

They truly were her parents.

Her parents from the real world!

Choking back tears, Shen Shuli said, “Dad, Mom, is it really you?”

Su Yunhai and Su Yuehua had come to realize it as well. They looked at Shen Shuli with deep emotion.

“Daughter, is it really you?”

“Yes, it’s me!”

Unable to hold back any longer,

she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her parents’ necks, burying her face as she sobbed.

Eight years ago.

During the summer break after Shen Shuli had been accepted to university, her parents joyously celebrated their freedom and left her behind to honeymoon in Tibet.

Who would have thought that trip would be a farewell forever, with no news ever since!

For eight years, Shen Shuli never gave up searching for her parents.

After graduating from university, she resolutely abandoned the high salaries of the big city and enlisted, heading to the Tibetan border to serve.

Her hope was that someday she would find even the faintest trace of her parents.

That was why, upon discovering that shameless author had used her parents’ names in a book and twisted the story so cruelly, she had stayed up all night leaving bad reviews and filing complaints!

But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would meet her parents here!

Just moments ago, she had been wondering how to approach these two people who looked exactly like her parents.

But now, it turned out that they were her parents—the very ones she had sought for eight years!

By the flowing waters of Peach Blossom Creek,

Su Yuehua tightly embraced her long-lost daughter, tears streaming down her face.

Words failed her.

Su Yunhai, still somewhat composed, briefly recounted the past years to their daughter.

Shen Shuli was already somewhat familiar with the Su family’s situation from the novel she had read, and with her father’s detailed explanation, everything became clearer.

When Su father and mother first arrived in this world, they had been acting according to the original character’s personality.

Only after understanding the family’s situation did they begin to reveal their own true personalities.

Now, they had gradually gained influence within the Su family.

“Daughter, tell your mother how you came here. Who did this to your face? Tell me, and I’ll get revenge for you!”

Su Yuehua finally composed herself and stopped crying, looking at her bruised, battered daughter with aching heart.

Shen Shuli shared her complicated story in full—the time travel, the Lin family’s torment, and how they had driven her out without mercy.

The couple was speechless.

They had never imagined they were characters in a transmigration novel.

Nor that it was a story tailor-made by some scheming villain around them.

*

Qingzhou.

As evening approached, in front of the Lin mansion.

To celebrate the return of the true heiress, after the poetry gathering, the Lin family held a grand banquet at a restaurant.

Many dignitaries from Qingzhou arrived, bringing all kinds of congratulatory gifts.

The midday feast had only just concluded.

“Wanwan, once we return to the mansion, you can choose any room you like!”

“It’s been so many years living in the countryside; you’ve truly suffered, my child!”

“From today on, you are the Lin family’s eldest young lady. No one will dare bully or look down on you anymore. Your mother will handle everything for you!”

“I’ve already sent a letter to your father. At the latest, he’ll be back tomorrow!”

Lady Lin grasped Lin Wanwan’s hand excitedly.

At the banquet, Lin Wanwan had once again composed poetry on the spot, stunning everyone and bringing great honor to the Lin family.

She was so much better than the impostor!

“Yes, Wanwan. Our Lin family is not only prestigious in Qingzhou but also one of the top noble families in all of Dayong. Tomorrow, let Ping’er take you to meet the elite daughters of Qingzhou.”

Lady Sun, the second wife of the Lin family, smiled warmly.

“Thank you, Second Aunt!” Lin Wanwan returned the greeting with a perfectly measured smile.

The three branches of the Lin family:

The main branch was Lin Wanwan’s father, the current head of the family, controlling the family business and finances.

Based in Qingzhou, his countless merchant caravans traveled far and wide for trade.

The second branch, Lin Wanwan’s second uncle, was the Minister of War, a second-rank official—the highest-ranking figure in the Lin family’s government officials.

Lin Wanwan showed no disrespect and even affectionately linked arms with her cousin Lin Shuping, the daughter of the second wife.

“Wanwan,”

at this moment, Lady Wu, wife of the third branch, smiled graciously.

“In Qingzhou, if you ever see anyone you dislike, just tell Third Aunt. I’ll take care of them for you!”

The third branch, Lin Wanwan’s third uncle, controlled the Lin family’s underground enterprises.

He oversaw more than ten large pawnshops and privately employed over five hundred martial artists, as well as a number of fanatics and assassins.

No one dared provoke them in Qingzhou.

However, this third uncle was a notorious drunkard and womanizer who, despite being in Qingzhou, was nowhere to be found at the poetry gathering.

“Thank you, Third Aunt!” Lin Wanwan also bowed and expressed her gratitude.

The three branches of the Lin family were each pillars of strength, all crucial to the family.

These would be Lin Wanwan’s important resources in the future. She would not offend any of them but would do her best to maintain good relations.

At the same time, Lin Wanwan understood clearly:

The kindness shown by her second aunt, third aunt, and even her own mother, Lady Lin, was all motivated by their desire to use her for a royal marriage alliance.

After all, the second aunt’s daughter, Lin Shuping, couldn’t even write properly, let alone compose poetry or paint.

The third aunt had twin daughters, but they were too young.

They were far too different from the prince secretly allied with the Lin family.

The female members of the Lin family exchanged knowing smiles and walked intimately into the mansion’s gates, surrounded by servants.

However,

everyone except Lin Wanwan was shocked by what they saw.

Behind the mansion’s gate once stood a screen wall carved with an eagle spreading its wings.

Now, not only was the eagle gone, the screen wall itself had vanished!

The exquisitely carved bluestone tiles on the ground had turned into a stretch of flat yellow earth!

The carefully arranged precious flowers, rockeries, pavilions—all were gone!

Even the elaborately carved beams and tiles of the roof had disappeared without a trace—not a single piece of wood remained!

At this moment, Lady Lin, Lady Sun, and Lady Wu all turned pale.

They couldn’t believe it.

The mighty Lin family of Qingzhou had been robbed!

And yet,

unaware of all this, Lin Wanwan, upon seeing the bare empty courtyard and the dirt road beneath her feet, smiled faintly as she tried to draw closer to the others.

“Entering the gate, empty corridors face me; wet earth welcomes wild grass; laughing to the sky as I sit, drinking with none but common folk.”

“Mother, our Lin family truly deserves to be Qingzhou’s top noble house. Even the mansion is so fresh and unpretentious, uniquely charming!”