"Madam, madam?"

A familiar voice entered my ears, and I abruptly opened my eyes, feeling a momentary dizziness in my head.

Zheng Jie's concerned eyes made me a little confused. I grabbed her hand suddenly and asked her in her momentary astonishment, "What time is it now?"

"It's almost eleven." She allowed me to hold her hand, gently and warmly, without asking why.

"What about Yezi?"

Su Ye, my own daughter.

When it came to our daughter, a smile reappeared on Zheng Jie's face. With a slightly embarrassed tone, she said, "Yezi only arrived in the afternoon. Thank you for your concern."

I have been reborn, going back three years. Red-eyed, I am grateful to God for giving me a chance to make amends.

Thinking about what my husband, Liu Jingliang, and daughter, Liu Xuanxuan, did, on that hot August day, I couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably.

How foolish I was, played like a puppet.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Liu Xuanxuan's cheerful voice came from the front door, followed by several bodyguards carrying bags into the living room. A sense of discomfort surged in my heart.

Watching her proudly display the clothes in front of her, I spoke with a colder tone, "You still have so many unworn clothes with price tags in your closet, why did you buy so many again?"

This was the first time I had spoken so harshly to her. Liu Xuanxuan also sensed it and instantly froze, then skillfully hugged my arm and acted spoiled, saying, "I don't like those anymore!"

I pulled my arm away and walked towards the dining room without looking back, ignoring her attempt at reconciliation.

There was a moment of silence behind me, followed by the sound of bags hitting the ground and Liu Xuanxuan's cries:

"Throw them out! Throw them all out! Anything that Mom doesn't like doesn't deserve to be here!"

I took a deep breath, trying to ease the anger that filled my chest. She always did things like this, using tears to gain my sympathy. Over these years, I have been indulging her too much.

A table full of food was set on the round table. I calmly sat down and started eating. This was also the first time I didn't wait for Liu Jingliang and Liu Xuanxuan.

Zheng Jie brought the last dish to the table and noticed my hesitation. She cautiously asked, "Madam, aren't we waiting for the master and the Miss?"

"No, we're not waiting." I didn't even lift my eyelids and spoke in a calm and indifferent tone, focusing on picking up food with my chopsticks.

I was originally the young lady of a leading enterprise in Yuancheng city, but I fell in love with a poor boy. Despite my parents' objections, I accepted Liu Jingliang as my son-in-law. After our marriage, I gave birth to a daughter, and he started working in my father's company. Meanwhile, I dedicated myself to taking care of the family.

People outside said that I, Fang Tan, the young miss of the Fang family, was a hopeless romantic. At that time, I didn't take it seriously and just felt like I was enjoying my life, even when he later achieved a little success and became arrogant. I was simply trapped in a honey jar and unable to extricate myself.

Liu Jingliang came back and, noticing that I was eating alone, he showed obvious displeasure. He deliberately dragged the chair, making a loud noise. Usually, at this time, I would ask him with concern if something was bothering him. However, now that I realized his intentions, I didn't bother to play along, not wanting to give him face before the shares were in my hands.

"Where's Xuanxuan? Why isn't she here?" Seeing my lack of reaction, he hesitated for a few seconds, then softened his voice and tried to shift the topic to Liu Xuanxuan.

I curved my lips and looked at the extra piece of meat in my bowl, mocking his ulterior motive. The shares were not yet secured, and I still had value to him. Naturally, I couldn't risk ruining his plans.

"She's mad at me. Xuanxuan is all grown up now, and if we let her have her way, she'll suffer later on." I pretended to be distressed, wearing a look of worry.

"Xuanxuan is our daughter. Who would dare to make her suffer?" Liu Jingliang was initially dismissive, but after sensing the flaws in my eyes, he awkwardly changed his tone. "You're right. I'll go talk to her when I get back."

Liu Xuanxuan had been spoiled to the point where she could do whatever she pleased. The household staff had endured her temper, and although I didn't agree with it, I indulged her. After all, she was my and Liu Jingliang's only daughter.

I never expected that after preparing her bridal gown, my daughter, who was supposed to enjoy all of this, hadn't had a single day of comfort. Thinking about Su Ye, I lowered my head and took a bite of rice, covering up the bitterness and making myself appear as usual.

"Jingliang, Zheng Jie's daughter got into Second High School. Renting a place isn't cheap, so she'll be staying at our house in the afternoon, and it's convenient for Zheng Jie to take care of her."

His spoon slipped from his hand and made a piercing sound as it hit the table. I turned my head to look at Liu Jingliang, and he lost his usual composure, clumsily wiping the soup that had splattered onto him, and shouted for the servants to clean up the broken spoon.

He was feeling guilty.

A chill rose in my heart. I originally thought that he had just swapped my child with Tang Xin's, but now it seemed that he was also responsible for giving Su Ye to Zheng Jie.

You raise your child so well, but you casually give away my daughter.

I'm afraid hiring old Su and Zheng Jie was also for the sake of peace under your nose.

Liu Jingliang, you have a heart of steel.