The day I left the Lynn family, I cut my hair short and moved to a new city. I canceled my phone number and changed my surname back to Shaw. On a remote street corner, I took over a small flower shop. The Lynns all assumed I couldn't survive without them -- that I'd starved to death on the streets by now. Seven years later, a distinguished guest in a tailored suit walked into my shop. He held a pot of withered bellflowers and asked if I could revive it. Our eyes met. My former brother, Lincoln, who once sneered at me, looked like he'd been struck by lightning. "Nina? You've been here all along? The whole family thought you were..." I lowered my eyes, ignoring his trembling hands. Staring at the bellflowers I'd once given him, my voice was flat and emotionless. "Sir, bringing dead wood back to life is a lie. Dead flowers stay dead." --- Lincoln looked down at the bellflowers, then back up at me. "Nina, how can you say that?" I picked up my scissors and snipped off the last withered stem in the pot. I swept the dead stem into the trash. "Sir, the flower is dead. It can't be saved." "When a person's heart dies, that can't be saved either." Lincoln reached out to grab my wrist. I laid the scissors flat on the counter, blade pointing outward. He froze, hand suspended in midair, then withdrew it awkwardly. "Where have you been these seven years?" "Why didn't you contact anyone?" "Do you know how long Mrs. Lynn and Mr. Lynn searched for you?" I almost laughed. "Searched for me?" Lincoln's Adam's apple bobbed. "The family thought something happened to you." I emptied the soil from the pot. The roots had rotted through completely. "Mr. Lynn, wasn't it your family who published that newspaper announcement severing all ties with me?" "Weren't you the one who personally threw my belongings out of the Lynn mansion?" The color drained from Lincoln's face. Seven years ago, that rainy night. Lily rolled down the stairs clutching her stomach, crying that she'd lost her baby. I'd been standing ten feet away -- I never even touched her clothes. But Mrs. Lynn slapped me across the face. "Shaw Nina, how can you be so vicious?" That slap made my ears ring. Mr. Lynn forced me down in front of Lily's hospital bed. "Kneel. Apologize to Lily." I said I didn't do it. Lincoln rushed over, grabbed the wooden figurine I'd spent three nights carving for him, and smashed it on the floor. I was thrown out of the Lynn mansion. I knelt outside their door all night. Rainwater flooded down my throat until I couldn't even cry anymore. I knocked, begging them to open the door. Mrs. Lynn stood by the window, glanced at me once, then turned to peel shrimp for Lily. That night, I finally understood. Blood ties are worthless. The only person they would ever love was Lily. Lincoln's hands trembled. "Nina, we didn't know the truth back then." "These bellflowers -- you gave them to me." "I've kept them all this time." I looked at the rotted pot. Yes, I'd given them to him. The first year I returned to the Lynn mansion, I thought I finally had a big brother. I clumsily researched and learned that bellflowers symbolized gratitude and gentle love. When I handed the flowers to Lincoln, he casually left them in a corner of the balcony. Later, Lily said the pollen made her allergic. He had the servants move them to the storage room right in front of me. Now he was holding this dead plant, coming to talk about sibling affection. How ridiculous. "Didn't you kill it?" Lincoln's eyes brightened slightly. "From the day you discarded it, it was already dead." His lips trembled. "Lynn Nina..." "Don't call me Lynn Nina." I looked up at him. "My surname is Shaw." "Shaw Nina." The bell by the door chimed. My apprentice, Sophie, pushed the door open carrying lunch. She saw Lincoln blocking the counter, then noticed the scissors on my desk, and immediately grew alert. "Nina, should I call the police?" Lincoln looked like he'd been slapped in public. He picked up the dead plant and stepped back. "I'll come back." I pushed the trash can toward his feet. "Next time, don't bring garbage into my shop." Lincoln stood there for a few seconds, then turned and left. On his way out, he nearly tripped over the threshold. Sophie poked her head out to look. "Nina, who was that?" I cleaned the scissors and put them back in the toolbox. "Someone too cheap to buy fresh flowers." She made a sound of understanding and set down the food. "Well, he's really stingy then." I couldn't help but smile. My phone screen lit up. Video call. I answered, and the next second, a chubby little face filled the screen. "Mommy!"
Henry held up a drawing -- on the paper was a lopsidedly drawn flower. In the middle, he'd also drawn a round, chubby person. "Mommy, this is for you." I brought the phone closer, smiling. "Then who's this little pig next to it?" Henry's face scrunched up. "That's Daddy!" The camera shook. Frederick appeared on screen, holding the squirming Henry in his arms. He glanced at the drawing and corrected calmly. "I'm not that fat." Henry hugged his neck. "Daddy is a fat pig." I laughed out loud. The chill Lincoln had brought earlier gradually dissipated with those few sentences. Frederick looked at me, his gaze pausing. "What just happened?" I didn't answer. He knew me too well. The calmer I was, the more it meant an old wound had been touched. "Did the Lynn family find you?" I hummed in acknowledgment. "Lincoln." Frederick's side went quiet for two seconds. "Do you need me to handle it?" "No." "I can handle it." He nodded. "Landing tomorrow at ten a.m." "Grandpa and my parents are coming back too." "We're not leaving again." I froze. "You've decided to settle down?" "Yes." Henry immediately chimed in. "Mommy, I want to live next to the flower shop!" Frederick pinched the back of his neck. "That won't work. Your mom will complain about you pulling up flowers." Henry kicked his legs indignantly. I watched them banter, feeling warmth in my eyes. Seven years ago, when I collapsed on the street, it was winter. The rain was pouring. The Lynn family had thrown me out. Mrs. Lynn had smashed my phone, and the servants had thrown my ID and wallet into a ditch. I had such a high fever I couldn't see straight. Crouching under a bridge, I heard someone calling my name. It was Mr. Shaw. He was a long-lost relative from my grandmother's side. He'd been searching for me for ages, but when he finally found me, I'd already been pushed to the brink of death by the Lynn family. When I woke up, Frederick was sitting by my hospital bed. He didn't say much -- just asked me one question: "Do you want to start over?" My throat was so hoarse I couldn't speak. I could only nod. He helped me cancel my old number and change my surname back to Shaw. Mr. Shaw gave me a flower shop. Frederick gave me a family. Many people assume wealthy families only scheme against each other. But the Caldwell family taught me I didn't have to watch others' faces while eating. They taught me I didn't have to prove my innocence to the point of breakdown when wrongly accused. They taught me love isn't something you beg for on your knees. Frederick looked at me through the screen. "Nina, what happened in the past is over." Hearing those words pulled me back to a distant memory. The day I returned to the Lynn mansion, I wore a faded white dress and carried a cloth bag the orphanage in my county had given me. The first time Mrs. Lynn saw me, she frowned and said: "Why are you so skinny? You have no posture." Lily stood behind her wearing the pink dress originally prepared for me. That pink princess room -- Mrs. Lynn said it should be kept for Lily. "She's not in good health. Changing rooms will make her lose sleep." So I was arranged into the attic storage room. The roof leaked, the corners were moldy. At night, rats scurried past from behind cardboard boxes. I hugged my blanket and curled up by the bed, telling myself my biological parents just weren't used to me yet. Just wait a little longer. But what I waited for was Lily hiding a necklace in my backpack. What I waited for was Mrs. Lynn's slap. What I waited for was Mr. Lynn's punishment. What I waited for was Lincoln saying, "Lily is innocent. She wouldn't lie." Every time Lily cried, I had to kneel. Every time she got sick, I got scolded. Later I finally understood. When some people's hearts are biased, no amount of reasoning can straighten them out. Frederick asked softly, "What are you thinking about?" I swallowed the old memories. "Thinking about picking you up tomorrow." Henry pressed his face against the screen. "Mommy has to hug me first." I said okay. Frederick looked at me. "Hug me too." Henry immediately covered his mouth. "No stealing." I hung up with a smile. Outside, the sky darkened. I packed the remaining rotten soil from the bellflowers into a black bag. Sophie asked, "Nina, should we throw it out?" "Throw it far away. Don't let it affect the new flowers growing in the shop."
The next morning, I closed the shop early. On the way to the airport, the taxi driver had the radio on loud. "Today's financial news: Lynn Corporation heiress Lily Lynn will be engaged to capital elite Zachary Chow. Following this news, Lynn Corporation's stock opened higher..." The driver clicked his tongue. "Elite family marriages are something else." I leaned against the car window, watching the elevated highway outside. Lily was getting engaged. Seven years ago, she used a fake miscarriage to nail me to the position of vicious older sister. Seven years later, she stood in front of cameras in a gown, still the envied Lynn family heiress. This world can be pretty disgusting sometimes. My phone rang. Unknown number. I glanced at it, initially not wanting to answer. The caller tried a second time. I answered and put it on speaker. Mrs. Lynn's voice immediately pierced through the car. "Lynn Nina, you finally answered?" The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. My tone was flat. "Who is this?" The other end went silent for half a second. Mrs. Lynn exploded. "I'm your mother!" "Sorry, my mother is on a plane overseas." The driver almost laughed out loud. Mrs. Lynn's voice became shrill with anger. "Seven years gone and you're still so ill-mannered." "Lily is getting engaged next week. She's generous enough not to hold grudges about what happened back then." "Come back to the Lynn mansion immediately and be her bridesmaid." I thought I'd misheard. "You want me to be Lily's bridesmaid?" Mrs. Lynn said it like it was perfectly reasonable. "And apologize while you're at it." "What happened back then -- you caused her so much grief." "Now she's willing to let you appear at the engagement party. That's giving you face." Lincoln must have gone back and had them dig up my information overnight. It wasn't that they couldn't find me. When I had no value, they just couldn't be bothered to look. Now that Lily was getting engaged, they needed a disgraced biological daughter as a background prop. "Mrs. Lynn." "Seven years ago, you threw me out." "You published the announcement severing ties." "Now you're calling me back to serve your adopted daughter -- did you get that shamelessness as a bonus with your Lynn Corporation shares?" The driver couldn't hold it in and snorted. Mrs. Lynn exploded. "Shaw Nina!" "Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit." "You're just a flower seller. You're lucky to still be alive." "One word from the Lynn family and you won't be able to stay in this city." I looked at the airport terminal in the distance. My mood suddenly improved. "Then try it." "You..." "Also, the Lynn family isn't even qualified to deliver fertilizer to my flower shop anymore." I hung up. And blocked the number. Within seconds, another unknown number called. I continued blocking. The Lynn family was panicking. They always assumed a phone call could get through, a door could be kicked open, a person could be forced back. Seven years ago, maybe. Not anymore. The driver held it in the whole ride, but finally, near the airport, he asked quietly. "Miss, was that really your mom?" I smiled. "Legally speaking, not for a long time." He parked at the VIP arrival area and turned to give me a thumbs up. "Well done." I got out and had just taken out my phone to check the flight information Frederick sent when someone suddenly shoved me hard. I looked up. Mrs. Lynn was supporting Lily, with Mr. Lynn standing beside them. Lincoln followed at the back. All four stared at me. What a coincidence. Such an unlucky coincidence. Lily froze first, then quickly hid behind Mrs. Lynn. The movement was so practiced it seemed rehearsed. "Mrs. Lynn, I'm scared." Mrs. Lynn immediately glared at me. "Lynn Nina, you dare follow us?"
Mrs. Lynn had already rushed up to me. "Acting all tough on the phone, then turning around and chasing us to the airport." "What, you heard Lily's picking up her fiancé today and couldn't stand that she's marrying well?" Mr. Lynn frowned, his face full of disgust. "Can you have some shame in public?" "Stop embarrassing the Lynn family." I glanced at the VIP arrival sign overhead. "I'm here to pick someone up." Lily hid behind Mrs. Lynn, showing half her face. "Stop lying." "This is the VIP passage." "How could someone who runs a flower shop get in here?" After she spoke, she covered her mouth. "Unless... someone brought you here?" Mrs. Lynn immediately jumped in. "I knew it." "Without the Lynn family to keep you in line, you've degraded yourself." "Which old man is keeping you?" Listening to this, I just found it absurd. Seven years had passed and they hadn't even updated their insults. Lincoln stepped forward, his expression ugly. "Mrs. Lynn, don't talk about Nina like that." Mrs. Lynn turned to glare at him. "You're still defending her?" Lincoln looked at me. "Nina, stop making a scene." "As long as you apologize to Lily, I'll convince Mrs. Lynn and Mr. Lynn to let you come home." I stared at him for a few seconds. "You came to my shop last night with a dead plant." "Today you're telling me to apologize?" "Lincoln, you flip-flop with quite the rhythm." Passersby stopped to watch the drama. Lily's eyes immediately reddened. "I know you hate me." "But this engagement is a major event in my life." "Why do you have to ruin it?" Mrs. Lynn's heart ached. She raised her hand to slap my face. "Today I'll discipline you on behalf of the old man keeping you!" I raised my hand and caught her wrist. She froze. I flung her hand away forcefully. Mrs. Lynn stumbled back and was caught by Mr. Lynn. "You've gone too far!" Mr. Lynn raised his hand to point at me, furious. "Lynn Nina, how dare you lay hands on your mother?" "She's not my mother." I brushed off my hands. "Touch me again and I'll make you famous at the airport police station today." Lily bit her lip, then suddenly raised her voice. "You've become so frightening." "We're just trying to help you." "If you need money, I can give you some." She pulled out a card from her bag, like she was giving alms to a beggar. "There's two hundred thousand here." "Take it and stop pestering the Lynn family." People around started murmuring. "Isn't that Lily Lynn?" "That Lynn Corporation heiress getting engaged?" "Who's the other one?" Hearing the murmurs, Lily cried even harder. She tried to stuff the card into my hand. I didn't take it. The card fell to the ground. She immediately gasped. "If you don't want it, fine, but why did you knock it down?" This routine was so familiar it made my stomach turn cold. She used to do this. Pour hot soup on her own hand, then cry that I burned her. Hide a necklace under my pillow, then say I stole it. Roll herself down the stairs, then say I was trying to kill her baby. I took a step forward. Lily immediately retreated, falling into Mrs. Lynn's arms. "Don't touch me." With that line, everyone's eyes changed when they looked at me. Mrs. Lynn seized the opportunity to shout. "Everyone look -- this is my vicious biological daughter!" "She caused my Lily to miscarry years ago, and now she's making a scene at the airport!" I watched her mouth open and close, suddenly feeling the air grow thin. For a moment, I felt like I was back seven years ago. Kneeling on the cold floor. Everyone saying I was vicious. No one listening to me say I didn't do it. Just as Mrs. Lynn was about to rush at me again, a cold voice came from behind. "Who wants to discipline my wife?"
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