Lin Mengxing suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud. "That's actually a pretty accurate description."
Shen Yunyun quickly tugged at her, signaling her to look at Sheng Sinian.
Sheng Sinian was frowning, his face full of displeasure as he looked over in their direction.
Not only was he looking over, but the other guests were also glancing their way. Many of them, upon seeing Lin Mengxing, opened their mouths slightly in surprise.
Sheng Sinian narrowed his eyes, staring at them in shock.
"Qingyu." Sheng Sinian strode over to Lin Mengxing.
Lin Mengxing quickly stepped back to avoid his touch. "Sir!"
Shen Yunyun swiftly moved forward to block him. "What do you think you're doing?"
Sheng Sinian didn't look at Shen Yunyun; his eyes were fixed on Lin Mengxing.
Standing behind Shen Yunyun, Lin Mengxing met Sheng Sinian's gaze.
Though her body was that of a seventeen-year-old girl, her eyes could never return to the clarity, innocence, and kindness of a seventeen-year-old.
Having been married to her for many years, Sheng Sinian was naturally familiar with her gaze.
Lin Mengxing knew that Sheng Sinian knew she was Lin Qingyu, but she pretended not to.
Sheng Sinian also knew that Lin Mengxing knew he knew she was Lin Qingyu, but he said nothing.
The two simply stared at each other.
"I'm sorry, my father is overwhelmed with grief and mistook you for someone else. Please forgive us." Sheng Mingyang walked over, pulling Sheng Sinian back, and looked apologetically at Shen Yunyun and Lin Mengxing.
Lin Mengxing only glanced at him, unwilling to spare him another look.
Between Sheng Sinian and Sheng Mingyang, she hated Sheng Mingyang more.
This was the child she had painstakingly brought into the world, the one she had poured so much emotion into. The more she had invested, the deeper the hatred when she was betrayed and hurt.
She chose not to forgive.
Sheng Sinian seemed to snap back to reality, letting out a self-deprecating laugh as he quickly apologized to the two. "I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else."
"Sister?" Qiao Shiyue's surprised voice came from behind.
Shen Yunyun's expression immediately darkened.
"Sister, you're not telling me you couldn't make it out there and ended up turning to fraud, are you?"
Qiao Shiyue widened her eyes, then, as if realizing she had said something wrong, covered her mouth, putting on an expression that suggested she had just spoken too quickly.
Everyone's gaze toward Shen Yunyun shifted, especially Sheng Mingyang's.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Mingyang, this is my parents' adopted daughter. After my parents acknowledged me, she stubbornly ran away from home. But I don't know why she's with a woman who looks so much like Mrs. Sheng, and she just happens to show up at the most painful time for you and Uncle Sheng."
Qiao Shiyue's words were a blatant insinuation that Shen Yunyun and Lin Mengxing had ulterior motives.
Sheng Mingyang's expression grew darker, and Shen Yunyun's face also fell.
That wretched Qiao Shiyue—every time she saw her, she wanted to hit her.
"Sister, if you can't make it out there, the Qiao family's door is always open to you. You can't go around breaking the law, you know. And you, miss, you've had quite a bit of work done on your face, haven't you? Where did you get it done? The results are pretty realistic—you really do look like Mrs. Sheng."
Everyone's gaze toward Shen Yunyun turned suspicious. This young girl in front of them, so young, how had she gotten into this kind of shady business?
Those who were a bit older could recognize that the girl beside her was the spitting image of Lin Qingyu in her youth.
Lin Mengxing quickly raised her hand and fanned the air. "What's that smell?"
"What smell?" Shen Yunyun played along.
"The smell of tea. Aged, eighty-two-year-old green tea." Lin Mengxing sneered.