The hospital indeed arranged a new room for An Che, with better facilities and environment than the previous one.
An Ruo finished cutting the fruit, stuck a toothpick in it, and fed it to him.
"Sis, am I causing you trouble again?" An Che leaned against the headboard.
An Ruo tucked the blanket around him. "I'm your sister; taking care of you is my duty."
An Che felt deeply guilty.
They weren't blood-related, only having grown up together in an orphanage. When An Ruo first arrived, he comforted her and gave her a piece of candy.
From then on, whenever he was bullied, An Ruo would always rush in front of him and chase the other kids away. Over time, they started calling each other brother and sister.
Later, kind Grandma An took them into the An family, gave them new names, and they could finally enjoy warm meals.
But he had been frail and sickly since childhood, and An Ruo always took care of him, tirelessly shielding him from danger whenever trouble arose.
An Che's eyes drooped. "Sis, now that we've left the An family, I hope you can live the life you want." He didn't want her to be burdened by him anymore.
"What nonsense are you talking about? This life is exactly what I want." An Ruo patted his head. "Don't overthink it. Rest well, and when you're better, I'll take you to Ning City for a trip."
Ning City was An Che's birthplace. Because he was born with weak lungs, his parents abandoned him in Shen City during a trip when he was two, and he was later taken in by the orphanage.
His biggest dream was to return to Ning City.
---
An Ruo walked out of the hospital and hailed a taxi back to the An family home.
She was determined to reclaim the dowry that was rightfully hers from the An family.
The housekeeper saw her return and pointed at her arrogantly. "Who told you to come back? Get out now, or I'll have someone throw you out!"
Several servants gathered at the sound.
An Ruo frowned slightly, her gaze suddenly sharp and cold. "I am the eldest young mistress of the Shen family. Who dares to stop me?!"
"If I lose so much as a strand of hair, the Shen family will repay it tenfold!"
An Ruo's attitude was firm and unyielding—this was one of the rare times she had shown such boldness since joining the An family. Usually, no matter how unfairly she was treated, she had to swallow her pride and refuse to back down.
But now, she exuded a powerful aura...
The housekeeper felt a chill of fear. It was true she had married in place of An Qing, but could she really have won the favor of the Shen eldest young master and come back to settle scores?
The servants hesitated, unsure whether to drive her away.
"You haven't even been married a few days, and you're already putting on airs as the Shen family's eldest young mistress." An夫人 sneered as she stepped out of the living room. "I was just about to look for you, but you've come to me instead. How reckless."
An Ruo's brows showed nothing but courage. "That's perfect—saves you the trouble of sending people to cause trouble at the hospital."
Seeing her completely unafraid expression, An夫人 began to doubt whether she had truly won the Shen eldest young master's favor. If she had, that would be a real problem!
An Qing had suffered a loss at the hospital and told her everything that happened. She had planned to use the incident to spread rumors that An Ruo was involved with another man, hoping the Shen family would discard her.
But now An Ruo had come to her doorstep, boldly flaunting her status as the Shen family's eldest young mistress and daring to challenge her.
An Ruo stared straight at her. She didn't want a repeat of what happened at the hospital. The An family had betrayed her and hated her to the core; if she continued to endure in silence, it would only embolden them!
After the hospital incident, An Qing was utterly furious with An Ruo. Hearing the commotion outside, she ran out and saw her standing alone at the An family home.
"An Ruo, you bitch!" she roared, lunging forward to slap her.
But before her hand could fall, it was caught midair.
An Ruo gripped her wrist tightly and flung it away. "Did you think I'd let you hit me a second time?"
Seeing An Ruo resist her for the first time in her life, An Qing's eyes widened in disbelief. She tried to strike again but froze at the woman's words, her raised hand hanging in the air.
"The Shen eldest young master's men are right outside. If you're not afraid of dragging the An family into trouble, go ahead and hit me."
An夫人 frowned. This girl had always been timid in the An family, never daring to lift her head in their presence. Now she was openly defiant—clearly, the Shen eldest young master must have favored her.
"Qingqing, come here."
An Qing gritted her teeth in fury, glaring at her but not daring to act rashly. She snorted coldly and returned to An夫人's side.
"So, what does the Shen young mistress want by visiting today?"
"I've come to take what belongs to me."
An夫人 snorted coldly. "The An family is no longer your home. There's nothing here that belongs to you." What could possibly be hers?
The An family had raised her for all these years—what did she think she could take?
"The fifty thousand dowry I'm owed."
An Qing sneered. "Fifty thousand? I've never heard of such a thing. Stop spouting nonsense here!"
"Last time I came, I ended up in a miserable state. Out of gratitude for the An family's kindness to me, I didn't let the Shen eldest young master know about it. If I leave empty-handed this time, don't blame me for exposing the marriage substitution."
"We're all in the same boat. Do you think exposing us will do you any good?"
An夫人 was certain that Old Master Shen didn't care about the substitution—he just wanted a woman to personally care for the Shen eldest young master and produce heirs for the main branch.
"Nothing to say now, huh?" An Qing laughed coldly. "You there, grab her!"
"Wait!" An Ruo gambled everything. "If you lay a hand on me, the Shen eldest young master's men will storm in immediately. Even if you don't care about this getting out, you must be afraid of offending the Shen family, right?"