The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

At Shen Lu’s insistence, Bai Wanwan was forced to abandon her original plan.

"Shen Lan is obviously trying to show off to you, and you’re just going to dress simply? You should go in full glam and outshine everyone, don’t you get it?"

Bai Wanwan was exasperated. She was willing to be the sidekick, but Shen Lu refused to be the star.

’She’s really changed.’

"There’s no need."

Shen Lu picked a very understated little black dress from Bai Wanwan’s closet, applied some light makeup, and finished by casually tousling her hair.

Bai Wanwan circled her and said with conviction, "I never would have thought this style would suit you so well."

Previously, Shen Lu had favored cute, ladylike gowns, making her look like a cloyingly sweet little cake.

But this little black dress, with its metallic accents, suited her surprisingly well.

Even though Shen Lu had asked to keep things simple, getting ready still took two hours. It was nearly 6 o’clock when Bai Lei knocked on the door again, reminding them it was time to leave.

The three of them drove to the Shen Family’s residence. After getting out of the car, Shen Lu stared at the familiar yet foreign Shen Family Villa, and her heart gave an involuntary pang.

This wasn’t her emotion, but a residual reaction from the body’s original owner.

For the original owner, returning to the Shen Family had likely been an obsession—not because she longed for the people, but because she wanted her old life back.

Shen Lu didn’t have much to say about that.

Whatever the original owner wanted had nothing to do with her. She was the one in control of this body now.

The Shen Family Villa wasn’t as large as the Bai Family’s estate. After all, the Shen Family wasn’t as wealthy as the Bai Family, so it was only natural their residence would be a step down.

Bai Lei offered his arms, gesturing for Bai Wanwan and Shen Lu to take one each.

Bai Wanwan took her brother’s arm, but Shen Lu politely declined. She and Bai Lei weren’t that familiar with each other.

The three of them entered the Shen Mansion side by side, presenting their invitations at the door.

The person greeting guests was Shen Yi, the eldest son of the Shen Family and Shen Lan’s biological older brother.

Shen Yi was twenty-one years old. He had completely inherited Mr. Shen’s looks, was of average height, and had a corpulent figure.

When he saw Shen Lu, Shen Yi’s expression visibly changed, and he made no effort to hide his disgust.

Shen Lu only met his gaze for a polite moment while handing over the invitation before looking away.

Shen Yi had no sense of brotherly duty. Even before the original owner’s true identity was exposed, he had often bullied her.

After finding out she wasn’t his biological sister, Shen Yi’s attitude toward her became like his attitude toward the servants—or even worse.

In the villa’s main hall, Mr. Shen was busy entertaining guests.

He froze for a moment when he saw Shen Lu, apparently surprised to see her there.

Mr. Shen walked over with a frown, his tone hostile. "What are you doing here?!"

"Me?" Shen Lu tilted her head. "You’ll have to ask Shen Lan. She’s the one who shamelessly pestered me to come."

Mr. Shen glared at her. "Today is Xiao Lan’s birthday party. You’d better be on your best behavior!"

Shen Lu shrugged. "I’m always well-behaved. It’s other people who cause trouble."

Her attitude was too casual, giving off a flippant air that Mr. Shen deeply disliked. Still, he didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he went to find Shen Lan.

"I sent her the invitation," Shen Lan admitted. "Father, I already asked Mother about it. She approved."

Mrs. Shen, who was adjusting her hair in a nearby mirror, let out a soft "Mm." "I had her come for a reason."

"What reason?" Mr. Shen was still unaware that Mrs. Shen and Shen Lan had their sights set on the position of Crown Prince Consort. In fact, if he had known, he would have said the mother-daughter duo was delusional.

Mrs. Shen knew her husband’s personality all too well and had deliberately kept it from him.

"Oh dear, you can’t just stay up here. You’re neglecting the guests downstairs. It’s so rude."

Mrs. Shen found an excuse to send Mr. Shen away, then turned back to Shen Lan.

"You have to do your very best today."

Shen Lan nodded vigorously. "Don’t worry, Mother. I’ve practiced the piano piece until it’s perfect. My teacher even says I have a gift for it."

Mrs. Shen relaxed slightly, but then another worry surfaced.

"Do you think Princess Ruoxin will come?"

"She should," Shen Lan said, lightly biting her lip. "Li Zexing promised he would bring her."

"Is your connection with that Li Zexing reliable?"

"I helped his mother once."

It had happened when Shen Lan was just a child.

Li Zexing’s mother, Lin Xin, was the archetypal pampered wife who had run away from her wealthy family while pregnant. Shen Lan had helped her by chance. Later, after Lin Xin was brought back to her family, she gave Shen Lan a keepsake, telling her that if she ever faced a problem she couldn’t solve, she could come find her at the Li Family home.

When Shen Lan was a bit older, she had wanted to find Lin Xin. But Lin Xin had only given her the keepsake, no money. It took Shen Lan several years to save up enough for the travel pass. After finally finding Lin Xin, a bizarre twist of fate led her to discover her own true identity.

Shen Lan looked at Mrs. Shen’s face. ’Thank goodness I completely inherited my mother’s looks,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, I would never have been able to live the life of a wealthy heiress.’

Down in the main hall, Shen Lu was bored to tears, fiddling with her fingers to pass the time. A buffet was laid out on a long table in the dining area. The spread looked impressive, but only looked it.

"This is disgusting." Bai Wanwan put down her plate in disappointment. "Not nearly as good as Shen Lu’s cooking."

Bai Lei swirled the champagne in his glass. "Very few people come to a banquet for the food."

"True enough." Bai Wanwan sat down beside Shen Lu. "It’s almost seven. Isn’t this supposed to be a birthday party? Why haven’t they blown out the candles and cut the cake yet?"

’Once the cake is cut, my job here is done, and I can go home.’

Shen Lu nodded in vehement agreement.

Just then, the lights suddenly dimmed, and a single spotlight illuminated the top of the second-floor staircase.

Shen Lan, dressed to the nines, appeared, gracefully descending with Mrs. Shen on her arm.

Bai Wanwan took one look and it dawned on her. "I get it! Dressing people up like little cakes must be Mrs. Shen’s perverse hobby!"

Shen Lan’s makeup and styling today were a carbon copy of Shen Lu’s old look: a pure white princess gown adorned with fresh flowers—a crinoline was a must—and lips shimmering with gloss.

It wasn’t that the look was unattractive, but that it simply didn’t suit Shen Lan.

As Shen Lan descended the staircase, she carefully scanned the crowd. When she didn’t spot Li Zexing and Princess Ruoxin, she started cursing him out creatively in her head.

’Didn’t he promise me he’d do it?’

’Isn’t he the biggest star in the Imperial City?’

’He can’t even handle one little thing. What a useless loser!’

She paused on the final few steps. Just as Shen Lan was about to address the guests with words of thanks, the main doors burst open, and a spoiled, complaining voice drifted in.

"What is this? Why is it so dark in here? Are you trying to make this princess trip and fall to her death?"

After a frantic scramble, the dim hall was brightly lit once more. Shen Lan, whose speech had been interrupted, showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, she approached respectfully to offer a greeting.

"Hello, Princess Ruoxin. I am Shen Lan, a friend of Li Zexing’s. Thank you so much for gracing my birthday party with your presence."

’This is great! Li Zexing really did bring Princess Ruoxin!’

Princess Ruoxin brazenly looked Shen Lan up and down. ’She’s not as pretty as I am,’ she thought. ’Brother Ze Xing would definitely never fall for her.’

The tense expression on Princess Ruoxin’s face relaxed somewhat, and she managed a condescending smile.

"Oh, it’s your birthday. Well, happy birthday, I guess."