Li Lan smiled apologetically. "Sister-in-law, our Rosalie truly adores you. She was thrilled when she heard you'd be staying for a few days. This scarf is something she chose with great care and thought."
"Yes," Su Changrong added with a nod.
Jiang Meiling glanced at Rosalie, who was practically bending over backwards to please her. Compared to Celia's poised elegance just moments earlier, the difference was like night and day.
A true daughter is a true daughter—there's no faking it.
"I don't like scarves," Jiang Meiling said coolly.
Rosalie froze on the spot.
It wasn't the first time she had run into a wall with Jiang Meiling. For some reason, Jiang Meiling simply didn't like her. Trying to recover, she turned to little Doudou instead. "Doudou, can I hold you?"
The boy shook his head immediately. "No, Mommy, I want to play with that sister."
"That sister? Who do you mean?"
Su Mo answered, "Second Brother, we just ran into Celia."
Celia?
Li Lan's expression turned instantly sour. "Celia's here? That girl grew up in the countryside—no manners at all—and she's been in one mess after another. She didn't cause you any trouble, did she?"
Jiang Meiling frowned, her tone sharp. "No. In fact, Doudou had an asthma attack just now, and it was Celia who saved him. She even left us a herbal candy for him to take tonight."
"What? Celia saved Doudou?" Li Lan's voice dripped with disbelief. "She must have been guessing. What does she even know?"
Rosalie's gaze flicked to the small wrapped candy in Jiang Meiling's hand. "Aunt, my mom is right—Celia doesn't know anything. You can't give that to Doudou. I've been worried about him, so I made one myself. Here, give him mine instead."
She quickly pulled out her own candy pill.
But Jiang Meiling didn't even glance at it. "We'll take the one Celia gave us."
"But Sister-in-law, that girl—"
Jiang Meiling cut her off sharply. "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, have you forgotten that Celia is your biological daughter? The one standing next to you has no blood relation to you whatsoever. This is the first time I've ever seen parents treat their own child like this."
With that, Jiang Meiling carried Doudou upstairs without another word.
Su Changrong and Li Lan stood there awkwardly, both stung by the rebuke. Rosalie's face had gone pale—the last thing she wanted was for anyone to bring up the truth about the "real" and "fake" daughters.
Celia again. Somehow, Celia had managed to win over Third Aunt in just one meeting.
Later, in the dining room, Rosalie spotted the maid holding Celia's candy pill, about to dissolve it in water. She strode over, snatched it out of the maid's hand, and tossed it straight into the trash.
"Miss, what are you doing—?" the maid gasped.
Rosalie pulled out her own candy pill, her expression dark. "That Celia is just a bumpkin from the countryside. She knows nothing. What if her pill harms Doudou? Use mine instead."
"Yes, Miss."
The maid hurried to prepare the one Rosalie had given her.
Rosalie felt a wave of satisfaction. When her candy pill "saved" Doudou, Third Aunt would naturally see her in a better light.
She would not allow Celia to steal the spotlight.
Pulling out her phone, Rosalie dialed a number. "Have you contacted Celia's stepfather in the countryside? Make sure he gets here as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, at the CC offices, Celia had just arrived for work when she heard a voice call out, "Celia!"
Looking up, she froze.
It was her stepfather, Li Chong.
He had a swarthy, weather-beaten face and a patch over one eye—the other blinded years ago under mysterious circumstances. He walked toward her with a slow, deliberate gait, his gaze raking over her in a way that made her skin crawl, the look in his one good eye equal parts predatory and malicious.