"Excuse me, is this the Chang residence?"
Dressed in a shabby Taoist robe, Ming Wei stood at the entrance of the luxurious villa. "Could you please tell Mr. Chang that I am his long-lost daughter and I would like to see him."
The servant was stunned, "I will take you in immediately!"
Under the guidance of the housekeeper, Ming Wei entered the villa. The grey Taoist robe she wore fluttered in the breeze, contrasting with her ethereal beauty, exuding an extraordinary and detached temperament.
She sighed quietly. If it weren't unavoidable, she wouldn't want to acknowledge her kinship.
Two months ago, she found her luck had suddenly turned for the worse.
First, the talisman paper she had painstakingly drawn was gnawed into shreds by rats, then in the middle of the night, her bed suddenly broke, and even while eating steamed buns, she almost choked.
Growing up in a Taoist temple, Ming Wei had learned a lot from her master. In desperation, she drew a divination for herself.
To her surprise, the signs showed that there was someone in this world with whom her "fate was linked"!
The so-called fate-linkage means that two people signed a life-and-death contract in the underworld in their previous lives.
Fate is truly a wonderful thing. When one person falls into misfortune, the other person bound to them also experiences great misfortune.
Having done her calculations, Ming Wei found that the person linked to her fate was none other than Sheng Yan Chen, the widely renowned third son of the Sheng family in the capital city.
This gentleman had just turned 25 this year and was handpicked successor to the Sheng Group's CEO.
Sheng Yan Chen had previously led an exceptionally smooth and successful life.
Who would have known that this year, he had offended some deity and had suddenly fallen ill, and quite seriously at that.
By coincidence, at this crucial juncture, Ming Wei started having a streak of bad luck.
To save herself, she bravely descended the mountain to seek the Sheng family. It was the Sheng's housekeeper who received her.
"Young Master Sheng is possessed by an evil spirit and is afraid he won't escape death within a month."
After hearing this, the housekeeper's face spasmed, a hint of anger flitting across his face. "Young girl, you have hands and feet, why resort to swindling? Are you not afraid of divine retribution? Servants, throw her out!"
Ming Wei turned a deaf ear to the housekeeper's expulsion, continuing to speak, "Looking at your serious appearance, rosy complexion, and prominent cheekbones, you are typically strong on the outside but weak on the inside. When Young Master Sheng is gone, you may fall ill from melancholy and not survive past sixty."
"You cheeky girl!" The housekeeper nearly choked on his air at Ming Wei's words.
Recently, Young Master Sheng fell seriously ill, and the Sheng house was at a loss.
Once this news spread, it attracted many swindlers.
This girl standing before them was one of them. She claimed to come from a Taoist temple and cursed that Sheng Yan's life was not long for the world.
"Every word I said is true." Ming Wei stared at the housekeeper, standing upright with her petite figure, "Only I can save your young master in this world. He is not just sick, but has gotten involved with something filthy. Even if all the famous doctors in the world are invited, it would be in vain."
"I think you're the filthy one. Out! Out! Get lost quickly!"
Ming Wei was thrown out of the villa by the guards as if she was trash.
Ming Wei dusted off her pants and stood up, cursing inwardly: if it weren't for our intertwined fates, who would care about your life or death!
Just then, she heard two servants prattling on.
"Eh, did you hear? Mister Sheng's fiancée seems to be cancelling the wedding!"
"What? No way? Is it true?"
"Mister Sheng has been sick for so long, and she's never even shown up. This news has spread all over the capital."
"What? Isn't his fiancée the young miss of the Chang family? The relationship between the Chang and Sheng families is so tight, to call off the wedding at this time is pretty cold-hearted, isn’t it..."
Upon hearing this, Ming Wei jumped up from the ground and quickly approached the two servants: "The Chang family you mentioned, is it one of the four major families in the capital?"
The servant nodded, "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Ming Wei's eyes lit up instantly.
She remembered her master saying that when he found her in the wild mountains years ago, she had a longevity locket around her neck.
It was years later that she discovered that the emblem of the Chang family was carved on the back of the locket.
Since she remembered being abandoned by her stepmother, she never thought about returning to her family.
Until now, having heard that the Miss Chang was about to call off her wedding...
Ming Wei quickly thanked the servants and then left the villa.
Thirty minutes later.
Following the instructions of the divinatory symbols, Ming Wei arrived at the Chang’s.
Looking at the luxurious villa in front of her, she felt a mixture of emotions. She had thought she would never have anything to do with the Chang family in her life.
Who knew fate was such a mischievous force, leading her around in circles and back to here.
As she walked with the servant to the entrance of the villa, a vexing argument echoed towards her.
"Sheng Sanshao is on his deathbed, yet you guys still force me to marry him. Are you even my real parents?"
Inside the villa.
Chang Yue was ranting hysterically, her eyes filled with resentment.
Chang Dejun's face turned ashen, just as he was about to snap, Lai Guirong stepped forward and held Chang Yue's hand, speaking with heartache, "YueYue, I know you're hurt, but this marriage has already been decided…"
"What does it matter? I don't want to marry anymore." Chang Yue violently shook off Lai Guirong's hand, "I'm still young; I don't want to become a widow!"
Upon hearing these words from Chang Yue, Ming Wei, overcoming her hesitations, walked past the indecisive housekeeper and walked into the room.
"Sheng Sanshao's illness isn't terminal. If you marry him now, you will become one of the young mistresses of the four great families of the capital. If you let this opportunity slip by, once he recovers, you will surely regret it."
Upon hearing this, Chang Yue was taken aback.
Once she realized what Ming Wei was implying, she instantly became livid!
"Who are you to come here and point fingers at me?!"
Ignoring Chang Yue's outburst, Ming Wei took out an ancient amulet from her bag, handing it to Chang Dejun.
"Mr. Chang, do you still remember this?"
The moment they saw the amulet, both Chang Dejun and Lai Guirong were dumbfounded!
Chang Dejun received the longevity locket, carefully cradling it in his palm for a meticulous examination.
Suddenly, he tightly gripped Ming Wei's shoulder, his voice trembling, "Girl, where did you get this thing from?"
"This is mine." Ming Wei answered truthfully, "When Master found me and took me in, I was already wearing this."
Upon hearing this, Chang Dejun's heart pounded like a thunder, his breathing becoming labored rapidly.
Eighteen years ago, his elder daughter, Chang Wanyi, disappeared unexpectedly.
The entire family scoured every possible location, yet they couldn't find a trace of their daughter.
And this longevity locket was the only token she had left!
