Chapter 5: Disfavored First Daughter

With such enthusiastic and quick changes in her tone, Jiang Chenhe was momentarily stunned. She followed the figure that was being painted over and saw a woman in a dark blue dress, with long black hair draped over her shoulders, leaning against a beauty rest. Meanwhile, Lu Chengjun stood behind the woman, delicately applying a white cream to her face and gently massaging it in circular motions with his slender fingers. A maid occasionally handed her refreshments and fanned her attentively, while everyone around wore flattering expressions.

The woman smiled and looked at Lu Chengjun behind her with indulgence, "You little rascal, your words are as sweet as honey. If I were ten years younger, wouldn't I still call you sister!"

Although she didn't hear what was said earlier, Jiang Chenhe could guess that Lu Chengjun had said something flattering again. Indeed, at this moment, her mother was only thirty-two years old, and being ten years younger would make her twenty-two, the prime of a woman's life. Just as she thought of this, the maids around her all bent over with laughter.

As the painting was brought over, she smiled and said, "Madam, if you use this cream to look ten years younger, won't we maids turn into children?"

"Haha!" The maids burst into laughter, and Mrs. Jiang scolded and playfully punched her, "You little rascal, always imitating Jun'er, speaking in such a slick manner!"

While dodging and laughing, the painter said, "Where, where, I've learned Jun'er's skills. I'll be able to do your face tomorrow! Right, Miss Lu?"

"Yes, yes!" Lu Chengjun smiled, but her hands didn't stop moving. "Rehualing is skillful, and I can't compare to her!"

Feeling even more pleased, the painter said, "Madam, see, I'm right, aren't I?"

The maids looked at the painter's smug and self-satisfied look, and their laughter became even more joyous.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chenhe stood frozen at the door. The excitement on her face had long faded, leaving her pale and helpless. But no one noticed her change. Her own mother was still joking with Lu Chengjun, and the maids of the Jiang family were still flattering her with sweet words and smiles. It was as if she, the daughter of the Jiang family, was just an irrelevant outsider.

Jiang Chenhe trembled with pain, her lips quivering. The scenes of her past pain and helplessness replayed in her mind: at fourteen or fifteen, being alienated by her family and unable to even have a sip of hot porridge when she was sick; at seventeen, being told that her family had abandoned her as a worthless child; and in the first year of her imprisonment at eighteen, longing to see her parents, only to be coldly rejected...

She felt so bitter and pained!

Unfortunately, she had been too confident at that time, thinking that her intelligence could turn the tide. She had also been too naive, believing that family would always be family and that parents would never give up on her. But she didn't expect that people's hearts could be disappointed and hurt...

But the main culprit behind all of this...

Jiang Chenhe slowly, coldly turned her gaze towards Lu Chengjun. At this moment, Lu Chengjun was pleasing her mother, enjoying everything that rightfully belonged to Jiang Chenhe. She almost couldn't control herself from rushing over and tearing her apart, inflicting a thousand cuts on her!

But she couldn't! She couldn't do it!

Because she had already fallen out of favor, despised by her elders, siblings, and the entire Jiang family. On the contrary, Lu Chengjun was in a much higher position in the Jiang family. If she dared to say anything against Lu Chengjun, everyone in the Jiang family would spit on her!

So, unfortunately, she hadn't been reborn at the age of twelve, giving Lu Chengjun the opportunity to grow stronger. Otherwise, at that time, she could have easily crushed her!

However, she could endure, she could wait!

She had survived five years in prison, so what was a little more waiting?

Moreover, with the memories of her past life, knowing what would happen in the future, she could completely torment Lu Chengjun. Since fate had given her this opportunity, she would repay Lu Chengjun a hundredfold for the pain she and the entire Jiang family had suffered!

Thinking of this, Jiang Chenhe's eyes were filled with determination. She relaxed and smiled slowly, then walked step by step through the crowd, pushing through to stand in front of Mrs. Jiang, and knelt down to pay her respects, "Daughter pays her respects to Mother."

Suddenly, everyone was stunned, and then their expressions turned to disgust, as if she deserved to die for interrupting their conversation.

Jiang Chenhe's heart suddenly ached, but she seemed unaware. Her gaze was fixed on Mrs. Jiang, filled with unspoken longing and love. She had finally seen her mother!

Finally!

At this moment, she longed to throw herself into her mother's arms and cry, to express the joy of their reunion and the five years of suffering in prison!

But...

All her fervent thoughts and love were frozen by the coldness in her mother's eyes. Jiang Chenhe stood there in a daze, her body trembling uncontrollably.

But Mrs. Jiang seemed not to notice. She turned to Lu Chengjun and asked, "Jun'er, where were we just now? How much will the Snow Beauty series sell for after it's launched?"

"Oh..." Lu Chengjun hesitated for a moment, then seemed to consider whether to help Jiang Chenhe out. She replied, "Three hundred taels of silver, perhaps..."

"Gasp..." Someone gasped, "That's the annual salary of a second-rank official!"