Nearly, twenty years ago.
A grand celebration was held in Li Mansion. It wasn"t an ordinary occasion but a birthday banquet held for a newborn baby. Perhaps to seek the blessing from all relatives and friends for the newborn Lis has invited their disowned daughter and to make safer ties with her again. On the special invitation, Mei Xing"s mother, Li Jaizhi had taken her twin daughters to meet their maternal grandparents for the first and the very last time.
Unfortunately that day, the twins couldn"t meet any of the Li family members as their mother had sent them back home immediately. Being a child Mei Xing remembers only frames of pictures from that whereas hearing chaotic voices in the background and people murmuring and gasping as if something horrible happened. But before Little Mei Xing could understand or know what was the chaos about Zhang Han"s mother, Madam Zhang which was her mother"s best friend had taken the twins along her for their safety.
Gazing through the window, Mei Xing stared at the huge mansion anxiously as her mother was still inside there, somehow those frames of images imprinted in little Mei Xing"s minds with no certain memory but she remembered the feeling attached to it. It was probably after this incident that something happened after which Li Jaizhi has decided to sent Mei Xing aboard to live along with her father. Among both the twin sister, Mei Xing was the rebellious one as she struggled for been separated from her sister but her mother was h.e.l.l-bent on her decision. Mei Xing doesn"t know why but her mother has been overly protective and defensive regarding both the twins and as Mei Lein was an obedient and docile girl from nature so Mei Lein used to listen to what her mother said indiscriminately whereas Li Jaizhi has to be more strict and stern with Mei Xing as Little Xing wasn"t obedient at all.
It"s not like the twins were separated entirely but their schooling, friends, environment everything they used to share together was changed. It was difficult at the beginning but eventually, Mei Xing settled and adapted herself according to new life. Her parent"s and sister"s love and bond remained the same as before as past memories and a.s.sociates faded with time and replaced with new and fresh ones as life moves on.
But what remained unknown to the seven years old twin sisters that it was the birthday celebration of Mei-Xing"s and Mei Lein"s first cousin. They didn"t even get to know the name or the gender of the newborn baby, nor they ever get heard about afterward their mother had strictly cut off all the ties with any of the relatives isolating them. In fact, Li Jaizhi"s family background was never discussed or talked in front of them as if the topic became a taboo itself.
That day also became the reason for the downfall of the Li Empire by their long term business allies Zhang Corporation in X city. At that time, two decades ago Warren Empire wasn"t that strong and dominating in the business market as it is today.
At present: Twenty year"s old Li Na stepped out of the car in a daze. Unable to believe in her own destiny and reluctant to go inside the mansion.
She stood rooted watching the contrast and similarities between the old image of the mansion from her memories with the existing, old and basic infrastructure which stood outlandish and proud in front of her and found them indistinguishable. Apart from the surrounding trees, garden and shades of walls nothing has reconstructed.
Mei-Xing had come back to this place where Li Jiazhi was tried to be a.s.sa.s.sinated and tricked as they were invited with ulterior motives.
Not even in millions of possibilities, Mei Xing could imagine that Li Na can be related to her. They were never supposed to meet each other, let alone dwelling into the same matters.
Li Na was her cousin.
Looking at the mansion, Li Na"s hand clutches on the hem of her cardigan sweater as her lips stretched into a thin line. Suddenly, a bad feeling rising inside her. As if the muscles of her empty stomach was twisting on their own, no matter how she tried to conceive this sickly feeling she couldn"t repress it.
Slowly, everything was getting out of her hands. She was done for sure.
Anyone related to this: Lis family can never approach any of the family members from the Warren or Zhang family. Lis wasn"t even allowed to enter inside the radius of Warrens or Zhangs, let alone Li Na proving herself to be their daughter.
Both the families had left the Lis like on the verge of life and death.
The growth of Li Corporation was also controlled by those two Empires and they were always making sure that Li Empire could never stand on its own feet ever again. Zhangs dominate them inside the country whereas Warrens crushed them on the international market stage. The ma.s.sive and huge Li Empire had become history, let alone gaining their long-gone glory was next to impossible as long as those two magnates are ruling the business world.
And for now, if Li Na was actually related to particularly...this Li family which means, in the future, she has to fight against her own families on all the levels: Warren and Zhang"s.
Because no matter what she says or does, they"ll never bat an eye to her. As her voice won"t be heard, let alone Li Na proving herself to be their daughter, Mei Xing, no one would believe her.
What an awakening day! Did this have to happen today only? Give me a break! Li Na doesn"t know whether she should cry or laugh? What else she has to face? which could hit harder than this.
From the other side of the car, Lu Jianjun got out and saw the hesitant and dazed Li Na. His brows furrowed slightly as he approached her and said indifferently. " Let"s go! It"s your home." Li Na blankly glanced at him as he raised his brows in an obvious manner.
Indecisive, Li Na took a sharp breath before taking the lead and entering the mansion. She felt like walking a path of her own destruction.
Meanwhile, Elder Li was sitting on the sofa, unlike the previous time she looked in better condition. Master Lu and Ethan were also available there but their expressions were serious and filled with tension. Apart from them, two other men were watching her with a filthy smirk on their faces. Her brows contracted to see their vicious faces. From facial similarities, that pair seem like brothers.