Elder sister preferred tranquility and embodied ladylike grace, always blessing the world with a standard, mild smile, and sitting with her legs demurely close together, inclined just slightly.
Her silky black hair streamed down her back; she had fair skin and a beautiful visage, and she favored wearing long white dresses. In the summer, when a breeze would lift the hem of her dress, she seemed nothing short of a goddess. In Ling Chuxia’s heart, her elder sister was the goddess.
As a child, she was much like any other rambunctious kid—quick to cry, quick to laugh, always stirring up trouble, as if plagued by an insatiable restlessness that never ceased. While her elder sister adored long hair, she found it a nuisance, the daily brushing and tying too bothersome. A gust of wind would send it into disarray, leaving her looking like a wild woman. Thus, one evening, she took scissors to her tresses—snip, and it was done. The following morning, as she stepped out for breakfast, she stunned both Mrs. Shi and her elder sister speechless. Even Shi Che, who had always had an air of maturity, could not hide a momentary daze in his eyes upon seeing her like that.
After the initial shock, Mrs. Shi’s astonishment turned into fury; for the first time, setting aside her dignified demeanor, she lectured her for over an hour. Then, not content with words alone, she forbade her food and made her kneel in the courtyard for an entire evening.
Elder sister loved all sorts of beautiful dresses, but she loathed them, finding them to be just as troublesome. Climbing walls, running—they weren’t practical. She much preferred sportswear and to dress in shirts and pants. Regrettably, Mrs. Shi forbade such unladylike attire in her wardrobe. Hence, she snuck school-issued sports uniforms into her backpack every day, quickly changing into them upon arrival at school, only to switch back into a dress before heading home.
She grew even more fidgety; whenever she sat, it wouldn’t be long before she started to twist and turn involuntarily, her body exuding discomfort and her concentration scattering to the winds. Consequently, she fell behind her elder sister in learning, always a few steps slower.
Luckily, ambition had never been her burden, content with a full stomach, a place to sleep, and the joy of play—everything else mattered little to her.
Compared to her elder sister, therefore, she became utterly inconspicuous.
Thus, even though both she and her elder sister were considered candidates to be Mrs. Shi’s adopted daughter-in-law, everyone, including herself, had unofficially concluded that her elder sister would become Shi Che’s wife and the Young Madam of the Shi Family.
Li Qian was unlike them. Born into wealth, she was a bona fide rich heiress, distinguished by noble birth and affluence, and naturally carried herself with pride. The Li Family lived close to the Shi Family, and having known Shi Che since childhood, Li Qian took to him early on, following him persistently, desiring to marry him and become his wife.
Yet, she never entered Mrs. Shi’s considerations. As Ling Yunshu was the preferred choice to be the Young Madam of the Shi Family, she naturally became the thorn in Li Qian’s side, the splinter in her flesh.