Rich Cat A Would Never Fall in Love with a Fake Heiress - Chapter 3

The pale blue floral-hemmed skirt shimmered under the sunlight. A girl with fair skin and serene eyes stood at the entrance of the estate, accompanied by a housekeeper dressed in a black-and-white uniform.

Li Peiqian glanced at her own clothes.

They had been bought hastily from a supermarket by the group who brought her here, clean and presentable.

But now, standing before this girl, she felt an urge to hide, an inexplicable surge of resentment and anger rising within her.

At that time, Li Peiqian didn’t yet understand that this was the shame of feeling inferior.

The strange adult who had been accompanying her released her hand. The impeccably neat girl smiled and exchanged a few words with them, her voice soft and devoid of the gritty tones of the slums.

Then she looked down at Peiqian and said, “You can call me Sister Mo Wang.”

Li Peiqian knew a thing or two about reading people. Though Mo Wang’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes were cold.

So, she pulled her hand back from Mo Wang’s outstretched one, stubbornly glaring without a word, she didn’t want anyone to see her uneven teeth or hear her unpleasant accent.

Mo Wang’s expression cooled as well. Finally, after a prolonged stare-down, she was the first to look away and turn around.

“Follow me. Mother is waiting.”

Watching her retreating figure, Li Peiqian felt helpless. The housekeeper merely adjusted her glasses, took a step back, and walked off on her own.

Left with no choice, she hesitantly stepped forward, entering the seemingly warm and luxurious mansion alone.

What followed was chaos.

The mansion was filled with strangers, their buzzing conversations ceaseless. The moment she stepped inside, all eyes locked onto her, filled with greed, resentment, and wariness.

A woman draped entirely in white, with a silk scarf reminiscent of a noose, rushed toward her in tears. But as she drew near, she seemed to hesitate, instructing Mo Wang The woman’s eyes were red, but no tears fell.

Amid the crowd’s coaxing, the woman feigning reluctance, ended the brief hug, wiped her hands, and returned to her armchair.

The man beside her stepped forward, looking down at Peiqian with a stern voice. “Since we’ve finally found you, let’s name you Mo Li, meaning ‘never part again.’”

The woman nodded. “Mo Li, this is your father, and I’m your mother.”

Mo Li had no concept of parental affection. Her thin hands clenched into fists as she remained silent, her gaze wary.

Disappointed by the lack of the heartfelt mother-daughter reunion she had envisioned, the woman waved her hand dismissively. “Never mind. Mo Wang, take her around to familiarize her with the place. Teach her a few things.”

Mo Wang bowed her head slightly, her demeanor respectful. “Yes, Mother.”

Without another word, she took Mo Li’s hand. Her delicate, cool palm felt comforting, and Mo Li instinctively followed her up the spiral staircase, down a long corridor, until they stopped before a room.

Mo Wang produced a key, unlocked the door, and stated plainly, “This is your room.”

She let go of the key, and it fell glinting toward the ground. Mo Li, sharp-eyed, caught it mid-air. When she looked up again, Mo Wang had already turned and left.

Like a cat cautiously exploring an unfamiliar environment, Mo Li slipped into the room, drew the curtains shut, hesitated for a moment, and then settled into the narrow space between the bedside cabinet and the wall.

Parents and a sister appearing out of nowhere, a seemingly clean and tidy place to live, everything felt suspicious and unsettling.

These upheavals were too much for a twelve-year-old to bear, but Mo Li’s energy was limited after all. As she mulled things over, she found herself in the crevice of the wall, and for the first time in her life, she fell asleep without her nightly prayer titled “Enduring a Beating.”

The next morning, sunlight crept through the gaps in the curtains and filled the room. Mo Li was lured awake by the aroma of food. Rubbing her eyes, she realized she was lying on a mattress so soft it seemed to swallow her whole.

On the bedside table were fragrant pink slices of meat, along with eggs and bread.

Her stomach rumbled as if urging her on. Mo Li eagerly reached out, but a figure blocked her way.

It was Mo Wang. She pulled open the curtains, and sunlight spilled over her white dress.

“Brush your teeth first.”

Her tone was flat and unemotional. Mo Li felt that unless absolutely necessary, Mo Wang had no intention of speaking to her at all.

Entering the bathroom, Mo Li found rows upon rows of bottles and jars lining the shelves. She only recognized the toothbrush. Stuffing it into her mouth, she gave it a quick scrub and was about to return to her interrupted breakfast.

In the end, Mo Wang couldn’t stand to watch any longer.

“I’ll only show you once.”

…

Over the next three days, Mo Wang would occasionally drop by, each time bringing clothes, a doctor, a tutor, a makeup artist, a custom tailor, a stylist, and more. Yet the relationship between the two remained distant and stiff.

Mo Li was thoroughly primped and preened from head to toe, but the unfamiliarity and unease in her heart gradually faded.

However, Mo Li’s parents seemed incredibly busy. In the days that followed, they never once came to see her.

So, at the banquet celebrating the return of the Mo family’s long-lost daughter, Mo Li chose to sit in the empty seat next to Mo Wang.

Mo Wang said nothing but reached over to correct her improper use of the cutlery.

Seeing the two getting along well, Mrs. Mo’s face broke into a slight smile. Relieved, she turned to the lady beside her to boast about the latest celebrity fashion trends.

Mo Li still wasn’t very skilled with serving chopsticks, and when she saw delicious food, she couldn’t resist indulging. Mo Wang had no choice but to ask the nearby server to pick out a few dishes and serve them to her.

Mo Li was happy to save the effort. But halfway through her meal, a girl around her age approached with a plate of mango pudding, a sweet smile on her face.

“Is it hard for you to pick up food? This is really delicious. Would you like to try it?”

Mo Li was taken aback. A few days earlier, the family doctor had tested her for allergens, and mango was one of them.

But it was rare to meet someone she could talk to, and she didn’t want to refuse.

Mo Li opened her mouth, trying to sound sincere. “I can’t eat this… The doctor said it would make me very sick…”

The girl seemed not to hear. “They don’t have mangoes in the slums, do they? How would you know it makes you sick if you’ve never tried it?”

Mo Li was speechless.

If this were the slums and she’d encountered a rude troublemaker, she would’ve already cursed them out or retaliated with her fists. But this girl hadn’t insulted her outright. The curious stares of the people around her and the towering presence of the servers reminded her that things were different now.

It was so frustrating. She’d been dragged here for no reason, yet no one seemed to value her.

Watching the girl’s mocking expression, Mo Li could no longer contain her anger. She raised her hand, ready to knock over the pudding and punch that infuriating face.

But a firm pressure on her shoulder stopped her. Mo Wang smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, her gentle voice laced with sarcasm.

“Miss Lin, my sister is allergic to mangoes and can’t eat them, just like your brother is allergic to propriety and shame. He can’t eat anything now either, can he?”

At these words, the whispers around them grew even louder.

“Isn’t the Lin family’s eldest son the one who broke off his engagement without permission?”

“I heard he’s even involved with prostitutes, is now riddled with diseases, and has gotten into drugs.”

“Oh my, how could this be? Their family’s marriage alliances are untouchable now. The matchmaker this time has offended both families.”

Lin Qianying’s face turned pale, then flushed red. She finally couldn’t hold back her tears and ran away.

Mo Li was pressed back into her seat by Mo Wang.

“Losing your temper and hitting someone in public is shameful behavior. Next time you want to refuse something, just say ‘I don’t want to’.”

Mo Wang lowered her eyes as she lectured.

“Explaining yourself only makes you appear guilty. Setting boundaries is what commands respect.”

Mo Li blinked. Mo Wang was only a finger’s width taller than her, and they were probably around the same age.

She averted her gaze and responded for the first time: “Understood, sister.”

If only the dinner had ended like that that night, all the conflicts that followed would have ceased right there.

But Mo Wang was called away by their mother to discuss matters, while Mo Li, having eaten too much, went for a solitary walk around the mansion to digest.

The night was deep and shadowy. In the early summer garden, roses climbed over the European-style trellises, concealing elegantly dressed guests and their whispered conversations.

This was a beauty unseen in the slums. Mo Li stood on her tiptoes, intending to quietly pluck a flower, when a sharp voice startled her. Distracted, she cut her finger on a rose thorn.

“Don’t bother. The girl the Mo family brought back is just a fool, completely obedient to Mo Wang. She’ll be devoured until not even her bones remain.”

On the rattan chair beneath the flower trellis, a woman with crimson lips and a slender figure spoke arrogantly. Lin Qianying, no longer appearing pitiful, chimed in agreement.

“She probably doesn’t even know that Mo Wang lived a comfortable life in her stead for over ten years.”

In my stead?

Mo Li froze.

Madam Lin raised an eyebrow. “Back then, Mrs. Mo only gave birth to one child, that’s absolutely certain. The Mo family concealed the fact that their daughter went missing. I initially thought this new girl was Old Mo’s illegitimate child, but judging by Mrs. Mo’s attitude today, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Lin Qianying hesitated for a moment before asking, “So then?”

Madam Lin clicked her tongue. “How can you be so slow? If that girl Mo Li isn’t illegitimate, then Mo Wang must be. Who knows which mistress pulled off this ‘switching the heir’ trick.”

“Honestly, a plot straight out of a TV drama actually happened.”

Lin Qianying grew eager. “Then if we expose Mo Wang’s secret, won’t she…?”

Madam Lin’s gaze turned even more disdainful. “Wouldn’t that offend the Mo family as well? Why can’t you learn to think like your brother?”

She lit a cigarette and pressed it against a rose petal. The petal curled and gradually withered.

“That girl Mo Li has no one looking after her. All the servants in the Mo family are in cahoots with Mo Wang. She’s isolated and helpless, and sooner or later, she’ll be eroded and swallowed up bit by bit by Mo Wang.”

She turned away. “We’ll just wait for everything to settle, then reap the rewards.”

Watching their figures disappear at the end of the rose-covered corridor, Mo Li finally released the hand she had clamped over her mouth and began wandering aimlessly.

She bit down hard on her knuckle, the taste of blood spreading.

The pain gradually stirred her mind, which had been numbed by the comfort she’d grown accustomed to.

All those years of hunger, cold, and beatings were because Mo Wang had taken her place and enjoyed this life of luxury in her stead.

Rage roared like thunder in Mo Li’s mind. And now, this woman even dared to gradually sideline her in front of their biological parents, trying to claim everything for herself.

A drop of blood fell onto her white dress, stark and glaring.

Amid the scalding heat of her fury, Mo Li grasped a sliver of calm. Though Mo Wang had disliked her and never sent anyone to care for her these past days, she had personally handled many matters herself.

Could there be some misunderstanding? Should she really trust the Lin family, who had mistreated her, and doubt Mo Wang?