A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Qin Yan walked up the steps.

She closed her umbrella, and Cheng Tianxun walked towards her; the Lan family members consciously made way for her.

No one dared to look directly at her, but they were all secretly observing her.

Qin Yan looked back.

Her eyes met Lan Muhe's.

Two years after returning to Nancheng, Qin Yan and Lan Muhe met three times. However, they never greeted each other and simply passed by.

Lan Muhe acted as if she didn't recognize her. The rest of the Lan family shared the same attitude.

"Let's go," Cheng Tianxun said to her. "Be careful not to touch anything dirty."

After he said that, the Lan family members consciously stepped back a little.

When I came to my senses, I was very annoyed.

"He's too arrogant!"

"No wonder the warlord dislikes him; he's utterly vulgar. Even the most foolish person would give my father some face, but look at him!"

"His young mistress is stingy and doesn't seem like a good person at all."

Lan Ershao is the simplest of the bunch; he's easily provoked and can't keep secrets.

He said, "That young mistress looks a bit like my mother."

Everyone looked at him.

"Don't you think so?" he asked.

Everyone was united in their anger and condemnation of Cheng Tianxun when he suddenly said this. Regardless of the truth, it was inappropriate.

"Not at all," Lan Muhe said confidently. "Mother is more dignified and elegant, while this young mistress is more gentle and charming."

"That's right, it doesn't look like it."

Someone immediately chimed in.

In the Lan family, Lan Muhe was the only one favored by her grandmother, who would still fawn over her even if she didn't like her.

Who would deliberately go against their grandmother?

As they were talking, Lan Changming and his wife arrived.

"Why don't you go in?" Lan Changming held an umbrella for his wife, and the two walked up the steps.

"Let's go in now," Lan Muhe said with a smile, stepping forward to take Madam Lan's arm. "Mother, why aren't you wearing the shawl I gave you?"

"I didn't remember," Madam Lan said with a smile.

She resisted the urge to pull her hand away.

"You don't like it, do you? Mom, let's go shopping at the foreign trade company after we finish eating. I'll pick out another one for you; and one for Grandma too," Lan Muhe said.

Lan Changming: "Muhe is the most filial. She always thinks ahead of us and takes care of our filial duties."

Madam Lan smiled and said, "Yes, Muhe is the best-behaved."

As she went upstairs, Madam Lan subtly shook off Lan Muhe's hand, feeling a little relieved; yet, because of her own attitude, she felt even more uncomfortable.

Just then, the quick-witted and enthusiastic third daughter-in-law grabbed her arm, squeezing out Lan Muhe's place and bringing Madam Lan back to her senses.

As they were serving the dishes, an adjutant came in and said, "Chief of Staff, the warlord and his wife, the second concubine, the two young marshals, and the second young mistress are all in the private room next door."

"Which two young marshals?" Lan Changming asked.

"The Second Young Marshal and the Third Young Marshal."

Lan Changming's face immediately turned ugly, even showing some anxiety and trepidation.

He couldn't help but glance at Madam Lan.

"The warlord and his wife haven't given us an explanation for Cheng Tianxun's actions last time," Madam Lan said. "Perfect timing..."

Lan Changming pressed down on her shoulder: "Never mind."

He then winked at the children, saying, "Let bygones be bygones. The warlord knows right from wrong. You should try to persuade your mother."

Lan Muhe walked over and put her arm around Madam Lan from behind: "Mother, please don't be angry."

Mrs. Lan just wanted her to let go quickly, so she patted her hand and said, "I'll listen to you. Go sit down, you're so old and still acting like a child."

Lan Muhe smiled and released her hand.

Some people complimented, "The youngest sister is the most favored. Mother favors her, and whatever she says goes."

"She only has one daughter, so of course she loves her the most," someone else said.

Mrs. Lan: "I owe your sister so much. I contracted tuberculosis when I gave birth to her in the dead of winter."

Fearing that she might be taken care of, I had no choice but to leave her with my grandmother. I was ill for almost a year before I recovered, and because of the turmoil in the military government, I had to take care of everything at home, so I didn't bring her back.

I saw her again after giving birth to her when she was three years old. Every time I think about it, I feel incredibly guilty.

This is the truth.

Madam Lan always felt that the reason she was so annoyed with Lan Muhe and hated her day by day was because Lan Muhe had never been by her side since she was a child.

As a mother, she neglected her daughter too much.

Those three years didn't build any emotional foundation, and from then on, I had no chance to be with this daughter.

Actually, she could have brought her daughter back immediately after she recovered from her illness; saying she was busy with housework and that things were turbulent, wasn't she just trying to slack off?

Everyone has moments of laziness.

Mrs. Lan had already given birth to five children at that time, and she had a good relationship with all of them. She never expected that things would turn out this way with her daughter.

She felt both disgusted by Lan Muhe and guilty.

Disgust is an instinct, unreasonable and without reason; guilt is her upbringing, and after reflection, she always feels that this emotion is wrong.

"Mom, if you really feel guilty, give me more as part of my dowry when I get married," Lan Muhe said with a smile.

"Of course," Mrs. Lan said. "Don't be jealous, she only has one sister."

Everyone hurriedly said they didn't know how.

Apart from the eldest daughter-in-law, both other daughters-in-law were present; it's hard to say what they were thinking.

Madam Lan possessed enormous wealth. The Du family was once the richest family in Nancheng, and she received half of their fortune as part of her dowry; her brother's wealth still astonished Nancheng.

For each of her sons' weddings, Madam Lan would give her daughters-in-law an extra dowry, which she paid out of her own pocket.

But the grandmother and Lan Muhe have made it clear time and again that Lan Muhe will receive more in the future.

Mrs. Lan herself agreed.

The daughters-in-law have no say in this matter, and no matter how dissatisfied they are, there's nothing they can do. Madam Lan's dowry belongs to her personally, and no one has the right to complain.

They have so much wealth that even such a sensitive matter is not a big deal in the Lan family.

"I'll go and tell the warlord that none of you need to go," Lan Changming said.

Madam Lan chatted with her children, and their laughter filled the entire private room, so much so that it could be heard even in the adjacent room of the warlord.

"They're from the Lan family," Second Madam Su Yaxi said with a smile. "The Lan family is so harmonious; it's truly enviable."

The military governor agreed wholeheartedly.

The family he longed for most was probably like the Lan family.

pity……

The biggest obstacle was Cheng Tianxun, who had hated his brothers since childhood.

The warlord thought of this and glanced at him.

Cheng Tianxun seemed oblivious.

The warlord's wife saw this and spoke coldly: "One husband and one wife, and the children are all from the same mother, of course they will get along well."

At this point, she glanced at Qin Yan and added, "Of course, it could also be that they are heartless and utterly devoid of conscience."

The warlord coughed lightly, his expression slightly grim.

The second concubine didn't understand the second half of the sentence; she only thought the first half sounded unpleasant.

Qin Yan's expression remained unchanged.

Lan Changming entered at that moment.

He exchanged a few pleasantries with the others, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Qin Yan's face.

Qin Yan nodded slightly.

The second concubine and the third young marshal Cheng Tianyu both looked at the two of them.

According to the warlord, Qin Yan is Lan Changming's illegitimate daughter; and Lan Changming has always had a good reputation and loves his wife, so the existence of this illegitimate daughter is both ironic and an eyesore.

"Second Young Madam, may we speak alone?" Lan Changming asked.

Qin Yan: "I didn't take the initiative to speak to anyone from your family, Chief of Staff Lan."

The expressions on the faces of the people on the warlord's side varied.

Lan Changming looked both embarrassed and heartbroken: "That's not what I meant."

"If you want to discuss any private matters with me, you can go to my villa; or you can go to my newspaper office," Qin Yan said.

He added, "As for trivial matters during casual conversation, you don't need to tell me."

Lan Changming's face turned slightly pale.

He exchanged a few more polite words with the military governor and then left the private room.