"The guests have arrived." Someone hurried into the inner room and whispered to the people inside.
"You may all leave now." A stern elderly woman spoke up, "I want to speak with them alone."
"Yes, Madam Yun." Everyone in the room withdrew.
Someone invited Cecilia Gu and the other two inside.
Cecilia Gu gently touched her belly with her right hand and stepped inside.
The inner room was arranged a bit differently from the outer room.
The inner room was so simple it was almost shocking. An elderly woman with silver hair and an elaborate bun rose from a mat on the floor, supported by a middle-aged woman, and finally turned around.
Cecilia looked at her and couldn’t help but think: Her eyes are terrifying.
Mo Zixuan paused, then quickly bowed in greeting, "Madam Yun, Zixuan greets you."
Mu Ruona was stunned. So this is Madam Yun?
Madam Yun really is something else...
The middle-aged woman beside Madam Yun was probably her personal assistant.
After serving tea to Cecilia Gu, Sophie Mo, and Rona Muir, she quietly left the room.
Once there were only four people left in the room, Madam Yun finally spoke: "We finally meet."
Cecilia Gu quickly looked up at Madam Yun, confused about what she meant.
"It's been twenty-three years, don't you think you should call me 'grandmother'?" Madam Yun looked calmly at Cecilia. "Aren't you curious about your origins? Isn't it easier to ask me directly?"
Cecilia hadn't expected Madam Yun to be so blunt.
Madam Yun's calm and straightforward attitude stunned not only Cecilia, but also Sophie Mo and Rona Muir.
Rona Muir was less affected, since she came from an ordinary family.
But Sophie Mo was from the powerful Mo Family—there weren't many people who could impress her.
Madam Yun set down her teacup and looked at Cecilia, completely composed. "Aren't you dying to know why I abandoned you for Nora? Why I let you fend for yourself? Why I ignored you when you returned to the Yun family? Wouldn't it be easier to ask me directly?"
Cecilia was left speechless.
She suddenly didn't know what to say.
All you could say was, Madam Yun was truly formidable.
"Let me answer your three questions," Madam Yun continued, not waiting for Cecilia's response. "Nora was born one minute before you—and the moment she arrived, all the flowers in the room suddenly bloomed, filling the air with fragrance. But when you were born, a star fell from the sky. You know I come from a family of astrologers. It's in my blood. I realized immediately that the Yun family would decline because of you. As the head of the Yun family, tell me—should I have kept you or not?"
"You might say astrology is just superstition, that I simply didn't like you and wanted you gone. But 370 years ago, it was Yun family astrology that predicted a princess would be born. Soon after the Manchus entered China, Yun Zixiao became a famous consort. A hundred years ago, when the Japanese invaded, our astrologers predicted disaster for Y Province, and the solution lay with our family. The head of the family carried priceless ancient books and explosives, threatening the invaders with destruction if they advanced. That’s how our legacy survived."
"I gave you and Nora your names—both mean 'obedience' and 'compliance with fate.' It was a reminder not to defy destiny. The Yun family could rise or fall because of you two. If you were in my position, what would you have done?"
"Second question: Why did I let you fend for yourself? That's easy. You were born a minute after your sister, but with a doomed fate. The better your life, the sooner Nora would die. Since you’d already left the Yun family, I couldn’t risk the next heir. Logically, your death would have been best for Nora. But you’re still my granddaughter, so I sent you away—as far as possible. The farther you were from her, the safer she’d be."
"But fate always has other plans. The university you got into was just one city away from Nora’s. When Nora turned twenty-one, her luck ran out, and no one could fight destiny anymore. Nora was gifted and sensitive. Everyone believed her twin sister died at birth—your parents included. But Nora never believed it. She was sure her sister was alive, probably because you were so close and she could sense your fate."
"Third question: Why did I ignore you when you came back? Honestly, do you think you could have returned without my approval? You were born with a cursed fate—killing energy and resentment. The only way to break it was to get pregnant. Once you conceived, the baby’s spirit began to heal your destiny, dissolving all that negativity. And this child of yours must be extraordinary—if they weren’t strong enough, they couldn’t have survived inside you."
"In other words, the child you’re carrying might be destined for greatness. Once your fate returns to normal, why would I refuse to let you come back to the Yun family? Like I said, you’re still my granddaughter. Nora is gone, and the Yun family needs an heir—no matter how tough you are."
Madam Yun really was straightforward—she laid everything out in just a few sentences.
Cecilia Gu was left in a daze.
Sophie Mo and Rona Muir didn’t look any better.
Both of them glanced at Cecilia’s belly at the same time.
Rona Muir remembered what the doctor had said.
Back when Cecilia risked her life to save the Korean chairman’s wife, she was hit by a car.
She hadn’t been struck in the belly, but the fall was serious.
Even the healthiest person would show signs of miscarriage after a fall like that.
But Cecilia didn’t—her health was almost unbelievable.
Could Madam Yun really be right about all this?
Was this child’s fate truly strong enough to cancel out all the misfortune Cecilia was born with?
Ugh, I’m an atheist!
What am I even thinking?
Cecilia finally let out a soft sigh. "But Madam Yun, how could you be so sure I’d come back to the Yun family? I just acknowledged my godparents…"
"You’ll come back," Madam Yun interrupted firmly. "Because you have no choice."
Cecilia frowned.
"Aren’t you worried my return will bring ruin to the Yun family?" Cecilia asked quietly.
"Heh... Your curse has been lifted. Why would you be a danger to us now?" Madam Yun laughed. "As I said, the Yun family’s fate rests with you—whether we rise or fall depends on your destiny. Now that your fate has changed, what’s there to fear?"
Cecilia was about to say more, but Madam Yun frowned and waved her hand. "That’s enough for today. I’m tired. You should all go."
Cecilia was left speechless, unsure what to say.
Madam Yun’s domineering attitude was just like Charles Yin’s.
Sophie Mo stood up, ready to leave.
Cecilia followed Sophie Mo and got up to leave too.
"Wait a minute," Madam Yun suddenly called out to Cecilia. "You have the bracelet with you, don’t you?"
Cecilia nodded.
"That’s right," Madam Yun smiled gently. "See, I never told your parents to do that, but they did it anyway. Isn’t that fate? All right, you can go now."
Cecilia nodded again, said goodbye, and left.
Even after leaving the teahouse, Cecilia still felt like she was dreaming—none of it seemed real.
Had she really just met her biological grandmother like this?
And then that weird conversation happened?
Honestly, she barely said two sentences the whole time.
But maybe that’s what made it all feel so strange, right?
After the three women left, Madam Yun paused for a moment, then spoke to the shadow behind the screen: "They’re gone. You can come out now."
The next second, a tall, elegant figure slowly stepped out from behind the screen.
He was dressed in luxurious clothes, every gesture full of elegance and confidence.
His blue eyes held a respectful smile.
"Well, Max Mo, are you satisfied?" Madam Yun didn’t even look up as she picked up her teacup, gently blowing on the tea leaves. "But tell me, does any of this really matter?"
If Cecilia, Sophie Mo, and Rona Muir had seen this, they would’ve been totally shocked!
After all, Max Mo had just said he had important business right after landing.
But who would’ve guessed he’d come here, too?
And the person he was meeting was Madam Yun.
Max Mo smiled gently. "That was our agreement, wasn’t it?"