The Useless Stepmom Brings Her Kids to Reality TV Shows to Photograph Them

89 Li Yanchen, This Is My Secret

Li Yanchen was quiet for a moment. He took out a bank card. “This one’s for you. Use it however you like.”

Lin Wan saw that it was a Black Card. It was the legendary King of Cards! It had no spending limit and no restrictions. Lin Wan had only seen it in movies before.

She admitted that the gesture made her feel touched. But it did not belong to her. “No,” she flatly refused. “There is no need for that. I already got the funds for participating in the variety show.”

Li Yanchen forced the card into Lin Wan’s hands. “I am always away on business trips. I constantly worry that my children might need money for emergencies, so keep it with you.”

Lin Wan didn’t want to but she accepted it for the children. She held the card like it was a hot potato. Even a Black Card could not really repay her father’s kindness and sacrifice. Lin Wan’s father’s sacrifice. She wasn’t the original Lin Wan from this world. She would not spend a single cent from the card. But she agreed to keep it safe for his children.

“Didn’t you want to eat iced lobster? I asked Assistant Qin. He found a place near here with very good reviews. I can take you there today.” Li Yanchen internally felt relieved when he saw Lin Wan keep the card.

Lin Wan had casually mentioned that she wanted to eat iced lobster on the last day of the live broadcast, in the group dinner. There had been prawns that time and Lin Wan recalled Yang Ruoxi’s delicious, iced lobster.

‘Did they do this even if it was just a contractual marriage?’ Lin Wan wondered. But she didn’t know the original owner and couldn’t be sure if they had been this close before. “You wanted to talk to me last time. We can do it today while we eat,” said Lin Wan with some difficulty. She was ready to tell him everything.

The restaurant that Li Yanchen had chosen was very close to the Royal Water Bay Villa. After driving for just ten minutes, the car arrived at the place. The restaurant was on the third floor, so they took an elevator.

The elevator was filled with advertisements and posters. Lin Wan felt that the names of the shops were rather stupid. The author should have used real world reference.

The two of them chose a table by the window. In the past, the lobsters that Lin Wan had eaten were either personally prepared by Yang Ruoxi or they were bought from the night snack stalls. In summer, lobsters had to be seasoned with the flavor of the market to have a soul. However, the restaurant that Li Yanchen had chosen was located in a shopping mall and was not humble at all. It was rather fancy.

The menu had a leather cover, and the first half of the book had all lobster dishes with various flavors, while the second half was crab.

“One iced lobster, and one preserved vegetable lobster. Assistant Qin recommended preserved vegetable lobster,” he explained to Lin Wan. “What else do you want to eat?” he asked while holding the menu.

Iced lobsters cost 688 yuan per plate (20 in total). Lin Wan glanced at the price. ‘It must be made with Maotai!’ thought Lin Wan. It came to around 35 yuan per serving! For that amount, Yang Ruoxi could buy a giant 21 pounds lobster!

“That should be enough,” said Lin Wan.

In the end, Li Yanchen ordered a serving of all the flavors except for the spicy garlic one. When the five different lobster dishes were served, Lin Wan couldn’t stop herself from picturing a 35-yuan price tag on each serving. She took her first bite, and she only tasted copper.

Li Yanchen wanted to peel the shell for her, but Lin Wan refused. She told him that while eating lobsters, half the fun was in peeling the shell, otherwise one could not enjoy the lobster to the fullest. That was just an excuse. Lin Wan felt that she wasn’t deserving of such kindness from him. However, she did teach him to suck the juice from one of the lobster legs.

Li Yanchen had never seen such a down-to-earth side of Lin Wan before. With a piece of lobster meat in his hand, he looked at the woman in front of him who was explaining how to eat the lobster to enjoy the fullest flavor.

“Why are you looking at? Eat.” Lin Wan felt his eyes on her.

“You said you had something to talk about?” Li Yanchen copied her and sucked on a lobster leg to get at the juices.

Lin Wan held her breath and picked up a wet towel to wipe her hands. She then looked at him with a serious expression on her face. “You don’t have to be so good to me.”

Just as he expected, Lin Wan felt that he was breaching the terms of their contract. Li Yanchen hurriedly explained, “Don’t feel burdened. I am willing to do this. It has nothing to do with anyone or anything.” He wanted to explain that he wasn’t trying to repay her father’s kindness.

Lin Wan’s eyes widened. She understood what Li Yanchen meant. She paused for a long time. “I am not her,” she blurted out. “Don’t you realize that our personalities are so different? I might not be able to become her again.”

Li Yanchen had suspected that Lin Wan had two personalities, but he seemed to have fallen for the current one.

“I know, Wanwan. You’re good now. You’re much better than before,” he said in a deep voice.

Lin Wan was confused. ‘What does he mean? Does he already know I transmigrated into the original Lin Wan’s body?’

“I don’t belong in this world. I don’t know if I can go back or not,” she said. She realized that the explanation would be even more vague and confusing. So, she simply blurted out that she had transmigrated into this world. To prove it, she told him that she had no recollection of Lin Wan’s past. If she did, she wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing like a collaborated livestream with Song Jing.

Li Yanchen thought that Lin Wan’s second personality was stronger than her first personality and that she could control this second personality much better. It was just that her brain was still a little muddled. When the second personality took over, the main personality’s memory of that period was wiped out. Hence, he could understand the changes in Lin Wan and her inability to recall her memories. He liked Lin Wan the way she was.

Lin Wan had thought that Li Yanchen would not believe her. After all, this was all ridiculous. However, Li Yanchen nodded and said that it was okay.

She sighed. She knew he didn’t believe her, and she might never be able to make him believe in something like that. “Eat,” she said. “We can live according to the agreement in the future.”

Li Yanchen’s lips stiffened. He had considered asking Lin Wan if she wanted to cancel the agreement. He was afraid that accepting his three children would be too much for her if they went through with it. But now, Lin Wan had told him herself that they would follow the agreement.

Lin Wan, who thought that she had laid all her cards on the table, felt much more relaxed upon returning to the Royal Water Bay Villa. At the very least, she no longer needed to put on an act in front of Li Yanchen.

Li Yanchen went to his study to finish the last of his work. He then went to the living room with a glass of milk. Lin Wan was there watching TV.

“Still not sleeping?” Li Yanchen passed the glass of milk to Lin Wan. “You said you wanted to expose Song Jing? I Can help you. Lu Yao will definitely be able to find evidence.”

During dinner that night, in order to prove that she was not the original owner of the body, Lin Wan had deliberately brought up Song Jing to make it clear that she did not have the original owner’s memories. However, she had mentioned that she didn’t want to let it go that easily.

“Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to do it? Will you be okay after digging out old wounds?” he asked.

“Yes, Song Jing sent me a message this afternoon, confirming the date of the class reunion. It’s on the 10th of July. Wu Zhenzhen and the others are on the list. It’s only a few days away. Can you really get evidence?” When Lin Wan mentioned their names, her blood boiled in anger. “They have also invited reporters for that day. The theme is “Ten years later: I am still a teenager”. They are really promoting the event without any restraint.”