Chapter 286: 286: Lan'er, I'm Sorry, Mom Only Recognizes You Now...

Words : 1473 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Chapter 286: Chapter 286: Lan’er, I’m Sorry, Mom Only Recognizes You Now... The maple leaves are like fire; Zhan Lan, adorned in a red dress, steadily approaches the General Mansion, accompanied step by step by Mu Yan in white. Every step she takes is unwavering. Today, no matter who stands in her way, she is determined to reclaim everything that’s hers! Zhan Beicang doesn’t want Mu Yan to see his tears, hurriedly wiping them away. A smile that’s not quite a smile twitches at the corners of Mu Yan’s lips, still catching Zhan Beicang’s gaze. Zhan Beicang feels a headache coming on from his expression, only now realizing the thoughts he once had: Any girl who marries Mu Yan brings misfortune to her entire family. Now, Mu Yan is actually about to marry his own daughter, becoming his son-in-law! What a disaster! Zhan Beicang tries to look nonchalant as he turns to Zhan Lan and Mu Yan; Zhan Lan bows and says, “General Zhan.” Her voice carries a detachment that instantly adds to Zhan Beicang’s discomfort. Seeing the scars on the back of his daughter’s hand and the wounds in her palm, Zhan Beicang’s heart feels as if it has been brutally carved out. He had wanted to raise a delicate and tender daughter, so he named his “daughter” Xuerou. Just thinking about Zhan Lan’s hardships on the battlefield makes him feel terrible, as if he’s being pulled into the deep sea, unable to breathe. Who knew that Mu Yan, observing Zhan Beicang’s dark circles, would comment, “General Zhan, when you’re not at court, do you spend every day at home with your daughter, Zhan Xuerou? Such deep father-daughter love.” Zhan Beicang nearly chokes on his rage at Mu Yan’s words. Zhan Lan tugs at Mu Yan’s sleeve; Mu Yan gives her an awkward smile, “Lan’er, I forgot you’ve never had a father’s love, my apologies... I misspoke, I’m sorry...” The corners of Zhan Lan’s mouth twitch; when it comes to stinging remarks, it’s Mu Yan, unquestionably. His sarcastic tone is like a blade scraping directly over one’s heart. Zhan Beicang’s face turns pitch black, yet he finds himself unable to retort to Mu Yan’s words. Zhan Lan smiles and says, “General Zhan, shall we go inside? I would like to see... Madam.” “Lan’er...” Zhan Beicang feels like a dying fish on the shore, not only devoid of water but also harshly smacked twice by Mu Yan’s spade, and then kicked back into the water by Zhan Lan. Zhan Lan walks forward with Mu Yan; Zhan Beicang follows behind, unable to utter the words of acknowledgment. As Zhan Lan steps into Qin Shuang’s room, she sees Zhan Xuerou sobbing and shaking Qin Shuang’s body on the bed, “Mother, wake up, it’s Rou’er!” “Mother, don’t believe them...” Turning back, Zhan Xuerou is about to hurl insults when she sees Mu Yan’s icy demeanor and immediately shuts her mouth. Zhan Beicang moves behind Zhan Lan, wanting to say something, but then he sees the tearful Zhan Xuerou inside the room and swallows his words again. Suddenly, Lady Li arrives in a fluster, saying: “General Zhan, I heard that Madam is ill...” Before she can finish, she sees Zhan Lan and Mu Yan in the room. Lady Li speaks apprehensively, “Upon hearing the news, I came to visit.” Zhan Lan turns to Lady Li with a frosty look; Zhan Xinzhang also hurries over. Zhan Lan glances around and says with a slight smile, “Now that everyone’s here, Lady Li, shall you tell the story of my birth, or shall I?” Lady Li, witnessing Zhan Lan’s aura, which is unlike her usual self, softens in the knees, feeling a dry throat from the intense pressure. Looking into Zhan Lan’s eyes filled with loathing, Lady Li hears her distinctly articulate, “Why did you switch my identity with Zhan Xuerou’s? How could you bear to harm an infant in its swaddling clothes!” Beicang Zhan, Xinzhang Zhan, and Xuerou Zhan were all frightened by Zhan Lan’s words. They had thought that the switch of identities between Zhan Lan and Xuerou Zhan was due to the wet nurse’s mistake in carrying the wrong child, but they didn’t expect it to be part of Li’s conspiracy. Xuerou Zhan rushed out like a madwoman, seizing Zhan Lan’s sleeves, and cried out with a pale face, “Zhan Lan, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly be Li’s daughter!” Zhan Lan pushed Xuerou Zhan away with a sweep of her arm, and said coldly, “Then let your dear mother speak for herself and explain how she schemed for riches on your behalf!” Xuerou Zhan fell to the ground and looked toward Li, whose face was equally pale. Qin Shuang on the bed heard their conversation loud and clear; her hands slowly clenched into fists, yet she couldn’t rise at all. Li looked at Zhan Lan nervously and said, “Lan’er, did you overhear some rumors? You are my biological daughter...” Zhan Lan sneered, “Stop pretending, for Xuerou Zhan you could forsake your own life. I was there on the mountain that day, did you act the same towards me?” Tears filled her eyes, her face was ice-cold, and her voice resounded powerfully, “You often told me, living under others’ roofs requires forbearance, not to be petty, and to be sensible and polite...” “You’ve often said I’m inferior to Xuerou Zhan in every way, that it’s enough to be her lackey...” “Whenever I had any conflict with Xuerou Zhan, you’d come back and whip me. Did you ever ask me why?” “Ever since I was young, you told me not to eat with my left hand, and beat me each time you saw me do it; why would you do that? Because you had a guilty conscience!” “For the sake of your own daughter, you bribed the wet nurse and switched my identity, and each month you burnt incense and prayed for your own daughter’s safety...” “Truly a ‘good mother,’ but with a venomous woman like you, why would Heaven ever help you!” “Where in the world is there a mother like you! Ah!” Zhan Lan’s emotions erupted like a long-simmering volcano, spewing out scorching heat waves. Her voice echoed throughout the entire room, the molten lava scalding everyone’s hearts. Mu Yan held her trembling hand; it turned out that his Lan’er had suffered so much. His gaze filled with murderous intent as he looked at Li, this malicious woman must die! Xinzhang Zhan felt his legs give way and collapsed onto a chair at the sound of all this. Beicang Zhan felt as if he was a fish being grilled over a fire, his blood boiling with rage as he bellowed, “Li, you actually...” Xuerou Zhan was completely dumbfounded, yet she still could not believe that Li would do such a thing. This must be a play staged by Li and Zhan Lan together. She grabbed the hem of Beicang Zhan’s clothes and said, “No, Daddy, don’t believe her words!” Suddenly, a hoarse voice came through, a woman’s voice filled with extreme anger surged like waves, “Li, how dare you treat my daughter like this...” Everyone turned towards the source of the voice, only to see Qin Shuang with her hair disheveled, getting up from the bed. She threw off the covers and staggered to Li’s front. The next moment, she forcefully grasped Li’s hair and smashed Li’s head hard against the wall. With a thud, Li let out a scream, her vision went black, and her head bled profusely. “What right do you have...” Qin Shuang shouted in despair, feeling as if the words spoken by Zhan Lan pierced through her heart like a bone needle, as a sticky metallic taste of blood sprayed from her throat. Her eyes blazing red, she looked down at Li, lying on the ground with disheveled hair, half of her face covered in blood, and said, “What right do you have to be so cruel to my daughter, whom I carried for ten months and treasured like a gem!” Zhan Lan grabbed her extremely angry mother and threw herself into Qin Shuang’s arms, hugging her tightly and calling out tearfully, “Mother, Mother...” Qin Shuang’s soul, which was dragged into hell by hatred, was pulled back by Zhan Lan’s repeated calls. She looked back at Zhan Lan. Tears in her eyes, Zhan Lan wiped the blood from the corner of Qin Shuang’s lips. Qin Shuang held her tightly, her chest heaving violently. She patted Zhan Lan’s back as if soothing an infant, repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry, Lan’er, I’m sorry, your mother has only now recognized you...”

Chapter 286: 286: Lan'er, I'm Sorry, Mom Only Recognizes You Now...

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