Chapter 15: The Xu Residence

In the stark face of reality, I find myself without any alternative path forward. My only recourse is to gamble with my very existence, to use my life and death as pawns to alter my fate.

In this life, my reliance on others is a thing of the past. I have only myself to trust and depend upon. Alone, I am my source of strength and support.

现实是我没有别的出路，唯有拿自己的生死为赌注，来把命运来博。

这一世我不再寄希望于任何人，我只相信我自己，我靠的也只会是我一个而已。

With a mixture of fear and hope, I followed the woman as she led me away. I knew that my mother''s life would be difficult, but I also knew that the money this Madam had given her would alleviate some of the burdens. It was a bittersweet moment, but I knew we both needed to move forward.

带着恐惧和希望，我跟着这位夫人走。我知道母亲的日子会很艰难，但我也知道这位太太给她的钱会减轻一些负担。这是一个苦乐参半的时刻，但我知道这对我们母女俩都是必要的。

I followed the woman to the grand mansion of the Xu family. This lady turned out to be Madam Xu, the wife of a wealthy merchant, and I was pretending to be Swallow, the well-known rich lady of a wealthy businessman.

我跟着妇人来到了高门大厦的徐府，这夫人居然是一富商的夫人徐夫人，而我冒充的居然是一位远近闻名的富商之女徐飞燕。

I decided to plan carefully before taking action. After all, I was just a child now and probably wouldn''t arouse much suspicion. I had to find a way to stay.

谋定而后动，我现在毕竟是个孩子，想来不会引来太大的猜忌，我一定要想办法留下。

However, things were far more complicated than I had imagined. Although Madam Xu treated me as her daughter, believing I was her child, the rest of the Xu family did not share her view.

可是事情远远没有我想象的那么简单，这位徐夫人虽然把我当作亲生女儿，她认为我就是她的女儿，可是徐府的其他人却并不这样认为。

The Xu family had a young master, my nominal elder brother, and Master Xu, the head of the family.

徐家有一个少爷，是我名义上的兄长，还有一个徐老爷，是徐府当家作主的人。

This father and son did not welcome me. My arrival had somewhat alleviated Madam Xu''s longing for her daughter, but they had always known that I was not the Xu family''s daughter and that I was unrelated to them. Furthermore, they were fully aware of my