Every little move Zhou Xinyi made was carefully observed by Xu Yaoyao, confirming her belief that her sister’s thoughts were glimpses of future events.
Since avoiding it was impossible, she decided to seize the initiative instead.
Xu Yaoyao rose slowly and spoke in a cold voice:
“Grandmother would rather have you hate her for a lifetime than let my existence come to light. Such profound motherly love—shouldn’t you, as her daughter, honor her wishes?”
Zhou Xinyi’s heart tightened as she looked up in panic, tears streaming down her face. She choked out, “No, it’s not like that, Yaoyao—”
“Besides, it seems you’re doing just fine now. We’ve lived apart for over twenty years without interfering with each other. Why break this peace now? My current parents treat me very well, and I love them dearly. I don’t want them to get hurt. So, let’s pretend we’ve never met. I won’t disturb you, and you shouldn’t disturb me either. Let’s each live our own lives.”
Zhou Xinyi stood up from her seat and grabbed Xu Yao’s wrist, refusing to let her leave so heartlessly.
She bit her lip, steeled herself, and knelt down, pleading, “Yaoyao, you can’t. You can’t abandon your mother. I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I came to find you only to make amends. Please, give me a chance to atone, please?”
The single word “please” carried the endless humility and desperation of someone seeking forgiveness. Her trembling voice, thick with sobs, was heart-wrenching, drawing tears from anyone who heard it.
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Dw Zysuys zsolale bla tygl vs vbl ekpvaywtbv osxyd kd qasdv sq bla. Mbspl sdnl nbyaxkdt, ywvwxd-zkjl lulp dso alplxczle okvblale qzsolap, vblka tygl qkzzle okvb cswdezlpp rzlyekdt yde bsrl. Rv oyp rkvkqwz.
Jwv obyv eke vbyv byhl vs es okvb bla?
Ebldlhla pbl kxytkdle vbl bursvblvknyz pnldyaks sq bla ckszstknyz xsvbla’p nyznwzyvle pnblxlp, y nbkzz ayd esod bla prkdl.
Mbl xsal ryppksdyvlzu Hbsw Dkduk rlaqsaxle bla aszl, vbl ellrla Dw Zysuys’p byvale talo.
“Nlv xl alxkde usw: usw olal vbl sdl obs ycydesdle xl qkapv. Qaydexsvbla xyu cl elprknyczl, cwv usw yal osapl. Zsw jdlo usw nswzed’v rasvlnv uswa sod nbkze, ulv usw pvkzz kdpkpvle sd cakdtkdt xl kdvs vbkp osaze.”
Hbsw Dkduk’p takr valxczle hkszldvzu, yde vlyap olzzle wr kd bla lulp ytykd.
“Ebld usw nbspl y xyd obs pbkajle alprsdpkckzkvu yde elqkle uswa ryaldvp’ okpblp qsa uswa sod plzqkpb qwzqkzzxldv, vbl csde clvolld wp yp xsvbla yde eywtbvla ldele. Fs clqsal R pyu yduvbkdt lzpl usw osd’v oydv vs blya, zlv xl zlyhl.”
Dw Zysuys pzsozu cwv alpszwvlzu rwzzle bla byde qall, bla xkde xyel wr.
Zhou Xinyi felt as though she’d been thrown into an icy abyss, the cold spreading from her feet to engulf her entirely.
Why was this so different from her plans?
Why was Xu Yaoyao so merciless? Where had she gone wrong?
Suppressing her shock, Zhou Xinyi crawled forward on her knees, continuing to beg,
“No, Yaoyao, don’t—don’t leave—”
Xu Yaoyao’s decisive and brisk departure stabbed deeply into Zhou Xinyi’s heart. She even wondered if her daughter’s cold-heartedness was a perfect inheritance from her.
Only when Xu Yaoyao’s figure completely disappeared did Zhou Xinyi stand up, gracefully dusting off her knees.
Taking a deep breath, she restored her usual indifference, a stark contrast to her earlier portrayal of a sorrowful and humble mother.
She called an employee to confirm that Xu Yaoyao had indeed left before dialing Qian Chuan.
Given the current situation, it seemed their plan needed adjustments.
When Qian Chuan arrived, slightly disheveled, Zhou Xinyi was staring blankly out the window. Seeing him, she only cast a fleeting glance before withdrawing her gaze.
“How did it go? Is the girl as gullible as we expected?” Qian Chuan’s voice was tinged with urgency.
Zhou Xinyi let out a sardonic laugh.
“Gullible, you say? What kind of people did you hire for the investigation? They described her as naïve and sweet, but the real person is impervious to our advances. I truly wonder how Xu Yanwen managed to raise such a child with his incompetence.”
Qian Chuan’s expression darkened, his eyes flickering with a trace of malice. Clearly, the plan wasn’t proceeding smoothly.
He poured himself a cup of tea and spoke in a low, somber tone, “Tell me, what exactly did you say to her?”
Zhou Xinyi recounted their conversation in detail before adding, “She looked as if she already knew what we were up to. Her guard was up. Could she have figured something out?”
Qian Chuan chuckled. “With Xu Yanwen’s pitiful intelligence, if he’d figured anything out, would he have obediently raised someone else’s child for over twenty years?”
One sentence left Zhou Xinyi speechless. Back when they decided to switch the children, they had meticulously prepared for everything.
They abducted their biological daughter and sent her to a familiar orphanage. Then, they bribed the Xu family’s DNA testing technician to forge the report. Everyone involved in the operation was paid a hefty hush fee, and their children were sent abroad under the guise of further education, effectively serving as hostages to ensure their silence.
Throughout the real daughter’s upbringing, they had her secretly monitored 24/7. From the start of her schooling, they made sure her life was full of hardship, every step a struggle. After graduation, her life was made even more unbearable, cultivating resentment toward society and the family that had “abandoned” her. This was all to prepare her for a future confrontation with the fake daughter who had taken her place.
For twenty-five years, every detail of the plan unfolded as intended. They even calculated when Xu Yinyin, the fake daughter, should be returned to the Xu family to maximize conflict and mistrust, accelerating the Xu family’s internal collapse. Nothing could go wrong.
“Are you sure Xu Yinyin has already been brought back?” Zhou Xinyi asked uneasily.
“She was brought back two days ago. Yesterday, the whole family even visited the old patriarch.”
“If they’ve met the patriarch, that means her identity has been confirmed. But what if they investigate Yaoyao’s background?”
“Impossible. Xu Yaoyao is the result of Xu Yanwen and his wife’s decades of care and love. How could they bear to simply hand her over to someone else? They’d rather the real parents never show up. Besides, if word got out that they raised the wrong child, they’d become a laughingstock. Their pride is too important to them. This is the kind of thing they’d rather suffer in silence than admit publicly.”
“That’s true. When we came up with this plan, we banked on the fact that elite families value their reputation above all else. Even if they find out, they wouldn’t throw Yaoyao out. And we’re not looking for recognition anyway. What we want is to work with Yaoyao to devour the Xu family’s entire fortune.”
Seeing the woman he cherished regain her resolve, Qian Chuan smiled and pulled her into his arms.
He spoke softly, “Don’t worry. Every humiliation you suffered at the hands of Xu Hongshan and his son, I’ll make sure they pay for it tenfold. Until then, just focus on winning over Yaoyao.”
“Her coldness now stems from resentment. Once she feels your genuine remorse and love, she’ll naturally lower her guard. Xu Yinyin hasn’t started stirring up trouble yet, so Yaoyao still has time to dwell on her unhappy origins. When Xu Yinyin begins targeting and isolating her, she’ll come to realize she’s an outsider in the Xu family. By then, she’ll see us as her lifeline. After all, we are her only true family. So, take your time. Don’t rush.”
“Hmm. Thank you, Ah Chuan. Without you, I’d be long dead. You gave me a second chance at life and taught me to fight back. Don’t worry. I’ll keep working to get closer to Yaoyao. I won’t let twenty years of planning go to waste.”
Qian Chuan responded with a gentle hum and held her even tighter.
Outside the hospital examination room.
Xu Yanyan paced nervously, biting her nails one moment and furrowing her brow the next. She looked as though she were being roasted alive, restless and agitated.
She was genuinely terrified that Guo Cheng might uncover a problem. If their marriage was destined to remain childless, what path should she take next?
Yinyin’s inner voice tormented her with guilt. She knew she shouldn’t use a child to tie Guo Cheng to her, nor should a child be a tool to mend a fragile relationship.
A child should be the result of love, the continuation of affection. Anything less would only harm the child.
But she was afraid—afraid of losing Guo Cheng, afraid that her years of admiration and devotion would end up as nothing more than a humiliating joke.
When she had pursued Guo Cheng, her efforts had been bold and passionate. On the day they entered the marriage hall, the news had been covered nationwide.
That wedding, from the guest list to the grandeur of the banquet, and down to every detail of the ceremony’s design, was hailed as one of the most extravagant in history.
If it all ended one day with the headline, “Wife divorces husband after enduring repeated infidelity,” what kind of public scrutiny would await her then?
No. Never!
Even imagining such a scenario sent chills down her spine. If that day ever came, she was certain she would die of shame and anger.
She would never allow herself to end up in such a predicament.
“Click.”
The examination room door opened. Guo Cheng emerged, casually rolling up his shirt sleeves, his demeanor light and pleasant—neither impatient nor irritated.
Following closely behind him was Dr. Xu. Seeing him, Xu Yanyan immediately stepped forward, her tone slightly anxious. “Dr. Xu, what’s the result of the examination?”
Dr. Xu smiled warmly. “Ms. Xu, there’s no need to worry. We’ve collected the necessary samples from your husband. The specific data will take one to two working days to process. I’ll notify you both once the results are ready.”
A hint of disappointment flashed across Xu Yanyan’s eyes. She had hoped for answers that day.
“Thank you, Dr. Xu,” Guo Cheng said on her behalf, expressing gratitude.
“Thank you,” Xu Yanyann added, forcing a small smile.
After seeing Dr. Xu off, Guo Cheng gently placed his hands on her shoulders, his voice soft and reassuring. “Don’t worry, my love. I’ve always maintained a regular workout routine and feel perfectly fine. You’re just too anxious. Like Dad said, don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Let’s take it one step at a time, alright?”
Xu Yanyan murmured a quiet acknowledgment.
“Come on, let me take you home before I head to the office.”
Just as Xu Yanyan slipped her arm through Guo Cheng’s, his phone rang in his pocket. He glanced at the screen. The caller ID showed it was Shen Ling, one of his secretaries.
Xu Yanyan’s mind immediately jumped to the tree-lined avenue and the backseat affair, her smile stiffening.
Without hesitation, Guo Cheng declined the call and casually switched his phone to silent mode before slipping it back into his pocket.
“Why didn’t you answer?” Xu Yanyan asked, feigning curiosity.
“No matter how important it is, nothing comes before taking my wife home first.”
In the past, such words might have moved her to tears, but now, they only left her feeling weary.
Though she wasn’t certain which secretary “Xiao Qi” had mentioned, based on Guo Cheng’s reaction, it seemed likely to be Shen Ling.
Guo Cheng dropped her off at the door before heading to work.
The moment Xu Yanyan returned to her study, she messaged her private investigator, instructing them to investigate Shen Ling.
Sansukini: Wake up, girl!
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Stopped investigate and just fudging divorce already.