【If she had grown up like Qin Tiantian, perhaps she would have been an adorable girl too. All of this is the result of her environment; it's not her fault.】
【She deserves fair treatment and should reclaim her true identity.】
【But a girl like Qin Tiantian… who could bear to hurt her? And that family—if Qin Tiantian were sent there, she’d be bullied to death in no time. Yet Duan Yi has endured that kind of family for so many years. How much she must have suffered! Those hardships were never meant for her.】
【When I used to read novels, I always thought those who helped the fake heiress were scum. Now, I’m terrified I might become one of those scumbags myself.】
【Ahhh, I really want to stab that old witch Aunt Mao to death right now.】
【How could someone be so malicious? Just because she realized her husband wasn’t a good man and might negatively affect her daughter’s future, and because she looked somewhat like Sixth Aunt, and the two babies were born in the same month and looked alike, she took advantage of the family’s kindness and swapped the babies when they were staying at the same hospital. From then on, the fates of the two children diverged drastically.】
【How could someone be so selfish? No wonder her behavior was so strange today!】
【So that’s what happened! Thinking about it, it’s truly despicable! Ahhhh!】
Just as Ji Fei was about to be consumed by guilt, she was suddenly pulled into Qin Xian’s embrace. “What’s wrong? What are you overthinking now?”
Ji Fei stiffened, looked up, and took a deep breath. Even though her heart was tangled in knots, even though she adored Tiantian, some truths had to come to light. Maybe the outcome would be good. She shouldn’t scare herself.
Suddenly, Qin Xian interrupted Ji Fei’s attempt to muster courage. “Are you thinking about Aunt Mao? Don’t overthink it. I’ll investigate her thoroughly tomorrow. No matter what she’s hiding, there will be traces.”
Ji Fei was stunned, as if Qin Xian had made the toughest decision for her.
He understood why Ji Fei was so unsettled—the situation was truly complicated.
If it were true, Duan Yi would be pitiable. She was the true child of the Qin family. But as for Qin Tiantian, he believed Sixth Uncle and Sixth Aunt would make the right decision.
Qin Xian also had another thought.
He found it hard to believe. According to the information Ji Fei had seen, the mothers and babies were all at Qin Corporation’s hospital. How could such a mistake have happened?
Back when his eldest sister had her incident, it was because they weren’t on their own turf.
So, he needed to investigate what had happened back then.
Of course, the most basic step was a paternity test. They should get that done first to avoid any misunderstandings.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ji Fei, but her “gossip system” had its flaws. The first time, with his eldest sister’s situation, they almost missed the truth. While the gossip about someone was usually based on real events, there was also a subjective element to it. Sometimes, even if everyone told the truth, it didn’t necessarily mean the whole truth was revealed. There were often gaps and errors.
Therefore, every time Ji Fei uncovered some gossip, Qin Xian would investigate as well. Only by combining the two could they arrive at the full truth.
Ji Fei hesitated, still wanting to remind Qin Xian.
Qin Xian smiled and said, “It’s too late. Time to sleep. Overthinking will just give you a headache. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”
Ji Fei thought about it and agreed. After all, she was still somewhat removed from the situation—she was a daughter-in-law, not a blood relative. It was best for Qin Xian, as the head of the family and a close cousin, to uncover and handle this matter.
If Qin Xian didn’t figure it out, she could find a way to remind him later.
【I just hope the kind-hearted aren’t hurt too deeply, and that everything can be remedied quickly.】
What Ji Fei didn’t expect was that, just as she fell asleep, an incident occurred in a residential building in Y City.
Earlier, when Duan Yi had returned home, Aunt Mao had scolded her the entire way. When they got back, Duan Yi was in a bad mood, and since she hadn’t cooked, the two men in the house were left hungry. As soon as she stepped inside, an argument broke out, and Duan Yi was beaten.
Though she tried to fight back, as a girl, she was no match in strength. In the end, she could only endure the beating. She pleaded with her mother for help, but Aunt Mao just stood to the side, turning her head away with a look of regret but making no move to intervene.
After the father and son finished beating her, Aunt Mao finally stepped forward and said, “I told you to be obedient. Look what happens when you don’t accept your fate.”
Duan Yi’s resentment reached its peak. She pushed Aunt Mao away, ran to her room, and locked herself inside.
At eighteen, she had made up her mind. She didn’t want to go to school anymore. She would shamelessly beg Qin Tiantian to help her escape this family. Only by leaving this house and her mother could she find freedom.
Duan Yi locked herself in her room all night, not even turning on the light. She only heard the sound of the door opening when the father and son returned.
The son went to bed early, but the father continued drinking and watching TV until Aunt Mao reminded him a couple of times. The man snapped, “Shut up! I’m already in a bad mood from losing money today. Tell me… what are you planning to do with that daughter of yours?”
Duan Yi, who was already standing by the door, felt her heart skip a beat. She pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Aunt Mao, seemingly afraid of being overheard, quickly pulled the man into their room.
Duan Yi’s heart raced. Something felt off. She remembered that their room had an external air conditioning platform she could climb onto to listen in.
She had done it before to avoid beatings, so she wasn’t afraid. She climbed over and listened.
Just in time, she heard her stepfather say he wanted to marry her off to an old bachelor in exchange for a bride price.
Duan Yi’s eyes turned red. She thought, surely her mother wouldn’t agree to this, right?
Sure enough, Aunt Mao objected, “That old bachelor is no good. He’s too old. If we marry her off, what will people say about us? And it’s too cruel to Duan Yi. This… this really isn’t right.”
Though it wasn’t particularly protective, Duan Yi felt a flicker of warmth in her heart.
But the next moment, she was stunned.
Her stepfather sneered, “Too cruel? Are you kidding me, you bitch? After what you did to her, you’re talking about cruelty?”
Aunt Mao was visibly shaken. “Wh-what are you talking about?”
The man chuckled darkly. “Don’t think I don’t know. Back when you just had the baby, you pretended to be sick and begged the Qin family for help. They, being kind-hearted, took you and the baby to their big hospital to take care of you. But when you came back, I noticed your attitude toward her had changed. You weren’t loving anymore; you even neglected her. When she was first born, if I said one wrong thing, you’d go crazy like a tigress. So why did you suddenly stop caring?”
Aunt Mao’s face turned pale.
Outside, clinging to the wall, Duan Yi’s expression grew increasingly grave. This was the answer she had been searching for her whole life—why her own mother didn’t love her only child.
“Then, that night when the baby almost died because of your neglect, you stayed up crying, saying sorry and that you’d do more good deeds. I thought it was strange. If it was just negligence, why were you so terrified and guilty?”
Aunt Mao was trembling now, glaring at the man, who only laughed triumphantly.
“And then, seeing how scared you were of that brat getting close to the Qin family’s daughter, and how you always sneaked to the school to watch that girl even though you said you wouldn’t pick up your own daughter… Now it all makes sense! Haha, you, this seemingly meek woman, pulled off such a huge scheme behind everyone’s back!”