After reading the documents in the file bag, Feng Xiangjun's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, the documents scattered around her, with Feng Donghui's photo standing out starkly.
She kept shaking her head, muttering, "Impossible, this can't be, how could it be Donghui?"
She got up, found the phone she had dropped earlier, and dialed Feng Donghui's number with trembling hands.
[Shaohua: Host, Feng Xiangjun is trying to contact Feng Donghui.]
[Xu Zifan: Hmm, don't worry about her. The scariest thing is constantly being afraid that a knife will fall from her head. Let Feng Xiangjun put the knife on Feng Donghui's head herself.]
As soon as the call connected, Feng Xiangjun heard loud music and jeers coming from the other end. Panicked, she shouted, "Feng Donghui! Get to a quiet place right now! Immediately!"
"Sis, is something wrong? I'm having a great time right now, I'm hanging up if there's nothing else."
"Feng Donghui!" Feng Xiangjun shouted angrily, "Did you switch my child?!"
The microphone quickly went silent. Feng Donghui scoffed, "Sis, what do you mean? You can't blame anyone now, huh? You couldn't even keep an eye on your own child, what does that have to do with me? Why would I replace her?"
"Your brother-in-law investigated this himself, do you dare say it wasn't you? Tell me, was it you or not? If you dare to lie, no one can help you!" Feng Xiangjun sent him a photo of the documents, her voice stern, but her lips were trembling, afraid of getting an answer she didn't want.
Feng Donghui was silent for a moment, then spoke again, his feigned ease gone, replaced by fear. "Sister, I didn't mean it! You have to believe me, sister! The Feng family has finally started to improve, and Mom and Dad still need me to take care of them. Sister, you absolutely can't let brother-in-law harm me! I acted impulsively, I was ignorant back then, I was wrong, I was really wrong, I'm a bastard, I'll never do it again, sister..."
The phone slipped from her hand, and Feng Xiangjun could no longer hear what he said afterward. All she knew was that it was all true—her own brother had swapped her child.
In order to discipline her gambling brother, she ran to Linhe Town while seven months pregnant. Her brother bumped into her, causing her to give birth prematurely. Although both she and her brother were safe, she was injured and could no longer have children.
At that time, her younger brother cried bitterly at her bedside, and her parents rushed over to plead for him. She softened her heart and couldn't bear to see her family fall into poverty. Moreover, she wouldn't allow her own family to fall into poverty either. So she racked her brains to persuade her husband to give the Feng family some resources, allowing them to return to the Yanjing business circle and become a third-rate family.
She knew the Xu family still cared deeply about what happened back then, so she did her best to treat her daughter well, raising her to be even more outstanding than her son, so that they could see her efforts and that her good deeds would outweigh her mistakes.
But Xu Mengyao's appearance made all her efforts seem like a joke. Xu Mengyao's embarrassment, ranking last in the exam, being taciturn, and being unsophisticated all reminded the whole family of what happened back then. If she hadn't run away to Linhe Town, their eldest daughter of the Xu family wouldn't be so unpresentable.
She was afraid. Her family could no longer offer any support, and if her husband's family rejected her, she would have no leverage. She didn't want this kind of life; she wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. She hated Xu Mengyao for destroying her happy family, or rather, she simply didn't want to face her own mistakes.
And that was indeed the case. Ever since Xu Mengyao returned home, her mother-in-law became cold, her husband became distant, her son became unfilial, and even her proud daughter's grades declined.
She felt that Wang Yalin was her lucky star, bringing her seventeen years of happiness, while Xu Mengyao was her nemesis, causing her suffering in just three months. How could she not be biased?
But now? It was her younger brother, a member of her Feng family, who switched the child! The Feng family switched the eldest daughter of the Xu family, causing her to suffer for seventeen years. And it was she, a member of the Feng family, who pampered the Wang family's daughter for seventeen years, spoiling her like a little princess.
The Feng family has deeply offended the Xu family; their marriage alliance has created a blood feud!
Feng Xiangjun huddled in a corner, her hands covering her head. What should she do? Why had her life turned out this way?
Feng Donghui called her back, but no one answered. In a panic, he sped home, woke up his parents, and asked them to go to the Xu family to plead for leniency.
When Mr. Feng learned the whole story, he almost had a heart attack from anger, and Mrs. Feng fainted from anger. Knowing Xu Zhenhua as they did, their pride was of no use at all!
The Feng family stayed up all night, their lights blazing, but they couldn't come up with a good plan. The feeling of having a knife hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment, was terrifying.
The next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Feng forced Feng Donghui to apologize with thorns on his back. In front of the Xu family, Mr. Feng, ashamed, took a stick and beat Feng Donghui!
"I'll teach you to be foolish! I'll teach you to have such wicked thoughts! That's your own niece, how could you do such a thing!"
Feng Donghui screamed in agony, clearly showing that his father hadn't held back at all. He dared not hold back; only by avenging the Xu family could he avoid the Xu family's direct intervention. Otherwise, if Feng Donghui fell into the Xu family's hands, he would be severely injured, if not killed, and it wouldn't be as simple as just a beating.
Xu Zhenhua glanced at his watch and said coldly, "Father-in-law, if you want to discipline your child, please go back to the Feng family. I have other matters to attend to at my company, so I won't keep you any longer."
Father Feng's expression changed, and tears streamed down his face. "Zhenhua, I know this beast was wrong. You can punish him however you want, and I won't complain at all. But our two families have never had a fight in over ten years. We absolutely cannot let this cause any rift between us."
Mother Feng hurriedly said, "Elder sister, Zhenhua, it's my fault for not raising the children well, causing Mengyao to suffer. Donghui deserves to die; he wouldn't have been wrong to beat him to death today! Fortunately, Mengyao is a lucky person and survived."
"She's safely back with us; we absolutely mustn't let her suffer again from now on."
Xu Zifan's heart skipped a beat. Before anyone else could speak, he coughed lightly and said with a smile, "Grandma, what kind of situation is this? Yao Yao has been mistreated for seventeen years for no reason, while the Wang family's child is still enjoying a life of luxury in our family."
Wang Yalin, who was trying her best to make herself inconspicuous, turned pale and finally showed a look of panic. Xu Zifan chuckled and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, why don't you persuade my mom? Children are always the best in their own family. Let's give other people's children back to them. How can we just keep them like this?"
As if they had found a way to persuade her, Mr. and Mrs. Feng immediately pulled Feng Xiangjun aside and kept trying to persuade her, even sounding a little disappointed in her.
What a wonderful opportunity it would have been to show affection for one's biological daughter and to give away one's adopted daughter! Feng Xiangjun ruined it all! Now they're all so old and have to swallow their pride and apologize in a humble manner.
Feng Xiangjun was heartbroken. If it weren't for her, the Feng family would have gone bankrupt long ago! It was the Feng family that dragged her down and caused her countless troubles, so how could they have the nerve to blame her now?
Feng Xiangjun picked up her coffee and splashed it in Feng Donghui's face, angrily saying, "You're the one who started this! Not only did you make Mengyao suffer so much, but you also caused Yalin to be blamed by the whole family! Why don't you just die?!"
Xu Zifan spread his hands, a half-smile on his face, "Grandpa, Grandma, you see, it's not that we don't want to forgive Uncle, it's just that... no matter what, we can't give Yaoyao a mother back. My mother and Yalin have a deep mother-daughter relationship, and it's all Uncle's fault. Some things, once they happen, there's really no chance of turning back."
Feng's mother slapped Feng Xiangjun on the back, "Are you crazy?! Mengyao is your biological daughter!"
Feng Xiangjun's face was pale. She looked cautiously at Xu Zhenhua and said, "Zhenhua, I know I haven't done well lately. I've been too extreme. I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as a mother and haven't understood Mengyao's difficulties. I will definitely make it up to her in the future."
Feng Donghui is a scoundrel, and the Wang family deserves to die, but Yalin… she did nothing wrong, she's innocent. I hope you won't hold a grudge against her. I'll find her a place to live as soon as I get her a place to move out. Going back to that inferno at the Wang family home would be the end for her."
Wang Yalin was in a state of utter confusion. She had never imagined moving out of the Xu family home, but moving out was already much better than going back to the Wang family home. She immediately burst into tears, sobbing, "Dad, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I... I don't know what to do..."
She portrayed the pitiful state of an innocent young girl so vividly that even Xu Zhenhua and Li Xiulan couldn't bear to say anything more to her, since, as far as they knew, Wang Yalin hadn't done anything wrong.
However, Xu Zifan had no interest in watching their performance. He stood up, buttoned up his suit jacket, and grinned in a way that was sure to get him punched. "I'll keep burning with anger until I get my sister's revenge. You guys figure it out."
Xu Mengyao followed Xu Zifan out, ignoring the shouts of the Feng family. Xu Zhenhua sighed, lamenting the complete breakdown of his relationship with his wife and children, but he also wanted to vent his anger, so he followed them out and got into the car.
Li Xiulan directly told the housekeeper to see the guests out, saying without any politeness, "From now on, we do not welcome the Feng family. Please leave."
Before going upstairs, Li Xiulan spoke to Feng Xiangjun, whose face was as white as paper, with a veiled warning in her words, "Tell Wang Yalin to move out tomorrow, or you'll move out with her!"
Feng Xiangjun felt a tremor in her heart and finally realized that she had no way out. Her words no longer carried any weight in the Xu family. She could only passively bear all the blame. Pleading for her adopted daughter would only drag her down.
Under Wang Yalin's terrified and pleading gaze, Feng Xiangjun closed her eyes briefly and said cruelly, "Yalin, it's not that Mom doesn't care about you, it's just that Mom can barely take care of herself. Tomorrow I'll have the maid help you move. While there's still time, go pack your things. You can take everything from your room. Mom will come to see you later."
Wang Yalin couldn't believe it; the person she thought was her strongest support had abandoned her!
Unable to bear the disappointment and pain in her eyes, Feng Xiangjun fled back to her room. She had done her best; she had truly fulfilled her responsibilities to her adopted daughter.
Wang Yalin returned to her room in a daze. Seeing the princess-like, dreamlike decor, she couldn't help but scoff. All of this could be taken away? Compared to the Xu family, it was worthless, less than a drop in the ocean! She was the eldest daughter of the Xu family; why should a simple mistake at birth strip her of everything?
It's Feng Xiangjun's fault, it's Feng Donghui's fault, it's the Wang family's fault! What does it have to do with her?!
Why are they taking their anger out on her? She deserves compensation too!
She slid slowly down the door and sat on the carpet, tears streaming down her face. Where did things go wrong? Every plan she made was perfect, so why did they always fall apart? They believed she was innocent, so why were they blaming her?
At this moment, she wished she could kill Xu Zifan! If it weren't for him, she would never have ended up in this situation, she would never have lost to Xu Mengyao, and she would never have lost her status as the eldest daughter of the Xu family!
They're dreaming! They're trying to kick her out of high society like that!
Even if she's not in the Xu family, she'll still live a glamorous life in the industry, better than all of them!