The news that the maid had lied for Xu Yalin spread throughout the Xu family the very next day. Xu Zifan's actions were so egregious that even if Feng Xiangjun wanted to issue a gag order and investigate further, she couldn't. The housekeeper reported the entire story to Xu Zhenhua early that morning.
Xu Zhenhua already harbored resentment towards Xu Yalin because of Xu Zifan's words, and upon hearing that Xu Yalin had resorted to such scheming, he immediately felt disgusted with her. He had no doubt that his son had wronged Xu Yalin, after all, in his heart, Xu Yalin was now a daughter of the Wang family. This incident gave him a feeling that he had indeed known it was true; the daughter born to that Wang family couple was indeed a scheming and manipulative person.
Feng Xiangjun hadn't slept well all night. Upon learning that Xu Zhenhua knew, she hurriedly said, "This is only the maid's side of the story. We need to investigate further. I don't believe Yalin would deliberately fall down the stairs. We've raised her for over ten years; do you think we don't know her character? It's absurd to believe a maid instead of the child at a time like this. What a coincidence! Does Yalin become a wicked person just because she's an adopted daughter? I think there might be more to the story. I've already kept the maid here; I think we should confront her face-to-face when Yalin returns..."
Li Xianglan interrupted her with a stern face, "You call yourself a mother? Your own son has been framed like this, and you're still defending outsiders. I think Zifan is right, you're incredibly biased! When has Zifan ever suffered such an injustice? And you still want to keep that eyesore in the house to annoy everyone? Investigate whatever you want, but get rid of that maid immediately. I don't care whether Yalin did it or not, if it happens again, send Xu Yalin back to the Wang family!"
"Mom!" Feng Xiangjun hadn't been scolded like this by her mother-in-law in many years. She was very embarrassed and didn't know what else to say.
Xu Zhenhua frowned slightly and took a sip of coffee. "Harmony in the family is the foundation of everything. No matter what, the family can't continue to be in such chaos. A biological daughter is a biological daughter, and an adopted daughter is an adopted daughter. Today, I will arrange for my secretary to change Mengyao and Yalin's household registrations. Mengyao will change her surname back to Xu and will be the eldest daughter of the family from now on. Yalin will change her surname to Wang and will be our Xu family's adopted daughter. We need to distinguish between them, otherwise even the servants won't know who is more important."
Li Xianglan and Xu Zhenhua's decision seemed to negate Feng Xiangjun's efforts over the past ten years, as if they were saying that the daughter Feng Xiangjun had raised with such care was an ingrate. How could she bear that? She immediately objected with a cold face, "What will people think if we do this? Treating a child we raised from infancy as an outsider just because they were switched at birth? Isn't that heartless? If we really do this, who knows how many people will say we're cold-blooded?"
"For a farming family like the Wang family, having their daughter become our Xu family's adopted daughter and continue to enjoy our care is already a stroke of good fortune. Do you expect me to give her half of the family fortune to show the Xu family's kindness? I've already made my decision. You don't need to say anything more. I don't care if you spoil Ya Lin rotten, but don't forget who the real Xu family members are." Xu Zhenhua glanced at her displeasedly, stood up, took the briefcase handed to him by the butler, and strode away. The inheritance was his decision; he had no interest in anything else. So what if his wife spoiled Ya Lin rotten? At most, he'd give Ya Lin her dowry—consider it Ya Lin's reward for pleasing his wife.
He had previously considered having Ruo Yalin join the company to gain experience after graduating from university, so she could help Xu Zifan manage the company in the future. However, he now had to abandon that idea. What about Xu Zifan? That kid is twenty-five and still only knows how to play around. Mengyao doesn't seem like much either. How will the Xu family business continue in the future? Xu Zhenhua got into the car with a headache, feeling extremely disappointed in Xu Zifan, this playboy.
After Xu Zifan and Wang Mengyao got up, they learned that Xu Zhenhua was going to change the household registration of the two girls. Xu Zifan said, "Let's take the morning off. Anyway, Yalin has to wait for the test report. After Secretary Zhang finishes changing the household registration, I'll take them to school in the afternoon. Such a big thing should be told to the teacher. I also want to know if Yaoyao is adapting well to school."
Li Xiulan laughed as soon as she heard that, "Zifan has grown up and knows how to take care of his younger sister. Okay, as long as you don't go out and mess around with those bad friends, you can do whatever you want."
Xu Zifan sat down next to Li Xiulan with Wang Mengyao for a meal and said with a smile, "Grandma, what nonsense are you talking about? I'm gaining experience in society. If you don't believe me, ask Yaoyao. Aren't I capable and amazing?"
Wang Mengyao nodded immediately and said earnestly, "Brother is amazing, he's really good."
Li Xiulan paused for a moment, then looked at Wang Mengyao scrutinizingly, "You like this kind of brother? Don't you think he's a spoiled brat?"
Wang Mengyao smiled at Xu Zifan, "I like you, brother. You're so good to me. You teach me things I don't understand, encourage me, buy me clothes, and even gave me a credit card. You know everything, you're not a spoiled brat at all. People who talk about you like that are just jealous of you!"
Li Xiulan was delighted to hear the little girl call him "brother" so easily and happily. Looking at the little girl's clear, affectionate, and adoring eyes as she gazed at Xu Zifan, she realized she genuinely liked him. Suddenly, she understood why her grandson loved this granddaughter. People always said her grandson was good-for-nothing; this was the first time someone had sincerely praised him for being so capable and wonderful. Of course, she loved her grandson, whom she had personally raised. Seeing Wang Mengyao's sincerity towards her grandson, she felt a greater affinity for Wang Mengyao as well, and smiled, "Then you should play with your brother more often. It'll help him settle down and come home earlier. I'm relieved that you two siblings are doing well."
Xu Zifan smiled and ladled a bowl of soup for Li Xiulan, "Don't worry, don't worry, I assured my dad that I'd give him a well-bred young lady."
"I promise you won't be disappointed! Grandma, Yaoyao still needs to study hard and get first place. I'll find some teachers to teach her properly so she can bring back trophies and certificates to show her respect. You'll be overjoyed then."
Li Xiulan couldn't stop smiling. She said, "Great! My grandson is so smart, he can learn anything quickly. He'll definitely be able to teach his sister well. I'll be happy even if he doesn't bring anything back." Her biggest worry was that her grandson would go out and have a good time. Now that he's in the mood to teach his sister well, he definitely won't go out and cause trouble anymore. Of course, she was happy and found Wang Mengyao pleasing to the eye no matter what.
Feng Xiangjun was seething with anger. She felt the two children didn't care about her at all; when they came downstairs and saw her, they only called her "Mom" once and then ignored her completely. They were all all smiles with the old lady, as if she didn't exist. The old lady was equally baffled. Xu Zifan had boasted to the heavens, and the old lady even said he was good at everything he learned, and that Xu Zifan's good-for-nothing behavior was entirely the old lady's fault!
She couldn't stand it any longer, and knowing the old lady disliked her and Xu Zifan didn't give her any face, she simply kept quiet and told the driver to take her to the hospital. Ya Lin was still in the hospital, and she didn't know if she was alright. Besides, she needed to ask Ya Lin about the maid's matter, why the maid was talking nonsense.
Xu Zifan asked Wang Mengyao for leave. After they finished eating, they had nothing else to do, so Xu Zifan planned to take Wang Mengyao to the game room to teach her how to play games. At this moment, the butler brought over a maid, saying that she had been carefully selected to serve Wang Mengyao so that the maid could immediately detect any needs Wang Mengyao might have.
Xu Zifan sized up the maid. "What's your name? How old are you? Why are you working as a maid in the Xu family?"
The maid lowered her head slightly. "My name is Lu Keqing, everyone calls me Xiaoqing. I'm 22 years old this year. My parents passed away early, so I started working at a young age. Three years ago, the Xu family was recruiting. I was introduced to this job by a cook from my hometown. The Xu family offers good benefits, and I can learn a lot of knowledge that I can't access outside, so I've been working at the Xu family ever since."
Xu Zifan asked a few more questions and discovered that the housekeeper had really put in a lot of effort this time. Xiao Qing had worked very hard and learned a lot in the three years she had been with the Xu family. She was quite knowledgeable about the rules and etiquette of large families, as well as the matching of clothing and jewelry. Placing her by Meng Yao's side would allow her to give her a lot of guidance. Moreover, Xiao Qing had learned excellent cooking skills while helping out in the kitchen, and she was especially good at making soup, which would be very convenient for nourishing Meng Yao's body.
Most importantly, Xiao Qing is calm and reserved, neither arrogant nor impatient. Under the deliberate pressure released by Xu Zifan, she only turned pale and did not panic, which was much better than when he fired the maid. He had Shao Hua monitor Xiao Qing's physical data. Analyzing the data such as heart rate and breathing, Xiao Qing did not have too much emotional fluctuation due to tension. At least it was initially confirmed that she was in a good state of mind and did not seem to have any malicious intent or be eager to climb up to the young master and young lady.
After roughly determining that the maid was qualified, Xu Zifan asked Wang Mengyao, "What do you think of her? If you don't like her, you can call everyone over to choose. If you don't like anyone, you can hire someone else."
Wang Mengyao looked at him with trust, "What do you think, brother? I heard you ask her those questions just now, and she answered them all very well. Don't you think she's capable?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "It's not bad."
"Then let's go with her." Wang Mengyao felt that she didn't need anyone to take care of her, but now that she was a young lady, it might not be appropriate for her to say that. Xu Yalin had a maid before, so she didn't say much and listened to her brother.
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Then let's leave it at that. If you feel she's not suitable in the future, you can replace her anytime. When I'm not around, if you don't understand something, you can ask Xiao Qing, the housekeeper, or even Grandma. Grandma is very kind. If you just act cute and coax her, she'll like you. Come on, let's go get a physical check-up, see what you're lacking, and have Xiao Qing make you some soup."
"Okay." Wang Mengyao nodded obediently. Her brother was doing this for her own good, so of course she had to cooperate.
Xu Zifan took Wang Mengyao to the hospital for a full physical examination. The report wouldn't be out until the afternoon, and he was also planning to take her to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Wang Mengyao hesitated and asked, "Mom's at the hospital. Will we get scolded if we come and don't go?"
"Let them scold us. It's pointless to see their loving mother and daughter. Let's take advantage of the day off to get a proper checkup. We need both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. If we need to regulate our bodies, traditional Chinese medicine is more reliable. Let's go." Xu Zifan nonchalantly led her away from the hospital and drove to a well-known traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Yanjing.
Actually, while he was at the hospital, he had already had Shao Hua scan Xu Yalin's ward. Feng Xiangjun had told Xu Yalin about the maid lying, and Xu Yalin somehow managed to convince Feng Xiangjun completely, even suspecting that the maid had been bribed by Wang Mengyao to frame Xu Yalin. When Shao Hua broadcast the footage to him, Xu Yalin was aggrieved, saying she had no evidence and had used Wang Mengyao's identity for over ten years, feeling guilty towards Wang Mengyao, and trying to persuade Feng Xiangjun to let the matter rest.
Xu Yalin, using a feigned retreat and silver tongue, completely fooled Feng Xiangjun. If they went to the ward now, wouldn't Feng Xiangjun be furious? That's their mother; they can't just yell back. It's better to treat her like a stranger and avoid conflict. Feng Xiangjun, with her personality, will never believe there's anything wrong with the child she raised, especially not to prove herself. Given even the slightest excuse, she'll firmly believe Xu Yalin was framed.
Xu Zifan didn't intend to interfere in her affairs. He figured that her doting on Xu Yalin would eventually backfire, and since he wasn't obligated to be filial to her, why bother reasoning with her? He'd just ignore it and let her do as she pleased. In this respect, his thoughts were similar to Xu Zhenhua's.
Xu Zifan took Wang Mengyao to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. The doctor, as expected, said Wang Mengyao had many health problems and gave her a lot of advice on what to avoid. Xu Zifan wrote them all down; the long list looked daunting.
The old Chinese medicine doctor prescribed another formula, which Xu Zifan put away. When he left, he replaced it with a formula he had written himself.
He had already discreetly taken Wang Mengyao's pulse and knew her physical condition perfectly well. While the old Chinese medicine doctor was skilled, he was still far inferior to her. He had originally intended to secretly give Wang Mengyao a suitable elixir to directly improve her health, but after hearing that Xiao Qing was skilled at making nourishing soups, he decided to use a Chinese medicine doctor as a cover, and then have Xiao Qing use his own prescription to treat Wang Mengyao. The Wang family had spoiled Mengyao to the point of poor health; the whole family needed to know, and preparing medicinal meals every day was undoubtedly the most obvious reminder.
At noon, Xu Zifan asked Secretary Zhang to bring the two girls' household registration documents directly to him. Then he took Wang Mengyao to eat the most famous Peking duck in Yanjing and ordered a table full of dishes. Wang Mengyao waited until the waiter left before whispering to Xu Zifan, "Brother, the two of us can't eat more than a dozen dishes. Four dishes and a soup would be a great meal. This is too wasteful."
Xu Zifan placed her household registration book and ID card in front of her and said with a smile, "Today is a day worth celebrating. Look, from now on you will be called Xu Mengyao. Legally, you are the only daughter of the Xu family and my only younger sister. As for Xu Yalin, she has changed her name back to Wang Yalin and has a separate household registration. In name, she is the adopted daughter of the Xu family, but legally she has nothing to do with the Xu family. From now on, no one will occupy your place anymore."
Xu Mengyao looked at her household registration and ID card, her eyes reddening. "Brother, thank you... If you hadn't told Dad yesterday, my household registration would still be with the Wang family. I've been really scared. At the beginning of the year, I heard Grandma Wang say that she wouldn't let me continue my studies after I graduated high school. She wanted to marry me off to a cripple in the neighboring village for a dowry. That cripple is already forty years old and likes to drink and beat people. I was so happy when I found out I was switched at birth, but it seems like Mom and Dad don't want to acknowledge me and haven't changed my household registration. I'm so afraid they'll be dissatisfied and send me back. Then I... I'll have to run away, but I've never been anywhere. I don't even know where I can go..."
Xu Zifan was unaware of the hidden story behind her efforts to gain her parents' acceptance. He wondered how long the helpless little girl had been living in fear. He hugged Xu Mengyao and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid. No one will bully you or dictate your life anymore. My sister, Xu Zifan's sister, can do whatever she wants. The Wang family has nothing to do with you anymore."
Xu Mengyao nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I know, thank you, brother. I must become a sister you can be proud of."
After dinner, Xu Zifan took Xu Mengyao to the hospital. He first asked the doctor about Wang Yalin's condition. The doctor truthfully replied that Wang Yalin was perfectly fine except for minor external injuries. Because she had taken good care of herself, she was in excellent health. Xu Zifan then asked the doctor to go to the ward with him, saying he was worried that his sister might not want to go to school and would stay in the hospital.
Upon arriving at the ward, Xu Zifan went in first, saying, "Let's go, get ready for school, don't be late."