Ji Yuxin had never been hit before in her life, especially since Ji's mother wasn't even her biological mother; she was just a poor woman. She instantly exploded, "Why did you hit me? If you hadn't arranged this marriage for us children, would this have happened? I've never liked him, so why should I apologize to him?"
Mr. Ji supported the swaying Mrs. Ji, looking at Ji Yuxin with heartache. "We did arrange a marriage between you two as children, but we never made it public because we were afraid you wouldn't like each other when you grew up. Seeing you two as childhood sweethearts all these years, and how you never argued when we joked with you, we finally believed you were a real couple. You don't like Zifan, haven't you had a chance to say it in eighteen years? You don't like him, yet you call him 'Zifan' every day? Zifan is so accommodating and good to you, and you take it for granted?"
Mrs. Ji took a deep breath and said to Ji Yuxin with disappointment and sadness, "You and Zifan have barely spoken for the past two weeks. I thought you two had a falling out, so I asked Zifan about it. He told me that he felt you didn't like him very much and had brought up the matter of breaking off the engagement, but you didn't agree. He doesn't know what you're thinking, so he hopes you two can both calm down for now and talk about this after the college entrance exam."
Mrs. Ji shook her head, her eyes red. "Tell me, why don't you break off the engagement if you don't like him? Does this have anything to do with the arranged marriage? Did we force you? Xin Xin, this isn't how you behave. Have you forgotten all the lessons I taught you? You still don't know how to repent; it's truly disappointing!"
Mrs. Ji turned around and took Mrs. Xu's hand, saying apologetically, "Brother and sister-in-law, I'm sorry, I didn't raise the child well."
Mrs. Xu quickly said, "Don't say that, it's not your fault."
Mr. Ji patted Xu Zifan on the shoulder and sighed, "Good boy, Xinxin is sorry. Don't pay any more attention to her. Find a good girl. We'll head back now and have dinner together another day when we have time."
After such an incident, it was awkward for both families to be together, and both needed time to calm down. The Ji couple went back to their own home, and Ji Yuxin followed them back with her head down and a sheepish slink. She had nowhere else to go but back home, so she could only endure it for the time being and wait to find a way to regain face when she returned to the Yan family.
After they left, the Xu couple sighed, looking at Xu Zifan, unsure how to comfort him. They had watched their two children grow up, always bickering and fighting, but truly close. Especially seeing their son becoming increasingly affectionate towards Ji Yuxin, they knew he had fallen for her. Now, this sudden turn of events was unbearable for anyone.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Zifan didn't seem angry at all. Instead, he smiled and patted their hands, comforting them, "Don't be like that. I noticed something was off about her before, so I was prepared. Now that I know the truth, I'm not sad at all. Actually, I'm a little glad that it happened now. If she cheated on me after we got married, how frustrated would I be? Now we should just pretend that marriage agreement doesn't count. Like Uncle Ji said earlier, we can just ignore her from now on."
Mr. and Mrs. Xu exchanged a glance and said somewhat cautiously, "You really don't care?"
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Is it really worth being sad and upset over someone like that? I have time to study. Don't worry, I've already gotten my revenge for what she owed me. Isn't she just a gold digger who wants to acknowledge her biological mother and marry a rich guy? I said a lot of bad things about her at the Yan family's place earlier, and I guarantee that her boyfriend and her biological parents won't have a good impression of her at all. How about that? Did I do a good job?"
Mr. and Mrs. Xu were immediately amused, and they felt a lot of relief. However, Mr. Xu still glared at him and scolded, "Don't retaliate like that. A grown man should be broad-minded. Anyway, you've never been in a relationship, so let it go. Don't think about these things in the future. Since you want to study hard, focus on important things. There are plenty of good girls out there. Life isn't just about romance, understand?"
Mr. Xu was worried that his son was too young and vindictive, and might grow up to be a bad person. Xu Zifan understood this, and immediately smiled brightly, "Dad, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'm going to do great things."
Mr. and Mrs. Xu laughed, the previous somber atmosphere vanishing instantly. A smile flashed in Xu Zifan's eyes; he knew that being lively like a teenager would put his parents at ease. Actually, he had a better way to deal with Ji Yuxin, but he had only been in this world for a short time, and using other methods would be too unlike the original owner's personality and would also waste his study time. It was better to act like someone his age—a newborn calf unafraid of tigers—and what he did was more effective and made people believe him more.
Madam Yan was more inclined to believe him and became suspicious of Li Xudong and Ji Yuxin's behavior. She hired a private investigator to investigate everything about Ji Yuxin from childhood to adulthood, as well as the interactions between Li Xudong, Yan Yaru, and Ji Yuxin. Of course, she didn't overlook Xu Zifan either. This boy seemed reckless, but when he recalled what happened, Xu Zifan was always measured and tactful, without uttering a single unnecessary word, and showed no fear in front of her, which was truly rare.
Since the investigations weren't exactly secrets, the private investigator quickly provided the information. At the same time, the paternity test results for the Yan and Ji families were also released: Ji Yuxin was indeed the Yan family's daughter, and Yan Yaru, whom they had raised, was the daughter of the Ji family couple.
Even the usually composed Yan couple found it hard to accept, especially after seeing the investigation data; they were even more unwilling to believe it. Ji Yuxin had never experienced hardship growing up. The Ji family was considered middle-class, with the couple earning over ten thousand yuan a year. Without the pressure of a house or car, life in the city was actually quite comfortable. Ji Yuxin had always been an excellent student, consistently ranking in the top five of her class. However, the school she attended wasn't the best, and compared to Yan Yaru's consistently top-ranking grades at a prestigious school, her achievements paled in comparison.
Two months ago, Ji Yuxin met Li Xudong by chance, and the two began to have contact. Li Xudong took Ji Yuxin to [a place] every noon and evening.
They ate at various upscale restaurants, and afterwards went to private clubs. Li Xudong bought her many trinkets and gave her pocket money; later, he even took her to hotels more than ten times. He was nothing more than a rich second-generation playboy and a vain gold digger, which made Madam Yan's face turn ashen.
The fact that the babies were switched at birth was indeed discovered by Li Xudong a few days ago. No one knows exactly what they discussed that brought it up, but Li Xudong had someone bump into Yan Yaru and obtain a hair sample, which was then secretly used for a paternity test. Afterwards, Ji Yuxin began learning etiquette, and Li Xudong treated her much better, until they came to the Yan family home together for her birthday banquet, ready to uncover the truth.
After reading the information, the Yan couple remained silent for a long time, deeply repulsed that such a girl was their daughter. In the original course of events, although they were shocked to learn the truth, they hadn't investigated Ji Yuxin because of her affection and obedience. They were unaware that Li Xudong had harbored resentment after being rejected by Yan Yaru. They accepted her as she grew increasingly obedient, feeling guilty for not properly raising her for eighteen years, causing her to miss out on many things.
But now that Xu Zifan has torn off all pretenses, they have seen the ugly side of this matter most directly, and they simply cannot accept that such a person who is materialistic, lacks self-respect, cheats on their partner, and does not care about their adoptive parents' feelings is their daughter.
However, Yan Yaru's rejection of Li Xudong during the investigation, her unwavering adherence to the right path and resistance to temptation, impressed them, making them appreciate how well they had raised their daughter. Now that they know she's not their biological daughter, their reluctance to let go intensifies, and they wish they could pretend the whole thing never happened. As for Xu Zifan and Ji Yuxin's childhood sweetheart relationship, it only exacerbates the Yan couple's dislike of Ji Yuxin. Xu Zifan was incredibly good to Ji Yuxin; the records clearly state it. Ji Yuxin cheated on him without hesitation, and now they're so eager to acknowledge them—isn't it just because they're rich? If they were penniless, Ji Yuxin probably wouldn't even give them a second glance.
While Ji Yuxin was happily anticipating becoming a wealthy heiress, she was unaware that she had already lost everyone's affections. She was just a naive young girl who had never seen the world, and she was blinded by her sudden wealth, failing to calm down. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily led astray by Xu Zifan.
Another week passed, and the Yan couple finally invited the Ji family of three to their villa. Since the issue existed, it needed to be resolved. The Yan couple presented the Ji couple with the paternity test results. In fact, the Ji couple had also undergone a paternity test, confirming that Ji Yuxin was not their daughter. Seeing Yan Yaru's paternity test results, they looked at her helplessly. This was their daughter, the daughter they had lost for over a decade due to the baby swap, yet she seemed so unfamiliar, leaving them unsure how to react.
Yan Yaru looked at her biological parents, her hands clenching silently at her sides, her heart heavy with a suffocating feeling. Ji Yuxin, on the other hand, burst into tears upon seeing the paternity test report. She clung to her mother's arm, her eyes fixed on Yan's parents. "This...it's true? I heard Li Xudong say I look a lot like Madam, so I wanted to come and see, but I never expected..." She turned to her mother, choking back tears, "Mom..."
Mrs. Ji lowered her head, her eyes reddening. After all, she had raised her daughter for eighteen years, and hearing her daughter's pleading sobs still pained her deeply. But she didn't hug and comfort her as Ji Yuxin had imagined, because if she softened, she would remember what Xu Zifan had said: this daughter... couldn't wait to go back to the Yan family, she was probably just faking it right now.
No one spoke, making Ji Yuxin extremely awkward. She remained stiff, forced to continue sobbing, which annoyed the others. Mr. Yan, expressionless, said in a deep voice, "Mr. and Mrs. Ji, Ji Yuxin is our daughter. If she's willing to come back, we will take good care of her. Ya Ru is also our daughter. She can get the best resources and the best development in the Yan family. My idea is that she stays in the Yan family and visits you whenever she has time. What do you think?"
The Ji couple looked rather grim. After exchanging a glance, Mr. Ji said, "Our daughter has no reason to be raised by the Yan family, but we understand the bond we've built over eighteen years. As for whether Ya Ru should come back to our family, I want Ya Ru to decide for herself, after all, it concerns her future. As for Xin Xin..." He glanced at the unusually nervous Ji Yu Xin and sighed, "Let her go back to the Yan family."