Chapter Four: A Frenzied Reversal

While Mrs. Xu was sipping her tea, she caught a glimpse of someone at the doorway and turned her head, meeting Xu Xu’s gaze directly. Instantly, her face paled with shock.

“Xu—Xu Xu!” she cried out in alarm.

The two people entwined on the sofa also sprang apart like startled birds at the sound.

Even though Xu Xu had long known that no one cared about her, seeing such a scene still made her heart ache sharply.

Mrs. Xu, upon seeing Xu Xu, felt a pang of guilt. Xu Xu wasn’t her biological daughter, but after so many years together, feelings inevitably grew—she couldn’t help but care. Yet, when she thought of how her real daughter had suffered for years because of the switched identities, enduring hardships in Xu Xu’s stead, she couldn’t suppress a certain resentment toward Xu Xu either.

These conflicting emotions left Mrs. Xu at a loss for how to face Xu Xu. Especially now—Xu Xu’s own fiancé was embracing her real daughter, caught red-handed.

Huo Yunzhe, the guilty party, suddenly remembered that today was supposed to be his wedding day with Xu Xu. But before Mrs. Xu or Huo Yunzhe could say a word, a syrupy voice piped up in the living room.

“Big Sister.” Xu Yaru stood up from the sofa, her face a picture of innocence and aggrieved distress as she approached Xu Xu.

“Please don’t misunderstand, it’s not what it looks like between Yunzhe and me! Please, don’t get the wrong idea!”

Xu Xu stared at Xu Yaru’s theatrics with a blank expression. She was all too familiar with Xu Yaru’s manipulative ways by now—the same lines repeated over and over, nothing new.

“Oh, Sister, your dress is so over the top today!” Xu Yaru suddenly seemed to notice Xu Xu was wearing a wedding gown, her face contorted in feigned confusion. “Are you going to some special event?”

Xu Xu’s lips twitched. She tried to hold back but couldn’t help replying, “It’s a wedding dress.”

Idiot, pretending not to even recognize a wedding gown.

“Oh? A wedding dress!” Xu Yaru exclaimed, clapping a hand over her mouth in mock surprise, then feigning sudden realization. “Oh right, today’s your wedding day, isn’t it, Sister? Why are you here instead of at the ceremony?”

Xu Xu fell silent.

What was she supposed to do? She felt like slapping her.

“Oh!” Xu Yaru gasped again, glancing between Xu Xu and Huo Yunzhe. “That’s right, I forgot—the groom is Yunzhe, but Yunzhe is here with me…”

Too much. It was simply too much.

More painful was the fact that, besides herself, neither her mother nor her fiancé seemed to pick up on any of it.

Xu Xu let out a bitter laugh. “Xu Yaru, cut the act. You ruined my wedding—is this what makes you happy?”

If only Xu Yaru hadn’t recalled the video she sent, Xu Xu would have thrown it in her face right then and there.

“Sister, what are you talking about? I’m not pretending!” Xu Yaru looked as though she might burst into tears. “You know I’ve had a hard life, and my health is poor. I only fainted, so Yunzhe took me to the hospital. I never imagined things would turn out like this…”

As she spoke, she began to sob.

Not far away, Huo Yunzhe’s heart ached at the sight, and he immediately abandoned any attempt to explain to Xu Xu, instead pulling Xu Yaru into his arms and comforting her softly. Then he turned a furious glare on Xu Xu. “Xu Xu! Enough! You know Yaru’s not well. She fainted—of course I had to take care of her! Why are you being so harsh?”

“Yunzhe, don’t be angry with Sister because of me. I’m fine…” Xu Yaru murmured weakly from his embrace.

Huo Yunzhe’s heart ached even more at that, and his look toward Xu Xu grew colder. “See how considerate Yaru is? She’s standing up for you even when she’s unwell! But you—how can you call yourself an older sister?”

Xu Xu stared at Huo Yunzhe as if he were an idiot.

How had she never realized before just how dense this man was?

“Yes, Xu Xu, Yaru’s already like this. As her older sister, can’t you just let it go?” Mrs. Xu couldn’t help but speak up as well. Though she had initially felt guilty, seeing her real daughter sobbing so pitifully, thinking of all the suffering Yaru had endured over the years, her heart softened at once. After all, hadn’t Yaru suffered enough? Was it so wrong for Xu Xu to be the one to give way for once? She’d enjoyed a good life in Yaru’s place for so many years—wasn’t it only fair?

Xu Xu let out a cold laugh, her anger boiling over. “Fine. I understand!”

Completely disillusioned with Mrs. Xu and Huo Yunzhe, she turned and strode to the TV cabinet in the living room, pulling a folder from the bottom drawer.

Inside were all of Xu Yaru’s medical reports from childhood to the present, which Xu Xu had obtained through an investigation after being framed by Xu Yaru and finally seeing her true colors.

The reports showed that Xu Yaru had always been in excellent health!

Strong as an ox, yet she insisted on playing the frail, tragic heroine.

“See for yourselves,” Xu Xu said coldly, tossing the contents of the folder onto the coffee table. “Is Xu Yaru’s health really as weak as she claims?”

As soon as she saw what Xu Xu had produced, Xu Yaru’s face changed drastically. When had Xu Xu investigated her?

Mrs. Xu and Huo Yunzhe stared at the documents in surprise. Mrs. Xu picked them up and began to read, her expression growing darker with every page. Huo Yunzhe was increasingly shocked as well.

Xu Yaru’s health looked perfectly fine! There was no sign of anemia, hypoglycemia, or malnutrition.

Xu Yaru’s face grew paler and paler. “Yunzhe, Mom, I…”

Smack! Mrs. Xu slapped the documents onto the table, startling Xu Yaru.

Her gaze stern, Mrs. Xu looked at her daughter and asked in a grave, deliberate tone, “Yaru, tell me, is this true? Have you really been lying to us—pretending to be ill all this time?”