"Lin Yu, what exactly are you making a scene about? You didn't study hard and missed the college entrance exam, so now you're turning around and framing Shujue?"
"Locked up for three days? Starved, and then set dogs on you? Your talent for deception is getting more sophisticated by the day."
Lin Jingchen looked down at the girl lying on the floor with disgust. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were in tatters, and her body was covered in dense, terrifying bite marks, many of which were still oozing beads of blood.
"You've even resorted to self-harm just to garner sympathy. You really are as base as your mother!"
"Third Brother, don't talk to Sister like that."
Lin Shujue, wearing a custom-made princess dress, poked her head out from behind him, her fingers clutching tightly onto the corner of Lin Jingchen's shirt.
Lin Jingchen patted Lin Shujue on the head. "She's an illegitimate daughter; she doesn't deserve to be your sister. I only have one sister, and that's you."
Lin Shujue bit her lip, though a flash of a smile quickly crossed her eyes.
Just then, the person on the floor moved.
Lin Yu slowly crawled up, frowning as she surveyed her surroundings. Suddenly, a flood of memories that didn't belong to her rushed into her brain, and the pain forced her to clutch her head with both hands.
After absorbing the memories, Lin Yu was stunned. After being stabbed to death, she had actually traveled one hundred years into the past and possessed the body of a high school student with the same name!
The original owner was the illegitimate daughter of Lin Zhiyuan of the wealthy Lin Family. She had been brought home at the age of three, only to be ostracized and insulted by her four half-siblings because of her status.
The four siblings believed that Lin Yu's mother had meddled in their parents' relationship, leading to their estrangement. They hated Lin Yu and targeted her everywhere, both at home and at school.
Food laced with sand, chairs covered in glue, and torn textbooks were all part of her daily life. From the moment Lin Yu arrived at the Lin Family, the label of "illegitimate daughter" had turned into the start of a nightmare, where everyone felt entitled to trample upon her.After fifteen years of humiliation, the original owner had completely lost all hope under the repeated indifference of Lin Zhiyuan. She had intended to flee the Lin Family far behind once the college entrance exams were over, even taking odd jobs in secret to rent a place outside.
The original owner had dreamed of embracing her freedom, but on the very day of the exams, Lin Shujue had hired people to kidnap and lock her away for three full days, even setting dogs on her.
When she was finally released, the original owner dragged her broken body to the Lin Family mansion, only to discover that they were hosting a coming-of-age ceremony for Lin Shujue. Her father, who had been completely indifferent to her disappearance, was throwing a lavish celebration for his other daughter.
Years of pent-up resentment, combined with the loss of her only chance at escape, left the original owner with no desire to live. She went mad and fought desperately with the Lin Family members, only to have Lin Zhiyuan dismiss her as a lunatic; he ordered the servants to beat her severely before tossing her out of the house. The original owner, consumed by rage and despair, simply gave up the ghost.
How cruel fate can be.
"Lin Yu, are you still not gone? Are you still trying to hang onto the Lin Family?"
A stern voice rang out. Lin Yu looked up to see a middle-aged man and woman walking toward her. Their expressions turned as dark as a storm cloud the moment they saw her.
The two were none other than Lin Zhiyuan and his wife, Lu Rong.
As Lin Zhiyuan drew closer, a dense block of text suddenly hovered above his head. A flash of surprise passed through Lin Yu’s eyes—her supernatural ability hadn't disappeared!
In her previous life, she had thrived by using her ability to see the life biographies of everyone she met, eventually becoming a legendary matchmaker who caught the attention of the state. Had she not been stabbed to death, she might have even been recruited by the government as a specially trained talent.
Lin Yu scanned the text rapidly, and then, three question marks appeared one after another above her head.
The original owner was not the illegitimate daughter of Lin Zhiyuan and his "white moonlight" lover at all; she was his and Lu Rong’s biological daughter!
It was Lin Zhiyuan who had swapped the original owner with Lin Shujue!
According to the data revealed, Lin Zhiyuan and Lu Rong had been in an arranged marriage. He hated his parents and Lu Rong for tearing him away from his true love, so he had secretly kept that woman hidden away. It was only after Lu Rong had given birth to three sons that the "white moonlight" finally conceived his child.It so happened that Lu Rong was pregnant with her fourth child, and her due date was close to that of Lin Zhiyuan’s "white moonlight." Lin Zhiyuan concocted a diabolical scheme for revenge: he swapped the original owner with Lin Shujue, forcing Lu Rong to raise the woman he truly loved’s child.
Meanwhile, Lu Rong’s own biological daughter was left to be abused and neglected by the "white moonlight," as if this were the only way to alleviate the pain of their forced separation.
When the original owner was three years old, Lu Rong stumbled upon the truth. She had intended to kill the child, but the "white moonlight" acted first, bringing in reporters to expose Lin Yu’s true identity.
Under the weight of public opinion, Lu Rong was forced to acknowledge Lin Yu as a "illegitimate daughter" and bring her into the Lin Family. However, she demanded that Lin Zhiyuan cut all ties with his lover and send her abroad.
Lin Zhiyuan and his "white moonlight" were unwilling, but they could not withstand the joint pressure from the Lin Family and the Lu Family. Helpless, they were separated once again. The "white moonlight," wanting neither to raise the daughter of her enemy nor to watch Lu Rong abuse her own biological child, left without hesitation.
In Lin Zhiyuan’s heart, Lin Yu was a thorn that constantly pricked him; every time he saw her, he was reminded of the suffering his "white moonlight" had endured. Consequently, he allowed his four children to humiliate the original owner.
Lin Yu stared at Lin Zhiyuan. What a cruel heart he had. How had the original owner ever offended him? Why, as a daughter, did she deserve such treatment? She hadn't even known her true identity until the day she died.
Suddenly, Lin Yu felt a sharp, agonizing pressure in her chest, as if someone were gripping her heart. Cold sweat broke out across her forehead.
Lin Zhiyuan looked down at her from his height. "You are eighteen now. I have no obligation to support you. Get out. I don't have a daughter as calculating as you."
Lu Rong watched Lin Yu coldly. It was a mercy that she hadn't had her killed for ruining her daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Lin Jingchen scoffed, "We should have kicked this bitch out of the Lin Family long ago. If it weren't for her, my little sister’s ceremony wouldn't have been ruined."
Lin Yu clutched her heart and slowly climbed to her feet. She made a silent vow to the original owner to avenge her and expose Lin Zhiyuan’s wicked deeds; only then did her heart ease slightly.
"Lin Zhiyuan, it was you who swapped me with Lin Shujue eighteen years ago. Lin Shujue is the one who is illegitimate!"
Lin Yu’s sudden words left the four people present frozen in place. Lin Zhiyuan’s heart skipped a beat. How could she possibly know?
"Dad swapped you and my little sister?" Lin Jingchen sneered. "Lin Yu, if you’re sick in the head, go see a doctor. Don't think we’ll believe your made-up lies."
"Sister, I know you envy me for having a good mother, but you... you shouldn't try to steal my mother from me." Lin Shujue squeezed Lu Rong’s hand tightly, her face full of grievance.
"Do you think I could mistake the child I gave birth to?" Lu Rong patted her hand to comfort her, then glared at Lin Yu. "You’re just an illegitimate daughter; what makes you think you’re worthy of being my daughter?"
Besides, Lin Zhiyuan wouldn't have had the guts to swap her daughter.
Seeing that none of the three believed her, Lin Zhiyuan’s heart settled. He raised his hand to strike Lin Yu, but she dodged him.
"I have already broken things off with your mother. Don't think you can sow discord and ruin our family's relationship."
Lin Yu sneered, "A DNA test would settle this. I’ll just ask: do you dare?"
If they took a DNA test, everything would be exposed. Lin Zhiyuan definitely wouldn't want that. Before he could speak, Lin Jingchen stepped forward and shoved Lin Yu.
"Get out! Today is my little sister’s coming-of-age ceremony. Don't force me to have you thrown out!"
Lin Yu stumbled as she stood upright. She felt a deep sense of sorrow for the original owner; given the prejudice this family held against her, even if she laid the evidence right in front of them, no one would believe it. They would only dismiss it as a forgery.
"Guards, get her out of here!" Lin Zhiyuan seized the moment.
Servants rushed forward. Bruised all over and having not eaten for three days, Lin Yu was no match for them. She retreated to the front gate and said coldly, "One day, you will all beg me to come back."