"This is the paternity test report. You and Li Yunyun were switched at birth; Yunyun is my biological daughter," Chu Qingtian said, placing the report on the table with a stern expression.
Chu Jiu stood with her hands clasped before her, looking elegant and aloof. She didn't even glance at the paper. "Oh."
The Chu family was stunned by this reaction. They had fully expected Chu Jiu to throw a tantrum, threaten suicide, or refuse to accept the results. Indeed, that was exactly what the Chu Jiu of her previous life had done. She had spent eighteen years in the Chu family and, unable to bear the thought of leaving, had chosen to stay alongside Li Yunyun.
But then, the three brothers of the Chu family—devoted to their biological sister—had stopped doting on her. It reached a point where, when Li Yunyun committed a crime, everyone assumed it was Chu Jiu. No matter how she explained it, it was futile; the three brothers forced her to take the fall. After eight years of torture in prison, she was twisted into a "freak," forcibly injected with various skills, and once she had mastered them, she was discarded as a test subject and tortured to death.
Fortunately, she had been reborn. In this life, she would absolutely not stay to serve this pack of ungrateful wretches.
"Then I'll get out," Chu Jiu said, her voice light and indifferent.
Li Yunyun looked up upon hearing this, cautiously grabbing Chu Jiu’s arm. "Sister, please don't be angry. Don't worry, I won't interfere with your life. I... I will listen to you."
Before Li Yunyun could finish, Chu Jiu shook her off with a look of disgust. "Who gave you permission to touch me?"
"That's enough!" The eldest brother, Chu Hao, couldn't watch any longer. He cast a cold glance at Chu Jiu. "You were the one occupying Yunyun's place to begin with, so don't take your anger out on her. If you want to stay, we can keep supporting you, but otherwise..."
Chu Jiu chuckled. "I don't need your charity. I'm leaving now. Oh, and by the way, from now on... my name is Li Jiu."
The three Chu brothers frowned in unison. For some reason, they felt as if the Chu Jiu of today had become a completely different person. Still, it was better if she didn't make a scene; while they had feelings for her, she wasn't their biological sister, and the bloodline difference was significant.
"Since you've already made up your mind, go pack. You can take your things with you," Chu Qingtian said, showing no signs of sadness. To him, it made no difference.
Li Yunyun kept her head bowed, but the corners of her lips curled up, a flash of triumph in her eyes. From now on, she would be the young lady of the Chu family, while Li Jiu could go back to the slums and suffer.
Li Jiu went upstairs and took only her laptop and backpack. Beyond that, she took nothing. Seeing her empty-handed, the three brothers felt a twinge of discomfort.
"Aren't you going to take the limited-edition airplane model I gave you?" the second brother, Chu Xun, asked instinctively.
"It's just a fake. I don't need it," Li Jiu replied, her lips curling into a cold, indifferent smile.
Chu Xun felt a strange tightness in his chest. When Li Yunyun heard the words "limited edition," she turned red with jealousy—truly, their lives were worlds apart!
"The slums aren't like the Chu residence. You don't need to hold onto that pride; take whatever you want," Chu Hao couldn't help but add, seeing how resolute Li Jiu was in her departure.
Li Jiu looked back. "I want the entire Chu family. Will you give it to me?"
"Greedy and insatiable! I never imagined we’d raised such an ungrateful wretch for all these years!" the third brother, Chu Xi, said with disgust. "Big brother, don't mind her. Let her go to the slums and fend for herself."
Li Jiu chuckled softly. These brothers were truly... not even bothering to pretend anymore. They had been good to her before only because she carried the name "Chu." Now that they knew she had "stolen" Li Yunyun's life, they felt only anger and loathing.
Since that was the case...
Li Jiu walked away without a shred of lingering attachment. Little did she know that behind her, Li Yunyun wore a triumphant smile.
Li Jiu had originally intended to take a helicopter, but realizing the distance was too short and there was nowhere to land, she decided to just hail a taxi. She had underestimated the "poverty" of these slums. As she entered, she saw the door to the inner room—there wasn't even a proper courtyard.
The door creaked open, startling the people inside.
"There's a thief!" the eldest sister, Li Yuan, exclaimed, rushing out.
Li Jiu’s mouth twitched. A thief? If a thief came here, they’d have to leave something behind before they could get out. Li Jiu instinctively sized up the woman before her: bold features and a capable look, though her clothes were a bit dated and didn't fit quite right.
Once Li Yuan shouted, the others came out as well.
"Where?" The second sister, Li Xin, grabbed a rolling pin, ready to engage the "thief" in a full-scale confrontation.
The third sister, Li Wan, didn't want to be outdone, holding a yellowed law book. "I’ll reform him and show him the error of his ways."
Li Jiu coughed softly. "I am Li Jiu, the youngest daughter of the Li family. Your biological sister."
"Biological... sister?" Li Yuan looked Li Jiu over. "She's quite pretty. She’s definitely much better looking than Yunyun."
"I was just saying, I used to wonder why we were all so refined while only Yunyun looked different. So we were switched. Looking at it now, this one certainly looks more like our own," Li Xin agreed, nodding. Especially when looking at Li Jiu, whose alluring peach-blossom eyes were slightly upturned, she looked quite stunning.
"Don't scare the little sister," a voice said. A coughing fit came from the inner room, followed by a woman in a wheelchair. She was pale, yet her beauty and natural grace could not be hidden. Gu Qinghuan looked up at Li Jiu cautiously. "Did you come back just to take a look?"
Li Jiu sighed in amazement. She had seen countless beauties, but this was truly breathtaking. The Li family might be poor—no, that wasn't right; you could scour the entire Capital and not find another family like this—but their aesthetics were off the charts! The whole family was beautiful in such a striking, aggressive way. Li Jiu even thought that if they entered the entertainment industry, they could make a fortune and debut as a group.
"Hmm?" Li Jiu snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "Not just to look. I plan to move back home and live with you all."
Li Yuan, who had been scratching an itch, froze, staring at Li Jiu in disbelief. "Are you sure? That Chu Yunyun ran off without looking back the moment she heard she was a wealthy heiress. You’ve grown up in a wealthy family your whole life—can you handle the environment here?"
The other two sisters didn't believe her either. Seeing her show up empty-handed, they assumed she hadn't planned to stay.
"I think this place is just fine," Li Jiu said, glancing around. The environment was indeed poor, but that didn't matter. With her here, they would all be living in a villa sooner or later.
But before that, she needed to ensure this family... could truly become her family. She didn't want to be backstabbed again. As she thought of her miserable death in her previous life, a cold light flashed deep in her eyes.
Seeing Li Jiu’s extraordinary presence, the Li family subconsciously felt she wouldn't stay long, but since she was one of their own and had offered to stay, they decided to let her try. As for the future, they would deal with it when it came.