Mother Du gasped sharply, gritting her teeth. "One thing at a time. Since she pulled a stunt like that, there's no need for her to ever come around again."
Though puzzled by Mother Du's sudden change of heart and utter ruthlessness, Du Anrao felt a weight lift from her chest and turned her attention to Du Junyan, who had almost suffered undeserved collateral damage.
[Come to think of it, big brother and Bai Xiuqing were only alone together for less than ten minutes that night. If there hadn't been a surveillance camera in the room, and she had stubbornly insisted on pinning the child on big brother and pressuring the Du Family through the media, would big brother have had no choice but to pull the footage from outside the hotel room to prove his innocence? I wonder how many wild legends would have been spun by internet trolls who just love a good spectacle?]
[Men fall silent, women weep: to prove his innocence, he actually confesses to this publicly.]
[Shocking! The Du Family heir has been single for years, and it's all because of this.]
[A single man and woman alone in a room for ten minutes results in a pregnancy—who is lying? Click to find out...]
Father Du and Mother Du: "Pfft..."
Big Brother Du, whose reputation took an unearned hit: "..." My little ancestor, please stop your brain right there!
Bai Xiuqing's appearance made Du Anrao re-evaluate the library inside her head, and after lunch, she found an excuse to go upstairs to look up some books.
However, she had no idea that the moment her back was turned and she headed upstairs, the others gathered together.
Looking at his parents' rare, solemn expressions, Du Junyan didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "I heard everything."
Father Du raised an eyebrow: "How much did you hear?"
"All of it."
Mother Du also realized that Du Junyan was referring to what they had heard in the living room: "That video..."
"I tricked her."
Unexpected yet entirely reasonable, the couple fell silent for a moment before returning to the main issue.
"We must thoroughly investigate Bai Xiuqing." Father Du still harbored some lingering resentment regarding the enemies who killed his father and ruined his family, as mentioned by Du Anrao.
Mother Du was more concerned with something else: "Then what about An'an..."
Knowing what Mother Du was worried about, Du Junyan took the initiative to state his stance: "An'an is my biological sister. No matter what happens, I will do everything in my power to protect her."
Father Du glanced at his consistently steady eldest son, nodded with relief, and made the final decision: "Don't tell An'an about this for now, so she doesn't overthink it. Also, be extra vigilant these next few days. Let's see if only we can hear these thoughts or if others can too, and whether there are any distance limitations."
The three reached a consensus on the matter, and Du Junyan quickly took action to investigate the things Du Anrao had revealed.
Bai Xiuqing had been living abroad for the past few years, so investigating her would inevitably take some time.
However, Du Anrao had also mentioned that Bai Xiuqing had an accomplice inside Third People's Hospital who helped her tamper with the medical examination report.
Starting from that clue, Du Junyan quickly made headway.
The next morning, the moment Du Anrao went downstairs, she received a gift from her big brother.
"What is this?"
"A welcoming gift."
Looking at the familiar card in Du Junyan's hand, Du Anrao grew even more bewildered: "Didn't you already give me one yesterday?"
"That card was for living expenses, and this one is for pocket money."
"..."
Pocket money and living expenses came on separate cards? Besides, if she remembered correctly, yesterday's card must have had at least seven figures on it, and judging by her big brother's tone, this one was likely to have even more.
Is this just how obscenely wealthy people express their affection? It's simply inhumanely loaded.
Flustered and overwhelmed by the favor, Du Anrao declined: "There's really no need. Yesterday's card is more than enough for me; I can't possibly spend that much money on my own."
Despite her words, Du Junyan was unyielding on the matter. He kept a straight face in silence and didn't take the card back.
The two of them remained at a stalemate until Mother Du walked over, took the card, and shoved it straight into Du Anrao's pocket.
"Your brother gave it to you, so just take it. Every child in our family gets one of these, so don't be embarrassed. Since we're heading out to buy things today, we'll use this card."
Du Junyan let out an imperceptible sigh of relief: "Right, call me if it's not enough."
The unmasked acceptance and favoritism from the two of them stirred a completely novel feeling in Du Anrao's heart—somewhat strange, yet not at all unpleasant.
Du Anrao had lived in a Taoist temple in the mountains since she was four years old. Though she wasn't completely cut off from the world, resources were ultimately limited.
Coming down the mountain this time, she hadn't brought much. Although Mother Du had already had plenty of things delivered to the house before she returned, she still wanted to personally take her out to look around, helping her adapt faster to modern life and integrate into the society down the mountain.
The upscale shopping mall Mother Du took Du Anrao to was nearby, spanning five floors, with luxury stores of various kinds on every level.
Du Anrao followed Mother Du from the first floor to the third, buying clothes, jewelry, shoes, and bags. At first, she found it all novel, but by the end, she was utterly numb.
When she finally dragged herself through to noon, Mother Du temporarily called a halt, leading Du Anrao with great satisfaction to a Western restaurant on the fourth floor.
Just as they finished ordering, a sarcastic female voice suddenly drifted over from the next table: "Well, if it isn't Miss Du, no wonder she looked so familiar. Is the Du Family going bankrupt? Sending you, their only apple of their eye, to work as a waitstaff in a cheap little dump like this?"
"Oh, look at my memory—the Du Family already found their real, biological daughter, so I suppose this fake daughter had to scurry out with her tail between her legs after being kicked out?"
More talk of the Du Family, and more talk of real and fake daughters. The pointing was getting a bit too direct.
Du Anrao, who had been drooping from high-intensity shopping, instantly perked up and turned her head toward the sound.
Before she even had time to process it, she heard Mother Du, seated right across from her, murmur in a daze: "Yuxi..."
[Confirmed! This must be my fourth sister, whom I've never met before and who moved out of the house.]
Mother Du: "..."
Not far away, Du Yuxi, whose expression was slightly chilled from the mockery: "???" What was that voice?
Seizing the opportunity to mercilessly mock her arch-nemesis, Ye Mengzhen felt an indescribable sense of gratification.
When she saw that Du Yuxi didn't react at all, maintaining that cold, aloof demeanor of an unapproachable flower on a snowy peak, the lingering wicked irritation in her chest flared right back up.
"I heard that the real Du daughter was found in a remote Taoist temple on a mountain in Y Province. She never even went to school—just some uncultured high school dropout from the sticks. Doesn't it drive you crazy that someone like that usurped your position as the cherished young miss of the Du Family?"
"But what's the use of being resentful? She's the Du Family's flesh and blood through and through. Even if she were a complete idiot, she'd still have the protection of everyone in the Du Family. Look at you—no matter how talented you are, what does it get you? Right now, you're just scraping by as a bottom-feeder of a waitress, bowing and scraping while serving tea and water to others."
An idiot and high school dropout in the flesh: "..." We haven't even met yet, and you're already expending so much energy on me. I'm truly sorry.
"Ye Mengzhen, don't go too far!" Du Yuxi, who had merely kept a cold face when mocked earlier, finally couldn't help but snap.
"If you have a problem, direct it at me—leave her out of it. It's my fault and my parents' fault that she ended up like this, but that doesn't give you the right to casually discuss and mock her hardships."