Chapter 5: The Real and Fake Daughters
Lunch was lively and cheerful. Students from other classes, passing by the doorway, couldn’t help sniffing the air. Then, catching sight of the table covered in colorful drinks, they immediately felt defeated.
Takeout might not be healthier than cafeteria food… but oh, it smelled so good! And it tasted even better!
Gu Qinghuan urged everyone to open the windows to air the room out, so the afternoon teacher wouldn’t walk in and get hit in the face by a wall of fragrance.
Once full and satisfied, drowsiness crept in, and soon a row of classmates were collapsed over their desks.
Gu Qinghuan wasn’t used to sleeping face-down. She was just wondering whether to play on her phone or take a walk when Jiang Chuchu tapped her shoulder, “Want to take a nap?”
“I can’t fall asleep like this,” Gu Qinghuan replied.
“Me neither.” Jiang Chuchu was oddly pleased they shared this trait. “Come on, I’ll take you to a place where you can lie down for a proper nap.”
Since she had nothing else to do, Gu Qinghuan followed her.
During lunch, she’d looked up Yongchang Group and found only one summary: filthy rich.
How rich? Some people bought apartments by the unit. Others bought houses by the block. Jiang Chuchu’s family could buy entire neighborhoods.
If the young lady was willing to take care of her, Gu Qinghuan was happy to accept. Who didn’t want to live more comfortably?
Jiang Chuchu led her to a tall building next to the school. There was no sign out front, so Gu Qinghuan didn’t know its purpose. Jiang Chuchu found the elevator, swiped a card, and took them to the 16th floor.
When the doors opened, Jiang Chuchu pulled her along and stopped in front of a door.
“This is the one.” She nodded, swiping her card again to open it.
Gu Qinghuan was already a little sleepy, squinting as she was dragged inside.
It turned out to be a lounge—sofa, recliners, tables, chairs, coffee table, sink, fridge, TV, air conditioner… fully equipped.
Jiang Chuchu switched on the AC, flopped onto a recliner, pulled out a sleep mask from who-knew-where, and waved. “You take the sofa.”
Gu Qinghuan decided not to think too hard about it. So what if the rich young lady had her own private rest room in the school building?
She lay down decisively, hugged a pillow, and was asleep in no time.
—
Over at Qingda University Library, a young man studying noticed his phone buzz. He lazily unlocked it to see a message from a friend: [Qin Min! Ask your brother for me! How was my Chuchu’s first day of school?!]
Qin Min put down his pen and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jiang Yuxuan, the ultimate sister-obsessive, was meddling again.
It was only halfway through the first day of high school—what was he in such a hurry for? Did he still plan to micromanage her friendships?
But if he didn’t ask, knowing Jiang Yuxuan’s personality, he’d get spammed with messages until his head ached.
With a sigh, he messaged Qin Yue: [You’re in Chuchu’s class, right? Her brother wants to know how she’s doing today.]
Qin Yue, who never napped at noon, replied instantly: [She’s great—fought for seats with classmates, gave someone a watch, handed out red envelopes, called someone’s handwriting ugly, gave a fountain pen, offered to teach calligraphy, treated everyone to lunch, and is now taking a classmate to her lounge for a nap.]
It really had been an eventful morning. Though… a few of those things sounded questionable.
[Sounds interesting. Give me details.] Qin Min sent back.
Qin Yue quickly typed out long, detailed paragraphs. Say what you will—his gossip was well-cut and juicy. Even Qin Min found it entertaining. He forwarded the messages to Jiang Yuxuan.
Yuxuan was thrilled: [This Gu Qinghuan girl is a good person!]
Qin Min rolled his eyes inwardly. Right—anyone good to your sister is automatically “a good person.”
Still, he genuinely admired how Gu Qinghuan handled things. According to Qin Yue, she wasn’t from their social circle, yet without special training, she could navigate situations with such poise—that was impressive.
Yuxuan sent another message: [But this name, Yu Xin… looks familiar. Hold on, I’m going to check.]
Qin Min didn’t think much of it and went back to reading. Half an hour later, Yuxuan sent: [I knew it! Yu Xin is the biological daughter the Yu family just got back!]
That made Qin Min sit up a little straighter.
He’d heard bits about the Yu family’s story.
Years ago, during a major project bid, the Yu family’s third son had clashed with a certain shady peer. For revenge, that man secretly swapped out the newborn daughter of Yu’s third son.
The Yu family had no idea until a few years ago, when the man’s political protector was taken down. In confessing his crimes, he revealed the swap. Only then did the Yu family realize they’d been raising a fake daughter.
It wasn’t until this year that the third son managed to find his real daughter. But since the fake daughter had been with them for so many years, the couple couldn’t bear to part with her—so they decided to raise both girls together.
[If I’m not mistaken, they found her before the high school entrance exam. It’s been over three months, and they still haven’t bought her a single calligraphy book?!] Yuxuan’s focus was oddly specific.
Well… not entirely unreasonable. It did imply the Yu couple hadn’t even looked at Yu Xin’s handwriting.
In school, there were plenty of opportunities to see it. Even if they didn’t go out of their way, they could at least notice while bringing her a snack or a drink as she did homework.
Sure, they could have a servant do it—but this was the daughter they’d been separated from for over a decade, the one they’d searched years to find. Wouldn’t any normal parent want to spend time with her?
Given the Yu family’s status, no one expected her to have calligraphy like a master’s, but at least it should be presentable. If it wasn’t, surely they’d have her practice.
Clearly, the Yu couple didn’t place much importance on their real daughter.
Qin Min exhaled slowly. Still, it was someone else’s family matter—he couldn’t say much.
He twirled his pen and replied casually to Yuxuan’s last message: [Well, isn’t your sister about to give her a copybook?]
[…You do know how to talk.] Yuxuan sent back.
—
Gu Qinghuan had no idea she’d become the subject of others’ conversations. After sleeping half the afternoon on the sofa, her neck was a little sore. On the way back to class with Jiang Chuchu, she kept rolling her head around.
Jiang Chuchu, seeing her rotate like a robot, laughed. “What are you doing?”
“My neck’s stiff. A sofa just isn’t as good as a bed,” Gu Qinghuan said frankly.
“True.” Jiang Chuchu’s recliner had been better, but still no bed. Resting her chin in thought, she mused, “Maybe we should put two beds in there? Though it might be cramped.”
Gu Qinghuan perked right up. “You know about human dog beds?”
She’d had her eye on one for ages! This was the perfect excuse to get one for Jiang Chuchu.
Jiang Chuchu was about to pull out her phone to check, but the teacher walked in, forcing her to suppress her curiosity.
Gu Qinghuan straightened up for class, already daydreaming about the future: She’d keep using Jiang Chuchu’s lounge for naps, buy two human dog beds—one for herself, one for Jiang Chuchu—and call it rent. Perfect.
