Chapter 9: The Fake Daughter
“Hey, did you hear? Lin Yuejiu turned out to be a fake daughter?”
“What?! Are you serious?!”
“The Lin family themselves announced it. They said they’ve already found their real daughter, and Lin Yuejiu no longer has anything to do with the Lin family.”
“Huh? Wait a second—if she has nothing to do with them, why is her surname still Lin?”
“She was originally surnamed Lin. It’s not like everyone named Lin is part of the Lin family.”
“So who’s the real daughter?”
“The real one seems to be someone named Lin Ru Meng. She was abducted by traffickers before and was only recently found and brought back.”
“Has anyone seen her photo?”
“I have! She’s not as pretty as Lin Yuejiu.”
“Since they’ve found the real daughter, what’s going to happen to the fake one? They already said there’s no more connection, so how is Lin Yuejiu going to live from now on? She’s still a student.”
“That’s her own problem.”
“Speaking of which, if Lin Ru Meng hadn’t been abducted, Lin Yuejiu wouldn’t have spent all those years in the Lin family, right?”
“Even if it wasn’t Lin Yuejiu, there still would’ve been someone else.”
“Hey, I heard Lin Yuejiu actually knew she was adopted.”
“Really? Then she still stayed in the Lin family? That’s a bit shameless, isn’t it?”
“Not necessarily. The Lin family knew she was adopted too. I heard she was raised in Lin Ru Meng’s place. Now that the real daughter is back, of course the fake one has to step down.”
“So she was just a substitute? That sounds kind of pitiful.”
“You’re feeling sorry for her? Better feel sorry for yourself first.”
Before long, everyone at school was talking about it.
When the high-society circle found out, they were shocked.
What the hell? A fake daughter?
Occupying the magpie’s nest??
This is explosive news!!
Many people went to Lin Yimo to confirm what happened.
His response: “What do you mean ‘what happened’? Isn’t it all already explained clearly?”
Someone asked: “Then who’s your sister now?”
Lin Yimo: “Lin Ru Meng.”
When Xu Xie found out, he was also stunned, and immediately began to worry about Lin Yuejiu.
“Nianshen, hurry to the school and check on Jiujiu. She’s all alone now, with no one to rely on, and the public opinion is turning against her.”
Xu Nianshen nodded.
He finally understood why Lin Yuejiu had moved out of her dorm a few days ago—it must have been because she already knew the real daughter would return, so she vacated the space in advance.
Xu Nianshen arrived at the classroom first, but her seat was still empty.
When he entered, the noisy classroom went quiet for a moment, then the chatter resumed, though with strange looks directed at him.
“Does our Xu Nianshen know about this?”
“From the look of it, probably not.”
“So that means Lin Yuejiu tricked him.”
“How so?”
“His childhood sweetheart should’ve been Lin Ru Meng, but this fake daughter became his childhood sweetheart instead.”
“That’s not exactly the same, though.”
Xu Nianshen frowned and was just about to speak when he saw Lin Yuejiu walk in, holding her books.
The noisy classroom fell silent instantly.
Lin Yuejiu acted as if she hadn’t noticed, went straight to her seat, sat down, and opened her book, “Did you have breakfast?”
Lin Yuejiu turned her head. Xu Nianshen’s gaze on her was the same as usual, “I ate.”
Xu Nianshen took a bottle of warm milk from his desk drawer and placed it on her desk, “Drink this.”
Lin Yuejiu turned her head back again, “No, thanks.”
“You’re not drinking it? My mom told me to bring it for you. If you don’t drink it, I’ll throw it away.”
Lin Yuejiu’s page-turning paused for a moment. After a brief silence, she picked up the milk.
Lan Qingqing had woken up late this morning and only just learned the news. Shocked, she hurried to school. As soon as she entered the classroom, she confronted Lin Yuejiu, “Jiujiu, is what they’re saying true? That you’re a fake daughter?”
The classroom, already quiet, fell into an even heavier silence.
Lin Yuejiu looked up at her. “It’s true.”
Lan Qingqing’s face showed astonishment, and she quickly followed up, “Then what they said about you knowing you were adopted—is that true too?”
“It’s true.”
Lan Qingqing’s expression filled with disbelief and disappointment, “I’m your best friend, yet you lied to me. I’m so disappointed in you, Lin Yuejiu!”
Lin Yuejiu’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
“From today on, we’re done. I, Lan Qingqing, have no friend who tells lies like you!”
With that, Lan Qingqing angrily returned to her seat.
Lin Yuejiu’s expression didn’t change. She kept reading her book.
Xu Nianshen glanced at her and reminded her, “Finish the milk.”
Lin Yuejiu obediently drank it, and Xu Nianshen took the empty carton and tossed it into the trash before sitting back down to read.
The classroom slowly regained some noise.
“Hey, did you see that just now? She lied to someone, and now her friend has broken things off with her.”
“Lan Qingqing has been her friend for years.”
“Not sure if you can call it lying. Lan Qingqing never asked her directly, right?”
Lin Yuejiu stared at the words on the page without moving.
Friend? Was Lan Qingqing her friend?
She had never thought so.
Borrowing homework to copy every day—does that make someone a friend? Classmates can do that too.
Being ‘friends for years’? That just meant she’d copied her homework for years.
A best friend? A real best friend wouldn’t repeatedly talk behind her back. If that counts as a best friend, then there probably aren’t any real friends left in this world.
The desk in front of her was suddenly tapped.
Lin Yuejiu snapped back to her senses and turned her head.
Xu Nianshen’s expression was as calm as ever, “You’ve been staring at this page for five minutes. Is the preface really that interesting?”
Lin Yuejiu looked down—it was indeed a single-page preface.
She pinched the page between her fingers and turned it.
The bell for class rang, and the Chinese teacher walked in. As she entered, her gaze swept over Lin Yuejiu with a complicated expression.
She patted the desk, “Quiet! Class is starting. Everyone turn to Lesson Six, the preface section.”
When the bell rang for the end of class, the teacher left, and Chen Qianxi walked in, “Jiujiu, are you… okay?”
Lin Yuejiu looked up and gave her a small smile. “I’m fine.”
From the back, Lan Qingqing said in a mocking tone, “Of course you’re fine. You lived in the Lin family for so many years, eating well, drinking well—enjoying things you’ll never have again in your life. You even had a mom and dad. What could possibly be wrong?”
Lin Yuejiu said nothing.
Chen Qianxi’s expression soured. She shot back, “Some people really don’t know when to keep their mouths shut. Are you her? Are you Lin Yuejiu?”
“Wait, no—you can’t be Lin Yuejiu. You’re not as pretty as she is, and your grades aren’t as good either.”
Lan Qingqing’s face flushed with anger. “You—!”
“Xixi.” Lin Yuejiu tugged on Chen Qianxi’s sleeve.
Chen Qianxi understood what she meant and pursed her lips.
