Chen Ruanruan had returned home after winning the provincial award in a dance competition.
Just moments ago in the car, she had been excitedly discussing with her brother, Chen Haotian, how they should celebrate upon arriving home.
Yet, upon stepping through the door, she was met with this brutal truth.
She took half a step back in disbelief.
Then, without uttering a single word, she turned and ran outside.
Seeing this, Chen Haotian grew anxious, and the faint dislike he already felt for Chen Liuyue deepened further.
He threw out a sentence.
"My only sister is Ruanruan!"
With that, he chased after her.
Outside.
Chen Ruanruan, after all, was a girl and hadn't run far before Chen Haotian caught up to her.
"Ruanruan, where are you going?"
Chen Haotian grabbed her arm, his face full of worry and urgency.
Chen Ruanruan stopped in her tracks.
Unable to fully process the news she had just learned, she crouched down, hugged herself, and tears began to fall silently.
"I don't even know where I can go now..."
"...How is this possible."
"I've lived here since I was little."
"How can it be that one day, Dad is not my dad, and Mom is not my mom anymore..."
Chen Haotian comfortingly patted her back.
His tone was firm as he said:
"Don't worry, Ruanruan, no matter what the truth of the matter is."
"I only acknowledge you as my sister."
Chen Ruanruan lifted the back of her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, looked up, and asked:
"What about her then?"
"She is your biological sister."
Chen Haotian frowned, feeling little goodwill towards this so-called biological sister who had shown up on their doorstep.
She looked like the calculating type.
Ruanruan was so innocent, not like her at all.
If he didn't watch out for her, she'd probably be bullied by the other girl.
"Ruanruan, you are the sister I've watched grow up. We have so many wonderful memories together."
"Although blood ties cannot be changed, the twenty years of shared life and feelings are what's real."
Hearing this, Chen Ruanruan felt a pang of guilt again.
She shook her head.
"Brother, please don't say that."
"She would be very hurt if she heard it."
After speaking, she wiped her tears again, slowly stood up, and looked at Chen Haotian.
"Brother, was I being too emotional just now?"
"Running out like that must have made Mom, Dad, and... our sister feel very awkward. Maybe we should go back inside."
"I've made up my mind. I'm ready to accept whatever outcome."
Chen Haotian looked at Chen Ruanruan with both heartache and relief.
This was the sister he had doted on since childhood—naive and lively, yet gentle and magnanimous. Who said she wasn't his biological sister? She was his real sister!!!
...
Inside the house.
Wu Peihua had also wanted to run after them but was stopped by Chen Zhenye.
The couple's faces were grim. The situation they had dreaded most had still happened.
And to have Ruanruan witness it firsthand—they couldn't imagine how heartbroken she must be.
Holding onto her anger, Wu Peihua looked at Chen Liuyue, and a trace of resentment slipped into her tone as she blurted out.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"You just had to show up in such a hurry. Couldn't you have given us some time to think things over?"
Chen Liuyue blinked her eyes.
As if she didn't understand the implication in Wu Peihua's words.
Instead, she said with a sincere expression, "Mom, don't worry, I'm not that kind of person."
"Even though I've come home, I would never drive my sister away."
"In the future, we two sisters will take care of you together. Right, Dad?"
As she spoke, she turned to Chen Zhenye with an innocent, guileless smile.
Chen Zhenye couldn't quite tell if the girl before him was speaking sincerely or delivering a masterclass in sarcasm.
He could only nod vaguely.
Wu Peihua, even more angered, said, "You even think about driving Ruanruan away?"
Chen Liuyue vigorously shook her head.
"I didn't say that."
"I said I would never drive sister away. But since you mentioned it, Mom..."
"Could it be that you know sister isn't your biological daughter..."
"So... are you going to drive sister away?"
As soon as the words left her mouth.
The Chen siblings walked back into the villa.
Both heard Chen Liuyue's sentence.
Chen Ruanruan, who had just regained her composure, trembled again, in disbelief.
She whispered, "Mom... actually wants to drive me away?"
Chen Haotian raised his voice.
"Ruanruan, as long as I am in the Chen family, no one can drive you away!"
Hearing their eldest son's voice, Mr. and Mrs. Chen looked over.
The tears Chen Ruanruan had just held back began to drip down her face again.
Wu Peihua could no longer contain herself. She rushed to Chen Ruanruan's side and hugged her, soothing her.
"Ruanruan, please don't cry."
"It's all nonsense from others. You are my precious daughter. How could I ever drive you away?"
After speaking, she shot a fierce glare at Chen Liuyue.
Chen Liuyue tilted her head innocently.
"Mom, what you're saying is so strange."
"I'm not 'others.' I'm your biological daughter."
"And I wasn't talking nonsense. I was just repeating what you seemed to want to say."
What formidable combat skills!!!
Wu Peihua's face flushed red, then turned green with anger. She stammered for a long time, unable to come up with a retort.
It was Chen Zhenye who finally couldn't stand it any longer. He motioned for Chen Ruanruan to come over.
"Ruanruan, come here."
"Yes, Dad." Chen Ruanruan held great respect for her father. She wiped her tears and obediently walked forward.
Chen Zhenye first looked at Chen Ruanruan, then at Chen Liuyue.
He sighed with complicated emotions.
Slowly, he began to speak:
"Three days ago, a couple named Tao called your mother and me. They said that because they felt their child didn't look much like them, they took a paternity test."
"After the report came out, it confirmed she wasn't their biological child. So, they started investigating the hospital where the birth took place."
"They finally discovered that a trainee nurse had accidentally switched the babies."
"You were brought to our Chen family, and Liuyue was mistakenly taken to the Tao family."
"So, your biological father's surname is Tao."
Chen Haotian was impulsive by nature.
As soon as his father finished speaking, he immediately declared,
"What do you mean 'surname Tao'? Ruanruan's surname is Chen, and it will always be Chen!!!"
Chen Zhenye lifted his eyes and gave him a sidelong glance. His eldest son, despite having trained in the company for a couple of years, was still so impatient.
"The baby-switching incident back then was an accident. No one acted with malicious intent."
"So we must also respect the Tao couple."
"I've inquired about them. They live in the neighboring city. One is a university professor, the other a primary school teacher—an intellectual family."
"Ruanruan's excellence today is also partly due to their genes."
Chen Ruanruan's heart had been clenched tight, especially upon hearing that her being switched was an accident.
It wasn't until the end, when she heard her father mention the information about her biological parents, that she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, thank goodness.
Even though her biological family wasn't as wealthy as the Chen family, they were at least a highly educated family.
Having a university professor as a biological father sounded much better.
Truthfully, she had already prepared for the worst—like her biological parents living in some slum.
Fortunately, this wasn't some short drama series.
