Si Nian had just regained consciousness and was processing the unfamiliar memories when she heard the sound of a woman crying.
"What else can we do? Do you expect our own daughter to marry an old man with three kids?"
"Wuwu... She's already suffered for over a decade. It's not that I don’t love Nian Nian, but no matter what, she is our real daughter."
Si Nian’s blurry gaze swept over the two middle-aged figures by her bed—a man in his forties smoking with a furrowed brow and a woman wiping her tears.
It had been two days since Si Nian transmigrated into this novel, but due to the original host’s poor physical condition, she had been unconscious, slowly digesting the absurd memories in her head.
She had transmigrated—into the backward 1980s, no less.
And to make things worse, she was a fake heiress.
A month ago, the real heiress had shown up, claiming to be the biological daughter. A paternity test confirmed it.
The original host’s status had instantly become awkward.
The real heiress had grown up in a poor rural family, while the fake heiress, unwilling to endure hardship, had thrown tantrums to stay, terrified of being kicked out.
More importantly, she was already engaged to the son of a high-ranking military officer, on the verge of marrying into wealth—until the real heiress appeared and ruined everything.
Furious, the original host had resented the real heiress.
Even a dog raised for over a decade would evoke affection, let alone a living person.
At first, the family had considered keeping both, as the Si family had been officials for three generations and could afford it.
But then they learned that the real heiress’s rural parents had already arranged a marriage for her—to a divorced, middle-aged pig farm owner with three children.
The real heiress naturally refused.
The Si parents, heartbroken that their biological daughter had suffered for years only to be forced into marrying an older, divorced man, couldn’t bear to send her away.
To make matters worse, the rural parents had taken the money and vanished, leaving no choice but to proceed with the marriage.
After much deliberation, they came up with the idea of sending the fake heiress as a substitute.
Though it sounded harsh, the Si family reasoned that after raising her for so many years, it wasn’t unreasonable to ask for this favor in return.
Besides, she wasn’t their real daughter. Letting her marry into a lesser family would be a loss for the Si family.
The best should naturally be reserved for their own flesh and blood.
When the original host learned of this, she was so enraged that she attempted suicide by drowning.
The incident caused a huge scandal, tarnishing the Si family’s reputation and making them resent her even more.
Since childhood, people had remarked that she didn’t resemble her parents, causing awkwardness.
She was also ill-tempered and lacked the grace expected of a well-bred lady.
So they were eager to set things right.
Si Nian blinked.
Though the original host had jumped into the water, she hadn’t died. Instead, her family, horrified by her extreme reaction, immediately sent her to the countryside.
After marrying the older man, the original host blamed all her misfortunes on him and abused his children until he finally divorced her.
The fake heiress ended up a destitute beggar, dying miserably on the streets—a fitting end to her absurd life.
What a ridiculous plot.
Over the past few days, lying half-dead in bed, Si Nian had desperately wished this was just a nightmare.
She had worked hard to save up a 300,000-yuan down payment for an apartment, only for it to vanish the moment she paid the deposit.
The injustice kept her awake at night.
Now, seeing the female lead’s mother pleading like this, she knew she couldn’t avoid the situation any longer.
The family clearly favored the real heiress. Staying would only mean living under their roof as an unwelcome guest.
Leaving voluntarily might at least earn her some goodwill.
So Si Nian spoke up, "Stop crying. I’ll go."
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Zhang Cuimei realized her daughter was awake.
A flicker of guilt crossed her face. "Nian Nian, don’t blame us for being heartless. I just… have no other choice."
Si Nian nodded calmly. "I understand. If I stayed, I might end up competing with Lin Sisi for her military officer fiancé. That wouldn’t be right."
Her bluntness made the two adults flush with shame.
After all, the engagement had been arranged because the other family had been impressed by Si Nian’s beauty.
But the Si parents insisted it was only because of their status.
"Here’s a hundred yuan. It should last you a while. If you run into trouble, you can call us."
Yes, call—not visit.
They were clearly cutting ties.
Still, a hundred yuan wasn’t bad. In the 1980s, that was equivalent to a thousand yuan in the future.
Si Nian wasn’t greedy. She barely knew these people, and as the fake heiress, her position was awkward enough. After being raised in luxury for over a decade, demanding more or clinging to them would only make her seem ungrateful.
She took the money. After a few perfunctory words about packing and leaving the next day, the two adults hurried out, afraid she might change her mind.
The wedding was scheduled for the next day, but since second marriages were frowned upon in this era, there would be no ceremony—just sending her over.
Si Nian got up and surveyed the room. It wasn’t large but was well-furnished: a pretty iron bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a vanity mirror.
Most families couldn’t afford such luxuries.
The Si family had treated the original host decently, at least providing her with food and fine clothes.
So the wardrobe was full—elegant French-style dresses, traditional qipaos, accessories, and even pearl necklaces.
On the vanity sat skincare products popular in this era: Pehcholin and Snow Cream.
Because of her engagement to the officer’s son, the Si family had spared no expense in maintaining her beauty.
As a result, the original host had grown into a fair-skinned, long-legged beauty—the very image of a wealthy heiress.
After living such a privileged life, no wonder she had refused to marry an older man.
Packing her valuables, Si Nian left with her suitcase the next day.
The Si family was taken aback by how easily she had agreed to leave. For the past month, ever since learning she wasn’t their real daughter, Si Nian had thrown fits to stay.
Her sudden compliance left them with mixed feelings.
After raising a child for over a decade, losing her just like that—who wouldn’t feel a pang of sorrow?
Seeing her parents’ conflicted expressions, the real heiress, Lin Sisi, teared up. "Mom, Dad… Did I do something wrong? I never meant for this to happen. Maybe we should ask Nian Nian to come back."
They immediately snapped out of it, turning to their frail biological daughter with guilt. "Nonsense! You did nothing wrong. Nian Nian is eighteen—it’s time for her to go. We can’t support her forever."
