From Rejected Fake Heiress to Desired True Love

"After this meal, hurry back to your birth parents and don't cling to our family anymore."

As soon as Nan Qiao sat down, she heard her mother, who was also her current foster mother, Liu Yanfang, urging her anxiously to leave.

Half a month ago, Nan Qiao had a physical examination, and Liu Yanfang discovered that Nan Qiao's blood type did not match theirs as a couple. It was only after a paternity test that they found out the daughter they had raised for eighteen years wasn't their biological child.

Liu Yanfang and her husband, Zhou Hongqi, investigated the matter and even hired a private detective. Only then did they find their biological daughter, Zhou Jingya.

Liu Yanfang had always felt that Nan Qiao didn't resemble anyone in their family and hadn't treated her with much affection over the years.

Even when naming her, Liu Yanfang chose Nan Qiao directly, not even wanting to give her the Zhou surname.

The name came from the bridgehead near Liu Yanfang's hometown in the south, next to a chaotic burial mound.

Now that they had found their biological daughter, Zhou Jingya, they adored her excessively.

As for Nan Qiao, the Zhou family helped her locate her birth parents, who were coming to pick her up today.

Nan Qiao looked at the table full of exotic delicacies; this was the most lavish meal she had ever eaten in this home, and it was also her last.

Zhou Jingya sat on her chair, wearing a branded dress, and said with a smile, "Sister, eat as much as you can. This is a token of affection from my parents. I've heard your family is very poor. Living in the county town, the environment isn't as good as Jing City. I wonder if you'll be able to adjust."

Liu Yanfang looked at Zhou Jingya with loving eyes and said, "Whether she can adjust, that's her home! Xiao Ya, you're just too kind."

Nan Qiao looked at Liu Yanfang, startled to see in her the image of a loving mother.

The way Liu Yanfang used to coldly look at her, and now the way she coddled Zhou Jingya, as if she wished to cradle her in the palms of her hands.

After Zhou Jingya arrived, Zhou Hongqi and Liu Yanfang had her move out of her bedroom, redecorating it with many new accessories, and let Zhou Jingya move in.

They bought her a piano; hearing she liked dancing, they even created a dance studio for Zhou Jingya.

As for Nan Qiao, she was relegated to a small bedroom in the farthest north of the house.

Nan Qiao stood up and caught the schadenfreude on Zhou Jingya's face.

When Zhou Jingya saw her, she immediately adopted a frail and innocent appearance.

Nan Qiao looked at Zhou Jingya coldly and distantly, "You should eat more instead; after all, you haven't had such good food before."

Zhou Jingya choked, her heart burning with indignation, yet she put on a hurt and sad face, her voice trembling with caution, "Sister, I'm just worried you won't be able to eat as well at your birth parents' home. I have no other intention. If you don't want to leave, I can persuade my mom and dad to let you stay. How about that?"

Liu Yanfang erupted with anger, "Xiao Ya, you are just too kind! You mean well for her, but she might not appreciate it."

Zhou Hongqi interjected, "Enough, say less."

Liu Yanfang, "Why should I say less? Xiao Ya is our child, not Nan Qiao! It's all because of her that our Xiao Ya had to grow up in an orphanage and suffer so much!"

Zhou Jingya pulled Liu Yanfang's arm, troubled, "Mom, don't be angry, what if it harms your health?"

Liu Yanfang held Zhou Jingya's hand, looking at her affectionately, "It's our daughter Xiao Ya who cares about me, like mother like daughter, we are the true mother-and-daughter at heart."

Nan Qiao's eyes filled with frost as she strode upstairs, carrying her bag, ready to leave.

Just as Nan Qiao was about to leave, Zhou Jingya thought of her marriage.

She feigned understanding and said, "Mom, let sister stay. She's still engaged to Mr. Li. If she leaves, who will marry Mr. Li?"

Zhou Jingya's words reminded Zhou Hongqi and Liu Yanfang of this issue.

That was a marriage arrangement made by the old master for his daughter, a connection to the Li Family that their Zhou Family could never have hoped for in many lifetimes, and they weren't about to let Nan Qiao benefit from it.

This fortune was meant for Zhou Jingya alone!

Liu Yanfang clutched Nan Qiao's arm and said icily, "You want to leave, fine, but first write down the letter renouncing your father-daughter relationship. State that you have no relationship with our Zhou Family, that your marriage arrangement belongs to Xiao Ya. It was the elder who arranged it for Xiao Ya, and you, Nan Qiao, have nothing to do with it."

Zhou Jingya spoke softly, "Sister, our parents raised you for eighteen years. Even if they didn't merit praise, they still put in a lot of hard work. Don't make them angry, okay? If you're upset, take it out on me, but please, don't upset Mom. She's not in good health, and I'm really worried about her."

Liu Yanfang looked at Zhou Jingya with affection, liking her more the more she looked. "Xiao Ya, you're always the most caring towards me, unlike some people, ungrateful wretches!"

Liu Yanfang continued, "Hongqi, don't waste words on her! Ever since Xiao Ya returned this half month, our company's business has been booming. Didn't you just secure two big partnerships the other day? All of this good fortune is thanks to Xiao Ya!"

Nan Qiao chuckled derisively. Were these two big partnerships really the result of Zhou Jingya's good fortune?

Nan Qiao took out her phone and sent a message.

Zhou Jingya said shyly, "Mom, it's all thanks to you and Dad. You both have good judgment and invest wisely."

With a beaming face, Liu Yanfang said, "Xiao Ya, stop being so modest. You're a child blessed with good fortune."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Hongqi said, "Qiaoqiao, we were never unfair to you. The marriage was never meant to be yours. Xiao Ya is our biological daughter. No matter how you look at it, it's Xiao Ya who will become the bride of the Li Family."

Nan Qiao's eyes, clear-cut between black and white, brimmed with mockery as she looked at Zhou Hongqi and stated deliberately, "Are you certain that these two partnerships are all thanks to Zhou Jingya?"

Liu Yanfang roared dissatisfied, "If not her, then who? You?"

Just then, Zhou Hongqi's phone rang; his secretary was on the line.

"President Zhou, there's trouble! Those two bosses have withdrawn their investments; they say they won't collaborate with our company anymore!"

Zhou Hongqi was nervously unsettled, "What! What happened?"

"President Zhou, I'm not clear about the specifics. The two bosses suddenly called, saying they've encountered a disaster since your family's jinx returned half a month ago and refuse to work with you. The company was supposed to sign contracts with them this afternoon, and now it's all over!"

The secretary's voice was loud and anxious, his words overheard by Nan Qiao and the others.

Half a month?

Disaster?

Who else could this refer to if not Zhou Jingya?

A moment ago they mentioned a star of fortune, and now it's turned into a star of disaster?

Zhou Hongqi, slamming his thigh in anger, exclaimed, "With these two partnerships, we could've made ten billion! Ten billion, just gone down the drain like that!"

Zhou Hongqi looked at Zhou Jingya with a complex gaze, and Liu Yanfang also felt uneasy, caring more about the ten billion than anything else.

Now Zhou Jingya couldn't muster a smile; her earlier pride turned into current humiliation.

Nan Qiao, with arms crossed, watched the spectacle with great interest as if enjoying a good show, as Zhou Jingya's moment of embarrassment unfolded.

"Mr. Zhou, Mrs. Zhou, let's wait and see who indeed is the star of fortune for your family."

With a look of disdain, Nan Qiao turned and strode away.

Zhou Hongqi's phone rang again.

"President Zhou, there's more bad news. Our deal with Company Y is only due to expire next month, but they'd rather pay the penalty and dissolve the partnership now!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanfang felt completely devastated.

Furious, she declared, "I'm going to find Nan Qiao right now and ask that wretched girl just what she's done!"

As she approached the front gate, the scene before her stopped her in her tracks.