“Nian’an, don’t blame your father and me for playing favorites. It’s just that you grew up in the countryside from a young age, so you’re familiar with everything there. If you go to the countryside with the Gu family, you won’t feel that life there is too hard.”
“But Xixi is different. She grew up with us in the city from the time she was little. If you make her go to the countryside, wouldn’t that be forcing her to die? We all know that you’re a sensible and kind child, Nian’an. You definitely wouldn’t have the heart to let your older sister suffer, right?”
Su Nian’an was still a little dazed when she heard those words.
Wait a minute. Wasn’t she supposed to have died because the gas at the hotpot restaurant next door exploded, and as the owner of the cake shop, she had been caught in the blast and blown away along with it?
So was she hearing such a sinister conversation now because she had somehow arrived in the underworld?
Su Nian’an shook her head, and suddenly everything before her eyes became crystal clear.
Standing in front of her was a middle-aged woman who looked to be around forty.
Although the woman’s expression toward her appeared gentle and loving, Su Nian’an could sense the contempt hidden deep in her eyes.
So the person who had just spoken was this middle-aged woman?
“Nian’an, your mother is right. You’re already used to life in the countryside, so going back there again isn’t a big deal, right? Just agree to it. Don’t make things difficult for us as your parents, okay?”
The person who said this was a middle-aged man sitting in the main seat.
He was dressed in a traditional Zhongshan suit, and his stern expression made him look quite imposing.
By now, Su Nian’an was beginning to have an ominous feeling.
Then she turned her head and saw a face that looked so pitiful and delicate that anyone would feel sorry for her.
The other girl’s eyes and nose were red, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty. Instead, it made her look even more fragile, stirring up an instinctive desire in others to protect her.
When Su Nian’an looked toward her, Su Nianxi hurriedly said, “Nian’an, this is all my fault. I’m to blame for being useless and unable to endure the hardships of going to the countryside. If you really don’t want to marry into the Gu family, then I…”
Before Su Nianxi could finish speaking, Su Aiguo immediately interrupted her.
“Xixi! What nonsense are you talking about? Your health has always been poor. How could you possibly go to the countryside?”
“But Dad, I don’t want to drag my younger sister into this.”
“What do you mean, drag her into this? This marriage was originally meant for her! There’s nothing wrong with making her marry Gu Qingyu!”
As Su Nian’an listened to the two of them talking beside her, the moment she heard the name Gu Qingyu, she suddenly felt that everything happening now seemed strangely familiar.
The Gu family? Gu Qingyu? A replacement bride?
Holy crap. She had transmigrated into a novel!
The novel had actually been recommended to her by her cousin. One of the cannon-fodder characters in it was the real daughter, and her name was also Su Nian’an. But at the very beginning of the story, she jumped into a river and died.
When Su Nian’an heard that, how could she not take a look?
A cannon-fodder real daughter?
The name Su Nian’an was only mentioned once in the entire novel. She was basically no different from a random passerby.
But this replacement-marriage scene had appeared in the story. The original owner probably refused to accept it, so she jumped into the river and ended her life to prove her determination.
And now, Su Nian’an had somehow transmigrated into this body. Judging from the circumstances, it was probably because the original owner no longer wanted to live, which had given Su Nian’an this unexpected second chance.
Speaking of the original owner, this real daughter had truly suffered a miserable fate.
She had been sent to live with her maternal aunt in the countryside immediately after she was born.
Because the fake daughter, Su Nianxi, was the orphan of one of Su Aiguo’s close friends, the married couple wanted to make Su Nianxi’s identity as their “biological daughter” seem legitimate and prevent people around them from gossiping.
So they had directly switched the identities of their own biological daughter the original owner and Su Nianxi.
After the original owner was sent to the countryside, Su Aiguo and his wife sent a small amount of living expenses every few months.
They had never even gone to visit her.
The original owner had no idea that the people she called her parents were actually her maternal aunt and uncle. Her aunt and uncle were extremely patriarchal and favored boys above girls. What was more, the original owner wasn’t even their biological daughter, so they had done nothing but beat and scold her since she was little.
At a very young age, the original owner had already begun washing clothes and cooking for the entire family in the countryside, as well as doing all kinds of farm work.
Finally, when she turned eighteen, Su Aiguo and his wife came to bring her back to the city.
The original owner thought that the people who truly loved her had finally come for her, and that her days of suffering were finally over.
But she never expected that her biological parents had a purpose for bringing her back.
They wanted her to take the place of their fake daughter and marry Gu Qingyu, a man whose entire family had been sent to the countryside.
Their only purpose was to prevent their beloved fake daughter, Su Nianxi, from having to suffer in the countryside.
The original owner broke down.
She couldn’t accept the fact that no one in this world loved her. Unable to think things through, she jumped into a river.
Poor girl. Even if no one loved you, you still had to learn to love yourself.
Don’t worry. I’ll live well using your identity, and I definitely won’t let off the people who treated you with false affection and malicious intentions.
Su Nian’an made this promise silently in her heart.
When she raised her head again, all the wariness in her eyes had been completely concealed.
She looked at the other three people in the room, and a mocking smile slowly appeared at the corners of her lips.
“You… What are you laughing at?”
Liu Cuilan, the original owner’s biological mother, was standing closest to her. Unable to hold back, she frowned and asked.
Su Nian’an shifted her gaze toward her and said, “So because Su Nianxi can’t endure hardship, I’m the one who has to suffer?”
As soon as these words came out, the three people present froze.
After all, during the two days since Su Nian’an had returned home, the Su Nian’an they knew had never dared to speak to them like this.
After being brought back from the countryside, Su Nian’an had always been timid and submissive. Her aunt’s family in the countryside had already beaten all the spirit out of her.
But now.
Was Su Nian’an actually throwing a tantrum?
“Su Nian’an! Is this the attitude you’re using to speak to us?”
Su Aiguo was the first to lash out.
In his opinion, simply because Su Nian’an had been brought into this world, she should be grateful to him and repay him.
“What kind of attitude should I have when speaking to you? Do you know how I survived all these years in the countryside? Did either of you ever ask me even once?
“You’ve only just brought me back for a few days, and you’ve already revealed the reason you brought me home. The three of you are here playing the loving mother and daughter and devoted family, but what about me?
“I’ve been abandoned over and over again.”
Su Nian’an wasn’t stupid.
There was no use in simply fighting them head-on. She needed to get something out of these people.
Sure enough, the moment she finished speaking, a trace of panic immediately appeared on Su Aiguo and Liu Cuilan’s faces.
They actually felt guilty?
Su Nian’an had thought they were completely heartless.
“Nian’an, there was really no other choice. One of you and your sister has to be sent to the countryside. Your sister has been in poor health since she was little. If we send her to the countryside, I’m afraid…”
Liu Cuilan’s face was filled with embarrassment.
Again with this?
They kept saying that Su Nianxi’s health was poor.
But Su Nian’an felt that aside from putting on an act of weakness, Su Nianxi didn’t seem to have any health problems at all.
“That doesn’t sound right.”
Su Nian’an suddenly sneered as she questioned them.
“What doesn’t sound right?” Su Aiguo asked with a frown.
“You chose to send me to the countryside instead of Su Nianxi. Is it really because her health is poor?”
Those words instantly made Su Aiguo and his wife become alert.
“What exactly are you implying?” Su Aiguo asked with a frown.
Su Nian’an’s lips curled slightly upward. Only then did she slowly speak.
“Could it be because, Su Nianxi isn’t your biological daughter?”