Ding Jie stared in disbelief at the paternity report, muttering over and over, “Impossible! This is impossible! How can I not be his biological son? My mother was forced by him!”
“You actually believe that?” Xu Ziyan asked, astonished. “That shouldn’t be the case. You never seemed stupid in daily life.”
Ding Jie couldn’t stand her mockery and said coldly, “If I weren’t stupid, I wouldn’t have been led around by the nose by you! Xu Ziyan, did you have a lot of fun playing with me? You never liked me at all, did you? Then why did you string me along for so long?”
“Boredom,” Xu Ziyan shrugged, tacitly agreeing with his statement. “The Fu and Ding families have been feuding for three generations, causing constant trouble. Since you threw yourself at me, I thought I’d see if I could end the conflict between our families. I never expected the effect to be so good. You really managed to single-handedly sabotage the foundation built by generations of your ancestors all by yourself.
Oh, wait, that’s wrong.” Xu Ziyan laughed. “The Ding family isn’t your ancestors. You’re not blood-related.”
Xu Ziyan smiled, “Maybe you should give your mother a call. You might even be able to ask who your real father is. Speaking of which, you actually believed Old Ding forced your mother to give birth to you? And you still wanted so badly to be recognized by the Ding family? What if your biological father was a beggar? Would you still go acknowledge him?”
Ding Jie felt like his entire understanding of the world had been overturned. On the verge of a breakdown, he shouted, “None of your business! Stop laughing at me! You’re nothing but an adopted daughter anyway. The Fu family didn’t even let you change your surname. They don’t truly accept you in their hearts. You’ll be kicked out sooner or later. You should worry about yourself!”
Xu Ziyan wagged a finger. “Wrong again. I didn’t change my surname because I am a child of the Xu family. I wouldn’t change my name for money. My parents respect me and dote on me very much. See, now that I’m about to graduate from university and start investing, they gave me shares in the Fu Corporation. Aren’t you happy for me?
Oh right, you’re not happy. Because you worked yourself to the bone just wanting shares in Ding Enterprises. It’s a pity that after all your efforts, you didn’t get a single cent. Heehee.”
“Xu Ziyan! You deserve to die—” Ding Jie lunged forward in rage but was pinned down by the police and taken away.
Xu Ziyan gave him a final wave goodbye, grinning mischievously, which made Ding Jie’s veins bulge with fury. Shares. That was what Ding Jie dreamed of day and night. It had only just dawned on him—if Xu Ziyan had shares in the Fu Corporation, how could she possibly be short of money? Spending all his money was deliberate!
So Xu Ziyan had never liked him. All that time before, he had been so confident, thinking she loved him so much she was willing to do anything. But everything was fake.
Everything he had experienced was woven from lies. Was anything real?
Xu Ziyan had cruelly shattered everything he once believed, ripped away the fig leaf he desperately tried to hide behind, laid all the truth before him, and utterly crushed him!
Why was he the protagonist? Why did so many people have to serve as stepping stones for him? Even if the world was going to collapse the next second, Xu Ziyan would crush Ding Jie first, letting him dissolve with the world in agony!
This trip to the police station also let her learn about other matters. During his confession, Ding Jie tried to drag her down with him. However, he had no evidence whatsoever. Instead, he exposed Li Dong’s private sale of Fu Qiming’s game and Li Dong’s gambling debts.
Upon investigation, Li Dong was found to have borrowed from loan sharks, lent money at usurious rates himself for profit, continued to participate in gambling, and other criminal activities. He had already been arrested and taken into custody.
The Scumbag Brother-in-law had previously demanded hush money from Ding Jie, constituting extortion, and was also arrested and brought back.
Ding Jie also confessed to instructing Qin Yuexiang to seduce someone, and Qin Yuexiang had drugged the wine. Therefore, Qin Yuexiang was also brought to the police station for investigation.
They all mentioned Xu Ziyan, claiming she was part of their gang. However, the police found no evidence no matter how hard they looked. It seemed more like false accusations made by this group out of spite after their humiliation.
The police told Xu Ziyan, “Please don’t leave the Capital City for now. We may need your assistance with the investigation later.”
Xu Ziyan nodded. “No problem. I’m ready to cooperate anytime.”
She had already asked System 001 to check. Her private involvement was high, but on the surface, she hadn’t done anything. She had no direct connection to these people. Even if outsiders speculated, at most they’d guess she had acted as a mole, tricking Ding Jie.
Plus, with her heaven-defying luck, she definitely wouldn’t get caught up in any legal trouble!
Ding Jie, clinging to his last sliver of hope, called Song Jie. Who knew that as soon as the call connected, Song Jie launched into a tirade, scolding him for being so incompetent at handling things, for dragging her down and making her lose face, for ruining her entertainment career. The mess she was in today was all his fault.
Ding Jie only asked one question, “Who is my biological father, really?”
Song Jie said, “Who? Just some male escort I picked at random! What, you want to go find him? I can’t help you there. I don’t remember who it was at all.”
Ding Jie raged, “You’ve been lying to me all along?”
Song Jie sneered, “Lying? It was you who looked down on being an illegitimate son and wanted to prettify your origins. What could I say? I could only say I was forced. Did you believe it? You knew deep down. Talking about seizing the Ding family to get revenge for me was just an excuse you used to get recognized by your ancestors, to get close to your rich daddy.”
Ding Jie admitted he had turned a blind eye and pretended to believe that part. But he genuinely never thought he wasn’t Father Ding’s biological son.
Song Jie then cursed him for his poor taste, actually marrying a Bai Qingqing, who was more of a hindrance than a help, understood nothing, and always held him back. Who knows where she got that paternity report from, even exposing it to the press. What good could come of that? What an idiot.
Listening to Song Jie’s verbal abuse, Ding Jie knew the paternity report definitely wasn’t something Bai Qingqing could have obtained. Someone had taken the opportunity to use Bai Qingqing’s hand to expose it—either Ding Yao or the Fu family. However, he didn’t explain. None of that mattered anymore; it didn’t change the outcome.
Song Jie said she wouldn’t acknowledge the child in Bai Qingqing’s womb. Ding Jie didn’t say anything either and silently hung up. Bai Qingqing… when this person first appeared before him, she was like a kitten—pitiful, cute, making him want to protect her. But that was when he had the leisure for such sentiments.
Now he was in a crisis. Could this pitiful, cute kitten help him? No. Instead, every time she lashed out, she dragged him down, creating more trouble for him. Last time at the birthday banquet was like that, and this time was the same.
He was exhausted, unwilling to think about what would happen to Bai Qingqing, pregnant with his child. They were all adults. No one could bear the burden of another person’s life. She would find a way to survive.
Moreover, Bai Qingqing knew he was in trouble but never came to see him. Instead, she ran to find Father Ding. Her purpose was obvious. She was a woman greedy for vanity and status. He had been blind. Something as huge as the paternity report—it was Xu Ziyan who came to tell him, that’s how he found out. Bai Qingqing hadn’t even considered informing him.
Thinking of Xu Ziyan again, he realized she was much smarter than he had understood. She had fooled him for so long, set so many traps, and successfully ensnared him, which was proof enough of her formidable ability. Her usual love for eating and playing was just a facade. The things she wanted to accomplish were done without anyone noticing. That wasn’t something an ordinary person could do.
If his wife had been Xu Ziyan, wouldn’t she be pulling strings everywhere right now, finding connections and opportunities to get him out? Even if she couldn’t get him out, she’d work to get him a lighter sentence, then find ways to reduce it, get him released early. She’d also grease palms to make sure his life inside was more comfortable.
But his wife was Bai Qingqing, who did nothing for him and even dealt him the fatal blow.
Ding Jie let out a long sigh, clearly realizing for the first time how poor his judgment was and how arrogant he had been in the past. When taking a wife, one should marry a companion who can fight side by side, so they can walk forward together hand in hand. Marrying a parasitic vine could only add flowers to the brocade when successful. Once you failed, they would only become dead weight.
How wonderful it would have been if the person he mutually liked had been Xu Ziyan.
People always have some unrealistic fantasies when they fail. Ding Jie felt that if Xu Ziyan had loved him deeply, his ending would never have been like this. So even though he hated Xu Ziyan to the bone, he kept thinking of her.
Xu Ziyan soon heard the system announcement: 【Congratulations, Hostess. This world’s mission is complete. Reward: 10 skill points!】
Before Xu Ziyan could ask, System 001 explained, 【Hostess, I asked the Main System. The main plotline has officially deviated. The protagonist’s halo has vanished. This world has now become a brand new world and can continue to exist like this!
Before this, the Time-Space Bureau never imagined a mission could be completed this way. You are the first to do it. The Main System promises to fulfill one appropriate wish for you. What is your wish?】
‘Appropriate’ meant it couldn’t be too excessive, and she couldn’t just quit. A wage slave understood the boss’s subtext all too well. Fortunately, having completed the mission, Xu Ziyan was now very skilled at finding loopholes. She opened her mouth and said, 【My wish is to keep my Luck Attribute forever.】
System 001 short-circuited again. It had imagined many wishes, but never expected it to be about the Luck Attribute again.
Xu Ziyan laughed, 【What’s so bad about high luck? That way, no matter what world or identity I transmigrate into, luck will let me turn danger into safety and live comfortably. Look, didn’t I just coast to victory this lifetime? I hope it’ll be the same next lifetime, and the one after that.】
That didn’t seem wrong. System 001 immediately relayed the feedback upward. This wish was soon granted. The Luck Attribute that had already been added was directly bound to Xu Ziyan’s soul.
Xu Ziyan felt completely at ease. After returning home, she treated the whole family to a meal and officially announced, “Our crisis is over. Ding Jie can never harm us again! Dealing with him this whole time was really annoying. After I finish my graduation stuff, I’m going on a world tour!”
The Fu family was stunned. These past few days, everyone had been on edge, feeling like the world was about to collapse. Xu Ziyan had seemed the same. But today, she looked full of hope for the future, and her words seemed to carry a deeper meaning. Did it mean the world wouldn’t collapse?
They really wanted to ask, or hear Xu Ziyan’s inner thoughts to confirm, but that was impossible now. Luckily, everyone was open-minded. Good days and bad days were all just days to live. Since they now saw hope, they would treat it as a good thing. If the world wasn’t going to collapse, then they should cherish this world and this life and enjoy it to the fullest.
Fu Qiming immediately declared he would go abroad for further studies to create a game that would sweep the globe.
Fu Yazhen wanted to go on a road trip, gather inspiration for painting, and open an art gallery.
Fu Dongfeng and Li Yun Hui, the old couple, decided to go to a private island for an elderly honeymoon, enjoying a world for just the two of them.
As for Fu Qixuan, of course he would keep working, making money so everyone could be even freer.
Of course, Fu Qixuan also loved his work. Recently, he had been working closely with Ding Yao and was now one hundred percent confident he could help Ding Yao take control of Ding Enterprises. Afterwards, they would have collaborative projects. The Fu family would advance further. Ding Yao planned to find a reliable manager to help run the company. It was a win-win, finally resolving the conflict between the two families.
Some time later, Ding Jie and the others who had committed crimes were all sentenced. Father Ding woke up to find Ding Enterprises’ stock price had plummeted. The shock made him faint again, and he could only recuperate in the hospital. When Ding Yao seized Ding Enterprises and announced cooperation with the Fu Corporation, Father Ding was so furious he fainted once more. Upon waking, he suffered a stroke. Ding Yao simply sent him to a nursing home for his remaining years.
Ding Yao became the new head of the Ding family and cut off the family’s financial support for Song Jie. Song Jie, used to lavish spending, had little savings or assets. Life became difficult, forcing her to return to the country.
As a tainted celebrity with no chance of a comeback, she couldn’t stir up any more trouble and had to give up her ambitions, living an ordinary life. Compared to her childhood in a remote mountain village, this was already much better. But having once come so close to getting the entire Ding family, how could she accept it? She spent her days in depression and irritability.
While traveling the world, Xu Ziyan invested in many industries. Ding Yao and Yang Anni proactively helped manage them for her, making her life very easy. Her main work became fighting for employee benefits, which gradually expanded to advocating for all wage slaves, changing the basic treatment of corporate workers. She became the best rich second-generation heiress in many people’s hearts.
Many years later, during an interview, the host asked, “Miss Xu, you have been consistently dedicated to improving employee welfare. What was the opportunity that made you start this and persist for so long?”
Xu Ziyan thought of her previous life where she had ground herself to death, and joked, “Maybe I was a beast of burden in my past life, worked to death, so I can really empathize with how hard it is for the working class. The pressure from work and life can sometimes really crush a person. I hope to be that helping hand. Since I have this ability now, I’ll do my best to improve the situation for workers. I hope everyone can be safe and healthy.”
The host cracked a couple of jokes following her lead, and the audience laughed along. Only Xu Ziyan knew what she said was true. In her past life, if you didn’t grind, you’d fall behind. You had no choice but to struggle desperately with everyone else, and in the end, you died from overwork and it was all for nothing.
She didn’t know if she could change anything. She would just do her part according to her heart. Having such a career also made her feel that this life was very meaningful.
Xu Ziyan lived a carefree and unrestrained life all the way until she was eighty-eight years old, when she decided it was time to leave.
【001, let’s go! I’m ready for the next world!】