Chapter 16: The True Daughter of the Bai Family

Upon hearing Sang Ye’s words, Bai Yirou immediately understood—she knew everything! Sang Ye indeed knew everything all along! Her silence until now was all a calculated move to deliver a fatal blow today! Bai Yirou had never imagined Sang Ye could be so ruthless, so scheming. She had known all along but pretended ignorance! No wonder she uttered that line last time—it was because she knew that by stealing her identity, she had been watching her like a mocking jester from start to finish, even taunting her afterward with, “How do you know that everything you have now isn’t just a dream?” It was unmistakably a mockery—Sang Ye was aware of everything Bai Yirou had done and believed it was all just a dream. When the dream ended, everything would vanish.

Sang Ye’s words caused an uproar.
“What do you mean? Another daughter of the Bai family?”
“Could it be that Bai Yirou on stage isn’t the real daughter, but this one is?”
“How could the Bai family make such a rookie mistake? Is this some kind of fraud?”
“This girl’s demeanor actually resembles Bai Zhen a bit, and their looks are similar too. I suspect there’s more to this fake heiress story.”
“I quite like this newcomer—she’s neither servile nor arrogant, much better than the pretentious one on stage.”
“Exactly, especially after hearing Bai Yirou curse those scoundrels and even openly threaten to kill them—it made me sick. I hope this new, fair-skinned girl is the real deal.”

Whispers from the restaurant reached Bai Yirou’s ears. Despite her thick makeup, she couldn’t hide her ugly expression. The Bai family was equally shocked, glancing between Bai Yirou and Sang Ye, perplexed as to why there was suddenly another claiming to be the true daughter. Bai Zhen’s astonishment was evident—Sang Ye looked exactly like the Bai matriarch in her youth: the same eyebrows, eyes, gestures, and temperament, as if she were a younger version of his mother. Her manner of speaking was almost identical. Without a DNA test, he was certain Sang Ye was his biological daughter.

The hushed whispers and suspicious looks felt like slaps to Bai Yirou’s face, fueling her fury. Sang Ye! Sang Ye!! Sang Ye!!! It was all because of her! Bai Yirou’s hatred peaked—she was so close, so close to succeeding! Why? Why did she have to show up now? No, she shouldn’t exist! Then everything would be hers! She was the Bai family’s daughter; Sang Ye was just an ordinary girl! If Sang Ye disappeared, everything could continue as before. Yes! That was it! Sang Ye should not exist.

Her face twisted in rage as she strode toward Sang Ye. Bai Changli, closest to her, noticed her expression and immediately grabbed her arm, his face grim. “What are you trying to do?!” His sudden pull caused the cake-cutting knife in Bai Yirou’s hand to fall to the floor with a faint clatter. All eyes fixed on the knife on the ground. Bai Yirou looked up in confusion, feigning innocence. “What’s wrong?”

The looks directed at her grew even more suspicious. There was no longer any doubt—Bai Yirou was an imposter! Whether the newcomer was the real missing Bai daughter remained unknown, but one thing was certain: she was more genuine than Bai Yirou.

Upon seeing the knife, Bai Zhen’s face darkened, and his commanding presence filled the room. The thought that this woman might be a fraud, stealing his daughter’s identity and condemning his real daughter to a life of mediocrity, ignited a fierce anger within him.

Now she even dared to attempt harm to his biological daughter right before his eyes! She must be out of her mind!

Bai Zhen roared, “Guards! Take her away! Watch her closely! I’ll deal with her once I’m free!”

“No! Father, I am your daughter! Look at me! Didn’t you say you love me most? How can you believe her one-sided lies?” Bai Yirou, terrified, broke free from Bai Changli’s grip and knelt before Bai Zhen, begging desperately.

“I will find out who is genuine and who is fake. If I find out you’ve deceived me…” Bai Zhen’s words trailed off, but everyone understood the implication.

“Take her away!” he ordered sternly.

Security rushed forward to seize her, but Bai Yirou resisted fiercely. Suddenly, Sang Ye shouted loudly, “Wait.”

Bai Yirou thought Sang Ye was coming to her aid and cried out, “Sang Ye, tell them you’re the fake and I’m the real one! Please, tell them!”

But Sang Ye steadily approached, then plucked a small item from Bai Yirou’s neck and spoke deliberately, “This was left to me by Grandpa. You have no right to take it.”

Bai Yirou stared wide-eyed, stunned that Sang Ye would go to such lengths for such a trivial thing.

Sang Ye then turned to the guards and said, “I’m all set here. Thank you for your hard work.”

The guards promptly dragged Bai Yirou out.

“No! Don’t! Father, look at me—I’m your real daughter! She’s lying! Don’t believe her! Father… father…” She tried to grab Bai Zhen’s hand, pleading, but he waved her off.

Bai Yirou shouted in anger and despair, “I’m the real one! I am!”

No matter how she struggled, the guards pulled her away.

When Bai Zhen turned to Sang Ye, his demeanor softened completely. “You’re Sang Ye, right? How old are you? Would you be willing to come with me to the hospital for a paternity test?”

Earlier, he had been too emotional and hadn’t personally overseen everything, which had led to this mess. But the woman who had just claimed to be his daughter had shouted Sang Ye’s name, indicating they were acquainted. He asked, “Do you know her?”

Sang Ye had witnessed the whole scene and remained composed, feeling no great surprise. As for Bai Yirou’s fate, she could only describe it as a consequence of her own actions. If Bai Yirou hadn’t destroyed the heirloom left by their grandfather, Sang Ye wouldn’t have had to resort to such measures to reclaim what was rightfully hers.