"86365, what's happening?" Xiao Wenqiang opened her eyes and found herself back in the system space.
[The original host discovered that her biological father was actually so close to her back then, causing significant emotional fluctuations. Therefore, the soul channel she constructed has partially collapsed. It's alright, it will be fine in a while.] The voice of 86365, which hadn't been heard for a long time, sounded.
"Do you mean the original host Zhu Qingyan can still see my real-time mission progress?"
[Yes, she has been watching you, which is why she can provide feedback on mission satisfaction in the end.]
"Oh, right." Xiao Wenqiang realized she had asked a rather superficial question. Then, another matter came to mind: "What about the soul channel she constructed?"
[For us to enter the original host's world and complete missions, we must pass through the soul channel opened by the original host. In other words, the original host is depleting her final soul power to allow us to complete her wishes for her. Alright, the channel has been repaired.]
As soon as 86365 finished speaking, Xiao Wenqiang was already back in Zhu Qingyan's body.
Slowly waking up, Xiao Wenqiang found herself lying on a simple army cot in a police station. Mao Genhong, who had been keeping watch by her side, hurried to her side as he saw her wake up, saying with concern, "Yan Yan, you're finally awake!"
"How long have I been asleep?" She struggled to sit up and saw that it was already bright outside. Yet, she had only spoken a few words with 86365 in the system space.
Mao Genhong quickly went to help her up and replied, "You slept through the night. But don't worry, the doctor at the police office examined you earlier. You fainted because of extreme emotional fluctuations and overexertion. Are you feeling any better now?"
"Mm, I'm fine," Xiao Wenqiang nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your trouble!" It turned out that the time flow in the system space and the novel world were not the same.
At this moment, Xie Yinuo also approached with a bottle of milk, "Sister Qingyan, allow me to formally introduce myself. I am your cousin—Xie Yinuo. I just rushed to the small convenience store outside to buy this for you. I had the owner heat it up. Please have some!"
"Thank you... brother..." Xiao Wenqiang took the warm milk and thanked Xie Yinuo gently. Unsurprisingly, she saw the young boy's face blush again.
Xie Yinuo had never felt such overflowing brotherly affection for his quiet cousin before. He had previously guessed that it might be because they grew up together and he was accustomed to her annoying behavior as a child.
However, towards this sister Qingyan, he couldn't be stern. He just wanted to treat her well. Now he understood. It turned out this was his real sister, so it was no wonder he found her so adorable!
The police station's phone rang. Officer Hu answered the call and conveyed the response from the other end to everyone.
Everything was settled, and the outcome was as everyone had expected. The Jing'an District police contacted the hospital where the birth had taken place years ago. They cross-referenced the internal admission and delivery records and found retired doctors and nurses who confirmed that a child-swapping incident had indeed occurred. However, since neither family had raised any questions, the medical staff assumed they had initially misremembered. With a "better safe than sorry" attitude, they did not proactively mention it.
"How about this, since things here won't be resolved quickly," Mao Genhong looked at Xiao Wenqiang, "Yan Yan, why don't you come home with me first? I'll take you to meet your mother."
Mao Genhong had contacted other company personnel to handle the site selection. For now, he decided to take the child home. Although he had already called his wife, Xie Qiao, about this matter, he was still keeping it from their daughter, Mao Wenjing. Therefore, the atmosphere in the car on the way back was somewhat heavy.
Xie Yinuo was the first to break the silence, "By the way, Sister Qingyan, didn't you say you got into Yunbei City High School?"
"Mm, yes," Xiao Wenqiang replied obediently.
"Then when school starts, I'll go with you to register. As your elder brother, I can help you get familiar with the school," Xie Yinuo's lips curved upwards, revealing his adorable dimples.
"Okay, thank you, brother." Xiao Wenqiang nodded in thanks. She now felt no psychological burden in calling someone younger than her by "brother."
"Haha, you're welcome, it's what I should do!" Xie Yinuo was almost melting from his sister's cuteness. He thanked heaven for letting him find this sister.
Chatting and laughing, time passed quickly. It seemed like no time at all before the car drove into a very large villa complex. The greenery in the community was extremely high, and the air seemed much fresher. Finally, the car stopped in front of a very European-style villa. This was Xie Yinuo's home.
A boy taller than Xie Yinuo was standing at the entrance of the courtyard. Before Xie Yinuo had even gotten out of the car, his gaze had already landed on him. He quickly poked his head out and shouted, "Zheng Xiao, Zheng Xiao, why are you here at this time?"
Xiao Wenqiang also raised her head to look at the person. The person in front of her was at the cusp of boyhood and manhood, with delicate features and eyes that held a trace of youthful stubbornness and vitality. Judging by Xie Yinuo's address, this person should be Zheng Ze's half-brother—Zheng Xiao, the male lead's brother in the original novel.
Zheng Xiao also walked up, "I have something urgent to discuss with you!"
He then greeted Mao Genhong in the driver's seat, "Hello, Uncle Mao!"
Finally, his gaze fell on Xiao Wenqiang's face. There was a slight hint of confusion, but he still politely nodded and smiled.
Xiao Wenqiang also responded with a smile, thinking that this Zheng Xiao was quite different from how he was described in the original work.
In "The Perfect Life of the Fake Heiress," due to his jealousy of his father's favoritism towards Zheng Ze, the son of his father's mistress, he repeatedly tried to frame the male lead with petty schemes, but never succeeded. After graduating from high school and getting his driver's license, he insisted on driving the Bugatti his father had bought for Zheng Ze, resulting in a car accident where he broke his leg. After being bedridden for several years, he eventually died of melancholy.
Based on this characterization, Xiao Wenqiang had always thought Zheng Xiao would be a gloomy person. Currently, although his eyes showed some anxiety, he appeared to be a bright, handsome, and polite young man overall. Therefore, in a story centered around a strong female lead, characters are often understood through the protagonist's perspective. For Xiao Wenqiang at this moment, it lacked reference value and required personal interaction.
Xie Yinuo got out of the car with his luggage and bid them farewell. He hurried over to Zheng Xiao, slinging an arm around his shoulder as they walked towards the house. Generally, Zheng Xiao wouldn't seek him out so urgently unless there was something important.
Mao Genhong continued driving forward and finally stopped the car in front of a discreetly luxurious villa. He turned back and smiled gently at Xiao Wenqiang, "Child, we're home."
Xiao Wenqiang prepared herself mentally, took a deep breath, opened the door, and got out of the car. She immediately met a middle-aged woman who looked very gentle and virtuous, and a meticulously dressed young girl. Her heart tightened: these two must be the original host's biological mother, Xie Qiao, and the female lead of the original novel, Mao Wenjing.
Before Xiao Wenqiang could speak, Mao Wenjing suddenly stepped forward and hugged her tightly, "You are Father and Mother's biological daughter, right? Mother has already told me everything. I'm so sorry..."
What was going on? Xiao Wenqiang's expression was one of utter confusion. Mao Genhong had said earlier that he hadn't told Mao Wenjing yet! However, at this moment, she really wanted to say to her, "Girl, your acting is unbelievably fake! You've been crying for so long, but there isn't a single tear!"
But clearly, she was the only one who felt that way. Because the so-called biological mother of the original host, Xie Qiao, had already been moved by Mao Wenjing's clumsy acting and was also shedding tears, saying, "Wenjing, this is not your fault. You were just a newborn baby then. Don't blame yourself, alright?"
Seeing this, Mao Genhong embraced the three people in front of him and said emotionally, "Yes, Wenjing, don't blame yourself. No matter what, your father and mother still consider you our own daughter. From now on, you and Yan Yan are both our little princesses. Our family is finally truly reunited!"