The front doors were kicked open without an ounce of mercy. The sharp crack of a walking cane striking the hardwood floor echoed through the room, followed by my grandfather’s thundering roar: “Song Qingchen! Have you lost your mind?! How on earth did I spawn a sick bastard like you?!”

My parents burst in right behind him, completely out of breath. For the first time in my life, they wrapped their arms around me with genuine gentleness: “Shuyan, are you okay? Did he touch you? We’re so sorry, sweetie. We never should have left you in the care of a monster like him!”

Swarmed and viciously condemned by the entire Song family, Song Qingchen didn’t offer a single word of defense. His eyes remained locked strictly on me, filled with desperate yearning and a plea for help.

Yet, all he received in return was a look of pure, unadulterated disgust, accompanied by the flawless delivery of a traumatized victim: “Uncle… you’re disgusting.”

I retreated behind my grandfather, trembling as I put on a masterclass performance of a deeply scarred niece. Song Qingchen descended into complete panic. How could he have known that this entire trap was orchestrated by my own hands? The moment I was in his study, I had discreetly dropped my location to my grandfather and parents, timing their “walk-in” down to the exact minute.

“Shuyan, please… don’t look at me like that…”

Song Qingchen looked as though he’d been doused with a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter. Stooping to the lowest, most pathetic level, he begged: “I lost my mind. I’m filthy, I’m a bastard, I deserve to die. Can you please just forget this ever happened? Can’t we just go back to being a good uncle and niece like before? Please?”

“Get away from me!” I shrieked, executing a seamless combination of stepping back and dry-heaving for dramatic effect.

With tears welling in my eyes, I watched my grandfather raise his cane and bring it down hard across Qingchen’s broad, unyielding back: “You disgraceful dog! On your knees!”

The man who had never backed down from anyone at a negotiation table was now as mute as a statue. Knowing he had crossed a moral line of no return, he silently dropped to his knees on the floor, offering not a single word of excuse.

Understanding the trajectory of the original plot, I decided I was done playing games with this family. With a mind as sharp as Song Qingchen’s, a single thread of suspicion would be enough for him to unearth the “real heiress” in a heartbeat.

So, I scrambled to submit my applications to study abroad. For a villainous female supporting character destined to get mowed down by a car, the absolute best way to survive was to stay as far away from the main cast as possible. Song Qingchen’s twisted affection unexpectedly handed me the perfect, bulletproof excuse to pack my bags and get out of dodge.

When my parents heard I wanted to go abroad, their faces remained completely indifferent. They asked a few superficial questions just to save face, dropping a couple of empty, polite instructions. On the day of my flight, they didn’t even bother showing up to see me off—they were far too busy “vanishing.” That happened to be the day the DNA results came back, and the entire Song family was throwing a lavish banquet to welcome their true princess home.

When I was eighteen, my parents had forced me into a soul-crushing major, making me constantly second-guess my own intelligence. But once I got overseas, I let loose and switched to a field I actually cared about—only to discover I was practically a low-key genius.

My academic journey was shockingly smooth. Not only did I graduate early, but I also published a high-caliber research paper. My professor had just landed a massive joint venture with a top domestic conglomerate, and he personally designated me to head back to the country as his official representative.

Since this project was critical, I found myself scheduled for an interview on just my second day back. Walking up to the conference room, I was still brimming with confidence—right up until my eyes met a terrifyingly familiar gaze.

Heading today’s interview panel… was Song Qingchen?!

Wait, this was all wrong! According to the original plot, today was supposed to be the “real heiress’s” birthday! The Song family should have chartered a five-star mega-yacht out at sea while he soaked up the sun and sea breeze. Why on earth was he sitting right here, interviewing me?

A panel member spoke up, shattering the frozen silence: “Miss Chen, please start by giving us a brief overview of the project—”

Song Qingchen abruptly raised a hand, cutting him off with a deep, dangerously raspy voice: “Hold on.”

Interrupting the interviewer beside him, he said coldly, “Fetch me a mask, please.”

The assistant blinked in confusion for a second before scrambling to comply. Under the bewildered, reverent stares of everyone in the room, Song Qingchen slowly put the mask on. His eyes were slightly bloodshot as he delivered a line completely out of left field: “My apologies, everyone. I recall Miss Chen once mentioning that looking at my face makes her want to vomit.”

Crickets. The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature in the room instantly plunged below freezing.

Every set of eyes turned into radar dishes, sweeping straight toward me in a mix of gossiping curiosity and intense scrutiny. It seemed a few board members finally recognized my face, blurting out, “Song Shuyan?”

Keeping a perfectly composed expression, I politely corrected them: “Pardon me, it’s Chen Shuyan now.”

Three years ago, the moment the “real heiress” stepped foot into the house, the Song family couldn’t wait to strip me of their surname—and the person who had enthusiastically proposed that idea was none other than Song Qingchen himself. The very man who used to handle me like delicate china couldn’t wait to kick me off the family registry the second his actual niece was found.

Then again, that was fine by me. At least it proved he had completely severed whatever twisted feelings he used to have for me.

The interviewers were clearly people of high IQ and EQ; nobody wanted to get dragged into the big boss’s family drama, so they promptly made up excuses to slip out one by one. In the blink of an eye, the sprawling conference room was reduced to just me and Song Qingchen.

“I didn’t know this company belonged to you,” I said, standing up abruptly and taking several steps back to keep a safe distance from the dangerous creature in front of me. “Had I known, I would have turned my professor down before my flight even touched the tarmac.”

Thinking about the strict project guidelines, I added with a hint of anxiety, “I heard… your company doesn’t allow changing the project lead halfway through, right?”

“It’s fine,” Song Qingchen’s voice was as flat as ditch water, utterly devoid of emotion, save for his eyes which were a terrifying shade of red. “If it’s you… I can make an exception just this once.”

“That’s a relief then. Thank you for your generosity,” I exhaled, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Seeing the sheer weight lifted off my shoulders, Song Qingchen’s gaze suddenly darkened, radiating a chilling aura: “In such a rush? Is Miss Chen hurrying off to a date with her boyfriend?”

I didn’t bother wasting my breath on explanations. Deciding to go with the flow, I painted a bright, picture-perfect future for myself: “As a matter of fact, I am. We’re getting married very soon. We’ve already bought our place abroad, just waiting for an auspicious date.”

“I wish you every happiness,” he uttered, his words so chillingly calm they didn’t carry a single ripple.