Based on the records, Ye Xin and Ye Xinya were a pair of dragon-phoenix twins born to the prestigious Ye clan, one of the wealthiest families in the capital, a family not even the Jings who were deeply connected to the city government could match up to.Reportedly, the twins had very similar faces. They were both beautiful, smart, bubbly, and adorable. Had they been from the same genders they might be called identical twins.
Years pa.s.sed and the two grew up quite happily in the Ye Mansion, regarded with high importance not only due to being geniuses, but due to being born as direct descendants. Even when Ye Xin was still not even ten years old, he was already the unannounced heir, a source of pride for the whole clan due to showcasing extraordinary wits, thus groomed meticulously.
Unfortunately, when he was thirteen years old, he died from poisoning.
The Ye family was similar to the other aristocratic family so of course there were many infightings and one of those was about the position of the clan head. The twin"s mother who was afraid that her and her family"s position within the clan would be threatened had no choice but to make it appear as if her daughter went abroad when in reality she had Ye Xinya act and disguise as the son being groomed for the head position.
For three years, Ye Xinya endured losing her ident.i.ty to become somebody already dead. However, despite being intelligent, she was still quite immature and felt like it was unfair to shoulder the burdens when she was still not even in the legal age. While she was also sad about her brother"s sudden pa.s.sing, she couldn"t understand why she has to be him. Even if it was to retain some sort of standing in the family, why couldn"t she do it as Ye Xinya?
At first, she was okay with the setup and had gotten a bit used to it after some time. However, when everything just couldn"t be endured anymore, the pressure, the feeling of alienation, the fear of her life drifting further and further away from what she should live as Ye Xinya, she crumbled down and decided she had had enough.
Her case was like those teenagers who think they should not work because they were still young. If the world was truly a novel, then maybe this was why she ended up a failed heroine. If she was to go the gender-bender or disguised woman route, only her destined male lead was allowed to expose or get rid of it.
However, one day, she just gave up and even used her scheming uncle"s plan to get rid of "Ye Xin". That was how badly she wanted to go back to regain her ident.i.ty. As a result, she ended up in a disciplinary school where she knew if she just suddenly died as Ye Xin, n.o.body would question it. She knew of these and arranged things on how she would resume being Ye Xinya again. Yet she underestimated how hard it would be to get out once she was admitted there.
"Young Miss!" The moment she arrived at the townhouse in the outskirts of the city under her mother"s name, she was immediately greeted by her nanny, one of the very few people she trusted and knew of what she all went through. The woman was a bit fat, age was around mid-fifties. The moment this person caught sight of Ye Xinya, her eyes turned red and she immediately brought the disguised girl in her arms. "I"m glad you"re finally back!"
"Yes, nanny w.a.n.g." Looking as emotional as the other, the girl broke down into sobs and tightened her arms around the nanny"s waist.
The driver and bodyguard both looked at each after witnessing this scene. The two were loyal people of Ye Xinya"s mother so they were glad to see the sole offspring of their real boss out of that school. The old driver smiled and said, "I feel bad that you have suffered. But it"s good that you"re no longer in that place, miss."
Eyes red, the girl nodded. She let herself be led into the house by her nanny. After taking a bath and finally changing into a set of clothes that she had not used for three years, she walked back to the living room and talked with the people there with a serious face don.
"Has my mom heard of my escape from that place?" While plopping down on the one-seated sofa in front of a round coffee table, she asked.
The rather young bodyguard nodded his head. "The madam doesn"t agree. But since young miss is adamant, she gave in and used the opportunity to weaken the other houses by linking each of them to framing you and you ending up in that school. The old master is angry. Your third uncle is no longer given a part of the old master"s inheritance and is also demoted from executive to a small branch store"s manager."
"He deserved it. Even those others whose shares got forfeited deserved it!" Ye Xinya said viciously.
She blamed those people"s greed for what happened to her. If they were not greedy and were not coveting what was not theirs, her mom wouldn"t have her pretend to be Ye Xin. The girl was kind of naive for her thinking but she believed that this was the case. There was also her arrangement for her own escape which she didn"t manage to accomplish in the end due to some complications. She suspected somebody bribed the people supposed to help her get out.
The nanny grasped Ye Xinya"s hand and worriedly asked, "How did the Madam settle Miss" ident.i.ty? She"s recorded as the young master before and after the transfer. The police also have records of her exiting that place. At this rate, wouldn"t they question why the "young master" suddenly vanished?"
Silence descended upon them. Ye Xinya looked around the place, seemingly lost in thoughts. She then closed her eyes. For some reason, a pair of cold indifferent eyes from that person she used to dislike floated in her mind. Had that guy made it safely to a nearby town? She had to look for him and make up for what she did. The thought that she owed someone made her feel weird and uneasy.
A few minutes after finis.h.i.+ng a plan about it, she asked her bodyguard for a phone which the latter respectfully presented. It was time to address the more pressing issue. However, she was but a helpless girl. Somebody"s more capable hands were needed.
"Will she answer? Does she still remember my real voice?"
Hesitation showed on her face after pressing a few numbers on the screen. However, knowing she had to speak with that person, she summoned her courage to dial the number. Not even ten seconds pa.s.sed, and she managed to connect to the other.
"Xinya." Her mom greeted in a cold, unfeeling voice.
The girl looked up the ceiling to prevent beads of tears from streaming down her already reddish eyes. After a couple of minutes of silence, she managed to compose herself, then said, "Mom, I"m back."
"Nn. I know. I heard from the police."
She unconsciously nodded and hanged her head. She felt a bit of emptiness in her chest because the woman"s tone did not carry any longing for her or gladness for her escape in that h.e.l.l. Her mother was somebody with connections. Doesn"t she know what kind of place the rehabilitation was?
Ye Xinya waited for some time but did not hear any words of comfort or concern. Despite feeling a bit heartbroken, she held her throat and willed herself not to cry. She initially wanted to say, she missed the other, but since she heard nothing more from her, she only said, "Yeah, I"m now in the townhouse. And I don"t want to be someone not me again, so for this... I"m no longer against the engagement!"