Chapter 1 – Breaking Off the Engagement

“My son Jianye is about to be promoted to company commander. He has a bright future ahead of him and absolutely cannot be dragged down by the daughter of a capitalist! The engagement must be called off immediately!”

Song Yun was pulled out of her daze by this resentful and sharp voice.

It was only then that she truly realized she had transmigrated into the year 1973—into the body of a pitiful girl who had been switched at birth.

This poor girl had spent over ten years working like a mule for her adoptive family. She had finally turned eighteen and found a marriage prospect, and just when she thought she was about to escape her miserable life, the real daughter showed up out of nowhere, claiming to be the true daughter of Song Weiguo and Li Shulan.

With Song Zhenzhen’s horse-like face exactly like Li Shulan’s, and her flat nose and thick lips that mirrored Song Weiguo’s, there was no need for a hospital DNA test—the truth was obvious.

As for Song Yun, she was actually the daughter of two professors from Jingbei University. Unfortunately, both had been labeled as rightists. Otherwise, why would Song Zhenzhen have shown up now, out of the blue, to “reclaim” her identity?

The suspicious part was: why did Song Zhenzhen come to recognize her biological parents exactly one day before the adoptive family ran into trouble? Was that just a coincidence? And how convenient that she publicly severed ties with her adoptive parents just in time—without suffering any consequences.

Song Yun didn’t have time to think further, because Zhao Lanhua began shouting again: “Whether you agree or not doesn’t matter. We are calling off this engagement! Now give us back the betrothal token!” She pulled a watch from her pocket and threw it on the table in front of Song Yun, her expression filled with contempt.

She had long wanted to return that broken watch. Their family had given a gold bracelet as a betrothal gift, while Song Yun’s family had offered only this shabby timepiece. If it hadn’t been for Jianye stopping her, she would’ve smashed the watch right then and there.

Watching the drama unfold, Song Zhenzhen’s eyes twitched the moment she saw the old watch land on the table. Her heart stirred with an intense longing, and she quickly reached out to grab it.

But Song Yun was faster. She snatched up the watch and calmly asked, “Is this your idea, or is it Jianye’s?”

According to her inherited memories, Song Yun had no real feelings for Ding Jianye. She’d only agreed to the engagement as a way to escape from this home, where she’d been treated like a servant.

But a broken engagement wasn’t a small matter, so she needed clarity.

Zhao Lanhua sneered at her. So what if she was good-looking? Men might be tempted by a pretty face, but they wouldn’t risk their future for one.

“Of course, it was Jianye’s decision. Here’s the telegram he sent from the army. See for yourself.” Zhao Lanhua slapped a paper onto the table.

Song Yun picked up the telegram. It contained just one line:
“Immediately break off the engagement with Song Yun.”

Song Yun’s eyes brimmed with sarcasm as she calmly said, “I agree to the breakup. But the engagement token isn’t with me—you can ask Song Weiguo and Li Shulan for it.” Then she folded the telegram and put it away, keeping it as proof that the relationship had ended—just in case anyone tried to stir up trouble later.

Zhao Lanhua was surprised by how calm Song Yun was. No tears, no pleading. Wasn’t this girl desperate to marry Jianye? Why wasn’t she the least bit heartbroken?

Still, if it could be resolved this easily, all the better. With a cold “At least you know your place,” she turned and walked into the main room—where Li Shulan had been hiding this whole time, pretending not to be involved.

As soon as Zhao Lanhua left, Song Zhenzhen stretched out her hand toward Song Yun and said, “Give me the watch.”

Song Yun slowly stood up. At 168 cm, she towered over the 155 cm tall Song Zhenzhen and looked down at her. “Give you what?”

Zhenzhen frowned. For some reason, Song Yun suddenly felt different, though she couldn’t say how.

She pointed at the watch in Song Yun’s hand. “The watch. That’s our Song family’s property. You have no right to it.” Something deep inside told her that this watch was very important to her.

Since her rebirth, her instincts had never been wrong. She had to get this watch.

But Song Yun sneered and, instead of handing it over, calmly strapped it to her wrist in front of Zhenzhen’s face.

The watch itself was nothing special—worn and scratched, far inferior to the elegant Tiansuo watch on Zhenzhen’s wrist. But in Song Yun’s memory, it was a gift from an elderly man she’d saved a year ago—a token of thanks.

When the Ding family had brought the engagement gift, Song Weiguo and Li Shulan accepted it, claiming they had nothing suitable to offer in return. This angered the Dings, so Song Yun took out this old watch herself. They’d only accepted it for Jianye’s sake.

So the watch belonged entirely to her.

“This watch isn’t your Song family’s property. And since you’re so obsessed with what I don’t deserve, let me ask you—what about all the things you took from my parents? Care to return those?”

Zhenzhen’s face changed instantly. “Don’t talk nonsense! I didn’t take anything from your parents!”

Song Yun pointed at her outfit. “Dacron shirt, cashmere vest, wool coat, lambskin shoes, Tiansuo watch, velvet hair tie… and all that cream on your face and lotion on your hands—didn’t all of it come from my biological parents?”

Zhenzhen opened her mouth but had no words to refute.

She had worn all this when she moved in. She even brought two large suitcases full of clothes, shoes, personal items, and several pieces of expensive jewelry—everything taken from Song Yun’s real home before the Revolutionary Committee came.

Song Yun stepped forward, looming over Zhenzhen with a cold, stern face, giving off an oppressive air. “My real parents cut ties with you and told you to come here and acknowledge your true family. Do you think they’d send you off empty-handed? You must’ve taken a lot of money too, didn’t you? Did you even take my share and claim you’d ‘keep it safe’ for me?”

Zhenzhen’s expression instantly turned panicked. Her fists clenched tightly. “No! They were already in a terrible state. Where would they get money for me? They didn’t give me a single cent!”

But she remembered that when she left her teaching quarters at Jingbei University, Song Hao and Bai Qingxia had split their savings and coupons into three portions, each totaling 1,200 yuan—one for Zhenzhen, one for Song Ziyi (their 8-year-old son), and one for Song Yun. They entrusted Ziyi to her care, too.

But now, she’d ditched Ziyi and kept all the money for herself. She’d never tell anyone that. Anyway, the two parents would be dead soon—just ten more days, and they’d both die in the rural cowshed. As long as she kept her mouth shut, no one would ever know.

Her guilty expression, her weak denial, and the way she clenched her clothes—all of it was obvious to Song Yun.

Taking advantage of her adoptive parents while bullying their real child? And still acting so righteously? Ha.

No matter. If Zhenzhen wouldn’t admit it, she’d find proof herself. There was no way she’d let that white-eyed wolf get away with it.

Just then, arguing voices came from the bedroom. Moments later, Zhao Lanhua stormed out, fuming and cursing:

“Shameless people! Refusing to return the betrothal token? Claiming they lost it? That kind of thing, lost just like that? Who would believe it?! Disgusting! You just wait—this isn’t over!”

As soon as Zhao Lanhua left, Zhenzhen dropped her act. The fake gentleness vanished, replaced by a vicious, hateful expression. She lunged at Song Yun to snatch the watch off her wrist, like a madwoman.