Chapter 26 – You Dare to Make That Request?

“Lin Xuefei’s biological parents went to prison for trafficking women.”

“Her eldest brother is also serving time—for murder.”

“As for her adoptive parents, their house got robbed just a few days ago and was completely ransacked.”

“Her mother was so furious she fell ill. I doubt she has the energy to entertain you.”

With every word Lin Xiaodou spoke, Lin Xuefei’s expression grew darker.

Originally, she had thought Lin Xiaodou’s biological family was just a little poor—nothing serious.

She never expected that the family would be so messy, with so many of them criminals.

Seeing her daughter’s face change, Wu Ya grew unhappy.

She deliberately challenged Lin Xiaodou’s words, “But they’re your family. How can you speak so coldly, without the slightest concern?”

“My family?” Lin Xiaodou sneered, and enunciated each word clearly:

“The kind of parents who, for the sake of bride price money, arranged for their daughter to be kidnapped in the dead of night and married off to a fool?”

“Or the kind of adoptive parents who constantly saw their daughter as an eyesore, disfigured her, and frequently abused her?”

“Or perhaps the elder brother who ruled the house like a tyrant and regularly used his fists on his little sister?”

“That kind of ‘family’? You can have them—want them?!”

As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone in the living room fell silent.

Lin Zhengmin had investigated Lin Xiaodou’s background before, but neither he nor his wife had paid it much mind.

Now, hearing Lin Xiaodou speak these things herself…

For the first time, a trace of guilt stirred in Lin Zhengmin’s heart.

If she hadn’t been swapped at birth, perhaps she wouldn’t have suffered so much.

But—

There are no “what ifs” in life.

The mistake was already made and couldn’t be undone.

All he could do now was move forward in the most advantageous way.

…

Wu Ya, on the other hand, didn’t feel much.

Because of her preconceived notions, her first impression of Lin Xiaodou had always been negative.

So what if Lin Xiaodou was her biological daughter?

An ugly girl with crude manners—she would rather not have such a daughter at all!

Wu Ya didn’t think of herself as cold-hearted.

She simply gave all her love to Lin Xuefei, and all she wanted in return was Xuefei’s gratitude.

As for Lin Xiaodou—she wasn’t worth it.

…

For a moment—

Lin Xuefei actually felt relieved.

She was glad she had been switched at birth and raised in a warm, loving home without worries.

Last night, upon learning the truth, she had been furious and heartbroken, unable to sleep.

But now, knowing about Lin Xiaodou’s tragic past…

Lin Xuefei suddenly didn’t hate her so much anymore.

Still, that didn’t mean she liked her.

How could she feel goodwill toward a woman who had appeared out of nowhere and was trying to take her place?

Thankfully, her parents stood by her unconditionally.

No matter how much Lin Xiaodou stirred things up, she wouldn’t be able to make any waves.

This woman could only be a stepping stone in her life.

Once she was done using her, she’d kick her aside without hesitation.

Worthless!

…

Compared to this family’s coldness,

Housemaid Chen Ma, who had worked in the Lin household for years, felt a wave of emotion.

She knew the Lin family’s situation well.

Lin Xuefei, being the only daughter, had been doted on like a princess her whole life.

But while she enjoyed that pampering, the real daughter of the Lin family was suffering in hardship.

Now that the real daughter had returned, she still couldn’t compare to the adopted one.

The contrast was deeply moving.

Chen Ma couldn’t understand—

Why didn’t the master and madam of the house love their real daughter, and instead favored a fake?

If it were her, she couldn’t have been this biased.

Poor Xiaodou girl—rejected no matter where she went.

Thinking this, Chen Ma looked at Lin Xiaodou with eyes full of pity.

This girl really seemed to enjoy soup dumplings.

She decided she’d make more for her in the future—let her eat to her heart’s content.

…

After saying all that, Lin Xiaodou lowered her head and began drinking her porridge.

The complicated and stunned gazes from everyone didn’t faze her at all.

She hadn’t said those things to win sympathy.

It was a preemptive strike.

If Lin Zhengmin and Wu Ya had even a shred of conscience, they might reconsider pinning the blame on her.

Unfortunately, they didn’t.

After breakfast, Lin Zhengmin left.

Despite everything Lin Xiaodou had said, he still had to make a trip to the tenement building.

This concerned Xuefei’s future—he had to negotiate things with the people over there.

Before leaving, Lin Zhengmin reminded Wu Ya once again to take Lin Xiaodou to the department store for shopping.

Though unwilling, Wu Ya reluctantly agreed, for Xuefei’s sake.

Before they left, Lin Xiaodou asked to look around Lin Xuefei’s room.

Wu Ya objected, “Why are you going to Xuefei’s room? Don’t make a mess in there.”

Lin Xuefei quickly added, “Mom, let her go. Maybe she doesn’t know what to buy and wants to look around my room for ideas.”

On the surface, she seemed to be defending Lin Xiaodou.

In reality, it was a veiled jab—suggesting Lin Xiaodou was petty and always comparing herself to her.

Wu Ya clearly picked up on that too, and her disgust toward Lin Xiaodou deepened.

“I’m giving you 20 minutes. Look and get out—don’t dawdle.”

If it weren’t for Xuefei’s sake, she wouldn’t tolerate this ugly girl for even a second.

Lin Xiaodou ignored her and headed straight into the room.

If it weren’t for her upcoming plan,

she would’ve slapped that noisy old woman right into the wall.

She didn’t use the same methods here as she had with the old Lin family.

The original Lin family were lowlifes—violence worked best on them.

But this family was wealthy and powerful, and they had a scheming male lead as their backbone.

Lin Xiaodou wasn’t ready to go head-to-head with them yet.

First, she’d tear apart all their relationships one by one.

Then she’d take her revenge—that would be much more satisfying.

And yes, Lin Xiaodou did go into Lin Xuefei’s room for comparison.

She wanted to buy things that were more expensive than what Lin Xuefei owned.

And buy things that she didn’t have at all.

You want me to take the fall?

Then bleed a little first.

You think you can ask me that easily?