Chapter 4 – Substitution with a Counterfeit

Wen Nian was inwardly amused—how could such cunning parents give birth to such a foolish daughter?

Looks like their careful scheming was about to fall through.

After all these years, Wen Jiancheng and Chen Qiuwei only had one child—Wen Xue.

They spoiled her rotten, treating her like a fragile treasure.

This girl had grown up in a honeypot, getting whatever she wanted, which had turned her into a willful and arrogant person.

Not only was she capricious, but also incredibly stubborn.

Once she got stuck in her own thinking, even a hundred oxen couldn’t drag her out.

Her temper was explosive too, like a firecracker—touch her the wrong way and she’d blow up.

Luckily, Wen Xue hadn’t been reborn yet.

That gave her the perfect opportunity.

—

On the other side of the door, Lu Hanzheng’s face was dark, his lips tightly pursed.

Those narrow black eyes held a cold, cutting edge.

His fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

He was barely holding back his fury.

Meng Yichuan shrank his neck and stole a glance at his stone-faced commander, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Whose daughter was that? So bold, daring to spread rumors that their commander was impotent.

Forget the commander—even any normal man couldn’t tolerate that kind of insult.

And the worst part? Even though they all knew it was slander, he couldn’t very well argue back with a girl about that.

More importantly, it wasn’t something you could prove!

As if that wasn’t bad enough, this whole family was trying to scheme their way into the Lu family.

Meng Yichuan kept sneaking glances at Lu Hanzheng, who was still standing motionless at the doorway, showing no signs of leaving.

He couldn’t figure out what the commander was thinking.

But if they didn’t leave soon, they were bound to get caught.

Sure enough, just as he was about to ask Lu Hanzheng whether they should go—

The door swung open from inside.

Out dashed a tall girl, tears streaking her face.

Chen Qiuwei came running after her and immediately spotted Lu Hanzheng and Meng Yichuan standing outside.

Her expression froze for a second, but she quickly recovered.

“Oh, it’s the PLA comrades who helped us earlier. Things were so chaotic I forgot to thank you!”

Wen Jiancheng heard the commotion and stepped out as well, smiling as he spoke to Meng Yichuan.

“Yes, yes—thank you for saving my daughter, comrade!”

Meng Yichuan glanced at his commander. Seeing that he didn’t say a word, he had no choice but to respond himself.

“No need to thank me. I just happened to be passing by—of course I couldn’t ignore someone in danger. Actually, I came back to retrieve the uniform from earlier.”

Just as he finished speaking, a stunning beauty stepped out from inside.

Her face was exquisitely delicate, eyes like autumn water, lips a vivid red, and skin pale as snow—an utterly breathtaking sight.

She was wearing a military uniform jacket over a red silk nightdress that hugged her figure perfectly.

Meng Yichuan was instantly dumbstruck.

Earlier, when the commander rescued her, she’d been unconscious, her wet hair covering her face.

All he’d known was that she was a young woman.

He never expected her to be this beautiful.

Wen Jiancheng barked at Wen Nian.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and thank your savior!”

Wen Nian walked forward reluctantly.

She hadn’t found her shoes yet, and the floor was hard on her bare feet.

As she looked up, her gaze collided with that of a man.

She sucked in a sharp breath.

Whoa!

Where did this top-tier hottie come from in this remote backwater?

His bone structure was absolutely flawless.

And that body—muscular and strong to the point of being explosive!

The uniform he wore was ill-fitting, the coarse fabric stretched tight over his body, emphasizing his well-defined muscles and sharply cut abs.

Wen Nian subconsciously swallowed.

Wow!

Perfect face, perfect build, and that aura—unmatched.

Every single detail hit her right in her weak spot.

He was exactly her type.

Too bad the guy was a bit cold.

Though… maybe it was just her imagination.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was looking at her with a particularly unfriendly expression.

Reluctantly pulling her gaze away, Wen Nian gave Meng Yichuan a polite smile and bent at the waist.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Meng Yichuan hurriedly waved it off.

“No need, really, no need.”

But halfway through speaking, his smile froze.

Oh no—that voice!

He suddenly realized—this was the same girl who had just accused the commander of being impotent!

Who would’ve thought someone this pretty could have such a sharp tongue?

Wen Jiancheng snapped at Wen Nian again.

“Hurry and take off that uniform! Return it to the comrade.”

Wen Nian pouted.

Truth be told, she didn’t want to take it off.

The material of her nightdress underneath was way too thin.

But the two men across from her were staring so hard their expressions were turning sour.

Especially the incredibly handsome one.

He looked like someone owed him a fortune.

Fine, she’d take it off—not like it would show anything anyway.

Pouting her soft pink lips in displeasure, she began unbuttoning the uniform.

Revealing the thin nightdress underneath.

The neckline dipped low, exposing her long neck and a large expanse of creamy skin—so soft it looked like it would bruise at a touch.

Wen Nian hadn’t even finished unbuttoning her clothes.

“No need to take them off. Forget it.”

Lu Hanzheng threw down those cold words and turned to leave.

Meng Yichuan quickly followed.

The commander had spoken—what opinion could he possibly have?

Only Wen Nian was left standing in the wind, utterly bewildered.

They were the ones who wanted it, and now they were the ones who didn’t?

What the hell!

What a shame—she forgot to ask his name.

She didn’t know if she would ever see him again.

Wen Jiancheng originally wanted to take Wen Nian away as soon as possible.

But unexpectedly, the family who had fostered him as a child came looking for him.

Their grandson was getting married, and they wanted him to officiate the wedding.

After all, their families were distantly related.

Wen Jiancheng couldn’t bring himself to refuse, so he agreed.

This delayed them for several days.

When it was all over, the couple hurriedly brought Wen Nian back to the capital.

Shanghe Village wasn’t too far from the city.

But the green trains of this era were nothing like the high-speed rail of the future.

After a full day and night of rattling on the train, Wen Nian’s bones felt like they were about to fall apart.

When they arrived at the steel mill’s family compound, she was given no time to recover.

The very next day, Chen Qiuwei busily arranged a blind date for her.

Wen Nian wore a yellow V-neck blouse tucked into a matching long bulaji (a borrowed word for “dress”), her dark hair loosely braided and tied with a matching ribbon that hung over her chest. On her feet were low-heeled black leather shoes.

Yellow was notoriously difficult to pull off—done wrong, it made one look sallow and rustic.

But Wen Nian had no such problem.

Her skin was so fair and delicate it seemed to glow.

Her figure was perfect. She had always been the one choosing clothes, not the other way around. Even wrapped in a burlap sack, she’d still look like an otherworldly fairy.

Her limpid eyes shimmered like water, the outer corners lifted just slightly. Her thick lashes curled upward, her misty eyes exuding endless charm.

And yet, there was an air of innocence about her too. Her lips were rosy, her skin whiter than snow—stunningly beautiful, the kind of beauty that took your breath away.

Just standing there, she drew everyone’s gaze.

Chen Qiuwei looked at Wen Nian with a complicated expression, momentarily dazed.

This was the first time she realized how striking Wang Xiumei’s adopted daughter was.

She had always known that Wen Jiancheng had once had a wife in the countryside and that they had a child.

He never brought it up, so she never asked.

But she had always minded.

Who would have thought that child had died at birth and been replaced by this adopted daughter?

If it weren’t for the Lu family needing someone, and the fact they wanted to use Wen Nian to forge an alliance with the Zheng family, she would’ve left the girl to rot in the countryside.

The villagers had said she was timid and withdrawn, quiet to the point of being mute—a wooden beauty.

That was Chen Qiuwei’s impression upon first meeting her too.

But now, the girl in front of her was confident, poised, radiant—she shone with a dazzling light.

There was nothing rural about her.

Her looks, her figure, her aura—you’d be hard-pressed to find someone like her even in the capital.

Using her to curry favor with the Zheng family felt like a waste.

If they put her in the Lu family instead…

That thought flashed across Chen Qiuwei’s mind but was quickly dismissed.

No matter how disappointing her own daughter was, she had carried her for ten months and given birth to her. An outsider could never compare.

The Lu family had searched for Wen Nian for years. Clearly, her biological father had deep ties with Lu Binghuai.

Wen Xue had taken her identity to enter the Lu family—nothing but gain, no downside.

If Wen Xue could really marry Lu Hanzheng, then the Wen family would be untouchable in the compound.

Wen Xue was practically fuming with jealousy.

“Mom! You’re so biased! Why’d you buy her a new bulaji and leather shoes? I didn’t get anything!”

Chen Qiuwei pinched her.

“Always comparing! Don’t you already have a pile of dresses in your closet? Half of them are still new!”

Wen Xue pouted in displeasure.

“How’s that the same? Hers came from Shanghai! I don’t care—I want one too!”

Chen Qiuwei tried to explain patiently.

“Wen Nian’s going to meet the Zheng family this afternoon. Of course, she has to dress up. You already have plenty of clothes. We’ll talk about it later.”

Wen Xue wouldn’t let it go.

“No! I want one too! Mom, buy me one—I’m going to the Lu family this afternoon!”

Chen Qiuwei gave her a sharp look.

“That’s different. Also, change out of that flashy dress. Pick something plain.”

First impressions were important.

The current mistress of the Lu family was Lin Siyun—Lu Hanzheng’s stepmother.

Rumor had it she preferred simple girls.

Dressing too gaudily might backfire.

She had arranged for Wen Xue to assume Wen Nian’s identity—not just to gain favor with the Lu family.

It was a matter of life and death.

Lu Hanzheng had to marry Wen Xue to settle it.

Wen Xue clung to Chen Qiuwei’s arm and pouted.

“I don’t care, I want one.”

Chen Qiuwei had no choice but to promise her for now.

“Alright, alright, stay home and be good. I’m heading to the factory. When I get back, your dad and I will take you to visit the Lu family.”

Her daughter was notoriously willful.

It had taken a lot to persuade her to go to the Lu family—she couldn’t afford any mishaps now.

She and Wen Jiancheng had agreed to visit the Lu family in a couple of days.

But Wen Jiancheng had just been promoted to workshop director, and that day would be his first in the new post.

He had to report to the factory for the handover.

That afternoon, there was an inventory check—Chen Qiuwei was in charge of the warehouse, so she had to show up too.

The house was quiet.

Wen Xue glared at Wen Nian furiously, bossy and overbearing.

“Hey! Country bumpkin! You’re not going to the Zheng family this afternoon.”

“We’re switching. You go to the Lu family, I’ll take your blind date.”

Wen Xue had planned this all along.

She persuaded their parents to schedule both meetings on the same day, just so she could pull a switcheroo.

Wen Nian curled her lips. “Deal.”