Chapter 23: He’s Simply a Male Fairy

This restaurant operates on a membership system, and the guests who frequent it are either wealthy or influential—business elites or industry bigwigs.

Even the bathroom’s décor is extraordinarily luxurious. The walls are inlaid with white marble, the sink counter is minimalist yet grand, and the high dome is adorned with a crystal chandelier.

The light shimmers on people as they move.

Jiang Yaoyao splashed several handfuls of water on her face, trying to cool the heat that had settled there.

But whether it was Pei Heng’s deep presence or her own thin skin, she couldn’t seem to shake it off.

The cold water flowed over her face, but once again, Pei Heng’s smiling eyes appeared in her mind, and the warmth she had just cooled down flared up again—intense and burning.

He was simply a male fairy.

It seemed like she would have to avoid him from now on.

Determined, Jiang Yaoyao continued to splash her face with the cool water.

Behind her, two sets of footsteps echoed, the sound of high heels clicking rhythmically on the floor, and they suddenly stopped right behind her.

Jiang Yaoyao thought the person behind her was just another guest also going to wash their hands, so she moved aside to give them space.

But all she heard in response was a cold, mocking laugh.

Jiang Yaoyao looked up, and in the mirror, two faces appeared.

The women on either side were dressed elegantly, wearing diamond rings, and sporting graceful cheongsams that gave off a refined, rounded aura.

The girl beside the woman wore a lace dress and carried a Chanel bag, smiling slightly at Jiang Yaoyao.

“Yaoyao, what are you doing here?”

“My mom said the person in the bathroom was you, but I didn’t believe it. I argued that Mom must have seen wrong.”

Jiang Yaoyao was stunned. Memories flooded her mind like a tide, forcefully implanting the past she had with these two women.

In the original story, the “unsettled family background” of the original host was explained, which later unfolded into a drama called “The True and False Heiress.”

A caretaker, driven by greed, switched the children—giving her own child to the wealthy family and running off with the real heiress.

Years later, on her deathbed, the caretaker confessed everything.

Jiang Yaoyao, the real daughter, was sent back to her family, where she was raised alongside the false heiress, Jiang Wanyi, under the care of Jiang’s mother.

They say blood is thicker than water, but in the Jiang family, everything was turned upside down.

The false heiress, Jiang Wanyi, was just as elegant and refined as her name suggested—gracious and well-mannered.

On the very first day Jiang Yaoyao arrived at the Jiang family, she collapsed in front of Jiang’s mother, her pale face streaked with tears, thanking her parents for raising her for so many years, and saying that she felt guilty for having occupied their home and was not worthy of staying any longer.

Jiang father and mother had always treated her like their precious jewel, and naturally, they didn’t want to let her go.

They held her close, calling her “dear” and “baby,” crying with her, which made Jiang father furrow his brows.

Jiang father then declared that from now on, the Jiang family would have two daughters, and that regardless of blood relations, both Jiang Wanyi and Jiang Yaoyao would be their cherished treasures.

But while Jiang Wanyi was cuddled in her mother’s arms, with her forehead being kissed, Jiang Yaoyao stood a few steps away, looking at the harmonious family of three as they cried with joy.

Later on, after the tears had subsided, Jiang Wanyi apologized to Yaoyao, saying that as the elder sister, she had already enjoyed so many years of their parents’ love. Therefore, she would give up her room to Yaoyao.

Her parents, visibly pleased, looked at Jiang Wanyi with indulgence, then turned their gaze to Jiang Yaoyao, with barely concealed discontent in their eyes.

“Don’t you want to thank your sister?” they urged.

Jiang Wanyi, nestled in her mother’s arms with a half-crying face, curled her lips into a slight smile and muttered, “Fool.”

In the midst of Jiang Wanyi’s provocation, Jiang Yaoyao had no choice but to settle in.

But inexplicably, despite being the biological daughter of Jiang father and mother, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get their approval.

Jiang Wanyi, who had studied piano since childhood, was like a delicate little princess when playing in a gown.

Jiang Yaoyao also started learning the piano. After finally perfecting a piece, her parents merely nodded with indifference.

“This piece, Wanyi could play when she was 5.”

Jiang Wanyi wasn’t good at academics, but Jiang Yaoyao was first in her class.

When the results came out, Jiang mother comforted Jiang Wanyi softly.

“Silly girl, what’s the use of just studying? Your future, your father and I have already arranged for you…”

When Jiang Yaoyao went to a friend’s house for a dinner party, she wore her nicest clothes, but just before getting into the car, she was stopped by her father.

“The car can’t fit so many people, Yaoyao, you’ll have to go next time.”

Jiang Wanyi smiled gently. “Sorry, little sister, but Mom and Dad need to drink, and the driver has to drive. There’s only room for one person in the car, and there’s no space for you.”

Jiang Yaoyao silently nodded.

But after they left, she overheard the housekeeper whispering.

“With so many cars in the house, how could there not be room for her? They must just think she’s been raised in the countryside for all these years and isn’t presentable!”

Jiang Yaoyao became even more silent.

But Jiang Wanyi’s influence didn’t stop at home; even at school, she couldn’t escape her shadow.

Jiang Wanyi’s little followers would pour water on her desk, stuff caterpillars in her schoolbag, spill glue on her chair, and corner her in a small alley after school, yelling venomously:

“Country bumpkin!”

“Rural peasant!”

“Who do you think you are, comparing yourself to Wanyi? You should just get lost!”

Anywhere—at home, outside, or at school—she was always the outsider.

Her parents only saw Jiang Wanyi and treated her like a transparent person.

Her arrogant, overbearing little brother ordered her around like she was a servant who didn’t cost anything.

Even the housekeeper and servants paid no attention to her, openly criticizing her in front of her: “You smell so sweaty, your clothes are so dirty!”

But how could a teenage girl possibly smell like sweat?

The original host believed them, though. She secretly bought a lot of perfume, spraying it excessively to cover up a non-existent scent.

However, this only earned her scorn from her teachers and disgust from her parents.

“Young girls should learn properly, not be gaudy and vulgar.”

After graduating from high school, she had applied to a prestigious finance program, but one night, after she went to sleep, her father secretly changed her college application.

In the end, she enrolled in a drama academy.

Heavy memories unfurled like a long scroll, and Jiang Yaoyao’s eyelashes fluttered as deep sadness rose in her heart.

So this was the life of the original host—unwanted, rejected, and despised.

That’s why when she encountered even a little kindness, she clung to it and wouldn’t let go.

Even if that kindness came from her.

Perhaps she also thought this world was too unkind, so she chose to leave and replace herself.

Jiang Yaoyao.

The girl silently staring at herself in the bathroom mirror whispered her own name softly, making a quiet vow:

“Jiang Yaoyao, I’ll live a good life for you.”