Chapter 154: The Real and Fake Daughters Who Were Switched at Birth – 13

On the other side, Yuan Yu was genuinely happy. Life in the opera troupe had been stifling—no friends her age to talk to, and her teacher’s only daily interaction with her was to remind her to watch her diet.

“Jie, look what I got you—a gift! I won this gold medal at a performance.”

In the car, Xie Qianjin reached out and took the box. But when she opened it, instead of a medal, she found a delicately crafted bracelet.

“Huh?”

Yuan Yu leaned her head against her sister’s shoulder, just like she used to when they were little.

“I couldn’t actually give you a gold medal, right? I asked around at the opera troupe. I had a master melt it down and make it into a bracelet for you. What do you think? Pretty?”

Snuggling against her sister, she suddenly realized how long it had been since they’d seen each other. She reached out and hugged her sister’s arm tightly.

“I went to several craftsmen, but none of their designs matched your style. This one had to be booked way in advance, and I even got my teacher to help pull some strings.”

Xie Qianjin casually took out a gift from her own bag.

“It’s beautiful. I love it. I already sent your gift to your place, and Dad’s gift is with it too.”

“Gifts don’t matter. Jie, let’s go get some skewers!”

Yuan Yu, who had been under strict dietary control from her teacher, hadn’t had street food in ages. She missed those days after school when she and her sister would grab all kinds of fried and grilled snacks from roadside stalls.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They found a street stall that was still open, ordered a few things, and sat down to wait.

Yuan Yu never looked at her phone when she was with family. She was always busy—training, performing—and any time she could carve out to be with her loved ones, she didn’t want to waste a second.

Today, after saying goodbye to her teacher and leaving the opera troupe, she had put her phone on silent.

Sitting on the stool, she started telling her sister about life in the troupe. Xie Qianjin listened patiently, occasionally responding with a few words.

“Jie, there are still people online saying I should become a celebrity. Why don’t they realize that everyone has their own specialty? Being a person is hard enough. If I really did go into showbiz, they’d say I was turning my back on classical dance just to chase fame and fortune.”

“And if I did join the entertainment industry, would the fact that I can eat fifty skewers in one sitting be considered a scandal?”

“When I say I don’t want to go, they call me pretentious.”

Xie Qianjin reached out to fix her sister’s messy hair. Yuan Yu smiled, but before she could say thank you, her sister leaned in and gave her head a playful rub, making her shriek in protest.

“Xie Qianjin, you childish brat!!!”

She puffed up her cheeks and retaliated by messing up Xie Qianjin’s neatly trimmed bob until it looked like a bird’s nest.

Xie Qianjin, rarely this relaxed, leaned back in her chair. Seeing Yuan Yu still fuming, she spoke up:

“Being ‘pretentious’ isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just take it as a compliment.”

“You’re right!”

When the stall owner brought over their food, Yuan Yu immediately forgot the minor scuffle with her sister. She grabbed a skewer and took a big bite. The familiar flavor nearly brought tears to her eyes.

After eating bland food for so long, this spicy, crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside barbecue—with that brain-numbing kick of chili—made her let out a long, satisfied sigh after swallowing.

“Ahhh—so good!”

Back when she could eat this stuff every day, Yuan Yu never thought she loved it that much. But after being deprived for so long, this one-yuan skewer tasted like the most divine delicacy on earth.

Halfway through their meal, Xie Qianjin’s phone suddenly rang.

She glanced at the screen and froze when she saw the caller ID: Dad.

Their father had become a creature of habit since retiring—early to bed, early to rise. It was already 11 p.m., and she hadn’t expected him to call at this hour.

“Hello? Dad? It’s so late—aren’t you asleep yet?”

Xie Hui hadn’t wanted to disturb his daughters’ rare time together, but Yuan Yu’s teacher had called him directly.

“No, I’m still up. Did you check the messages your assistant sent you?”

“Huh? Dad, I didn’t bring my work phone.”

Xie Qianjin always kept her work and personal life strictly separate. She hadn’t even brought her work phone when coming to see her sister.

That answer was exactly what Xie Hui had suspected. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he asked:

“I never thought I’d see the day when my Jinjin would be accused of keeping a sugar baby.”

Yuan Yu was sitting close enough to hear parts of the conversation, and although she wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, she couldn’t help catching a few words.

Especially when she heard the word “sugar baby”—her gossip radar instantly went off. She leaned on the table, head tilted curiously at her sister.

“Huh? Dad, what are you talking about?”

Lately, Xie Qianjin had been completely focused on work. She loved the feeling of having everything under control—the decisions she made, the results she achieved, the profits she earned. That sense of accomplishment was intoxicating.

If it weren’t for Yuan Yu’s birthday today, she would’ve been on a plane overseas to negotiate a deal.

“Yuyu’s trending for all the wrong reasons. People are saying she got into a luxury car late at night and was acting all cozy with the owner.”

Xie Hui had seen the video himself—it was blurry, and with Xie Qianjin being tall, it was easy to mistake her for someone else from a distance.

“What?”

Yuan Yu had just been waiting for her sister to spill the gossip, but now the fire had turned on her instead.

“Ah?”

“Dad, I’ll check it out now.”

“Okay.”

Xie Hui hung up, trusting that Jinjin was more than capable of handling the situation. He didn’t need to step in—not that he could do much anyway, being just a regular retired old man now.

After hanging up, Xie Qianjin opened a certain app and checked the trending topics. When she saw the post and recognized the car, she couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

Yuan Yu, being a recently popular nobody, was an easy target. Even the tiniest scandal could make people eager to drag her down.

When she noticed Yuan Yu trying to peek at her screen, Xie Qianjin tilted it away.

“Jie, you’re totally looking at the trending topics. Let me see!”

“If your phone’s broken, I’ll have my assistant bring you a new one tomorrow. Nothing worth seeing here.”

With that, she turned off her phone.

She wasn’t annoyed that her sister wanted to look—after all, they used to huddle together watching cartoons as kids.

But the comments under that trending post were so vile and slanderous, even Xie Qianjin, who wasn’t the target, felt irritated. She didn’t want Yuan Yu to see any of it.

“Come on, let’s take a photo and clear things up.”

“Oh…”

Yuan Yu had already guessed what had happened and found it kind of funny.

They took a photo together and posted it on an account Yuan Yu rarely used.

[Snuggling with my sugar mama sis.]

After posting, she turned to scrutinize her sister, nodding seriously as she looked her over.

“Not bad. If I were a male idol, I’d be more than happy to be your sugar baby!”

Xie Qianjin could tell from her sister’s mischievous expression that she was up to no good. Sure enough, after hearing that comment, she rolled her eyes.

“You really don’t want to go into showbiz? You’d make way more money than dancing.”

At that, Yuan Yu lost her playful mood. She took a big bite of her skewer to vent her frustration.

“If I actually wanted to be in the entertainment industry, then all this would be fine. But I just want to dance. All that attention and popularity—it’s a burden.”

Yuan Yu had always been a lazy but obedient child, and as she grew up, she became more laid-back. In her eyes, as long as she earned enough to live comfortably, there was no need to chase things she didn’t even like.

“Jie, the dorm’s closing soon. Take me back?”

After pouring her heart out to her sister, Yuan Yu felt much better. She finished her last skewer, grabbed her sister’s hand, and stood up, urging her to hurry.

She had class early tomorrow, and if she got back too late, her teacher would definitely scold her.

“Alright, I’ll take you back.”

On the way to the dorm, Xie Qianjin transferred some money to Yuan Yu through her phone.

“You’re right—never compromise who you are for things you don’t even want.”

Yuan Yu glanced at her phone, counted the string of zeros at the end, and gleefully threw her arms around her sister’s neck.

“Wow, Sugar Mama Sis, please keep me! I eat well, sleep well, and I even know to come home when it rains!”

Xie Qianjin pushed her away in disgust, the corners of her red lips curling up.

“Even a pig knows to head back to its sty when it rains.”

After dropping Yuan Yu off where she had gotten in the car earlier, Yuan Yu happily made her way back to the dorm—only to unexpectedly spot her teacher waiting downstairs.

“Yuan Yu, come here for a moment.”

The moment she heard her teacher’s voice, Yuan Yu jolted in fright. She obediently walked over, hands clasped behind her back like a well-behaved elementary schooler.

“How many times have I told you! Barbecue is high in calories, bad for your figure and your health—it’s just not good for you!”

Yuan Yu meekly raised her hands above her head and shrank her neck like a guilty child.

“Teacher, I know I was wrong. I swear I won’t do it again next time…”