Chapter 046

“Master Xiao Man?”

President Lin was startled by the child suddenly bursting in. He tucked the family photo into a drawer, slid it shut, and asked, “What’s wrong? What isn’t right?”

“Xiao Jing’s mother…” Qiao Man scrunched up his small face, slowly trying to untangle his thoughts. “…She didn’t go to hear Xiao Jing play the piano.”

President Lin asked, “Is that so?”

“She should have gone to hear Xiao Jing play the piano.”

President Lin felt a wave of melancholy. “When we were discussing the divorce, she didn’t insist on Xiao Jing staying with her, which surprised me a little. She used to be the one who doted on him the most.”

“She shouldn’t have won an award, either.”

President Lin asked, “What award?”

“Xiao Jing’s mother used to be a very impressive designer and even won awards.” Having only heard a brief mention from Lin Qing, Qiao Man spoke incoherently, “She shouldn’t… she shouldn’t have won. She couldn’t have won any awards.”

The child paced in circles, anxious. Many of the thoughts in his head were like a knotted ball of yarn that he couldn’t straighten out for the moment, leaving him only able to mutter “she shouldn’t have” under his breath.

President Lin stepped out from behind his desk and placed a large, comforting hand on the boy’s back. “Master Xiao Man, don’t worry. Take your time.”

Qiao Man took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and said firmly, “That wasn’t her award!”

President Lin was completely bewildered.

On the very day of the divorce, was he really supposed to investigate whether his ex-wife’s awards were fraudulent?

Wait. President Lin suddenly frowned. “Which award are you talking about?”

President Lin stood up and took a uniquely shaped trophy from a shelf in the study, next to which sat a merit certificate. Mrs. Lin’s trophies were kept in this study, and she hadn’t packed them yet while gathering her belongings. He held the trophy out to Qiao Man and asked, “Are you talking about this one?”

The trophy was engraved with a line of text, the name of the award, and the name of the recipient. Qiao Man couldn’t read, but he simply repeated, “Xiao Jing’s mother couldn’t have won an award.” Not any award.

President Lin quickly dismissed the idea. “That’s impossible. Her award-winning work was submitted as a joint entry with our company. When she was creating this piece, she was right here in this study. I watched her complete it stroke by stroke with my own eyes, and she even discussed her creative process with me. It’s impossible that she claimed someone else’s credit. This is an international award, fair and impartial. She earned it through her own talent.”

President Lin continued, “She is very talented. Although she came from a humble background, she worked hard to get into a top university. Among the interns who joined our company at the same time, she was the most outstanding. If it weren’t for having Xiao Jing, she could have achieved even greater things.”

President Lin paused before adding, “…After the divorce, she can pursue what she truly wants.”

“That’s not what I see,” Qiao Man said, puzzled. “Her Career Luck is very low, so she shouldn’t achieve anything significant in her life. Whether it’s winning awards or getting into a prestigious university, she shouldn’t have been able to do any of it.”

“Master Xiao Man, could you be mistaken?” President Lin glanced at the trophy. “If she couldn’t do those things, how did she win this award?”

Qiao Man insisted, “Impossible. I’ve never been wrong.”

The man and the child stared at each other. After a moment, President Lin’s expression turned serious.

He turned and dialed the intercom. “Have the Madam and Xiao Jing come to the study.”

Qiao Man tapped frantically on his phone watch. As soon as the call connected, he cried out in a panic, “Xingxing! Something’s wrong!”

Xiao Man made a mistake!

By the time Lu Jianxing arrived, Xiao Jing had been called over from his piano lesson, and Lin Qing, who hadn’t left the house yet, had also returned. The last to arrive at the study was Mrs. Lin, who had been organizing the walk-in closet.

When she entered and saw so many people gathered in the study, she looked confused. “What’s going on?”

“You left something behind.” President Lin pushed the trophy toward her. “This is yours.”

Seeing the trophy and noticing the name on it, Mrs. Lin paused for a moment before quickly saying, “Oh, it’s just this. You could have just had the housekeeper pack it. There was no need to call me over specifically for this. I’m very busy. Calling everyone here like this, I thought something major had happened.”

There was an overly intense gaze coming from the side. Mrs. Lin looked over to see her younger son’s friend staring at her with piercing eyes.

She gave a small smile. “What is it, little one? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Xiao Man?” Xiao Jing was also confused.

Qiao Man’s entire face was scrunched up in distress.

So strange.

He still couldn’t see it.

He couldn’t see anything wrong with the Mrs. Lin standing before him at all.

This was the first time Qiao Man had ever encountered such a thing. For the first time, he knew the person in front of him was problematic, yet he couldn’t see why.

Lin Qing looked back and forth between him and her father’s stern expression. She couldn’t help but say, “Dad, don’t tell me you still haven’t given up?”

President Lin said calmly, “Master Xiao Man says something isn’t right. I thought that while everyone is here, we should at least figure out what it is. Why does Master Xiao Man say you shouldn’t have won this award?”

The latter half of the sentence was directed at Mrs. Lin.

Mrs. Lin tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a look of helplessness on her face. “First you suspected I was some possessing ghost, and now you’re doubting my past hard work?”

President Lin replied, “I just want to confirm.”

“If you insist on thinking that way, there’s nothing I can do. But we are already divorced. If you’re going to continue this madness, I won’t cooperate with you,” Mrs. Lin said coldly.

With that, she turned to leave. Xiao Jing called out “Mom” behind her, but Mrs. Lin didn’t stop. However, Lu Jianxing moved first and blocked her path.

Mrs. Lin was somewhat annoyed. “What are you doing?”

“My apologies,” Lu Jianxing said. “Xiao Man accepted the payment from President Lin. If the matter isn’t resolved, we cannot accept this fee with a clear conscience.”

Mrs. Lin said crossly, “He’s just a child, and I’m very busy…”

“It’s just packing, and the housekeeper is doing that anyway. Those things aren’t that important,” Lin Qing interjected. “Stepmom, oh wait, you and my dad are already divorced. Ms. Tang, your achievements are being questioned right now. Aren’t you even a little bit angry?”

Mrs. Lin’s expression was icy. “I don’t see any need to explain myself to someone who doesn’t believe me. This is getting exhausting. First it was going to the hospital for tests, then it was finding some master to catch ghosts. You’ve been making a scene for so long, haven’t you had enough?”

“…”

Mrs. Lin turned to President Lin. “The divorce agreement is already signed. Even if you want to regret it now, it’s useless.”

“Mommy,” Xiao Jing called out to her again in a small voice. Seeing that she ignored him, he looked toward his father, feeling lost. “Daddy…”

President Lin remained silent.

At some point, Qiao Man had crouched on the floor and finished drawing a talisman. He scrambled up, clutching the yellow paper, and held the talisman with its wet cinnabar ink in front of Mrs. Lin. “Auntie, can you hold this for a moment?”

Having been annoyed by the “ghost possession” talk for so long, Mrs. Lin had completely lost her patience after signing the divorce papers. She stood there with her arms crossed, refusing to take it.

Qiao Man held the talisman up, speaking earnestly. “You only have to answer a few questions, and then it’ll be over.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Mrs. Lin looked at President Lin, who nodded. “After today, I won’t pester you about this matter ever again.”

Only then did she reluctantly take the paper.

“What is this?” Mrs. Lin pinched the talisman paper in her palm. It was light, almost weightless, and didn’t seem to have any effect. She sneered, “Another one of those ghost-dispelling charms?”

Qiao Man began his questioning. “Auntie, what is your name?”

What kind of question was that? Mrs. Lin thought to herself.

She originally intended to let out a mocking laugh, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she involuntarily spoke her name: “Tang Mingyue.”

Qiao Man’s next question followed immediately. “Why didn’t you come to hear Xiao Jing play the piano today?”

Mrs. Lin couldn’t help but pour out her true thoughts. “There’s no point. We’re already divorced.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she clamped her lips shut, her eyes widening slightly in terror.

Xiao Jing lowered his head in disappointment, and President Lin pulled his younger son closer by the shoulder.

Those words were far too heartless. Just because of a divorce, she would no longer keep a promise to her beloved young son? Did she really think listening to him play was pointless now? Was all her previous affection fake? Though it sounded cold-blooded, this was Mrs. Lin’s unvarnished, honest truth.

What Qiao Man had given her was a Veracity Talisman¹.

Unlike the Truth Talisman used to detect lies at President Zhang’s company, when this talisman was held in one’s palm, the person had no choice but to speak the truth.

There was definitely something wrong with Mrs. Lin, but no one knew what it was, and even Qiao Man couldn’t see it clearly.

Since he couldn’t see it, he would just have to make her say it herself!

Qiao Man pressed her hand, his small fingers gripping hers tightly to keep the talisman pinned in her palm. He asked the third question: “That trophy – was it really you who won it?”

“No,” Mrs. Lin answered.

The expressions of everyone in the study shifted instantly.

Realizing something was wrong, Mrs. Lin’s face paled. She tried to wrench her hand away from his. She was an adult, and her strength was naturally greater than a child’s; with a desperate struggle, she soon managed to throw Qiao Man off. But before she could drop the talisman paper, Lin Qing lunged forward.

She threw her entire weight onto Mrs. Lin, pinning her hand down firmly. Mrs. Lin struggled even harder, her sharp manicured nails digging into flesh. Lin Qing hissed in pain. “Sss, Xiao Man, I’m really sacrificing a lot to help you here.”

Once President Lin rushed over to help, Mrs. Lin was quickly pinned down by the strength of an adult man and could no longer struggle.

Qiao Man continued, “Then whose award was it?”

Mrs. Lin gripped the talisman in her palm tightly, her voice filled with terror as she answered, “…Tang Wangshu’s.”

Who was that?

Everyone in the study was completely bewildered.

Even President Lin shook his head, having no idea when his ex-wife had ever known such a person.

One had to understand that he had personally watched Mrs. Lin complete her award-winning work bit by bit. There was no one else involved!

“Wait, that name sounds familiar!”

Lin Qing pulled out her phone. After a few taps, she quickly found a piece of news gossip. “Isn’t this the eldest daughter of the Tang family? The Tang Wangshu who inherited a massive fortune after her whole family died in a car accident.”

“This was all years ago. I remember seeing news about her not too long ago… Oh! Found it. Over a month ago, she was in a car accident too and became a vegetable. She’s lying in a hospital right now.” Lin Qing scrolled through her phone, clicking her tongue in pity. “Wow, how can someone be so foolish? Because she was a minor at the time, her uncles snatched the company away. Even though she had a lot of inheritance left, she only knew how to squander it and didn’t know how to manage a business. She even let a later boyfriend swindle her out of everything!”

“Wait, this timing…” Lin Qing counted on her fingers. “The time of her car accident was exactly when Mrs. Tang was away on her trip to clear her head.”

Shortly after that, Mrs. Lin had returned from her trip and decided to accept the divorce President Lin had proposed. It was also after her return that President Lin began to suspect his wife wasn’t actually his wife.

“But what’s the connection between the two of you?” Lin Qing asked, puzzled. “You aren’t even relatives.”

Though the Tang Wangshu in the news had fallen on hard times, she was still a former socialite. Mrs. Lin, on the other hand, came from a working-class family with parents who were ordinary employees. Aside from sharing a surname, there was no connection.

President Lin looked over with a sharp, piercing gaze.

He had been suspicious for a long time, longer than anyone else. At this moment, he was the first to realize an incredible possibility. “Xiao Jing’s mother… the person who agreed to marry me back then. Was it you, Tang Mingyue, or was it Tang Wangshu?”

Mrs. Lin instinctively turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze that seemed to see through everything, but the answer spilled from her lips anyway: “It was Tang Wangshu.”

“What on earth is going on?”

“Which one is my mother?”

Qiao Man poked his head out from behind the Lin family members. “Did you swap fates²?”

Beads of sweat rolled down Tang Mingyue’s forehead. She wanted to clamp her mouth shut in a breakdown, but her voice uncontrollably confessed everything. “That’s right. I swapped fates with her…”

“When I was sixteen, I saw her on the news…”

“A Master said he could help me, and then… one day I woke up and found I’d become her.”

“She became me. All these years, it’s always been her. She’s the one who won the awards…”

“I didn’t want to live her life anymore.”

“After the car accident, I returned to my own body.”

Her soul had returned to its original body. That was why the paternity test hadn’t flagged any issues, and why the Master who came to perform the exorcism couldn’t drive out a possessing spirit. Even Qiao Man hadn’t found anything wrong. It was because this was her actual body and her original soul.

The one who was “wrong” wasn’t the current Mrs. Lin, but the previous one!

As for the real Mrs. Lin, she had already returned to her own body by now, becoming the woman lying in the hospital in a vegetative state.

---

Translator’s Notes

---

1. Veracity Talisman: A specific type of Taoist-inspired charm (tuzhen fu) that compels the holder to speak their ‘true heart’ or inner thoughts. It differs from a standard lie-detection charm by forcing the active disclosure of hidden feelings rather than just flagging falsehoods. ↩
2. swap fates: A reference to the occult practice of ‘huan ming’ (换命), a trope in Chinese fantasy and folklore where two individuals exchange their destinies, social status, or life force. Unlike simple body-swapping, this often involves a metaphysical realignment of one’s luck and identity, explaining why physical or spiritual detection methods might fail to notice the switch. ↩