The Real Daughter is Done Pretending - Chapter 2: The Real Daughter Must Not Speak

  Chapter 2: The Real Daughter Must Not Speak 

Within three seconds, Weibo's backend was flooded with notifications, with likes, comments, and private messages skyrocketing.

- "Finally, you’re back! Please, can we have a third-anniversary illustration for Shenxing?"

- "Oh my god, Eleven, I’m licking my screen here. This sketch is amazing! You’ve captured malice and ugliness with just a few strokes, but where are the details? I can’t even analyze them properly."

- "Art student here, bowing down. Eleven, can I borrow your hands for my exam, please?"

- "It's been ages since we've seen you draw villain portraits. Who are these two? An old witch and a young witch? Eleven, you must really hate them."

- "Daily question: Will you accept character design commissions from Zhuluke? I've been begging for years."

- "Wait, is the official Zhuluke account here?"

- "Several game officials have been begging you for collaborations here. They’ve become die-hard fans, but you never reply!"

- "I wish my game's character designs could be done by you, but you’re too high and mighty to collaborate with small-time artists like me."

Messages piled up quickly, making "Ye Eleven" briefly trend on the hot search list before it quickly dropped off.

Meanwhile, Ye Kong had already changed into her formal attire and applied makeup, now walking down the corridor towards the grand staircase.

Ahead, a door opened, and Ye Baozhu, elegantly dressed, emerged holding Mrs. Ye's hand, her eyes red from crying.

Mrs. Ye hugged her, gently patting her back, clearly trying to comfort her.

Ye Kong paused in her steps, catching Ye Baozhu’s gaze.

Her previously aggrieved face changed color, a flash of malice crossing her expression before she quickly hid in Mrs. Ye’s embrace.

Mrs. Ye looked a bit embarrassed, hesitated in her actions, but still patted Ye Baozhu’s back under her coquettish urging and sighed at Ye Kong, "The banquet has started. Today is your grandmother’s birthday, and there will be many guests. Stay behind me."

Ye Kong remained silent, her demeanor cold and distant. Mrs. Ye felt even more troubled and led both girls downstairs.

On the staircase, Ye Baozhu took Ye Kong's hand and, with a mix of affection and fear, said, "Sister, I'll introduce the guests to you. Please don’t mind me."

Mrs. Ye was pleased, but Ye Kong’s body stiffened.

Downstairs, the guests were numerous, and under Mrs. Ye's watchful eye, Ye Baozhu began introducing them earnestly.

"This is my sister, raised outside, my real sister. She has been unwell and was only brought back recently."

Hearing this, Ye Kong glanced at Mrs. Ye, who gave her a comforting and apologetic look.

Ye Kong immediately understood.

The Ye family did not want the truth about the switched children to be revealed. Hence, she was merely an unknown sister raised elsewhere, while Ye Baozhu remained the beloved youngest daughter of the Ye family.

Her fingers twitched slightly as the image of the orphanage director’s wrinkled face flashed in her mind.

"Don’t speak! At least not until you’re sure you can stay with the Ye family. Don’t speak unless necessary!"

Lost in thought, Ye Baozhu suddenly gripped her hand tightly.

"Look! Grandma Wen is here!"

She leaned in and whispered, "See that man in the wheelchair? That’s your future husband—a cripple." Her voice carried a tone of schadenfreude, then turned sinister. "But even so, you’ve hit the jackpot. If he wasn’t crippled, he’d be the richest man in Yuzhou."

From her tone, Ye Kong detected genuine jealousy.

She looked up, seeing several people entering the banquet hall.

Leading them was an elderly woman, as old as Ye Grandma, leaning on a cane but with an arrogant expression. Most noticeable among them was the man in the wheelchair.

The hall was brightly lit, filled with guests in luxurious attire, chatting and toasting.

But as the wheelchair rolled into the light, the entire hall fell silent, everyone subconsciously holding their breath.

Unlike the strange and intrusive gazes Ye Kong received when she entered the Ye house earlier, these people looked at the man in the wheelchair with cautious reverence and concealed regret.

They both feared and admired him; they coveted and pitied him—though they didn’t dare show their pity.

As the wheelchair approached, Ye Kong finally saw clearly.

He was a young man.

Dressed in a simple black suit without a tie, his shirt buttoned meticulously to the top, revealing a long, elegant neck. The curve from his collar to his jawline was already captivating, not to mention the allure and restraint of his Adam’s apple.

And his face…

Ye Kong was momentarily stunned by his features.

Only the world’s top artists could imagine and sketch such perfect contours and striking features. Her professional instinct made her want to sketch his face immediately, but before that, she met his eyes.

Charming, gentle eyes, but with dark, deep pupils, exuding an air of melancholy.

What truly startled Ye Kong, however, was the inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"Come on, Xiao Kong, greet Grandma Wen, and this is Wen Can. You can call him brother."

Mrs. Ye pulled Ye Kong’s hand.

But Grandma Wen was not impressed. After sitting down with Mrs. Ye, she glanced at Ye Kong, "Is this the daughter you’ve raised outside for over ten years? Why have I never heard of her?"

"She was frail since childhood, and the master said she couldn’t be raised at home, so we sent her to the south for foster care," Mrs. Ye tightly held Ye Kong’s hand, giving her a comforting look before pushing her forward. "Look, doesn’t she look just like Old Ye?"

Grandma Wen scrutinized Ye Kong's face, her critical expression softening, "Indeed, only you two could have such a daughter. She’s even prettier than Baozhu."

Ye Baozhu’s face paled beside them, her head lowered in silence.

Mrs. Ye immediately felt protective and said to Grandma Wen, "Please, don’t say that. Baozhu has been like a granddaughter to you. You’ve never missed a birthday gift for her."

"That’s because I thought she’d be my precious granddaughter-in-law!" Grandma Wen said angrily, "Who knew after over ten years, now that something happened to Acan, she doesn't want to marry him anymore!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? How can you say Baozhu doesn’t want to marry?" A firm voice came from outside. Granny Ye entered, supported by servants, scolding, "Wasn’t it an agreement between our two families’ old men? Blame them, not Baozhu."

Grandma Wen snorted, giving Ye Kong a sideways glance, "That girl lived outside for so many years. Do you even know her temperament?"

"Is there anything wrong with my family’s child?"

"Arrogant…"

The two elderly ladies bickered, the atmosphere quickly becoming amiable.

Mrs. Ye noticed something was off, glancing at Ye Kong, "Why are you staring at him like that?"