By the time lunch break arrived, the entire school felt like it was sitting on a powder keg. Gossip spread faster than wildfire: the heiress swap, the DNA report, the truth about the fake and real daughter.
When Ji Yunxi stepped into the cafeteria, silence fell. Hundreds of eyes followed her every move. Some were filled with awe, others with envy, but none dared to mock her anymore.
Then the doors slammed open. Lin Xi stormed in, flanked by her loyal group of friends. Her face was a mask of rage, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Ji Yunxi!" Her shrill voice cut through the air. "You think exposing me will make you the winner? Don't forget—you grew up in the countryside! You don't belong in this circle!"
The students gasped. A few even snickered, waiting for Ji Yunxi to be humiliated.
But Ji Yunxi didn't flinch. She placed her tray calmly on the nearest table and stood, her figure straight and regal. Her voice was smooth, yet carried sharpness like a blade.
"You're right. I grew up in the countryside. But at least I didn't lie my way into a family that was never mine. Tell me, Lin Xi, how does it feel to live as a fraud?"
Laughter erupted from one corner of the cafeteria. Someone shouted, "Yeah! The countryside girl turned out to be the real heiress—while the pampered princess was fake all along!"
Lin Xi's face flushed red. "Shut up! All of you, shut up!"
She lunged toward Ji Yunxi, her hand raised to strike.
But just as her hand came down, smack!—Ji Yunxi's palm connected with her cheek first.
The cafeteria went dead silent.
Lin Xi stumbled back, clutching her face in disbelief. "Y-You dare hit me?!"
Ji Yunxi's expression was icy calm. "That slap was for the years you stole my name."
Before Lin Xi could recover, Ji Yunxi raised her hand again. Smack! Another clean strike echoed through the cafeteria.
Gasps filled the air.
"This one," Ji Yunxi continued coldly, "is for the humiliation and schemes you planned against me."
Lin Xi trembled, tears of anger welling in her eyes. "I'll destroy you! I swear I will—"
But a deep, magnetic voice cut her off.
"Try it, and you won't have the chance to regret it."
Mo Liancheng had entered silently, but his presence alone froze the room. He walked up to Ji Yunxi's side and slipped his hand into hers without hesitation, his gaze sweeping across the students like a warning.
"She's mine," he said, his voice low but deadly. "Whoever dares touch her, dares oppose me."
The cafeteria erupted in shocked murmurs. Mo Liancheng—the untouchable young master of the Mo family—had openly declared his stance.
Lin Xi's legs buckled, her lips quivering. Her so-called friends slowly stepped away, unwilling to stand against the Mo family for her sake.
Ji Yunxi looked at him, slightly startled by his open declaration. But when she saw the unshakable determination in his eyes, she didn't pull her hand away.
Instead, she smirked at Lin Xi. "This is just the beginning. You wanted to play dirty? I'll show you what real face-slapping looks like."
And for the first time, the entire school realized—Ji Yunxi wasn't just a survivor. She was a queen reclaiming her throne.