Ning Yue didn't want to waste her breath on this family anymore. She simply pulled out her phone and saved the contact number from the documents.
"Since there was a mix-up at birth, I will leave the Yan family and return to my biological parents," she declared.
With that, she stood up and headed to the second floor. From her room, she grabbed her ID, textbooks, and notes for school. She then took off the jewelry she was wearing and placed it all back into her jewelry box.
Her departure left everyone in the living room stunned. For a moment, they were so shocked that they completely forgot to speak.
After a long pause, Mother Yan finally snapped back to reality. She frowned at her husband and asked, "What does she mean by this? I already told her she could stay. Why is she still insisting on leaving?"
Gong Yuze was just as astonished by Ning Yue's reaction. He and Yan Ningyue had been engaged since childhood, an arrangement he hadn't opposed. After all, the Yan family and the Gong family were business partners. A marriage would only solidify their alliance. It was a mutually beneficial deal. He was merely waiting for Miss Yan to reach the legal age so they could get their marriage certificate. As for anything else, he had never given it a second thought.
However, half a year ago, he met Ning Qingqing, who was working at a hotel. At the time, she was playing the piano for guests in the Western restaurant. He didn't know why, but with just one glance, his heart was completely captivated by her elegant figure.
He subsequently tried every possible means to get close to her. Within just two months, he successfully got Ning Qingqing to agree to be his girlfriend.
After that, he wanted to call off his engagement to the Yan family. He racked his brain for a solution, but nothing worked. Breaking off the engagement would undoubtedly provoke the Yan family's displeasure, which would be extremely detrimental to his company.
He liked Ning Qingqing, but he hadn't lost his mind entirely. He wasn't going to throw his company aside and risk everything for a woman.
That was until a month ago, when he took Ning Qingqing shopping and ran into Little Aunt Yan. When she remarked that Ning Qingqing looked remarkably like her sister-in-law, Young Master Gong hatched a bold plan. Just how bold was it? He wanted to exploit Ning Qingqing's resemblance to Mother Yan by forging two DNA test reports, effectively turning Ning Qingqing into Yan Qingqing, and Yan Ningyue into Ning Yue.
But the actual DNA results were completely unexpected. It turned out his fiancée had always been Qingqing, and Yan Ningyue was nothing but a fake.
The revelation left him wild with joy!
He immediately handed the two DNA reports to Father Yan. This prompted Father Yan to investigate what had happened all those years ago, which eventually revealed that a careless nurse had accidentally switched the two babies at birth.
Initially, Father Yan was furious. He thought about how his biological daughter had suffered for seventeen years in the outside world, while someone else's daughter had enjoyed a Princess-like life in his home for the same amount of time. It felt like a Ning family member had taken all the advantages.
But as his investigation deepened, this assumption didn't quite hold water.
Although the Ning Family wasn't wealthy, they had given Ning Qingqing the best of everything. The couple spent almost all their monthly earnings on her. When Ning Qingqing saw others playing the piano with elegance and grace and wanted to learn, Mr. Ning and Ning's mother spent a fortune on piano lessons for her. When she wanted to learn dancing, Ning's mother enrolled her in a dance class. Despite their exhausting jobs, the parents always made time to pick her up and drop her off at school every single day, terrified that something might happen to their little girl on the road.
When it came to food and clothing, Mr. Ning and Ning's mother gave her the very best. Over the past seventeen years, they had never let her suffer any hardships.
Seeing how well the couple had raised his daughter, Father Yan changed his tune. After all, Yan Ningyue was already seventeen, and the Yan family wasn't short on money. Raising one more daughter wouldn't cost them much at all. In the future, they could easily marry her off to a business partner, allowing her to live the life of a wealthy young madam.
Returning to the Ning Family would be a completely different story. At best, she would marry a white-collar worker and live the most ordinary life imaginable.
To put it bluntly, the Yan family simply wanted to keep the original owner around for a strategic marriage, using her to generate value for the Yan family. As for whether Yan Ningyue lived a good life, they couldn't care less.
The original owner hadn't understood the Yan couple's true intentions. Instead, she had been overflowing with gratitude toward the Yan family members for allowing her to stay. Because she felt guilty, her attitude had been incredibly humble and subservient, especially when facing the true Miss Yan.
Yet, even so, Miss Yan never intended to let her off the hook. Ultimately, this had led to the original owner meeting a tragic and gruesome end.
Father Yan's expression darkened slightly, but he still didn't abandon his plan. "When she comes down, try to talk some sense into her. Young girls are prone to acting on impulse. She'll be fine once she calms down."
Yan Qingqing, who hadn't spoken a single word, lowered her head. No one could guess what she was thinking.
Ning Yue moved quickly and came downstairs just a few minutes later, holding a bank card in her hand. "This is the card you opened for me. I haven't really touched the money inside. I've left all the jewelry in the jewelry box upstairs, along with the birthday gifts I received over the years—including the deeds to the two properties. Everything is on the vanity table. The only things in my backpack are my school textbooks. Do you want to check?"
As she spoke, she unzipped her backpack, openly pulled out her books to show them, and then tucked them back inside one by one.
"Do you really want to go back to live with your biological parents? Once you leave, it won't be easy to come back," Yan Haotian said, his tone laced with sarcasm.
Ning Yue kept a straight face and replied, "There was a mix-up at birth, so we should both return to where we belong. Why would I ever want to come back?"
Her resolute attitude forced everyone to swallow the words of persuasion they had been preparing. They truly hadn't expected someone accustomed to a life of wealth and luxury to walk away without looking back.
It was Mr. Yan who finally broke the silence. "Since you've made up your mind to leave, you should keep the things we gave you in the past, including the card. Take them all. After all, fate brought us together for a time. Your brother's words were harsh, but he's speaking the truth. The Ning Family's living conditions are indeed lacking. You won't be used to it if you don't have some money on hand for support."
He didn't agree with his eldest son's scheming. The calculation was too glaringly obvious and unfair to both children. It really was better for everyone to return to their rightful places.
"Thank you, but there's no need," Ning Yue replied, her voice completely flat.
The girl stood up straight and slung her backpack over her shoulder. Holding the strap with one hand and stuffing the other into her school uniform pocket, she walked out of the Yan's home with a perfectly straight posture.
As soon as her figure disappeared out the door, Mother Yan let out a cold snort. "Look at her, so completely devoid of manners! We raised her all these years for nothing. She didn't even show a shred of reluctance to leave. What an ungrateful wretch."
The living room fell dead silent. Mother Yan finally realized the faux pas in her words. After all, her own biological daughter had also returned to their family without a shred of reluctance. If having a wealthy family was a valid excuse to disregard one's adoptive parents, then Yan Qingqing's character seemed even worse.
At the end of the day, Ning Yue was willing to stay with her biological parents despite their poverty. It was abundantly clear who was superior and who was inferior.