Chapter 2

She spent her days alone in class, withdrawn and silent.

Every day after school, Jiang Hui asked me how Liu Qingqing was doing.

I always told her the truth.

It broke her heart to hear that her daughter's throat was damaged and her classmates shunned her.

But officially, she was another child's mother. There was nothing she could do.

One day, just before dismissal, our teacher received a call from Ye Zhenyan.

She wanted to buy a limited-edition handbag at the mall. She would be two hours late picking up her daughter.

I was all too familiar with that sort of thing from my previous life.

In that family, Ye Zhenyan always came first.

Even I, her own child, had to make allowances for her.

Once, she had actually forgotten me at the mall.

She hadn't come back until closing time, after the staff called the police.

When Jiang Hui saw Liu Qingqing sitting alone with her head bowed, she couldn't bear it.

She took a lollipop from her bag and went over.

I watched mother and daughter reunite in silence, a mocking smile tugging at my lips.

Jiang Hui took Liu Qingqing into a corner.

I had no idea what they said.

The next day, I was playing in the schoolyard when Liu Qingqing came over and stared at me.

A long time passed before she spoke.

“Your mom says my mom is really your mom. She switched us.”

4

I pretended not to understand and went on playing with the little ball in my hands.

She looked me up and down.

My clothes were drab and gray, their style years out of date.

Even children knew people judged you by what you wore.

“I'm glad she switched us. Otherwise, I'd be the one suffering now.”

I looked at her and tilted my head innocently.

“Aren't you suffering?”

Her expression changed at once.

She remembered the pain Ye Zhenyan had caused her, the injuries covering her body.

Her throat was only the beginning.

She had a slight limp too, though you wouldn't notice unless you looked closely.

Ye Zhenyan had used too much force while dressing her and cracked a bone in her leg.

The nanny hadn't discovered it until it was almost healed.

Not long ago, she had missed several days of school.

Food Ye Zhenyan had made for her had given her food poisoning and put her in the hospital.

Yet no one in the family blamed my mother.

She was a beautiful idiot, after all.

She had been born to be cherished and looked after.

The fact that she was willing to make her child's food herself was already an enormous favor.

Liu Qingqing didn't understand why things were this way, but she knew how miserable she was in that family.

A few days earlier, though, Jiang Hui had told her how lucky she was to live with such rich people.

My question brought all those painful memories flooding back.

She ran at me and shoved me to the ground.

Straddling me, she slapped me repeatedly and tore wildly at my hair.

Our teacher was nearby. Seeing the fight, she hurried over to pull us apart.

I hadn't fought back at all, so I looked much worse.

My hair was a tangled mess, and Liu Qingqing's nails had left bleeding scratches on my face.

The teacher called our parents at once.

Ye Zhenyan and her husband arrived first.

“Sweetheart, why were you fighting at school? That's no way for a young lady to behave.”

She was over thirty, yet she still spoke like an immature teenage girl.

Liu Qingqing looked distinctly guilty.

She was afraid I would tell the truth, so she decided to get in first.

“She called me names. I only hit her once.”

I almost laughed.

The kindergarten had high-definition cameras everywhere.

One look at the footage would settle everything.

“Even so, you mustn't hit people. You should have told your teacher.”

Zhou Guangyao sounded stern.

Still, he couldn't help taking his daughter's side. He turned to the teacher.

“Children roughhouse. These things happen. I'll cover this child's medical bills.”

Then he told Liu Qingqing, “Apologize.”

At that moment, Jiang Hui rushed through the door.

“No need!”

She slapped me across the face.

“You little brat! All you do is cause trouble at school!”

An adult's blow was far harder than a child's.

My ears rang so loudly I could barely hear the teacher trying to stop her.

But Jiang Hui wasn't finished.

She kicked the backs of my knees and forced me down.

“Apologize to Chenchen!”