Shi Yiqing spoke with Lin Ruixue, and by the end of their conversation, even a hint of seduction laced her voice.
Lin Ruixue agreed, still confused.
By the time she realized what had happened, she was already at the Shi Family home.
Shi Rusong and his wife were originally out, and hurried back only after receiving a phone call.
Upon their arrival, Shi Yiqing told them, in tears, that Shi Yaoguang had been switched!
"Qingqing, do you know what you’re talking about?"
Shi Yiqing nodded, her voice choking up, "Dad, Mom, you must help Sister!"
"This..." Shi Rusong hesitated, "She has been cast out of our family; whatever her plight, it’s her retribution. There’s nothing for us to help her with."
Shi Yiqing hurriedly explained, "No, it’s not like that, Dad, Mom, you’ve misunderstood."
"Sister was switched a long time ago!" Shi Yiqing insisted, "Do you remember what she was like when she first came back?"
Shi Rusong and Wei Lan thought for a moment, their expressions becoming somewhat vacant.
When Shi Yaoguang was first brought back, she was timid and cowering.
When facing them, she didn’t dare to speak loudly.
She was like a quail, and because of that, they felt Shi Yaoguang was not presentable.
Moreover, at that time, Shi Yaoguang was not as stunningly beautiful as she is now.
Back then, Shi Yaoguang looked malnourished, her complexion sallow; in short, she was a far cry from the confident, assertive person she has become.
After giving it some thought, Shi Rusong and Wei Lan began to think that Shi Yiqing made sense.
Seeing this, Shi Yiqing nudged Lin Ruixue, "Ruixue, you tell them. Isn’t Shi Yaoguang completely different from the person in your memory?"
Lin Ruixue nodded and naturally recounted all that had happened between her and Shi Yaoguang.
Of course, she only mentioned the times before the incident with Qian Yi.
As Shi Rusong and Wei Lan listened, their expressions grew increasingly grim.
Without someone bringing it up, they hadn’t given it much thought.
But now, looking back, there were too many odd things about Shi Yaoguang.
"Qingqing, according to what you’re saying, that wretched girl..." Shi Rusong paused, then said, "Shi Yaoguang isn’t our daughter?"
Shi Yiqing nodded, "It must be so! When Sister first came back, although she was timid, she had a good nature, never clashing with us. But now, look at her, she’s nothing like she used to be..."
Lin Ruixue also nodded in agreement, "Yaoguang and I were besties, but ever since one day, Yaoguang stopped contacting me and even had someone suppress the Lin Family’s leverage intentionally. I couldn’t understand why before, but now I know."
Wei Lan asked, "Why?"
"What else could it be?" Lin Ruixue said with regret, "It must be because I am so familiar with Yaoguang, she worried I would notice something off about her, so she targeted me deliberately."
"Without someone as familiar as me around her, she could protect her identity better and prevent others from detecting anything unusual."
Lin Ruixue was confident, "That’s how it is right now! If it weren’t for Qingqing’s sudden realization, we might have been kept in the dark by her indefinitely."
Shi Yiqing followed with a nod, "Dad, Mom, you must believe us!"
"It was one thing not knowing Sister had been impersonated, but now that we are aware of the truth, we can’t just let it go!"
Shi Rusong nodded, with Wei Lan adding anxiously, "But... who would be so idle as to impersonate your sister?"
Shi Yiqing shook her head, "I don’t know who, but one thing is certain."
"Her motive must be related to the Quan Family!"
Shi Yiqing explained, "Originally, the Quan Family heirship was settled on Brother Sicheng, and the elder of the Quan Family, Shi Yaoguang, never objected."
"But ever since that person suddenly took over Sister’s identity, the Quan family’s power began to be gradually retracted by the elder."
"Originally, just by stepping out, Brother Sicheng would receive courtesy and respect due to his status as one of the four young masters. But now, everyone knows that the Quan Fourth Master is just a nominal heir, whose inheritance of the Quan Family’s fortune remains uncertain," she said.
"The person who replaced my sister must be targeting the Quan Family," she claimed.
Shi Rusong listened and nodded, "I understand..."
Shi Yiqing looked at him very anxiously, "Dad, now that we know someone has replaced my sister, what shall we do next?"
"My sister has been impersonated, and now her life or death is uncertain; we certainly can’t just stand by and watch."
Shi Rusong nodded, "Indeed."
Shi Yiqing looked at him, somewhat nervous, "Dad, do you have any ideas?"
"This..." Shi Rusong’s face showed some difficulty, "I haven’t thought of a good solution yet."
Wei Lan was also a bit anxious, "Husband, then what do you think we should do now?"
Originally, she thought her biological daughter was too rebellious, which led her to be utterly disappointed in her.
But now, it seemed like there was a twist in the events.
Her daughter, perhaps, wasn’t so rebellious that she wouldn’t even acknowledge her own parents, but rather she...
Had been replaced by someone else.
At this thought, Wei Lan’s heart stirred with a wave of fear, "Our daughter won’t be in any trouble, will she?"
Shi Rusong comforted her, "Don’t worry, our daughter will definitely be alright."
Wei Lan prayed silently, "Yaoguang will certainly be fine..."
Shi Yiqing, observing Wei Lan, frowned secretly.
She was somewhat dissatisfied with Wei Lan’s attitude.
She had originally thought that Wei Lan was fully devoted to her as her daughter.
The reality seemed to be different.
In Wei Lan’s heart, aside from her, Shi Yaoguang also seemed very important.
At this thought, she couldn’t help but doubt who was more important to Wei Lan, herself or Shi Yaoguang.
Wei Lan had no idea what she was thinking, as her mind was full of worries.
Although Shi Yaoguang didn’t know exactly what Shi Yiqing and the Shi Family parents had talked about, she had guessed the gist.
Knowing that Shi Yiqing would not give up on slandering her, Shi Yaoguang too was prepared.
Having foreknown Shi Yiqing’s true identity, she didn’t mind Shi Yiqing causing trouble.
She wasn’t afraid of Shi Yiqing creating chaos; she was afraid she wouldn’t.
Originally, Shi Yaoguang thought she could take her time.
Shi Yiqing had brought it upon herself, Shi Yaoguang was no longer planning to delay.
It would be interesting to see how supportive the Shi Family would be.
After Shi Yiqing raised her suspicions that Shi Yaoguang was not the real Shi Yaoguang, Shi Rusong and the others believed her.
However, to avoid alarming the target, the Shi Family didn’t let slip the slightest hint.
In fact, they even secretly prepared a sample of Shi Yaoguang’s hair, intending to have it tested.
Of course, they had Lin Ruixue collect this hair.