Cecilia Gu's mood grew tense along with Jane Gu's story.
Jane Gu sighed and continued, "But the other child was so strong it was hard to believe."
"Everyone in the Yun Family was shocked and didn't know what to do. Madam Yun suddenly left the room and ordered Mrs. Yun to focus on her pregnancy. All the Yun Family doctors dropped everything to care for the baby. At that moment, Madam Yun privately called me aside and told me to leave the Yun Family and go as far away as possible. I didn't understand what she meant at the time.
But Madam Yun raised me, so her words were orders to me. At that time, your father was working at a small restaurant in K City, delivering seasonal fruits and vegetables to the Yun Family."
"I knew he liked me, so I accepted his pursuit and came with him all the way here. I married your father and kept waiting for news. Because I knew, Madam Yun suddenly asking me to leave must mean she had something important for me to do. Sure enough, one day someone knocked on the Gu Family's door, carrying you—still an infant—and a sum of money, along with a letter from Madam Yun, all handed to me."
"The letter said that of Mrs. Yun's twins, only one could survive. The Yun Family chose the other child, and this one... would be left to fate." After Jane Gu finished speaking, she fell into a deep silence.
Cecilia Gu felt a chill run through her entire body.
Left to fate?
Sounds so nice, but in reality, isn't it just letting me fend for myself?
"Did Mrs. Yun know she was pregnant with twins?" Cecilia Gu's voice was so soft, she could barely hear herself.
"It's said that when Mrs. Yun gave birth, someone told her that one of the babies had already lost its breath in the womb, and only one survived." Jane Gu answered softly, "They even let her see the lifeless child for a moment, and later that baby was buried in the Yun Family's cemetery."
Cecilia Gu gently closed her eyes. "So, I'm the one who was abandoned, right? Then why did Mom still want me to live?"
Jane Gu replied hesitantly, "After all, it's a life. Besides, at that time, you were so healthy."
Cecilia Gu gave a bitter smile. Yes, she really had always been healthy.
Ever since she was little, it seemed like she'd never gotten sick.
No matter how much she suffered, it was like a night's sleep could heal everything.
"Back then, the Yun Family probably wanted me to die in the Gu Family, right?" Cecilia Gu said calmly.
In the twenty-three years she lived with the Gu Family, every single day was unforgettable for Cecilia Gu.
Growing up, it was either beatings or being denied food and clothes.
The year of her college entrance exams, Grandma Gu even threw her into the mountains just to keep her from going to university...
Every single detail, Cecilia Gu didn't dare forget.
It was because she suffered so much in the Gu Family that when Zach Zhao pursued her, she was so flattered she didn't even care to tell if he was sincere or not.
As long as someone could help her escape that living hell, she'd grab onto that lifeline and never let go, even if it killed her.
Jane Gu sighed, "So, why do you need to know all this?"
Cecilia Gu let out a sigh, suddenly unsure what to say.
But why?
She and Nora Yun were twins, identical, and her body was the healthiest. That meant Nora Yun must have been the weaker one.
But why did the Yun Family keep Nora Yun and choose to sacrifice her instead?
Just then, there was a knock from the kitchen, and Sophie Mo's voice came through: "I'm so sorry, I accidentally overheard your conversation. Maybe I can explain a little."
Cecilia Gu looked at Sophie Mo in surprise.
Sophie Mo carried a plate of fruit over, set it on the coffee table, and sat across from Cecilia Gu. "This is actually a Yun Family secret. I'm lucky—I know a bit because my brother was engaged to Nora Yun."
Cecilia Gu nodded, watching Sophie Mo.
"I'm not sure how you see fate," Sophie Mo smiled slightly and continued, "The Yun Family's heritage is actually far greater than we imagined. To put it bluntly, the largest library in the country isn't state-owned—it's the Yun Family's. No one knows how many books they have because most aren't shown to outsiders. What we see is just the tip of the iceberg. Cici, you've seen the Yun Family library, right? Just imagine their real collection."
"Several Yun Family ancestors held official positions, and Zara Yun was even a princess consort. Oh, and you probably don't know this—the Yun Family had an empress too, and even an imperial tutor. So back then, countless people gave their treasured books to the Yun Family to curry favor. At their peak, the Yun Family really collected all the cultural classics they could find. The emperor didn't care. A scholar, no matter how much he reads, can't overthrow the emperor, and the Yun Family always behaved, never supported any prince or built their own faction—they just focused on reading and teaching."
"This family tradition and attitude made the Yun Family's status even more secure. More and more books kept coming to them, and their collection grew to include every field—classics, history, philosophy, and more. Among them were works on divination and astrology. Madam Yun was born into an astrology family, and she sensed that this generation of the Yun Family was facing a turning point. This could be a blessing or a curse—it could bring the Yun Family back to its peak, even surpassing its ancestors' achievements, or it could plunge them into ruin."
"And that turning point was you and Nora Yun. Madam Yun knew you two couldn't both survive—only one could stay. But I still don't get why Madam Yun gave up the healthy one—you—and kept Nora Yun." Sophie Mo said softly, "As for why the Yun Family has so few heirs, I don't understand either. Mr. Yun and Mrs. Yun loved each other their whole lives, but never had more children. I also don't get why, even after sending you away, Nora Yun still didn't survive."
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Yeah, there are still so many unsolved mysteries.
But fate is just so strange.
The Yun Family sacrificed her, but by some twist of fate, she ended up back with them—and even recognized her parents.
Is this fate at work...?
Cecilia Gu remained silent.
She remembered what Miss Zoe said that day—that when Nora Yun was suffering, she'd break down and cry uncontrollably.
Could this be a kind of twin telepathy unique to identical twins?
But why was she so smart, while I was so foolish?
Did Madam Yun choose Nora Yun for her intelligence, and that's why she gave me up?
Wait, Madam Yun...
She'd never seen Madam Yun in the Yun Family!
Cecilia Gu quickly looked at Jane Gu. "Mom, Madam Yun... doesn't live with the Yun Family?"
Jane Gu silently nodded.
Sophie Mo nodded as well. "I've only seen Madam Yun once in my whole life. She rarely goes out and seldom meets outsiders."
A wildly absurd thought flashed through Cecilia Gu's mind.
Everything about her had always been under Madam Yun's watchful gaze...
Cecilia Gu's heart suddenly turned cold.
If she was the Yun Family's discarded child, what did she really count for?
Mrs. Yun—no, her birth mother—had clearly seen a child who died young right after giving birth!
That meant someone tampered with things during childbirth!
Someone showed Mrs. Yun a dead child, making her believe her baby was stillborn, then secretly swapped out the real child and sent her away!
Why?
Why would they do that?
Who will give me an explanation?
Jane Gu saw Cecilia Gu's expression change dramatically. She quickly pressed Cecilia's hand and said anxiously, "Cici, you promised me! No matter what you hear, don't get upset! You're still pregnant!"
Cecilia Gu snapped back to reality, gently touching her belly. "I know. I'm fine."
No wonder Jane Gu never gave her a straight answer, no matter how many times she asked.
Because the truth was just too painful...
She'd been abandoned before she was even born...
Ha, was this her fate?
She'd been abandoned by her own grandmother before she was even born.
As soon as she was born, she was thrown into a poor, harsh place—she nearly died there several times.
When she grew up, she was abandoned by her first love, and then by her childhood best friend...