Turns Out Seducing the Movie Queen Can Break the Plot - Chapter 67.1
As the banquet approached its commencement, guests arrived one after another, gradually filling the once-spacious garden.
Jiang Chi and Liu Ci stood at the entrance to welcome the attendees. Though Jiang Chi greeted each guest with a spring-like smile, every breath she took felt like a sharp knife slicing through her.
All she wished for was to catch a glimpse of Wen Wen among the arriving guests, but even as the banquet began, Wen Wen never appeared.
A sudden pang of heartache overwhelmed Jiang Chi once more, making it difficult for her to stand. Her breathing grew rapid, and her body tilted to one side. She braced herself against the table with both hands, barely managing to steady herself.
Liu Ci, who had been chatting with guests, was the first to notice Jiang Chi’s distress. She hurried over to support her. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should I call the family doctor?”
She was about to summon a physician when Jiang Chi stopped her, shaking her head with a faint smile. “I’m fine, Mom. I just tripped a little.”
No doctor could save her.
Only Wen Wen could.
She longed to find Wen Wen, yet she didn’t even have the right to utter Wen Wen’s name.
“Auntie, happy birthday~”
Just then, a soft voice reached them. Jiang Chi and Liu Ci both turned to see Bai Yuetong standing there, a shy smile on her face as she opened her arms toward Liu Ci. “Auntie, may I hug you?”
Liu Ci gave a slight nod and embraced her lightly. Bai Yuetong’s smile deepened, her excitement barely concealed beneath her shy demeanor.
“Auntie, I have a gift for you later. I promise it’ll make you very happy~”
As Jiang Chi watched Bai Yuetong walk away, an inexplicable sense of dread settled in her heart.
This unease stemmed primarily from the part of her still bound by the story’s control. The real Jiang Chi, however, remained fixated on the hope that Wen Wen might still appear.
Lifting her gaze, her eyes met Zhuyue’s in the crowd.
After their conversation, Zhuyue hadn’t left. In her words, she wanted to see how her daughter would handle such a situation. And, as she had said before, this was her only daughter, she would never allow Wen Wen to suffer any humiliation at such an event.
Zhuyue wore a perfectly polished social smile. When her eyes met Jiang Chi’s, she merely raised her champagne glass in acknowledgment before resuming her conversation.
Midway through the banquet, a voice amplified by a microphone shattered the evening’s tranquility.
Bai Yuetong stepped onto the stage, holding a microphone and a yellow document folder, her expression radiant and confident nothing like her usual timid self.
“Apologies for interrupting, but what’s about to happen will require everyone’s witness.”
Then, her gaze found Liu Ci in the crowd, her eyes glistening. “Mom, please accept the gift I’ve prepared for you.”
A single word simple yet explosive sent shockwaves through the banquet hall. The guests erupted into murmurs, exchanging hushed whispers.
Liu Ci froze momentarily, glancing first at Jiang Qingyuan, who stood nearby with an unruffled demeanor, then back at Jiang Chi, who looked equally stunned.
Su Jing stared at the stage in disbelief, her steps toward Jiang Chi halting abruptly as she chose to wait and observe.
Zhuyue, meanwhile, wore the expression of someone thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
While everyone’s attention was focused on the main stage, no one noticed Jiang Miao swaggering in through the entrance with a suitcase, settling into an unoccupied corner.
It took Liu Ci a while to find her voice again. “W-what do you mean? Are you saying you’re actually my daughter?”
“Yes, Mom. I’m your biological daughter,” Bai Yuetong said with tear-filled eyes. “And the current Jiang Chi is actually the daughter of my adoptive parents.”
Liu Ci: “This isn’t something to joke about. Jiang Jiang grew up by my side, how could she not be my daughter?”
“Mom, because of someone’s malicious intentions, I was switched with Jiang Chi right after you gave birth to me in the hospital.” Bai Yuetong remained composed. “Mom, if you don’t believe me, I have not only evidence but also witnesses.”
As she finished speaking, two security guards escorted two people onto the stage.
It was Bai Fenglong and Bai Liang.
Jiang Chi stared at the middle-aged couple who had once welcomed her so warmly, when suddenly an intense pain shot through her head.
She seemed to have experienced this scene before and not just once.
The sudden panic she’d felt earlier now seemed to have an explanation.
Yet instead of fading, the feeling only grew stronger.
She gripped the edge of the table tightly, pressing her fingers against her temple. The headache came and went quickly, as if trying to tell her something but hindered by some unseen force from revealing the full picture.
Bai Yuetong: “These two are my current adoptive parents. They’re also the ones who switched me with Jiang Chi twenty-five years ago, stole my life, never showed me any affection while I was growing up, and only ever pressured me for money once I was older.”
Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face, as if she couldn’t continue. She turned away, covering her face as she sobbed quietly.
Some guests in the audience no longer bothered to whisper discreetly, their voices openly mocking.
“What’s going on? Some kind of melodramatic rich-family secret? Aren’t Jiang Qingyuan and Liu Ci supposed to be the model couple of high society? Didn’t Jiang Qingyuan claim to adore his wife? This is quite the slap in the face.”
“Adoring his wife after marriage doesn’t contradict his wild womanizing when he was young. Who doesn’t have a bit of a past?”
“That doesn’t add up. According to Jiang Qingyuan himself, he started from nothing and was busy building his career when he was young.”
“These big shots will say whatever makes them sound good. If even one sentence out of ten is true, that’s already impressive.”
“Never thought we’d get to see such a spectacle today.”
After composing herself, Bai Yuetong turned back and handed the microphone to Bai Liang. “Auntie Bai, go ahead. Tell everyone why you switched me with Jiang Chi back then.”
Her tone was icy.
When Bai Liang first stepped onto the stage, she had seemed nervous facing the well-dressed elite of high society below. But the unease lasted only a moment before she reverted to her shameless, brazen demeanor, adopting the same aggressive tone she used when quarreling with neighbors. “Jiang Qingyuan, you can’t blame me for this. You owe me!”
With tears streaming down her face, she recounted the love story between her and Jiang Qingyuan. Like many classic melodramatic plotlines seen in TV dramas, Jiang Qingyuan and Bai Liang fell in love during their university days. She stood by him through his most difficult times when he had nothing, only for him to abandon her once he achieved success and fame, turning instead to Liu Ci, a wealthy heiress who couldn’t compare to her in any way except for her money, yet could offer greater help to his career!
“Fortunately, heaven has eyes. Our children were born in the same hospital at the same time. Since Liu Ci stole the life that should have been mine, I’ll take her daughter’s life instead. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Jiang Qingyuan, you heartless scoundrel, what you owe me must be repaid.”
As if he had experienced this countless times before, Jiang Chi felt an unbearable tightness in his chest, struggling to breathe. Just as she was about to collapse, a pair of strong hands steadied her: “Chi Chi? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Recognizing the person, Jiang Chi’s vision blurred with tears: “D-Dad?”
Her questioning tone seemed to ask Jiang Qingyuan was she even allowed to call him that?
Was Jiang Qingyuan really not her father?
Was she truly an imposter?
If so, what should she do? Would she even have the chance to repay Jiang Qingyuan and Liu Ci for their years of love and care?
They had been so good to her, respecting all her choices and supporting every decision she made.
Yet she was just a fraud?
She had even bullied their real daughter with her own hands.
If all this was true, then was the only way to break free from the story’s control to return the identity to Bai Yuetong?
Jiang Qingyuan reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, as if understanding the unspoken question in her words, and gave a firm answer: “Chi Chi, it’s me, your dad.”
He sighed softly and said, “Chi Chi, perhaps what happened today is meant to show you what kind of disaster choosing the wrong partner can bring to your life. Dad’s words remain the same as long as it’s not illegal, no matter what you do, I’ll always support you.”
“However, I still hope you’ll think carefully.”
His gaze flickered briefly toward Su Jing before he helped Jiang Chi sit down and patted her head. “If you’re tired, rest here for a while. Dad will handle this.”
With that, Jiang Qingyuan turned and walked calmly toward the podium under the varied stares of the guests, his expression unreadable.
Liu Ci approached him, her face still etched with shock. Normally an incredibly strong woman who only cried when moved, this time, tears had already drenched her cheeks: “Qingyuan, this.”
Jiang Qingyuan embraced her. “It’s alright.”
He glanced at the three people on the stage, his gaze finally settling on Bai Yuetong. “The words of someone with an agenda can’t be taken as evidence. You claim to be my daughter other than your mother’s testimony, do you have any other proof?”
As if waiting for this exact moment, Bai Yuetong’s expression brightened instantly. Excitedly, she raised the document folder she had been holding all along. “This is the DNA test report between me and my mother! If you doubt it, we can do another test!”
She opened the document folder, walked to the projector, and with a few clicks, the screen displaying Liu Ci’s glorious achievements instantly went black. In its place appeared a DNA test report showing a 99.99% match.
The crowd erupted in shock at the sight of the data.
Jiang Miao stood with arms crossed, watching the scene expressionlessly, her eyes slightly narrowed. Her emotions were complex, if Jiang Chi were to lose her status as the True Heiress, she should feel elated. Wouldn’t this be poetic justice?
Yet she couldn’t find any joy in it, remembering Wen Wen’s last words to her: “Miao, there’s one last thing I need you to convey to her, I wish her eternal happiness.”
Jiang Miao sighed silently as she gazed at Jiang Chi’s back, seated with her face turned away.
Zhuyue was also staring at Jiang Chi’s silhouette, lost in thought: Had Wen Wen met the person on stage back then, would things have been different?
In the end, she could only sigh softly. The world wasn’t made of “what ifs.”
“This report is absolutely authentic,” Bai Yuetong asserted, meeting Jiang Qingyuan’s gaze directly. “If Father doesn’t believe it, we can conduct another test under your personal supervision.”
Jiang Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he continued gently patting Liu Ci’s back to comfort her. “No need for another test. I know this one is genuine.”
He could feel his wife’s body stiffen in his arms, clearly shocked by the revelation.
The guests below the stage were equally stunned, immediately beginning to condemn the Bai couple on stage.
“How could anyone be so heartless? This concerns a child’s entire life!”
“Exactly! Not only did they steal someone else’s child, but they didn’t even treat her well. From what I know, Jiang Chi has lived like a princess in the Jiang family all these years.”
“That’s true, but Jiang Chi is innocent too. She was just a newborn back then, what could she have known? The blame lies entirely with that immoral couple.”
Just as Bai Yuetong was about to speak triumphantly, Jiang Qingyuan interjected, “Miss Bai, young people shouldn’t be too impulsive. Haven’t you wondered why I know this report is authentic?”
“Father, what do you mean?”
“When you saw the 99.99% match on the report, you must have been overjoyed, weren’t you? So overjoyed that you forgot to check whose names were on it?”
Bai Yuetong’s face paled with horror, Jiang Qingyuan was right. She frantically pulled down the white sheet, revealing the two names at the top of the report to everyone’s view:
Liu Ci. Jiang Chi.
“This can’t be!” Bai Yuetong staggered backward unsteadily, shaking her head. “Father, you can’t just have someone replace my name because you don’t want to acknowledge me! Bai Liang said it herself, I’m your biological daughter!”
Jiang Qingyuan replied calmly, “I didn’t replace your name. The truth is, I recognized you the moment you came to my house last time. You probably don’t realize how much you resemble your mother not in appearance, but in that innate temperament. I had my suspicions, so after you left, I had someone investigate you. The results confirmed my doubts.”
“What I changed wasn’t the name, but the item being authenticated. I replaced yours with my precious daughter Jiang Chi’s sample. So, this result isn’t surprising at all. Jiang Chi is undoubtedly the only daughter of our Jiang family, our sole heiress.”