Chapter 2: Cut Ties Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Mu Yourong’s remark was made nonchalantly, yet it stirred up a clamor in the crowd. She was right! How could a hospital possibly cause a switched-at-birth incident? Perhaps, someone switched the babies at birth on purpose. Ye Zhuo’s biological mother was a mistress with despicable means. Therefore, she was capable of even nastier actions. If an outsider were in her place, the person would certainly be shocked by Mu Yourong’s remark. However, the person standing before Mu Yourong was Ye Zhuo, after all. She was a mogul who used to stand at the peak of the world at one point. Ye Zhuo lowered her gaze ever so slightly and looked at Mu Yourong casually. Then, she responded in an indifferent tone, “Since what Ms. Mu said is so plausible, I believe that there’s certainly adequate evidence to prove that this incident is deliberate, right? The laws in this country are fair and righteous. The lawbreakers can’t outrun the long arm of the law, so I shall respectfully wait for Ms. Mu to file a lawsuit against me with evidence!” Mu Yourong narrowed her eyes. She felt panicked in her heart for no apparent reason as she looked at Ye Zhuo standing before her. This person was obviously Ye Zhuo, so why did she feel threatened? Could it be that she was not a worthy match for a deadbeat? So, she calmed herself with great effort and then said, “It has already been 18 years since the incident. Even if there is evidence, it would have been swept under the rug by time. You’re just shoving false arguments down my throat!” Ye Zhuo smiled. “Without evidence, to put it nicely, you are basically speculating; in less pleasant words, you are making a false accusation! On a more serious note, there’s an offense known as defamation in our country too!” The strange feeling from before just grew more intense! Mu Youroung could not allow herself to argue with Ye Zhuo anymore because only the weaker side could gain the crowd’s attention and sympathy. She had to do something to capture everyone’s attention once again. Hence, Mu Yourong’s eyes welled up with tears and she said with a sobbing voice, “You took my place in the family to live a good life for 18 years while I lived in a dark, damp basement with that despicable mother of yours. I lived a life not knowing if I’ll get my next meal! Ye Zhuo, who do you think you are to stand here and criticize me!?” Upon hearing that, Mrs. Mu’s hands were trembling as she held Mu Yourong’s hands. They lived in a grand mansion over the years while her biological daughter was trapped in a basement… Was a basement appropriate for human beings to live in? She wished that she could choke Ye Zhuo to death right away. Furthermore, the rest of the people looked at Mu Yourong sympathetically as well. Ye Zhuo raised her gaze ever so slightly. “Both you and I are victims. I’m not criticizing you, but I’m only speaking the truth. Moreover, I said that I’m leaving this place at once and that my surname will be ‘Ye’ from now on. I don’t have any connection to the Mu family anymore, and there’s no need for you to hang on to this matter either!” Mu Yourong replied with reddened eyes, “How am I hanging on to this matter, huh? Why do you have to be so provocative then? I’m only finding the incident to be a little suspicious! I know that you’re unwilling to part with my family. You were acting like my parents’ daughter for so many years, after all! I will treat you like my real sister from now on…” “Oh god! Brother Fifth! Your fiance is too kind! She still wants to forgive the fake daughter after all this!” Li Qiandong was moved beyond words, for he had never met a person as kind as Mu Yourong. Upon hearing that, the people in the crowd praised Mu Yourong for being too kind! Ye Zhuo smiled. “Thank you for your good intention, but this is not my home.” Mu Yourong was stunned. What was going on with Ye Zhuo? She had made her earlier remark to keep Ye Zhuo, yet she still insisted on leaving. Mu Dabing immediately waved his hand and summoned someone to bring over a document. “Since you’ve already made up your mind to leave, sign the severance agreement then.” In China, even an adopted daughter had the right to inheritance. Since Ye Zhuo had already decided to cut ties with the Mu family, Mu Dabing did not want to leave his inheritance to an outsider with no blood relations a century later. Ye Zhuo actually signed the severance agreement without the slightest hesitation. The severance agreement was then separated into two copies. Ye Zhuo kept one of the copies and then said to Mu Dabing and Shen Rong, “Uncle, auntie, goodbye.” Since the severance agreement was signed, there was no need for her to address them as dad and mom anymore. If she were to address them that way, the others would certainly suspect her of scheming something. Upon saying that, Ye Zhuo got down on her knees and knelt on the floor right away. She gave a kowtow solemnly toward Mu Dabing and Shen Rong. “Thank you for your love and tender care over the years, uncle, auntie.” One should not be ungrateful for others’ favor. The Mu family raised the original owner of Ye Zhuo’s body until she was of age, so Ye Zhuo gave her respect on behalf of the original owner. ‘No, I can’t allow Ye Zhuo to leave just like that!’ Mu Yourong still wanted to use Ye Zhuo for her schemes! If Ye Zhuo were to leave, who was going to marry the scumbag? Maliciousness flashed past Mu Yourong’s face, but it was replaced with a change of countenance soon. “Ye Zhuo, I’m sincerely asking you to stay. It’s always easy for the frugal to become extravagant but very difficult for the opposite to happen… I’m worried that you will not be used to living in a basement. Stay, and we can be filial children to dad and mom.” Mu Yourong’s remark was made exceedingly craftily. On the one hand, she criticized Ye Zhuo for being a merciless, ungrateful child for leaving without even repaying the parents for their love and tender care. On the other hand, she was making a grand display of her magnanimous character before the crowd. Upon hearing that, the people in the crowd immediately looked toward Ye Zhuo with different expressions. She was right. Ye Zhuo was ungrateful, right? She had yet to repay her parents’ kindness, yet she wanted to evade the problem by walking away from it! Upon hearing that, Ye Zhuo looked back ever so slightly and said in a nonchalant tone, “Ms. Mu, if I’m not mistaken, my mother has also raised you for 18 years, so why haven’t you stayed with her and repaid her kindness then?” Mu Yourong was stunned for a moment. Ye Zhuo did not give Mu Yourong the chance to refute. Instead, she took her sweet time to get up from the ground. Her chin was tilted ever so slightly while the lighting cast a layer of snow glow on her face. “Do not do unto others what you don’t wish on yourself.” Mu Yourong simply could not believe that the person before her eyes was Ye Zhuo! What the heck was going on? Since when did the deadbeat become so well-versed? Could it be that this was a butterfly effect resulting from her rebirth? Ye Zhuo retracted her gaze ever so slightly in preparation to leave. At the very moment she did so, her vision landed on a pair of deep eyes. The man narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, and an overbearingness was emanating from behind his gaze. Nevertheless, her expression remained indifferent. She was totally unconcerned. The man was dressed in a classic Chinese robe buttoned meticulously all the way to the top with the same-colored retro fastening. His well-chiseled lower jaw was as perfect as a statue’s, while his complexion was fair and radiating coldness. He had a tall, straight nose and his entire body emitted an aura of abstinence. He also carried the posture of someone looking down at the world arrogantly. Ye Zhuo was skilled in reading people, so she was naturally aware that this man was not some common influential official. She knew very well that this man was not someone to be messed with either. She did not want to be targeted by a man of this nature. In just a moment, Ye Zhuo shifted her gaze without leaving a trace. She turned around and left. The man looked in the direction where Ye Zhuo vanished without any expression on his face. Then, his long, slim finger tapped on the surface of the table randomly. “What are you looking at, Brother Fifth?” Li Qiandong followed the man’s gaze out of curiosity. In the darkness, Ye Zhuo’s silhouette could no longer be seen. “Nothing.” The man stood up and put out the cigarette that he had yet to finish in the ashtray. “Let’s go back as well.” “Brother Fifth, aren’t you going to meet your fiance?” When he looked up again, the man’s tall and slim silhouette had already made its way to the doorway. Li Qiandong hastily jogged to catch up to him. “Wait for me, Brother Fifth!”