“She didn’t mean to push me.”

Gu Mingzhu, who had fallen to the ground, burst into tears, condemning me with just one sentence.

Dad didn’t hesitate for a second—he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

A buzzing noise filled my ears, and half my cheek instantly burned with searing pain.

My brother glared at me like I was his mortal enemy, while Mom looked at me with disappointment.

“If I’d known you’d turn out like this, we never should’ve brought you back in the first place.”

I’d been abducted by human traffickers at the amusement park when I was three years old.

After being passed around, I was sold to a remote mountain village, then taken to an even more isolated countryside.

My biological parents found me right after I’d finished harvesting wheat for Grandma.

The moment they saw me, they burst into tears, telling me how hard they’d searched for me all these years and never given up.

They promised to treat me well, to make up for all the years they’d lost with me.

But when I followed them home, full of hope, I realized someone else had already taken my place.

With all the material comforts and endless love showered on her, Gu Mingzhu was like a shimmering white swan.

Compared to her, I was an ugly duckling, unworthy of a second glance.

To make matters worse, I only had a technical secondary school diploma, while she attended a prestigious university. We were worlds apart.

That’s why my brother mocked me, calling me a simpleton.

Even Mom and Dad had their doubts—they thought with their educational backgrounds, they could never have a daughter as stupid as me.

It wasn’t until another paternity test was placed in front of them that they sighed, disappointed and unwilling to accept the truth.