WfDO Chapter 79

Arc 5
The Vicious Supporting Female Is the Real Daughter (6)

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“… If I am not brave, I won’t know that I can wear a beautiful uniform and sit in a bright classroom; If I am not brave, I won’t know that I can eat enough and wear warm clothes, that I won’t need to hold my shoes in my hands on rainy days, barefoot in the mud on my way home…”

“…. If I am not brave, I won’t know that my curiosity and surprise at everything, in the eyes of others, are the same as that of an ignorant bumpkin. My suntanned skin and calloused palms are dirty, for I used to work in the field…”

“… If I am not brave enough to say: I want to return home. I won’t know that it’s possible for me to be well-fed and stay warm; I won’t know that strawberries aren’t necessarily sweet; I won’t know that marriage is about spending my life with the person that I love, unlike what Papa Chen told me: Marriage is about having a husband to provide food and clothes; Marriage is about having dowry money to provide education and house for my younger brother…”

“… I am very glad that I am brave. My bravery has let me know that the world is so vast; My knowledge is so shallow and I have only seen little of the world.  I thought that I can be considered knowledgeable as long as I am literate; I thought that my life is already fulfilled as long as I can eat enough and wear warm clothes.”

“I am very glad that I am brave. My bravery allows me to stand here and let me discover that there is a future for me, a future where I can live for myself.”

————·————·————

Ye Wei was the most talked person in the school!

This time, it was not because she is the real eldest daughter of the Ye Family, but because of her essay “I am Not Brave”!

It was an extremely simple and common essay. Yet, perhaps, because Ye Wei herself spoke about it, a kind of magic was cast on them. They couldn’t help but think about her speech over and over again. Even to the point that they printed it out and widely spread it among the students.

“I only heard that the family where Ye Wei was wrongly held is poor, but I didn’t expect that they would be so downright poor that they could not even afford a meal?”

“Don’t even mention a meal, she didn’t have a pair of decent shoes and must walk barefoot when it rained.”

“I am a bit embarrassed now. When I first saw Ye Wei, I just thought of how dark she is, of how she is so rude and ignorant. I really looked down on her upbringing…”

“Me too. Alas, I don’t think she is as good as Ye Ying. Ye Ying is just the model lady from a prestigious family.” 

“But think about it, the days of Ye Ying’s life in the Ye Family should have been Ye Wei’s. Ye Ying has lived a good life these past years, but Ye Wei is the one enduring the misery that Ye Ying should have suffered in the first place. If Ye Wei was never switched at birth, she would be as good as Ye Ying.”

“Are you not curious about the ‘Papa Chen’ in Ye Wei’s mouth? He should be Ye Ying’s real father, right? From what Ye Wei said, he attempted to use his daughter’s dowry to buy a house for his son? That is so terrible, a patriarchal father! Is it Ye Wei’s fault that she grew up crooked because of the environment she grew up in? Isn’t it understandable that she grew up to be like this when she has a parasite brother like that?”

“Frankly, it has been hard for Ye Wei. To think she grew up in a place like that… If the Ye Family found out a little bit later, maybe Ye Wei would already get married and have children……”

“No wonder Ye Wei can use her life as a chip to push the Ye Family to take her back.”

Jiang Fei abruptly spoke up. Zhang Yu glanced sideways at him. Jiang Fei was holding the printed-out version of ‘I am Not Brave’ in his hand. The essay was not long, approximately a thousand words, but it was wonderful enough.

Zhang Yu expressed, “I never say there is a problem with Ye Wei coming back. After all, Uncle Ye is her biological father. However, she shouldn’t have targeted Ye Ying. Ye Ying is innocent. She didn’t do anything wrong to Ye Wei and shouldn’t have been obliged to apologize to her.”

The essay ‘I am Not Brave’ made him change a little of his opinion toward Ye Wei. Regardless, he still viewed Ye Wei as a person who is too destructive and extreme. 

Jiang Fei shrugged, he could care less and had no opinion on that matter.

Shen Ye interjected, “Ye Wei’s life before she got picked back is pitiful, but Yingying is also pitiful. She would have never imagined the parents and brother who loved her so much were not related to her by blood. Before she could digest it, she was told to leave. Who could accept that kind of fact so fast? Especially Ye Ying has lived with them for so long.”

Shen Ye was Zhang Yu’s good friend, and he also got closer to Ye Ying because of it. In his eyes, Ye Ying is a gentle and lovely little angel. She suddenly fronted huge news like this, she must be so sad.

Jiang Fei thought of Ye Wei, who was standing on the podium, evidently nervous and scared, but preserved in finishing her speech even with her head hung low. 

“Then, think about it this way. In the past 18 years, Ye Wei has gone through so much torment. She has accepted her fate, yet, out of the blue, someone told her that is not her fate, she is supposed to be a daughter of a rich family. The past misery she had suffered is not the misery she should have suffered. She suffered in the stead of Ye Ying… Do you guys believe she can accept it just like that?”

Shen Ye was taken aback. He scratched his head. He was handsome, with a bit of cute charm thanks to his two small tiger teeth whenever he smiled. He was dazed over Jiang Fei’s words, and simply waved his hand, “I don’t know, I don’t care! Anyway, I’m on Yingying’s side. Yingying is my friend. No one can bully her!”

Zhang Yu took the paper from Jiang Fei’s hand and read it again. To be honest, in his heart, he admitted that Ye Wei’s life had truly been tough. The hardship she suffered was way more than he imagined. He thought, even if she was poor and the school was far from her home, there must be buses or subways for her to go to school. Yet, there was none, she used her own feet to go to school that was so far from her home…

He didn’t expect Ye Wei to be constantly starving and couldn’t wear new clothes to keep herself warm, nor did he expect the Chen Family would try to marry Ye Wei out when she was still so young, just because of her dowry. Yet, the dowry that almost made her be married to an old man was not even that much, only around 10,000 or 20,000 yuan^[1], which was not even comparable to his monthly pocket money.

His brows furrowed and he placed the paper under his desk.

Jiang Fei immediately snatched it back, “What are you going to do with my stuff? This is mine. You want it ah? Then, copy it yourself.”

Zhang Yu: “……”

Shen Ye voiced suspiciously, “It’s just a piece of paper, A’Fei. Why do you care so much about it?”

Jiang Fei didn’t answer and shrugged again, “I’m leaving.”

He grabbed his jacket with one hand and the essay with the other, whistling as he exit the class.

————·————·————

The essay not only spread in the school but also reached Ye Shicheng and Wang Hui’s hands. 

Just reading the words, they seemed to see the anguish and sorrow that their daughter had suffered in the previous 18 years……

The experience was not something that could be summed up with the simple “The Chen Family is poor” that they heard from the investigator’s mouth. 

Once again, they thought of the way they decided not to pick Ye Wei back at the beginning. Recalling the way they planned to let Ye Wei stay in that place, they regretted it so much!

“Shicheng, we are sorry for Weiwei.” Wang Hui was extremely distressed and remorseful. “Yingying is our daughter, but Weiwei is also our daughter. She lived so hard outside. How could I ever think to let her stay there and not pick her back?”

Ye Shicheng sighed. He stared at the essay. Through it, he saw how his daughter was starving because her lunch was robbed. He also saw his daughter’s drenched appearance as she walked barefoot on rainy days.

He felt suffocated, “Be nice to Weiwei in the future. We must make up for the debt we owed her.”

Wang Hui hummed. Ye Shicheng thought for a while, “Chen Weiguo’s ideology is feudal and patriarchal. Weiwei grew up under his education, and her ideology will certainly be affected by him, so she felt it was reasonable to buy a house for her brother with her dowry money.”

Wang Hui was angry when she was reminded of that. They raised Yingying so well, but how could the Chen Family treat her daughter so harshly?

Wang Hui: “In this era, how could he still think like that? Does that Chen Weiguo think his family has a throne to inherit?”

Ye Shicheng, “So, when you have time, bring Weiwei out with you to have a look, teach her patiently and give her more knowledge, let her revise her way of thinking. Those subtle influences can gradually transform her to be better. Even if Weiwei can’t accept them for a while, she will understand that we are doing this for her good.”

Wang Hui, “I understand, don’t worry. I will do exactly that.”

Since then, Wang Hui frequently took Ye Wei out with her. At first, she brought her shopping and dining. She taught her dining etiquette and customized several dresses for her. She also bought her some jewelry and several sets of skin care products and took her to a spa. With such meticulous care, and without needing to work under the sun anymore, Ye Wei’s complexion became better with naked eyes.

Ye Ying had seen Wang Hui take Ye Wei alone several times. Every time her mom went out with Ye Wei, she would buy a lot of things for Ye Wei. Ye Wei would also be visibly pleased. She hugged Wang Hui’s arms and chirped ‘Mama’ every time. Their closeness made Ye Ying feel lost. However, she forced herself to be sensible and told herself, Ye Wei is her mom’s biological daughter, and she is not. 

It’s normal that her mom liked Ye Wei more. 

She hid the dismay in her heart.

One day, Ye Wei dangled a bracelet in front of her eyes and handed it to her, “This is for you. I saw it when Mama and I went shopping. I think this suits you well, so I asked Mama to buy it. Do you like it?”

The bracelet was decorated with several pearls, lovely and delicate.

She smiled, “Thank you, Jiejie. I don’t need it. I have a lot of bracelets on my own. You can keep it for yourself and wear it.”

The smile on Ye Wei’s face faded, “Do you look down on me for wanting to give you a bracelet when you already have plenty of bracelets?”

Ye Ying hurriedly denied, “I didn’t mean that!”

Ye Wei, “Then, what do you mean? You said that you have a lot of bracelets and let me keep this for myself. Are you laughing at me for not having a bracelet to wear?”

“?” Ye Ying was dumbfounded. She waved her hand repeatedly, “No, no. I didn’t mean that…”

“Then, why don’t you accept it? Is it because it is me that gave this to you, and you are dissatisfied with me?” Ye Wei turned around and called for Wang Hui in the direction of the garden, “Mama, Meimei doesn’t seem to like the gift I chose for her. What should I do? Please help me persuade her…”

Wang Hui inclined her head and looked at them, “What’s the matter?”

“… I, I…” Ye Ying reluctantly smiled and had to accept the gift, “It’s nothing, Mama. Thank you, Jiejie.”

Ye Wei’s smile was back on her face, “That’s good. Don’t worry. Since you live in my home, I won’t treat you badly. Although I am lacking knowledge and am somewhat crude, I still know the basic way of hospitality for guests.”

Ye Ying suddenly looked up at Ye Wei with wide eyes. Ye Wei still sported a smile on her face, as if the person who said the hurtful words just now was not her.

Ye Ying bit her lips. She was sad, but her eyes were firm. “I know that you are Mama’s biological daughter. I don’t want to fight with you, however, I have been Mama’s daughter for 18 years. I have stayed in this family for so long. We are not related by blood, but our relationship is real.”

Ye Wei hooked the corner of her lips, “How nice that you take it for granted. Still, I don’t mind if people show filial piety to my mom, but you should understand one thing. If I give you something from the Ye Family, you should take it and if I don’t give it to you, don’t even hope to get it.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t fight with you for that.” Ye Ying was serious. She never thought of competing with Ye Wei. 

“Then that is the best outcome!” Ye Wei smiled as she put the bracelet on Ye Ying’s wrist, “You don’t want Mama to see us turn against each other, do you?”

Ye Ying pursed her lips and stared at the bracelet on her wrist.

Wang Hui approached them. She couldn’t hear their little whispers but she saw Ye Wei put on the bracelet for Ye Ying and she felt relieved, “You two sisters have to get along well. Come here, have some cake after you guys are done with the bracelet.”

Ye Wei beamed, “We will come right away, Mama.”

She gave Ye Ying one last glance and trotted to follow Wang Hui. Ye Ying also put on a reluctant smile. She pushed down her sadness and loss and followed Ye Wei.

The cake was baked by Auntie Zhang. She baked a strawberry-flavored cake that Ye Ying liked and the matcha one that Wang Hui liked. In addition, there were fresh and sweet delicious juices served.

Wang Hui observed Ye Wei and Ye Ying in front of her. She was relieved that Ye Ying was well-behaved and sensible, that was one less worry for her.

Ye Wei’s way of thinking was a bit crooked sometimes, but as long as she talked to her and explained it patiently to Ye Wei, Ye Wei would be willing to listen. Ye Wei slowly changed to be better, and Wang Hui was content. 

“By the way, the Zhang Family will hold a charity dinner this Friday. Let’s go together.”

Ye Ying smiled and nodded. She was used to such parties and naturally felt there was nothing to fuss about.

Ye Wei was a bit nervous, though. “I don’t want to go. I’m afraid that I will embarrass Papa and Mama.”

Wang Hui sent a reassuring smile, “Don’t be afraid, just stay with me when the time comes. Even if you do something wrong, Mama and Papa will cover you. You don’t need to be afraid, okay?”

Ye Wei was still afraid and asked tentatively, “Then, can I stay with Mama all the time? Where Mama is, where I am!”

Wang Hui chuckled with fondness, “Yes, as you wish.”

Ye Wei jumped and hugged Wang Hui happily. “Mama is the best!”

————·————·————

By the time Ye Wei and Ye Ying returned home from school on Friday, the makeup artist and stylist were already waiting.

The dress prepared for Ye Ying was a light blue gown. When the beautiful dress was put on Ye Ying, she appeared just like a little princess, lively and elegant.

Ye Ying’s mood was not particularly good these past few days. Today was a rare day when she was in a good mood. Zhang Yu messaged her and asked the time of her arrival, so he could pick her up. 

Ye Ying messaged him back, “Jiejie is still preparing herself. It should take another hour.”

Zhang Yu: “Send me a message when you are almost here.”

Ye Ying: “Okay.”

Yet, Zhang Yu waited all night and didn’t find Ye Ying. He only saw Ye Wei, who was wearing a light blue gown, appeared at the charity dinner party with Wang Hui. She smiled with pure amazement and joy in her round black eyes.

This was the world that she had never set foot in. Everything in front of her was lavish, an indulgence of money, that could make a person sink. 

The thing that made Zhang Yu pay more attention was her light blue gown. He had seen it on Ye Ying because Ye Ying sent it to him not long ago and asked him if it looked good on her.

Of course, it’s beautiful. Ye Ying in the blue dress was lovely, especially when she smiled. She would appear like a little princess that is sheltered, away from harm. But, now, that dress was on Ye Wei.

Zhang Yu’s eyes turned sharp at the first sight of Ye Wei.

It was even more so when he saw her proud and delighted appearance. He sent another message to Ye Ying, but Ye Ying didn’t reply. He called, and she didn’t answer. 

Zhang Yu was clear as to why Ye Ying was not here tonight. It must be because of Ye Wei. She must have pulled some trick!

He tried to talk to Ye Wei, but unfortunately, Ye Wei followed Wang Hui like a chick. He never found an opportunity to talk to her. He went to the bathroom and finally he had a chance to talk to Ye Wei alone in the corridor outside the bathroom.

He went straight to the point, “Why is Ye Ying not here?”

Ye Wei, “You should ask Ye Ying that, what are you doing asking me that question?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. Ye Ying told me before that she would arrive in an hour, but you were the only one who came. Plus, your dress is obviously Ye Ying’s. What did you do to her?”

Ye Wei looked down at the beautiful dress on her. She put on a smile, “This dress is Ye Ying’s? Says who? My mom bought it, of course, I can wear this.”

Zhang Yu rebuked, “This is what Auntie bought for Ye Ying!”

Ye Wei still smiled, “And just like I said, says who? Classmate Zhang Yu, don’t you remember that I came here in a fair and square manner with my mom? Can my mom not see that I wear this dress, which in your mouth is supposed to be Ye Ying’s? If this dress is indeed Ye Ying’s, why doesn’t my mom tell me to take it off and give it back to Ye Ying? You, an outsider, have no right to meddle in my business. You keep meddling in my business, did I make you lose money or what?  Anyway, since my mom doesn’t mind it, then this dress is mine!”

Zhang Yu believed that Ye Wei’s words totally make no sense, but he couldn’t refute it, “What about Ye Ying? What did you do to her?”

Ye Wei was nonchalant, “What can I do to her? I merely said to her that I hope she can give me a chance to come here alone with my mom. After all, I am prone to make mistakes. If she is here, she will divide my mom’s attention and my mom can’t cover for me. Meimei has a good heart, so she helped me.”

Zhang Yu processed her words for a while before he reacted, “Ye Wei, you are going too far!”

His words were cold, “If you really want someone to take care of you and you are really afraid of making mistakes, isn’t it better to have Auntie and Ye Ying cover you together? You are just making an excuse. You don’t want Ye Ying to come, do you?”

Ye Wei was sincere in her answer, “Then, it’s my bad. I’m sorry that I can’t believe anyone except my mom.”

Zhang Yu: “You…”

“As the saying goes, you may know people’s faces, but not their hearts. How can I be sure whether my sister thinks of my own good in her heart? Well, if there is nothing else, excuse me, Classmate Zhang Yu.”

“……!!”

Zhang Yu watched as Ye Wei drifted away, frowning deeper and sighing heavily.

Truthfully, it was not surprising that Ye Wei is suspicious and distrustful of Ye Ying. How can children from her environment trust anyone easily?

Jiang Fei, who popped out of nowhere, commented, “This Ye Wei is quite interesting.”

Zhang Yu sent a sideway glance at him.

Jiang Fei shrugged, “You can think like that because Ye Ying is your good friend, but for Ye Wei, Ye Ying is the person who has stolen her life for 18 years. What’s more, she and Ye Ying only knew each other for a few days? If it were you, could you believe a person who you only knew for a few days?”

Zhang Yu also understood that, that was why he couldn’t refute Ye Wei. 

That night, many people finally saw Ye Wei, the real eldest lady of the Ye family who was wrongly held.

Although she was not as white as Ye Ying or had a temperament like a little princess who is protected from worldly affairs as Ye Ying, her eyes were particularly bright. She has beautiful and delicate facial features. Even though she has wheat-colored skin, the beauty that passed from Wang Hui also belonged to her. 

Zhang Yu heard his mother’s comment on her, “Ye Wei seems to be a remarkably smart girl. It’s a pity that she was wrongly held for so long, otherwise, she will become an excellent talent in the future.”

Zhang Yu agreed with his mother. Ye Wei was really smart, otherwise, she would be discovered shortly after bullying Ye Ying. The way she hid the matter was a feat on its own. 

————·————·————

Ye Ying was hiding in her room, sobbing. Ye Wei told her not to attend the charity dinner. She didn’t want to agree to her request, but she couldn’t refuse either. She had to tell her mom that she couldn’t go, making up an excuse for her discomfort. Her mother was not convinced by her lousy reason, but she didn’t ask much, only telling her to have a good rest at home.

If it was in the past, her mom would not let her go with just one question. 

What’s more, Ye Wei told her, “Since Meimei can’t go, can I wear Meimei’s gown? Meimei is willing to give it to me, right?”

Watched by Ye Wei and Wang Hui, Ye Ying could only smile and answered, “I am,” even if she was truly unwilling

She watched as Ye Wei left with her mom in her beloved dress. She cried herself out when she returned to her room. 

It was not until after eleven o’clock that Ye Wei and Wang Hui came back together.

Ye Wei was obviously satisfied. She laughed and jumped around, “Mama, I want to participate in parties like that again in the future!”

Wang Hui looked at her with loving eyes and agreed to her request.

Ye Ying bit her lip. She felt that it could not go on like this. She took the initiative to find Ye Wei, “Jiejie, can we get along peacefully? I won’t rob you of anything. Really, you believe me!”

Ye Wei only smiled, “Do you know how I got back to this house?”

Ye Ying: “… Ah?”

Ye Wei tilted her head, “I put myself at the death’s door, so they didn’t have other choices but to bring me back here. Could it be that Meimei forgot? Forgot how my parents came to the decision to abandon me? Meimei, how could you forget that? You cried your eyes out and kept expressing your woes on how unwilling you are to part with my parents. Thus, my parents decided to continue to abandon me and leave me be, all because they couldn’t bear to see you so sad. You forgot?”

Ye Ying’s face paled.

“You want us to get along peacefully? Dream on.”

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Footnotes

[1] Around 1.4k~2.8k USD. ↵

Ry’s Corner

I spend 100 pulls in a gacha and failed to bring home Haloween Sariel’s card (From 光与夜之恋, Light and Night by Tencent)… So sad, bye-bye Siren Sariel (◞‸◟；). Seems like I can only forcefully drag home his collab card with Cinnamoroll later.

1.5k USD in a mountain area is honestly a lot for a dowry price. I mean, in the area from my previous community service, from what I heard, the dowry is less than 250USD?

Now I think about it, Ye Ying is not that bad. At least, no og!Female Lead is as bad as Liang Ruowei that actively bullied the Supporting Female and not the opposite lmao.

Also, I am looking forward to the chapters where Jiang Fei and Tong Ke appeared bc where they are, where chaos is. Poor Tong Ke is not paid enough to be the Vicious Supporting Female’s sidekick.

Actually, the real fun in this Arc begins in Ch81.

Another recommendation(I guess?):

苏樱的鲜花店[重生] (Su Ying’s Flower Shop) by WFDO’s Author, Wei Ke (维客)

I remember that I jumped blindly when I choose to read this novel, thinking it is a healing-type novel, only to find out it is a ‘Su‘ novel, which I usually don’t read save when I have nothing else to read but in dire need of some sort of entertainment.

Unspoken rules to enjoy ‘Su‘ novel a.ka ‘feel good’ novel: Don’t think too much about the plot, calmly accept the Golden Fingers of the Female Lead, and just overlook the dog blood drama unfolding at every turn.

I, really can’t recommend the plot (It is a Su novel! Su! Su! Su! Important thing must be said thrice!) bc I stopped caring about the plot midway, I just embrace the fact that it is a ‘Su‘ novel. It even has an alternate End!CP ending lmao. Honestly, the only reason I completed the novel is bc the sunshine personification, Lin Chengfeng. If you enjoy the way Wei Ke weave the interactions between characters or enjoy a ‘su‘ novel, perhaps you can try this.

If you can’t enjoy a ‘Su‘-type novel, then don’t. Really, save yourself from the sheer astonishment of the dog blood plot.

The other novel with the title 替身女配，养狗出道[重生] (Stand-in Supporting Female, Debuting from Picking Up a Dog) is surprisingly the healing-type one? The FL got a chance to be reborn from a System (most likely from the Time and Space Administration Bureau). The dog og!ML became a literal dog lmao, he turns back to human later, sadly, but fortunately, the FL doesn’t end up together with him again. There is another Lin Chengfeng V2 here.

————·————·————

Whenever I scrolled the Superchat of “The Memory Lost in Space” on weibo, I see fellow sufferers of Yin Nanzhao. It has been nearly 5 years since MLiS was officially published and the people simping for Yin Nanzhao never stop. I just hope to see a spin-off where my baes is happy, please. Where art thou, fanfiction author.

If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway. I don’t offer Advanced Chapters like Lyre yet, but you are free to water this thirsty cat!

Words count (excluding title, footnotes, TL’s corner): 4197

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