A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Governor Cheng was very excited, even though he tried his best to suppress it.

Anyone would be this happy to receive a large sum of money.

Therefore, he spoke somewhat incoherently, without even realizing it himself.

But before he could finish speaking, Cheng Tianxun coldly interrupted, "I never intended to be family. Twenty thousand silver dollars will end everything. Chief of Staff Lan, Madam Lan, don't worry, my young mistress never intended to cling to you."

Du Jia understood.

Even if there are some things she doesn't know, there's no deep logic involved; she can understand them with a little thought.

She said, "My family has never been very large. I don't mind if more people call me 'Mom'."

She was kind and generous; she accepted her husband's illegitimate daughter simply because she liked her very much.

She looked at Qin Yan.

Qin Yan lowered his gaze, his expression inscrutable.

Cheng Tianxun was about to explode with anger.

Even the warlord's wife couldn't stand it anymore: "Nobody wants to call you 'Mother,' Mrs. Lan, you don't need to take on such a big responsibility."

Many people call her "Mom," which means that she doesn't intend to give up on Lan Muhe, but only treats Qin Yan as an extra.

The warlord's wife didn't think her daughter-in-law needed this insignificant favor.

Her daughter-in-law is a strong person with a promising future; she's not some pitiful little thing that anyone can just throw away.

The warlord's wife's words were extremely harsh; coupled with her usual serious and expressionless demeanor, they sounded even more cutting.

Du Jia's face swelled up a little.

Governor Cheng said unhappily, "Madam, today is supposed to be a happy meal."

"I didn't spoil the fun," said the governor's wife. "The one who spoiled the fun was Madam Lan."

Du Jia also had her temper: "I don't understand how I spoiled the mood. You two kept the marriage a secret from me."

"Didn't you find out later?" the warlord's wife asked.

"I understand. What do you want me to do?" Du Jia asked in return.

What else could she do?

"A-Jia..." Lan Changming pulled her.

Du Jia shook off his hand: "You all conspired to deceive me. Haven't I done enough? I haven't said a single word against the young mistress."

"What are you accusing me of?" Qin Yan, who had been silent all along, slowly raised his eyes. "I have not disturbed your lives."

"No..." Lan Changming still wanted to stop him.

Du Jia grabbed him and said to Qin Yan, "But you exist. Have you considered my feelings? I haven't blamed anyone, so why are you blaming me?"

"Shouldn't I exist?" Qin Yan asked her. "When you replaced me, did you actually consider me dead?"

Lan Changming suddenly stood up: "No, Qinyan, that's not how it is. Your mother has no idea!"

Something seemed to explode in Du Jia's ear.

Her mind went blank.

She felt someone hit her head hard, and for a moment she was deaf; Lan Changming's words seemed distant and vague.

After a long pause, she finally asked Qin Yan, "Should I replace you?"

Governor Cheng also looked over in surprise.

"You swapped raising me with the Ye family's children, saying that the two children would be part of my dowry in the future," Qin Yan said. "I received the dowry, and I kept my promise and did nothing wrong."

You gave birth to me, not because I wanted to be born. Now you accuse me of causing you trouble. What, do you want me to cut off my flesh to return to my father and my bones to return to my mother?

Du Jia's hands began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

Governor Cheng asked, "What exactly happened?"

Lan Changming helped Du Jia up: "Jia, we were planning to tell you..."

"Qin Yan is the daughter of the Lan family. She was a bit clumsy when she was young, so they didn't like her and swapped her with the daughter of the Ye family," said the warlord's wife.

Du Jia's face turned deathly pale instantly.

She couldn't catch her breath and stared blankly at the warlord's wife; Lan Changming helped her sit up.

"Later, when Qin Yan came to our door, Chief of Staff Lan was afraid that his daughter couldn't handle it, so he gave Qin Yan 20,000 silver dollars and told him not to reveal the truth."

They'd pretend she was an illegitimate child. Madam Lan ignored all that, but now she's playing the good guy, saying she has another daughter. The warlord's wife sneered.

She looked at Lan Changming and Du Jia, "The fake one, you're in so much pain, go back and continue to suffer. Qin Yan has someone to rely on."

Governor Cheng: "Changming, you said she's an illegitimate child. That's... a bit too much."

Du Jia suddenly shoved Lan Changming away.

She gasped for breath: "I don't know, I didn't switch my daughter! Lan Changming, you told Qin Yan—it really is Qin Yan!"

She was rambling incoherently.

His expression was panicked and ferocious, and tears kept flowing out.

She even tried to grab Qin Yan's hand, but Qin Yan stood up and stepped back. Cheng Tianxun shielded her.

"Commander, please eat first. We'll take our leave," Cheng Tianxun said.

"No, Qin Yan, don't go!" Du Jia was afraid that this was a dream, and that things would change after she woke up. She wanted to grab Qin Yan.

Cheng Tianxun and Qin Yan moved extremely quickly and disappeared at the entrance of the banquet hall.

Du Jia got up too quickly, tripped over a chair leg, and fell heavily to the ground.

It hurts so much, it feels so real!

She fell to the ground, feeling as if something was desperately kneading and squeezing her chest, and her whole body was convulsing uncontrollably.

This is not a dream!

I can't feel this much pain in my dreams.

"Ah Jia." Lan Changming hurriedly came over to help her up.

Du Jiayang raised his hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"You switched my daughter?" she demanded, tears streaming down her face. "You threw away my child and then claimed she was an illegitimate child?"

"No," Lan Changming said, "I didn't throw her away; I only found out about it myself."

"When did you find out?" Du Jia stared at him, her eyes red. "Tell me, when did you find out?"

Lan Changming's eyes were also red, and tears streamed down his face: "Two years ago!"

Du Jia raised his hand again.

She slapped Lan Changming twice more hard.

The crisp sound couldn't express even a fraction of the emotions in her heart.

Those emotions were like a raging flood, which Du Jia couldn't vent; her very being felt like it was about to explode.

She said she had always hated Lan Muhe. She lived in guilt and self-blame.

And what did she say to her lost biological daughter just now, in her ignorance and confusion?

She deserves to die!

Du Jia still wanted to fight, but Governor Cheng couldn't stand it and gave the maid a wink.

Two maids who were serving the dishes stepped forward and stopped Du Jia.

One of them said, "Madam Lan, please calm down. The warlord and his wife are still here."

Du Jia couldn't stand steadily.

She lay prostrate on the ground, clenching her teeth, letting out a mournful cry like a trapped beast.

The warlord's wife was a woman of the world, but this was the first time she had ever seen someone so heartbroken, so devastated yet unable to express it, her pain reaching its peak.

It was a bit pitiful, and quite pathetic.

"Someone, escort Chief of Staff Lan and Madam Lan back." The warlord's wife stood up.

She then said to Governor Cheng, "Let's call it a day."