Chapter 17: The Adopted Daughter of a Wealthy Family Leaks Telepathy 17 Clearly a Dead Green Tea…

Chapter 17: The Wealthy Family's Adopted Daughter Leaks Her Thoughts 17—Clearly a Total Gold-Digger...

The Lin family lived in a low-rise residential area, far from the Fu residence. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining there, and after dinner, many elderly residents gathered at the alley entrance with their children, chatting and playing.

Fu Qixuan approached politely and asked, "Pardon me, ladies, does an elderly woman named Xie Huifen live here? I need to speak with her about something."

One of the elderly women scrutinized him before replying, "You're looking for Huifen? She’s sick and hospitalized. The family sold the house—she doesn’t live here anymore. If you want to find her, you’ll have to contact her granddaughter."

Another old woman scoffed, "What’s the point of looking for her granddaughter? If you ask me, it was her who made Old Xie so angry. She was fine before, so why did she suddenly collapse that day? Young man, why are you looking for Old Xie? She’s unconscious now, probably won't make it. Finding her won’t do any good."

Fu Qixuan made up an excuse, "My elders once received kindness from Grandma Xie, so they sent me to find her and repay the favor. Grandma Xie is sick? Do you know which hospital she’s in? I can cover the medical expenses and arrange for good doctors to treat her."

The women brightened at this. "You’re willing to pay? That’s wonderful! Old Xie’s illness must cost a fortune. Who knows if her granddaughter would even spend the money from selling the house on her? If you can help Old Xie, that’d be great. We don’t know which hospital she’s in, but we can give you her granddaughter’s number. You can ask her."

Fu Qixuan noted down Lin Xiaoyun’s number and asked calmly, "From what you’re saying, it seems Grandma Xie and her granddaughter don’t get along well? I’d like to know more—my family only asked me to repay Grandma Xie herself. I don’t want to get involved in any trouble."

The old women understood all too well. Someone like Lin Xiaoyun would latch onto a wealthy man in a heartbeat. If they scared this young man away, who would take care of Old Xie?

So, without holding back, they took turns revealing the truth.

"Lin Xiaoyun? Pretty, sweet-talking, and manipulative since she was little. Old Xie pinched pennies, spending every penny on her. Her grades were average, so she couldn’t find a decent job. Old Xie even begged around to find her work, but in the end, she became a mistress!"

"Oh, she was someone’s mistress. Let me tell you—she even tried to use a pregnancy to force her way into the family. But the wife wasn't having it. She had people corner her at home and had her beaten so badly she ended up in the hospital. That’s the only reason she stopped. How else would we know all this? Poor Old Xie was so furious she needed IV treatment to recover."

"Don’t think we’re being harsh, but Lin Xiaoyun is just shameless. All she cares about is money. When she was little, she’d greet us with a smile. Now? She looks down on everyone, even her own grandmother. Ungrateful brat—Old Xie used to cry every time she mentioned her granddaughter to us."

"Honestly, Lin Xiaoyun hasn’t been back in over a year. Then suddenly, when rumors of demolition started, she showed up out of nowhere. Old Xie’s neighbor even heard them arguing. Not long after, an ambulance took Old Xie away. Her face was ghostly pale—they said it was a brain hemorrhage. She was in the ICU, but we don’t know what happened after. All we know is Lin Xiaoyun sold the house."

"You think she just abandoned Old Xie to die? We’re just a bunch of uneducated old ladies—we don’t know what to do. Young man, you seem capable, and Old Xie helped your family. You must find her and get her proper treatment. She’s such a kind soul—never argued with anyone in decades. How did she end up with such a heartless granddaughter…"

As they spoke, some of the women began wiping away tears. In old age, nothing frightens them more than unfilial descendants. They had been neighbors for decades, watching helplessly as Old Xie was driven to ruin by her granddaughter. The injustice weighed heavily on their hearts.

Fu Qixuan hadn’t expected Xu Ziyan’s words to be true. The information he had investigated was completely fabricated, leaving him with mixed emotions. Facing the tearful elderly women, he assured them, "Don’t worry, ladies. I’ll find Grandma Xie as soon as possible and take care of all her medical expenses. I’ll ensure she’s looked after until the end."

After thanking them, Fu Qixuan quickly left. His objective had been achieved, and he was a man of his word. Immediately, he arranged for Xie Huifen to be moved to a VIP ward, hired professional caregivers, and even called in specialists for consultation.

Initially, he had only intended to help Lin Xiaoyun out of kindness. But now that he knew the real victim was Xie Huifen—and he happened to be in a position to assist—he would focus on aiding her directly. In his eyes, Lin Xiaoyun had transformed into nothing more than an industrial spy. Any sympathy he once held for her had evaporated.

By the time he returned to the Fu residence, the rain had stopped, replaced by oppressive heat. The moment he stepped inside, he asked a servant, "Where’s Xu Ziyan?"

The servant replied, "The second young lady said it was too stuffy, so she went to swim in the pool."

Xu Ziyan adored the water and swam almost daily. Knowing she liked to splash around freely, the Fu family deliberately avoided the pool area to spare her any embarrassment.

Fu Qixuan, however, paused before changing direction and heading toward the pool. He needed to verify the so-called "mind-reading" phenomenon. With Xu Ziyan in a swimsuit and submerged in water, this was the perfect opportunity—no place to hide any high-tech devices. Swallowing his discomfort, he decided to investigate.

Xu Ziyan was startled to see him and swam over, thinking, *He’s back already? Didn’t go comfort his precious darling?*

*Wait, why isn’t he buried in paperwork? What does he want with me? Did that social butterfly complain, and now he’s here to confront me?*

*But that doesn’t make sense. Officially, I haven’t turned against Ding Jie yet. Lin Xiaoyun, Ding Jie, and I are supposed to be allies. Why would Lin Xiaoyun sabotage me?*

Fu Qixuan studied Xu Ziyan, confirming she hadn’t spoken and that there was no way she could be hiding any devices. His worldview was crumbling, leaving him questioning reality.

*How is hearing someone’s thoughts even possible? At this rate, would it really be surprising if Sun Wukong showed up next?*

As a child, he had idolized Sun Wukong—until his parents sternly told him it was all fiction. Now, as an adult who revered science, his parents had just as firmly insisted he could hear thoughts. The mental whiplash left him feeling completely adrift.

Xu Ziyan rested her arms on the pool’s edge, tilting her head in confusion. Fu Qixuan announced, "Starting tomorrow, you’ll come to the company with me as my secretary. Two assistants will help you through the probation period."

Xu Ziyan immediately countered, "I want a flexible schedule and my own office!"

"Your performance evaluation matters. Tasks will be assigned flexibly. There are no spare offices—you’ll share mine. Breakfast at seven tomorrow. Don’t be late." With that, Fu Qixuan turned and left.

Behind him, Xu Ziyan let out an exaggerated groan and dove back into the water, internally ranting, *What kind of nonsense is this?! Just give me a do-nothing job! How am I supposed to binge-watch shows, snack, and nap if I’m stuck in his office? Performance review my foot—the world might as well end already! Whatever!*

As Fu Qixuan walked away, her mental voice gradually faded. Taking a deep breath, he resolved to work through the night to clear his mind—and to draft a plan to counter the Ding family.

As the current head of the Fu family, recent events had convinced him that his adversary wasn’t just Ding Jie, but the entire Ding clan.

The Fu and Ding families had been rivals for generations. His grandfather’s political exile had been orchestrated by the Ding family patriarch. Later, Zheng Liqiang—a subordinate of his father’s—embezzled company funds under the Ding family’s orders.

In his generation, Fu Qixuan had assumed the conflict would die down, with only Ding Yao remaining as a token rival. But then Ding Jie emerged, immediately targeting the Fu family upon his return—using them as a sacrificial lamb. Was this arrogance toward the Fu family, or toward him personally?

In the original storyline, Lin Xiaoyun had exploited Fu Qixuan’s kindness, stealing corporate secrets with Xu Ziyan’s help and dealing a critical blow to the company at a pivotal moment.

Now, however, Fu Qixuan was on guard against Lin Xiaoyun—and fired up. Regardless of whether the Ding family continued their schemes, he wouldn’t let this stand. They would pay the price.

Xu Ziyan swam a few more laps before returning to her room. Though she grumbled about the world collapsing and not caring, she still maintained polite relations with the Fu family.

Given how seriously they took her internship and thesis—even Fu Qixuan, who despised the original host, was making special accommodations—she couldn’t bring herself to slack off entirely. Sharing an office with him would inconvenience him far more than her, given his workload.

So Xu Ziyan decided to sleep early—partly for health, partly to wake up on time. *If I get sleepy at the office, I can always nap at my desk. Heh, as the boss’s sister, who’s gonna fire me?*

Humming, she finished her shower—only to be greeted by relentless ringing. Picking up her phone, she saw countless missed calls and messages from Ding Jie.

She answered casually, "Hello? What do you want?"

Ding Jie swallowed his initial reproach, frowning. "Can’t I call if there’s nothing wrong?"

Xu Ziyan shot back, "When have you ever called me for no reason?"

Stumped, Ding Jie got straight to the point. "Weren’t you disowned and kicked out of the Fu family? When did you go back?"

Avoiding a direct answer, Xu Ziyan said, "My parents love me—smoothing things over worked. Did you really think they’d cut ties forever? What, you unhappy I’m home?"

"You didn’t tell me."

"I figured you’d be too guilty to contact me lately. Besides, do I need your permission to stay with my family?" She set the phone aside to blow-dry her hair.

This offhand brush-off was unprecedented. Ding Jie assumed she was still angry about the video game incident and being abandoned at the club. Her veiled digs at his mother, combined with hiding her return to the Fu family, must be her way of giving him the silent treatment—waiting for him to apologize.

Though irritated, Ding Jie couldn’t afford to alienate her. According to Lin Xiaoyun’s observations, the Fu family had not only forgiven Xu Ziyan but treated her well. Using her to strike at the Fu family could be crippling.

So he softened his tone, coaxing, "My father’s been assigning me more responsibilities lately—I’ve been swamped, hardly time to eat. I’ll make it right with you once things settle, okay?"

Xu Ziyan chuckled. "Last time we ran into your brother, you said we were just classmates. What’s there to ‘make up’ between classmates? Ding Jie, what exactly are we? Even actual couples go on dates, share meals—some girls even get their boyfriends’ credit cards. But you? Can’t even see me. If we’re just classmates, no need to keep in touch, right?"

Ding Jie couldn’t afford to lose contact—not when he needed her. But frequent meetings were impossible, and openly associating with her would raise suspicions if he planned to use her against the Fu family. Biting back his irritation, he said, "I’ll have a card sent to you immediately. Go shopping, pass the time. I’ll take you out the moment I’m free."

Xu Ziyan raised an eyebrow, agreeing lightly, "Sure."

Her original plan had just been to complete a task—she hadn’t expected to get a credit card out of it. No point turning down easy money.

"Congrats, you've completed the mission: questioning Ding Jie about the nature of your relationship, earning 1 skill point. I know you want to add it to Luck. I'll apply it right away!"

Xu Ziyan chuckled. "Smart choice. Good luck ensures smooth sailing in everything."

In the original plot, after the Fu family collapsed and Xu Ziyan lost her usefulness, Ding Jie ignored her. She only confronted him after frequently seeing him with Bai Qingqing.

Xu Ziyan hadn’t been idling around these past few days—she’d studied the plot thoroughly. For scenarios like this, she seized opportunities to complete them early. By finishing simple plotlines ahead of time, she could accumulate a lot of luck points. Who knows? With enough luck, she might even turn disasters into blessings and live a long life.

Hearing her laugh, Ding Jie assumed she was appeased and got to the point. "Did you meet someone named 'Lin Xiaoyun' today?"

Xu Ziyan casually tapped the record button. "Yeah, poor thing. My eldest brother helped her out. She’s his secretary now."

Ding Jie hinted vaguely, "She really likes your brother. I hope you can help her."

Xu Ziyan responded bluntly, "So you hired her? I knew she was a total fake, putting on that innocent act. You want me to help her steal my brother’s company secrets, don’t you?" She laughed. "How’d you come up with this? You really cut to the chase."

Ding Jie hated phone calls—he preferred keeping things ambiguous. Xu Ziyan’s directness initially unsettled him, but by the end, she seemed totally on board.

Remembering how deeply Xu Ziyan loved him, how she’d do anything for him without caring about the Fu family, he relaxed. "Just cooperate with her. She’ll reach out when she needs you. I heard Fu Dongfeng plans to get you into the company? Get yourself assigned to Fu Qixuan's team so you can assist Lin Xiaoyun."

Xu Ziyan agreed. "Got it. I’ll start tomorrow. I’m hitting the sack now, or I won’t wake up on time."

She hung up before Ding Jie could say more. He found it slightly odd but figured she was just eager to fulfill his request—she needed her beauty sleep to land the job. Fu Qixuan wasn’t someone you could just sweet-talk; getting into the executive office wouldn’t be simple.

So Ding Jie dismissed his doubts and rounded up his game devs for crunch time. The upcoming game design competition was crucial—the game he’d acquired was a surefire winner, destined to take the championship.

Recently, Song Jie’s scandal had hurt the Ding family’s reputation, drawing criticism from shareholders. He needed another achievement to secure an independent project and shut up the critics. This was pivotal—no room for mistakes.