Chapter 31: The Adopted Daughter of a Wealthy Family Leaks Telepathy 31 New Story Started “Mom…

Chapter 31: The Adopted Daughter's Confession

New story published: "Mother…"

Ding Jie confidently introduced the new project, concluding with a promise to his father and the executives, "Under my leadership, I guarantee the company will achieve substantial profits and reach new heights."

"Excellent! Well done!" Chairman Ding looked at him with admiration, then turned to the other shareholders with a smile. "What do you all think? Quite impressive, wouldn't you agree?"

The shareholders could tell Chairman Ding wanted them to praise his son, but the project was indeed impressive, so they offered their compliments.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Chairman Ding. The legacy is in good hands."

"Ding Jie has truly grown through experience. With him assisting you, you'll have less to worry about."

"With such outstanding successors in the company, we can be confident and just wait for our dividends."

Chairman Ding exchanged pleasantries with them before announcing, "Then it's settled. Ding Jie will take on the role of general manager and oversee this project entirely."

Xu Ziyan, upon hearing from Fu Qixuan that Ding Jie was launching the new project today, went to a café across from Ding Corporation. Soon enough, she heard System 001 announced: "Congratulations, host, for completing the plot: helping the male lead steal trade secrets, facilitating his smooth rise to power and making a stunning debut."

Xu Ziyan couldn’t contain her smile. She stormed into Ding Corporation with her bodyguards in tow. The staff and security recognized her and didn’t dare to physically stop her. She stormed into the top-floor meeting room, interrupting the congratulations for Ding Jie’s appointment. "What’s all this about? A celebration?"

Ding Jie was stunned. "Ziyan? What are you doing here?"

Chairman Ding frowned at the sight of someone from the Fu family and coldly demanded, "Is this how the Fu family raises their juniors? No sense of decorum?"

Xu Ziyan took off her sunglasses, feigning surprise. "Chairman Ding, your son first stole Fu Corporation’s game, then took our project. Is this what you call good upbringing?"

Chairman Ding’s heart sank as he looked at Ding Jie. A father knows his own son—he didn’t need to ask to realize Xu Ziyan’s accusations were likely true. Otherwise, how could Ding Jie suddenly produce such an excellent project without any prior hints?

The shareholders and executives also grew suspicious. After all, Ding Jie had a track record—he’d stolen Fu Qiming’s game before. Now that the Fu family was confronting them, this couldn’t be a coincidence.

Ding Jie, fuming, glared at Xu Ziyan and warned, "I’ve been too busy to deal with you lately, but don’t make a spectacle of yourself here. If you have something to say, let’s talk outside."

Xu Ziyan rolled her eyes. "Oh please, don’t make it sound like I’m some lovesick girl throwing a tantrum. I’ve got plenty of handsome guys around me—all better than you. What’s there to like about a married, bastard son with a kid?"

"What? You’re married and have a child? How come I didn’t know?" Chairman Ding stood up, feeling his son was nothing but a liability, and one who couldn’t even clean up his own messes.

The others also turned disapproving looks at Ding Jie, who was particularly stung by the "bastard son" remark. He marched toward Xu Ziyan, reaching for her wrist. "Let’s talk outside!"

"Sir, control yourself," the bodyguards blocked him, shielding Xu Ziyan securely.

Xu Ziyan projected onto a screen and declared, "Don’t accuse me of making baseless claims. This project was my eldest brother’s idea. Here’s the proof."

The documents on the screen were timestamped—the project was from a year ago, while Ding Jie claimed it was his recent work. The lie was obvious.

Ding Jie never expected Xu Ziyan to do this. Did she hate him so much she’d ruin him? He was cornered but still defiant. "At best, it means Fu Qiming and I had similar ideas. This proves nothing."

"Oh, fine then." Xu Ziyan shrugged. Just as Ding Jie started to breathe easier, she projected another file. "I just came to remind you—what you stole was my brother’s scrapped project. It’s a good idea, but it has a fatal flaw: it’s certain to lose money. I’m sure you all understand?"

This would have been easy to verify, but it would take a month or two of thorough investigation. Ding Corporation would’ve found out eventually, but Xu Ziyan exposed it now to help send the male lead to prison. She’d despised him for far too long!

Several shareholders rose in alarm, realizing the project was indeed doomed to fail. Not only had they been humiliated in front of their rivals, but they also started criticizing Ding Jie.

"Young people are always unreliable. Chairman Ding, you really need to discipline your son."

"An illegitimate child raised outside will never measure up. Chairman Ding, you’d better bring Ding Yao back and train him properly."

"First, clarify whether he really stole this. If so, it’s entirely his personal misconduct—the company had no part in it."

Xu Ziyan chose this moment to present more evidence. "And here’s proof that Ding Jie instructed Lin Xiaoyun to steal trade secrets."

Ding Jie roared, "Xu Ziyan! Have you lost your mind?!"

Xu Ziyan smiled. "I’m completely sane—that’s why I’m exposing you. I’m a Fu through and through. Did you really think I’d help you steal from us?"

With irrefutable evidence, Ding Jie now faced charges for stealing trade secrets. Furious, he snapped, "If you accuse me, you’re an accomplice! Don’t forget what you’ve done!"

Xu Ziyan feigned innocence. "What have I done?"

"You—" Ding Jie suddenly froze. He realized Xu Ziyan had done nothing. He’d asked her to create opportunities for Lin Xiaoyun, but Xu Ziyan had only let Lin Xiaoyun deliver coffee or tidy up. It was Lin Xiaoyun who’d left doors unlocked, disabled surveillance, and sneaked into the office—only to be caught by hidden cameras.

Similarly, when he’d asked Xu Ziyan to help Qin Yuexiang, she’d claimed she’d just been about to assist when Qin Yuexiang left with Fu Dongfeng—even showing him the footage. Xu Ziyan had done nothing.

Even with Fu Qiming’s game, Xu Ziyan had gone to the restroom while he’d taken it from her bag himself. In every instance, Xu Ziyan had kept her hands clean—so uninvolved that no one could accuse her of complicity. She’d never left a trace, not even in phone calls.

How could someone be this careful? Unless… she’d never been on his side from the start. She’d been playing him all along!

Ding Jie’s eyes burned with rage. "You’ve been deceiving me this whole time?!"

Xu Ziyan, feeling the moment demanded drama, ventured to say, "I only help my own people. But you’ve always denied our relationship, haven’t you?"

Ding Jie was livid. "How could I ever like a scheming woman like you? You’d even betray the family that raised you! Who could ever trust or love you? I never had feelings for you—you were just a tool!"

"Congratulations, host, for completing the plot: the male lead admits he never liked you and severs ties."

Xu Ziyan burst out laughing. "You didn’t actually believe I had a bad relationship with my family, did you?"

The meeting room door swung open again. Fu Qixuan and Ding Yao walked in, followed by several police officers.

Fu Qixuan said calmly, "Xiao Yan is the Fu family’s treasured gem. She’s always been close to us—there’s never been any betrayal. Those baseless rumors were all your delusions. Ding Jie, for instructing Lin Xiaoyun to steal Fu Corporation’s trade secrets, I’ve already reported you to the police."

Ding Jie was dumbfounded—not just by Xu Ziyan’s closeness to the Fu family or Fu Qixuan’s police report, but also by Ding Yao’s unharmed appearance. "You… how are you—?"

Ding Yao smirked. "How am I here? Why aren’t I a crippled beggar? Ding Jie, you hired people to kidnap me, dump me abroad, and thought you’d get away with it? The kidnappers have confessed, and your transactions with them are all documented. As for how many crimes you’ve committed, you can reflect on that in prison."

The police moved to arrest Ding Jie. Chairman Ding and the others were aghast. "What’s going on? What kidnappers?"

Ding Yao’s expression turned icy. "You brought this bastard son into the family, elevated him, and let him compete with me. He hired people to kidnap me, planning to abandon me abroad as a crippled beggar—even ordered them to break my limbs. If I hadn’t been alert, I’d never have returned.

Are you happy now? This is the bastard son you cherished so much!"

Chairman Ding never imagined the rivalry between his sons would escalate to this point. He recoiled into his chair, suddenly looking a decade older. Today, he’d not only been humiliated but had also ruined Ding Corporation’s reputation.

Ding Jie was shoved into a police car. Through the window, he saw Fu Qixuan and Ding Yao flanking Xu Ziyan, and it finally dawned on him—they’d been working together all along! He also remembered: the project was one Fu Qixuan had scrapped a year ago, not the secret overseas deal he’d thought.

How laughable—he’d been so sure Xu Ziyan loved him and would do anything for him. He’d kept asking for her help, only to leak his own secrets. He’d even trusted her more after "stealing" the project, only to realize it was all a trap. He hated her!

Ding Yao asked Xu Ziyan, "Should we go celebrate somewhere?"

Xu Ziyan glanced at the departing police car, then at the blue sky. She took a deep breath and smiled. "No, I’d rather go home for a family reunion dinner. We can celebrate another day."

"Reunion dinner?" Ding Yao and Fu Qixuan were taken aback, both recalling the world’s collapse if the plot deviated. With no more plotlines to follow—and no intention of ruining their careers or health to stick to the original story—this was the end. They’d even sent the so-called "male lead" to prison.

They didn’t know how the final task would be judged or how long the world had left, but they should cherish every moment. Ding Yao grinned. "Alright, then I’ll go visit Annie on set. See you later!"

This time, he heard no inner voices—his fate must have truly changed. The sword hanging over his head was finally gone, leaving him lighter than ever.

Even if the world was doomed, he wanted to spend whatever time remained happily—not as a tragic side character.

The Fu family felt the same way. Everyone returned home and prepared a lavish feast, chatting and laughing, grateful they could still gather as a family at this moment.

While laughter filled one place, Ding Jie was having a miserable time in jail. He initially planned to hire a lawyer and deny everything, only to find that the police had already been investigating him for some time—the evidence was rock-solid, leaving no room for defense.

He thought he had won, but in the end, he lost everything!

Bai Qingqing was shopping at the mall when she spotted a handbag—the same one Xu Ziyan had carried the last time they met. She pulled out her credit card with confidence, thinking she could finally afford it too. After all, Xu Ziyan wasn't so special after all.

But the cashier informed her that her card was declined. Bai Qingqing felt the staff and other customers were looking at her funny, as if mocking her. Frantic, she immediately called Ding Jie, but when he didn’t answer, she dialed his secretary instead—only to receive shocking news.

"What? Ding Jie was arrested?"

Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, dizzy and disoriented. Snatching up her fallen phone in panic, she cried, "What do you mean arrested? He couldn’t have committed a crime! There must be some mistake—why didn’t you stop them?"

The secretary sighed. "How could we stop the police? Ding Jie stole trade secrets from the Fu Corporation and hired people to kidnap Ding Yao. There might even be other crimes—the police will investigate thoroughly. Anyway, he’s no longer part of the company, nor is he my boss. Don’t call me again."

Bai Qingqing’s face turned deathly pale. Her vision blurred, and she fainted on the spot, scaring the staff so bad they called 911!

Xu Ziyan was enjoying her meal when her system announced, "Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden plot: Making the female lead lose her baby and be hospitalized. Reward: 5 skill points."

Xu Ziyan paused. "What hidden plot?" she muttered.

001: "Events that weren’t written in the original storyline but happened between the male and female leads."

Xu Ziyan understood. So that's why Ding Jie went so hard on her in the original plot—turns out Bai Qingqing had suffered a miscarriage because of her. Well, well. Even this earned rewards—she was on a crazy lucky streak!