Chapter 99 Caught in the Act: Substitution and the Plot Unfolds

Song Ying did not add Wen Yize on WeChat directly.

Firstly, she had no connection with Wen Yize. Her willingness to help was purely out of respect for Wen Jinzhao.

Secondly, Wen Yize is obsessed with love and doesn't have the same intelligence as Wen Jinzhao.

Should I repay the life-saving grace from back then, or not? If I do repay it, how should I do it, and should I let Wen Yize know?

All of this is a matter for the Wen family, and Song Ying doesn't want to get involved.

-

Wen Jinzhao didn't keep Song Ying waiting for too long.

[I knew it! Xu Lanyan is a fake! The person who saved my brother should have been Jian Yunlan!]

[But Jian Yunlan is so pitiful! She's been pathetic since she was a child. Compared to her, Xu Lanyan is truly blessed but doesn't know it! She's probably the only good person in the entire Xu family.]

I'm telling my brother about this right now. The Wen family must help those siblings!

[And Yingjie, did you know? News came from China today that Xu Lanyan committed suicide in the hospital and is in the intensive care unit. She left a letter for my brother, saying that she has realized her mistakes and hopes that my brother can let her family go.]

【Pah! She's just a sore loser! Someone like her would clearly rather have her whole family die than commit suicide. She's just putting on an act, trying to hide in the hospital to avoid jail time and gain my brother's sympathy!】

Now that I have this information, I'll see if Xu Lanyan can keep up the act! Still trying to fool my brother? Pah! Does she really think the Wen family are all fools? I'll teach her a lesson right now!

After hearing Wen Jinzhao's outburst, he repeatedly thanked Song Ying.

But Song Ying noticed another detail in her words.

Did Xu Lanyan commit suicide?

Moreover, it was all to protect the Xu family?

The beautiful tit's eyes narrowed.

Based on Song Ying's understanding of Xu Lanyan, this person is the typical one who would rather betray the world than let the world betray her.

Did he commit suicide for his family?

Unless the sun rises in the west.

It would be more likely that he did it to avoid imprisonment.

But that's not right either.

Even if one is seriously ill, there will eventually come a day when things get better, but at that time, one still cannot escape the punishment of the law.

Unless, Xu Lanyan is planning something at the hospital, either to escape or...

Thinking of something, Song Ying's eyes sharpened.

He dialed Qin Shu's number.

"Ashu, something might have happened to Xu Lanyan! I can't leave right now. Can you have someone check which hospital she's in? Also, have someone go check on Jian Yunlan, just in case anything goes wrong."

-

Meanwhile, at the Yuntai District Hospital in Beijing.

Two police officers stood guard outside the SVIP ward.

The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, and both of them were exhausted after guarding the area all day.

The slightly overweight one yawned. "The person inside is lying there and can't move at all. The boss wants the two of us to guard him. Does he think the Xu family will kidnap him?"

In his opinion, it was completely unnecessary.

The tall, thin man was also sleepy. He rubbed his face and said, "Don't think about so many things. The Xu family is involved in such a large amount of money. If something really goes wrong, neither of us can cover it up."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a gasp came from around the corner ahead.

"Murder! Someone has murdered someone!"

The two men immediately drew their guns in preparation.

Their eyes met, they nodded to each other, and the tall, thin man rushed toward the source of the sound.

Little Fatty blocked the doorway to the ward and patrolled the surroundings on guard.

However, not long after, a muffled groan came from ahead.

After a slight hesitation, Little Fatty glanced at the ward and rushed over as well.

The two figures disappeared around the corner.

At the same time, a man dressed as a nurse grabbed a woman dressed as a patient and they came out through the other end of the emergency exit and slipped into the ward.

Upon seeing this, Xu Lanyan, who should have been lying in bed "seriously ill," suddenly sat up.

The woman, whose mouth was covered, struggled desperately, but the man pressed her down onto the hospital bed with great force.

He said fiercely, "If you don't want your brother to die, you'd better behave yourself!"

Upon hearing this, the woman froze instantly.

But soon after, she bit the man hard.

Taking advantage of the moment he flinched in pain, the woman broke free and ran towards the ward door.

At the same time, he shouted for help: "Help! Doctor! Help!"

The way was blocked.

Xu Lanyan crossed her arms, a smile playing on her lips, and stood in front of Jian Yunlan.

"Little sister, it's been a long time."

"Who's your little sister! Xu Lanyan, my surname is Jian, and I have absolutely no relation to your Xu family!"

"Not a penny involved?" Xu Lanyan raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Miss Jian, have you forgotten that six years ago, you took a full 200,000 from the Xu family!"

“That money is the child support that the Xu family owes me over the past twenty years. It was the Xu family’s obligation to support me. Moreover, we made it very clear at the time that after that incident, I had nothing to do with the Xu family anymore! In the past six years, I haven’t bothered your Xu family again, have I?”

"Without that 200,000, where would the brilliant Jian Cheng be today? Without that 200,000, how could Miss Jian have opened a Hanfu shop? Without that 200,000, you and your brother would probably be starving on the streets by now!"

Xu Lanyan pressed closer and closer, cornering Jian Yunlan against the bedside.

Jian Yunlan forced herself to stand up straight and took a deep breath.

"Alright, since you put it that way, I'll return the 200,000 yuan I took from your Xu family!"

"Alright? Great!"

Xu Lanyan clapped her hands and raised an eyebrow. "Six years. As long as you can repay the Xu family two million, including interest, then we'll be even."

"Xu Lanyan, are you crazy?!" Jian Yunlan exclaimed in disbelief, "Two hundred thousand to two million? What kind of company offers such high interest rates?!"

"Of course it's the Xu family!"

Xu Lanyan leaned closer to Jian Yunlan and chuckled softly beside her left ear, "Little sister, you probably don't know how the Xu family made its fortune, do you? Two million isn't really that much. And this isn't even taking inflation into account."

Jian Yunlan knew the Xu family was shameless, but she never expected them to be this shameless!

At this moment, she felt disgusted by the fact that she had the blood of the Xu family flowing in her veins.

She was also grateful that she was able to be adopted by Jian Mingxiao.

If she hadn't been adopted by the Jian family, she might have become another Xu Lanyan.

The heart rate increases.

Jian Yunlan's face turned pale.

Xu Lanyan added fuel to the fire—

“Jian Yunlan, do you remember what I told you on the phone back then? The Xu family has raised you for so many years, it’s time for you to repay them.”

"You don't know yet, do you? Your brother Jian Cheng went to participate in 'All-Round Trainee' not for any so-called dream. He just wanted to make money through this method to pay for your medical treatment."

"Remember that student surnamed Tan he used to teach? That perverted homosexual, he took a fancy to Jian Cheng back then—tsk tsk, no wonder Tan Mu couldn't control himself, a boy with feminine features, isn't that the result!"

“If your brother had married him and climbed up to the Tan family, you wouldn’t be in such a poor and destitute state. But he didn’t know what was good for him and hit Tan Mu.”

"Well, now that Tan Mu has also joined 'All-Round Trainee,' what kind of good things do you think will happen when these two meet?"

Jian Yunlan felt waves of pain in her chest, and her face grew increasingly pale.

No wonder.

No wonder Tan Mu kept targeting Jian Cheng when she watched the show.

No wonder Jian Cheng's performance on stage is getting worse and worse, and the online reviews are getting worse and worse.

Whenever she felt distressed, Jian Cheng would always say that this was an effect deliberately set up by the production team to make him popular despite his negative image, so that he could be redeemed and reversed later.

But now she knows that the truth is actually like this...

-

Xu Lanyan was very satisfied with Jian Yunlan's current state.

The moment she saw Jian Yunlan, she wanted nothing more than to slash her face!

What level is it?

He doesn't even deserve to look exactly like her!

This unsophisticated and useless person was actually remembered by Wen Yize for more than six years.

Thinking of Wen Yize's past infatuation, and then thinking of Wen Yize's cold-heartedness after learning the truth.

Xu Lanyan's anger and jealousy surged up.

Why should I?!

Xu Yanlan's chest heaved violently, and her gaze at Jian Yunlan grew increasingly fierce and crazed.

"You now have two paths before you."

"Either you pay the Xu family two million within three days, and the two families will be even. As for your brother, he will become Tan Mu's plaything, a plaything for those big shots in the entertainment industry with peculiar tastes."

"Either you become Xu Lanyan from today onwards and take the blame for my imprisonment—that way, I'll bail out your brother; and as for you, you can receive a large sum of compensation after you're released from prison and live a peaceful and prosperous life."

"I've given you the opportunity; the choice is yours."

"Of course you can refuse, but it's a pity for Jian Mingxiao and his wife. They've always treated you like their own daughter. If they knew they'd raised a thankless child, wouldn't they be so angry they'd crawl out of their coffins?"

Xu Lanyan's words struck Jian Yunlan like a bolt from the blue.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, accompanied by a black halo, and my chest felt as if it were being pierced by countless tiny needles.

Jian Yunlan stumbled and fell onto the hospital bed behind her.

Her breathing quickened, but she still mustered all her strength to grab Xu Lanyan's hem.

"If I take the blame for you, will you let my brother go?"

"Of course. I'm a man of my word."

Jian Yunlan scoffed coldly, "I don't believe it."

If the Xu family had truly kept their word, this whole mess wouldn't have happened.

As for Xu Lanyan...

Even if the entire Xu family were combined, they probably wouldn't be as shrewd as she is.

"I need you to write a promise for me. If my brother is truly safe and sound, I will grit my teeth and not back down; but if I find out that you are two-faced, then don't blame me for turning my back on you."

"Do you think you have the right to negotiate with me?" Xu Yanlan raised her voice.

Jian Yunlan, however, refused to budge an inch.

"Then Miss Xu, you can sing this 'Tears Behind Bars' yourself."

Despite her increasingly fading consciousness, Jian Yunlan stubbornly refused to give in.

The person in the white coat behind them made a throat-slitting gesture.

Xu Lanyan shook her head.

Jian Yunlan cannot die here.

Now everyone is watching the Xu family closely.

If "she" dies too suddenly, the autopsy results will inevitably attract attention, and even if she wants to escape, she won't be able to.

"Okay, I promise you, I'll write it for you."

As she said this, Xu Lanyan picked up the paper and pen from the bedside table and quickly wrote a letter of commitment.

The most urgent task is to appease Jian Yunlan so that she can buy time to leave the country.

As for that letter of commitment?

It doesn't matter. By then, she won't be in the country anymore. What does Jian Cheng's life or death have to do with her?

And Jian Yunlan, oh no, Xu Lanyan.

She might suddenly suffer a heart attack and die in prison one of the days after her conviction.

With that in mind, Xu Lanyan handed the guarantee to Jian Yunlan.

"Miss Jian, please keep this safe. If it gets discovered before the verdict, I can't guarantee whose bed that little beauty, Jian Cheng, will end up in."

Jian Yunlan clutched her left chest, her gentle and graceful face turning ashen.

After scanning the pledge and confirming that there were no ambiguities, he carefully put the paper away and kept it close to his body.

By this time, Jian Yunlan's last bit of strength had dissipated completely.

He collapsed onto the hospital bed.

"Put the person down safely."

Xu Lanyan raised her chin, her eyes revealing her disdain.

The man in the nurse's uniform quickly arranged the person and covered her with a blanket. At first glance, it was almost exactly Xu Lanyan herself.

Xu Lanyan exchanged patient information rings on her wrist with Jian Yunlan.

The man said, "Miss, she seems to have fainted. Should we take the guarantee?"

"Are you stupid? What if she wakes up and finds out if you take it?"

Xu Lanyan rolled her eyes at the man. "Stop dawdling, hurry up and go, don't wait for those two policemen to wake up. By the way—has the hospital surveillance footage been resolved?"

"Don't worry, it's been handled properly and no one will find out."

"very good."

Xu Lanyan laughed, feeling incredibly happy.

Once she left this hospital room, she would be Jian Yunlan from now on.

She won't be tolerated in China, but the assets she's transferred overseas over the years are enough for her to make a comeback.

The Xu family will eventually reappear before the public.

At that time, what will Wen Yize be? And what about Qin Shu?

They all had to submit to her!

The moment the door opened, Xu Lanyan seemed to see the dawn of victory just ahead.

However……

-

The confident smile on Xu Lanyan's face disappeared.

A large group of people were standing at the entrance.

The one leading the group was none other than Qin Shu, whom she never expected.

Their eyes met. Qin Shu, dressed in a suit, walked step by step toward the ward with his hands in his pockets. His arrogant and unruly demeanor exuded a powerful aura, making him look exactly like a suit-wearing thug.

Xu Lanyan instinctively stepped back.

However, she soon remembered that she was no longer Xu Lanyan.

It was Jian Yunlan.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Xu Lanyan feigned panic.

Qin Shu didn't reply at all, he just tilted his head.

"Let's do it."

Upon hearing this, the black-clad bodyguards behind him immediately moved in and subdued Xu Lanyan and the man in the white coat behind her.

The man didn't even have a chance to fight back.

"What are you doing! This is a hospital, what you're doing is illegal!"

Xu Lanyan struggled to her feet and was about to shout when a bodyguard stuffed something into her mouth.

Only muffled sobs remained.

"Peng Wen, go check the left hand of the person in the hospital bed."

"yes."

The assistant, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, stepped forward, lifted the blanket, and glanced at Jian Yunlan's right hand.

"President Qin, there's a scar on the side of her thumb; it belongs to Jian Yunlan."

As he spoke, Peng Wen walked up to Xu Lanyan and forcefully pried open the thumb she was desperately trying to clench and hide.

"President Qin, there are no traces. It's definitely Xu Lanyan."

After saying this, Peng Wen stood behind Qin Shu and adjusted his glasses.

"When Jian Yunlan was born, she had six fingers on her right hand. The Xu family considered this an omen of bad luck and cut off the syndactyly on the side of her right thumb before abandoning her."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lanyan's previously maintained composure crumbled instantly.

It was making mumbling noises.

Qin Shu raised his hand.

The bodyguard took out something to plug Xu Lan's cigarette.

"How...how did you know..."

The arrogant young lady murmured.

Jian Yunlan's existence has been a secret of the Xu family for many years.

The reason she didn't kill Jian Yunlan back then was to be prepared for any eventuality.

But who would have thought that the Qin family would also interfere...

She didn't tell anyone about her plan.

How could Qin Shu possibly know?!

Peng Wen, standing beside her, stared at Xu Lanyan as if she were a dead person.

"Looking across the capital, there is no information that the Qin family cannot find out; there is only information that the Qin family wants to know and information that the Qin family does not want to know."

Qin Shu was too lazy to listen to Xu Lanyan's nonsense anymore.

"take away."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the ward.

The bodyguard gagged Xu Lanyan again and forced her and the doctor in the white coat out of the ward.

Peng Wen glanced at Jian Yunlan on the hospital bed.

"Mr. Qin, the one in the hospital bed..."

"Have a doctor come and examine them, and also retrieve the hospital's surveillance footage. Personally send those two unconscious police officers and Xu Lanyan back to prison. By the way, tell the warden that if his men still can't distinguish between real illness and feigned illness next time, the Qin family won't mind helping him open his eyes."

Qin Shu's words were arrogant.

But how could the Qin family, who have been the richest family in the capital for so long, be just ordinary businessmen?

Peng Wen respectfully responded and left with the bodyguards.

Qin Shu then took out his phone and dialed Song Ying's number.

Qin Shu said, "You guessed it right. Xu Lanyan really did try to substitute one thing for another."

"So what's the situation now?" Song Ying pressed.

"Naturally, things didn't go as planned."

Song Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

When she heard that Xu Lanyan had been sent to Yuntai District Hospital, she knew something was wrong.

Although the Xu family is currently involved in the matter, it has not yet reached the point of bankruptcy liquidation.

Given Xu Lanyan's status, if her condition were truly that serious, she would definitely go to the First Hospital of the Capital, not the Yuntai District Hospital where Jian Yunlan works.

It's worth noting that Yuntai District Hospital isn't even among the top five in Beijing.

Recalling the message she had just received, Song Ying added:

"Wen Jinzhao said that Wen Yize is already on his way back to China. Jian Yunlan has congenital heart disease, so please leave a few more people at the hospital to take care of her in case anything happens. Once the Wen family arrives, we won't need to worry about her anymore."

"Hmm," Qin Shu responded, then changed the subject, "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"ah?"

The conversation changed so quickly that Song Ying almost didn't catch it.

So Qin Shu said again, "It takes about half an hour to get to your filming location from here. I've finished my work for today, and I'm free tonight, so I'll have dinner with you."

Song Ying told the trainees that evening that they would start practicing the team stage at seven o'clock.

It's almost six o'clock now.

Considering the timeframe, I hesitated.

"I have work tonight, how about you bring me something? We can eat here together?"

It's time to get back to work after eating.

After hanging up the phone, Song Ying continued working on the stage design plan.

-

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Lu Nianwei leaned against the door. "What are you so busy with? You didn't even eat. I didn't see you in the restaurant just now, only your assistant."

Song Ying looked up and smiled, then lowered her head to continue drawing.

"I'll design their stage tonight, make a few more changes, and it'll be about right. My husband will come over later to bring me dinner."

Lü Nianwei: "...Why did I have to ask that question? This is such a sudden dose of dog food."

As she walked in, she said, "May I take a look? If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me, and I'll answer whatever you want to know."

At this time, Lü Nianwei was unaware of Song Ying's abilities and, fearing that she might not have any good ideas, thought of offering her suggestions.

"When I was going over the stage with them this afternoon, I had just thought of a combination that would be perfect for an eight-person stage, but unfortunately, even with me, we only have seven people at most. If you don't mind, I can share it with you."

As Lü Nianwei spoke, she sat down opposite Song Ying.

Just then, Song Ying finished the last stroke of her brush.

She looked up with a smile, "If you had told me an hour earlier, I could have saved myself the trouble of thinking."

Lü Nianwei laughed loudly: "Alright, alright, it's my fault—may I take a look?"

She pointed to the paper in front of Song Ying.

"sure."

Song Ying turned the paper in front of her over and pushed it in front of Lü Nianwei.

Such a straightforward response made Lü Nianwei hesitate slightly.

Aren't you afraid I'll copy your idea?

Song Ying smiled, put down her pen, leaned back in her chair, and said lazily, "That's only if you can actually copy it."

"Such a boastful tone, I'll have to see just how powerful they really are."

As she spoke, Lü Nianwei finally looked at the blueprint.

One glance was enough to leave me speechless.

"How was it, Teacher Lü?" Song Ying asked with a smile. "Please give me your guidance."

Lu Nianwei slowly raised her head, looking at Song Ying with a complex and indescribable expression.

"Teacher Song, please stop making fun of me."

Lü Nianwei then realized how arrogant her words had been.

She silently pushed the stage plan back.

“I’m really showing off my skills in front of Guan Yu this time… Not only are you good at drawing, but you’re also very good at stage design—I think you’re the designer at SLOVEY, right? No wonder you’re so professional.”

Song Ying really wanted to say that stage design and formation design are not the same as costume design.

But after thinking about it, I ultimately held back.

"Teacher Song, actually, umm, I have a favor to ask... I just don't know if it would be convenient for you..."

It was rare to see Lü Nianwei so hesitant, so Song Ying picked up a thermos cup from the vicinity and took a sip of water.

Tell me about it.

"I was thinking...could you help me check out our group's stage?"

As soon as Lü Nianwei finished speaking, she belatedly realized that her request was a bit excessive, and quickly waved her hand to explain.

"Teacher Song, I was just mentioning it casually. If it's inconvenient for you, it's okay. You don't need to feel pressured..."

"sure."

"Ah...ah?" Lü Nian was slightly taken aback. So decisive?!

“If you’re willing to help me without holding back, of course I’m willing to offer you advice. It’s a give-and-take relationship.” Song Ying thought this was perfectly normal.

Lü Nianwei immediately felt even more embarrassed.

"What kind of help am I giving you... Besides, with your skill level, you don't need my help at all..."

Lü Nianwei has seen quite a few talent shows in recent years.

But the first person to truly amaze her without even seeing the actual product, based solely on the design drawings, was the one who did so.

She could almost imagine how wonderful Song Ying's group's performance would be.

Of course, this is all predicated on the trainees under her supervision having the ability to match the design.

"Okay, Teacher Song, since you're helping me on stage, then you can leave your kids to me. I happen to be free tonight, so I can help you supervise their training."

Before Song Ying could say anything, the knocking on the door came again.

"Knock knock knock—"