Chapter 11: The Adopted Daughter of a Wealthy Family Leaks Telepathy 11 The Intimacy with the “Male Lead”…

Chapter 11: The Wealthy Family's Adopted Daughter Speaks Her Mind (Part 11) and the "Male Lead's"...

Xu Ziyan and Yang Anni clicked right away, sharing similar views and could talk about anything under the sun. The script Yang Anni proposed was truly excellent. After hearing a rough outline from her, Xu Ziyan was captivated and eager to see it come to life. She gave the green light right then and there: "This is the one. You assemble the team, and I'll provide the funding. My only requirement is that it's done well and quickly so I can watch it as soon as possible. The rest is up to you."

Yang Anni raised her glass in delight. "You got it, Sis, leave it to me!"

Just as they clinked glasses, Yang Anni received a call from Ding Yao, who asked what she was up to. She casually mentioned she was having coffee with Xu Ziyan, to which Ding Yao immediately said he was nearby and would come over right away before hanging up.

Yang Anni awkwardly held her phone. "Uh... he's not normally this pushy. I'll tell him not to come."

Xu Ziyan waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. Let him treat us to a meal. Maybe we can even get him to chip in some money."

After settling the business matter, Xu Ziyan leaned in curiously. "So, what's going on between you two?"

Yang Anni chuckled. "Well, it's just one of those things. I was tricked into attending a dinner party and drank drugged wine, then accidentally ended up in Ding Yao's room."

"Wow, isn't that straight from a romance novel plot?" Xu Ziyan exclaimed, then remembered—this literally is a novel world, so it wasn't that strange.

Yang Anni laughed. "At the time, I didn’t know who he was. I thought he was a newcomer to the entertainment industry and even promised to help him debut and get him resources, asking if he’d be willing to follow me. Little did I know he was the eldest son of the Ding family! Since then, we’ve just been going with the flow. Whatever happens in the future, we’ll deal with it then."

Xu Ziyan nodded. "Exactly. Might as well, this world is about to collapse anyway. Take it one day at a time and do whatever makes you happy."

As soon as Ding Yao entered the café, he picked up on Xu Ziyan’s mental monologue. Calming his rapid heartbeat from rushing over, he slowly approached them. *World collapse?* Was the world going full fantasy now?

After exchanging greetings, Ding Yao couldn’t help digging. "Miss Xu, what brings you out with Annie today? Not spending time with Ding Jie?"

"Annie and I were discussing some business," Xu Ziyan replied, thinking to herself, *[Ding Jie stole that game from me and is busy buttering up Lao Dingtou now. No time to hang out. That guy is really sneaky—deliberately setting Ding Yao up to fail and get sent to a subsidiary company while he wins Lao Dingtou’s approval with the Fu family’s game. Now that's what I call playing the system.]*

Ding Yao’s expression tightened, and he quickly masked it by sipping his coffee. *So my work mistake was Ding Jie’s doing?* He’d have to investigate that thoroughly later. And Ding Jie stole a game from the Fu family? *Classic bastard behavior—no class. Stealing, and from a rival family no less. What a damn disgrace.*

Old man Ding wasn’t any better, actually admiring such a son. As long as the end result was good, the means didn’t matter, no matter how ugly?

Ding Yao also realized what Ding Jie had been secretly up to these past few days. Pulling himself together, he asked, "What business were you discussing? You just met, didn’t you?"

Yang Anni lit up. "Sister Yan and I really clicked. She’s even investing in a drama for me to star in as the female lead!"

Ding Yao smirked. "Didn’t I already offer to fund a drama for you to play the lead? You turned me down but you’ll take her money?"

"This is different," Yang Anni said earnestly. She had wanted to keep their relationship from becoming purely transactional, but with Xu Ziyan involved, it felt like a genuine partnership. "Want to join us? Just throw in some cash to back us up—I’ll handle the rest."

"Sure, no problem," Ding Yao agreed instantly. His late mother had left him a substantial inheritance, and aside from untouchable assets like shares and properties, he had more than enough cash to play with.

With that, their available budget grew significantly. Yang Anni looked between them and got a brainstorm. "What if we start an entertainment company? Sign me and a few other talented actors I know. It’d make investing in dramas easier and give us more freedom. Whaddya say?"

Xu Ziyan blinked. "I’m not working, though. Too much hassle."

Ding Yao also declined hastily. "I’ve got enough on my plate with my family biz."

Yang Anni assured them, "I’ll handle the work! You guys be the money men, and I’ll make you bank. I’m just hitching a ride so I never have to worry about being replaced again."

"No work for me?" Xu Ziyan considered it. "Then sure, why not?"

"Anyway, this money was given to me by my family. Having someone help me earn more is great—making that money work for us. Even if we lose it all, Mom, Dad, and Sis will just give me more. Heh."

Ding Yao had to laugh at her, though he was in a similar position—losses wouldn’t hurt him much either. And so, on that ordinary afternoon, in a small café, their half-joking entertainment company was born!

As they chatted further, Xu Ziyan suddenly heard Ding Yao call Yang Anni by her English name, "Ann," and the penny dropped—Yang Anni was the doomed side character from the original plot who suffered alongside Ding Yao!

*[OMG, Annie truly loves Ding Yao! In the final moments when Ding Jie went after him, Annie hid Ding Yao in her home and moved heaven and earth to help him gather evidence, only to get kidnapped by Ding Jie’s mercenaries and shipped abroad. Ding Yao ended up limbless, begging on the streets, while Annie’s fate was left untold—probably nothing good. That disgusting scumbag Ding Jie deserves to rot! Well, except Ding Yao doesn’t.]*

Fuming, Xu Ziyan took a big gulp of coffee. The deeper she got into the story, the more Ding Jie made her skin crawl. *How could someone like him be the male lead? Is this some kind of trashy drama?*

Ding Yao, meanwhile, got brain freeze from her mental broadcast. Though he’d already heard once in the mall about his tragic fate, hearing it again sent chills down his spine. He’d already verified that his mother’s jewelry was indeed in Song Jie’s possession—Xu Ziyan’s claims were true.

So he really would lose everything, become disabled, and beg overseas? And Annie… her fate for being with him was just as cruel. They’d never spoken of the future, both knowing they’d part someday. He’d assumed she didn’t care deeply for him, yet in the end, she’d risked everything for him.

Blindsided, Ding Yao blurted out, "I know some people. I’ll handle the company registration—get it done fast so we can start shooting sooner."

Yang Anni nodded eagerly. "Then I’ll hurry and find actors, a director—we’ll need a whole team."

Switching to business mode, they both looked expectantly at Xu Ziyan, who shook her head firmly. "Don’t count on me for labor."

After parting ways, Xu Ziyan returned to the Fu residence. Fu Yazhen was already back from her medical check-up, reviewing the report. Xu Ziyan was surprised. "Why the sudden exam?"

Fu Yazhen replied calmly, "I’m pregnant. I wanted to see if my body is in good condition to carry the child."

Xu Ziyan nodded, asking a maid for iced lemon water, offering no comment—not even in her thoughts.

Fu Yazhen found it odd. She’d expected Xu Ziyan to urgently advise against keeping the baby. Setting the report aside, her expression turned serious. "Ziyan, earlier you suggested investigating the people around us. I didn’t expect results so soon.

Other leads are still unclear, but one thing is certain: your brother-in-law was never an orphan. His father was once a manager at a Fu subsidiary, committed a crime, and Dad reported him. He died in prison.

Your brother-in-law hid this, especially given how sensitive the context is. I think he has ill intentions. So… should I still have this child?"

Xu Ziyan had expected a discussion about the scummy brother-in-law, not the baby. She stared at Fu Yazhen in surprise. *[This aloof sister is actually torn over this?]*

After careful thought, she answered, "If it were me, I wouldn’t. A child deserves parents who love each other. Since it hasn’t been born yet, why involve it in such a messy situation?

In my past life, my parents favored boys over girls and fought constantly. For years, I wondered what sin I’d committed to be born into that family. Especially since Zheng Wenbo is here for revenge—wouldn’t Cool Sister feel conflicted later, facing the child?

And if the kid ends up looking like Zheng Wenbo? That’s just a disastrous start.]"

She added, "I don’t know if pregnancy hormones—those mommy hormones—would make you reluctant to let go. If you truly can’t bear to, then go ahead. With so many people in the family, the kid’ll want for nothing. But you’d be stuck, and freedom would be harder to come by."

*[Since I didn’t follow the villainess’s script, who knows how long I’ll live? Might not even make it to the birth. So the choice doesn’t matter much.]*

Her final advice: "You do you, day by day. Nothing’s more important than being happy now."

Fu Yazhen had indeed been conflicted. With the child already in her womb, the emotions were different, and the decision weighed heavily. But after hearing Xu Ziyan’s thoughts, clarity dawned.

This marriage had been built on revenge from the start. To truly sever ties with Zheng Wenbo and the Fu family, to free herself from this vortex, she needed a clean break.

She nodded. "Thank you. I know what to do now."

Xu Ziyan blinked. *Huh? Just like that? I barely said anything.*

Fu Yazhen smiled faintly and handed her a tablet with a news headline. "I recall you wanted to invest in a celebrity named Yang Anni? She’s trending—photos surfaced claiming she’s being kept by a sugar daddy. Will this affect your investment?"

Xu Ziyan quickly took the tablet. The moment she saw the photos, she rolled her eyes. *[These are just shots from our shopping trip and today’s coffee meet-up! The angles are so deliberate—I’m right there, but not a single strand of my hair made it in. Only Annie and Ding Yao.]*

Fu Yazhen pointed out, "You just got back, and these coffee pics blow up online. Someone’s clearly targeting her."

Xu Ziyan didn't need to think to know it was Song Jie. She sent the group selfie from her phone to Yang Anni, asking her to use it to clear things up.

Yang Anni immediately called her, "Is this okay? Showing your face might make netizens gossip about you."

"I don't care." Xu Ziyan treated this world like a game—what did gossip matter? She was now a rich heiress, fearless.

Yang Anni thanked her, saying it was perfect timing to promote the new company and upcoming drama.

Yang Anni quickly posted the group selfie to debunk the sugar daddy rumors, captioning it: *Think outside the box—why not hype up a gorgeous bestie instead? My bestie set up a company for me and invested in me. Y’all better brace for Niohuru Anni coming soon!* [a viral Chinese meme implying a dramatic, powerful transformation] *SIS is taking me to new heights!!!*

Yang Anni had recently gained many fans, who sighed in relief upon seeing the clarification, laughing in the comments: *Even a shopping trip with a friend gets twisted into a sugar daddy scandal? Are they jealous our Anni has a rich bestie?*

Public opinion shifted instantly. Soon, netizens realized that since Xu Ziyan was also present, the trending photos were deliberately misleading. Who hated Yang Anni so much? Could it be Song Jie, who had been trying to drag Yang Anni down recently?

Song Jie, furious at the flood of accusations online, smashed a cup and called Ding Jie to demand, "What’s Xu Ziyan’s problem? Helping others against me?"