Chapter One: Did the phone display news from the future?

Liu Yiyi stood before the full-length mirror in her luxurious suite, her slender fingers gently caressing the custom-made gown worth a million. The soft glow from the crystal chandelier bathed her exquisite makeup, highlighting a face so beautiful it seemed almost unreal. Today was the day she had long awaited—her eighteenth birthday, and also the day she would become engaged to Lu Yancheng, the only son of a powerful family.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated, and a shocking headline flashed before her eyes:
"Scandal of the Century! Heiress Liu Exposed as an Impostor?"

Liu Yiyi was stunned. The surname matched hers—was this another fabrication from some unscrupulous media outlet? But the next moment, her pupils contracted sharply. The news was dated two days in the future.

Her heart raced, a chill creeping up her spine. "How... how can this be?" Her hand began to tremble uncontrollably. Forcing herself to calm down, she read the details and felt as if she’d plunged into an icy abyss:

"...A former nanny reveals that eighteen years ago, she swapped her abandoned child with the true heiress of the Liu family..."
"...DNA test results show Liu Yiyi has no blood relation to the Liu family..."
"...Stripped of inheritance and expelled from the family..."
"...Fiancé breaks off engagement on the spot; Liu Yiyi collapses hysterically, disgracefully..."

Dizziness washed over her. "I’m not the Liu family’s daughter?" She clung to the vanity for support, struggling to steady her breath.

"This can’t be true. Absolutely impossible," she muttered under her breath. "How could I not be the Liu family’s daughter?"

"Predicting the future with a phone? Utterly absurd." Liu Yiyi scoffed, "It must be some bored prankster."

She took a deep breath, trying to quell the turmoil inside. No matter what, today was her big day; she couldn’t let such inexplicable news affect her mood.

Just then, the butler’s respectful voice came from outside the door.
"Miss, the banquet is about to begin. The guests have all arrived."

Liu Yiyi snapped back to reality. "Alright, I’ll be there soon," she replied, her tone unwavering.

She glanced at herself one last time in the mirror, straightened her dress and makeup, then forced herself to wear a composed smile.

In the ballroom of the five-star hotel, glasses clinked amid a sea of glamorous attire. Liu Yiyi walked in, arm linked with her fiancé Lu Yancheng, drawing admiring gazes from all sides.

She deliberately pushed the earlier incident from her mind, but as her eyes swept over the crowd, she noticed her stepmother whispering in a corner with a strange young woman. The unfamiliar girl seemed about her age, and there was something familiar in her features.

A foreboding sensation crept over her. She had never gotten along with her stepmother; since her father’s death, the struggle for the estate with her stepmother and stepbrother had been relentless, even escalating to court battles. Now, at the critical moment of her coming of age and inheriting the family fortune, her stepmother brings along a stranger? Alarm bells rang in Liu Yiyi’s mind.

As the engagement ceremony was about to commence, she found herself compelled to check the mysterious app for the latest "future news":

Hot News (Published: 2 hours later):
"Shocking Twist at Elite Engagement Party: The True Heiress Revealed, Impostor Exposed."
"...Liu family welcomes back their biological daughter, lost for eighteen years..."
"...DNA test confirms Liu Yiyi unrelated to the Liu family..."
"...Lu Yancheng announces annulment of engagement on the spot..."

Liu Yiyi’s heart began to pound inexplicably; she instinctively clung tighter to Lu Yancheng’s arm.

"Yancheng, no matter what happens, you’ll stay with me, right?"

Lu Yancheng tapped her nose affectionately. "What are you worrying about? Today is our engagement day."

Would it really go so smoothly?

Her gaze drifted once again to her stepmother and the stranger in the corner, just as the girl flashed her a provocative smile.

Liu Yiyi’s heart sank.

At that moment, her stepmother suddenly rose and strode to the stage. Standing gracefully, she surveyed the room, finally fixing her gaze on Liu Yiyi before dropping a bombshell.

"Liu Yiyi is not the Liu family’s heiress!"
"She’s an orphan with unknown parents!"

The ballroom erupted into chaos.

Her stepmother turned, taking the strange girl’s hand. "This is the Liu family’s real biological daughter, Liu Xinyi, lost for so many years."

Liu Xinyi nodded slightly to the guests, a hint of triumph in her eyes.

Her stepmother produced a stack of documents and announced loudly, "Before my husband passed, the hospital conducted genetic testing and preserved blood samples for treatment."

"I obtained them legally and had the samples tested. This DNA report confirms Liu Xinyi as the true Liu family bloodline. As for Liu Yiyi..."

She glared coldly at Liu Yiyi, "She’s nothing more than the impostor switched by the nanny years ago!"

"And here is my husband’s notarized will, explicitly stating: all inheritance belongs only to the Liu family's biological children!"

"Liu Yiyi, you’ve enjoyed eighteen years of luxury in this household—it’s time to count your blessings. From today, you are no longer part of the Liu family!"

"Get out of this house!"

The explosive revelation stunned everyone at the party.

"My god, she’s just an impostor?"
"How can the engagement still count?"
"Count for what? She’s no longer the Liu family’s heiress—what’s the point?"

Harsh whispers spread like wildfire, and Liu Yiyi found herself at the eye of a storm. Yet, inside, she felt a strange calm, even a sense of relief. In the past, she would have fallen apart in denial, but now...

She had only one thought—that her phone could glimpse future news!

What did it matter, her status as heiress or her engagement to a wealthy heir? None of it was important. The future lay in her hands; with a touch, she could seize every opportunity.

At that moment, Lu Yancheng’s icy voice sounded beside her.

"Liu Yiyi," he said, devoid of emotion, "our engagement is null and void. I will marry the Liu family’s daughter, not the child of a nanny."

"I cannot marry an impostor."

Liu Yiyi thought, just as expected.

This man had never truly loved her—only her identity and status.

Yet, curiously, she felt no heartbreak, only a sense of liberation.

Under Lu Yancheng’s astonished gaze, she replied with serene composure, "Alright."

Liu Xinyi descended gracefully from the stage, coming to stand by Lu Yancheng’s side. She took his arm and said sweetly, "Yancheng, now that she’s no longer part of the Liu family, can we set our engagement?"

Lu Yancheng looked at Liu Xinyi, his eyes flashing with admiration, then nodded gently.

Liu Xinyi smiled brightly and stuck out her tongue playfully at Liu Yiyi. "Sorry, sis."

Liu Yiyi only smiled. "Picking up the trash I didn’t want—you should thank me, really. No need to be so polite."