Julian Pei Lily Shen NovelThe Undeniable Protagonist

The night before my engagement to the ascetic heir of the city's elite, I dreamed of a talking weasel.
It claimed to be the Shen family's guardian spirit, worshiped for a century. In honor of my impending marriage, it had come to grant me three wishes.
My heart pounded. I was about to speak when several lines of text materialized before my eyes.
High-energy moment ahead! The imposter is about to make her wishes!
LOL, she has no idea she's the fake heiress who was switched at birth. The guardian spirit only protects the true Shen bloodline!
Whatever she wishes for, the blessings will ultimately be transferred to the real heiress, Lily Shen.
Grabbing my popcorn. The female lead's journey to a life of effortless victory is about to begin!
I masked the ice in my eyes and offered a faint smile as I made my wishes.
"I wish for the ascetic heir to cancel his engagement to the Shen family."
"I wish to be cast out of the Shen family with nothing to my name."
After hearing my words, the weasel stared at me intently.
"Little one, why would you be so cruel to yourself?"
I simply smiled.
Cruel? Oh, this is just the beginning.

1
The night before my engagement to Julian Pei, a weasel materialized in my bedroom.
"I am the guardian spirit of the Shen family, worshiped for generations. In honor of your impending marriage, I am here to grant you three wishes."
I shot upright, digging my nails into my palm. The sharp sting confirmed this was no dream. My voice trembled. "Is this real? Can you grant any wish?"
"You need only speak it."
A wish for "a happy marriage with Julian" was on the tip of my tongue when the text appeared again.
Here we go! The imposter is about to foolishly wish away her blessings.
She thinks she's the chosen one, but she has no idea this is all part of the real female lead Lily Shen's master plan.
The spirit protects the true Shen bloodline. This one is just some stray switched at birth.
The better her wishes, the more our girl Lily will gain when the truth comes out.
The words were like a bucket of ice water, shocking me into clarity.
Lily? I thought she was the daughter of our deceased nanny.
Through these pop-up comments, I learned that the main character of this world was the true heiress, Lily Shen. I was merely a side character, cannon fodder meant to pave her way. She had known her true identity for ten years but had kept it hidden, waiting for this exact moment. As soon as I made my three wishes, all the honor, the education, and the marriage I had fought so desperately for would be transferred to her.
My hands clenched into fists.
No wonder my adoptive parents had only ever shown me endless severity, never an ounce of warmth. They said a Shen daughter must be elegant and accomplished, so they forced me through daily ballet practice. One wrong step, and the switch would fall without mercy. They said a Shen daughter must have an outstanding education, so I slept only four hours a night. One point less on an exam meant being locked in the basement for three days without food.
Worse, they sent me to a special institution to be taught how to please a man.
I gritted my teeth, swallowing every tear and humiliation, until I finally became the person they wanted me to be. Yet, they never offered a single word of praise. All their tenderness and indulgence were reserved for Lily.
More than once, I had confronted them, my eyes red with unshed tears. They would always sigh, "This is for your own good. You are a Shen. You must be the best. Only by becoming strong enough can you have everything you want. As for Lily... she doesn't need all this."
Only now did I understand. It wasn't that she didn't need it.
It was that they had planned all along for me to be her stepping stone.

2
Seeing me remain silent, the weasel grew impatient. "Dilly-dallying... I've never seen one like you. Still haven't decided on your first wish?"
The floating text scrolled again.
This is hilarious. She's actually thinking about it, like a prize is just going to fall from the sky. Wishes beyond your station will backfire, you know.
Greedy people don't live long. This villainess is destined for an early grave!
A fire ignited within me. According to the spoilers, Lily would eventually take everything from me and live happily ever after with Julian. I, on the other hand, would suffer a karmic backlash for my "greedy" wishes and end up dead in a ditch.
I took a deep breath and smiled. "For my first wish... I wish for the city's ascetic heir, Julian Pei, to cancel his engagement to the Shen family."
The moment the words left my mouth, the comments exploded.
Is she insane? Didn't she scheme for years to get this engagement? Why cancel it?
How is our girl Lily supposed to get together with her dream guy now?!
The guardian spirit won't grant a wish that harms the female lead's interests, right?
But the rules say it can't interfere with mortal affairs. Whatever Seraphina wishes for, it has to grant!
Seeing that, a satisfied smile touched my lips. As long as it could be done.
This engagement was, indeed, something I had fought for. But it was never something I truly wanted. The Pei family was the wealthiest in the city; every elite family was desperate to marry into it, and the Shens were no exception. But Julian's mother, Eleanor Pei, was notoriously difficult, her standards for a daughter-in-law impossibly high. For years, no one had met her approval.
To win her over, I researched her every preference. I learned she loved desserts, so I studied under a master pastry chef and delivered fresh cakes to the Pei estate every morning. I heard she had a standing appointment at a beauty salon, so I would always arrive before her to ensure everything was perfect. After three months of these "coincidental" meetings, her gaze finally softened, and she invited me to a family dinner.
Even seated at that coveted table, I didn't dare drink a sip of water. I watched her every expression, placing the dishes she desired onto her plate. My devotion paid off. The engagement was mine.
But no one knew that I had zero interest in my fianc, Julian. I had thought that if marriage was my inescapable fate, I might as well wish for a peaceful one. But now that I had a chance to change it, I had no intention of sinking into that mire.