Shane's Secret Heiress: The Star They Abandoned

The lights in the Michigan police station were pale and glaring.

Yanny Young huddled on a cold metal bench, holding a bag of cold instant noodles to her chest. All the sounds around her were muffled, as if separated by a layer of water—the whispers of the officers, the ringing of phones, and the distant, indistinct hum of traffic on the street.

She stared at the stain on the toe of her shoe, which she had picked up in the stairwell that morning when her mom shoved her.

“Heaven.”

She murmured the unfamiliar word, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rough edge of the instant noodle packet. The uniformed officer had told her that her mom had gone to a good place and wouldn’t be coming back.

She actually understood.

Her mother had always talked about finding a "good place" and leaving her behind. Only this time, it had happened too suddenly.

Fragments of memory surged to the surface, carrying the scent of old dust and cheap tobacco:

The old, perpetually dim apartment; the empty pantry, barren except for a desiccant packet; and the red figure on the sofa, always shrouded in twisted smoke—that was her mother, Cecily Young.

Her mother was beautiful.

But Cecily had a terrible temper and constantly called her a slut and a bastard.

That day, Yanny was simply too hungry.

Four-year-old Yanny picked up the dollar bill her mother had thrown at her from the floor—it was all they had.

Her mother told Yanny to hurry up, buy instant noodles, and cook them for her.

Yanny remembered clutching the dollar bill like a lifeline as she ran down the creaking staircase.

When she returned with the noodles, she saw her mother flirting with a bearded man. It seemed as if her mother was planning to spend the night with him. Yanny felt sick just looking at the man.

Soon, however, the man’s wife came running after them, her face twisted in fury as if she meant to kill Yanny’s mother.

Cecily ran for her life, dashing out onto the street where she was struck by a massive force and sent flying like a burning ball, plummeting like a kite whose string had snapped.

The dull thud of her mother's body hitting the ground still reverberated in Yanny's eardrums to this day.

Her mother lay in a spreading pool of dark red, her lips quivering. In her final moments, her expression was a complex mix of emotions.

"I’ve left you all alone…"

Finally, she collapsed in the pool of blood and never woke up again.

She was the only one left in this world.

Yanny asked, "Mom?"

No one answered.

The driver who caused the accident panicked even more. "Little girl! Your mom suddenly ran out on her own! It’s not my fault! Where’s your dad? Can we find a place to talk this out properly?"

She ignored the driver and just shook Cecily over and over. “Mom! Mom! Mom!”

"Mom, you can hit me or yell at me—whatever—just say something!"

"Mom, I bought the noodles! Mom!"

"Don't be silent, Mom!"

But no matter how hard she shook her or shouted, her mother didn’t react at all.

A crowd slowly gathered around them. Someone asked her cautiously, “Little girl, where’s your dad?”

“I don’t have a dad,” she replied frantically, lifting her tear-streaked face. "I only have a mom."

For a moment, everyone fell silent, unsure of what to say. An older woman looked at her with a mix of surprise and sympathy.

Yanny began to cry even harder. "Save my mom! Please, please save her! My mom won’t talk to me anymore!”

She didn’t know why, but after saying those words, many people around her had tears in their eyes. They looked at her with sympathy.

After the video of Cecily’s car accident was uploaded online, it quickly shot to the top of the trending list. A prominent viral tag followed the hashtag.

Yanny was very pretty. She looked like a porcelain doll as she sat on the ground crying and looking for her mom.

The scene tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.

Someone commented: [I recognize this little girl. Her mom had a criminal record and served time in prison. She would either hit or yell at the child—their life was so hard. Her name is Yanny!]

[Such a young child, crying like this right after losing her mom. My heart aches. I just want to hold her tight!]

[Sweetheart, don’t cry. I will buy you a whole jar of candy—it’s all yours!]

Immediately afterward, a new trending topic titled Who Will Give Yanny a Home? shot to the top of the search rankings.

A woman walked into the office holding a phone and said to the man, “Mr. Young, I’ve found a business opportunity.”

The handsome man lazily lifted his eyes and took the phone from her hand.

The screen lit up, and the heart-wrenching cries of a little girl instantly filled the room.

He immediately frowned. “Kids are the last thing I need right now.”

“But this child’s situation is unique. She’s now an orphan—her mother just passed away—and she’ll likely be sent to an orphanage. If we adopt her and give her a makeover, she has the potential to become a viral sensation."

As she spoke, the woman paused the video and zoomed in on the screen. "Look. This child's looks and demeanor are exceptionally striking. It’s no exaggeration to call her a one-in-a-million doll. She has immense commercial value."

On the screen, Yanny clutched a packet of instant noodles in her small hand as a police officer led her away. Her childish face gazed at the pool of blood on the ground; her expression was one of utter despair. Amid her fragility, there was heartbreaking beauty.

Eric Young had only intended to glance at the video casually, but his gaze suddenly froze. This child?! He zoomed in repeatedly, staring intently at her face. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. “Does this girl have no family?!”

A gleam of excitement shone in the woman’s eyes. "That's right. Not only is she an orphan, but she’s also had a very hard life. I just pulled up some urgent information. Her mother named Cecily. She was imprisoned five years ago for assault. After her release, she took her daughter back home. I hear she’s constantly beating or berating the child. Whoever takes this child in now will strike gold! Mr. Young, please give this opportunity serious consideration!"

Eric was stunned, unable to believe his ears.

Cecily?!

Wasn’t she his sister with the terrible reputation?

He immediately searched on his phone and quickly found unedited footage of the traffic accident.

The woman lying on the ground was his sister, whom he had cut off five years ago.

She had slept with Andrew Shane while he was drunk and tried to kill Vivian Young.

When she became pregnant, Andrew gave her money for an abortion, but she didn't follow through.

Could she have given birth to the child? Eric studied Yanny’s features closely. She looked exactly like Andrew!

He immediately sent a screenshot to Andrew: [Did you know this is your daughter? You actually have a daughter! That woman Cecily secretly gave birth to your daughter—oh my God!]

Their chat history was usually brief, but this time, a long conversation appeared. Before long, Andrew responded.