Chapter 5

He was a man, and naturally, he understood the darker side of men better. 

 In Lu Pengfei’s view, even if Li Ze had no inappropriate relationship with that female colleague, carrying her in his arms was still crossing a boundary.  

Especially when there were other people around, or even if there weren’t—helping her walk would have been enough unless her leg was broken or she was seriously injured. 

With this thought in mind, Lu Pengfei, calming his anger, comforted his younger daughter a bit. Seeing that she wasn’t upset, he felt reassured and said, “Peony has grown up. 

 If Xiao Ze tries to contact you in the next few days, just say you’re traveling out of town.” 

Fang Wenyi’s eyebrows shot up in anger. “My daughter didn’t do anything wrong, so why should she have to hide away?” 

Lu Pengfei patiently soothed her, “It’s not about hiding; I’m worried he’ll keep pestering Peony. And besides…” 

Still fuming, Fang Wenyi didn’t catch on immediately. “Besides what?” 

Lu Jiu pressed her lips together. “If Li Ze really is cheating, that photo alone isn’t solid proof. We’ll need to gather more evidence.” Once she’s out of town, Li Ze might be more blatant in his actions. 

Lu Jun was pleased that her sister had a plan. “Exactly. Mom, you should hold back for a few days. If we don’t want to fall out with Uncle Li and Aunt Li, solid evidence of Li Ze’s wrongdoing against my sister will be crucial.” 

Fang Wenyi understood the reasoning, but that didn’t stop her from being furious! 

No, she couldn’t let this go! 

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became! 

Bang! 

“This is outrageous!” Fang Wenyi slammed the table hard. 

Startled, her husband and daughter both looked over at her as she angrily commanded, “I don’t feel comfortable with her going out of town. Peony, you’re going to stay at your uncle’s house for a few days. His grapes and melons are ripe… And don’t worry, if XiaoZe has done anything to wrong you, even if it means falling out with them, your father and I will break off the engagement for you! That’s settled!  

Now, everyone, go to bed!” 

The others…

Chapter 03 

 “Beep Beep” 

Sister: Want to watch a movie? 

Lu Jiu: Sure! 

After replying to the message, Lu Jiu got out of bed. Before heading out, she made sure to grab a couple of snacks from the drawer. 

Lu Jun was already waiting outside the door. Her gaze first landed on her sister’s eyes to check if they were swollen, then she said, “Let’s go.” 

Lu Jiu closed her bedroom door and quickly caught up. 

“Still thinking about Li Ze?” Although they were supposed to be watching a movie, as they lay on the sofa, Lu Jun wasn’t really paying attention to what was on the screen. 

“Not really.” 

Lu Jun turned her head. “Then why haven’t you slept? You’ve always been so good, and you usually go to bed early. It’s already midnight.” 

Of course, I’ve been busy trying to connect with the spiritual energy of the world, though I still haven’t sensed anything. Also, suddenly awakening as a spirit has made me a bit excited and uneasy. 

But that wasn’t something she could explain, so Lu Jiu casually replied, “Alright, I did think about it for a while. After all, it’s been so many years of feelings.” 

Lu Jun could understand that. It wasn’t just her sister who had grown up with Li Ze; she had too.  

When they were younger, she and Peony had often gone to Aunt Li’s place to eat. 

 Lu Jun sighed, “I hope that kid Li Ze hasn’t done anything to hurt you, because if he has, even if we break off the engagement, I’m still going to give him a beating.” 

Knowing that her sister was trying to cheer her up, Lu Jiu genuinely smiled. 

Actually, she didn’t plan on getting revenge on Li Ze. 

 In the past 20 years, she had indeed benefited a lot, and she couldn’t completely deny the good times they had shared. 

However, staying friends after breaking up? That’s impossible. 

So, Lu Jiu decided to distance herself—from Li Ze and from the Li family.  

As for whether Li Ze had betrayed her or not, while her family might be unsure, Lu Jiu was absolutely certain. 

Because she had reincarnated into a book. 

And not just any book—the kind her flower spirit sisters, who had taken human form, had brought back from the human world to read to her. 

Lu Jiu knew the contents of this book all too well. 

In the original story, Li Ze and his secretary only fell in love because she, the original Lu Jiu, had spiraled into darkness, twisted herself up, and continuously sabotaged herself. 

 This time around, without her playing the role of the sacrificial lamb, who knows what would happen between them? 

Would Li Ze’s parents take on that role instead? 

As she was lost in these thoughts, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. 

Lu Jiu turned her head. 

It was her sister, fast asleep. 

Her sister had been incredibly busy opening a second department store in the neighboring city, and who knows how long it had been since she had slept well. She must have stayed up, unable to relax until she knew Lu Jiu was okay. 

Feeling warmth in her heart, Lu Jiu reached over to press the recline button, carefully helping her sister lie down as the sofa flattened out… 

By the time their worried parents, Fang Wenyi and Lu Pengfei, found their way to the basement theater, the two sisters were fast asleep, heads resting against each other. 

“They’re all grown up, yet still act like kids,” Fang Wenyi said with a mix of amusement and exasperation. 

Lu Pengfei bent down to adjust the fallen blanket, making sure it covered his daughters’ bellies, then raised the temperature on the air conditioner by two degrees. Taking his wife’s hand, he whispered, “Let’s go back to bed.” 

“Alright.” 

The next day. 

When Lu Jiu woke up, her father and sister had already left for work. 

She didn’t rush to her uncle’s house, wanting to spend a bit more time with her family since they were rarely all together. 

As for Li Ze, knowing her sister was at home, he wouldn’t dare come by. 

The two of them had never really gotten along. 

So, by the time Lu Jiu packed up her gifts and headed to her uncle’s house, four days had already passed. 

And in those four days, there was plenty of time to gather evidence of Li Ze’s infidelity. 

Lu Jiu hadn’t seen the photos herself, but she’d heard that they were all taken at his company. 

It seemed like the two of them were quite cautious, and what she had witnessed must have been a coincidence. 

She wasn’t sure how intimate the photos were, but from the increasingly grim expressions on her family’s faces, she could guess. 

And so, her parents and sister, who were eager to cut ties quickly, essentially “kicked” her out of the house. 

“When you’re at your uncle’s, don’t spend all your time out in the fields. Remember to call Mom, and it’s best if we can video chat every day.” As she was about to leave, Fang Wenyi, noticing her daughter’s excitement, gave a worried reminder. 

Her youngest daughter had never had any other hobbies—she just loved to dig around in the dirt. 

How much did she love it? Even with such high marks on her college entrance exam, she still chose to study at an agricultural university. 

Fang Wenyi didn’t think that studying agriculture was a bad thing—after all, it was still a prestigious school. 

 But her youngest daughter had been so beautiful since she was a child, like a little fairy, and yet she insisted on working with mud, which felt so out of place.