Chapter 56

Yan Ning remained seated, looking down at Yan An, and calmly said, “Madam and Doctor An are coming.”

After speaking, she reached out to take the mental energy thread from Yan An’s hand, then pretended to pull out a small red dice-shaped pendant from her pocket. In reality, it came from her spatial ring.

At this moment, she believed that Yan An had awakened her mental energy under her influence and was unaware that Yan An had seen some of her memories through her mental power. She still had to carry out some steps to divert attention.

The dice-shaped pendant was actually a micro-container. Yan Ning placed the mental energy thread inside, then took out a black bracelet.

She threaded the red pendant onto the bracelet and tied it around Yan An’s thin wrist.

Just as she finished this, the door to the hospital room was pushed open from the outside.

Tang Minrou entered first, followed by Doctor An and several nurses.

Upon seeing Yan Ning in the room, Tang Minrou furrowed her brows. “What are you doing here?”

Yan Ning stood up, her expression calm. “I came to see Yan An. Since the doctor is here, I’ll leave now.”

Yan An raised her hand and grabbed hers. “An’an wants older sister to stay with me a little longer. Is that okay?”

She was already very thin, and her large, round eyes seemed to sink into her sockets, looking at Yan Ning with a pitiful gaze that made her incredibly endearing.

Yan Ning looked up at Tang Minrou, who had no ill feelings toward Yan An.

After learning what Yan Wan had done to Yan An, she felt even more sympathy for her.

Tang Minrou furrowed her brows tightly, clearly not liking Yan Ning. She lowered her gaze, glancing at Yan An a few times before conceding, “An’an, let Sister Ning wait outside. Let the doctor check on you first, and if it’s okay, we’ll let Sister Ning stay with you later, alright?”

Yan An thought for a moment, pointing to a nearby chair. “Then Sister Ning can sit there.”

Yan Ning dragged the chair slightly outward and sat by the window, trying her best not to disturb the doctor’s examination.

She also wanted to understand the condition of Yan An’s body after removing the mental energy’s restriction on her heart, especially under the close examination of medical instruments.

In her view, even though the pressure on Yan An’s heart was temporarily lifted, her body still needed time to recover.

Over the years, her heart hadn’t developed properly and still bore many scars from being constrained by the mental energy.

Her body was also extremely frail.

Doctor An and the nurses entered, pushing medical instruments ahead of them.

When Doctor An entered, his face was grave. He sensed that Yan An’s body might not hold up much longer.

If it weren’t for the Yan family’s wealth and their continuous care, in Yan An’s condition, especially at her young age, she might not have survived.

And the pressure from Tang Minrou was becoming increasingly overwhelming, especially with Yan Ning sitting quietly by the side, which made the pressure even heavier.

When he heard that the exchange of hearts was proposed, he hesitated.

Later, Tang Minrou even planned to sacrifice one daughter’s life to save the other, all without the daughter being aware. At that moment, he wanted to refuse.

But he was also in a difficult situation. There were urgent financial needs at home.

Tang Minrou had offered him so much money.

He reluctantly agreed to perform the surgery for her, never imagining that this woman would be so reckless. The daughter she had just sent over hadn’t even entered the observation period when the whole thing was exposed.

To make matters worse, the people who found out were Shengyi’s boss and the two girls’ uncle.

He knew Tang Minrou had kept this a secret from others.

But when Tang Chengtian caught her, he just wanted to run away.

At this moment, however, Tang Minrou had him under her thumb. Even though the surgery had not been performed yet, he had already taken her money, and with some compromising evidence in her hands, there was no way out.

Doctor An, with a feeling like he was attending a funeral, connected the equipment to Yan An and, after reviewing the latest test data, his eyes brightened.

He couldn’t believe it—Yan An’s weak body, with all her indicators, had suddenly improved.

Although her results hadn’t reached normal levels, they were much better than they had been earlier that morning.

Tang Minrou noticed the change in Doctor An’s expression. She waited for a while as he finished his tests, then approached him and asked, “How is An’an’s body?”

Doctor An looked at her, his eyes filled with disbelief. “Her condition is slowly improving. Her heartbeat, which was almost undetectable before, is now strong. But to be certain, we still need to give her some blood, and it would be best to perform a full-body checkup.”

“Are you serious? What about An’an’s heart?” Tang Minrou’s gaze briefly flicked to Yan Ning.

Doctor An didn’t even dare to look at Yan Ning. He just lowered his head and walked toward the door. “It seems much better than before. I’ll arrange the checkups now.”

Tang Minrou glanced back at Yan An before following Doctor An out of the room. Before leaving, she told Yan Ning, “Stay here with An’an.”

After she left, Yan An looked at Yan Ning. Her voice was weak but clear. “Sister, she’s a deceitful woman. Don’t stoop to her level.”

Yan Ning held her hand and smiled faintly. “I’m used to it, it’s fine.”

“You don’t need to get used to it. When I get better, I’ll get revenge for you,” Yan An said, her face still pale. But in her large eyes, there was a hint of excitement, a look that definitely didn’t belong to a child of her age.

Yan Ning felt a bit worried. Yan An’s personality had clearly changed from when she was younger.

She had seen the past deep within Yan An’s consciousness and could be said to be the one who understood her the most. She was very concerned that the pressure in Yan An’s heart was too much and that she might do something irreversible.

But she also felt that she couldn’t speak up. After everything she had gone through, it would be too cruel to ask her to just let go.

It seemed Yan An knew what she was thinking. She pulled her hand out of Yan Ning’s palm, then held her hand back, saying, “Sister, don’t worry. Yan An knows what to do. I won’t go too far. I’ll take good care of myself because I finally have a real sister, and I want to be with you forever.”

Yan Ning, who had long been accustomed to the maturity of girls around Yan An’s age, suppressed her worries. She smiled and reassured her, “Mm, don’t think about anything else for now. Just focus on getting better. When you’re well, you can do whatever you want.”

Hearing this, Yan An’s brows lifted, and she smiled brightly. “Then no matter where you go in the future, can I always be by your side?”

After learning about Yan Ning’s past, she understood that the small Yan family could never keep her.

From the moment Yan Ning learned she had twin siblings, she had always wanted to care for and love them. Now, with Yan An, that wish was finally fulfilled.

This was a little sister who needed her love and was also trying to return that love.

Although she had met many sweet little sisters, such as Qiao Yingxue, Zhao Xiaolu, and Gu Tian, none of them were Yan An.

Yan Ning gently stroked her hair, her heart softening. “Mm, I promise you. As long as you want, wherever I go, I’ll take you with me.”

—

Tang Minrou took Yan An for an examination, leaving Yan Ning alone in the hospital without much else to do.

She stepped out of the hospital and immediately dialed Gu Han’s number. “Gu Han, it’s me. I need your help with something.”

After resolving Yan An’s situation and waiting with her in the hospital room, she had been considering how to repay Yan Wan.

Yan Ning finally reflected deeply within herself. She had been too gentle with both Yan Wan and Tang Minrou.

“007, check for me why Tang Minrou dislikes me so much.” While waiting for a car on the side of the road, she gave the order.

She thought there should be a reason behind all this.

If 007 couldn’t find anything, then she would have no choice but to enter Tang Minrou’s consciousness, just like she did with Yan Wan.

But she didn’t really enjoy delving into other people’s deepest secrets unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, having already entered two people’s consciousness, from Yan Wan to Yan An, she felt a bit exhausted.

Her thoughts were fragmented as she stood by the roadside for a long time, not even noticing when a car had stopped in front of her.

It wasn’t until the black sports car honked twice that she snapped back to reality. She looked up at the man in the driver’s seat, his eyes smiling. She suddenly felt the fatigue of the morning slowly dissipating.

She opened the car door, sat down, and smiled, her eyes and lips curling. “How did you end up here?”

Lu Fengfeng leaned over to fasten her seatbelt and handed her a cup of takeaway milk tea, his eyes full of warmth. “I guessed you’d be finishing up soon, I’ve wrapped things up on my end as well. Where do you want to go next?”

Yan Ning inserted the straw and took a large sip. The sweet and smooth milk tea lifted her spirits. She leaned back against the seat and sighed comfortably before replying, “I’ve arranged to meet Gu Han at Qixi Plaza. But, do you have a driver’s license?”

Although she wasn’t very knowledgeable about cars, the car Lu Fengfeng was driving wasn’t the same one Hei Jing usually used to pick him up. This sports car was much flashier and more ostentatious than Hei Jing’s modest old car. It was the kind of car that would catch people’s attention when parked on the street.

Yan Ning thought that since Lu Fengfeng was about her age, he technically shouldn’t have a driver’s license yet.

Driving such a car and drawing attention would be troublesome if he got caught.

Lu Fengfeng raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “It may not be obvious, but I’m legally an adult according to my ID. And I do have a driver’s license, so don’t worry.”

“Ah? Well, that’s good.” Yan Ning didn’t ask further, since he said he had one, there was no need to worry.

She had always seen Hei Jing coming to pick him up, thinking it was because he didn’t have a license. Now it seemed it was purely out of laziness, or perhaps he just liked to boss Hei Jing around.

Seeing the tired look on Yan Ning’s face, Lu Fengfeng adjusted the seat back for her. “Rest a bit. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

Yan Ning did feel a bit drowsy. She put the milk tea aside, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes to rest.

—

The place Gu Han had chosen was a café with a pleasant ambiance, and he had reserved a private room.

While she was idly flipping through the drink menu, Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng pushed the door open together. Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “What is this—what does this mean? Do I have no chance now?”

Lu Fengfeng sat down and pulled Yan Ning to the middle, positioning himself between her and Gu Han.

He wouldn’t admit it, but if Yan Ning and Gu Han sat together, even with him sitting right next to them, he would feel uncomfortable.

Yan Ning smiled at Gu Han, completely ignoring his cryptic comment, and directly got to the point. “Did you bring the things?”

“I did, I did. Looks like I’m just a tool, huh?” Gu Han dropped his bored demeanor, grabbed the backpack next to him, and took out a notebook and a magnetic card. He added, “Why don’t we order first? It doesn’t look good just sitting here doing nothing.”

Yan Ning took the laptop, inserted the magnetic card, and gave 007 a command. With nothing else to do, she nodded in agreement to the suggestion.

However, since she had just had milk tea in the car, she wasn’t in the mood for more drinks but felt like having something to eat.

Lu Fengfeng opened the drink menu and placed it in front of Yan Ning. He noted down every item she paused at when her eyes lingered on it.

When the waiter came in, he rattled off a long list of desserts and finally ordered two drinks.

After the waiter left, Yan Ning looked at him in surprise. “Isn’t that a bit much? What if we can’t finish it?”

She knew in her heart that Lu Fengfeng ordered so many items simply because of her. All the items he ordered were the small snacks she had hesitated over, wondering whether to order them or not.

She wanted to try them, but was worried she wouldn’t be able to finish them.

“The snacks are small, they won’t be too much. And I often come to this place, you’ll like it.” Lu Fengfeng reassured her, “Even if you can’t finish them, I’m here, aren’t I?”

Gu Han, sitting nearby, curled his lips in a sarcastic smile, crossed his arms, and, once again, was forced to endure a mouthful of dog food.

“By the way, when did you two get back together? Didn’t you say you broke up?” Gu Han blurted out, clearly irritated, and spoke bluntly.

Lu Fengfeng gave him a glance and raised the corners of his lips slightly. “We’ve always been fine.”

“I swear!”

Gu Han sat up straight, irritated by the situation, regretting asking that question in the first place.

Soon, the tea and snacks were served.

The small pastries, just as Lu Fengfeng had said, weren’t too big but were cute in their designs.

Even though they filled most of the table, she could finish them easily, one bite at a time.

Yan Ning had just finished enjoying the delicious snacks when 007’s voice echoed in her mind: “Master, all the stored footage has been converted into video.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Yan Ning removed the magnetic card from the laptop and handed it back to Gu Han. “I’ll take this. Thanks for your help.”

“That’s it?”

Gu Han had listened to Yan Ning’s explanation over the phone earlier, and based on his intuition, he thought it would be a complicated matter. He never expected that, less than an hour later, she’d say it was all taken care of.

“Yep, thank you for today. If there’s a chance in the future, you can have Tiantian come visit me. Yan An’s health is also slowly improving, she can come and visit her too.”

“Yan An’s health is improving?” Gu Han was surprised.

The Yan and Gu families had a long history, going back to their grandparents’ generation.

In the past, their families frequently socialized, but after Yan An fell ill, Yan Zhengjun became busy with his business and Tang Minrou focused on the children, so their interactions gradually became less frequent.

Gu Han had visited Yan An a few times before. She had always been a healthy child, but because of her heart condition, she had become so thin.

At that time, he had a vague feeling that Yan An might not survive.

To hear that her health was improving now was unexpected and surprising.

He finally smiled: “Hmm, in the future, when I have time, I’ll bring Tiantian over. She and Yan An used to play so well together. After she got sick, and Tiantian’s health wasn’t great either, they didn’t meet as often. That girl will be so happy when she hears this news.”

“Yes, Yan An still needs to stay in the hospital for a while. Once she’s home, I’ll let you know, and we can have a small welcome party for her at home.”

Speaking of this, Yan Ning was filled with anticipation.

She really wanted to wait for Yan An to get better and then do all the things she had imagined doing with her younger siblings in the past.

“Speaking of which, I didn’t see how you handled that just now. What was on that magnetic card?” Gu Han couldn’t help but ask, curious as he noticed Yan Ning casually put the magnetic card into her pocket.

Yan Ning touched the magnetic card in her pocket and mysteriously uttered two words: “Secret.”

Actually, 007 had just performed some very complex operations on Gu Han’s laptop, but since 007 only needed an internet connection, it could generate a shielding layer by itself.

Gu Han looked at his laptop, not noticing any suspicious programs running. That was because when 007 used the laptop, it activated the shielding layer, and after finishing, erased all traces.

After saying goodbye to Gu Han, Lu Fengfeng drove Yan Ning back to the Yan residence. It was only just past noon.

Yan Ning stood at the door, looking up at him, squinting with a smile at the corner of her lips: “See you tomorrow.”

“Mm, see you tomorrow.” Lu Fengfeng smiled warmly at her, nodding.

Yan Ning took two steps back, her gaze still lingering on his face: “You go ahead.”

Lu Fengfeng turned around, and Yan Ning watched his retreating figure. A trace of loneliness crept into her cat-like round eyes, as if she was a little reluctant to part.

She lowered her head, and at that moment, she suddenly realized something.

She and Lu Fengfeng were together, and this time it was different from before with the tasks and demands.

This time, they were together because they both liked each other.

The boy with the enchanting, fairy-like face, and clear as moonlight eyes, was her boyfriend.

Lu Fengfeng walked away leisurely, his fists tightly clenched. He opened the car door and sat in, silently reminding himself: Be composed, be composed, don’t scare her.

However, as he turned his head and looked through the car window, he saw the faint trace of loneliness on her face, so subtle that it could almost be missed, mixed with her warm, sun-like smile.

In his mind, he suddenly cursed: To hell with composure!

He slammed the car door open, jumped out, walked to her, and roughly pulled her into his arms, kissing her lips passionately.

Her soft, candy-like lips made him lose control and, unable to stop himself, he ran his tongue over them.

In her astonished yet slightly shy gaze, he winked at her and teasingly said, “Strawberry cake flavor.”

Yan Ning felt a surge of warmth shoot up from her toes, spreading over her collarbone, neck, ears, and cheeks, finally rushing to her brain. Her heart beat loudly, thumping like a drum, and the small, inexplicable feelings from earlier were long forgotten.

This was the first time Lu Fengfeng had seen her like this, usually, it was he who was flustered in front of her.

He felt this experience was refreshingly new. Raising his long, jade-like hand, he slightly curled his index finger and lightly brushed it against her delicate, pale nose, smiling gently and saying, “Go on in, I’ll watch you.”

Yan Ning stood there for a moment, stunned, her mind blank.

It took her a while to react. She nodded at him and, obediently, turned to walk inside. Her steps, once slow and hesitant, gradually grew quicker, and by the time she reached the door, she no longer had the courage to look back at him.

This feeling was out of control!

The door slammed shut with a “bang!” Yan Ning stood frozen in the foyer, taking a deep breath, her cheeks flushed red.

Hearing the sound of the engine starting outside, her heart kept pounding—thump, thump, thump—

It seemed endless.

When the sound of the engine faded and she was sure Lu Fengfeng had left, her mind and emotions gradually returned to normal.

She straightened up, raising a hand to adjust her collar and cuffs before bending down to take off her shoes.

Aunt Wu ran out from the kitchen, her face full of a spring-like smile, her slanted eyes slightly narrowed, giving off a pure, interested light like a bystander watching gossip: “Miss Ning, is that handsome young man just now yours?”

She had actually seen that young man kiss Miss Ning earlier, but she specifically came out to ask because Miss Ning’s reaction had been quite cute.

As soon as she finished speaking, Miss Ning’s already-red face turned even redder, and the whole person seemed to almost catch fire.

If this had been back in the day, Aunt Wu, when she was younger, would have found it troublesome to see young people in love.

But ever since her highly-educated son, who graduated with a master’s degree but still had no girlfriend and was almost thirty with no interest in finding one, she had been exasperated.

Yan Ning didn’t expect to be teased by Aunt Wu when she got home, and she stomped her foot, not knowing what to say.

She changed her shoes quickly and hurried upstairs.

—

Lu Fengfeng watched Yan Ning go inside, the smile on his face slowly fading. He turned and got into his car.

He drove to the place where he had dropped off clothes for Yan Ning and taken her for breakfast before, stopping the car there. Sitting inside, his eyes were vacant, lost in thought, unsure of where his mind had wandered. He even raised his hand to touch his lips.

It seemed like the sensation she left there hadn’t faded, and even his fingertips still carried the sweet smell of strawberry cake.

So this is what mutual affection feels like: her heart was as soft as a jellyfish swimming freely in the sea, carefree and content. He suddenly felt like singing.

It had been so long since he had such a desire, ever since he stepped onto land.

Today, he wanted to sing for Yan Ning, the same song he played during the competition last time.

He wanted to sing his feelings and wishes to her, but it wasn’t the right time yet.

A thought crossed his mind, and a trace of coldness appeared in Lu Fengfeng’s dark, ink-like eyes.

The curse on him had not been broken yet.

—

Yan Ning returned to her room and immediately lay down on her bed, using it to hide her embarrassment.

Although the room was empty except for her and 007.

007 had been holding back for a long time, and only then did it ask, “Master, are you and Lu Fengfeng in a romantic relationship?”

“Technically, we’re a couple. ‘Lovers’—what kind of outdated term is that?” Yan Ning flipped over, hugging a soft little pillow to her chest, a smile filling her face.

She felt her heart, too, soft and cushioned, like the pillow in her arms.

The usual cold, mechanical tone of 007 suddenly spiked: “Master, during the time I’ve been in sleep mode, what exactly has happened to you? If His Majesty finds out, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

Mentioning Qingye, Yan Ning’s silly smile froze. She had almost forgotten about this troublesome matter.

The reason she secretly escaped back to Earth was to avoid marriage.

Her marriage to Qingye had been suddenly arranged as a political alliance.

She was sure Qingye had no feelings for her, and she didn’t like him either.

She respected him, but that was all—there were no other feelings beyond that.

But she couldn’t understand why Qingye would agree to this proposal.

After trying every means possible to protest, and still not being able to cancel that absurd arranged marriage, she ran away.

Yan Ning suddenly realized that she had to find a way to tell Fengfeng about this.

The K2 battery arrived three weeks ahead of schedule, and she had a faint premonition in her heart.

No matter what result she faces next, she isn’t afraid.

She understands in her heart that she really likes Lu Fengfeng.

Her feelings for him are different from anyone else’s.

She also knows that he has entrusted his heaviest life wish to her.

When he confessed to her today, she thought he would mention that matter.

But in the end, he didn’t say anything at all.

Since she has already given him her heart, no matter what consequences they might face, she doesn’t want to disappoint him.

“If His Majesty comes, I’ll explain everything to him personally. I’ve never had any feelings for him other than respect, and he should feel the same way toward me. He doesn’t need to sacrifice himself for the greater good,” Yan Ning said to 007.

Hearing this, 007, unusually, did not respond immediately.

Since becoming Yan Ning’s personal AI, he had stored all information about her.

Some of this information even Yan Ning herself was unaware of, like the statement she made: “He should feel the same way toward me.”

He was just an AI and didn’t understand the complicated emotions between humans. Perhaps after being around Yan Ning for so long, and storing so much data, he had slowly developed a different set of computational methods from other AIs.

Combining the data he knew and the current situation, he quietly deduced: Qingye, the king, probably regretted his past decision.

As an AI, he should have been completely confident in all his calculations.

Yet, at this moment, he used a word humans often use to express uncertainty: “Probably.”

007 took some time to regain his composure before changing the topic. “Master, when do you plan to release the contents on that magnetic card?”

“In a day or two, once Yan An’s health improves a bit,” Yan Ning replied after thinking for a moment.

She had extracted the memories she saw in Yan Wan’s mind with her mental power and had 007 use his technology to regenerate the images, creating a video similar to surveillance footage. This video also incorporated some images from Yan An’s consciousness.

What had originally been impossible to see was now turned into real images through the technology held by 007, and there was no sense of mismatch.

The only thing that couldn’t be easily explained was the source of these images.

Yan Ning thought that she would need to discuss this with Yan An later, and she might need her to be the one to provide the evidence.

“Master, until these images are released, do you plan to keep using your mental power to control that woman next door?”

“It’s not a solution to keep going on like this, and it’s too easy on her.” Yan Ning sat up, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes. “My imagination is too limited, and the only solution I can think of is to let her suffer the consequences.”

Yan Ning stood up, left her room, and quietly walked next door. She pushed open Yan Wan’s door.

Yan Wan was still lying on the cold floor, just as she was in the morning, wearing pajamas.

But now, the once carefully dressed school beauty, praised by everyone, had her brow furrowed, her face covered in cold sweat. There was an unfamiliar stain on the floor, looking both pathetic and amusing.

Yan Ning concentrated a bit of mental power and injected it into Yan Wan’s temple.

Yan Wan slowly opened her eyes, her face pale, her eyes vacant. She clearly hadn’t yet shaken off the terror from her dream.

“Get up if you’re awake,” Yan Ning said coldly, sitting on a nearby chair and casually glancing at Yan Wan.

Yan Wan sat up in shock, probably feeling uncomfortable. She looked down and saw the stain on the floor, her face going pale, then flushing red.

“So, it turns out you’re not so brave after all. You’ve wet yourself already,” Yan Ning said, stroking her chin, her voice completely emotionless.

Yan Wan’s face turned red, and she looked up at Yan Ning, her eyes swollen and red. Her once-moist eyes now bulged, like dead fish eyes, filled with bloodshot veins. “You’re talking nonsense! Shut up and take back what you just said!”

Yan Ning leisurely stood up, looking down at her from above. “Yan Wan, I don’t want to lecture you. I just want you to walk the same path you made Yan An walk, the same path I’ve walked, and the same path those innocent girls have walked. Once the truth about your background and the collapse of your ‘young lady of a wealthy family’ image come out, you won’t be going to school anymore. I’ll make you realize that you, too, can be afraid and run away. But the world doesn’t operate with such logic, especially not in your favor. So tomorrow, please go to school obediently.”

After saying that, Yan Ning didn’t linger in her room, the place still had a strange smell.

Yan Wan screamed in a frenzy, “Who do you think you are? Just because you tell me to go out, I’ll go out? Stop dreaming!”

Without the support of her system, Yan Wan’s barking had no threat at all, just like a chihuahua.

Yan Ning went downstairs to get some water. Aunt Wu, worried, peeked her head out of the kitchen.

Yan Ning smiled gently at her. “Yan Wan seemed to have a nightmare. I went in to check on her, and she wet herself. Now she’s furious after I saw it.”

Aunt Wu’s eyes widened but said nothing.

As Yan Ning turned to go upstairs, Aunt Wu looked at her retreating figure and couldn’t help but think that while Miss Ning seemed kind, there was something occasionally frightening about her that didn’t make her feel unpleasant.

Perhaps it was her straightforwardness. Miss Wan always wanted something but never said it outright, always beating around the bush and making people guess.

Miss Ning didn’t like Miss Wan, yet her mockery was so direct.

She even felt a bit of admiration for her bluntness.

The next morning, Yan Ning woke up early as usual and had breakfast.

Uncle Zheng was with her, preparing to take her to school.

After finishing her meal and setting down her chopsticks, Yan Ning said to Uncle Zheng, “Uncle Zheng, someone is coming to pick me up today. You don’t have to take me.”

Uncle Zheng froze for a moment, many thoughts racing through his mind.

“It’s exactly as you guessed, he’s coming to pick me up this morning,” Yan Ning didn’t give Uncle Zheng a chance to avoid it and directly revealed the truth.

Last night, Lu Fengfeng had sent her a message saying he would pick her up in the morning.

He had originally planned to take her out for breakfast, but Yan Ning thought she should give Uncle Zheng some time to adjust, so she declined the offer.

Uncle Zheng had always treated her well.

To Yan Ning, Uncle Zheng was like the grandparents in Xinghua Village—gentle and caring towards her.

So, she didn’t want to hide anything from him.

Suddenly remembering her grandparents, Yan Ning thought about the remaining balance on the battery and realized she still had quite a bit of money left. She needed to find some time to send them more money.

Once the situation at home was settled, she wanted to visit them again.

If possible, she wanted to take Fengfeng with her.

Sitting across from Yan Ning, Uncle Zheng’s face stiffened when he heard those words. Suddenly, he became a bit angry and said, “Where did this brat come from?”

This was a reaction that Yan Ning hadn’t imagined. She was both amused and a bit warm inside.

The phone screen next to her lit up, showing a new message.

Fengfeng was waiting outside for her.

She stood up, grabbed her bag, and turned to leave, saying, “Uncle Zheng, he’s waiting outside. I’ll go now.”

After Yan Ning left, Uncle Zheng sat in his seat for a long time without moving.

Aunt Wu, who had been peeking out the window, saw Yan Ning get into the car and ran over to tell Uncle Zheng, “That young man is really handsome. He’s also exceptionally good to Miss Ning. The car he’s driving looks really expensive—he must not be an ordinary person.”

Uncle Zheng shot Aunt Wu a glance. She immediately covered her mouth and didn’t dare say anything else.

Usually, Yan Wan, who wouldn’t wake up at this hour, came down from the second floor, frowning as she walked into the dining room.

Aunt Wu immediately went back to the kitchen to prepare breakfast but couldn’t help turning her head to glance at Yan Wan after taking a couple of steps.

Yesterday, Miss Ning had told her that Yan Wan had wet her pants from a nightmare, and she had been skeptical.

But not long after, Yan Wan, who was usually forbidden from going upstairs, suddenly called her to help clean up a room.

When Aunt Wu saw the unnatural water stain on the floor, she immediately understood and her perception of Yan Wan as a delicate young lady shattered.

Seeing her today, the shock hadn’t yet worn off, and it still felt unbelievable.

How could someone wet their pants from a nightmare?

What kind of nightmare could have been that terrifying?

Yan Wan, sensitive as always, felt Aunt Wu’s gaze and looked up to see her turning her head away. She snapped irritably, “What are you staring at? Go serve the food!”

Aunt Wu quickly lowered her head and hurried back to the kitchen.

Yan Wan sat at the table, her brow furrowed, looking extremely displeased.

Aunt Wu placed the breakfast in front of her, not daring to look at her anymore, and quickly retreated to the kitchen.

Yan Wan, her face contorted with anger, picked up her utensils and began eating, one bite after another.

Her mood was so foul because, although she absolutely didn’t want to go to school, her body completely refused to follow her wishes.

At the set time, she woke up automatically, uncontrollably got herself ready, went downstairs for breakfast, and, after finishing, uncontrollably grabbed her bag and prepared to go to school.

She didn’t want to go to school at all. Her true identity had been exposed, and all the things she had done had been revealed.

At school, she had been domineering and arrogant, and many people were already unhappy with her.

She couldn’t bear to think about how those people would look at her and gossip about her if she went to school.

At this moment, she truly realized how terrifying those mocking, condescending glances and words could be. She wanted to escape, she didn’t want to face that cruel world or the helpless version of herself.

But her body wasn’t under her control.

After breakfast, she put on her backpack and, as usual, told Driver Chen to take her to school.

Normally, she would go to school with Yan Yu, but today she didn’t want to go with him. She was afraid of seeing the same kind of look in Yan Yu’s eyes as she had seen in others—or, worse, a look of pity.

Although she had always sought Yan Yu’s sympathy in the past.

Yan Wan had never felt that the journey from home to school was so short. She hadn’t prepared herself mentally, and before she knew it, the car had already stopped at the entrance of Minghua High School.

Before she even got out of the car, eyes were already on her.

Unlike the envious glances she used to receive, these people saw her and immediately gathered in small groups, whispering to each other.

“She’s the one, right? The one who was switched at birth with the real Yan family daughter and was once the school beauty? She doesn’t even look that good.”

“You don’t know, she used to be so powerful! She’d manipulate her brain-dead fans to bully any girl she didn’t like or any girl who was prettier than her. She made others either transfer schools or drop out—she was ruthless!”

“The funniest part is, she was switched at birth with the real Yan family daughter, and even though she was raised like a rich young lady, once the real daughter was found, she didn’t go back to her real family. Not only did she occupy someone else’s position, but she also had people bully the real daughter.”

“No way, she’s that vicious?”

“Didn’t you see? There’s still a video on the school forum. She and the real daughter participated in a competition, and she tricked her into a deserted place, trying to kill her. Then she pretended to be weak, but she got exposed. It was hilarious!”

“Oh my god, I’d be so embarrassed if I were her! How does she have the nerve to show up at school?”

—

Yan Wan walked on the road, feeling that everyone around her was pointing fingers and gossiping. Some people didn’t even try to avoid her, they just pointed at her and laughed loudly.

She felt humiliated and wanted to turn around and leave.

But she didn’t know what that damn Yan Ning had done to her, and she couldn’t control her own body. She had no choice but to keep walking step by step toward the school.

After entering the school gate, climbing the long stairs, and crossing the playground, she arrived at the high school teaching building, and finally reached the classroom she had been absent from for several days.

Unlike the usual attention she used to receive when entering the classroom, everyone now stared at her in surprise as she walked in. A few people immediately huddled together to gossip in low voices.

The words they whispered were the same ones she once used to attack Yan Ning and other people she couldn’t stand. Now, receiving them herself, she realized just how humiliating and painful they were.

Some things in life are like that. ^[1]“You never truly understand how painful a knife can be until it’s plunged into your own body” It means that people often don’t realize how painful or difficult something truly is … Continue readingYou never truly understand how painful a knife can be until it’s plunged into your own body.

At this moment, Yan Wan still didn’t realize that this was just the beginning for her.

She had been at the top for so long, flattered, admired, and envied. The halos that once surrounded her disappeared in the blink of an eye.

While Yan Wan suffered from the painful contrast of her fall, Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng were having breakfast in a corner of the cafeteria.

Although she had already had a little something at home, facing the crab roe soup dumplings and the soft, thick porridge that Lu Fengfeng had spent the whole morning preparing for her, Yan Ning couldn’t bring herself to mention that she had already eaten.

She simply sat down and had another meal.

At this moment, many students had already come to the cafeteria to eat.

Although the two of them tried to find a corner, they were still seen by many people.

The news of their reconciliation spread throughout the school before the morning study session was even over.

Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng had unknowingly become the school celebrities at Minghua High School, with many people paying attention to their every move.

Unfortunately, both of them were only interested in each other and rarely paid attention to the outside world’s gaze.

Time passed quickly, and before long, Yan An’s health had improved enough for her to be discharged from the hospital.

On the day Yan An was discharged, there were not too many people, but Yan Zhengjun, Tang Minrou, and Yan Ning’s grandparents—whom she had never met before—were all present. Yan Zhengya, who had survived a critical condition thanks to Yan Ning’s blood transfusion, also came to Yan’s house with her son.

The number of people wasn’t large, but it showed enough importance.

Without the system, Yan Wan had lost contact with Qiao Siyue and hardly received any news from the outside world.

When she saw Yan An being brought back to the Yan family home, she was completely stunned.