Xia Anran had long noticed Ye Lingling’s little movements, but she pretended not to see them. Leaning against the car seat with her eyes closed, she rested while thinking about how to bring up the annulment with Uncle Huo once she got back.

She wasn’t the original host of this body and had no obsession with Huo Ruiyang, let alone any attachment to their childhood engagement.

But she also didn’t want to return to the original host’s home. She was afraid her parents would realize she wasn’t their real daughter. Moreover, she didn’t want to stay in the countryside, farming, getting married, and having children.

So, she had to find a way—cancel the engagement without having to go back to the countryside.

They were about to leave the city. In just over ten minutes, they would arrive at the military compound.

Ye Lingling was getting anxious. She nudged Xia Anran and whispered her name.

“Anran?”

Xia Anran heard her but continued pretending to be asleep, keeping her eyes shut.

“Anran!”

Ye Lingling had no choice but to raise her voice. She also pushed Xia Anran harder, causing enough movement to catch the driver’s attention in the rearview mirror.

Xia Anran opened her eyes, visibly displeased.

“Sis, I have a headache and want to rest. Why are you bothering me?”

Her spoiled and impatient tone was the same as usual, which reassured Ye Lingling—she was still the same brainless fool. Her cleverness at the hospital must have been a fluke.

Ye Lingling put on a helpless expression and forced a smile as she apologized in a low voice.

“Sorry, I just have something to talk to you about.”

“What is it?” Xia Anran asked impatiently. “Can’t you say it at home?”

“I…”

Ye Lingling noticed that the driver was paying attention to their conversation and didn’t want him to hear. She quickly asked him to stop the car.

“Driver, could you pull over for a moment? We need to buy something.”

When the driver stopped, Ye Lingling coaxed Xia Anran gently.

“Anran, don’t you love canned peaches? I’ll buy you a jar.”

“You go ahead. My head hurts. I don’t want to move,” Xia Anran replied, unmoved.

Ye Lingling was frantic. She had been trying to talk to Xia Anran at the hospital, but there were always people around. Now that they were almost home, time was running out. And yet, Xia Anran sat there like a statue, refusing to budge. It made Ye Lingling so anxious that she wanted to drag her out of the car herself.

But she knew Xia Anran’s personality—she only responded to gentleness, not force. Especially after suffering a setback at her hands in the hospital, Ye Lingling was now hesitant, afraid of making things worse.

So, she had no choice but to lower her voice and coax her again.

“Anran, this is really important.”

Xia Anran lazily glanced at her. “Good things don’t need to be whispered in secret. Just say it here. What are you so afraid of?”

Her voice was loud enough that the driver glanced at Ye Lingling again.

Ye Lingling was furious. This wretched girl was always going against her!

Seeing her flustered expression, Xia Anran urged her, “Sis, hurry up and buy the peaches. Don’t just stand there. Xiao Wu is waiting for you, and he’s wasting gas.”

Xiao Wu, the driver, gave Xia Anran a surprised look. He had driven them before, and she was usually bossy—worse than a military officer’s wife. But today, she was unexpectedly considerate.

Ye Lingling’s face turned pale with anger. She had always disliked Xia Anran, but today, she downright hated her.

Still, she had no choice but to continue persuading her. After Xia Anran made her beg for a while, she finally got out of the car—but only walked five steps before stopping.

“I can’t go any further. My legs are weak. Just say what you need to. I can’t stand for long,” Xia Anran said, looking delicate and frail.

Ye Lingling glanced back at the car. The driver had rolled down the window and was smoking, seemingly not paying attention.

Lowering her voice, she quickly said, “Anran, when you go back, Uncle Huo will definitely ask about this incident.”

Xia Anran immediately put on a panicked expression. “What should I say?”

She looked clueless, just like before. Ye Lingling’s earlier suspicions disappeared—she really was the same brainless fool.

Ye Lingling quickly told her the plan she had come up with.

“If you deny drugging Huo Ruiyang, Uncle Huo will only get angrier. It’s better to just admit it. Say that you met a fortune teller on the road, who gave you a ‘Heartbinding Medicine’ and told you that if you and Huo Ruiyang took it together, he would fall in love with you. If you say you were deceived, Uncle Huo won’t be so harsh on you.”

Ye Lingling thought her plan was perfect and expected Xia Anran to be grateful for the clever idea.

But unexpectedly, Xia Anran’s beautiful eyes widened in shock, and she shouted loudly:

“Sis, you want me to lie to Uncle Huo? How could you? I won’t do it! I won’t lie to him!”

Xiao Wu had just taken a puff of his cigarette when he nearly choked on it. He looked up to see Ye Lingling frantically trying to cover Xia Anran’s mouth.

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Wu’s eyes as he gave Ye Lingling a sharp, disapproving look. Xia Anran had just accused her of trying to deceive the commander. He would definitely report this when they got back.

Ye Lingling, panicking, turned to check if Xiao Wu had heard them. Seeing his cold stare, she knew he had. She hated Xia Anran to the core.

This damn girl did it on purpose—she wanted Xiao Wu to hear!

Her palms were sweaty from nervousness, and when she covered Xia Anran’s mouth, the dampness disgusted her. Xia Anran pushed her away and loudly questioned her.

“Why are you covering my mouth?”

Now, people around them started to look over. Ye Lingling’s face flushed red with embarrassment, and she didn’t dare to cover Xia Anran’s mouth again. She could only whisper.

“Lower your voice!”

But that only made Xia Anran speak even louder.

“Why should I? You’re acting all sneaky, like you’ve done something shameful!”

Her words stripped Ye Lingling bare, exposing her completely. She was so humiliated and furious that she wanted to strangle Xia Anran.

But Xia Anran didn’t give her another chance. She turned and got into the car, leaving Ye Lingling standing there under everyone’s judgmental stares.

Seeing Xia Anran get in, Xiao Wu quickly stubbed out his cigarette. Looking at her through the rearview mirror, he saw her sitting with her arms crossed, fuming. He then turned his eyes back to the road.

Ye Lingling opened the door to get in, but Xia Anran blocked her.

“Sis, didn’t you say you were buying me canned peaches? Are you going back on your word? Were you lying to me?”

Ye Lingling was already seething. She had just lifted her leg to step inside when Xia Anran’s commanding tone stopped her. She felt as if a lump of blood was stuck in her throat—neither going up nor down.

Seeing her frustrated expression, Xia Anran’s eyes gleamed with cold amusement. Ye Lingling wasn’t even that smart—her schemes had only worked because the original host trusted her too much.

And she was so desperate to make Xia Anran admit to drugging Huo Ruiyang… It seemed she had something to do with it!

Ye Lingling, failing to accomplish her goal, still had to spend money to buy Xia Anran a jar of peaches. After getting into the car, her face remained dark, and she no longer bothered pretending to be a loving sister.

The jeep finally entered the military compound and stopped in front of the Huo family’s house. Just as they arrived, Huo Ruiyang also got out of another vehicle with a veterinarian.