Right now, Xia Anran was Ye Lingling’s last hope for survival. How could Ye Lingling dare refuse? She nodded frantically, her head bobbing like a pecking chicken, and said excitedly:

“I’ll agree to anything! Just say the word—even if you want me to kneel and kowtow to you!”

Xia Anran waved a hand dismissively, her voice calm and indifferent:

“That won’t be necessary. Just write down exactly how you planned to harm me, all your dirty thoughts when you drugged me. Write everything out, and I’ll forgive you.”

Ye Lingling froze. Write down all those shameful thoughts? Wasn’t that the same as stripping her naked and throwing her onto the street for everyone to see?

Seeing her hesitation, Xia Anran sneered coldly.

“And you said you’d do anything. Turns out, you were just lying to me again.”

She turned toward Huo Zhenting and called out, “Uncle Huo, I want to uphold justice, even if it means turning against my own family!”

Huo Zhenting, fully cooperating with Xia Anran, responded with a stern expression:

“Alright, I’ll call the military district’s security department right now and have them come arrest her.”

Hearing this, Ye Lingling was so terrified she nearly lost her soul. She broke into a panicked wail.

“No, no! Please, I beg you! Don’t let them arrest me!”

She couldn’t go to prison—her life would be completely ruined!

Before, she had even felt wronged at the thought of marrying Shen Yiheng, thinking he was beneath her. After all, he had only risen to the rank of regimental commander and had no chance of advancing further.

Meanwhile, Huo Ruiyang had skyrocketed in his career, eventually becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the military district. That was why, in her past life, she had been obsessed with marrying him—to become the envy of all as the commander’s wife.

That was why she had risked everything, trying to use a one-night trap to ensnare Huo Ruiyang while shifting the blame onto Xia Anran. This way, she could not only marry the man she loved but also ensure Xia Anran suffered an even worse fate than in her previous life.

But now, her plan had failed. If she ended up in prison for this, she wouldn’t even have the chance to marry Shen Yiheng—she wouldn’t be able to pass the political review required for military spouses.

Ye Lingling knew Shen Yiheng too well—his ambition was even stronger than hers.

In her past life, she had only been able to marry him because she had the Huo family as her backing. If she had just been some ordinary farm girl with no status, Shen Yiheng would never have wanted her.

And now, not only had she offended the Huo family, but she also faced the risk of imprisonment. There was no way Shen Yiheng would still want her.

That meant she wouldn’t even be able to become a regimental commander’s wife!

No—worse than that! She wouldn’t even be able to find a decent husband. A woman who had been to prison—especially for something as disgraceful as this—would be shunned by any respectable family.

No, she absolutely could not go to prison! She had to stop this from happening at all costs!

“Then write it all down—every filthy scheme you had, put it in writing!”

Xia Anran took a pen and paper from Huo Zhenting and tossed them in front of Ye Lingling. With trembling hands, Ye Lingling picked up the pen. She wanted to claim she was illiterate, but before she could speak, Xia Anran cut her off.

“Don’t even try to say you can’t write. We both went to middle school together, and you were always a better student than me.”

Ye Lingling had no way out. She could only lower herself to the ground and start writing.

Xia Anran stood beside her, watching closely. Whenever Ye Lingling tried to be vague or perfunctory, Xia Anran would tear up the paper with a cold expression and order her to start over.

Huo Ruiyang had originally planned to call the security department immediately to have Ye Lingling arrested. But now, he actually had the patience to wait for Xia Anran to finish, without rushing her.

After tearing up five or six versions of Ye Lingling’s so-called confession, Xia Anran finally saw her write down every sinister thought and scheme she had used to manipulate and brainwash her.

She took the paper and carefully read through it. It was all there—every trap Ye Lingling had set for her.

However, it did not mention the process of drugging her or the vile intentions behind it. Displeased, she threw the letter to the ground and demanded that Ye Lingling rewrite it, including every detail with full transparency.

Xia Anran wanted this letter of repentance to show to the original host’s parents, to let them know that Ye Lingling was an ungrateful wretch who intended to harm their daughter. Little did she know that this letter would later be of great help to Huo Ruiyang.  

An hour later, Ye Lingling finally finished writing the letter of repentance according to Xia Anran’s instructions. After reviewing it and feeling satisfied, Xia Anran put the letter away and smiled at Ye Lingling:

“Cousin, I won’t pursue this matter any further, but whether Commander Huo decides to hold you accountable is beyond my control.”

“What…? You tricked me! Give it back!”

Ye Lingling broke down completely. She lunged at Xia Anran like a madwoman, trying to snatch the letter back. But Xia Anran swiftly dodged, causing Ye Lingling to stumble and fall to the ground, wailing.

“You lied to me! You lied to me!”

Realizing she had no way of reclaiming the letter, Ye Lingling turned to Huo Ruiyang, dropping to her knees. While slapping herself across the face, she sobbed and pleaded,

“Brother Huo, I was wrong! Please forgive me!”

Huo Ruiyang stood up, straightened his uniform, and cast her a cold, predatory gaze—like a leopard ready to strike. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and called the security department, instructing them to come and arrest her.

He had given Xia Anran the time she needed to obtain a confession, but that did not mean he had any intention of letting Ye Lingling go free.

As Ye Lingling was dragged away, she screamed hysterically,

“Xia Anran, I won’t let you get away with this! I will never forgive you!”

Xia Anran watched her be taken away with an indifferent expression. Now that the novel’s original female lead had been removed, the plot could finally change. She believed she could escape the tragic fate that had been written for her in the book.

However, she still needed to stay far away from Huo Ruiyang. Only then could she completely free herself from the original storyline.

Besides, she had no interest in that cold and aloof man. What was he so arrogant about anyway? The military was full of tall, handsome men—why would she tie herself to just one tree when she could admire the whole forest?

As Huo Ruiyang was about to leave, he glanced at Xia Anran and gave her a slight nod.

Xia Anran forced a polite smile and parted her red lips to say,

“This is where we part ways. Goodbye.”

Her voice was light and cheerful, devoid of any reluctance.

Huo Ruiyang looked at her deeply for a moment before nodding. “Goodbye.”

Once they were gone, only Huo Zhenting and Liang Meijuan remained in the room. Both of them looked at Xia Anran with hearts full of sympathy.

Huo Zhenting, feeling guilty toward his old comrade, was overcome with remorse. Wanting to make amends, he lowered his voice and asked,

“Anran, the Huo family has wronged you in this matter. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to tell me. Whatever your request is, I will do my best to fulfill it.”

Xia Anran smiled. “Actually, there is something I’d like to ask of Uncle Huo.”