Chapter 4

Yan Ning shifted her gaze and lightly let it glide over Xiao’ai’s face, causing the other girl to frown slightly, showing some unease, before Yan Ning withdrew her gaze and spoke in a calm tone: “It’s a long story, but to put it simply, when I was young, Yan Wan and I were switched at birth, so I didn’t grow up in my own home. After I turned twelve, for certain reasons, I left the family that raised me and stopped going to school.”

With each word Yan Ning spoke, Yan Wan’s face grew paler.

Yan Ning had already sensed that the life awaiting her at the Yan family wouldn’t be an easy one. But she needed a stepping stone—her grandparents were getting older, and her father’s job was only enough to support the family. Her return only added to the financial strain.

Although they hadn’t said anything and tried hard to make her live a normal life, she didn’t want to add to their burden.

The arrival of Yan Zhengjun and his wife took her by surprise, but it solved her immediate problems and spared her the need to explain to her grandparents where she was going.

When she learned that Yan Wan lived at the Yan household and might stay there permanently, she expected their relationship to be unpleasant, but she hadn’t anticipated that Yan Wan would be so aggressive and impatient.

“However,” Yan Ning reached out and gently grasped the hand that Yan Wan had placed on the table, “Your biological parents haven’t been found, but it’s okay if they never are. Like Mom said, I’ll always treat you like a real sister. Lily, please don’t be distant, okay?”

Yan Wan stiffened and nodded, her heart burning with anger as if she wanted to tear a piece of flesh from Yan Ning.

The day before Yan Ning returned, Yan Wan had already investigated everything. Except for the five unknown years, Yan Ning had lived in the countryside, and Yan Wan had thought of her as an uncultured country girl. She didn’t expect Yan Ning to be so sharp-tongued and thick-skinned. How dare she speak to her like this?

Yesterday, she had clearly told her mom not to reveal her adopted daughter status, but Yan Ning had gone ahead and exposed it anyway.

Because of Yan Ning, Yan Wan, once the most beloved eldest daughter in the Yan family, was now just an adopted child. She couldn’t accept this and had to endure for a while in front of Tang Minrou before finally getting her to put pressure on Yan Ning.

“I’m done eating, you two take your time,” Yan Ning only picked at her food, taking just a couple of bites, then wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up, carrying her tray toward the return area.

Zhao Xiaolu and Qiao Yingxue, who hadn’t eaten much and were now satisfied with watermelon, immediately stood up, carrying their trays and following her.

Yan Wan’s gaze remained fixed on Yan Ning until the latter’s figure disappeared through the cafeteria doors, not once looking away.

Chen Xiao’ai gently tapped Yan Wan, concerned visible in her eyes. “Lily, are you okay?”

Yan Wan snapped back to reality, her long lashes casting a shadow over her eyes, hiding her emotions. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Chen Xiao’ai angrily said, “This is too much. So what if she’s biological? All these years, it’s been you in front of Uncle and Aunt. She’s only just come back and already dares to act so arrogantly? She really is an uncivilized country girl.”

“Stop saying that. I’m the one who’s at fault,” Yan Wan’s hand clenched tightly under the table. Earlier, she had told Chen Xiao’ai some things about Yan Ning but had deliberately concealed the fact that they were switched at birth. “She’s just come back and doesn’t understand a lot of things. In time, it’ll be fine.”

Yan Wan didn’t expect her secret to be exposed so quickly, she had to act fast to fix things. With this in mind, she secretly blamed Chen Xiao’ai for arguing with Yan Ning, causing her to lose face in front of the younger students.

Chen Xiao’ai was completely unaware of Yan Wan’s thoughts. She reached out and tightly held the cold hand of the latter, her eyes filled with both pity and anger. “What do you have to apologize for? It’s not like you wanted to be switched at birth. It’s not your fault at all. If you ask me, she’s the one who doesn’t understand. Uncle Yan and Aunt Tang didn’t say anything, so what right does she have to talk back?”

“Xiao’ai, if you really want what’s best for me, don’t say things like that,” Yan Wan lifted her gaze, her brow furrowed, eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiful.

Seeing Yan Wan on the verge of tears, Chen Xiao’ai immediately panicked. “Lily, I’m sorry. I won’t say anything more, I promise, I won’t tell anyone. Please don’t cry.”

—

As they left the cafeteria, people continued to glance back, casting looks of admiration and surprise at Yan Ning.

However, Yan Ning wasn’t in the mood to care about that. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, propped her chin up with one hand, and looked incredibly frustrated.

Qiao Yingxue and Zhao Xiaolu exchanged glances, and in the end, it was Qiao Yingxue who spoke up. “Ningning, are you okay?”

“Huh? I’m fine, just feel like I didn’t perform well back there.”

“Hm?”

“Because I’m not good at verbal sparring. On the spot, I felt like I was lacking a bit of momentum,” Yan Ning said seriously, as she rubbed her chin.

“I saw that the school belle was almost in tears. If you had performed better, you’d probably be on the assassination list tomorrow,” Zhao Xiaolu remarked.

“Assassination list? What’s that?”

“Ningning, Yan Wan is very famous at Minghua, she’s not only beautiful, but also comes from a good family and is a great student. She’s the pride of Minghua and the school belle. She has admirers in every grade, and I heard even the boys from the neighboring school like her.” Qiao Yingxue spoke proudly, her tone firm, recounting Yan Wan’s achievements as though listing her family heirlooms.

“I heard that the bully from the neighboring school is chasing after Yan Wan. He drives his sports car to school every day, waits with a bouquet of red roses at the gate, but she’s never given him a good response.”

“The so-called assassination list is for those who make Yan Wan unhappy. Once her followers know their names, those people will quickly disappear from the school.”

“Last semester, there was a senior who didn’t like how popular Yan Wan was and bad mouthed her behind her back. She was soon isolated. There was also a guy who, to get back at her, blocked her after school. Not long after, that senior transferred schools.”

“Wow, they’re that extreme?”

“You two are sisters. Even if you argue, nothing too serious should happen, but still, you should be careful.” Zhao Xiaolu, seeing that Yan Ning didn’t take the situation seriously, advised with a sense of maturity that seemed far beyond her years.

“Mm, okay. I still have some things to do, you two go ahead and head back,” Yan Ning said thoughtfully.

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Qiao Yingxue looked at Yan Ning, her large eyes reflecting a hurt expression.

“You don’t want to hang out with us anymore?” Zhao Xiaolu, thinking a bit more, asked, “Is it because you’re older? Or is it because of Senior Yan Wan?”

“Of course not,” Yan Ning replied. “I just have some things I need to think about. I still have homework to do this afternoon, so I don’t want you guys to waste time with me.”

“Really?”

“Mm, really,” Yan Ning nodded.

Qiao Yingxue and Zhao Xiaolu understood that she wanted some time alone, so they held hands and headed back to the classroom.

—

In one corner of Minghua High School’s large playground, there was a cherry blossom grove. It was now late April, and the soft pink flowers were packed on the branches, fluttering like butterflies.

Earlier, Yan Ning had seen it from the classroom window and thought it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Now, as she walked closer, she reached out a finger and lightly touched the petals. The soft sensation felt like baby skin.

She found a spot under a tree to sit, leaning against the trunk, which was about as thick as a bowl, and when she looked up, all she could see was a pale pink sky. Yan Ning felt a lot more relaxed.

Life at school was too comfortable, almost too comfortable for Yan Ning.

She felt that if she stayed here too long, she would become useless.

Yan Wan’s presence added some tension to her life, but it was still not enough.

For some reason, there was a slight unease in her heart.

Perhaps it was because 007 wasn’t around. Yan Ning attributed her unease to this.

Since she passed the intermediate test for the M20 star and got the optical brain 007, that thing had been with her for almost four years.

Daily life, scheduling, military work—all of it was managed by 007.

Though it was artificial intelligence, for Yan Ning, it was the most reliable companion.

She had originally planned to take it for system maintenance and battery replacement soon, but she hadn’t had time and had rushed back to Earth in a hurry.

On the way, she encountered a cosmic magnetic storm, similar to a typhoon on Earth, but with even more devastating power and a much longer duration. 007 again fell into a state of insufficient energy and couldn’t operate normally.

At that moment, Yan Ning thought she might die on her way home.

In the end, 007 managed to safely land her, but then fell into a dormant state.

Earth did not have any energy stations capable of charging optical brains. To restore 007 to normal operation, the main battery needed to be replaced, and the compatible battery for the 007 model was the K2 battery.

Such a thing was probably an extremely rare resource on Earth, and it might not even exist at all.

Yan Ning thought of the person who had introduced her in B City, and the necklace that Yan Wan wore around her neck, a spark of hope igniting in her heart.

The light blue gemstone was a rare gem produced in the Jade Star, known throughout the galaxy as the “Fairy Garden” for its abundant and mysterious beautiful gems.

The one she sold, being small and of low clarity, was sold cheaply. Even in the galaxy, this kind of stone was well-known as a valuable jewelry material.

Of course, Yan Ning still had better pieces on hand, but unless the situation was urgent, she didn’t intend to sell those stones. They were her wealth, accumulated over time out of interest.

But this gave her a very useful piece of information—there was someone on Earth who understood the value of that gemstone, someone who even made it into jewelry for sale. And this person, if not someone like her, could be an alien.

No matter which, it was worth getting to know them. She might even be able to buy the K2 battery.

Thinking back, when she tried to sell the gemstone, the person who introduced her showed no surprise at all when she presented it.

Yan Ning quietly decided that after school, she would go meet that person.

With one concern settled, Yan Ning glanced at the time—it was still early.

She looked up at the pale pink sky above, feeling the soft breeze brush by as petals fluttered and fell.

Yan Ning raised her hand, and one petal landed softly in her palm.

The atmosphere was so serene and leisurely that it made her not want to get up. She lingered, holding the petal in her hand, and slowly closed her eyes.

“Pa—” A crisp sound disturbed Yan Ning’s light sleep. She slowly opened her eyes.

In front of the cherry blossom tree, where pale pink petals were gently falling, stood a couple facing each other.

The girl kept her left hand raised in the gesture of having just slapped someone, her brows furrowed, looking very angry.

The boy, with his cheek turned to the side, silently accepted the slap.

Since his face was turned outward, Yan Ning could only see his dark, smooth short hair and a very impressive jawline, without seeing his facial features or expression. Driven by a sudden burst of intense curiosity, she slightly leaned forward, eager to get a closer look.

The subtle sound immediately caught their attention, and the girl turned her head, noticing Yan Ning.

The location of the breakup seemed carefully chosen, as the girl’s face showed a trace of embarrassment upon seeing Yan Ning.

However, she ignored Yan Ning, turned her face away, raised her hand to cover her eyes, and tearfully accused, “Worthless! Scumbag!”

At the same time, the boy turned his face as well.