Chapter 53.2

Jiang Suihan tried a piece of the braised pork rib and found it quite tasty, not worse than at a state-run restaurant. She couldn’t help but ask Principal Cai for the recipe, planning to try making it herself at home.

Principal Cai suddenly mentioned Wang Lijuan. “That girl seems to have some ulterior motives and too many ideas. Stay away from her as much as possible. You and Xu Zhao are good kids. Just focus on your own lives and don’t get upset over irrelevant people.”

She had heard some rumors in the family courtyard recently. She had watched Xu Zhao grow up and trusted his character. It was just that he was being entangled with some troublemakers, causing a bit of a scene. It was no big deal, but she was concerned that Jiang Suihan might feel uncomfortable and cause friction between the couple.

Jiang Suihan put down her chopsticks and nodded. “I understand. I don’t care about irrelevant people. I’d rather spend my time reading more books and helping my brother with his homework.”

Jiang Leyun was gnawing on a rib, and when he heard his name, he cast a resentful glance.

His sister always mentioned his homework, and thinking about the school days ahead, he felt a wave of despair.

“Oh my god! You scared me to death!”

After dinner at the Principal Cai home, the siblings were heading back and were about to unlock the door when a figure suddenly appeared, startling Jiang Suihan.

Turning around, she clutched her chest, narrowed her eyes, and suppressed her anger. “What do you want, Wang Lijuan? Do I have any deep-seated enmity with you? Do you know that scaring people can be dangerous? Luckily, my heart is strong, or I might have collapsed.”

Jiang Suihan felt as if she and Wang Lijuan were enemies from a past life, with Wang Lijuan popping up everywhere and giving her a complex.

Wang Lijuan has been having a rough time lately. Her second sister had locked her at home, not letting her go out. She was almost driven to madness. Taking advantage of her sister’s absence, she had her nephew help her open the door and sneaked out.

When she arrived at Xu’s house, she knocked on the door for a long time but no one answered, so she had to hide and wait for someone to come back.

“You know, don’t you?” Wang Lijuan stared with her dark eyes, not missing a single change in Jiang Suihan’s expression.

She had lost a lot of weight, her clothes hanging loosely, and her eyes were fixed on Jiang Suihan with a meaningful expression.

“Know what? I don’t understand what you mean.” Jiang Suihan looked puzzled, with no clue about Wang Lijuan’s intentions.

She really found such people annoying. Like an indestructible cockroach, not very harmful, but always appearing and being a nuisance, which made her uncomfortable.

“You definitely know,” Wang Lijuan said with a forced smile, her expression revealing a knowing look, her tone certain.

Clearly in the book she was the teacher at the military primary school, but now, Jiang Suhan had snatched away the job that originally belonged to her, causing a significant shift in the plot. Her once unshakable belief was crumbling, and she was afraid that the book’s ending might also be subject to major changes.

Having been locked up at home for days, Wang Lijuan had thought a lot. After much contemplation and review, she concluded that the problem was with Jiang Suihan. She remembered that Jiang Suihan did not bring her brother along in the book. This suddenly appearing brother was a variable, or rather, Jiang Suihan herself was the source of the change.

Jiang Suihan wanted to tell Wang Lijuan to see a doctor for her mental health and stop acting like a mad dog snapping at her. But then, a sudden thought crossed her mind: this might be an opportunity to test her.

Feigning an expression of “since you already know, there’s nothing more to hide,” Jiang Suihan replied vaguely, “I haven’t said anything. Are you so sure everything you know is true? Could it be that you’re just imagining things?”

As expected, she had figured it out!

Wang Lijuan’s face changed repeatedly, visibly shaken. She had thought she was the one favored by fate, only to discover she wasn’t unique. This realization threw her into a state of panic, her confidence shattered, her mind a jumbled mess.

Jiang Suihan felt a flicker of satisfaction. It seemed her guess was correct.

She didn’t dare say too much, afraid it would complicate things further. Instead, she stood aside, watching Wang Lijuan look disoriented and distressed.

After a while, Wang Lijuan managed to steady herself and, with a complex expression, asked Jiang Suihan dryly, “Did you dream about the contents of the book too?”

She was still reluctant to believe it and wanted confirmation.

Dream? The book?

Jiang Suihan was stunned for a moment but quickly composed herself. She was tempted to act extremely shocked.

Her mind raced, using her extensive experience with novels to interpret the situation. If she understood correctly, Wang Lijuan wasn’t reborn but had dreamed about a book.

Jiang Suihan maintained a calm exterior, but internally, she was astonished. It seemed that Wang Lijuan’s various bizarre actions, including her claim that “Xu Zhao is hers,” might now have a plausible explanation.

No wonder Wang Lijuan was constantly around Xu Zhao. Perhaps in the book she dreamed of, Xu Zhao was the male lead, and she wanted to be the center of attention as the female lead. Or maybe she knew Xu Zhao had great potential and wanted to secure him in advance.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t understand why Wang Lijuan was so sure she would be ousted and would succeed. She suspected that in the book, she might have met with an accident; otherwise, given Xu Zhao’s character, Wang Lijuan would have no chance.

So, what exactly was that accident? When did it happen? How could Jiang Suihan get Wang Lijuan to reveal more information?

Wang Lijuan, unaware that she had already exposed much of the truth, saw Jiang Suihan lost in thought and shouted, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

But this was only Jiang Suihan’s guess. In a moment of impulse, she decided to probe further, “Your phone?”

Wang Lijuan looked confused. “What phone?”

“Oh, nothing. I just suddenly remembered how long it’s been since I had chicken and am missing it,” Jiang Suihan said, waving her hand and pretending to be nonchalant.

Wang Lijuan’s suspicious gaze made her think that she might have been deceived. Jiang Suihan probably knew everything and was just messing with her. “Are you lying to me?”

Wang Lijuan was not entirely foolish. She figured out she had been misled, though her intellect was limited.

Jiang Suihan remained composed, not showing any signs of being caught: “I’ve said I didn’t say anything, how can it be called a lie? After all, we know each other. I still want to advise you that daydreaming is not the right thing to do. I sincerely give you a suggestion, don’t be afraid to seek medical treatment. Brain problems are a big deal, and you must not delay. Mental illness is also an illness. The sooner you seek medical treatment, the sooner you can live a normal life.”

Jiang Suihan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. She had been worried about not having the chance to test Wang Lijuan.

The opportunity came unexpectedly, with Wang Lijuan delivering it right to her doorstep.

“You accuse me of having a mental illness? You’re the one with issues, from top to bottom. You’re a short-lived ghost. I’m waiting to see how you’ll die in a few months…”

She had said too much.

Wang Lijuan quickly stopped herself, almost biting her tongue in her rush. Her interactions with Jiang Suihan always led to her being provoked, exposing her secrets in the process.

She wondered how she could have fallen for this again so easily. Jiang Suihan seemed to be cunning and deceitful.

A few months later she would die?

Jiang Suihan furrowed her brows slightly. Wang Lijuan had indeed guessed correctly. In the book Wang Lijuan had dreamed about, “she” had indeed met with an accident. Wang Lijuan probably believed that once “she” was out of the picture, she could replace her and become Xu Zhao’s woman.

Everything seemed to be interlinked and tightly bound.

Not only did she lack the protagonist’s fate, but she was also merely a cannon fodder, possibly not even making it as a supporting character in the book.

It was disheartening to think about.

However, the thing Jiang Suihan doesn’t believe in the most is fate. She is not so childish as to shout to the sky, “My fate is in my own hands.” Her life is in her own hands. She doesn’t care about the predetermined fate, the destiny to give way to the protagonist, or the bad end of cannon fodder.

If anyone wanted her life, they could come and take it. She wasn’t afraid.

Seeing Wang Lijuan looking wary and defensive, Jiang Suihan realized she probably wouldn’t get any more useful information from her.

Since she had already obtained quite a bit of unexpected information, Jiang Suihan decided not to ask further. There was nothing more to gain from questioning Wang Lijuan, and she didn’t fully believe everything Wang Lijuan said. Some things she still needed to verify herself.

How many months later?

Two months was still a few months, ten months was also a few months. The time span was too broad.

Jiang Suihan said in a flat tone, “I just called you crazy, and you cursed me to death in return. That’s even now. Is there anything else?”

If not, then leave quickly. She wanted to go home and sort out her thoughts.

Wang Lijuan was still struggling with whether Jiang Suihan knew or not, but this time she was being cautious. Before speaking, she mentally reviewed her words to ensure she didn’t reveal any information to Jiang Suihan.

“Don’t you have anything to ask me?”

No matter who it is, learning that one will die soon is bound to evoke some reaction. She couldn’t believe Jiang Suihan could remain so composed; she must be anxious inside, just pretending to be calm.

“Would you answer if I asked?” Jiang Suihan lifted her eyelids and glanced at Wang Lijuan with a blank expression.

Did she really expect any goodwill?

Unless the sun had risen in the west that day.