“Young Master? He should be out of the academy by now, right……” Hongyu had just finished speaking when she saw Ouyang Nuan’s expression suddenly change. In the next moment, Ouyang Nuan bolted out of the room.

Because of her forehead injury, Ouyang Nuan has been recovering indoors. It was then that while Ouyang Jue was on his way home from the academy, he had accidentally fallen into the water in the garden.

It was today!

Ouyang Nuan remembered now. Today was the day her younger brother drowned!

Back then, she had thought it was just an accident, but it wasn’t. The garden was always bustling with people, so why was no one around when it happened? Ouyang Jue had servants and guards by his side, so where were they?

“Young Miss!” Nanny Fang gasped in shock and shouted, “What are you all standing there for? Hurry and go check!”

The entire room of servants rushed out after her.

Ouyang Nuan had never run so fast before. It felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

Jue’er, you must be safe!

Just as she reached the garden, she heard a loud splash and her heart sank instantly.

The artificial pond in the garden looked shallow, but in reality, it was deep enough to drown even an adult, let alone a ten-year-old child!

“Jue’er!” Ouyang Nuan cried out in panic.

From behind the rockery, a figure darted out and rushed to stop her. “Eldest Miss, your body is precious! Please allow me to go in and rescue the young master instead!”

Ouyang Nuan swung her hand without hesitation and delivered a harsh slap. “Get out of my way!”

The servant’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. He was momentarily stunned, and when he came to his senses and tried to stop her again, Ouyang Nuan shouted sharply at the female servants who had just caught up, “Hold him down!”

The four old female servants were startled, momentarily intimidated by the fierce aura radiating from Ouyang Nuan. But they quickly obeyed and pounced on the gray-clad servant, restraining him as he struggled.

At that moment, Ouyang Jue’s entire body had already sunk beneath the dark waters of the pond. Ouyang Nuan didn’t hesitate for a second and leaped into the water.

“Young Miss!” Screams erupted behind her.

The icy water swallowed her whole and memories of her past life’s tragedy surged through her mind. But this was not the time to be distracted!

Ouyang Nuan shook her head fiercely, forcing herself to push all stray thoughts aside. She ignored everything else and desperately searched the water for Ouyang Jue.

But apart from the drifting aquatic plants, a hazy mist clouded her vision.

Where was he?!

Suddenly, she caught sight of a fluttering piece of fabric.

Hope flared in her chest. It was Ouyang Jue! It was really him!

Ouyang Nuan was now only a twelve-year-old child herself, so she struggled to drag the unconscious Ouyang Jue toward the surface. By the time she reached the shore, she was completely drained of strength.

The female servants on the bank rushed forward, helping to pull both of them out of the water. Ouyang Nuan was soaked to the bone, her body ice-cold, but she had no time to care. She immediately pressed on Ouyang Jue’s chest, trying to expel the water he had swallowed.

After a long, tense moment, Ouyang Jue slowly opened his dazed eyes. When he saw Ouyang Nuan’s pale face beside him, he instinctively murmured, “Sister……”

Ouyang Nuan pulled him into a tight embrace, overjoyed. “Thank heavens!”

“Young Miss, are you alright?” Hongyu, out of breath from running after Ouyang Nuan, had nearly died of fright when she saw Ouyang Nuan jump into the water. Now, seeing that both were safe, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped the droplets from Ouyang Nuan’s face.

Seeing Ouyang Jue awake, Ouyang Nuan finally felt reassured. Just as she lifted her head to tell Hongyu that she was fine, her vision suddenly darkened, and she collapsed.

The garden instantly descended into chaos……

Darkness engulfed Ouyang Nuan’s vision. She couldn’t move her arms or legs. The only parts of her body that still seemed to belong to her were her mouth and ears.

Although she couldn’t speak, she could feel the bitter medicinal concoctions and various broths being poured into her mouth continuously. She truly had no idea how she had endured it all. The moment before she was thrown into the river in her past life kept flashing before her in a daze, but the desperate calls had forcefully pulled her out of the nightmare.

“Sister, wake up……

Sister, don’t leave me alone……

I won’t be naughty anymore. I’ll do whatever you say……

Nanny Fang, it’s all my fault! If it weren’t for saving me, Sister wouldn’t have been so badly injured……

I already lost Mother. Sister, please don’t leave me alone!”

The voices calling out to her were so real. Ouyang Nuan knew that familiar yet distant voice belonged to her younger brother.

Ouyang Jue! She hadn’t clearly seen his face in so many years. She longed to see him again.

The moment she first felt her fingers move slightly, Ouyang Nuan didn’t hesitate at all and she fought to open her eyes and turn her head. Gradually, she regained control of her long-unresponsive body. When she finally opened her eyes and saw light again, she couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp.

The boy before her had thick, dark brows, bright black eyes, and a curved mouth that carried an excited smile. He was the very image etched deep in her memory— her full-blooded younger brother!

“Sister, you’re awake!”

Ouyang Jue was so overwhelmed with joy that he jumped onto the bed and hugged Ouyang Nuan tightly around the neck, laughing and bouncing as he shouted, “I knew you’d be okay! I knew you’d definitely be okay!”

After exclaiming several times, he turned his head and shouted, “What are you all standing there for? Quick, go fetch some hot tea!”

By now, it was already late at night.

Seeing his sister awake, Ouyang Jue was overjoyed. Nanny Fang kept chanting “Amitabha^[1]a form of well-wishing” in relief, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. Hongyu, standing nearby, reminded, “Young Miss, the old madam sent people to check on you twice. The master also came personally once and persuaded the madam, who had been keeping watch here, to return to her quarters. Before leaving, the madam said that as soon as you wake up, we must go invite her over immediately.”

It was no surprise that Ouyang Nuan’s paternal grandmother, Old Madam Li, had sent people to check on her. However, the fact that her father, Ouyang Zhi, had managed to take time from his busy schedule to visit her meant that this incident had indeed caused quite a stir. But the one who must be fuming the most right now was Lin Wanru. She had schemed so hard to get rid of Ouyang Jue, only to have her plan foiled at the last moment because of Ouyang Nuan’s intervention. Lin Wanru must hate Ouyang Nuan even more now. And yet, Lin Wanru had still managed to put on the act of a caring mother, keeping vigil until midnight. It truly wasn’t easy for her.

Ouyang Nuan let out a cold chuckle, too lazy to respond.

Ouyang Jue, always straightforward, immediately blurted out, “Why bother calling her? She’s just pretending to be kind— crying fake tears like a cat mourning a mouse!”

Hearing that, warmth surged through Ouyang Nuan’s heart. This child hadn’t changed at all. Just like before, he still despised Lin Wanru. No matter how good Lin Wanrupretended to be as a stepmother, he instinctively disliked the woman who had replaced his birth mother. In comparison, Ouyang Nuan had been the slow, dull-witted one— always realizing things too late.

She patted Ouyang Jue’s hand reassuringly and said to Hongyu casually, “It’s already very late. Don’t disturb them. We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning.”

Then, half-reclining on the bed with a hand warmer in her hands, she listened to Ouyang Jue excitedly recounting to the gathered servants the heroic tale of how his sister had bravely jumped into the water to save him. She couldn’t help but smile.

She gave a soft cough and said, “Jue’er, come here.”

Ouyang Jue immediately stopped talking and ran to the bedside, blinking his eyes and looking up at Ouyang Nuan with an eager, puppy-like expression.

“Tell me, did you see clearly who pushed you into the water?”