Chapter 3

The sky was pitch black, as if the clouds were about to crush everything below—oppressive and heavy.

When An Lan regained consciousness, she found herself in a cemetery. She knew she was already dead. At the same time, a book appeared in her mind: A Glorious Life in the Seventies.

Only then did she realize she was living inside a novel, and she was just a cannon fodder character who appeared twice in the entire book.

The first time was when her parents wrote her a letter and enclosed a jade pendant, which ended up being taken by the female lead, Bai Weiwei. That pendant activated a spiritual spring space.

Inside the spiritual spring space was a lake. Its waters could beautify the skin, strengthen the body, and speed up plant growth by three to four times compared to regular water.

It was an extraordinary treasure.

Bai Weiwei used this space to grow crops and sold them on the black market. That explained how, despite coming from an ordinary family, she lived so comfortably and freely.

While others worried about food, she was hiding in her space, indulging in food and drink.

No wonder when An Lan received her parents’ letter, though it mentioned the jade pendant, she couldn’t find it in the envelope.

At the time, she thought her parents had simply forgotten to include it and didn’t dwell on it.

Turns out, it was Bai Weiwei’s doing all along!

The second time she appeared was during the college entrance exams. Bai Weiwei had a conversation with the village chief, though the book didn’t detail what was said.

What was known was that the village chief agreed to her conditions, and later, a man dressed in black snuck into the classroom where the test papers were stored and switched the names on An Lan’s and Bai Weiwei’s answer sheets.

Afterward, An Lan was arranged to marry someone and exited the story swiftly.

Meanwhile, Bai Weiwei used An Lan’s excellent scores to get into a prestigious university in Modu, and the real plot of the novel began from there.

In university, Bai Weiwei was surrounded by admirers and was hailed as the most beautiful campus belle.

With the continued enhancement from the spiritual spring, her appearance became more stunning, eventually catching the eye of a talent scout. She entered the entertainment industry and her career skyrocketed.

Within the industry, it was like she had cheat codes—CEOs, fresh-faced idols, renowned researchers, top doctors—men from every field fell at her feet. She literally slept her way to the Best Actress award.

Tiring of the backstabbing entertainment world, she discovered Song Shuhang was still waiting for her, so she quit acting, married him, and had children—two in one year—envied by all.

Suddenly, a low, hoarse voice pulled An Lan out of her thoughts.

“Lanlan, I’m sorry I came too late. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone who hurt you get away with it.”

An Lan recognized him. He was the one who had collected her body. But she couldn’t remember who he actually was.

Still, his handsome face sparked a strange sense of familiarity.

Then a man nearby called out to him, “President Huo, we have new information.”

President Huo?

Huo…?

Suddenly something clicked. Her eyes widened.

Huo Linyuan?

Yes, it had to be him. He was the only Huo she knew.

But in her memory, he was handsome and strong. Now, he looked utterly haggard—his face covered with stubble, hair a mess, bloodshot eyes filled with grief. He looked heartbreakingly miserable.

An Lan felt confused.

She had barely interacted with Huo Linyuan. She usually avoided him because of his tall, burly frame and the intimidating aura he carried.

Their only close encounter had been when she went up the mountain to chop firewood and accidentally fell into an old hunting trap. She had screamed for help for ages with no one in sight. Just as she was about to give up, Huo Linyuan appeared and pulled her out.

She’d thanked him profusely, but he hadn’t said a word. He just stared at her chest with his deep, dark eyes.

Following his gaze, An Lan realized her blouse had come unbuttoned, exposing her pale, glowing skin.

She remembered feeling ashamed and furious. She yelled at him and ran off. After that, she avoided him even more. Anywhere he was, she wouldn’t go. Later, during the reform and opening up, he went off to work elsewhere.

Before leaving, he even asked her if she wanted to go with him.

But she was still grieving her parents at the time and had agreed to a blind date arranged by the village chief. There was no way she would’ve left with him.

She vaguely remembered the disappointment in Huo Linyuan’s dark eyes as he left without another word, his back looking lonely and defeated.

Now, seeing how devastated he was and hearing his vow to avenge her, everything made sense—Huo Linyuan liked her.

But Bai Weiwei was the female lead. She had An Lan’s golden finger. She couldn’t be killed easily. Worse, trying might even cost Huo Linyuan his life.

At that thought, An Lan couldn’t hold back anymore. She rushed forward to grab Huo Linyuan’s hand—

But…

Her hand passed right through him.

“Take them to the dungeon. I’ll interrogate them myself.” Huo Linyuan’s sorrow vanished, replaced by his usual cold, aloof demeanor.

An Lan chased after him anxiously. “Huo Linyuan, don’t take revenge for me! Bai Weiwei is the female lead—she can’t die so easily. If she dies, this whole world might collapse. We can’t take that risk!”

“Did you hear me? Don’t go, please!”

“She’s backed by powerful forces. You can’t do this alone. Please don’t go!”

“… … …”

An Lan kept speaking, but Huo Linyuan couldn’t hear her at all.

She watched helplessly as he used terrifying methods to interrogate one person after another, until he confirmed that Bai Weiwei had been the one who killed her.

As he read the evidence, his expression turned grimmer and his veins bulged with rage.

It turned out Bai Weiwei hadn’t just killed her—she had harmed many others as well.

No one had expected that Bai Weiwei had also been involved in human trafficking in northern Myanmar.

Huo Linyuan handed the evidence to the police. Then he gave copies to his subordinates, saying, “If the police don’t act, upload these online. Here’s a million—it should cover your mother’s surgery.”

“President Huo… are you really going to do this?”

“Yes. I need to do it myself to ease the hatred in my heart.”

He said it so calmly, as if he were commenting on the weather.

But the murderous intent in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

An Lan was shaken to the core. Personally? Was he crazy?!

“Huo Linyuan, don’t go! If you kill her, you’ll go to prison!”

“I don’t want revenge anymore! Please, just go back!”

“I’m begging you, Huo Linyuan…”

“Huo Linyuan…”

No matter how much she shouted, he couldn’t hear her.

An Lan felt helpless. Lost.

She felt like she had ruined Huo Linyuan’s life. The thought of him spending the rest of his days in prison…

It tore her heart apart.

She couldn’t breathe from the pain.