Chapter 3: The Third Day After Transmigration – Testing and Response

That was a photo taken when the original host received a private scholarship during her university days. Several students stood in front of the stage receiving awards, while in the audience sat the sponsor of the scholarship — the president of He Group, He Yan.

Although the original host came from a poor background, she had excellent academic performance. She had performed extraordinarily well in the college entrance examination and got into one of Beijing’s top-tier 985 universities. In her freshman year, due to her outstanding grades, she was awarded this extremely generous private scholarship.

Yun Shuning walked to the wall and took down the photo.

In the picture, the original host was smiling sincerely and brightly, a stark contrast to the calm and composed expression that lingered in her memories.

She skimmed over the girl’s face and fixed her gaze on the nameplate on the podium. Though the characters were small and a bit blurry, they could still be made out — the name was He Yan.

The angle of the photo was too off-center, so He Yan himself wasn’t captured in the shot. But for her, this was enough.

A love story that transcended social class slowly unfolded before her eyes — full of laughter, tears, insecurity, and quarrels.

Yun Shuning closed her eyes and took a deep breath: from this moment on, she had someone she loved with all her heart — and that person was He Yan.

When she opened her eyes again, it was as if she had transformed into someone else. Her gaze was now full of longing and attachment.

He Chen stared intently at the photo in his hand. The person in the picture was smiling so brilliantly, so dazzlingly, completely different from the Yun Secretary he remembered.

In his memory, Yun Shuning was the type of person who, even with a 39-degree fever, would insist on finishing her work before going to the hospital — calm and precise.

He rarely saw her smile. Even when she did, it was a polite and distant smile used in professional settings.

Two days ago, he had someone look into Yun Shuning’s past. But because it was so long ago, there wasn’t much documentation.

Still, even from just a few lines, her difficult and pitiful past was apparent.

He Chen put down the photo and picked up another document.

This document recorded events from Yun Shuning’s university life, including her first encounter with He Yan.

His uncle had always been a solitary person. Aside from work, he avoided interacting with anyone. So very few people truly understood him.

Most of his whereabouts were erased by himself. If his figure hadn’t been missing from the photo, this encounter likely wouldn’t have been preserved at all.

He Chen let out a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He had already asked his uncle’s former assistant, but the assistant’s answer was vague.

The assistant only said that before his disappearance, his uncle’s movements were erratic, and he came to the company much less frequently. However, since he disliked people investigating his private life, no one knew the reason behind his strange behavior.

If Yun Shuning wasn’t lying, then she and his uncle had really been lovers.

Thinking of the look on her face in the office that day, He Chen leaned back in his chair, exhausted.

A person’s eyes don’t lie. She really did love him — so much that she was willing to stand against the unknown for him.

If that were true, then he should probably start calling her “Aunt.”

With a serious expression, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. “It’s me.”

In the past two days, Yun Shuning had memorized all the details about He Yan’s preferences mentioned in the book.

She had even crafted a carefully constructed love story between them based on their personalities.

“President He.” She picked up the phone and adjusted her voice to one that fit her current identity — smooth and devoid of emotion.

She had long been aware of her strong vocal control. Combined with the fact that the original host’s voice was naturally pleasant, after some training, she had blended her voice control with the original’s tone. Sometimes, even she was surprised by how captivating her voice sounded.

He Chen was momentarily stunned by the voice that came through the phone.

Was Yun Shuning’s voice always this… beautiful?

“Do you have time today?” he asked gently after recovering, his tone noticeably more polite and respectful than before.

If she really was his uncle’s lover, then she was half a senior in his eyes.

“I do,” Yun Shuning replied calmly.

She knew He Chen would come looking for her — whether to verify information or clear his own name, he needed her there in person.

So, she had spent the last two days preparing for this.

He Chen was caught off guard by her quick answer. “Aren’t you going to ask why I’m looking for you?”

“Do you think that’s necessary?”

Hearing her response, his gaze wavered, and he instinctively tightened his grip on the phone.

Earlier, her answers had been brief, so all he could focus on was the pleasant tone of her voice. But now that she had spoken more, he fully felt its power.

It was light, ethereal, and gentle — yet carried a deep sorrow that seemed etched into her very bones.

“It’s about some information regarding my uncle’s disappearance,” He Chen paused, then spoke softly. “Would you like to take a look?”

In truth, he had been the primary suspect in He Yan’s disappearance and had undergone strict police investigations. Eventually, he was cleared.

As for the related materials, he still had all the records.

“Okay,” Yun Shuning answered softly, her voice trembling slightly.

“My uncle didn’t like people intruding on his personal space,” He Chen paused again upon hearing her response, his voice tinged with a sigh even he didn’t realize was there. “But if it’s someone he knew well, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Miss Yun, if you don’t mind, let’s meet at my uncle’s villa.”

“All right.”

After hanging up the phone, Yun Shuning stared indifferently at the somewhat unfamiliar face in the mirror. It was a strikingly beautiful face, with slightly upturned eyes that exuded a trace of allure. Yet that allure was completely suppressed by the coldness in her eyes, creating a contradictory yet harmonious look.

The person in the mirror remained still, but her gaze grew deep and complex in an instant, and her body was in a state of tension.

She was truly grateful—grateful that she had always worked on improving her acting skills and never passed up any opportunity to perform.

Otherwise, on the very first day she arrived here, she would have been thrown into prison by the male lead.

She had agreed to meet He Chen at 11 a.m., and it was already 10 a.m.—time to get ready.

Yun Shuning opened the wardrobe and picked out the outfit that best matched her current state of mind: a white sweater paired with a light coffee-colored coat. It was freezing in the depths of winter, and wearing something like that would definitely be cold.

Fortunately, she wouldn’t be outside for long. Otherwise, she might not have been able to endure it.

By the time she arrived at the villa where she had agreed to meet He Chen, she was completely frozen, so stiff from the cold that her face could barely form any expressions.

“Miss Yun.” He Chen looked at the thin clothing on her body and helplessly averted his gaze, greeting her in a soft voice.

Yun Shuning looked at him. Her expression was briefly complicated and difficult to read, but it quickly returned to calmness—calm like a still lake, where nothing could stir the slightest ripple in her eyes.

She nodded calmly in response to his greeting.

“President He, may I look at the materials now?” she asked, turning her head to take in the decorations of the living room, as if trying to imprint every detail into her memory.

Even though he had already heard her voice over the phone, He Chen was still momentarily captivated by it.

Through the phone, her voice had sounded somewhat distorted—not as clear as it was now, not as filled with sadness and helplessness as it was now.

“Miss Yun hasn’t eaten yet, has she?” He Chen avoided her question. “It’s already lunchtime. Let’s talk after we eat.”

Just as he finished speaking, someone came out of the kitchen with a meal that had been prepared in advance. The table was filled with dishes.

He glanced at Yun Shuning, who had turned her head. He could already guess what she wanted to ask. Just as he was leisurely preparing to respond, the person across from him finally spoke:

“He… didn’t like having other people in the house, did he?”

Hearing this, He Chen completely forgot the long speech he had prepared about eating on time.

He didn’t even need to think to know exactly who she meant by “he.”

He scratched his head awkwardly. In that moment, he suddenly felt that his suspicions had been somewhat despicable.

“The upstairs bedroom is only entered during the weekly cleaning schedule,” he explained, gesturing for the person at the dining table to leave. “As for the downstairs areas, someone comes by from time to time to clean.”

While talking, he pulled out a chair.

Seeing her stubbornly standing there, unwilling to move, he took it upon himself to ladle a bowl of soup for her. “Once we finish lunch, I’ll give you the documents.”

Yun Shuning watched his actions, a hint of doubt flashing through her mind—Was He Chen accepting her identity a little too easily?

The suspicions and tests she had expected never came. His attitude toward her even carried an obvious sense of respect.

Was the male lead in the novel really this easy to fool?

The living room was far too minimalist, colored only in black and white. Even with the heating turned up high, there was a subtle chill lingering in the air.

Yun Shuning steadied her expression and slowly walked to the seat beside her, step by step, then sat down. “I hope you’ll keep your word.”

In the few days she’d been in this world, she had been surviving on bread and instant noodles from the original host’s fridge. She hadn’t had a proper meal once.

But now, staring at the bowl of soup He Chen had served her, she didn’t feel the slightest bit hungry.

The original host loved cilantro and added it to everything. Yun Shuning, on the other hand, despised it. Just the smell of it made her want to throw up.

As she sat in the chair, she could clearly smell the scent of cilantro in the air.

Seeing her indifferent face and apparent lack of appetite, He Chen gave a soft chuckle. “No appetite?”

Yun Shuning kept her head down and didn’t respond. She simply took a mechanical sip of the soup right in front of him.

Right now, she didn’t even need to act—she only had to suppress her disgust for cilantro and show that everything tasted like ash in her mouth.

Just as she was holding back the urge to gag and preparing to take another sip, He Chen’s voice made her freeze in place. A cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

“Uncle is really picky, isn’t he?” He Chen said lightly as he watched her movements. “Even if there’s only the tiniest bit of cilantro on the table, he wouldn’t take a single bite.”

After speaking, he looked at the person across from him with a probing, shadowed expression.

This was a test—Yun Shuning instantly understood.

She maintained her original posture, trying to keep her slightly trembling right hand steady despite the panic rising inside her.

The sound of her heartbeat pounded in her ears, making her whole body tense up.

Did He Yan really not eat cilantro? Or was He Chen just bluffing?

She couldn’t gamble—if she made a single wrong move, she wouldn’t be leaving through that door today.

What should she do?

Was she… crying?

The silence in the room was so intense that He Chen could clearly hear the sound of a teardrop falling onto the table.

Why was she crying?

He looked at the person across from him as she lifted her head, revealing a pair of eyes washed clear by tears, black and white in contrast.

There was a dazed look in her eyes, along with a deep sense of guilt and remorse buried at the bottom.

She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound. Eventually, she closed her eyes, trembling, hiding the thoughts swirling within them. “I didn’t know…”

“He… he never told me.”