Yu Qian pressed her lips together, and the atmosphere around her grew heavy. The things she had tried so hard to forget resurfaced in her mind with the appearance of these middle-aged women.

She had memories from an early age— so early that she still retained faint impressions of her father, who had passed away when she was three years old.

But what she remembered even more clearly were the gossiping whispers of these women, words they had been saying about her since she was a child……

Yu Qian remained silent as she led Jiang Zheng and the other two through several narrow alleys until they arrived at a three-story residential building.

With a natural movement, she pushed open the heavy iron gate. Just as she stepped into the courtyard, an elderly woman with graying hair came out. The moment she saw Yu Qian, she broke into a delighted smile, her face full of wrinkles.

“Grandma.” Yu Qian smiled and called out.

“Xiao Qian, you’re back? Come in, come in! Grandma has prepared something delicious for you.”

Yu Qian”s grandmother hurried over, her wrinkled hands grasping Yu Qian’s as she pulled her inside. She didn’t forget to greet the others either, “These are your friends, right? You must all be hungry.”

Then, she called into the house, “Xiao Hui, Xiao Zhi, your sister is back! Hurry and come out!”

Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from inside, and soon, a boy and a girl appeared before Yu Qian.

“Sis, you’re back?”

“Sis, you’re back so early! Grandpa just left to buy braised beef for you. He said you’d be home for dinner tonight.”

The two teenagers, who looked around fourteen or fifteen, gazed at Yu Qian with bright eyes as they chatted away.

Surrounded by her grandmother, younger cousins, and the warmth of home, Yu Qian was ushered inside. Jiang Zheng and the others followed closely behind.

The moment they stepped into the house, Yu Qian’s grandmother busied herself finding food for them.

Jiang Zheng took in the room and then looked at Yu Qian, who had suddenly regained her usual liveliness upon entering the house. His heart was filled with questions.

Lin Niannian, who had never been to a small town before, was curious about everything, while Bai Qiming sat calmly beside her.

Yu Qian’s grandmother brought out an assortment of fruits and snacks, urging them to eat while she prepared dinner. When Yu Qian tried to help, her grandmother firmly refused.

Not long after, Yu Qian’s grandfather returned with the braised beef. He wasn’t alone. Yu Qian’s second uncle and aunt had also rushed back after being informed by Yu Hui, even closing their supermarket early.

Yu Qian’s second aunt barely exchanged a few words before heading straight to the kitchen to help. Soon, the meal was ready.

As they all sat down at the table, Yu Qian’s grandfather beamed with pride. “Xiao Qian, your mother told me you got into Peking University?”

Yu Qian nodded obediently. “Yes, I’ve already received the admission letter. School starts on September 1st.”

“Good, good! Our Yu family finally has a university student!” Her grandfather’s hair was graying, but his voice was full of energy.

“Come, Xiao Qian, eat more beef. Your grandpa has been talking all morning about buying it for you.” Yu Qian’s second aunt smiled, picking up a piece of beef for her. Then, she turned to Jiang Zheng and the others. “Don’t be shy, eat whatever you like. Make sure you don’t go hungry.”

Lin Niannian and the others weren’t used to being served like this. Lin Niannian, in particular, found herself overwhelmed. Every time her bowl was empty, Yu Qian’s grandmother and second aunt would immediately refill it. By the end of the meal, she had eaten three times her usual amount and was nearly bursting.

Yu Qian’s grandmother treated Bai Qiming even more kindly after learning he was Yu Qian’s stepbrother.

After dinner, Yu Qian’s grandmother wanted to prepare two guest rooms for Jiang Zheng and the others, but Yu Qian stopped her.

“Grandma, don’t worry about them. I already booked them rooms at a hotel.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? How can we let guests stay at a hotel?” Her grandmother frowned in disapproval.

“Grandma, they wouldn’t be comfortable staying here. Besides, we don’t have enough toiletries for them.”

After much persuasion, Yu Qian finally convinced her grandmother.

They continued chatting for a long time until the sky outside turned completely dark. Only then did Yu Qian get up to take Jiang Zheng and the others to the hotel.

Many parts of the town had no streetlights and the road ahead was dim. But the darkness had its advantages— it stripped away the noise of the day, leaving behind a peaceful atmosphere that was soothing.

Jiang Zheng observed Yu Qian through the faint light, hesitating to speak. He wanted to ask about her past but feared reopening her wounds.

When they arrived at the best hotel in town, Yu Qian helped them check in and joked, “This is the best the town has to offer. I hope you young masters and lady won’t find it too disappointing.”

Lin Niannian playfully nudged her.

Noticing that Yu Qian had only booked three rooms, Jiang Zheng asked, “You’re not staying here?”

Yu Qian shook her head. “My grandmother is still waiting for me. I’ll go back to sleep at home and come pick you up in the morning.”

After seeing them off to their rooms, Yu Qian smiled and wished them goodnight before stepping alone into the night.

As she walked through the dim alleys, the smile on her face faded, and she exhaled deeply.

Memories surfaced in her mind— memories from childhood……

Wang Hui had never understood why Yu Qian, who had been such a well-behaved child, suddenly became rebellious after she left home for three years.

The reason was simple. She hadn’t been abused, nor had she been bullied. It was merely because of the constant whispers from the ‘kind-hearted’ women in the neighborhood.

When Yu Qian was little, she hadn’t thought much of it when Wang Hui first left home. But gradually, the voices around her changed.

“Xiao Qian, your mother left to work. She doesn’t want you anymore.”

“Poor Xiao Qian. She just lost her father, and now her mother is gone too.”

“Wang Hui is probably looking for another man to marry. She’s still so young, after all.”

Yu Qian recalled the way those middle-aged women looked. They always seemed to have nothing better to do than gather together and gossip about every household as if they knew everything by heart.

With smiles on their faces, they spoke to the four-year-old Yu Qian in a ‘joking’ manner. At first, she had retaliated stubbornly. But all she got in return was, “As expected, with no adults at home, the child has become disobedient.”

Amidst these idle remarks, Yu Qian began to wonder if her mother had truly abandoned her. Adding to that, whenever she called Wang Hui, it would take three or four tries to get through, and even then, their conversations lasted only a few minutes.

Slowly, she accepted the ‘fact’ that her mother had abandoned her. Little Yu Qian began to feel insecure, and even three years later, when Wang Hui brought her to live by her side and gave her everything she could, Yu Qian still believed that Wang Hui did not love her. She became the rebellious child in everyone’s eyes.

Although Grandpa Yu and Grandma Yu noticed that Yu Qian had become more withdrawn, in their generation’s mindset, raising a child simply meant feeding and clothing her well. They never realized how much harm words could inflict on a child.

Yu Qian’s uncle and aunt also took care of their niece, who had just lost her father, but their energy was already completely occupied by Yu Zhi, who was two years younger than Yu Qian, and Yu Hui, who was not even a year old. So, they overlooked the little girl.

If childhood wounds could still be healed by Wang Hui’s selfless love, then what happened later was what truly tore open Yu Qian’s scars once again.

Yu Qian thought back to her previous life. Her mother had suddenly suffered unbearable pain and was later diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. Then came the hospital visits, chemotherapy, coma, resuscitation……

In those final days, Wang Hui was already enduring immense suffering, yet her biggest concern was still Yu Qian. At the time, Yu Qian had just entered high school and still knew nothing about the world.

Wang Hui feared that after her death, Yu Qian would be left helpless and alone. She held on despite her pain, writing a will and finding a trustee for her assets. Worried that Yu Qian wouldn’t be able to manage a company on her own, she even merged her thriving business with a larger enterprise in exchange for shares to ensure that Yu Qian would be financially secure for life.

In the end, Wang Hui passed away in the hospital.

At such a young age, Yu Qian, accompanied by Wang Jiajia and two others, as well as her grandparents, buried her mother.

At first, all she heard were words of comfort, but later, she overheard something else……

“Xiao Qian, don’t be too sad. Look at how lucky you are. Your mother may be gone, but she left you so much inheritance. You won’t have to worry about money for the rest of your life.”

“I think the luckiest person in our town is Xiao Qian. So young and already owns such a huge fortune, and she doesn’t even have siblings to compete with her for it.”

In these ‘kind’ words of comfort from those middle-aged women, her mother’s death had somehow turned into a good thing. They spoke as if she should feel grateful for it……

Yu Qian felt a chill run through her entire body, but she couldn’t say anything. Did these people harbor any ill intentions toward her? No. Their words of comfort were genuine, and so was their indifference.

To them, everything that had happened to her— all her joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness— was nothing more than casual gossip, a passing topic of conversation. Their tongues were soft, yet their words cut like knives.

They didn’t care what she thought. They were simply voicing their opinions.

What was the truth? It didn’t matter. They just needed something to talk about.

After her mother’s death, Yu Qian never returned to their town again. Counting both her previous and present lives, it had been six years……

Thinking back on everything, Yu Qian still couldn’t let go of the bitterness in her heart.

She slowly walked back to her grandparents’ house. As expected, they were all waiting for her, even Yu Hui and Yu Zhi had not gone to sleep.

After chatting with her family for a while, Yu Qian returned to her room with Yu Zhi.

Sitting on the bed, Yu Zhi spoke in a mysterious tone, “Sis, besides your new brother, who was that other Jiang guy today? What’s your relationship with him?”

“He’s my friend.” Yu Qian took off her coat and placed it on the chair.

“Are you sure he’s not your boyfriend?” Yu Zhi’s face was full of curiosity.

Yu Qian, unable to take it anymore, raised her hand and smacked Yu Zhi lightly. “What are you thinking at such a young age? He’s not my boyfriend. If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll buy you a whole stack of test papers tomorrow.”

Threatened, Yu Zhi quickly covered her mouth, but her eyes clearly said, ‘I don’t believe you.’

Did they think she was too young to understand anything? She had seen that Jiang guy sneaking glances at her sister all day!

Yu Qian turned off the lights and lay on the bed with Yu Zhi, but she couldn’t sleep at all.

Although reason told her that her previous life was already over and she was now just in the world of a novel, everything— the people and the events— felt too real……

“Buzz—”

Yu Qian’s phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw a message from Jiang Zheng on WeChat.

【Jiang Zheng: The air conditioner in this hotel is broken…… [Aggrieved.jpg]】

Yu Qian could almost imagine Jiang Zheng’s disgruntled expression and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

【Our little town is just like this. Please bear with it. [Doge.jpg]】