Chapter 8: The Divide  

There were only a handful of families in Huaicheng that could be considered wealthy, and they all had business dealings with one another. As a result, everyone was generally aware of each other’s circumstances, and Madam Luo was no exception when it came to knowing about Chu Zhi.  

“Why would she need help from her? Isn’t Yan Yan far more capable than that Chu Zhi?” Madam Luo looked at Shen Zhansi in disbelief before suddenly realizing something.  

“You’re not still jealous of Chu Zhi, are you?!”  

Madam Luo’s tone was a mix of astonishment and amusement as she said those last words, though she could understand Shen Zhansi’s feelings—after all, her memories were still stuck at age seventeen!  

Shen Zhansi’s face instantly flushed red. “Who’s jealous of her?!”  

How could she be?! What was there to be jealous of? She was just the Original Novel Villain!  

“Right, right, not jealous at all.” Seeing her bristle, Madam Luo quickly soothed her, though only for a moment before continuing, “I wonder who it was back then who got so angry when Yan Yan was taken to Chu Zhi’s birthday party by her father, breaking their prior plans together, that they swore they wouldn’t go—only to pester their dad into taking them anyway.”  

“Hmm… and once there, they clung to Yan Yan all night, glaring at Chu Zhi every time she got close, like a possessive little puppy guarding its food.”  

“You—you—”  

Shen Zhansi was so mortified by her words that she couldn’t speak. Why did her past actions sound so childish when recounted like this?!  

“Oh, and let’s not forget—you saved up painstakingly to buy the most expensive birthday gift you could afford, only for Chu Zhi to give one worth several times more. You sulked in your room for an entire day over it.”  

“……”  

Shen Zhansi completely shut down, listening as Madam Luo listed her past “crimes” one by one, filled with nothing but regret.  

Had she really been that bad at hiding it back then?!  

Seeing Shen Zhansi’s defeated expression, Madam Luo raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t actually think you were doing a good job hiding it, did you?”  

“…Yeah.” She wasn’t really a teenager anymore, so of course she thought she’d been subtle!  

Madam Luo shook her head, a hint of disdain in her voice. “First love, wasn’t it? You didn’t even know how to hide it properly—your father and I both noticed! You’d had feelings for Yan Yan for a long time!”  

Shen Zhansi’s eyes widened slowly. Even Shen Junxin had noticed?!  

“The moment you saw her, you lit up like a dog spotting a bone. If you think we’d believe there wasn’t something going on in that head of yours, you’d have to kill me and your father first!”  

Back then, they’d figured it was just youthful emotions—first love, budding feelings—all perfectly normal. Besides, watching the two of them dance around each other, full of hesitation and uncertainty, they doubted anything would come of it anytime soon. Since her studies weren’t affected, they’d pretended not to notice and let her figure it out on her own.  

Looking back now, if they’d just talked to Shen Zhansi openly and given her some advice, maybe things would’ve progressed faster, saving them a few years.  

Shen Zhansi fell silent. Why did that analogy irritate her so much?  

She was the dog? And Yan Qingye was the bone?  

Well, Yan Qingye was indeed thin these days—any thinner and she’d be nothing but bones.  

Still, hearing Madam Luo say that Yan Qingye hadn’t sought Chu Zhi’s help filled her with a quiet sense of satisfaction.

Since having more contact with Yan Qingye, she hadn’t liked seeing Yan Qingye interact with Chu Zhi much, fearing they might follow the original plot where Yan Qingye would get hurt by Chu Zhi.

“Wouldn’t Qingqing be exhausted?” After the initial joy came heartache. Without the Chu family’s support, the hardships Yan Qingye would face to hold on were unimaginable.

“Do you think we’re dead?” Madam Luo poked her face in frustration.

Knowing how much their daughter liked the other person, and that Yan Qingye’s character, abilities, looks, and family background were all excellent—partnering with someone like this was extremely beneficial—how could they possibly stand by idly?

Shen Zhansi’s eyes lit up slightly as she looked at Madam Luo eagerly, silently asking if it was what she thought.

Madam Luo snorted proudly.

“Mom! I really love you guys!” Shen Zhansi’s eyes shone brightly as she lunged to hug her, but the sudden movement made her vision go black, and she nearly collapsed.

Madam Luo and Aunt Zhang quickly steadied her.

“You! At your age, can’t you be more composed?” Madam Luo scolded, slapping her arm lightly, her face still pale from fright.

After a moment, Shen Zhansi’s vision cleared, and she smiled sheepishly at their worried expressions.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine—just a bit anemic, maybe.”

“Mom, you still haven’t told me how Qingqing and I got married.” Shen Zhansi tugged at Madam Luo’s sleeve.

Madam Luo side-eyed her, while Aunt Zhang chuckled. “Xiao Shen’s become much livelier since losing her memory.”

Hearing this, Madam Luo’s expression softened slightly, a faint smile appearing. “She is cuter now.”

Shen Zhansi: “…”

Being called cute after living two lifetimes…

“Don’t change the subject—how did Qingqing and I get married?” Shen Zhansi pressed. Yan Qingye definitely wouldn’t tell her, so she had to find out from others.

“You still have the nerve to ask!” Madam Luo fumed. “Yan Yan was the one who came to tell us about the marriage! You just hid behind her the whole time—couldn’t you have been more proactive? Thank goodness Yan Yan didn’t mind.”

Not only did she not mind, she treated her like a treasure! It made her and her husband shake their heads—what kind of luck did this girl have to make Yan Qingye fall for her?

Shen Zhansi blinked. Yan Qingye had proposed the marriage?

Not her?

Shen Zhansi was completely baffled. If she hadn’t pressured her, then why would Yan Qingye, who didn’t like her, take the initiative to marry?

And even pretend to be affectionate in front of others.

“If Qingqing handled my work, what was I doing?” Shen Zhansi asked, puzzled.

Madam Luo and Aunt Zhang fell silent, just staring at her.

Shen Zhansi’s mind filled with question marks. Why that reaction?!

“You tell her. I’m too embarrassed,” Madam Luo turned away, practically saying it was too cringeworthy to even look at.

“…” What was going on? Was it that bad?

Shen Zhansi turned to Aunt Zhang.

Aunt Zhang fell silent for a moment before saying, “You’d wake up at 8 a.m., go for a half-hour morning run, then shower and have breakfast. After breakfast, you’d rest for an hour, followed by an hour of swimming. Then lunch and an hour’s nap.”

Hearing this, Shen Zhansi instinctively pressed, “And then?”

“That’s your free time. Most days, you’d rush off to Yan Corporation to find Miss Yan.”

“…”

Shen Zhansi was stunned. Free time? So all those morning activities were part of a fixed routine?

And did she really have nothing else of her own to do?!

No wonder Madam Luo looked down on her—even she was starting to despise herself!

With a deep sigh, she realized that whatever happened between her and Yan Qingye must be known only to them. To outsiders, it was all just surface appearances.

“What’s with the sigh? Finally realizing how useless you’ve been?” Madam Luo shot her a sidelong glance.

Shen Zhansi: “…”

Even if that were true, did her mother have to say it so bluntly? How shameless!

“But didn’t I originally plan to study veterinary medicine?” Shen Zhansi frowned. She had long decided on this path and had even discussed it thoroughly with her parents.

“Do you really have no idea why you didn’t?” Madam Luo’s face still showed traces of anger. “Didn’t you change your mind because you wanted to follow Yan Yan into finance?”

“And even after chasing her there, you didn’t study properly! If it weren’t for Yan Yan keeping an eye on you, who knows if you’d even have graduated!”

Shen Zhansi was dumbfounded. What had possessed her? Changing her aspirations just to follow Yan Qingye? And then performing poorly in her studies?!

Even if a donkey had kicked her in the head, she wouldn’t normally do something so irrational!

Her brow furrowed. Logically, even if she had successfully confessed to Yan Qingye and they were together, she wouldn’t have abandoned her own interests for a field she disliked—let alone neglected her studies. That wasn’t just stagnation—it was regression!

She had always believed that loving someone meant striving to become a better version of yourself, to stand beside them as an equal. But changing her academic path completely contradicted that principle!

Had her confession the next day failed? Had she been so distraught that she chased after Yan Qingye, enrolling in the same university and program just to stay close to her?

“Mom, do you remember when Qingqing and I got together?” Shen Zhansi tugged at Madam Luo’s sleeve urgently.

Startled by her intensity, Madam Luo patted her chest to calm herself. “Around your sophomore year, I think. You were so excited, saying you’d taken the first step and that Yan Yan would eventually fall for you.”

At the time, Madam Luo had been puzzled—why “eventually” if they were already together? But seeing how happy they were later, she hadn’t dwelled on it.

Shen Zhansi froze again. So her confession had actually failed?

No—she needed to ask Yan Qingye herself. She had to know what really happened back then!

Shen Zhansi felt that her changes were too drastic! After all, she had lived two lifetimes—logically speaking, she shouldn’t have acted so irrationally, right?

She talked with Madam Luo for a long time, and the more they spoke, the more she felt fragmented, as if she had split into two personalities! Those decisions didn’t seem like something she would have made at all!

As noon approached, Madam Luo’s phone rang—it was a call from Yan Qingye, asking what they wanted to eat. She was about to come to the hospital and could bring lunch with her.

Madam Luo initially didn’t want her to make the trip, urging her to rest during her lunch break, but she couldn’t dissuade Yan Qingye from insisting on coming. So, she listed a few simple home-style dishes.

Hearing that Yan Qingye was coming, Shen Zhansi’s heart leaped into her throat. She had so many, many questions she wanted to confirm with Yan Qingye—now, all she felt was her heart pounding wildly.

When Yan Qingye arrived, the first thing she noticed was Shen Zhansi’s shaved head and the way she looked at her—completely different from any gaze before.

It made her heart skip a beat unconsciously.

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