That place was extremely remote, and hardly anyone went there under normal circumstances.
In the novel, the original owner had practically screamed herself hoarse before attracting a crowd.
Moreover, her parents hadn’t been among those who showed up.
Zhao Qiaoyun paused before answering.
“It was Xiao Xie who told us. She said she’d seen you heading that way. Since the place is so isolated, she was worried you might get into danger while wandering around, so she asked us to go check on you.”
A barely noticeable frown appeared on He Ruchu’s face.
The “Xiao Xie” her mother referred to was none other than Xie Qingwan, the novel’s heroine.
Could it be that even after transmigrating into the story, she still couldn’t change the plot because of the heroine’s influence?
Seeing her lost in thought, Zhao Qiaoyun asked,
“What’s wrong, Ruchu?”
Snapping back to reality, He Ruchu shook her head and suppressed her thoughts.
“Nothing, Mom. I’m heading out now.”
“Hey ”
Zhao Qiaoyun wanted to say more, but by then her daughter had already walked away.
All she could do was shake her head helplessly.
“This child…”
Watching her daughter’s retreating figure disappear from sight, worry filled her eyes.
“Old He, why do I feel so uneasy?”
It felt as though something had changed.
He Yaoguang stood up, walked over, and gently patted her arm.
“You’re still thinking about what happened earlier.”
His words immediately brought Zhao Qiaoyun’s thoughts back to their previous conversation.
“Old He, I keep feeling that what happened between Chuchu and that Shen boy isn’t what it appears to be.”
He Yaoguang sighed.
“Tell me about it.”
Shen Siyuan had always been cold and indifferent.
Romance was the last thing on his mind.
How could he possibly risk everything just to take advantage of their daughter?
After all, such a scandal wouldn’t just jeopardize his promising future.
One wrong step, and he could end up in prison or worse.
The boy wasn’t stupid.
He wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake.
As for what happened between him and their daughter, the truth was probably…
He Yaoguang sighed heavily.
“Chuchu, that girl…”
Although he could more or less guess what had happened, for the sake of his daughter, he could only pretend not to know and help fulfill her wishes despite his conscience.
Zhao Qiaoyun understood this as well.
Leaning against her husband’s chest, she murmured softly,
“I only hope our daughter won’t regret this decision.”
Deep down, she hoped Shen Siyuan would forgive everything her daughter had done and treat her well.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, He Yaoguang comforted her.
“Don’t worry. Things will work out.”
All parents wished for was for their children to live happy, peaceful lives.
That alone would be enough.
Not long after leaving home, He Ruchu spotted a group of women gathered beneath a tree, chatting animatedly.
They looked thoroughly engrossed in their conversation.
However, the moment she appeared, every voice abruptly fell silent.
The women all turned to look at her, awkward expressions on their faces.
He Ruchu understood instantly.
They had definitely been talking about her.
And judging from their looks, she could easily guess the topic.
Naturally, it was about her and Shen Siyuan.
She couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly the news had spread.
Ignoring them, she prepared to walk past without expression.
Just then, a voice called out from behind her.
“Ruchu…”
She paused and turned around.
A young woman around twenty years old was walking toward her.
Her skin was fair, her features beautiful, and her temperament calm and elegant.
She wore an apricot-colored dress, and her long hair flowed freely down her back.
She looked like a talented and refined young lady from a wealthy family.
The moment He Ruchu saw her, she immediately recognized her.
This was Xie Qingwan.
In the novel, Xie Qingwan’s life was summarized as:
A mother who died young, a gambling-addicted father, and a broken version of herself.
Fortunately, before her death, her mother had left her an escape route.
That route was Feng Yazhi Shen Siyuan’s mother.
When Xie Qingwan was around ten years old, her gambling-addicted father had used her as a bet and lost her to an old bachelor in their village.
Unable to endure such a father any longer, she ran away and sought refuge with the person her mother had entrusted her to.
From then on, Feng Yazhi adopted her, making her Shen Siyuan’s nominal younger sister.
Later, with the Shen family’s support, she flourished in Beijing’s elite circles.
She built a commercial empire of her own and eventually married Shen Siyuan, whom she had secretly loved for years.
She was the perfect winner in life.
A stark contrast to the female supporting character, who was uneducated, unsuccessful, and miserable.
Just thinking about those plot points made He Ruchu want to laugh.
Not because they were funny.
Because they were infuriating.
The author had gone out of their way to destroy the supporting character simply to make the heroine shine brighter.
Xie Qingwan first smiled warmly and greeted the women sitting beneath the tree.
Only afterward did she walk over to He Ruchu.
Looking at her gently, she asked,
“Ruchu, where are you rushing off to?”
“Just taking a walk.”
He Ruchu casually brushed her off.
She had no intention of telling Xie Qingwan that she was heading to the hospital.
“Why? Do you need something?”
Xie Qingwan looked concerned.
Pulling her aside, she lowered her voice.
“Ruchu, I heard about you and Brother Siyuan… Are you alright?”
She had only just returned to the residential compound when she heard rumors that Shen Siyuan and He Ruchu had been caught together in an abandoned warehouse.
At first, she was completely stunned.
For a moment, she even wondered if she’d heard wrong.
Brother Siyuan and He Ruchu?
How was that possible?
The moment she recovered from her shock, she rushed over to find He Ruchu.
Raising an eyebrow, He Ruchu smiled faintly.
“Don’t I look perfectly fine standing here? What could possibly be wrong with me?”
“…Ruchu.”
Xie Qingwan was momentarily speechless.
That wasn’t what she’d been asking at all.
But He Ruchu seemed either unwilling or unable to understand.
Left with no choice, she continued:
“Ruchu, I know neither you nor Brother Siyuan are that kind of person. Could those people have misunderstood something? Or maybe they saw it wrong?”
A man as self-disciplined and aloof as Shen Siyuan would never do something so reckless.
Especially not with someone he disliked as much as He Ruchu.
For that reason, Xie Qingwan refused to believe the rumors.
Feeling uneasy, she stared at He Ruchu, waiting for an explanation.
“As for that… I’ll tell you when I have time.”
After casually tossing out that response, He Ruchu turned and walked away.
To be honest, she had absolutely no favorable impression of the heroine.
Nor did she want any further contact or entanglement with her.
If possible, she wanted nothing more than to stay far away from both the male and female leads and quietly enjoy her own life.
“Hey, Ruchu, wait…”
Seeing her leave without explaining anything, Xie Qingwan grew anxious and hurriedly called after her.
But her efforts were completely ineffective.
He Ruchu continued walking briskly.
Within moments, she had vanished from sight.
Xie Qingwan stamped her foot in frustration.
Thinking about all the gossip she’d heard, she frowned so deeply it looked as if she could crush a fly between her brows.
What kind of mess is this?
How could Brother Siyuan really become involved with He Ruchu?
What am I supposed to do now?