What bad intentions could a seven-year-old possibly have?
Unfortunately, Lin Zixin was not truly a child; she was a transmigrated woman.
Before crossing over, Lin Zixin had been a hardcore addict of Mary Sue stories. Because she was overly obsessed with Mary Sue novels and dramas, she had stopped going to school altogether. She dropped out before finishing middle school and stayed home. Lin Zixin had fantasized countless times about becoming the beloved heroine adored by all, yet she never expected that after she quarreled with her family and committed suicide, her dream would actually come true. She transmigrated into the precious little miss of a wealthy family.
As for Lin Nuonuo’s arrival, Lin Zixin had once secretly overheard her father and grandfather speaking at the study door. She learned that Lin Zeyu was adopting a child as a show to please business partners.
But even knowing that the country bumpkin in front of her was merely a prop for their family’s use, she still disliked Lin Nuonuo tremendously and instinctively rejected her presence.
In fact, Lin Zixin had already imagined a full melodrama in her mind— fake heiress versus real heiress battling for family assets and fighting over the hero.
If she did not need to maintain the image of a kind and gentle true heiress, she would have driven Lin Nuonuo out of the house already.
At this moment, Lin Zixin deliberately pinched Lin Nuonuo, hoping she would cry or resist in front of everyone, after which Lin Zixin would pretend to be injured by Lin Nuonuo.
Who would be willing to keep a mentally unstable child who even hurt their biological daughter?
Lin Zixin believed her plan was flawless. Unfortunately, Lin Nuonuo’s reaction did not follow the script.
Pinched by Lin Zixin, Lin Nuonuo neither cried nor resisted.
Judging from the twisted expression on Lin Nuonuo’s face and the small hand trembling as if wanting to pull away, she truly felt pain. Yet no matter how hard Lin Zixin pinched, Lin Nuonuo only lowered her head timidly without moving. Tears swirled in her eyes, but she did not make a single sound.
Seeing her plan fail, Lin Zixin felt displeased, but to avoid exposing herself in front of her parents, she reluctantly let go of Lin Nuonuo’s hand.
As expected, once Lin Zixin released Lin Nuonuo, deep fingernail marks and bruising appeared on her arm in a spot not easily noticed.
At this time, Lin Zeyu’s father, the chairman of Lin Group, Lin Chaojiang, came downstairs.
“Dad.”
“Dad.”
“You’re back? Did the charity gala go smoothly?”
“Everything went smoothly.” Lin Zeyu replied.
Lin Chaojiang nodded, his gaze lingering on Lin Nuonuo for two seconds. “So this is the child?”
“Yes, Dad, she’s the one we told you about earlier. Her name is Lin Nuonuo.” Gu Mingming answered.
Lin Chaojiang acknowledged her with a neutral expression.
He knew Lin Zeyu had adopted the girl to win favor from the Zhou family. Though he privately disapproved of such a tactic, since he had handed the company over to his son, he did not wish to interfere too much.
Raising an adopted child was still considered a good deed, and for the Lin family, adding one more child hardly cost anything. So he left the matter be.
Yet, looking at the child before him— dressed in clean clothes but disheveled and timid— an inexplicable sense of familiarity rose quietly in his heart.
Perhaps elderly people simply liked children.
So thought Lin Chaojiang.
“How old is she?” Lin Chaojiang asked.
“She is seven this year, the same age as Xinxin.” Gu Mingming replied.
Lin Nuonuo had been abandoned at the hospital on the day she was born, so the orphanage had her birth date clearly recorded. Coincidentally, she and Lin Zixin not only shared the same age, but the same birthday.
Hearing that, the others were surprised. Their gazes drifted between the two girls, and their expressions grew strange.
Lin Zixin looked like a perfectly normal seven-year-old, perhaps even slightly taller than her peers thanks to superior genetics.
In contrast, Lin Nuonuo, standing beside her, barely reached Lin Zixin’s shoulder. She did not look seven at all. People could easily believe she was only five or six.
The contrast was striking. Lin Zixin was taller, fair, and pretty, while Lin Nuonuo was thin, short, and plain.
Seeing the silent comparisons, Lin Chaojiang did not feel proud of his granddaughter’s good upbringing. Instead, the sight of the frail Lin Nuonuo made him vaguely emotional.
“Since she’s already here, arrange things properly.” He said.
With his word given, the servants began to move.
“The young master and young madam said earlier that they would bring Nuonuo home, so we prepared a room in advance.”
“All the bedding, toiletries, and essentials are ready.”
“But since we didn’t know her size, we haven’t bought any clothes yet.”
“I noticed Nuonuo is smaller than the little miss. The little miss has many excellent-quality clothes that she outgrew quickly. Perhaps Nuonuo can wear them first?”
“……”
The servants talked among themselves.
Soon, Lin Nuonuo was taken to a room in a corner on the second floor.
The room was filled with good-quality items, but it lacked warmth.
It was clearly an ordinary guest room. Aside from the old clothes belonging to Lin Zixin, everything else was standard supplies for temporary guests.
She was exhausted.
Lin Nuonuo climbed onto the bed and curled tightly under the large blanket, thinking of what had happened over the past two days, thinking of the dream, and thinking of ways to save herself.
To avoid dying like in the dream, she needed to escape this place.
She could never return to the orphanage. Even if she ran outside, probably no one would take her in. If she wandered the streets, the police uncle would likely find her and send her back to the Lin family……
Her mind spun through countless possibilities, but she soon shook her head. None of them was realistic.
The Lin family would never let her go. Even if she escaped, she would be dragged back.
“Then what else can I do……?”
Her small brows furrowed. She thought for a long time but came up with nothing. Eventually, she drifted into a muddled sleep.
……
That night, the nightmare returned.
Chaotic flashes overlapped until the dream grew clear.
Lin Nuonuo was lying on a cold operating table.
She wasn’t dead, but she could neither move nor speak. She could smell the sharp, sickly scent in the air and could hear the urgent beeping beside her ears. She could see the blinding lights and the shadows of people moving around her, yet she could do nothing.
She did not know what they were doing. She felt no pain, no sensation, yet she clearly felt parts of her body being taken away, one piece at a time.
Until her consciousness peeled away, swallowed by suffocating darkness……
“Help! I don’t want to die!”
Lin Nuonuo woke in terror.
Looking around at the unfamiliar darkness, she shivered violently and buried herself under the cold blanket.
Even then, she still felt trapped in a nightmare.
Only when the sound of a car outside drifted in did her focus return.
The headlights shone faintly through the curtain. Fear made her curl up, but curiosity eventually pushed her to get out of bed and walk to the window.
Through the glass, she saw a light blue car stop at the villa entrance. A man stepped out.
It was too dark and too far to see his face.
Yet a voice in her mind told her that this was the second young master of the Lin family, Lin Chen.
Watching him walk inside, fragments of the novel rose in her memory.
In the story, Lin Chen was the male protagonist’s younger brother, but his relationship with the male protagonist and the rest of the Lin family was strained. Even living under the same roof, he barely interacted with them.
He was an actor and rarely returned home.
Clearly, he was not there to stay the night.
Within minutes, Lin Chen walked back out, tossed a small duffel bag into the trunk, and drove away.
The villa fell silent again.
Lin Nuonuo stared in the direction his car disappeared into. After a long while, she whispered softly and awkwardly, “Dad……”
Lin Chen was her father.
In that dream, she not only learned her future but also the truth of her birth. She was also a child of the Lin family. Not the male protagonist’s daughter, but the daughter of Lin Chen.
Her birth was the result of a scheme and an accident.
The novel did not describe the details, only that at the end, Lin Zeyu discovered her background.
Her death was written vaguely, and even after learning she might be his niece, Lin Zeyu felt no guilt. Instead, he thought that a child like her was a disgrace to the Lin family. If her life could be used to save his daughter, then she had served her purpose.
Thinking of that, her fear toward the Lin family deepened. But then a thought lit up her mind.
Lin Chen was her real father. Even if he did not know her and might not like her, surely, he would not watch his own child die.
Maybe she could ask him to save her.
Clinging to that last hope, excitement grew within her. She wished she could run to him immediately and reveal everything.
But Lin Chen was already gone.
Pressing her lips, she regretfully climbed down from the windowsill and returned to bed.
Though her sleep remained uneasy, she did not dream again.
────ρя
The next morning, a servant came to wake Lin Nuonuo and help her change into Lin Zixin’s old clothes.
When she was brought to the dining room, the Lin family was already seated, and a seat beside Lin Zixin had been reserved for her.
Lin Zixin looked over first. Seeing Lin Nuonuo approaching in her old clothes, she felt displeased. But when she saw how strange Lin Nuonuo looked wearing them, her anger turned into mockery.
“Nuonuo is wearing my old clothes? They fit perfectly!” She said deliberately.
They did fit, but they looked terrible.
Influenced by her previous life’s Mary Sue fantasies, Lin Zixin demanded that all her clothes be delicate, ornate, and pale-colored— especially pure white, her favorite.
She had delicate features and fair skin. Wearing those dresses made her look like a fairytale princess— beautiful and refined.
But Lin Nuonuo could not carry that look.
Though her skin was not naturally dark, years of malnutrition left her yellowish and thin, with dry hair. Light colored clothes only made her look more sallow.
She was too petite to support the dress’s lace and decorations. Instead of pretty, she looked awkward and ridiculous, as if she had stolen the clothes.
Side by side, Lin Zixin looked like a noble princess, while Lin Nuonuo looked like a little clown.
Fortunately, having grown up in an orphanage, Lin Nuonuo did not think much about beauty. So when mocked, she did not react emotionally. She simply sat quietly and ate.
Still, human nature favored beauty. Whether Lin Zeyu, Gu Mingming, or the servants, they all showed faint displeasure or distaste toward the shabby-looking child.
Only Lin Chaojiang remained neutral.
“Can this child speak?” Lin Chaojiang asked.
Gu Mingming paused.
They had run a full medical examination when they brought Lin Nuonuo back, but only to check for infectious diseases and organ compatibility with Lin Zixin. Whether she could speak had never crossed their minds.
Thinking back, they realized they had never heard her speak.
Gu Mingming thought the child was probably mute.
Seeing her hesitate, Lin Chaojiang guessed the couple had not checked.
“In that case, find time to take her to the hospital. See what the problem is and whether it can be treated.”
“Alright, Dad.” Gu Mingming answered, though she did not take it seriously.
Nearby, Lin Zixin listened as well. Understanding dawned. No wonder Lin Nuonuo did not react yesterday, no matter how hard she pinched. She was mute.
With that realization, she hid a malicious smile where others could not see.
“This bun is good. Try it.” Lin Zixin said as she reached over to pick up a bun for Lin Nuonuo.
But before she could touch it, the bowl of soup beside Lin Nuonuo was suddenly knocked over by Lin Zixin’s movement.