“I heard you broke up with him,” Zhong Yu said, enunciating every word. “Was the method I suggested before not effective?”
He tilted his head, his tone carrying a hint of feigned innocence. Zhong Yu lifted his eyelids, casting his gaze toward her.
“As long as you can conceive his child,” he smiled softly, “even if he wants to break off the engagement, the bond between you will remain unbreakable.”
Leaning back in his wheelchair, Zhong Yu’s voice was filled with seduction. “Besides, he dotes on you and spoils you so much. No matter what you do, he wouldn’t have the heart to hurt you, right?”
“It’s just drugging him and briefly imprisoning him—just treat it as preparing for pregnancy,” he said lazily. “Furthermore, you are a betrothed couple. Didn’t you already crawl into his bed on the day of your coming-of-age ceremony?”
Zhong Yu’s expression remained gentle. His face, as beautiful as a woman’s, tilted slightly upward as he sat up from his wheelchair and slowly closed the distance between them.
“Try one more time, Sister,” he tempted, his eyes gleaming. “You aren’t the type to give up halfway.”
But in the next moment, Zhong Yu’s words were cut short. A deep red handprint landed squarely on his face. The person standing opposite him seemed to say something in a fit of rage.
Zhong Yu, physically frail and sickly, was struck so hard his head turned to the side. A sliver of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He raised a hand to wipe it away; his originally pale lips became as red as blood—more magnificent, yet even more eerie.
Despite being hit, the sound that escaped his throat was a sharp, piercing laugh: “Hahaha—”
The scene was both pathological and terrifying.
“A-Yu!”
When Zhong Ling’s voice suddenly rang out, Zhuang Han snapped back to her senses. Her chest heaved, and her expression was slightly frantic.
The System asked nervously: [Host, are you alright?]
It took a moment for Zhuang Han to react and realize she had fallen into a memory fragment of the original host. Although the original host’s consciousness had been completely obliterated, the memory fragments lingering in the body had not disappeared.
Zhuang Han had encountered this before while “transmigrating through books”—only extremely intense emotions could activate dormant memories. She never expected that the first person to awaken Bai Niao’s memory fragments wouldn’t be one of the male leads, but this NPC who didn’t even have a name in the main storyline.
The scene that just flashed by seemed to be from years ago.
Whose child did Bai Niao want to conceive? Whom did she want to keep by her side forever? A spark of realization flashed through Zhuang Han’s mind, and she instantly deduced the answer.
Bai Niao’s fiancé.
In the late Republic era, birth rates plummeted. To increase the number of newborns, the legal marriage age was lowered to eighteen—a policy continued by the later Imperial era and the New Government. However, having a child at eighteen or nineteen was still far too early for a young girl.
The original Bai Niao was a stubborn, “love-brain” girl. Her heart and soul belonged only to that fiancé who did not love her. She had committed countless evils for his sake. Back then, simply because the “true young lady” Zhong Ling received a few words of comfort from him, Bai Niao held a grudge and sought to utterly destroy Zhong Ling’s education and career.
She was stupid, envious, and malicious. Yet, Zhuang Han hadn’t expected Bai Niao to be this insane. Moreover, Bai Niao had always been feigning innocence and purity in front of him.
To have a fiancée—a woman he spent every day with and doted upon possess such a pathological and wicked side… Forget the fact that Bai Niao’s fiancé didn’t love her at all; even if the man loved her more than life itself, he likely couldn’t tolerate such a thing.
One could only say the original host was a fool who had nothing going for her except her beauty. She was a dunce who couldn’t even execute a villainous plot properly.
Zhuang Han felt somewhat relieved that this fiancé was already out of the picture, lived abroad year-round, and wasn’t a male lead. Otherwise, trying to reconcile with such a person would be harder than climbing to heaven.
She shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to reality. Looking at the suddenly appearing Zhong Ling, she asked softly, “What is it, Sister?”
Zhong Ling looked tense, standing in front of Zhong Yu as if trying to shield him behind her.
“It’s nothing, Sister. It’s just… why did you suddenly walk over here?”
Seeing her strained smile, Zhuang Han remembered that Bai Niao’s relationship with the Zhong family was terrible; she must have done many extreme things in the past. The most precious person in the Zhong household was Zhong Yu. Bai Niao was vengeful, so she surely had done something to him in private otherwise, Zhong Ling wouldn’t be this nervous.
Zhuang Han previously only knew Bai Niao had a feud with the Zhongs, but she didn’t expect her relationship with Zhong Yu himself to be like this. Should she call this a “hell-mode” start? Her recently relaxed heart grew bitter again.
“I saw my brother here, so I came over,” Zhuang Han said with a smile. “Brother has just recovered from a serious illness. Mr. He asked me to come today specifically to visit him. I’ve only just made it over; Brother won’t mind, will he?”
Zhuang Han was very skilled at social interaction. Her words made people feel comfortable. If Bai Niao had possessed this level of emotional intelligence, she could have walked through the capital unchallenged long ago.
The sanatorium was quiet, surrounded by lush greenery. Bai Niao had slept all afternoon and only slowly woke up around four or five o’clock. Since Zhuang Han had transmigrated over, she felt more and more like a high school student who never got enough sleep.
Staying within the body, Bai Niao curiously looked at her surroundings. She had woken up once midway through and thought Zhuang Han was just taking a stroll in the garden; she didn’t expect her to actually be out. The scenery here was quite nice.
Bai Niao took a deep breath, smelling the faint fragrance of flowers and the forest. Her mood brightened because of the beautiful landscape. But her good mood ended the moment she saw Zhong Ling.
When Zhong Ling first met Bai Niao, she was in a miserable state. Later, she was targeted so relentlessly by Bai Niao that she nearly collapsed in despair. It was only with difficulty that their statuses were swapped and Bai Niao was kicked out of the house. Unexpectedly, Bai Niao then climbed onto the “high branch” of the He family, living even more extravagantly than when she was the Eldest Miss of the Zhong family.
Deep down, Zhong Ling felt loathing for Bai Niao, but she didn’t dare do anything to her. This was the first time since they met that they had gotten along so pleasantly.
Bai Niao was naturally arrogant, mean, and heartless an extremely difficult person to deal with. However, since the last incident, her personality seemed to have improved significantly. Zhong Ling didn’t know what had happened, but she felt this gentle and kind Bai Niao was much better than the high-and-mighty one from before.
“Would you like some tea?” Zhong Ling smiled faintly. “This is flower tea from Jinxiang. It might be ordinary to you, Sister, but the taste is quite good.”
Sitting opposite Zhong Ling, Zhuang Han smiled and said, “Then I must thank you, Sister.”
While the two were chatting happily, Bai Niao, inside the body, was about to explode with rage.
What was going on? Why was Zhuang Han hanging out with the Zhongs again? And why was she using her body to be so subservient to them?
[If only we could win over the Eldest Miss Zhong as well! Host, her favorability toward you is rising so fast!]
Hearing the System’s chirping, Bai Niao grew even more furious. She didn’t want Zhong Ling’s favorability; she hated those bastards from the Zhong family.
Bai Niao was fuming, cursing them all in her head, but after a moment, she realized something was wrong. Greenery, Zhong Ling, the sanatorium…
She suddenly looked up, her eyes clouded with a dark shadow. However, the moment she raised her gaze, a pair of familiar yet strange deep black eyes looked back at her.
He wore a vocalizer, and his voice was raspy like a demon’s, yet his tone was filled with tenderness and affection.
“Sister, you came to see me. I’m truly happy.”
Cheng Yu held the steering wheel with one hand and asked nonchalantly, “I was wondering who it was. You actually were willing to give her a communication device?”
No matter where he went, he was followed by drivers and escorts. However, Cheng Yu liked driving himself. He used to be into racing and had won international awards in his teens. In recent years, he had been busy with official duties and spent his spare time taking Bai Niao out, so he gradually stopped racing. But when he had time, he still often drove himself.
Raising Bai Niao was a troublesome task. She was like a kitten with boundless energy; she needed someone to play with her every day to exhaust her energy so she wouldn’t cause trouble. Cheng Yu had been exceptionally busy lately. When it was finally his turn to have Bai Niao by his side, he often lacked the time to accompany her, so they would often send her to him for a period of time when he was free.
Their relationship appeared relaxed on the surface but was actually very strict upon closer inspection. Cheng Yu had offended Bai Niao yesterday, which almost led to a fight with He Youting. He Youting spoiled Bai Niao more than anyone, even though his rules were indeed strict. Only the silly Bai Niao thought Gao Zhan doted on her the most.
If Gao Zhan really doted on her that much, why did he keep her locked at home every day? Didn’t he know what Bai Niao liked to play?
He Youting’s voice came through the receiver, speaking softly: “She’s been unhappy lately. If we don’t coax her a bit, she’ll lose her temper again.”
His words weren’t overt, but Cheng Yu’s bent elbow immediately dropped. Cheng Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, and his originally pleasant face darkened. “She doesn’t want to kick me out again, does she?”
Among the four of them, Bai Niao didn’t seem to favor anyone in particular, but her intense dislike for him had remained unchanged for years. Back then, to get rid of him, she had used every means necessary.
“Just be careful,” He Youting laughed softly. “I don’t know about the rest, but it’s true she’s been unhappy lately.”
Bai Niao’s body had been snatched again how could she be happy?
Initially, Cheng Yu had noticed Bai Niao’s abnormality, but his first thought was a split personality. The idea of “possession” sounded too absurd in this high-tech era. But her consecutive sudden changes forced him to believe that someone might have truly taken over her body.
She was fine when they met yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, another problem occurred. Cheng Yu’s eyes were dark, the black in his pupils deepening, yet his voice remained gentle. “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out. I’m almost there. Talk later.”
His relationship with He Youting wasn’t good at first; it could even be described as distant and cold. But over the years, caring for the same person and fighting the same battles naturally made things different. Cheng Yu was the one among the four who had the best relationship with the others.
He was a natural politician. Reaching the rank of Major General at such a young age, he appeared gentle and easy to talk to, but in reality, he was more calculating than anyone. The world of romance, business, politics, and fame were all essentially the same. Once you firmly grasped the power of initiative, everything else would come flocking to you.
Cheng Yu lowered his eyes, looked at the little white bird icon on his messaging interface, and a smile slowly tugged at the corner of his lips. Whether it was things Bai Niao was afraid of or troubled by if her life was perfectly smooth every day, why would she depend on them or crave them?
Still, it would be even better if that cute little bird icon had been sent by her own hand.
Cheng Yu took a deep breath, looked toward the sanatorium nestled in the greenery, and nonchalantly parked the car.
When he arrived, Bai Niao was still angry. Listening to the warm and peaceful conversation between Zhuang Han and Zhong Yu, Bai Niao was fuming. She truly hated the Zhongs, especially that bastard Zhong Yu. Compared to Zhong Yu, even Cheng Yu seemed like a good person.
Bai Niao was cursing them in her heart when the very person her profanity was directed at suddenly appeared before her. The moment she saw Cheng Yu walk in, her jaw nearly hit the floor. She really wanted to rub her eyes to see if she was dreaming.
What was Cheng Yu doing here at this time? Bai Niao wanted to float out of her body to see what this jerk was up to.
Cheng Yu had a smile on his face when he entered, but after seeing Zhuang Han, the warmth in his eyes gradually faded.
Zhong Ling had met Cheng Yu before and knew he was on good terms with He Youting, but she didn’t expect him to show up so suddenly. She stood up in a bit of a panic. “Major… Major General Cheng.”
Even Zhuang Han’s expression became a bit flustered. Could the emoji she randomly sent really have worked?
Seeing Cheng Yu’s gentle, smiling face, Zhuang Han felt a momentary dizziness, her heart beginning to pound. But after seeing the coldness in the man’s eyes, she suddenly became nervous. She swallowed hard, memories of Cheng Yu’s words from their first meeting flashing through her mind: “Why do you seem like a completely different person?”
Cheng Yu’s eyes seemed cold and peaceful, yet they always gave the illusion of seeing through everything as if nothing could be hidden from him.
He remained unfazed and said softly, “Youting had something come up, so I came to pick up Niaoniao in his place.”
Zhuang Han’s smile froze. She didn’t know what had happened in the previous plot or why Cheng Yu would suddenly come. She forced herself to respond, “Oh, I see. Sorry to trouble you, Brother Cheng Yu.”
Zhong Ling’s expression showed a hint of disappointment. The people in the waiting room had various expressions, but only Zhong Yu continued to drink his tea quietly. His pale, thin wrist rested on the side, and the steam from the flower tea rose in curls, giving his face—which was so beautiful it seemed inhuman a bit of life.
Zhong Yu kept his head down and remained silent. Although he had magnificent features, when he didn’t speak, he was like a beautiful jade statue, not drawing any attention at all.
Cheng Yu had no interest in staying long. His gaze flickered briefly over Zhong Yu, and he spoke with a touch of feigned regret. “Your surgery actually succeeded, huh?”
He had never taken Zhong Yu seriously, nor had he ever liked him. Four people were already the limit of Cheng Yu’s tolerance; he had no patience for any other contenders. But what annoyed him most was that this youth always wanted to influence Bai Niao, trying to turn her into the same shade of deep black as himself.
Bai Niao was stupid, but she wasn’t inherently bad. The bad ones were those who wanted to soil her and stain her black.
Zhong Ling’s body stiffened; she almost thought she had misheard. But Cheng Yu’s expression immediately returned to a calm state.
“Let’s head back. You’ve had a long day,” he said softly. “I’ve had some soothing incense prepared. You should get some sleep in the car.”