She reached out and rather roughly touched Hua Lian’s face. Her slender eyes narrowed into a straight line from smiling. Despite this, Hua Lian felt an intense sense of oppression.
“You haven’t been replaced, so why has your personality changed so much?” She seemed to suspect Hua Lian was an imposter, only releasing her hand after confirming Hua Lian’s face was real, her voice filled with regret.
That sharpness sent shivers down Hua Lian’s spine, making her realize the doctor’s appearance differed from her true nature. But upon closer thought, if a doctor in the Hua family was someone everyone could bully, she probably wouldn’t have lasted this long. Hua Lian couldn’t help but become cautious, only mentioning her sensitivity to smells.
“Hmm? Did you start hating men after a breakup?”
Hua Lian really wanted to ask what breakup she was talking about, but ultimately held back. The original owner’s experiences weren’t described at all, and the dangerous aura the doctor exuded reminded her that saying too much would lead to mistakes.
“I don’t know either, but I feel most of the people I find repulsive are men.” Hua Lian thought back again; to be more precise, it was men and women connected to Luo Xizhi. The stench of their souls was truly unbearable, severely affecting her appetite during meals.
“That’s not a big deal, just a psychological issue. And compared to you, Luo Luo’s physical condition is much worse.” As if thinking Hua Lian was complaining without real cause, the doctor brought up Luo Xizhi’s situation.
“She seems fine to me.” Hua Lian was even more confused, even feeling Luo Xizhi was like a superhuman.
But the doctor’s expression instantly turned grim as she pulled out a paper report. Hua Lian couldn’t read most of the content, but it generally described Luo Xizhi’s long-term malnutrition and various minor and major health issues. Combined with today’s beating, these hidden conditions had been exposed. In simpler terms, the doctor believed the Hua family was abusing Luo Xizhi.
Hua Lian was stunned by this sudden plot development and didn’t understand why this doctor cared so much about Luo Xizhi. She wanted to ask but feared the original owner might have known, so she fell silent again.
“I shouldn’t have trusted a group of outsiders to take good care of Luo Luo, but she doesn’t want to live with me. If you all really think Luo Luo is a burden, then help me persuade her.” Seeing Hua Lian seemed frightened, the doctor softened her tone slightly. She had no foul odor, but her aura was extremely intimidating. Hua Lian was least adept at dealing with forceful people, so she could only nod silently. They parted on unpleasant terms.
Finally, the Hua household returned to its usual quiet. Hua Lian found her room using the map the system had previously given her and saw the mother-daughter pair of “Big Gray Wolves” waiting at the door, unsure for how long. Hua Lian hugged the Big Gray Wolf for a while before finally feeling like she had recovered from the earlier shock. The Hua family’s affairs were intricate and complex. The doctor seemed to be a relative on Luo Xizhi’s mother’s side. It was precisely because of Luo Xizhi that she, with such high qualifications, had lowered herself to become a family doctor, hoping to take better care of Luo Xizhi.
None of this was ever mentioned in the novel’s plot. Hua Lian looked through the information the butler had sent and finally found some clues.
After bathing and drying her hair, Hua Lian finally felt a bit more awake. She glanced at the backpack placed not far away and opened her phone to scroll through messages. Up until now, Luo Xizhi hadn’t reached out to her privately. Hua Lian wasn’t good at taking the initiative either, so she had the maid discreetly inform Luo Xizhi that her backpack was here. Yet, nothing had happened since then.
‘Maybe I really have to be the one to take the first step.’
Hua Lian’s face was etched with conflict. She looked at the carefree big gray wolf and remembered the system that had exhausted its energy to save her earlier. A dilemma arose in her heart: on one hand, she didn’t want to harm the female lead, Luo Xizhi; on the other, she didn’t want the system to find another host. Striking a balance was extremely difficult, and she was forced to make a choice.
Another ten minutes passed. Hua Lian had nearly rubbed the little wolf cub’s fur bald before she finally made up her mind. She took a deep breath and then opened the private chat on her phone.
[Private Chat] Hua Lian: Come to my room.
Since going to Luo Xizhi’s room might lead to getting lost, Hua Lian chose the most familiar environment to play out the scene.
One minute passed…
Ten minutes passed…
Half an hour later, a vibration finally came. Hua Lian quickly opened her phone, expecting a message from Luo Xizhi, only to find an anonymous text instead.
[Remember our agreement. I can’t hold on much longer.]
Hua Lian was momentarily stunned, then realized this was likely a message from the system. However, Luo Xizhi still hadn’t replied, making her uncertain whether reaching out would disturb her.
Maybe Luo Xizhi was bathing, or perhaps she had already gone to bed. With all her health issues, she was far worse off than Hua Lian.
Torn between compassion and reason, Hua Lian held her phone, trying to find a perfect solution. But clearly, such a profound problem was beyond simple answers whether from AI or online forums, the responses offered everything except the right one.
[Private Chat] Luo Xizhi: Sorry, I just saw your message. It’s late now. Can we talk tomorrow?
Luo Xizhi’s tone was polite yet distant, showing no sign of falling for any tricks. Hua Lian checked the time it was already past ten, indeed quite late. The Hua family estate was vast, with motion-sensor lights in many areas, leaving most places shrouded in an eerie gloom. Hua Lian rarely ventured far, let alone remembered where Luo Xizhi lived.
Seeing this message, Hua Lian intended to reply considerately with “Rest well, we’ll talk tomorrow.” But just then, the anonymous message popped up again.
[It must be done today.]
As if aware of Hua Lian’s hesitation, the system began pushing her to take the first step. Hua Lian grew even more conflicted. If the system hadn’t protected her earlier and gotten injured, she might not have felt this guilt. But now, the memory of the system’s firmness and urgency while shielding her surfaced in her mind.
“Sigh.”
Finally, Hua Lian took a deep breath, deleted the words she had prepared, and typed a new message instead.
[Private Chat] Hua Lian: It’s urgent. If you won’t come, I’ll go to you.
With that, Hua Lian changed her clothes, picked up Luo Xizhi’s backpack, and stepped out the door.
The mother and daughter wolves watched with curiosity, but clearly exhausted, they merely twitched their tails a few times, showing no intention to move. Hua Lian grew even more uncertain, forced to wander along the road with the map in hand.
A ten-minute walk stretched into half an hour under Hua Lian’s hesitant steps, but she finally found Luo Xizhi’s residence. The hallway was eerily gloomy; even though it wasn’t her first visit, she couldn’t help but wonder how anyone could live in such a sinister place.
She knocked, but there was no response from inside. Hua Lian grew anxious, yet she could only send private messages on her phone to urge Luo Xizhi, unable to even call out her name loudly.
Another two minutes passed before the door finally opened. Luo Xizhi appeared, draped in loose clothing, her hair disheveled, revealing pale, almost glowing skin. Yet, despite its beauty, scars marred that perfection.
“Sorry, I started applying medicine when I saw you hadn’t arrived for so long,” Luo Xizhi explained casually, letting Hua Lian in without hesitation.
Hua Lian felt a bit dazed as she was invited inside. She wanted to remind Luo Xizhi not to let people in so easily, but she worried that she herself might be the most dangerous person in Luo Xizhi’s eyes.
“Miss Hua, what brings you here so late?” Luo Xizhi continued applying medicine right in front of Hua Lian. The sight of her pale skin made Hua Lian feel dizzy not with the same disgust and aversion as before, but as if she were treading on clouds, unreal and surreal. In short, scenes like this were something she had only seen on television. But now, someone as beautiful as Luo Xizhi was displaying her allure. Even though what she saw was perfectly ordinary, the beauty of the presentation left a deeper impression than nudity, making her heart race.
Hua Lian awkwardly hugged her schoolbag tightly, only remembering her purpose when she felt the books inside.
“Hmm? My schoolbag? Did you come specifically to return it, Miss Hua?” Luo Xizhi’s voice rose slightly, but for some reason, it carried no trace of delight.
Hua Lian knew this was her only chance and continued, “No, I didn’t come to return your schoolbag. I took your most important notes and want to negotiate a condition with you.”
Luo Xizhi was taken aback, watching as Hua Lian placed the schoolbag on the nearby table. Though it should have been a powerful gesture, Luo Xizhi found it somewhat amusing from every angle.
But coming from the person before her, such a childish threat seemed perfectly normal.
“Miss Hua, if you want me to do something, you can just say it directly. Using my notes as leverage seems a bit excessive.” Even so, Luo Xizhi played along with the act.
Fortunately, only the two of them were present. A third person witnessing this childish threat would surely ruin the atmosphere.
Sure enough, seeing that this tactic worked on Luo Xizhi, Hua Lian finally relaxed a little and continued, “I was afraid you’d refuse me.”
Luo Xizhi shook her head, denying the possibility with a serious expression. “How could I ever refuse you, Miss Hua? If it weren’t for the Hua family, I wouldn’t even know where I’d be now.” Seizing the initiative, Luo Xizhi reached out to take Hua Lian’s hand, hoping to use her only asset her beauty to reveal Hua Lian’s true intentions.
But Hua Lian had already quickly put more distance between them, continuing to speak softly with her head lowered. “This kind of help doesn’t require you to do anything unethical… Besides, that doctor cares about you. She even mentioned today that you’re malnourished and asked me to persuade you to go with her.” Hua Lian offered this reminder, thinking it might be a good option. If she didn’t feel any disgust, then the other person was likely a good person. Yet, as soon as she said this, she saw Luo Xizhi’s expression turn cold for the first time.
“So, the young lady’s request is for me to leave the Hua family?”
Luo Xizhi let out a cold snort. When her usual coolness turned icy, it was more like a blooming snow lotus on a frozen mountain. For some unknown reason, Hua Lian felt that Luo Xizhi now seemed familiar, much like the family doctor she had encountered earlier carrying an indescribable, intense sense of pressure.