Nan Jin’s face was icy cold as she rolled over, tumbling off the other side of the hospital bed and landing on the floor with a dull thud.
The pain made her grimace, her face turning deathly pale. It felt as though her tailbone was about to shatter, the agony shooting straight to her brain.
At the same time, a sharp pain surged from her lower abdomen, accompanied by a hot, gushing sensation that gave her the illusion of a torrential downpour.
Gu Qingya, still unable to land a hit, shrieked in fury and circled around the bed to strike her again.
Ignoring the pain, Nan Jin propped herself up against the bed, twisted around, and grabbed the thermos from the bedside table, hurling it at Gu Qingya.
How could Gu Qingya have expected that Nan Jin would not only dare to dodge but also fight back?
The thermos struck Gu Qingya with a muffled thud, hot water and shards of glass spilling out, splashing onto her body and the floor.
Gu Qingya let out a sharp scream, instinctively leaping backward.
But it was already too late. Her clothes were soaked through, and a burning, searing pain radiated from her stomach beneath the wet fabric.
“You bitch! How dare you—” she shrieked, hopping in pain while frantically shaking her clothes. She glared furiously at Nan Jin, as if she wanted to tear her apart on the spot.
But when her eyes met Nan Jin’s cold, indifferent gaze, the rest of her words died in her throat.
Liang Yourou, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally let out a soft gasp.
“Oh my god, Nan Zhu, how could you do this to Qingya?”
“Qingya, are you okay? Let me see if you’re burned.”
She took a hesitant step forward, wanting to check on Gu Qingya, but paused when she saw the broken glass on the floor.
Then, she turned and rushed out in a panic, crying out, “Someone, help! She’s trying to kill someone!”
Gu Qingya lifted the hem of her shirt and saw the red, swollen skin on her stomach. Her face twisted in rage.
“Nan Zhu, you bitch! I won’t let you get away with this. Just wait—you’ll be back in jail soon.”
With that, she turned and stormed out of the room.
Nan Jin slumped weakly by the bedside, her mind blank.
She let out a self-mocking laugh. With all this evidence stacked against her, and her malicious intent to harm, it seemed she really was headed back to prison.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the broken thermos in her hand vanished into thin air.
She stared blankly at her empty hand, unable to process what had just happened. Then, something clicked.
Could it be… a mysterious space like the ones in those futuristic novels?
The idea sent a tremor through her. She crouched down, her eyes fixed intently on the shards of glass on the floor, willing them to be stored away in that space.
Perhaps her mental command was too strong, for in the next moment, the broken glass and the traces of hot water disappeared without a trace.
At the same time, her body gave out. She collapsed to the floor, her face ashen, beads of sweat dotting her forehead, her entire frame trembling uncontrollably.
Yet, her heart was racing with excitement.
Heaven hadn’t abandoned her after all. Not only had it sent her across time and space, but it had also gifted her a personal dimensional space. With this, what did she have to fear?
“Uncle, you have to stand up for me! Nan Zhu scalded me with a thermos of boiling water. I refuse to settle this peacefully—I want her locked up, to suffer every hardship imaginable!”
Gu Qingya’s tearful voice grew louder as she approached. Nan Zhu tried to stand, but her body felt utterly drained.
Perhaps it was the aftermath of using such intense mental energy to store the objects in her space, or maybe this body was simply too weak to begin with, exhausted from the earlier struggle. Whatever the reason, she had no strength left to get up.
So she remained seated on the floor, turning her head to face the doorway.
The first thing that caught her eye was a pair of long legs clad in military-green trousers, with matching liberation cloth shoes on the feet.
Her gaze drifted slightly upward, where the trousers were tucked into a belt, revealing a tall and upright posture.
When she looked up further, she met the man’s overly perfect yet stern face. His deep, dark eyes flickered with a change in expression as he saw her slumped on the floor.
He strode in with his long legs, bent down, and hooked his hands under her armpits, lifting her onto the bed.
“You’re not well. Why are you sitting on the floor?”
Nan Jin’s face was pale and clammy, pain causing cold sweat to bead on her skin. Her disheveled hair clung to her face, making her look utterly wretched.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Gu Qingya’s venomous glare and slightly stunned expression, then lowered her gaze.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, her voice hoarse and choked with sobs and tremors, like a little white rabbit that had suffered severe fright.
“Qingya came in earlier and started hitting me without any reason. She pushed me to the floor, and I fell so hard that I couldn’t get up.”
Hearing that Nan Jin dared to falsely accuse her, Gu Qingya stormed over, pointing at her nose and cursing angrily.
“You bitch! It was you who hit me with the thermos and scalded me! The evidence—”
She was about to say that the shattered glass and spilled hot water on the floor were proof, but when she looked down and saw the clean floor, her words caught in her throat, unable to come out.
Shock gradually filled her eyes as she even crouched down to search.
But there was no trace of broken glass, nor any of the previously spilled hot water.
The floor was so clean that when she ran her hand over it, not even a speck of dust remained.
Nan Jin lowered her gaze just enough to see Gu Qingya’s stunned reaction, a flicker of mockery passing through her eyes.
Her trembling intensified, her body swaying unsteadily. She could barely sit upright and had to brace herself with both hands on the bed to keep from collapsing.
“What are you talking about? That I hit you with a thermos? In my current state, how could I possibly have the strength to do that?”
Her voice was full of grievance, trembling uncontrollably. “Qingya, even if you dislike me, I’m still your sister-in-law. Why would you frame me like this?”
Just then, Liang Yourou entered with medical staff and overheard Nan Jin’s words. A shadow of calculation flashed in her eyes.
Soon, you won’t be. What are you so proud of?
“Qingya, let the doctor check your burns. They’re so severe—we don’t want scars.”
She spoke softly, but when she lifted her head and met Yuan Zheng’s deep gaze, she instinctively shuddered and quickly lowered her eyes.
She recognized him!
In her past life, he had led the operation that captured Wang Weidong and had him executed. She had walked past him when she was arrested and remembered him clearly.
She hadn’t forgotten the way he had looked at her then—as if she were garbage, making her feel utterly humiliated.
Why was he here?
Gu Qingya was still distraught. She stood up, tugged at Yuan Zheng’s sleeve, and pitifully shook it.
“Uncle, ask Yourou! She saw it—Nan Zhu hit me with the thermos and scalded me. She can testify for me.”
Liang Yourou froze for a moment upon hearing her call him “uncle.”
This man, who had risen to the rank of army commander by the time of her death in her past life, was Gu Qingya’s uncle?
Steadying herself, she spoke gently, “Hello, Uncle! We saw it with our own eyes—Nan Zhu hit Qingya with the thermos, causing burns on her stomach.”
Yuan Zheng gave her a cold, sharp look, his voice equally icy. “When did this happen?”
Liang Yurou’s heart trembled with fear at his cold words, and she lowered her gaze to conceal the terror in her eyes.
Why should she be afraid of him?
In this life, she had returned in time, having left Wang Weidong early, and none of the events from her previous life had occurred yet.
She was still pure and untainted.
Moreover, she was soon to marry Gu Shaoxuan, and this man before her—her future uncle—would soon be family. What was there to fear?