When Lu Nanfeng heard that, he pulled his hand back.
He went downstairs and saw that Qin Xiang’s face was flushed—clearly a sign of fever. “I’ll get the car. We’re going to the hospital right now.”
Lu Nanfeng and Lu Bei took Qin Xiang to the hospital together.
Upstairs in the bedroom, Lu Ning lay in bed, her face flushed and covered in sweat.
All night, her body felt weightless as she was tormented by endless nightmares.
The next morning, her phone kept buzzing with message notifications.
Awakened by the noise, Lu Ning frowned and checked her phone. It was a flood of private messages from a social app.
She opened it—and as expected, it was all curses and insults.
She wasn’t surprised at all. The video of her pushing Qin Xiang into the water had been uploaded to the school forum.
Qin Xiang was very popular at school, and all those people, outraged by what they saw, came after her.
Lu Ning’s head ached so much it felt like it would explode. She decided to personally enter the fray and fire back with venom.
She cursed them with their mothers as the subject, and their relatives and genitals as adjectives—completely unleashed.
The post instantly got flooded with thousands of replies. The forum moderator was so scared, they thought the site had been hacked.
After finishing her replies, Lu Ning tossed her phone aside and lay back down.
She didn’t need to please the Lu family anymore, nor did she care about her reputation.
She was done living in humiliation.
Soon, a servant knocked on her door. “Miss, it’s time to get up for school. You’re going to be late.”
Huh?
Lu Ning suddenly remembered—she still had school today!
She splashed her face with cold water to wake herself up.
If she wanted to cut ties with the Lu family, she had to finish school and get into a university far away.
After changing into her uniform, she grabbed her backpack and went downstairs.
Lu Nanfeng and Lu Bei had just come in from outside.
Lu Nanfeng noticed the flush on Lu Ning’s cheeks and walked over, instinctively reaching out to touch her forehead.
But Lu Ning stepped back, dodging his hand, and walked straight to the dining room to sit down.
She needed a full meal to get better and have the energy to study hard and get into Yunda University.
Lu Nanfeng’s hand froze in midair before he awkwardly lowered it.
Lu Bei scoffed, “Told you she’s an ungrateful brat. She’s strong as an ox. Unlike Xiang Xiang—she’s been weak since childhood. One fall into the water, and she’s down with a fever. Lu Ning never gets sick!”
Lu Nanfeng didn’t say anything. It was true that Lu Ning had always had good health.
He sat at the dining table. “Xiang Xiang is sick. At school these next few days, you need to take good care of her until she recovers. Got it?”
He felt Lu Ning was getting more and more out of hand and shouldn’t be spoiled like before.
If she didn’t understand gratitude, he’d force her to learn.
Lu Bei added, “Lu Ning, Xiang Xiang’s father saved your life, and you almost got her killed. You need to look after her properly to atone for that!”
Lu Ning lowered her head and focused on eating breakfast. She had no appetite, but forced herself anyway.
There were less than a hundred days left until the college entrance exam. Once it was over, she could finally leave the Lu family.
Lu Bei was angry at her indifference. He grabbed her chopsticks. “We’re talking to you. Are you deaf?”
Lu Ning looked up, her eyes dark and quiet, clear and cold.
Lu Bei barked commands, “When Xiang Xiang takes her medicine, you get her hot water. At lunch, go to the cafeteria and get her food. Run, don’t let it get cold. She might need help going to the bathroom—you’ll go with her! Her dad saved your life, so this is your duty. Do you understand?”
Lu Ning replied coldly, “Understood.”
But that didn’t mean she agreed to do any of it.
Expressionless, Lu Ning walked out of the villa. She looked up at the sky, forcing back her tears.
She thought being reborn would make her numb to pain.
But hearing what her fourth brother said still made her heart ache like needles piercing it.
She still remembered when she was sick as a child, her second brother Lu Nanfeng had stayed by her side all night, and her fourth brother Lu Bei told her jokes to get her to take medicine.
But because Qin Xiang was weak, her brothers would always rush to her first whenever she was sick.
Later on, even when she had a fever, she had to endure it alone.
Lu Ning swallowed the bitterness in her throat and got into the car, closing her eyes to rest.
Just a little longer. Fewer than a hundred days left.
After arriving at school, she headed straight for the senior year classroom.
As soon as she walked in, the once-noisy room went silent.
Her flame war on the school forum had spread everywhere.
Everyone was wondering—had Lu Ning gone insane?
“What kind of trauma did she go through to just give up on herself like that?”
“She probably knows there’s no way to redeem herself anymore. So now she’s just showing her true colors.”
Lu Ning heard the whispers but didn’t care. She tossed her bag down and laid her head on the desk to sleep.
She slept through the entire morning.
After class ended at noon, Qin Xiang came into the classroom.
She still had an IV drip in her hand, and her arrival immediately drew sympathy and concern from the other students.
Lu Ning frowned and shifted her position to continue sleeping.
Soon after, someone slammed their palm on her desk.
Lu Ning opened her eyes impatiently, her gaze cold and filled with hostility.
She saw Qin Xiang standing in front of her, with two of her little lackeys beside her, looking just as annoyed.
Lu Ning squinted slightly.
These two were Qin Xiang’s sidekicks. They often spread rumors and bullied her in groups, even faked evidence to report her to her brothers.
Qin Xiang said softly, “Sister Ning, what would you like to eat for lunch? I’ll go get it for you, please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?”
Lu Ning answered indifferently, “No need.”
Sidekick No. 1 shouted, “Lu Ning, don’t be so shameless! Xiang Xiang is sick, and she still came to take care of you!”
“That’s right! You’re the reason she got sick. You should be the one taking care of everything for her!”
Qin Xiang gave a weak cough. “Don’t be like this. I can take care of myself. I’ve always been on my own. Don’t make her mad again.”
“Xiang Xiang, you’re too kind—that’s why people take advantage of you.”
Lu Ning had had enough. She stood up and was ready to leave the classroom.
Just as she walked out, Qin Xiang suddenly rushed toward her, knocking over the IV stand.
And just like that, she conveniently fell right onto the broken glass shards.
What a perfect coincidence—like fate personally opened the door for it.
The classroom descended into chaos. Lu Ning’s head was pounding from the noise.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, her vision went black and she fainted on the spot.
When Lu Ning woke up, the air reeked of disinfectant.
Was this the school’s infirmary?
“Temperature’s at 39 degrees. You hung in there this long—trying to see what it’s like to cook yourself alive?”
Lu Ning turned her head and saw a man in a white coat. He was tall and lean, wearing a mask, with sharp and cold eyes.
She remembered—he was the new school doctor, very handsome, and quite popular among the girls.
But he had a wicked tongue.
Apparently, he didn’t stay long before quitting.
Lu Ning sat up, feeling much better. The IV must have worked.
She lowered her eyes. “Can I go now?”
“Wait for a family member to pick you up. I don’t want to be held responsible if you drop dead on the way.”
Ji Chiqian leaned back in the chair, speaking lazily.
Typical sharp-tongued school doctor.
Lu Ning rasped, “I don’t have family.”
Just then, Lu Bei’s anxious voice came from outside. “Xiang Xiang, are you okay? How did you get hurt so badly?”
“Fourth brother, it’s just a scratch. Don’t blame Sister Ning. She didn’t do it on purpose—it was me. I’m so clumsy, I knocked over the IV stand.”
Sidekick No. 1 jumped in, exaggerating, “That’s not true! Xiang Xiang offered to get Lu Ning lunch, but Lu Ning held a grudge and tripped her. We all saw it!”
Sidekick No. 2 followed up, “Exactly! Xiang Xiang’s sick and still thinking about Lu Ning’s lunch, and Lu Ning actually pushed her! So vicious!”
Hearing this, Lu Bei’s fury instantly exploded.
His voice trembled with restrained rage. “Where’s Lu Ning? Get out here! How dare you let Xiang Xiang fetch you lunch? Her father should’ve let you die in that car accident—at least he wouldn’t have raised a monster to torment his daughter!”
Lu Ning heard that and curled her lips into a bitter smile.
Just like in her past life—whatever Qin Xiang said was taken as truth.
The next second, the curtain next to her was yanked open.
Lu Ning looked up, her face pale, lips chapped, her whole body weak and sickly.
“Lu Ning, you…”
When Lu Bei saw her, the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.