Shi Xi spotted Chen Xi’s figure at the dormitory entrance.
Dressed in a vibrant orange gown, Chen Xi was hard to miss.
Upon seeing Shi Xi, she approached in her high heels, the mingled scents of cigarette smoke and perfume instantly flooding Shi Xi’s nostrils.
“Xixi!”
She eagerly moved to embrace Shi Xi but was rejected.
Lin Zhen didn’t treat her as human, and neither did Chen Xi.
Whenever she wore such a smile, she always had an ulterior motive.
Though Shi Xi had left that household, blood ties couldn’t be severed.
Completely avoiding them was difficult.
“Here’s the thing, Xixi—you haven’t found a job, right? A company contacted me, that place specializing in training Trainees. They guarantee debut. I’ve already accepted on your behalf. Just sign the contract, and I’ll accompany you from now on…”
“Not signing.” Shi Xi stepped around her.
Chen Xi grabbed her arm, her smiling eyes still carrying traces of her youthful charm yet filled with urgency and greed.
Shi Xi felt nauseated.
If not for the scars on the original host’s face, Chen Xi would have likely sold her out too.
The original host had once reported her, resulting in Chen Xi being detained for a few days. Yet she hadn’t learned her lesson—she remained unchanged.
“Xixi, look at the contract. Sign it and you’ll get 100,000, plus an apartment. We can move somewhere else…”
“No.”
“Don’t you want to live like a young lady again?”
“If you like it so much, sign it yourself.”
Rejected once more, Chen Xi dropped her act, her smile turning sarcastic. “So stubborn.”
“You’ve never really seen me as your mother, have you?”
Shi Xi answered bluntly, “No, never.”
Chen Xi: “…”
This was school grounds. Having been expelled before, Chen Xi didn’t dare cause serious trouble.
“What a waste of my effort.” Chen Xi tossed the contract into the trash bin. “The Lu Family is suing your father, but he fled. Be careful—he might come for you.”
Though framed as a well-meaning warning, it sounded more like schadenfreude.
Lin Zhen resented Shi Xi, believing she had conspired with others to ruin him. He’d gladly skin her alive.
As Shi Xi reached the doorway, Chen Xi called out, “Are you really Lin Shi Xi?”
Shi Xi didn’t pause or acknowledge her.
Chen Xi had, after all, lived under the same roof as the original host, witnessing her transformation from a proud little princess to a timid ugly duckling.
The current Shi Xi had clearly reverted to her former self.
Naturally, Chen Xi found it hard to believe.
In all her years, she’d rarely seen anyone with the courage and perseverance to rise from the mud.
Yet Shi Xi had done it.
Standing at the defense podium that day, she wore a fitted white shirt and black trousers, concealing her slightly deformed ankles.
Her long hair was tied back, revealing exquisitely delicate features.
Though bare-faced and with slightly uneven skin tone up close, no one paid it any mind.
She was a flower bud blooming among thorns—vibrant and full of life.
But some couldn’t bear such vitality, maliciously intent on destruction.
The scene before Shi Xi’s defense was embellished and published as a sensational essay by a blogger.
Soon, she was thrust into the eye of the storm.
#Lin Shi Xi Requests Clearance During Defense#
Extreme and highly inflammatory topics seemed determined to rally the entire internet to condemn Shi Xi.
[Shocking me once again, you’re telling me this is Lin Shi Xi??]
[Scar removal succeeded? Which hospital is this incredible?!]
[TL;DR: According to bystanders, Lin Shi Xi disrespected the teacher, refused to remove her mask when asked, and even demanded the teacher clear the room.]
[I knew it! Her facial structure and feature proportions are totally a Modeled Face! Ahhh so beautiful!]
[Though she’s using crutches, her aura feels 180cm tall!]
[Stop focusing just on her face, okay? She’s so pretentious—it’s just a thesis defense, yet she wants the room cleared? Ridiculous.]
[Already annoyed about having to defend my thesis, if someone caused trouble, I’d curse them for life!]
[Let’s be real, Lin Shi Xi is truly inspiring, no wonder she can play the field…]
[I was there; don’t be misled by the blogger. The bystanders were disrespectful first, and Lin Shi Xi only requested they leave.]
[I’ve practically watched Lin Shi Xi transform herself step by step, wow, I have to admire it!]
[Damn, this photo… it reminds me of my middle school classmate, Lu Shixi, who just vanished one day out of the blue!]
…
Out of nowhere, this topic emerged, originally intended by the blogger to criticize Lin Shi Xi for being special.
However, public opinion didn’t swing in the direction the blogger had hoped.
Netizens were universally captivated by the person involved!
At the same time, in a long-dormant middle school class group chat.
Someone shared photos of Lin Shi Xi’s thesis defense.
[Remember Lu Shixi?]
[The class belle!]
[Didn’t she go missing?]
[Lin Shi Xi? She looks so similar to the class belle—is it her?]
[???]
[I’ve followed Lin Shi Xi’s gossip too; she said she was in a car accident seven years ago, which matches when she disappeared, right?]
[When I saw that AI-enhanced face before, I thought of the class belle, but I just assumed it was a coincidence.]
[I’m going to dig up old photos!!]
Soon after, a video began circulating online.
Netizens revealed that Lin Shi Xi used to have the surname Lu and was the daughter of a wealthy family.
The video was clearly from many years ago.
At a school New Year’s Eve party, a boy was playing the piano while a girl played the violin, their coordination seamless and the atmosphere dreamy.
The video quality wasn’t high, but it wasn’t hard to see the resemblance between that girl and Lin Shi Xi.
Back then, she was probably only thirteen or fourteen, dressed in an elegant gown with a crown, poised and noble like a little princess.
Beside her, the boy at the piano was several years older, appearing very mature.
Netizens, noting the profile’s contours, inevitably thought of Chi Xuan.
[Lin Shi Xi can play the violin; I remember in one livestream, she borrowed one and played.]
[So, she and Chi Xuan are childhood sweethearts??]
[Interesting, I think I’m shipping them—are Chi Xuan and Lin Shi Xi starring in some idol drama or what?]
[Not sure why, but watching this video gives me a strong sense of a tragic ending.]
…
Shi Xi didn’t sense any tragic ending vibe, but she still found it quite novel.
The boy on stage was actually Chi Yuan.
Her original self’s partner had an accident right before the performance, and Chi Yuan, who had come with his family to watch the show, stepped in last minute to accompany her.
After that, the two never met again.
The original self had once dazzled many in their youth; she herself had forgotten, but most people still remembered.
Shi Xi claimed the video and reposted it to her own account, hoping to stop people from constantly asking whether she was the same Lu Shixi from back then.
Her actions were tantamount to tacitly confirming netizens’ speculations!
Lin Shi Xi’s twenty-two years of life had truly been tumultuous.
In the quiet private room of the restaurant, all members of the Lu and Chi families had taken their seats.
Since Lu Yan and Chi Yuan had reached the appropriate age, both families needed to discuss marriage arrangements, which was the purpose of this dinner gathering.
Chi Xuan was distracted, not registering anything others were saying.
He just wanted this meaningless dinner to end quickly.
“Brother, will you invite Shi Xi to your wedding?” Chi Xuan smiled at the man beside him, speaking loudly enough for all to hear.
Suddenly, everyone at the table fell silent.
Chi Xuan placed his phone on the table, and the melodious tune of “Wedding in a Dream” began to play.
The video showed glimpses of Shi Xi and Chi Yuan.
Shi Xi had always been a taboo subject in the Lu family, yet Chi Xuan unexpectedly brought her up, instantly shattering the harmonious atmosphere.
“Chi Xuan, if you can’t sit still, go find your friends to hang out with. Don’t spout nonsense here.”
Chi Xuan’s father’s tone carried a veiled threat.
Chi Xuan stood up immediately. “Fine, I’ll take my leave then. Everyone, enjoy your meal.”
“You—”
“Forget it, forget it. You know exactly how your son is.”
Chi Xuan quickly grabbed his phone and retreated from the private room.
Walking briskly to the restaurant entrance, Chi Xuan got into a car.
His driver’s license had been suspended, and his family had been keeping him under tight control. Only in the past couple of days had he been allowed to go out.
Someone in the front passenger seat turned around with a phone and asked, “Damn, Chi Xuan, you can play the piano?”
Chi Xuan was furious. “Are you blind? That’s obviously not me.”
It was Chi Yuan.
The one who grew up with Lin Shi Xi was Chi Yuan.
Chi Xuan kept refreshing his phone messages, a storm brewing in his eyes.
Lin Shi Xi never replied to his messages.
So many people mistakenly thought he was the guy in the video, fabricating stories about him and her.
She must have seen them too.
What would she think?
Back in the private room, Lu Mingzhe also found an excuse to leave.
Thus, only the parents of both families and the soon-to-be married couple remained at the table.
Lu Yan stared blankly at her plate, her nails digging fiercely into her palm under the table.
She had seen that video, and since then, the cheerful music had been echoing in her mind. Whenever she looked at Chi Yuan’s face, she would also think of Lin Shi Xi’s face…
Chi Yuan and Lin Shi Xi had known each other for fifteen years. They grew up together—could they really have no feelings for each other?
She slowly raised her eyes, looking at the calm and refined man across from her.
“Do you like Lin Shi Xi?”
Before she realized it, the question had already slipped out.
Everyone except Chi Yuan was shocked, unable to understand why Lu Yan would ask such a thing.
Chi Yuan lifted his gaze, his tone as composed as ever. “No.”
After all matters were settled, the two families went their separate ways.
Walking beside his father, Chi Yuan heard him ask worriedly, “How are things at Huaying Hospital?”
Chi Yuan: “It’s under close police surveillance.”
Huaying Hospital had recently been exposed for multiple issues: forging medical documents, trading medical waste, medical staff causing accidents through reckless medication… Each incident flagrantly crossed legal boundaries.
Investments came with risks, and Chi Yuan had only just learned about the dark operations hidden beneath the hospital’s surface.
“Which reporter broke the story? Have you figured it out?”
“It wasn’t a reporter. It was a marketing account.”
“Does it have anything to do with that incident involving Lin Shi Xi?”
“I don’t know.”
“Never mind who it is. Don’t get involved with the hospital matter anymore. I’m afraid it might negatively affect your future.”
“Alright.”
From beginning to end, Chi Yuan remained like a robot, showing little emotional fluctuation.
Only after seeing his parents off and returning to his own car did a cold expression emerge between his brows.
He was certain this was Lin Shi Xi’s revenge against him.
After all, her police friend had been keeping a close watch on Huaying Hospital.