Lin Shen had thought she wouldn’t bother with him anymore, never expecting her to return.
The girl had seen everything at the alley entrance, her heart aching with a sour, painful feeling.
“These are medicines I bought for you. Go home and clean your wounds, have your family apply them! Otherwise, the wounds might get infected, but it’d be best if you could go to the hospital.” Ruan Xing had originally intended to persuade him to go to the hospital, but fearing he wouldn’t, she bought some medicines just in case.
The young girl’s breathing remained slightly uneven as she spoke – she must have run there.
After speaking, she hung the medicine bag on his wheelchair.
Throughout this, Lin Shen maintained an expressionless face, neither looking at her nor acknowledging her presence.
Ruan Xing wasn’t angry. She just found the young Lin Shen both pridefully adorable and somewhat amusing, but out of respect for his dignity, she didn’t laugh.
Lin Shen had initially tried to get up by himself, but after much effort, the pain in his body made movement impossible. Ruan Xing happened to witness this scene upon her return.
By now, her previous fear had completely vanished. Without asking permission this time, Ruan Xing ignored the boy’s unpleasant expression, went straight over, grabbed his arm, and forcefully helped him back onto the wheelchair.
By the time the boy realized what was happening, he was already seated in the wheelchair.
Ruan Xing looked triumphantly at the boy suppressing his anger beside her, feeling quite pleased.
Soon after, a black Maybach pulled up steadily before them.
An elderly man with kind features got out of the car, approached Lin Shen, and bowed respectfully.
“Young Master.”
Lin Shen glanced at him without speaking, pushing his wheelchair toward the car on his own.
Before leaving, Ye Shimin turned back and gave the young girl a meaningful look.
The black Maybach sped away, disappearing down the alley.
“Young Master, is that girl your friend?”
Ye Shimin, driving in front, glanced at the cold-eyed boy in the rearview mirror and tentatively asked.
“Don’t know her.” The boy in the back seat didn’t even lift his head, his voice icy.
When Ye Shimin left, he had noticed the injuries on the girl too – they looked shocking, though the girl herself showed no change in expression.
Both the Young Master and that girl were injured – they definitely couldn’t be strangers.
Though he didn’t believe the Young Master truly didn’t know the girl, he didn’t press further. Despite being older in age, his status was merely that of the Lin family’s butler, and he still felt some fear toward this hard-to-read young master of his.
After arriving at the villa, Lin Shen pushed his wheelchair ahead alone. Following behind, Ye Shimin suddenly noticed a conspicuously hanging bag of medicine on the wheelchair handles, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
From his understanding of the Young Master, he’d rather endure pain to death than go to the hospital, let alone buy medicine.
So who bought this medicine?
Ye Shimin pondered for a long time without figuring it out, until suddenly the girl’s face appeared in his mind, and everything immediately became clear.
The weather turned cooler, carrying a slight chill in the air.
Afraid her injuries would be discovered, Ruan Xing lightened her footsteps upon reaching home, sneaking through the door like a mouse, darting into her room, and firmly closing the door behind her.
Fortunately, the injuries were all on her body, with no marks on her face. After briefly tending to her wounds, Ruan Xing went out.
Qiao Li and Lu Wan happened to be in the living room. Seeing Ruan Xing emerge, Lu Wan instantly put on a gentle and kind expression. She stood up excitedly upon spotting Ruan Xing.
“Xingxing, where did you go today? I went to your class looking for you but couldn’t find you.” Her tone carried a faint hint of grievance and sadness.
Ruan Xing’s lips curled slightly, her eyes filled with disdain. She had long grown immune to such tricks. In her past life, she had been fooled by Lu Wan’s facade—whenever Lu Wan pretended to be upset, Ruan Xing would immediately rush to explain and comfort her.
Having been reborn, she now saw through the vicious heart hidden beneath Lu Wan’s hypocritical mask. This lifetime, the sight of Lu Wan’s affected demeanor only evoked disgust.
She quickly suppressed the disdain and aversion in her eyes.
“Oh, I had my own matters to attend to and left early. You don’t need to wait for me anymore.” Her tone was casual, neither warm nor cold, carrying an unfamiliar aloofness.
“Xingxing, did I do something wrong?” Lu Wan’s eyes reddened instantly, standing there as if she had been wronged.
Meanwhile, Lu Wan had already cursed Ruan Xing countless times in her heart. Was this idiot trying to infuriate her? Normally, whenever she feigned distress, Ruan Xing would turn around and console her. Why was this fool breaking the pattern today? Lu Wan was seething inside.
“Lu Wan, you’re overthinking it.” Ruan Xing looked at her as if she were an idiot, though her gaze had turned completely cold.
“Xingxing, why are you calling me that…” Lu Wan was stunned. Ruan Xing had never addressed her by her full name before—it was always “sister” or “Wanwan jie.” This was the first time she had heard Ruan Xing use her actual name.
“You’re not much older than me. Isn’t it normal to call you by your name?” Ruan Xing replied calmly, outright ignoring the large tears streaming down Lu Wan’s face.
Qiao Li, who was nearby, felt a pang of heartache seeing her daughter cry. “Ruan Xing, how dare you speak to your sister like that? Can’t you see she’s crying?” She shot Ruan Xing a fierce glare before turning to comfort her daughter softly.
Watching the mother-daughter duo perform their affectionate act in front of her, Ruan Xing rolled her eyes dramatically.
“What does it have to do with me? I didn’t bully her.” Her large eyes widened innocently as she stared at the two, appearing pure and harmless.
Seeing her daughter upset, Qiao Li felt a simmering anger. “Ruan Xing, have you forgotten everything I’ve taught you?”
“What did you teach me? How to wear makeup, how to be a delinquent, or how to chase after boys?” Ruan Xing sneered inwardly. Her past habits—wearing heavy makeup, dressing in outrageous outfits, and pursuing Huo Jing—were all closely tied to Qiao Li, the stepmother who had masterminded it all.
This mother-daughter pair truly had no shame. The sight of Qiao Li’s hypocritical expression filled Ruan Xing with utter disgust.
“How… how dare you speak to your elder like that?” Qiao Li’s pupils constricted sharply, as if caught red-handed. Her pretty face cracked slightly, betraying a guilty conscience.
She never expected Ruan Xing to say such things. Qiao Li felt a pang of fear in her heart—if Ruan Ting were to find out about these matters, she would be finished.
She knew all too well how much Ruan Ting doted on this daughter.
Seeing her evasive and frightened expression, Ruan Xing took a step closer.
“Call yourself an elder? Are you even worthy?” She usually refrained from harsh words, but toward this malicious mother-daughter pair, her disgust had reached its peak.
“You…”