The fields stretched as far as the eye could see, but the farther one looked toward the edges, the more hazy and gray everything became.
At the center stood a well. Curious, Ruan Xining walked toward it. Water bubbled gently from the spring, so clear that she could see straight to the bottom, shimmering with tiny specks of silver. Even a single breath of the water’s fragrance was refreshing and calming, with a faint sweetness lingering in the air.
She cupped some of the well water in her hands and took a sip. A warm, soothing sensation instantly spread through her body, flowing through all four limbs and her internal organs. All the fatigue in her body disappeared, and she felt as though every organ had been thoroughly cleansed, leaving her completely refreshed.
Just as Ruan Xining was about to marvel at the water’s miraculous effects, she suddenly felt sticky and extremely uncomfortable all over.
She had no time to explore this small place and quickly thought about leaving. Sure enough, she returned to her room, where she touched the sticky substance covering her body, unable to tell whether it was sweat or something else.
Suppressing her disgust, she hurried into the bathroom. After washing herself thoroughly, Ruan Xining stood before the mirror with a look of utter astonishment.
She had already been extraordinarily beautiful, but after drinking the spiritual spring water and having her body nourished by it, her beauty had become even more striking.
Her formerly delicate skin was now even more smooth, luminous, and translucent, its fair radiance making her exquisite features appear even more refined and captivating.
She had never expected that the water would have such incredible effects. Delighted, Ruan Xining silently thought, Enter, and sure enough, she appeared in that space once again.
“Out.”
Ruan Xining returned to her room. Looking at the ornaments on the table, she picked them up and silently thought about entering the space. As expected, all of the things were brought inside with her.
Looking at this miraculous ability, Ruan Xining made a bold decision.
In her previous life, Ruan Jianwei had secretly transferred the family’s assets away and gone overseas to enjoy a life of luxury. In this life, she would not let him have a single one of those things.
To avoid alerting him and make everything as seamless as possible, Ruan Xining had not even told Wen Yunru. Instead, she came up with another excuse and sent her mother back to her maternal family to tell her grandfather and grandmother about all the despicable things Ruan Jianwei had done, urging them to make preparations in advance.
The situation was turbulent these days, and Wen Yunru had witnessed many elders being sent to the countryside for reeducation, so she was deeply worried about her own parents.
She returned home almost overnight, and before leaving, she did not forget to remind her daughter, “Be careful while you’re home alone. Why don’t you come back with me?”
Even after saying that, Wen Yunru was still worried and wanted to take her daughter along.
“Mom, I’m already grown up. I can definitely take care of myself. I need to stay home and keep an eye on them. Otherwise, if both of us leave, we won’t know if that family is plotting something.”
Wen Yunru found her daughter’s words reasonable, so she suppressed her worries and returned home alone.
Once she left, Ruan Xining headed to the hospital where she worked.
Ruan Xining worked at a hospital in their city. Because of what had happened with Ruan Nianzhi over the past few days, Wen Yunru thought her daughter must be feeling terrible, so she had directly requested a week’s leave for Ruan Xining.
After all, Ruan Nianzhi had been raised and spoiled by both Wen Yunru and Ruan Xining since childhood. Now that such a huge truth had suddenly come to light, even Wen Yunru herself found it difficult to accept, let alone Ruan Xining.
Besides, once Huo Tingyuan’s marriage application was approved, her daughter would no longer be by her side, and she probably would not be able to continue working at the hospital either.
Wen Yunru had already planned to have her daughter stay home for a while and spend some time with her. After marrying so far away, if she eventually had to follow Huo Tingyuan wherever he was stationed, mother and daughter might find it difficult to see each other again.
As soon as Ruan Xining arrived at her office, several colleagues approached her, their faces filled with curiosity and gossip.
One of the young women who had never gotten along well with Ruan Xining could not resist asking, “Ruan Xining, are you really going to marry that country man in your sister’s place?”
The other young women were equally curious.
Ruan Xining did not hide anything and nodded.
As soon as she admitted it, the young woman who had always clashed with her became irritated. “Ruan Xining, what’s wrong with you? You’re always so formidable when you’re around me, so how did you let your younger sister bully you so easily?”
Rumors spread quickly, and the commotion surrounding the Ruan family over the past few days had been so great that their hospital was now full of people discussing the matter during their breaks.
“Xining, you’re really going to marry into the countryside? It’ll probably be difficult for us to see each other in the future.” The nurse who usually seemed to be quite close to Ruan Xining sounded concerned, but the delight in her eyes was impossible to hide.
“Su Yanyan, I have something I want to discuss with you privately.”
“Me?” Su Yanyan looked shocked and glanced at Zhang Man awkwardly.
Ruan Xining had always been closest to Zhang Man, so why had she come to the hospital and sought her out instead?
Confused, she followed Ruan Xining to an empty corner and looked at her uneasily. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
“Can you help me get some sleeping pills?” Ruan Xining asked.
Su Yanyan looked around in alarm before staring at her worriedly. “Ruan Xining, you aren’t thinking of killing yourself, are you?”
“I can’t get that medicine for you. If you don’t want to marry in your sister’s place, just ask me and I’ll help you.”
Seeing the arrogant look on her face despite the concern in her eyes, Ruan Xining’s heart softened slightly.
It turned out that the friends who seemed close to you might not necessarily be sincere, while the person who was constantly at odds with you could be willing to lend you a hand when you were at your weakest.
“No. There isn’t anything I, Ruan Xining, don’t want to do that someone can force me into. I need the medicine for something else. You don’t have to give me much either, just a little will do.” Ruan Xining told her exactly how much she needed.
Su Yanyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. That amount certainly could not be fatal, so as long as Ruan Xining was not trying to do something foolish, she was relieved.
“All right. Wait for me after work, and I’ll bring it to you.” After saying that, Su Yanyan turned around and continued with her work.
Su Yanyan came from a family of doctors.
As Ruan Xining watched Su Yanyan walk away, she remembered that in her previous life, not long after her grandfather and grandmother had been framed by Ruan Jianwei, something had also happened to Su Yanyan’s family.
Their home had also been searched, and many medical books had been found there. They had been framed, reported, and falsely accused, and the entire family had suffered the same fate as her grandfather.
The Su family had spent generations practicing medicine, saving lives, and healing the sick. They had never done anything harmful or immoral, so where had these so-called crimes come from?
Those charges had all been fabricated out of thin air, nothing more than malicious accusations. People with such compassionate hearts who devoted themselves to healing others should never have been wrongfully condemned.
The country needed good doctors to reassure the people, and the people needed benevolent physicians to ease their suffering. Ruan Xining could not bear to watch such talented people fall into ruin.
She waited until six o’clock, when Su Yanyan finished work. Su Yanyan took the medicine she had prepared and quickly stuffed it into Ruan Xining’s hands.
“Ruan Xining, if you really don’t want to get married, I can help you.”
“Who said I don’t want to marry? I think Huo Tingyuan is quite good.” Whenever Ruan Xining mentioned him, the tenderness in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
Only then did Su Yanyan stop worrying. She laughed cheerfully and said, “Then I wish you happiness.”
“Su Yanyan, things are turbulent these days. Go home and tell your grandfather to hide those things properly. If your family trusts me, you can give them to me and I’ll help you hide them. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t have any ulterior motives.”
“If you trust me, come to me sometime this week.” After saying that, Ruan Xining left without looking back.
Su Yanyan remained rooted to the spot, thinking about her grandfather’s worried expression lately.