Thinking of this, Lin Jiujiu breathed a sigh of relief.
In a novel where everyone was so vicious, she had finally encountered someone whose relationship with the original owner wasn’t completely terrible.
That said, she honestly didn’t want to have too much contact with the people from the novel.
Finding a normal person in a melodramatic romance novel was no easy task. The male and female leads had powerful protagonist halos, while she was a villainous presence. She could easily be dragged into the plot and lose her life before she knew it.
To keep her head intact—bah, to keep herself alive—she would much rather leave and never look back.
That was why she didn’t answer He Hui’s call.
She spent ages exploring the various apps and mini-programs on her phone before finally locating the original owner’s assets.
A sizable sum of money in the bank.
And a fully furnished villa.
Although the Lin family had treated her poorly, she had nevertheless been the eldest daughter. Her mother had given her a period of happiness while she was alive; otherwise, she wouldn’t have grown up with such a spoiled and willful temperament.
She pulled up the address and was just about to hail a taxi to hide in the villa like a turtle when she suddenly felt dizzy.
A long, bright-green bar abruptly appeared before her eyes. At the end of it was the number “100.”
Two seconds later, the number rolled over and became “99.”
Lin Jiujiu: “…?”
What was this thing that looked like a phone battery??
She didn’t understand it at all, and was utterly stunned.
Yet none of the passersby seemed to notice the thing above her head. They all went about their business as usual. Only she was left staring blankly for a moment, until another transparent screen appeared in front of her.
“Notice: Before the game begins, the host must stay close to an energy body for the three-day safety period. After three days, the safety period will end. Enjoy the game. Goodbye.”
The instant Lin Jiujiu finished reading, the transparent screen vanished.
She stared silently at the bleak road for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
She understood.
If she wasn’t mistaken, the so-called energy bodies were the main characters from the original novel. This was essentially a warning.
A warning not to hide away like a turtle.
Lin Jiujiu was furious.
But she had no choice.
Angrily, resentfully, and with a pitiful pout, she pressed He Hui’s number and called her back.
Sob.
Wasn’t it just following the plot?
Who couldn’t do that?
He Hui’s anxious voice came through the phone. “Jiujiu, where are you? Wenhe said you were kidnapped by Shen Huan. Are you all right? Do you need Auntie to call the police?”
Lin Jiujiu glanced at the marriage certificate in her hand, tucked it carefully into her pocket, and replied obediently, “Auntie, I’m fine. It was all a misunderstanding. Shen Huan didn’t do anything to me.”
Although He Hui was Gu Wenhe’s mother and held a certain number of shares in the Gu Group, Shen Huan was a madman she simply couldn’t bring down.
After all, even the male lead in the original novel had been unable to do anything to Shen Huan. If Shen Huan hadn’t died, it was uncertain whether the novel would ever have reached a happy ending.
“Are you really all right?”
He Hui still couldn’t put her mind at ease. Frowning, she asked, “How are things now? Come to Auntie’s house for dinner tonight. I’ll come pick you up. Wenhe will be coming home to eat too.”
Lin Jiujiu was just about to refuse.
Then she remembered that there were still things she needed to verify and obediently agreed. “All right. Thank you, Auntie.”
Her voice was sweet and docile.
He Hui had only one child, Gu Wenhe, an aloof and rebellious son. As a result, she was especially indulgent toward Lin Jiujiu, whom she had watched grow up. The moment she hung up, she stepped on the gas and rushed over.
She was wearing a silk dress. Though she was around fifty, she had taken excellent care of herself, and an air of nobility radiated from her entire being.
Clearly having hurried over, she said angrily, “That Shen Huan is becoming more and more lawless. How dare he kidnap you?! Wenhe said he paid the ransom to rescue you. What kind of nonsense is that? The Gu family absolutely won’t let him off!”
Lin Jiujiu slowly fastened her seat belt. Hearing this, she couldn’t help laughing.
Gu Wenhe really knew how to take credit. He actually had the nerve to claim he had paid her ransom and rescued her.
If not for that recording, he probably wouldn’t even have been willing to pay nine yuan.
In a soft voice, she reassured her, “Auntie, Shen Huan didn’t kidnap me. Did Gu Wenhe get it wrong? I only went to him to retrieve something.”
He Hui let out a quiet “Ah,” then frowned suspiciously. “Really? But Wenhe called just now and said Shen Huan had threatened him with your life. He also said…”
She paused instead of continuing, and a hint of awkwardness appeared in her eyes.
Lin Jiujiu tilted her head. “What else did he say?”
He Hui slowed the car and let out a long sigh. “Jiujiu, don’t be angry. That good-for-nothing Gu Wenhe spends all day clinging to that woman, and he actually said that you… said that you were immoral and slept around, which was why you’d gotten involved with Shen Huan.”
Before Lin Jiujiu could say anything, she hurriedly added, “But I already scolded him. I know you’re not that kind of girl. Even if you really had done something like that, Auntie wouldn’t blame you. After all, Wenhe is the one at fault. The two of you clearly have an engagement, yet he’s still carrying on ambiguously with another woman.”
Lin Jiujiu more or less understood Gu Wenhe’s intentions.
Other than the second female lead, no one in the world hated Chen Ran more than He Hui did. She looked down on this suddenly appearing poor girl and believed that Chen Ran didn’t truly love Gu Wenhe, but was only coveting the Gu family’s wealth.
Moreover, from the very beginning, she had raised Lin Jiujiu as her future daughter-in-law. She absolutely would not allow another woman to take Lin Jiujiu’s place.
Therefore, if Gu Wenhe wanted to marry Chen Ran smoothly, the most important hurdle was He Hui.
He had done everything he could in front of Chen Ran to disparage Lin Jiujiu and elevate himself, all to tell Chen Ran that he wasn’t heartless—it was simply that Lin Jiujiu wasn’t worthy of him.
Her personality was gentle. She narrowed her eyes and gave a soft “Oh,” then rested her head against the car window. She appeared calm on the surface, but inside, she was in a panic.
Sob.
What a scheming male lead.
She couldn’t win against him. Not a chance.
As long as she didn’t end up dying alongside Shen Huan, she would be completely satisfied.
Seeing that she had hardly said anything, He Hui assumed she was upset and softened her tone to coax her. “Don’t worry, Jiujiu. I won’t let that woman marry into this family. My daughter-in-law can only be you!”
Lin Jiujiu immediately covered her mouth.
Sob. What terrible luck.
As the car sped along the road, Lin Jiujiu blinked twice with tears shimmering in her eyes. “Auntie, let’s not talk about this anymore. I think Miss Chen is actually a very good person—beautiful, hardworking, and kind.”
He Hui was stunned.
Her mouth stayed open wide enough to fit an egg for the rest of the journey. Only after they got out of the car in front of the luxurious garden villa did she turn around and pinch Lin Jiujiu’s cheek, asking incredulously, “Jiujiu, what happened to you?”
Everyone knew that Lin Jiujiu was madly in love with Gu Wenhe.
She was the one who couldn’t tolerate Chen Ran the most. Since she had been spoiled from childhood, she had often made things difficult for Chen Ran to her face.
And every single time, she made Chen Ran cry.
Lin Jiujiu opened and closed her mouth, feeling a headache coming on. “Just take it as me having come to my senses…”
Before she could finish, a low-key Bentley pulled to a stop beside them.
A cold, indifferent voice rang out.
“Mom, I’m home.”