The late autumn days were growing shorter. By the time Ming Lan set out, the sky was already dark. She stared absentmindedly at the glowing lights outside the car window.
Today marked Yi An’s official return to the Ye family, which should have been a good day. But it also meant she would be surrounded by danger. Ming Lan couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Based on what had happened in the previous life, Yi An would soon be sent abroad for training after her return. On the surface, it looked like a good opportunity, but in reality, it was a strategy from Ye Shan’s side to push her away from the center of power. That way, she would miss the best chance to claim her rightful place.
For Ming Lan, this would also mean being left alone with no support. Yi An’s presence gave her a sense of security, like a steady anchor. So whether it was for Yi An or for herself, she needed to find a way to make sure Yi An stayed.
While she was thinking, the car arrived in front of the estate. Night had fallen completely, and the entire villa was lit up. Luxury cars came and went at the entrance. Well-dressed elites gathered in small groups and walked inside. Waiters moved through the crowd in perfect order. The atmosphere was bustling and grand.
Ming Lan’s car pulled up to the gates, immediately drawing attention. She moved her ankle gently, which still ached slightly, and slowly stepped out of the car, steadying herself against the door.
Her dress was already modest and simple, but on Ming Lan, it still made her the center of attention.
Whispers spread quickly. Many were surprised to see her. It had been years since she had attended an event like this. Some people didn’t recognize her at all and were quietly asking others who she was. Her recent welcome-home banquet had only involved a younger social circle, so many of the older or broader crowd still had no idea she was back in the country.
Standing there and being stared at made her feel awkward. She planned to find a quiet spot to sit down, but before she could go far, a familiar voice called out to her.
“Ming Lan? I didn’t expect you to come. Come join us over there. Everyone’s gathered.”
The speaker’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. At Ming Lan’s homecoming banquet, she hadn’t even danced the opening waltz before leaving abruptly. Li Jue and Bai Tingqiu’s expressions had been particularly terrible. Everyone had been dying to know what happened that night, but no one had the inside scoop. Now that they had a chance to talk to her, they weren’t going to let it slip by.
Ming Lan had no interest in feeding their gossip. She was about to politely decline when another voice cut in.
“Sorry, Li San, why don’t you go cool off somewhere else? I want to have a word with Ming Lan.”
Ming Lan turned to look. The newcomer was tall, slightly taller than her. Her long hair was loosely pinned up, and her delicate but striking features carried an air of confidence and defiance. She gave Li San a casual and bold look.
But there was one issue—Ming Lan didn’t recognize her.
Still, she didn’t say anything and turned her attention to Li San, who looked both irritated and helpless.
“You brat, you’ve got no manners,” he muttered.
“Go on, scram,” the girl urged with a wave of her hand.
Li San gave Ming Lan a quick nod and walked away.
Once he was gone, Ming Lan looked at the girl beside her with uncertainty.
“And you are?”
“You don’t remember me?” the girl asked with a hint of surprise, then quickly smiled. “I guess that makes sense. It’s been a long time. Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Bai Fuling.”
The name triggered Ming Lan’s memory. She stared at the girl in surprise.
“Fuling?”
She did know her. Bai Fuling was Bai Tingqiu’s younger sister. But they had never spent much time together. Bai Tingqiu and his sister didn’t get along well. Fuling had been raised by her maternal grandparents, so Ming Lan had only met her a few times.
Even in her previous life, Ming Lan couldn’t recall ever seeing the adult Bai Fuling in person.
Both siblings took their mother’s surname. Their maternal family came from a prestigious line of doctors. After their parents married, they used the Bai family name to found the Bai Pharmaceutical Group. From what Ming Lan remembered, their parents were always busy and paid little attention to Bai Tingqiu. He had practically grown up in the Ming household.
Bai Fuling was four years younger than him and had been raised by her grandparents from birth. Ming Lan had seen her a few times back then. At that time, Fuling had been small, quiet, and shy. She barely spoke, only staring blankly when Ming Lan tried to talk to her.
After that, they hadn’t met again.
Ming Lan only remembered reading about Bai Fuling in that book. It described how their parents favored and spoiled her. During her university years, they had high hopes for her, grooming her to become the heir to the family business. Both she and Bai Tingqiu were brought into the company. As a result, Bai Tingqiu often complained to Cheng Yurong about being treated unfairly.
Two years later, Bai Fuling was said to have died from an accidental infection while researching a new drug. The book claimed it was a tragic accident, but her death allowed Bai Tingqiu to gain full control of the Bai family. When Bai Tingqiu later had a falling-out with Li Jue and others over Cheng Yurong, Li Jue accused him of being heartless and implied he had harmed his own sister. That strongly suggested Bai Fuling’s death was no accident.
Thinking about that, a chill ran through Ming Lan. The book had many distortions because of its perspective, but the events it described did happen. Which meant…
Fuling waved a hand in front of Ming Lan’s face, pulling her back to the present. Ming Lan looked at the cheerful young woman in front of her and couldn’t help feeling a bit overwhelmed.
“What’s with the blank stare? Did you suddenly remember me?” Fuling teased as she leaned in closer.
Ming Lan quickly collected herself.
“I was just thinking about how little you were back then. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“But I recognized you right away,” Bai Fuling replied with a grin. “You’re still just as beautiful as ever.”
“Ahem.” Ming Lan cleared her throat, cheeks slightly flushed. Li San had been right—this girl had no filter.
Trying to change the subject, Ming Lan looked ahead.
“Let’s find a place to sit down.”
“Let’s head inside. I’ll help you,” Bai Fuling said, looping her arm through Ming Lan’s and gently supporting her.
“It’s okay, really…” Ming Lan hesitated, feeling a bit awkward.
“Don’t be stubborn. You injured your ankle, didn’t you?”
“How do you know that?”
“I could tell the moment you got out of the car. Your right ankle. I study medicine, remember? Listen to the doctor and come with me.”
That explained it. Bai Tingqiu had no interest in medicine, but Bai Fuling had grown up surrounded by it at her grandparents’ home and showed remarkable talent. Despite her young age, she had already made significant progress in the field.
Ming Lan no longer resisted and let Bai Fuling guide her into the main building.
Upstairs, Yi An stood by the window, watching everything unfold below.
She had been standing there ever since guests began to arrive, waiting for Ming Lan. The moment Ming Lan’s car stopped at the gate, her heart skipped a beat. She watched intently as Ming Lan got out of the car, her chest tightening with joy. She was just about to send someone to bring her upstairs when something unexpected happened.
Someone stopped Ming Lan.
Yi An’s smile faded slightly, and she leaned closer to the window. Another person joined them.
She couldn’t hear what they were saying. All she could see was the first person leaving while the second, a girl, chatted happily with Ming Lan. The two of them seemed to get along well. The girl reached out to support Ming Lan by the arm, and Ming Lan didn’t object. They walked into the building side by side and vanished from sight.
Seeing someone else take her place, Yi An’s lips pressed into a tight line. Her heart, which had been filled with excitement just a moment ago, now felt blocked and heavy.
Who was that girl? Why didn’t she recognize her?
After living two lives, Yi An knew almost everyone in City A’s inner circle, but she had never seen this person before.
There was still time before the banquet officially began. Yi An hesitated, unsure whether to send someone to bring Ming Lan up or to find out more about the girl beside her. Before she could decide, the butler arrived and politely asked her to come see the old master.
There was nothing Yi An could do at the moment. She had no choice but to go see the old master.
The banquet would officially begin soon, and the old master was going to personally introduce Yi An to the guests. He had called her over now for two reasons. First, to explain what she should pay attention to during the event, and second, to ask for her opinion on an important matter.
“Xiao An, we’ve already started the paperwork to transfer your household registration back to the Ye family. Do you want to change your name back to Ye An?”
This would also affect how she would be introduced to the guests later. Naturally, the old master hoped she would take the Ye surname again. But ultimately, he still wanted to respect Yi An’s decision.
In the previous life, no one had asked for her opinion. As someone new to the family, Yi An had been cautious and reserved, so she didn’t speak up. Her name was simply changed to Ye An. But in this life, everything had been different from the start.
“Great-grandfather, I don’t want to change it. The name Yi An was given to me by the old director of the orphanage. She’s no longer with us, but I’ll never forget the kindness she showed me. You agree with that, don’t you?”
If she had a choice, Yi An would always choose this name. Maybe the Ye surname represented wealth and privilege, but the name Yi An was her life, her identity for more than twenty years.
The old man thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“In our family, we never forget kindness. Let’s leave it as it is. No matter what your name is, you will always be my great-granddaughter.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Yi An said with a small smile and a nod.
“Alright then, go get ready. It’s almost time for us to go downstairs.” The old master stood up with the help of his cane. Yi An’s answer had made him even happier than if she had taken back the Ye surname.
Downstairs, Ming Lan and Bai Fuling had found a quiet spot to sit. Fuling didn’t bother with small talk and quickly brought up the real reason she had come to find Ming Lan.
“I haven’t been at the company long, but I’m currently in charge of a medical imaging project that’s working with Qinglan Group. Have you heard about it?”
Ming Lan thought for a second. It sounded vaguely familiar.
“Wait, let me check.”
She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the project documents she hadn’t yet finished reviewing. The name looked familiar in the table of contents.
Sure enough, it was there. After skimming through the file, her eyes stopped on the name of the project lead.
“Why does it say the project lead is Bai Tingqiu?”
“That’s exactly why I came to talk to you.” Bai Fuling took out her own phone and showed Ming Lan several documents. Each one bore the Bai Group’s official seal, and all of them had her name on them.
“I’ve been in charge of this project from the very beginning. I’ve handled all the data and development. But when it came time to coordinate with Qinglan Group, he told them he had closer ties to the Ming family and could use that to secure the deal. Then he replaced me as the contact person.”
Ming Lan didn’t think Bai Fuling would make up something like this using official company documents. She was just surprised that the conflict between Fuling and Bai Tingqiu had already escalated this much. And Fuling herself was completely different from what Ming Lan had expected—both in personality and in ability.
“So, what do you want from me?” Ming Lan asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
“I heard what happened at your welcome-back banquet,” Fuling said bluntly. “I don’t know the full story, but it sounds like you finally saw him for who he really is.”
She spoke with full honesty and reached out her hand.
“He’s not the one. So how about me? Consider working with me instead.”
Ming Lan glanced at Fuling’s hand, then calmly placed a glass of champagne into it.
“First, I’ve only been at the company for two days. I might not have the authority to interfere in this project. Second, I won’t let personal feelings influence company decisions. And third—”
She looked straight into Fuling’s eyes.
“How do I know you’re a trustworthy business partner?”
“That third point is the most important one, isn’t it?” Fuling understood immediately. She met Ming Lan’s steady gaze and took a sip of champagne.
“That’s alright. I’ll prove it to you. If you choose me, you won’t regret it.”