Even when Huo Ning and I left, Huo Jingchuan never showed his face, yet brilliant flowers bloomed in my heart.
This man was just like a candle—he wouldn't give off light unless you lit him.
I would give him time to let everything settle in his mind.
I believed that from the very beginning, he had liked me in his heart; it was simply that, held back by my previous relationship with Huo Ning, and by his own identity as an elder, he chose to stand quietly on the sidelines and watch over me, too afraid to ever take a single step forward.
Therefore, I had to let him know that our feelings were mutual!
I had already declared my sovereignty, and now he would have plenty of time to think things over carefully and miss me!
If things went as expected, the Nan Family would come to pick me up and take me back today, for no other reason than that my rank had climbed by another hundred places in the exams over the past two days.
I was afraid Nan Yang, Li Tian, and Tian Ting were already at their wits' end, weren't they?
The only solution was to place me right back under their noses so they could keep an eye on me ruining my studies every single moment.
My return to the Nan Family was in order to continue investigating my true identity; staying with Huo Jingchuan made it inconvenient to do such things.
At the same time, it would leave some space for Huo Jingchuan to face himself, to face me, and to face our relationship!
The very first thing Li Yuan and Nan Yang did when they saw me was to check whether I had any injuries from corporal punishment.
How could I possibly fail to satisfy this little wish of theirs?
Looking at my swollen, glowing left palm, both of their eyes gleamed with excitement.
I had inflicted this on myself at noon—there was no help for it, but this blame still had to fall on Huo Jingchuan.
With a fake look of heartache, Li Yuan said, "Nan Xing, let's not go back there anymore. How can you take beatings every single day? Even if you actually get into a good university, so what? Won't you end up beaten half to death? Tsk! This Huo Qi is truly vicious, completely devoid of humanity. Let's not go anymore. Have your dad tell the Huo Family that we're quitting!"
I stammered, "B-but what if the Huo Family thinks we're ungrateful and don't know what's good for us? After all, Huo Ning is completely fine."
Li Yuan froze; obviously, she hadn't thought of this problem yet.
Nan Yang hesitated as well. After all, maintaining relations with the Huo Family was of the utmost importance, and there was no need to offend Huo Qi just because of me.
"Or, I could just stay at home for a few days and say—say I've come down with a fever," I suggested cautiously.
Nan Yang shot me a disdainful look. "What fever? Won't your lie fall apart the moment Huo Ning sees you tomorrow?"
"Then, um, maybe I should just ask for a few days off," I said, "struggling" to think of a solution.
The mother and daughter exchanged glances.
"What if the Huo Family comes to visit?" Li Yuan felt that wouldn't do.
Nan Yang's eyes lit up. "Why don't we have Nan Xing stay at the old residence in the West City for half a month, and just say she broke out in a rash? Would that work?"
Li Yuan nodded, calling it a good idea.
What a genuinely matched mother and daughter!
Looking at me, Li Yuan quickly added, "Nan Xing, your sister and I are only doing this for your own good. Look at how swollen your hand is—studying must be so exhausting. You should just give yourself a half-month break and go stay at the old residence for a few days. It's nice and quiet there, and whatever you need, the servants can have it delivered to you. You'll be fine on your own, won't you?"
In other words, they were going to leave me all by myself in the remote old residence in West City.
My heart blossomed with joy.
On the surface, however, I twisted my fingers, acting as though I didn't want to go but lacked the courage to refuse, until I finally made up my mind with great difficulty. "T-then can I bring my computer?"
Nan Yang immediately answered briskly, "Of course! Tomorrow I'll buy you a brand-new laptop best suited for gaming. Your old one is far too laggy for games, right? Mom, computers and phones are Nan Xing's absolute favorites—you should just buy it for her!"
Li Yuan chimed in right away, "Buy it! Since our Nan Xing likes it, how could we not? Your sister got you a new phone last month, and tomorrow Mom will buy you a computer. Just rest properly at the old residence for a while."
My eyes shone brightly as I repeatedly thanked the mother and daughter, and my resistance to going to the old residence vanished completely.
One could truly call this a win-win for everyone.
After finishing dinner and lying in bed, I took out my phone and scrolled through the photos of Huo Jingchuan that I had secretly taken in the past. It took almost all my strength to keep myself from texting him.
I absolutely must not disturb him; I had to make sure he couldn't sleep tonight, with his mind entirely occupied by thoughts of me.
I could guarantee that whether he slept tonight or not, his head would be filled with nothing but me!
I hugged my quilt and chuckled secretly.
Huo Jingchuan, this is a process you simply have to go through. Let's take it slowly and let me take up residence in your heart.
The old residence was located in West City and served as the ancestral home of the Nan Family.
The villa area where the Nan Family currently lived was a notoriously wealthy district, whereas the old residence was much more remote.
Consequently, in the second year after my parents passed away, our entire family had moved to the villa area.
My impression of the old residence was not deep, as I hadn't lived there for very long.
Even so, it still gave me a peculiar sense of familiarity, and I guessed that the time I spent here during my childhood might not have been short at all. It was just that my damned memories were gone.
The driver and servants dropped off my things and left immediately, without even uttering an extra word.
Of course, what was there to say to a good-for-nothing second miss like me?
All the servants in the household avoided me like the plague.
And this was precisely what I needed.
The old residence was a traditional courtyard house. Because servants came regularly to clean it, it was spotless and well-maintained, allowing me to move right in with just my luggage. It was simply a bit empty living here all by oneself.
Was I scared?
No, I wasn't afraid. I wasn't afraid of ghosts; by comparison, I was far more afraid of people. Human hearts are fickle and unfathomable—far more terrifying than any ghost.
After putting away my clothes, I immediately went online and ordered a printer. I had brought both my old and new computers with me, and the old computer contained my saved mock exams and past test papers.
Taking fifteen days off from school wasn't a major issue for me; I could study according to the schedule Huo Jingchuan and Lin Ran had arranged for me.
Huo Ning called me the moment school let out. Judging by the timing, she must have dialed the second she stepped out of the school gates.
I told her I had come down with chickenpox and, because it was contagious, I had been temporarily placed in quarantine.
Huo Ning sounded deeply disappointed; the child had already begun to depend on me.
After placing some online orders and having food delivered, I settled in to study with peace of mind.
In this lifetime, I would earnestly strive to realize every single one of the ideals I had failed to achieve in the last.
By the time I finished working through a biology practice set, my delivery arrived.
Eating my takeout while opening my laptop, I was free to browse the internet without anyone watching over me.
My inbox on the Dark Web had received an encrypted email.
My heart surged with wild joy—the fish I was waiting for had taken the bait.
Without a second thought, I clicked the link.
A photo popped up, leaving me stunned.
If I ignored our attire, looking at the person in the picture felt like looking into a mirror.
I knew she was Tong Huan—my mother!
I reached out and touched the screen, stroking her face. She smiled back at me from the display, her gaze confident and profound.
She was dressed in a black motorcycle jacket, straddling a motorbike with a handsome, unbridled aura.
This was my mother, the legendary underworld princess.
I loved her so, so much.
"Who the hell are you?" a message popped up on my messenger.
I ignored it and opened the first photo. It showed a young man and woman; the woman was my mother, and the man must have been my father, as he looked strikingly similar to Nan Feng.
What a remarkably well-matched young couple.
Seeing my mom and dad standing together was truly a feast for the eyes.
I downloaded and saved the photos, completely unconcerned that someone might track me and figure out my location. I intended to use myself as bait to lure them out—though, of course, my own safety came first.
I certainly wasn't going to die before my grand enterprise even began.
The next day, my online purchases arrived. I bounced around the old residence busily all day long, installing everything I had bought in its proper place.
I armed the old residence, turning it into my fortress.
The lessons of my past life taught me one thing: true strength comes from within.
I woke up with a start in the middle of the night because the alarm connected to the phone by my pillow was ringing incessantly.
Without turning on the lights, I quietly slipped out of bed and grabbed the iron rod I had placed by the pillow.
Listening intently, I heard people entering the courtyard: one, two, three, four—four individuals.
"Damn it, what kind of place is this? Why does it feel so creepy?"
"Shh, keep your voices down. Don't wake anyone up."
"Is the intel accurate? Are we sure there's only a little girl living here alone? Just how bold do you have to be to live in a place like this by yourself? If it were me, I wouldn't dare!"
"Stop wasting breath and go find her! Knock her out the moment you find her, and don't make a big commotion, understand?"
"Understood!"
The four of them fell silent, and only the sound of rustling footsteps could be heard.
I blinked. Were these people the ones I was waiting for?
Hiding in the shadows of the corridor, I held my breath.
They entered the first guest room, and it took them several minutes to come back out.
"This is way too slow. Let's split up and search. Whichever of us finds her will give a whistle."
"Got it."
"Boss, I—I'm a little scared."
"Coward! With that attitude, you still want to run with the underworld?"