Su Qing looked at my parents with an awkward smile. "Oh, this child, what nonsense is she talking about!"
I nodded, looking timid. "I don't know who started those wild rumors, insisting that Young Master Ning and I are a couple, which has put my sister in such an awkward spot. Sister always gives way to me, but love is not something you can just yield to someone else, isn't that right, Sister?"
Nan Yang looked at me in shock, then suddenly realized everyone was staring at her, and her face flushed crimson.
Huo Ning gave me a resentful glare, stepped forward, and took Nan Yang's hand. "If you had even half of Nan Yang's sense, someone might actually like you."
My eyes crinkled into smiles. "Indeed, Sister has a naturally sweet temperament no matter how hard I try, I simply can't learn it."
Just like that, Huo Ning and Nan Yang held hands in front of everyone.
My parents naturally wouldn't say a word, while Li Yuan probably dreamed every night of how to make me vanish so Nan Yang could step into my place.
Su Qing had never liked me anyway; having Nan Yang as her daughter-in-law was, of course, the best possible outcome.
All my father cared about was whether this match was still on—to him, marrying into the Huo Family was the only thing that mattered.
I was quite happy myself.
I never imagined such a thorny issue could be resolved so easily. I really ought to thank Young Master Ning for letting go.
With that burden finally lifted off my shoulders, I felt entirely light at heart, and even the cast on my foot didn't seem quite so bothersome anymore.
However, my studies had run into a bit of a snag.
My biology grades were simply atrocious.
Huo Jingchuan looked over my test paper, flicked it with a finger, and said nothing.
Huo Ni crept up behind me, peered at the biology textbook in my hand, and asked with considerable sympathy, "Is it really that hard?"
I nodded.
She held out the civics book in her hand. "Harder than this?"
I glanced at her. "Why don't you give it a try?"
Huo Ni shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No thanks. I can't handle sciences, which is why I chose humanities. But humanities are hard too—there's just too much stuff to memorize."
I said, "I chose science precisely because I couldn't memorize things, but who knew biology has so much stuff you have to memorize? Shouldn't it count as a humanities subject? I honestly have no idea how to cram all this into my brain."
Huo Jingchuan interrupted our utterly pointless conversation. "Go memorize your vocabulary!"
Obediently, the two of us retreated to our respective desks and pulled out our English books.
The next day, Lin Ran arrived.
I thought he was here to check on my foot.
Instead, he demanded my biology test paper.
"Huo Qi says your biology is beyond saving, so I've come to practice some 'dead horse as a live horse' medicine," he said, getting straight to the point.
I felt a black line cross my forehead.
Huo Ni looked surprised. "Uncle Lin, are you supposed to be an outside reinforcement hired by Little Uncle?"
Lin Ran clicked his tongue. "I don't want to be your uncle. You're already a grown young lady."
Huo Ni thought about it. "Well, if I call you older brother, you'll have to call my little uncle 'uncle' as well."
Lin Ran clicked his tongue again. "How about you just use my name directly?"
Huo Ni and I burst out laughing.
Huo Jingchuan walked in, and our laughter cut off abruptly. We exchanged a glance, lowered our heads, and tried our best to hold back our giggles.
Lin Ran looked at Huo Jingchuan. "I just don't get it. We're the exact same age, so why do you live your life like a fossil? Before you walked in, the two girls were having a great time, but the moment you show up, nobody even dares to laugh."
Huo Jingchuan said indifferently, "I brought you here to tutor biology, not to make them giggle!"
Huo Ni and I couldn't help letting out another laugh.
Helplessly, Lin Ran picked up my biology test paper and asked Huo Jingchuan, "What's the target?"
"A perfect score!" Both Lin Ran and I stared at him in astonishment.
Lin Ran rattled the test paper with a crisp snap. "Huo Qi! You're going too far. Look at this test paper covered in red ink—"
"Three months. Is that enough?" Huo Qi cut him off.
Reluctantly, Lin Ran flicked the paper with his other hand. "Fine, let's give it a try. Am I allowed to punish her?"
"You can use a ruler to hit her palms. Nothing else."
Lin Ran made an OK gesture. "Alright, I'll just indulge myself a little."
My heart jumped into my throat.
Huo Jingchuan glanced at me. "Hear that?"
I hurriedly nodded.
Huo Ni stuck out her tongue. "Thank goodness I didn't study science."
"Oh, so you think studying humanities makes you smart? Want to try the taste of the ruler as well?" Huo Jingchuan asked without turning his head or even looking back.
Huo Ni hastily snatched up her textbook. "No, no, I'm going to the garden to memorize vocabulary!"
She bolted out like a puff of smoke.
How lacking in loyalty!
Huo Jingchuan briefed Lin Ran on my situation and then walked out as well.
Lin Ran crooked a finger at me. "Little apprentice, let's begin."
My mind was somewhat preoccupied.
Lin Ran tapped me on the head with his ruler. "Little girl, show a little respect. We only have three months. If I fail to whip you into shape, I'll lose all my face."
"Can you tell me about the kidnapping incident involving Huo Jingchuan and me?" I asked Lin Ran, getting straight to the point.
Lin Ran froze.
"Brother Lin Ran, you're a doctor. Tell me, can someone have selective amnesia?" I asked him with earnest seriousness.
That "Brother Lin Ran" pleased him, making him look slightly embarrassed.
"What kind of selection are you talking about?"
"For example, not remembering anything before the age of six. No memories at all, just like a freshly washed piece of cloth." I tried hard to put the feeling into words.
Lin Ran rubbed his nose. "I can find a psychology doctor for you to ask."
"Can you tell me about the kidnapping involving Huo Jingchuan and me first? Just tell me what you know." I negotiated with him.
Lin Ran shook his head. "No. If anyone tells you, it has to be Huo Jingchuan."
I felt somewhat discouraged. "He refuses to talk about it, which is why I'm asking you."
Lin Ran smiled. "Little girl, you're trying to fish for information, aren't you? How about this: if you get a perfect score on your biology exam for me, I'll tell you everything I know!"
I flashed an OK gesture. "It's a deal."
Lin Ran found me quite amusing. "Do you like Huo Jingchuan?"
Without a moment's hesitation, I nodded. "I do."
This time, it was Lin Ran's turn to be stunned.
He gave me a thumbs-up.
Under the full-time tutoring of Huo Jingchuan and the part-time tutoring of Lin Ran, Huo Ni and my academic performance made rapid, leaps-and-bounds progress.
Before we knew it, the new semester had begun.
On the first day of school, we ran squarely into Li Tian and Tian Ting.
Li Tian glanced down at my foot and sneered, "Nan Xing, with your foot like that, why did you even bother coming to school? Today is just an exam anyway."
Tian Ting gave her a nudge. "She spent the whole vacation taking remedial lessons with her little uncle, after all. She has to take the test to see if she's made any progress!"
Li Tian let out a scoff. "With that brain of yours, you completely wasted Little Uncle's top-scholar talent! Do you know why your foot got hurt? It's because you took up Little Uncle's time and brought down divine retribution!"
This was the first time I had ever heard such a novel theory.
In these people's eyes, Nan Xing was completely redundant—even her breathing was an eyesore.
Unfortunately, the old Nan Xing had always believed that everything was her own fault; she had desperately tried to please this pack of trash, yet still been ruthlessly hurt by them.
Still, wasting emotion on such clowns wasn't worth it.
Huo Ni was furious. "How can you people be so mean? You all saw with your own eyes how Nan Xing got hurt, yet you still say things like that. That's going too far!"
Although Huo Ni wasn't valued in the Huo Family, she was still the Fifth Miss of the Huo Family, so Li Tian and the others were somewhat wary of her.
Tian Ting said, "Forget it. Careful she doesn't go back and complain to her family."
Li Tian said with disdain, "What's there to be afraid of? With someone like her, who's going to speak up for her anyway?"
Yet, wary of Huo Ni after all, she turned and walked away.
Huo Ni stamped her foot in anger. "Nan Xing! Why didn't you say anything? They were bullying you too much."
I patted Huo Ni's hand. "Nini, you have to believe that good will be rewarded with good, and evil with evil."
Huo Ni looked bewildered. "I've noticed that the moment you're in front of outsiders, you pretend to be really stupid and easy to bully."
I smiled. "You noticed?"
Huo Ni stared at me with an indignant little puff to her cheeks.
I couldn't help reaching out to pinch her cheek. "Didn't you know that I, the Second Miss of the Nan Family, am a dizzy beauty? I have to live up to the title, after all!"
Huo Ni grabbed my hand. "But you aren't stupid! Little Uncle and I both know it, and so does Dr. Lin!"
I smiled. "There you go then! As long as someone knows I'm not stupid, I don't need anyone else to know."
"But they were bullying you." Huo Ni wore an expression of deep grievance.
I looked at Huo Ni and said calmly, "It's fine. I won't let them bully me forever, but right now, in order to successfully get into M University, I have to play stupid!"
Huo Ni was stunned for a moment, then dawn broke across her face.
"Nan Xing, is there anything I can do to help?" Huo Ni was clever indeed.
I thought about it. "Figure out a way to keep both of us at your little uncle's place. I don't want to go back to my own home—there's no quiet environment to study in peace."
Huo Ni nodded. "Okay! I'll go talk to Grandpa!"
She hesitated for a moment. "Do you... really not want to marry my oldest cousin? My grandfather is a bit disappointed, you know."
I looked at her. *Silly girl, I don't want to be your eldest sister-in-law, I want to be your seventh aunt!*
"Nini, right now I just want to focus on my studies and I don't want to date. Besides, you saw it yourself—the person your oldest cousin likes isn't me, it's my sister. I have a feeling something must have happened when we were little that got certain things all mixed up. Once I get into university and have some time, I'm going to get to the bottom of it."
Though Huo Ni didn't quite understand what I was talking about, she nodded firmly, making her stance clear.