In her past life, Du Yanran had not said it like this. Using her own birthday as an excuse, she had begged for just one piece. Who knew what game she was playing in this lifetime, but Jian Dan had already achieved her purpose of probing. She simply went along with Du Yanran's words and said:
"Yanran, you are my best friend, and I trust only you. I promise you, I will definitely come back!"
Jian Dan deliberately emphasized the words "best friend." A flash of unnaturalness crossed Du Yanran's eyes before she nodded and said:
"Since you've promised me, you must keep your word! Who knows what kind of attitude the Zhao Family will have toward you? You still need to keep some things to fall back on. They might look down on these items, but they are very important to an ordinary family like ours!"
Jian Dan curved her lips into a smile and said, "You're so young, yet you understand so much."
Du Yanran pouted and said with a pretense of spoiled arrogance:
"It's all because my mom nags in my ear every day. Even if I didn't want to know, I'd have to. There's a kind of worry called a mother's worry, and you just have to take it."
Suddenly realizing that Jian Dan's mother was no longer around, she hurriedly stopped herself. Then, she affectionately shook Jian Dan's arm and said:
"Don't worry, if things don't go smoothly over there, just come back. After all, everyone here is a friend who watched you grow up, and I will definitely stay by your side."
Jian Dan believed these were her true feelings; after all, to snatch away her fortunate destiny, she needed Jian Dan to stay nearby for convenience.
Du Yanran pulled Jian Dan's hand and said:
"No matter what happens over there, don't keep anything from me. If something comes up, make sure to contact me. Although my ability is limited, I will definitely do my utmost to help you. Most importantly, since you've left such an important keepsake here as a deposit, you must come back! If you don't come back, these things will belong to me!"
This speech contained a young girl's genuine worry for her friend, along with the stubborn, awkward persistence of a spoiled girl and a trace of overbearing sophistry that made it hard for others to refuse.
Jian Dan lowered her gaze, a dark glimmer flashing through her eyes. She stroked the box with her hand to show her reluctance to part with it, while her peripheral vision tracked Du Yanran's movements. She saw Du Yanran's hands unconsciously tighten into fists, betraying a trace of tension.
Jian Dan raised her head, seemingly having made up her mind, and gently nodded.
She pushed the jewelry box directly toward Du Yanran's side. Du Yanran let out a breath of relief, then took Jian Dan's hand and said:
"Jian Dan, don't worry too much. After all, they are your blood relatives. Handle whatever comes up properly, and don't make things hard on yourself. Sometimes, you have to let go of something to gain something."
Jian Dan truly understood her double entendre, because in her past life she had indeed relinquished important things in exchange for her own peace. Of all people, Du Yanran was probably the one who understood the situation best.
Immediately, she nodded in agreement, then stood up, returned to her bedroom, and began packing her luggage. This time she wasn't just putting on an act, because she knew that before long, someone would come knocking at her door—this time, it would be the real Zhao Family members, not the excuse she had used to fob off Du Yanran.
Du Yanran helped her pack a few changes of clothes and some toiletries, and stayed with her for a while longer. Sensing that Jian Dan's mood had improved, and after confirming things repeatedly, Du Yanran left with her spoils.
After seeing Du Yanran off, Jian Dan curved her lips into a sarcastic smile. For the next period of time at least, she believed the other girl wouldn't have the spare energy to bother her.
Because Du Yanran believed Jian Dan was still acting according to the established track, these minor deviations naturally wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. At most, she would just attribute the changes to her own use of rebirth-born foresight to claim ahead of time the fortunate destiny that originally belonged to her good friend Jian Dan.
In her past life, Du Yanran had only obtained the earrings; this time, she had gotten a whole set of White Magnolia Jewelry. With this stroke of fortune safely in hand, and terrified of losing it again, she naturally wouldn't actively approach Jian Dan anymore.
After returning, Jian Dan had also wondered why Du Yanran was able to make the Jian Family's items recognize her as master.
Previously, she thought it was the halo of the female protagonist. Now, she guessed that Du Yanran must be a descendant of Wu Fan.
Even though his daughter had married out and her bloodline had been diluted through countless generations, she still possessed a tiny trace of the Jian Family bloodline, which made recognition possible—though it was limited strictly to that.
After carefully thinking through everything from beginning to end, Jian Dan smiled slightly. Next, she would have to watch the Zhao Family put on their act; in this lifetime, she wanted to see what kind of waves they could possibly churn up.
To her present self, the Zhao Family was a behemoth. Without having officially stepped onto the cultivation path, she had no self-protection abilities and was unsuited for a hard confrontation. For now, she could only bide her time, or she would find herself in a very passive position.
Moreover, she did not intend to use the methods of the cultivation world to deal with the Zhao Family. These people were, after all, related to her by blood, and she preferred to give them a taste of their own medicine—making them experience once the same agonizing ordeal she had suffered in her past life. Only then would it be fair.
Just as Jian Dan was lost in thought, a knock on the door sounded once more.