Chapter 3: Never Regretting
Looking at the man’s furious back, Ling Lu closed her eyes and a faint curve touched the corner of her lips.
Regret?
Leaving these so-called family members behind was undoubtedly the most correct decision she had ever made in her life! She would never regret it.
Seeing Ling Yeli leave, a nurse walked over to the hospital bed and asked in a gentle voice.
"Little sister, your complexion looks really bad. Are you feeling unwell?"
The young girl before her was strikingly refined and ethereal, with fair, tender skin and long, curled eyelashes. Especially her amber eyes, clear like glazed glass, held shimmering specks of light that seemed to contain a sea of stars.
Even while sick and looking haggard, her stunning appearance remained entirely undiminished.
The moment the nurse laid eyes on Ling Lu, she felt a wave of fondness. The little girl was so delicate and pretty, and she didn't even look of legal age yet; it was just a pity her luck wasn't very good, landing her in a car accident.
At that thought, the nurse's gaze softened even further.
At these words, a pang of bitterness first pierced Ling Lu's heart.
Something so obvious that a stranger could spot it at a single glance had gone completely unnoticed by her own second brother, who had stayed here for so long.
However, a moment later, that trace of displeasure in her heart melted away like smoke.
Forget it. From now on, none of this had anything to do with her anymore...
This time, she would no longer revolve around them.
They weren't worth it.
Recovering her wits, Ling Lu offered the nurse a small smile.
Having been abandoned and left to fend for herself since childhood, she had always been acutely sensitive to other people's emotions and naturally caught the genuine goodwill in the other woman's eyes.
Cold sweat soaked her clothes, making the hospital gown stick damply to her back, while her fractured leg throbbed as if thousands of steel needles were pricking into it.
Her leg really hurt so much...
"Nurse, my leg hurts terribly."
Ling Lu spoke truthfully.
"Does it hurt badly? Let me go ask the attending physician if we can get you some pain medication..."
"Thank you, Nurse."
Hearing the young girl's voice, the nurse's heart softened once more.
The poor little girl was so pitiful. With something as major as a car accident, not a single person from her family had even shown up...
"Since I can take care of her, I should look after her a bit more."
The nurse thought silently to herself.
Meanwhile, in another hospital room down the hall.
Sitting on a hospital bed was a sweet-looking young girl with neat blunt bangs and round, innocent eyes that were stark black and white.
At the moment, she was leaning affectionately against the bosom of an elegantly dressed, gentle-mannered woman, chewing on a piece of apple the woman had peeled by hand.
"Mom, you've been staying with me the whole time. Won't that be a bit inappropriate? Xiaolu might be upset, seeing as she got hurt too."
Ling Lin lifted her upper body from Lin Yueru's arms, a look of worry clouding her face.
As the adopted daughter of the Ling Family, Ling Lin had always assumed the role of the older sister in front of Ling Lu.
And no one in the Ling Family had ever felt there was anything wrong with that.
The moment she heard the name of her other daughter, Lin Yueru instantly reined in her smile, her brows knitting together.
"Just mentioning her makes my blood boil! I haven't even settled accounts with her properly for what happened this time!"
"It seems my previous punishments weren't harsh enough; Ling Lu actually had the audacity to pull off something so murderous!"
"Once we get back this time, I'm going to severely punish her and see if she dares ever again!"
Ling Lin patted Lin Yueru gently on the back.
"Mom, calm your anger. Maybe things aren't the way you think? Even though Xiaolu and I have had some misunderstandings before, I believe she wasn't the one behind this incident."
Looking at the sensible daughter before her, more than half of the anger in Lin Yueru's heart dissipated.
She took the young girl's hand and smiled.
"Our Linlin has always been this kind-hearted."
"You don't need to worry about what happened this time. Mom will stand up for you and get justice."
"Thank you, Mom."
Ling Lin smiled brightly, though a flash of dark light vanished quickly from her eyes.
The warm atmosphere between the mother and daughter in the hospital room was suddenly shattered by the sound of hurried footsteps.
The ward door was violently pushed open with a loud bang, and the next second, Ling Yeli's furious, handsome face appeared before them.
"Yeli, what is wrong with you? Opening the door so forcefully, you scared Linlin."
Ling Yeli was snapped back to his senses by his mother's words. His gaze fell upon the young girl huddled in Lin Yueru's arms, and the anger raging in his chest instantly subsided.
"When did Linlin wake up?"
"She woke up not long after you left. The doctor said there's nothing major and she can be discharged soon."
Ling Yeli walked closer to the hospital bed, a look of relief washing over his handsome face. "It's good that she's awake."
He reached out and affectionately patted the young girl's fluffy head, apologetic notes in his voice. "I was just being impulsive. I didn't scare our Linlin, did I?"
The young girl quickly backed out of Lin Yueru's arms, stuck out her tongue at Ling Yeli, and made a playful face.
"Haha, Second Brother, did you really think you fooled me? I'm not that easy to scare!"
A weight lifted from Ling Yeli's heart, and he tapped the tip of the young girl's cute nose, a gentle smile gracing his handsome face. "Little liar."
After the brother and sister exchanged some lighthearted banter, Ling Lin suddenly asked, "Second Brother, who made you so angry just now?"
"Who else but that dead girl Ling Lu."
The smile on the man's face faded instantly, replaced by an expression of extreme impatience.
"She committed such a massive wrong and yet she still dares to be this arrogant! When we get home, I'm telling Dad to chase her out of the Ling Family once and for all!"
"Mom, don't stop me this time. Ling Lu has harmed Linlin so many times before and never repented, and this time Linlin almost lost her life."
"If we let her stay in the Ling Family any longer, there's no telling what kind of mess she'll stir up next."
"Sending her out to live on her own will be for the best, saving her from continuing to hurt people."
Hearing this, Lin Yueru pondered for a moment, glancing at the adopted daughter before her.
Although Ling Lin wasn't her biological child, she had after all been raised by her side since she was little, and their bond ran deep. Over the years, she had long since regarded her in her heart as her own true daughter.
Then, thinking of Ling Lu—timid in personality, unlikable, and on top of that, insidious and envious—compared to the other, Lin Yueru's heart naturally leaned toward the former.
"Ling Lu went way too far this time. She deserves a heavy punishment. I'll speak with your father and have that girl Ling Lu move out to live alone."
The very next day, these exact words were passed word-for-word through the mouth of a servant straight to Ling Lu.
At that moment, the young girl was sitting by the windowsill reading a book, fine specks of light refracting through her hair into a wisp of golden radiance.
Her eyes were calm and serene, carrying a detached, otherworldly divinity under the sunlight, looking entirely unconcerned with everything around her.
However, just as the servant felt bewildered by Ling Lu's cold indifference,
The latter's amber eyes shifted, and a mocking smile curled the corners of her lips.
The Ling Family members wanted to kick her out of the house?
The young girl's gaze turned sharp and cold.
She asked herself honestly: whether in her past life or her present one, she did not owe anyone in the Ling Family a single thing!
She had already died once! Why should she still put up with their miserable bullying?
This time, it wasn't the Ling Family driving her away; it was she, Ling Lu, treating them like trash and casting them aside!
Ling Family Mansion.
It was dinner time, and the entire Ling Family had gathered at the dining table to celebrate Linlin's discharge from the hospital—everyone except the fourth son, Ling Xuancheng, who was currently abroad and unable to return.
Ling Canghai sat at the head of the table. To his left and right were his eldest son, Ling Jinmo, and his wife, Lin Yueru. Following them were the second son, Ling Yeli, the third son, Ling Yanye, and Ling Lin.
Just as the family was dining in a harmonious atmosphere, the front doors suddenly stirred.
A young girl with a serene expression slowly approached in a wheelchair.
Seeing this, the smiles on the faces of the Ling Family members instantly faded, replaced by expressions of displeasure.
Ling Yeli was the first to react. Looking through his silver-rimmed glasses, his eyes filled with mockery.
He sneered, his tone sharp and scathing.
"Oh? Weren't you acting all high and mighty at the hospital yesterday? How long did you expect your tough act to last?"
"Crawling back to beg for forgiveness in disgrace already?"
"What a pity, though! I told you long ago, even if you knelt down and begged me this time, it wouldn't do you any good..."
Before he could finish, Ling Lu interrupted him directly.
"I am back for only one thing."
"I want to sever all family relations with the Ling Family. Here is the agreement."
As soon as Ling Lu's voice fell, it was like a thunderclap exploding on flat ground, shattering the expressions on everyone present as if a massive crack had split right through them.