Although Ling Yu had once set her sights on Mr. Nian, because in her previous life this guy, just like Mr. Zhang, had remained hopelessly hung up on the heiress Elizabeth, daughter of a financial conglomerate.
Mr. Zhang was certainly mad, but after long-term medication and regular visits to doctors, he ended up with a relatively stable temperament as long as nothing unexpected happened. If you catered to his interests, he could even be considered easy to get along with.
But as for Mr. Nian, most of the time he… didn’t appear to have any problems. Yet, in Ling Yu’s view, he was simply crazy, just not self-aware about it. Considering the fates of Mr. Zhang and Mr. Nian’s lovers in her last life made that clear: if you served Mr. Zhang well, you’d likely stay safe while earning money; at least half of Mr. Nian’s lovers ended up with mysterious outcomes.
So, after weighing her options, she gave up on the dangerous idea of reaching out to Mr. Nian.
The fact that Mr. Nian showed up today without warning truly caught her off guard.
Fortunately, this was Hua Country, and she knew that Mr. Nian wouldn’t necessarily be able to do anything to her, so she gradually calmed down.
Just then, her boyfriend walked out of the convenience store carrying a bag of drinks, snacks, and ice cream. Upon seeing the tense situation nearby, he rushed over at a jog. “What happened?”
Ling Yu forced a smile and motioned for her boyfriend to look across the street. “Let’s do it now.”
Mr. Nian strode quickly across the street. “Of course.”
Her boyfriend fixed his gaze on Mr. Nian’s face, looking thoughtful.
Ling Yu booked a private room at a nearby teahouse, asked her boyfriend to wait outside, and requested to speak with Mr. Nian alone.
The moment she stepped inside and sat down, a thick stack of files appeared before her. They contained her education records, academic performance, and the patents she had applied for over the years.
While she was still planning how to gain Mr. Nian’s trust, she suddenly heard him ask, quite seriously, “So, did you just receive a golden finger from the heavens, or are you reborn?”
For a moment, she was too stunned to speak. Would any sane person say something like that?
But only a madman could see through the truth, leaving her feeling somewhat conflicted.
Perhaps because she was pregnant, her emotions ran high and she was prone to sentimentality. The joys and sorrows of her youth seemed remarkably vivid… So, instead of answering directly, she simply asked, “What exactly do you want?”
Mr. Nian’s response was just as direct. “I need your help.”
Before returning to the country, Elizabeth had hinted—more than once—that if he managed to rescue that team of mercenaries and figure out why Mr. Zhang no longer contacted her, she’d agree to date him, maybe even give the relationship a try.
Elizabeth was the woman he was most satisfied with, and he was willing to go through hell and high water for her. As for now, his feelings for Elizabeth had not changed, but he was actually most interested in the projects and patents in Chief Engineer Mi’s possession.
He didn’t believe for a second that Elizabeth would be so foolish as to ignore those projects and patents, which the Hua Country government treasured so much. If Elizabeth wasn’t using these as bargaining chips, it was probably because she didn’t want him to get too involved.
He appreciated Elizabeth’s good intentions, but how could he know if he was up to the task if he didn’t at least try?
He recalled the rare softness in Elizabeth’s expression and said, “I’m not interested in digging up every detail, and I don’t intend to disturb your peaceful life. Just tell me what you know—about the entire Mi Jingzhou family, that’s enough.”
Although he claimed he wouldn’t disturb her, it was clear this was a threat… Ling Yu took a deep breath, fully convinced that Mr. Nian could ruin the peace and happiness she had now. After all, both Mr. Nian and Mr. Zhang were founders of that organization in her previous life, the one that had the world in its grasp. She was no match for either of them.
Even if Mr. Zhang was currently recovering in a sanatorium.
After some thought, Ling Yu spoke in a low voice. “The Mi Jingzhou family has a hereditary disease. You see, both his parents died young…”
Mr. Nian grew interested. “Oh? And what kind of hereditary disease is it?”
Ling Yu lowered her head. “Perhaps… a high risk of heart attacks or strokes?”
Mr. Nian continued, “And what about Gu Sheng? Or that Mi Xiaoxiao who supposedly looks a lot like Elizabeth?”
Ling Yu’s heart gave a jolt.
Ever since the announcement from the Capital Communications University that Mi Jingzhou had become a professor, she’d been anxious. Two months had passed without incident, and she had gradually relaxed, thinking she’d gotten away with it all.
So it was Mi Jingzhou and his family who’d forgotten her—while Mr. Nian now had his sights set on her!
She took another deep breath. “Gu Sheng cares about the kids. As for Mi Xiaoxiao… instead of targeting her directly, you'd be better off working on her childhood sweetheart.”
Mr. Nian laughed. “You’re right. Mr. Zhang is proof enough of that.”
Ling Yu hinted, “Mentally ill people are convenient, after all.” Before she finished speaking, the table in front of her abruptly shifted, her collar tightened, and the next thing she knew, Mr. Nian had lifted her clear off the ground.
She wanted to cry out, but when she met Mr. Nian’s gaze, she wisely chose to take a deep breath and stay silent. Sure enough, after several seconds of distortion, his expression slowly returned to normal, and he set her back down.
After a moment, Mr. Nian finally spoke again. “Sorry. I got a little worked up. I’ll make sure to thank you—and repay you… Well, you can go now.”
Ling Yu had lived two lives and didn’t lose her composure in the moment. She simply nodded and left without incident.
Carefully closing the private room door, she saw her boyfriend waiting in the hallway… Honestly, she loved him more and more. Given a second chance at life, she really hadn’t chosen the wrong person.
But this time and place weren’t suitable for venting to her boyfriend. She just grabbed his hand. “Let’s go home.”
Her boyfriend smiled and answered, “Alright.”
Ling Yu got into the front passenger seat, intending to explain everything that had just happened in the tea house once they got home. However, the moment she started to recall it, the memory of Mr. Nian’s twisted expression surfaced again… For a second, Mr. Nian really had wanted to do something to her.
She clasped her chest. Dealing with lunatics who are rich, powerful, and well connected is just terrifying! Thank goodness she woke up in time—or in other words, backed off before things got too bad.
After all, this world’s changing fast and she can’t afford to provoke anyone!
I give in, alright!
With this realization, she allowed herself to finally relax.
At that moment, she glanced ahead and suddenly realized this wasn’t the road home. Panic threatened to overwhelm her once more. She whipped around to question her boyfriend, “Where are you taking me?”
He smiled. “It’s nothing. Did Mr. Nian ask you about being reborn? I think it’s only right to turn you over to the state.”
Ling Yu was so shocked it showed on her face. She couldn’t keep from letting out a scream, “Ah! Since when did you know?!”
Her boyfriend drove steadily without hiding anything. “Just now.”
Ling Yu grew paler with fright. “You!”
Her boyfriend didn’t answer again.
No matter how turbulent her emotions were, Ling Yu didn’t dare do anything reckless while he was driving, so the car lapsed into a strange, eerie silence.
Fifteen minutes later, the car stopped in front of a research institute.
Her boyfriend got out first. He walked around, opened the passenger door for her himself, and lowered his head a little, speaking sincerely to Ling Yu. “Even though you’re fickle and always three-timing, I still like you. What’s more, you really are carrying my child… No matter how you feel about me, I can’t just leave you alone. If you just cooperate with the authorities, you can at least keep your life.” Pausing, he added, “Mr. Zhang and Mr. Nian—those two are the masterminds behind enormous crimes, not just on the fringes. Since you’ve been reborn, you ought to value your own life more.”
Now that things had come this far… Ling Yu looked at the security guards gathering around her, then lifted her head and stared at her boyfriend as if meeting him for the first time… The infatuation and forbearance he’d shown in her last life really did belong to a different story.
No matter how furious she was inside, it all turned into a long sigh. “Looks like I’ve been the only fool from beginning to end.”
Hearing this, her boyfriend realized that even if Ling Yu wasn’t thrilled, she would choose to cooperate with the authorities.
There’s no need to spell out exactly how Ling Yu explained things. Suffice to say that the next afternoon, Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing had just seen off the elders and were about to return to their studies when Chief Wang stopped them.
Chief Wang wanted them to go for another medical exam right away.
Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing both knew what was going on, though they still had to play dumb.
Qin Jingzhou asked, “Last time I had a checkup was…”
Ling Jing smiled and stepped in, “Half a month ago.”
Qin Jingzhou said seriously, “If I’ve got that much free time, I’d rather be educating my son.”
Now that these words had been spoken, Chief Wang knew he had to give a reasonable explanation. “It’s a special case. Someone may have gone through rebirth and claims their past self died of a heart attack.”
Qin Jingzhou frowned slightly.
Ling Jing was internally delighted, but she kept up the act. “Chief Wang, shouldn’t you also get a checkup?”
Chief Wang looked helpless and muttered, “It’s not just you two—I don’t believe it either! But the higher-ups just want to be careful…”
And so, Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing went for the checkup.
Mi Xiaoxiao, Gu Zhiwei, and Gu Sheng also “happened” to receive a medical checkup package.
Everyone in the family was healthy and their condition better than average for their age, though Gu Sheng’s psychological state deserved a bit more attention.
Gu Sheng received his report and read the psychological assessment three times. Finally, he set it down and laughed wryly. “So basically, I’m useless and make a lot of trouble.” He looked straight at his dad sitting opposite him. “Sorry, Dad.”
Qin Jingzhou finally met his convenient son’s gaze. “Now you finally look a bit more pleasing.”
Suddenly, Mi Xiaoxiao piped up, “Dad likes people who are genuine.”
Seeing Gu Sheng open up, Ling Jing didn’t hesitate to add a word of support. “Who could ever hide their real feelings from your dad? If you want to compete for attention with your sister, go ahead. Just make sure you actually have something to compete with, whether that’s talent or character. Simply flattering your dad and saying a few nice things isn’t going to cut it.”
If the original male lead of this task world truly changes his ways, she would get a bonus for it.
Gu Sheng fell into thought.
His dad was complimenting his recent behavior. As for his dad’s girlfriend, you always had to take her words the opposite way—so she meant, keep at it.
He had to admit, ever since he adjusted his attitude, his dad had kept him close. Now he could see what projects his dad was in charge of and which people he interacted with.
Really, who actually believed his dad might just suddenly kick him out someday without warning?
He rubbed his temples. “Dad, lately people have been advising me that if I just talk about the projects you’re leading, they’ll arrange in-depth cooperation with Gu Group. If I can hand over some blueprints or prototypes, they’ll guarantee my personal safety and all my rights in the future… To be honest, I’m feeling a bit depressed.”
Mi Xiaoxiao could more or less guess what her brother was about to say, so she smiled first.
When she smiled, Gu Zhiwei couldn’t help but cheer up too.
Looking at his cheerful little sister and her childhood friend, Gu Sheng rubbed his face. “I admit I’m ranked last in the family, but why do outsiders think I’m an idiot, too? I’m a young CEO worth over a hundred million!” He pivoted quickly. “It just proves those people are out of ideas—if that’s the best lure they can come up with. You all should be cautious. With Mr. Zhang as a precedent, don’t underestimate anyone, especially…” He looked at Gu Zhiwei and Ling Jing.