Chapter 78.2

“Young lady, is this your friend?” the old man asked, pointing at Yun Feiwu with a smile.

Xia Ruan shook her head and finally whispered, “…My sister.”

“Not your biological sister, right?” The old man sat down leisurely, unconcerned. Seeing Xia Ruan’s silence, he beckoned to her, “Don’t worry, the doctor will be here soon.”

Xia Ruan, trembling, approached the old man. She couldn’t explain why, but she had never been so afraid of someone before. Although the old man had been smiling the entire time, he exuded an oppressive aura, as if any defiance would result in being thrown into a pit of snakes and torn apart.

With her head down, Xia Ruan replied, “No.”

“She’s not your biological sister, yet you risked your life for her?” the old man continued to smile. “That man is Mr. Li from the Li Corporation, right? If he dies, you’ll be sentenced to death too. Let me guess, are you an adult? Nineteen?”

Xia Ruan clenched her fingers, remaining silent.

The old man laughed heartily, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. My name is Xia Cha. What’s yours?”

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“…Dky Swyd.”

Dky Uby ryvvle bla pbswzela. “Nswela, R eked’v blya usw.”

Dky Swyd qzkdnble. “Dky yp kd pwxxla, Swyd yp kd psqv.”

Dky Uby’p pxkzl qyele, yde bl qasodle. “Mbyv’p dsv y tsse dyxl.”

Jlqsal bl nswze lmrzykd obu, vblal oyp y jdsnj sd vbl essa. Dky Uby tsv wr vs ydpola. “Rv’p yzaktbv, vbl esnvsa kp blal. Zswdt zyeu, pbswze vbl esnvsa nblnj sd vbl tkaz sd vbl cle qkapv, sa vbl sdl sd vbl qzssa?”

Ekvbswv blpkvyvksd, Dky Swyd rskdvle vs Zwd Wlkow.

Dky Uby pxkzle xupvlakswpzu, bkp hsknl llakl.

Tyhkdt plld yzz psavp sq pkvwyvksdp shla vbl ulyap, vbl esnvsa ekalnvzu lmyxkdle Zwd Wlkow, ktdsakdt vbl xyd sd vbl qzssa. Gqvla y nswrzl sq xkdwvlp, bl nyzxzu pvyvle, “Ls xyfsa kppwlp, pbl’zz oyjl wr kd yd bswa sa vos.”

Then, the doctor moved to Mr. Li, listening with a stethoscope. “He’s not dead. No problem.”

Xia Cha smiled slightly. “Bandage him up.”

The doctor nodded.

Xia Cha then picked up his phone and made a few calls on the balcony. After a while, he returned and beckoned to Xia Ruan, signaling her to come to the balcony.

Xia Ruan looked at the still-unconscious Yun Feiwu and shook her head.

Xia Cha’s eyes turned sharp.

Xia Ruan’s fingers began to tremble, but she shook her head again. Earlier, at the dining table, because she had left on her own, Mr. Li had taken Yun Feiwu away…

So now, no matter how scared she was, Xia Ruan wouldn’t leave Yun Feiwu’s side until she woke up.

Xia Cha chuckled softly and said nothing more. Finally, he instructed the bodyguards to move Mr. Li to the adjacent room, with the doctor following. Xia Cha then sat next to Xia Ruan again. “Young lady, how about discussing something with Grandpa? Come with Grandpa to the hospital tonight.”

To the hospital? Xia Ruan couldn’t understand the old man’s intentions. They had only met once, and now he inexplicably helped her and wanted her to go to the hospital?

It was strange.

Xia Ruan couldn’t guess his intentions, which made her even more fearful.

Biting her lip and trembling, Xia Ruan said, “I… don’t want to go.”

This might have been her first time refusing someone.

Xia Ruan had a vague feeling that if she agreed to go to the hospital with Xia Cha, her life would undergo an irreversible, earth-shattering change.

She was terrified of such an unknown change.

“Young lady,” Xia Cha squinted, pointing at Yun Feiwu on the bed, speaking slowly and deliberately, “if you want to save her, come with Grandpa.”

“Grandpa just checked. Her name is Yun Feiwu, right? She’s a small-time actress, and her company is Xinghui, correct? Young lady, do you understand what I’m saying? Xinghui is no match for the Li Corporation. You’ve injured Mr. Li from the Li Corporation, and they will certainly come after you. When that happens, you, your sister Yun Feiwu, and her company will all be doomed.”

“So, young lady, how about I help you settle this matter?” Xia Cha’s smile was chilling.

Xia Ruan’s fingers slowly moved to grasp Yun Feiwu’s hand tightly.

“Why?”

“Why help you?” Xia Cha smiled, tapping his fingers lightly on the chair. “You’ll find out if you come with Grandpa to the hospital tonight. Young lady, are you wondering what we will do there?”

Xia Ruan hesitantly nodded her head.

Xia Cha slowly smiled and said, “Paternity test.”

Xia Cha’s voice was calm, yet it struck Xia Ruan like a thunderbolt.

Paternity test? What does that mean?

Xia Ruan lowered her head, her brows tightly furrowed, her mind in chaos. She accidentally bit her lip, drawing blood, and immediately tasted a hint of saltiness on her tongue.

Xia Ruan found it hard to digest Xia Cha’s words at first, but she wasn’t foolish. On the contrary, despite being timid and shy, she was always smart. Soon, she connected Xia Cha’s reaction to seeing her birthmark.

Moreover, Xia Ruan had known from a young age that she wasn’t her mother Wang Xiaoning’s biological child but an adopted one.

Quickly, Xia Ruan’s mind filled with possibilities. She thought that this snake-like, influential old man might know her biological parents or even be a relative.

Yet, her mind remained in turmoil. She couldn’t believe such a coincidence could exist in the world.

Finally, Xia Ruan looked up and struggled to speak. “Paternity test… If I’m not the person you’re looking for, then what?”

Surprised by the seemingly weak girl’s ability to think so much, Xia Cha raised an eyebrow and smiled appreciatively. “If you’re not, Grandfather will still help you with this matter. Consider it a good deed.”

Xia Ruan nodded. When she looked up again, Xia Cha had already left the room, and her face was full of bewilderment.

She had forgotten to ask if she really was Xia Cha’s long-lost relative. What would he do then? Take her away? Would she have any choice?

…

When Zhou Hanchi returned to Yun City, Yun Feiwu had already been sent back to the company’s dormitory. Yun Feiwu, usually as lively as a little sun, now had her shoulders slumped, her head hung low, and she stared blankly at her fingers. Huang Qiongyi had rushed back and was constantly talking to her, but Yun Feiwu seemed not to hear a word.

“Yun Yun, where’s Ruan Ruan? Where’s Ruan Ruan…?” Zhou Hanchi hurried over, placing his hands on Yun Feiwu’s shoulders, extremely anxious.

Yun Feiwu didn’t respond. At his slight movement, her body swayed weakly.

Lifeless.

Zhou Hanchi suddenly realized something.

Later, Xia Cha’s assistant contacted Xinghui and explained the “sequence of events”—

President Li had taken an interest in Yun Feiwu. To save her, Xia Ruan had injured President Li’s head and then… fell to her death while trying to escape by jumping off the building. Xia Cha’s assistant stated that they were from Mu Ge, a rival company of the Li family, and had witnessed the incident. They hoped to use this opportunity for mutual benefit with Xinghui by sending President Li to prison and ruining the Li family. The only condition was that Xinghui’s insiders had to sign a confidentiality agreement, never to reveal the details.

A few days later, the Li family’s president was arrested and imprisoned, and the “A Thousand Miles Away” film crew was disbanded. Xinghui received an urn of ashes.

Meanwhile, Xia Cha compensated the “A Thousand Miles Away” crew and had people spread the news of Xia Ruan’s death and the Li family’s president’s arrest in the town, guiding public opinion to link the two events.

In a remote place like Yun City, where the internet wasn’t very developed, the news spread mainly through gossip.

The rumors spread, and soon everyone in town knew, with the story growing more exaggerated—Xia Ruan was said to have been tormented to death by President Li. Some claimed to have witnessed the tragedy, emphasizing how pitiful it was. Fortunately, President Li was arrested, or else Xia Ruan would have died in vain.

Thus, the matter came to an end.

As for Xia Ruan, according to Xia Cha’s explanation to Xinghui, she had accidentally fallen to her death. But in the rumors released by Xia Cha’s side, Xia Ruan was tormented to death by President Li. Regardless, Xia Cha’s message was clear: Xia Ruan was dead.

And indeed, Xia Ruan disappeared like that.

The “A Thousand Miles Away” crew and some Xinghui staff quickly resumed their work after a brief impact from the incident, focusing on their own lives without much concern for an unrelated girl’s fate. Even those with doubts soon dismissed them.

Only Zhou Hanchi remained troubled.

He had a nagging feeling that Xia Ruan wasn’t dead, that perhaps she had been taken away for some unknown reason. Maybe she was still alive, living a completely different life.

However, each time he contemplated this, Zhou Hanchi ended up in tears.

He had tried to find out Xia Ruan’s whereabouts, but not knowing who the other party was when signing the confidentiality agreement, his search yielded nothing. He knew his assumptions were just self-comfort.

Meanwhile, Yun Feiwu became despondent, her cheerful nature turning sullen and silent.

The once talkative Yun Feiwu now kept everything to herself, even from Zhou Hanchi and Huang Qiongyi, who had raised her. Due to Yun Feiwu’s condition, Zhou Hanchi transferred her to a new school and environment, temporarily halting her acting career.

Over the years, Zhou Hanchi often tormented himself with guilt and regret.

He blamed himself for not thoroughly investigating the background of “A Thousand Miles Away,” for not noticing the issues with the Li family, and for allowing Yun Feiwu and Xia Ruan to attend the gathering alone.

Even after moving from Yun City to Hai City and seeing Yun Feiwu’s career flourish again, they still lived under the shadow of the past.

It wasn’t until this year, when participating in “Mountain and Rivers,” that Zhou Hanchi saw a glimpse of Xia Ruan in Xia Shutong. This shocking suspicion finally pulled him out of his sorrow. And when Yun Feiwu gradually got closer to and stood alongside Xia Shutong, she too emerged from the past.

…

The incident at the “A Thousand Miles Away” dinner had the most significant impact on Yun Feiwu and Xia Shutong.

Yun Feiwu knew that Xia Ruan was not dead, but she heard everything.

At first, she could only listen helplessly to the sounds of Xia Ruan struggling and fighting with the man, unable to help. Later, when Xia Ruan smashed the man’s head open, she still couldn’t get up to stop Xia Ruan. After that, she could only watch powerlessly as Xia Ruan was taken away by Xia Cha, unable to do anything from start to finish. She could only listen helplessly.

Every minute and every second of that day was excruciatingly painful for Yun Feiwu.

As for Xia Ruan, she had sensed something was wrong at the dinner table, but she couldn’t think of a way to leave with Yun Feiwu. She didn’t know how to protect Yun Feiwu.

Later, she was easily sent away to buy cigarettes, and by the time she returned to the table, Yun Feiwu was already gone. If she hadn’t decisively left the hotel and gone to the nearby hotel, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Just thinking about that possibility gave Xia Shutong a terrible headache.

Xia Shutong hated herself for being so weak back then. If she had decisively left the table with Yun Feiwu, if she had been more assertive and refused the man’s request to buy cigarettes, if she had protected Yun Feiwu…

None of this would have happened.

That day became the root of countless painful memories in Xia Shutong’s life and the catalyst for her decision to change.

She obsessively wanted to change herself, to protect Yun Feiwu, and to ensure that no one would ever dare to bully them again. She vowed never to let such a thing happen a second time.

Never.