Even through the phone, Xue Jiao could sense Gu Shiyun's fury—a rage so intense it seemed she wished she could strangle her.
Xue Jiao had long since deleted Gu Shiyun's number, but this was a new one, clearly her overseas contact.
"I don’t understand what you’re saying," Xue Jiao replied calmly, ignoring the other’s agitation.
She then glanced at Lin Zhihua, who gave a slight nod, reassuring her somewhat.
"Gu Xue Jiao, stop pretending!"
No matter how composed Gu Shiyun usually was, Gu Jingxu’s bankruptcy had hit her hard. Now that she had found the culprit, her anger burned fiercely. In her memory, Xue Jiao should never have been her match.
Yet it was this very person, who shouldn’t have been her rival, who had driven her to this desperate situation!
Lin Zhihua frowned slightly as he listened to the voice on the other end of the call.
Xue Jiao held the phone on her lap. Lin Zhihua leaned in close, whispering in her ear, "Tell her, 'Don’t talk nonsense.'"
His warm breath brushed against her ear, and to prevent Gu Shiyun from hearing, he had moved in extremely close.
Xue Jiao’s ear twitched, and she shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks tinged pink.
Lin Zhihua glanced down, then also averted his gaze awkwardly.
Snapping back to attention, Xue Jiao repeated his words, "Don’t talk nonsense!"
"Nonsense? You really think you can keep up this act? Liu Yueyue took a photo of you getting into a car with a man! Gu Xue Jiao, don’t think just because I’m abroad I don’t know anything!" The voice on the other end grew increasingly frantic, her usual composure and wit completely shattered by the provocation.
Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow at this, exchanging a look with Xue Jiao.
His eyes held amusement, as if saying—See? This is how you expose the "hidden informant."
Xue Jiao: "..."
She was speechless. Liu Yueyue was the one who had splashed soup on her in the cafeteria. It seemed she and Gu Shiyun had known each other all along, and after Xue Jiao had publicly condemned her over the school broadcast, she had become Gu Shiyun’s eyes and ears at school.
Some people never recognized their own mistakes, only clinging to resentment to convince themselves they were right.
When Xue Jiao remained silent for a long time, the voice on the phone roared again—
"You forced me to flee abroad in a hurry, then bankrupted my dad’s company—wasn’t it all just to get back at me? Gu Xue Jiao, I actually thought you’d changed for the better. Turns out you’re just better at pretending than I am. What, did you cozy up to some rich, powerful man before you even turned eighteen just to ruin Dad’s company?"
"He’s just a friend!" Xue Jiao frowned.
"A friend? Hah. Gu Xue Jiao, I won’t even laugh at you. These days, people mock poverty, not promiscuity. Someone who could casually bankrupt Dad’s company must be pretty old, right? I wonder how long your little fling will last—after all, you’re just a plaything for his pleasure! He must really be smitten with you to spend so lavishly."
Gu Shiyun’s voice dripped with naked scorn, as if she were certain Xue Jiao had debased herself with some middle-aged, high-status man for revenge.
The photo Liu Yueyue had taken was blurry, showing only a man’s back and a low-key yet luxurious car.
But someone who could casually mobilize such vast sums was likely the head of a major company—successful, established, and usually older. And older men in the business world almost always had families.
So Gu Shiyun’s assumption wasn’t entirely unfounded.But Xue Jiao suddenly felt it was pointless to argue with her. Gu Shiyun's heart was black, and her eyes saw nothing as pure.
It was as if, in her world, all relationships between people were mere transactions.
Thinking this, she said calmly, "Let me say it again—that's my friend."
With that, Xue Jiao was about to hang up, but Lin Zhihua stopped her and took the phone.
Xue Jiao was slightly surprised.
"An ordinary friend would drive a limited-edition car to pick you up? Gu Xue Jiao, you're willingly degrading yourself, shameless! I’ll just wait to see the day you get abandoned! Don’t act so smug now!"
The moment her words fell, Lin Zhihua slowly spoke—
"Gu Shiyun, since you don’t know how to speak properly, don’t come back."
Then, he hung up.
On the other end of the line, Gu Shiyun stared at her phone in shock, her face full of disbelief.
Someone was beside Xue Jiao?! And had heard their entire conversation?
Don’t come back?
What was that man planning to do?!
For a moment, Gu Shiyun stiffened in panic, but she quickly forced herself to calm down and think.
This man must be the one behind it all!
She refused to believe that Gu Jingxu’s company had collapsed without deliberate sabotage. She never believed in coincidences—she wasn’t like Gu Xue Jiao, who knew nothing about the business world.
Gu Shiyun had always known she would inherit the company and had been involved in these matters for a long time.
So after the incident, she had immediately suspected Xue Jiao.
After Liu Yueyue sent her the photos, Gu Shiyun was almost certain and had gone straight to confront her.
But she never expected… that man to be right there…
What exactly did he mean? What else was he planning to do?!
"Bang—" She suddenly hurled her phone across the room, glaring furiously at nothing, her expression a mix of fear and worry.
Why did that man’s voice sound… so young?
And… so familiar…
Had she heard it somewhere before?!
Gu Shiyun’s mind was a tangled mess, torn between anger and anxiety.
——
Meanwhile, on the other side of the call, Xue Jiao blinked in bewilderment, staring at him dumbfounded.
Her eyes sparkled with astonishment and disbelief—he, he, he… had just threatened Gu Shiyun?!
Lin Zhihua couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and ruffle her hair, his voice affectionate. "Silly."
Xue Jiao fell into thought. To her, Gu Shiyun’s words were nothing but nonsense—what nonsense about Lin Zhihua being the one to ruin the company? She had personally heard Cheng Shuo say he would bring Gu Jingxu down! The one who had acted was clearly Cheng Shuo!
But she still had some doubts. Given Lin Zhihua’s personality, he might very well have stepped in to help…
"Why are you so good to me?"
In both lifetimes, apart from the elderly, Lin Zhihua was the only stranger who had treated her this well.
The elderly had treated her kindly as a granddaughter—that was familial love. But Lin Zhihua wasn’t much older—so why was he so good to her? What did he see her as?
Lin Zhihua looked up, meeting Xue Jiao’s gaze.
A faint bitterness rose in his heart. If this girl had truly awakened to emotions, why would she still question why he treated her well?
The reason he treated her so well… was naturally because he liked her.
But Lin Zhihua couldn’t say that. She was still too young—he couldn’t scare her.
Some words absolutely could not be spoken before the time was right.
Nor could he brush it off vaguely as he had before. She was starting to grow wary—she needed a proper reason.
Xue Jiao kept watching him, and for some reason, she could sense an indescribable sorrow emanating from him at this moment.
After a long pause, Lin Zhihua swallowed all his bitterness and sorrow, forcing a calm, indifferent smile onto his face."Because... I consider you a friend, and you... saved my life."
"What?" Xue Jiao was stunned.
"On the eve of your second year of high school, on Wenchang Road, I was in a car accident. You pulled me out of the wreckage," Lin Zhihua said with a light laugh.
That was their first meeting, and also the first time Lin Zhihua had been in close contact with a woman since adulthood.
Back then, he was curious and puzzled about her, wanting to slowly get to know her and repay her.
But the more he learned about her, the deeper he fell.
He broke many of his own rules for her, all of which became cherished memories.
They were the bittersweet flavors added to his otherwise mechanical life.
Xue Jiao couldn't possibly understand what she had truly brought to this "friend" standing before her.
"It was you!" Xue Jiao's eyes widened in shock.
A car accident was a significant event, and Xue Jiao definitely wouldn't forget it. But it happened right after she had transmigrated, when her life was in complete disarray, so she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind.
So Lin Zhihua was the person she had saved!
Xue Jiao suddenly laughed, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she looked at him and said, "Lin Zhihua, are you some kind of magical snail? Coming to repay my kindness like this!"
Lin Zhihua reached out and patted her head.
"You can think of me as that magical snail. I'm here to repay you—you can ask for anything."
"Anything? No conditions attached?!" Xue Jiao's eyes widened.
Lin Zhihua pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "The magical snail girl didn't set any conditions beforehand."
"Then I need you to do one thing to repay me!" Xue Jiao suddenly declared.
Lin Zhihua looked slightly surprised and asked curiously, "What is it?"
"It's late, I want to fly back!"
Lin Zhihua fell silent. Xue Jiao's grin grew wider. "Hahaha, just kidding—"
"Sure, just wait a moment," he said, pulling out his phone. "Chen Yan, arrange a plane to W—mmph—"
Xue Jiao covered his mouth in a panic, her voice frantic and flustered—
"Ahhh, I was joking! How can you be so terrifying?!"
Lin Zhihua felt her small hand pressed against his lips. His eyes filled with amusement, and he couldn't help but laugh.
"Stop talking! I was joking! Just drive me back!" Xue Jiao said urgently, glaring at him.
How could someone be like this? At such close range, she had only been teasing!
Lin Zhihua steadied her with a hand to prevent her from falling off the bench where she was half-kneeling. His deep voice rumbled from his throat—
"Alright, alright, no flying."
Only then did Xue Jiao release him. Lin Zhihua straightened his clothes, still smiling as he spoke into the phone, "Never mind."
Then, he hung up.
Chen Yan: "?????"
Was the boss just flirting with someone?!
Chen Yan wondered if he had hallucinated.
Or maybe he was still dreaming.
Xue Jiao slumped on the bench, looking utterly defeated. "Lin Zhihua, why are you so serious? I was joking about flying back, and you actually... sigh."
Her expression clearly said—you're really childish, impulsive, reckless.
Lin Zhihua found it amusing but replied earnestly, "If it's something you want, I can make it happen. If not now, then I'll work toward it."
Xue Jiao shrugged and lowered her head slightly, speaking seriously, "Lin Zhihua, saving you was just a coincidence. You don't need to dwell on it or go out of your way to... repay me."
Had Lin Zhihua always treated her so well just because he felt indebted?Now that the debt is repaid, could it be...
A large hand rested on her head as Lin Zhihua chuckled, "Silly girl, don't overthink it. It's not just about repaying kindness. You're my friend, and I want to help each other out. I want to be good to you."
Xue Jiao suddenly looked up, her eyes slightly brightening. "I'll be good to you too. You've always been so kind to me, and from now on, I'll be good to you."
Lin Zhihua smiled—a genuine smile from the depths of his heart. "Alright."
He paused, then stood up, reluctant yet resigned. "You should head back now."
It was getting late, and Lin Zhihua needed to take Xue Jiao back to the Cheng residence.
"Oh! Right!" Xue Jiao nodded hurriedly.
Lin Zhihua escorted her to the entrance of the Cheng family's residential area.
"Then I'll be going now!"
"Go on, hurry back," Lin Zhihua said with a smile.
Xue Jiao also smiled. "Be careful on your way back."
With that, she turned and walked toward the Cheng home.
"Jiao Jiao!" Lin Zhihua suddenly called out.
Xue Jiao turned back, puzzled.
Lin Zhihua waved at her with a smile. "Study hard and get the results you want!"
Xue Jiao froze for a moment before waving back, her face full of joy.
"I will—"
That was her dream, the driving force behind her efforts.
As he watched her retreating figure, Lin Zhihua's smile faded slightly.
Because of her, he could laugh, worry, feel anxious, be happy... and also feel sorrow.
She was the girl heaven had bestowed upon him. If one day she no longer belonged to him, or... married someone else...
Lin Zhihua knew he would lose his mind.
——
By the time Xue Jiao got home, the whole family was already there. Li Sitong took her schoolbag while chiding her.
"Where on earth have you been? You just sent one text saying you were eating out with a friend and then didn't reply! We were worried sick!"
Xue Jiao smiled sheepishly. "He came unexpectedly, and we went to eat together, so I didn’t have time to reply."
Cheng Shuo's ears perked up slightly—was it that mysterious person?
He smiled and asked Xue Jiao, "Jiao Jiao, who did you go out to eat with? What did you have for dinner? Did you eat enough?"
Xue Jiao didn’t think much of it and replied after taking a sip of water, "A friend. We went to the snack street and ate. I’m full."
"What?! You ate at the snack street?!" Li Sitong immediately flared up. "You silly girl, that food isn’t clean! You could get an upset stomach. How could you go out and eat that kind of stuff?!"
Li Sitong began lecturing her. Xue Jiao made a face at Cheng Mingze and Cheng Shuo behind her back, and the two could only smile helplessly.
Cheng Shuo also dismissed his thoughts—it must have been a classmate. If it really were that mysterious person, surely... they wouldn’t have gone for street food.
Li Sitong went on for a long time before finally stopping when Cheng Mingze said he needed to go to bed early.
After all, Cheng Mingze had the college entrance exam tomorrow!
The whole family returned to their rooms—tomorrow was the exam, and they needed to provide Cheng Mingze with a quiet environment.
As the two opened their respective bedroom doors, Xue Jiao suddenly stopped and turned.
"Brother, do your best on the exam tomorrow!"
"Alright," Cheng Mingze replied with a gentle, jade-like smile.
They each went into their rooms.
Just as Xue Jiao finished her homework and was about to go to bed, her stomach suddenly rumbled. She dropped her pen and rushed to the bathroom.
After a while, she emerged pale, leaning weakly against the door.Gu Xue Jiao's stomach was indeed not the same iron stomach she used to have that could handle anything...
She took a long time to recover, and only when she finally felt better did she take out her phone to send a message—
[Lin Zhihua, did you eat those snacks today... Are you okay?]
After a while, the other side replied calmly—
[I'm fine. Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to go to the hospital?]
Xue Jiao quickly replied—
[I just felt a little uncomfortable earlier, but I'm fine now. No need to go to the hospital.]
Cheng Mingze was taking the college entrance exam tomorrow—how could she go to the hospital today? Causing a commotion in the middle of the night would only trouble others.
Besides, she was already fine and didn’t need to go at all...
In the original story, Cheng Mingze was supposed to take the exam for finance-related majors. On the eve of the exam, Xue Jiao couldn’t bear to part with him and was incited by Li Wei and others to cause a scene. In his past life, Cheng Mingze didn’t have an easy time during the exam, only ranking third in the province and attending the local finance university.
Though those things weren’t done by Xue Jiao herself, she had taken over Gu Xue Jiao’s body and still felt some guilt toward Cheng Mingze.
This time, she was determined to let him take the exam properly and achieve the glory he deserved.
[Lin Zhihua: That’s good then.]
Clearly, he also understood the situation and didn’t insist further.
Xue Jiao added—
[Since you’re fine, I’m relieved. I’ll go to sleep now. Good night.]
[Lin Zhihua: Good night.]
On the other end of the phone—
"Boss, please cooperate and get your injection properly." Tan Qi was somewhat worried and gently reminded Lin Zhihua, who had been texting nonstop.
Lin Zhihua glanced at him indifferently, then raised his hand to let the doctor administer the injection. "Assistant Tan, you’ve worked hard today."
Tan Qi bowed respectfully. "It’s my duty. But, Boss... you should remember the doctor’s advice—not to consume untested junk food. If you want to eat something, I can have the chef prepare a clean and safe version with the same flavor tomorrow."
Lin Zhihua was still looking at Xue Jiao’s concerned messages when he raised his head and looked at Tan Qi.
"Assistant Tan, do you have a partner?"
Tan Qi: "......" ???
He was utterly bewildered and shook his head honestly.
Lin Zhihua put away his phone, lay down, and said calmly—
"I think you should find one. Personal matters should be resolved."
Tan Qi remained dumbfounded, staring blankly at Lin Zhihua.
Huh?! How did this suddenly turn into advice about finding a partner?!
Lin Zhihua gave him a disdainful look, finding him a bit slow.
"Assistant Tan, once you have someone you like, you’ll understand that some rules can be broken."
Tan Qi: "???"
"Alright, you can go back now. You’ve worked hard today—take tomorrow off."
Tan Qi, still bewildered, walked out of Lin Zhihua’s apartment with the doctor. Only after closing the door did he suddenly snap back to reality.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!!
The boss went to eat snacks with someone he likes?!
What the hell!!
Someone like the boss actually knows how to make a girl happy?!
Was this a goddamn display of affection tonight?!
Following Chen Yan’s footsteps, Tan Qi also began questioning his life.
——
That night, Xue Jiao had a dream—she relived Gu Xue Jiao’s entire life once more.
At five in the morning, Xue Jiao suddenly sat up, her face covered in tears.
With trembling hands, she took out her phone and dialed a number—
"Hello?" The voice on the other end was still hoarse.
"Lin Zhihua! Are you okay?!" Xue Jiao’s voice was choked with tears.
Lin Zhihua immediately sat up, alarmed. "Jiao Jiao, Jiao Jiao, what’s wrong? Don’t cry—tell me what happened?"Xue Jiao suddenly couldn't hold back and burst into loud sobs.
"Little one, don't cry. Tell me what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Jiao Jiao, please don't cry." Lin Zhihua comforted her while hurriedly putting on his clothes. Without even washing up, he grabbed his car keys and rushed out the door.
"Lin Zhihua... sob... are you okay..."
"I'm fine, Jiao Jiao, I'm perfectly fine. Listen to my voice—don't I sound strong and healthy?" He ran to the garage, turned on the speakerphone, and started the car.
Xue Jiao couldn't stop crying for a while, only managing to choke out between sobs, "I had a nightmare... I dreamed something bad happened to you..."
Lin Zhihua suddenly laughed. Though he was driving fast, his voice was light and amused.
"Jiao Jiao, I'm fine, really. Listen to me—I'm perfectly okay. It was just a nightmare, not real. Don't worry about it."
His voice was gentle, soothing, but Xue Jiao's tears only flowed harder.
It wasn't fake. It wasn't fake.
She remembered Gu Xue Jiao's past life—after Cheng Mingze took over Pengcheng, Cheng Shuo had taken her to a banquet.
Someone had commented on Pengcheng's rising success at the time, and a person had casually remarked—
"This Cheng Mingze somewhat resembles that guy from the Lin family who died in a car crash. If that man hadn't died, the Lin family wouldn't have fallen. What a tragedy—with his talent, Cheng Mingze wouldn't even come close."
A car crash!
The time she first arrived in this world and saved Lin Zhihua—in the original story, he had died!
Xue Jiao couldn't control her tears. The kind old man who had treated her so well in her past life was gone, and Lin Zhihua, who treated her so wonderfully in this life, had almost died too...
She buried her face in her arms, trembling with grief.
Xue Jiao knew it was just a dream—Lin Zhihua was alive in this life. But the thought of him, so young, so respected and admired, leaving this world so early...
Her tears wouldn't stop.
Xue Jiao couldn't bear to imagine what would have happened if she hadn't gone out to buy books that day...
If she had shut herself away in sorrow like Gu Xue Jiao, Lin Zhihua would have died in that crash...
Lin Zhihua—so good, so extraordinary, blessed with such astonishing talent—how could he have died?
If he had died back then, no one would have ever known just how remarkable he could have been, or how high he could have taken the Lin family.
Between sniffles, she asked him, "Lin Zhihua, was it your grandfather and uncle who orchestrated your car crash?"
He had mentioned it once, and she remembered.
"Yes." Lin Zhihua sounded slightly puzzled, unsure why she had brought it up now.
"Promise me you'll never forgive them, okay?"
"Okay. I'll never forgive them." He didn't hesitate.
Hearing his promise, Xue Jiao felt slightly better.
"Jiao Jiao, don't cry anymore. I'm fine, really. Dreams aren't real." His voice was soft, warm with laughter, helping Xue Jiao relax and calm down.
He kept reassuring her, and after a while, her tears gradually subsided as she fully woke from the nightmare.
Now feeling a little embarrassed, she hiccuped and said, "Sorry... I got carried away..."
His voice on the other end was rough yet tender.
"Jiao Jiao, don't ever apologize to me. Never.""Hic... hic..." Xue Jiao was still hiccuping.
Lin Zhihua found it rather amusing. "Why are you still acting like a little girl? If you're still worried, just look out the window."
"What?" Xue Jiao was stunned.
Lin Zhihua panted heavily, wiping his sweat, and insisted, "Open the curtains and take a look."
Still hiccuping, Xue Jiao climbed out of bed and pulled open the curtains, immediately freezing in place.
Downstairs stood a man in casual clothes, his hair disheveled, looking somewhat silly in a way he never normally would.
He smiled broadly, waving at her, mouthing the words softly, "Jiao Jiao, I'm fine."
Behind him stretched the radiant glow of the rising sun.
Standing bathed in that golden light, his smile outshone the morning sun itself.
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