Today was the recognition banquet for the Huang family’s long-lost youngest daughter. Distinguished guests arrived in waves, like crops of leeks being harvested one after another. On a day that should have been incredibly festive, the members of the Huang family did not have a single hint of joy on their faces; instead, they all looked grim.
The Head of the Huang family held a small slip of paper in his hand. Reading the words written on it—”This is too much trouble. I’m going to rest for a bit and will be back when the time is right. Don’t worry”—he shook with rage.
“This You Yuelan from the Holy Sect… is simply too lacking in propriety. To be so willful at a time like this… it is truly, truly…”
The Head of the Huang family’s face turned bright red for a long time before he managed to squeeze out those few words.
The Young Master of the Huang family stepped forward and said, “Father, I will take some men to go look for her right now.”
The Head of the Huang family glanced at him and said indifferently, “Forget it. Don’t bother. Since she said she would return, she certainly will. Regardless, this was her own decision. If something goes wrong, we cannot be blamed. Sigh…”
“Let it be. Proceed as normal and don’t worry so much.” He paused, then whispered, “Take this time to go to the basement and check on the things inside. Feed them some flesh and blood. People from the Holy Sect have been here for the past few days, leaving us with no time to look after them. You must not delay; this is the very foundation for our Huang family’s rise.”
“As you command, Father. I will handle everything.”
—
Lin Huanhuan felt very lucky today. Not only was everything proceeding smoothly according to the original plot, but she had even run into an acquaintance. She wouldn’t have to be bored for a while.
“I didn’t expect to run into you. It seems we truly share a fated connection.”
You Yuelan felt she was having the worst luck imaginable. She had run into this person again—the one who had been looking for her for no apparent reason and acted so familiar with her. She forced a smile and nodded. “Yes, quite a fated connection.”
Lin Huanhuan asked curiously, “By the way, aren’t you a disciple of the Lingyun Sect? You should be officially entering the sect soon, right?”
“Shouldn’t you be making preparations before your entry? For example, the classes you’ll take, how to get along with your fellow disciples, previewing the cultivation techniques you’ll learn next, and preparing for the possibility of a resource shortage… Have you finished all of that?”
Lin Huanhuan’s opening remarks were filled with overwhelming pressure regarding the preparations. Naturally, she hadn’t had to do any of those things herself back then because Dong Yuner would always do her share for her.
Although she hadn’t experienced the pain herself, letting someone else feel the pressure was quite wonderful.
Hearing this, You Yuelan’s expression changed slightly. It wasn’t that she was frightened by these things, as she didn’t have to do them—as payment for her task, others would finish the preparations for her.
The main reason was that Lin Huanhuan’s questioning made her break out in a cold sweat. She began to speculate in her mind: ‘What’s going on? Could she have noticed something? Dammit.’
‘I really can’t figure it out. We have no grudge or enmity, so why is she so insistent on catching me? Honestly.’
Lin Huanhuan smiled slightly. Seeing that her intimidation had worked, she felt satisfied and didn’t continue to make things difficult. She proactively changed the subject.
“This banquet is quite well-organized. The Huang family seems to take this very seriously. Normally, when a long-lost daughter is brought back, most people just tell their friends and family. To make such a big fuss like this… it seems they truly value that daughter.”
You Yuelan gave a forced smile and felt a slight sense of relief. She didn’t know why, but usually, she was too lazy to speak even a single word or move an inch. Yet, whenever she faced Lin Huanhuan, she always became incredibly nervous, and her heart would race.
A few minutes of conversation involved more words than she usually spoke in several days, and the amount of activity was even more excessive. It was truly ridiculous.
After hesitating for a moment, she decided to test the waters. “Um, Huanhuan, can I ask why you came here today?”
“Your cultivation has already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, and you’re an inner disciple of the Lingyun Sect. Your time should be quite tight, right? If there wasn’t a reason, it’s unlikely you’d just be wandering around.”
“That’s true.” Lin Huanhuan nodded. She didn’t hide it and spoke quite frankly. “My purpose for coming today isn’t hard to guess. Didn’t I look for You Yuelan with you last time? Today, I came here specifically for her.”
You Yuelan’s heart tightened, but she kept a forced smile on her face. She asked casually, “I see. By the way, how did you know that You Yuelan would be attending the banquet here today?”
“You’ve misunderstood. It’s not that she’s attending the banquet; she is the protagonist of today’s banquet—she is the long-lost daughter of the Huang family.”
“Ah, is that so? That is truly surprising. By the way, how did you come across such secret information? You couldn’t have been investigating You Yuelan in secret this whole time, could you?”
Facing a question that was essentially asking “Are you a stalker?”, Lin Huanhuan didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt. Instead, she nodded with a face full of confidence and said, “Of course. I spent a lot of time to get this information.”
Even someone as cold-hearted as You Yuelan was shocked by Lin Huanhuan’s shamelessness. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
‘She’s truly thick-skinned enough. Being targeted by someone like this, will I ever have any peace? Although I might not have much time left anyway… ugh…’
You Yuelan couldn’t help but let out a mournful cry in her heart. Lin Huanhuan thought she had scared her and quickly tried to comfort her. “Sigh, don’t be afraid. I might look like a bad person, but in reality, I’m much worse than I look.”
“Besides, my target isn’t you, so what are you afraid of? Cheer up. Having a friend who is a villain just means that I’m the only one who can bully you, and no one else can. Right?”
“Thinking about it carefully like that, don’t you feel very happy? Don’t you feel a bit better?”
Looking at Lin Huanhuan, who was struggling to comfort her, You Yuelan only felt more despair: ‘Heavens, what kind of existence is this? What did I do wrong to run into a person like this?’
Having nothing better to do, Lin Huanhuan kept talking to You Yuelan. You Yuelan was so annoyed by her chatter that her head felt heavy, and she even lost track of time.
It wasn’t until a commotion broke out among the crowd that she snapped out of it. Someone was saying that the Huang family’s daughter couldn’t stand the family’s rules and had simply left instead of acknowledging her ancestors.
Only then did she realize with a start that she had forgotten to go back!
She stood up quickly, intending to rush back, but then she saw the servant who had been responsible for taking care of her these past few days hurrying over. The guests who had come to offer their congratulations followed closely behind.
“Lady Yuelan, so you were here! Hurry back with me. The recognition ceremony is about to start; we can’t do it without you!”
In an instant, You Yuelan felt her mind go blank. Lin Huanhuan’s half-smiling gaze felt like a long, thin needle piercing straight into her heart.