Chapter 1: Let’s See Who Dares!

Country G.

City S.

Two o’clock in the afternoon, the sky was a brilliant blue without a cloud in sight.

Inside a private villa on the western outskirts, in the innermost room to the left on the second floor, a girl of seventeen or eighteen lay upon her bed.

Her head was wrapped in gauze, her eyes closed, her complexion pale. She appeared frail and slender. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a gentle glow over her face, softening the sharpness of her features and lending her an exquisite delicacy.

By her bedside stood an elderly man in his fifties and a plump-faced young woman dressed in mature fashion.

The elderly man, the butler of the villa, expressed his gratitude to the young woman. “Miss Qianqian, I cannot thank you enough. Not only did you save our Miss Luo, but you also brought her safely home.”

An Qianqian immediately shook her head with a smile. “Uncle Wang, there’s no need for thanks. Luo Luo is my good friend. It’s only right that I look after her.”

Butler Wang’s gratitude deepened and he was about to thank her again when the sounds of commotion came from outside. Delighted, he strode toward the door. “That must be Master returned!”

An Qianqian did not follow him out. In fact, the moment Uncle Wang disappeared through the doorway, her sweet expression shifted instantly, replaced by anxiety and agitation.

Why hasn’t He Luo woken up yet?!

What if she wakes while Brother Gong Lu is here?!

She hadn’t yet warned He Luo to keep her mouth shut! He Luo hadn’t fallen by accident at the mall—she had been beaten by An Qianqian, which was how she’d hurt her head... This was something Brother Gong Lu must never know!

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She hurried to lock the door, then strode back to the bed, seized the girl’s clothes, and yanked her upright.

“He Luo, you wretched girl, wake up! Stop pretending to be unconscious! The doctors said it was just a scrape on your head—you’re fine!”

Her face twisted with malice, An Qianqian shook the girl violently.

Ye Luo had only just fallen asleep when she was jolted awake by the shaking. It was so forceful she couldn’t rest, and all she wanted was to open her eyes and see who dared disturb her so recklessly.

But her head throbbed with pain.

Her body ached too, as though she’d been beaten. No matter how hard she tried, her eyes wouldn’t open—her eyelids just fluttered uncontrollably.

An Qianqian, unaware that it was now Ye Luo’s soul inhabiting He Luo’s body, saw the girl’s lashes tremble and knew she was waking up. At once, she grabbed Ye Luo’s long hair and yanked her head back, forcing her to look directly into her face.

The pain was so sharp it felt as though her scalp was being torn away.

As the youngest leader of the Ye family, when had Ye Luo ever been treated this way?

She never bullied others—who would dare treat her like this!

She wanted to fight back, but her body refused to obey; she couldn’t even lift her hands.

All she could do was struggle to open her eyes.

To see who it was!

To see who dared treat her like this!

An Qianqian had no inkling of Ye Luo’s thoughts. Glaring at Ye Luo’s still-closed eyes, she spat venomously, “Damn it, I knew you were faking it! Got guts, huh? Still pretending with me! Not had enough of a beating? Just wait, if I don’t make you beg for mercy every day from now on, I’ll take your surname!”

“But listen to me now—Brother Gong Lu is about to arrive. Watch what you say. You fell at the mall and hit your head. I saved you and took you to the hos—”

Before An Qianqian could finish, Ye Luo’s eyes suddenly snapped open—cold as ice, as if the girl clutching her hair was already a dead woman.