Chapter 4
1785 Words
Xu Lang helped Liu Lechi up, her hands trembling as she prepared to leave without a word.
“Xu Lang,” Xu Mei called out to her after some thought.
Xu Lang’s grip on Liu Lechi trembled slightly—she was truly frightened. “What more do you want?”
“I don’t want to see you again,” Xu Mei said calmly.
Xu Lang bit her lip hard, and big teardrops fell silently down her cheeks.
“You know exactly why. This is an unresolvable conflict—please stop trying to fix it. Every time you appear, it feels like a knife cutting into my heart.” Xu Mei remained unmoved by her tears. “Leaving that house yesterday and only hitting your lackey today—that’s already the limit of my patience. There won’t be a third time. If there is, I won’t hold back. Please, stay out of my life.”
As she spoke, she cast a glance toward Fu Shuyang, intentional or not.
Fu Shuyang neither spoke nor left—he stood quietly in the distance, giving Xu Mei the illusion that he was silently supporting her.
She knew that was unlikely, but she still decided to bluff with borrowed power.
Xu Lang followed her gaze to the cold and distant Fu Shuyang, then looked at Liu Lechi’s face and shuddered. “Okay… I won’t come again. But, Mei, I really just wanted to help you…”
“No need. Please leave,” Xu Mei interrupted firmly.
Xu Lang frowned slightly at the stranger Xu Mei had become, then turned and left with tears in her eyes.
When Xu Mei turned around again, Fu Shuyang had already disappeared without a trace.
He probably disapproved of how she treated Xu Lang. That’s why he left without a word.
Xu Mei curved her lips faintly and lowered her head to pick up her fallen belongings.
In the original novel, nearly everyone disapproved of how the original Xu Mei treated Xu Lang.
What they didn’t understand was that every time Xu Mei saw Xu Lang, it felt like her heart was being torn apart.
Even now, this body retained traces of the original host’s feelings—Xu Mei could feel her sorrow. She truly couldn’t bear to see Xu Lang.
The plot of the original book was absurdly dramatic.
Xu Zhongya first dated Xu Lang’s mother, tricked her with a fake marriage certificate, and while she was pregnant, he married Xu Mei’s mother.
Neither woman knew about the other. Xu Zhongya was skilled at playing both sides, hiding the truth for over a decade without being exposed.
But no secret lasts forever. When he tried to transfer Xu Lang to a better school, the lie finally unraveled.
Xu Zhongya was a coward. When everything blew up, he ran away on the excuse of a business trip and disappeared.
Both women refused to admit they were the mistress, and with Xu Zhongya unreachable, they turned on each other.
One day, Xu Mei’s mother arranged to meet Xu Lang’s mother to negotiate.
Xu Mei was in school that day. Xu Lang was with her mother since the transfer hadn’t gone through yet.
No one expected a deranged man to charge into the café with a knife, attacking everyone he saw.
Xu Mei’s mother had escaped to the door, but when she looked back and saw the man cutting down Xu Lang’s mother and about to strike Xu Lang—who was frozen in fear—she ran back and threw herself onto the attacker, giving Xu Lang the chance to escape.
The trauma broke the original Xu Mei completely.
She hated them all—Xu Zhongya, her mother, and Xu Lang.
Xu Zhongya felt guilty at first, but when his youngest daughter treated him like an enemy, he quickly lost patience.
Compared to her, the obedient, considerate, and long-suffering Xu Lang was far more lovable. Naturally, his affections shifted.
Xu Zhongya even blamed everything on Xu Mei’s mother.
He believed that if she hadn’t gone to confront Xu Lang’s mother, the tragedy wouldn’t have happened.
As a result, Xu Mei became increasingly paranoid and aggressive. Unable to hurt Xu Zhongya, she vented everything on the seemingly weak and gentle Xu Lang.
From the novel’s perspective, Xu Lang never directly harmed Xu Mei—in fact, she even defended her multiple times.
But the more she did that, the more people disliked Xu Mei.
In the end, Xu Mei’s death was tied to the male lead. Xu Lang knew it but still chose to be with him.
In the original book, Xu Lang was the classic saintly white lotus.
Maybe she wasn’t wrong—she lost her mother too. And saving her was Xu Mei’s mother’s decision. She couldn’t be forced to repay that debt.
But being with the man who indirectly caused Xu Mei’s death? That disgusted Xu Mei.
As a bystander, Xu Mei couldn’t say she felt the same pain, but she understood the hatred.
Of course, Xu Zhongya was the true root of all this tragedy.
But Xu Mei didn’t have the power to deal with him now. All she could do was keep her distance, especially from Xu Lang.
The protagonist’s aura was terrifying. Survival came first.
As for the future? Xu Mei sneered—no matter how hard it got, she would never forgive Xu Zhongya.
But that was a problem for later. Right now, Xu Mei faced a more immediate challenge—her bag had broken. How was she supposed to carry everything home?
“Miss Xu?” a familiar voice called from above. “Need a hand?”
Xu Mei looked up—it was the security guard from earlier, pushing a shopping cart.
“Yes!” she said with delight, nodding quickly. “Thank you, handsome!”
“No need to thank me,” the guard smiled, helping her load the items. “Mr. Fu sent me.”
Xu Mei paused. “Mr. Fu? Fu Shuyang?”
“Yes,” the guard nodded, sneaking a glance at her.
Fu Shuyang always gave off a dangerous aura—cold and venomous, enough to make even ex-military men wary. And this girl, having just moved in, had already made a connection with him?
She had guts.
Xu Mei, unaware of the guard’s thoughts, asked curiously, “How long has Mr. Fu lived here?”
“A week,” he replied as he slowed his steps to match hers.
In the early parts of the novel, Fu Shuyang was described as poor.
So how did he get this villa?
Even at rock-bottom prices, it wasn’t something a broke guy could afford.
“What does his family do?” Xu Mei asked, noticing the guard’s strange expression. She quickly added, “Not trying to pry, just trying to get to know the neighbors. If it’s inconvenient, forget it.”
“It’s fine,” the guard chuckled. “We’re not really sure either. He seems to still be studying—probably a grad student?”
He paused. “That house wasn’t originally in his name—it was just transferred to him recently.”
“Oh? Who was the previous owner?” she asked.
“A Mr. Jin,” the guard replied, then seemed to realize he’d said too much. “Anyway, let me walk you to your door.”
Xu Mei didn’t press further and declined, “It’s okay, I can push it back myself. It’s not that heavy. I’ll return the cart later.”
“Anytime you need it, feel free to borrow it,” he said politely.
Xu Mei thanked him again and headed home with the cart.
The villa was great, but the neighborhood was huge—and her place was in the far corner. The walk from the gate was long.
She didn’t see a single person, only a few cars passing by. Most ignored her, but one curious face peeked out and quickly ducked back.
Thankfully, she had the cart. Otherwise, there was no way she could carry all this.
Cold as he was, Fu Shuyang was thoughtful.
Just as she was thinking of him—there he was.
Turns out, Fu Shuyang lived in a house across the H section, one with overgrown weeds at the door. He must’ve gotten lost last night.
Now, he was sitting on the steps, holding a bottle, drinking coldly.
What had he gone through?
Why was he always drinking?
In the book, Fu Shuyang was ruthless—but not a drunk.
He heard her coming, lifted his eyelids slightly, and their eyes met.
“Thanks for sending the security guard,” Xu Mei said immediately.
Fu Shuyang averted his eyes and went inside, slamming the door shut.
Xu Mei stuck out her tongue. She knew his personality—just not causing trouble was a blessing. Who dared be mad?
Back home, she unpacked and returned the cart.
When she came back, Fu Shuyang’s house was quiet. But his outer gate was ajar.
That gate had been closed earlier. Did he go out?
Given his state, he was more likely passed out drunk inside.
Or… could it be a thief?
Or… a ghost?
Xu Mei shuddered and hesitated. Finally, she crept to the gate and peeked inside.
What she saw shocked her—a man crouched outside Fu Shuyang’s window, trying to sneak in.
“What are you doing?!” she shouted, trying to alert Fu Shuyang.
No response from inside.
The man jumped in fright. Seeing she was just a girl, his expression turned menacing.
Now what?
Xu Mei cursed her impulsiveness and tried to think fast.
“Who are you?” the man approached her.
She took a deep breath, straightened her spine, adjusted her stance like she was ready to fight, and said coolly, “I’m a resident here and a friend of this villa’s owner. Who the hell are you, sneaking around like that?”
The man hesitated. This was a luxury villa district—any girl here likely had backing. Maybe she really could fight. He backed off, muttering, “Sorry, wrong house,” and bolted.
“Don’t run!” Xu Mei shouted—but he was already gone.
She huffed. “Lucky you ran fast… or else…”
She patted her chest, heart pounding. “Or else I’d be totally exposed.”
Something felt off. She looked up—just in time to see the curtain in Fu Shuyang’s window sway.
Xu Mei shut the gate and hurried home.
Behind the curtain, Fu Shuyang set down the iron rod in his hand. A faint smile curled on his lips—there and gone in a second.
- Writer
