Chapter 13: Does Shen Linyan Know

An Ling was afraid her words wouldn't be credible, so she specifically brought Jiang Mai along with her.

When they returned to the An family home, the housemaid came to open the door. Upon seeing clearly who had arrived, her eyes widened, and she made no attempt to hide her surprise. "Miss?"

An Ling peeked inside. Before she could ask anything, Mother An's voice came from inside the house.

"Auntie Wang, who is it?"

Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Mother An also walked over.

An Ling hadn't even formed a smile when she saw the other party's expression instantly turn grave and her tone heavy.

"What are you doing here?"

"?"

This tone was so unfamiliar that An Ling subconsciously turned to look at Jiang Mai, her astonished gaze repeatedly seeking confirmation.

— Did we go to the wrong house? This is my home, right? This is my mom, right?

Receiving the signal, Jiang Mai simply shrugged.

— It can't be helped. Someone's image as a vicious supporting female character was just too successful.

The commotion drew Father An from the living room.

When he saw An Ling, he didn't speak, but his face was equally grave, his brows furrowed.

Being stared at by several people, An Ling looked helpless.

"Mom, Dad... how about you let me in first so we can talk?"

Mother An and Father An exchanged a glance. Finally, Mother An hesitantly spoke up, "Come in."

Returning to her familiar home, An Ling looked left and right, finally feeling a real sense of having transmigrated.

The furnishings in the house were indeed different from two years ago.

Mother An sat back on the sofa. Beneath her guarded expression, there were still traces of worry.

The previous few times An Ling came back, Mother An was still very happy that her daughter came to see her.

It wasn't until she realized that An Ling only came back when she had caused trouble that her happiness turned into sorrow.

Father An also guessed the situation. He sighed and said in a deep voice, "Lingling, your mother and I saw the news that day. It's one thing when you make a small fuss normally, but this time you've stirred up such a huge mess."

Cheating during a marriage, and cheating with her own husband's younger brother at that—how could they possibly stop such a scandal from blowing up once it got out?

Mother An furrowed her brows tightly. "If I had known this would happen, we shouldn't have let you marry Shen Linyan in the first place. Just what kind of charm does that Lu Jingshen have to make you do this? You foolish girl, you're going to ruin your own life!"

Facing the daughter he used to dote on the most, Father An's expression was ugly, but he still left some leeway in his tone. "We can't help you with this matter. You'll have to figure it out yourself. If Shen Linyan asks for a divorce, our An family will have nothing to say."

At a time like this, neither Father An nor Mother An even considered asking An Ling to step forward and clarify that she didn't like Lu Jingshen.

In their eyes, if she had to choose between not liking Lu Jingshen and severing her ties with her parents, An Ling would undoubtedly choose the latter without hesitation.

They no longer held any hope for this severely love-struck daughter of theirs.

The two of them went back and forth, one sentence after another. An Ling sat to the side, unable to get a single word in.

It wasn't until Father An and Mother An finished scolding her that she weakly raised her hand.

"Um... Mom, Dad, I already clarified it online yesterday."

As soon as she said this, Father An and Mother An's sighing instantly stopped.

The two of them abruptly looked up at An Ling and asked in unison:

"You clarified it?"

"Yeah."

Seeing that they didn't believe her, An Ling simply handed her phone over. "Didn't my brother tell you?"

The clarification had been out for so long, she thought her parents would already know.

Father An and Mother An took the phone. After reading it, although their expressions weren't as grave as before, their brows were still furrowed.

Mother An worriedly handed the phone back.

"Lingling... Does Shen Linyan know that you just found a random man to take these kinds of photos?"

???

An Ling looked dumbfounded. "...Ah? No, this..."

Father An sternly interrupted her. "You didn't drug Lu Jingshen and then pose for these photos, did you? That won't do. If you get caught, the consequences will be even more severe than this."

"..."

"Pfft—" Next to her came the sound of Jiang Mai's laughter, unable to hold it in any longer.

An Ling suddenly felt she shouldn't have brought Jiang Mai over; instead, she should have brought Shen Linyan here.

She sighed, looked up, and spoke earnestly:

"Dad, Mom, I don't like Lu Jingshen, and I've never liked him."

The couple froze for a second, then suddenly turned their heads and whispered to each other.

"It's over, it's over. I feel like the situation is even worse."

"Is this girl changing who she likes? Or should we invite Taoist Priest Huang over?"

"She must be lying to us. The clarification didn't say she disliked Lu Jingshen. She probably came to us for money for Lu Jingshen's sake."

"No wonder An Zhou told us not to interfere yesterday. Lingling probably went to her brother for money yesterday."

An Ling: "..." She could hear everything!

"I'm not here to ask you for money, nor am I lying to you. Everything I'm saying is true."

Seeing the worried expressions on her parents' faces, An Ling's expression shifted slightly.

The words reached her lips, but she silently swallowed them back. She helplessly curled her lips into a smile and said softly:

"Mom, Dad, there was actually a reason why I liked Lu Jingshen these past two years."

Hearing this, Jiang Mai was startled and subconsciously opened her mouth.

But after seeing An Ling secretly shake her head, she silently closed her mouth and looked away.

Mother An didn't notice anything unusual and looked up in confusion. "A reason?"

An Ling placed her hand on the back of her mother's hand. "Yes, because I found out that liking Lu Jingshen would cure my face blindness. I just didn't expect that this liking would also affect my brain. Now he's useless for my face blindness, so I don't like him anymore, and my brain is back to normal."

These words seemed nonsensical, but her parents already believed that their daughter had been possessed by something unclean, so how could such words be hard to accept?

Sure enough, there was already a waver in Mother An's eyes.

"Really? So Lingling, you still have face blindness now?"

"Yeah," An Ling smiled and leaned on her shoulder. "Sigh, I almost mistook Auntie Wang for you at the door just now. Didn't I tell you not to change your hairstyle? Once you change it, I can't recognize you."

Hearing this, Mother An finally revealed a smile.

Father An's expression also showed some emotion. "You really don't like Lu Jingshen anymore?"

An Ling sat up straight and said with a serious face:

"Dad, I really don't like a psychopath like Lu Jingshen."

Father An nodded in gratification.

To actually curse out Lu Jingshen.

Then it seemed she really didn't like him anymore.

Seeing that the misunderstanding was cleared up, An Ling hadn't even relaxed for a few seconds before she heard Mother An ask, "Then did you tell your brother?"

She paused. "Not yet. I'll go find him and tell him the same thing after I finish eating lunch with you."

Mother An's brows were filled with happiness as she patted the back of her hand. "Good, good, good. Today is a good day. Auntie Wang, make a few more dishes that Lingling and Maimai like to eat!"

Auntie Wang quickly smiled and nodded in agreement. "Alright."

After eating at home, An Ling chatted with her father and mother for a long time. It wasn't until they were completely at ease and confirmed that she really didn't like Lu Jingshen anymore that she and Jiang Mai left the An family home.

Sitting in the car, without waiting for Jiang Mai to ask, An Ling rested on the steering wheel, took a deep breath, and let out a helpless laugh:

"This excuse is better than the truth, right? I don't want them to be sad and worried because of me anymore."

If she told her parents that their daughter was a vicious supporting female character and had her body occupied by something else for the past two years, her parents would start worrying about her ending and her future.

Even if she didn't tell them that her ending was death, they would definitely worry about whether that whatever-system would come back again.

It would be better to just admit that she had done everything herself, letting them think their daughter had finally changed for the better, rather than telling them she had actually returned.

Jiang Mai patted her on the shoulder and let out a sigh. "I know what you mean. But what about your brother?"

"My brother?"

An Ling rested her chin on her hand. "Let's tell him the truth."

He should believe it, right?

An hour later, inside the CEO's office at the An Corporation.

An Zhou looked at the woman in front of him with a complicated expression, his tone hesitant:

"An Ling... have you lost your mind?"

What novel?

Did this girl stay up late reading novels last night?

Seeing the man's face full of disbelief, An Ling and Jiang Mai exchanged a glance.

"Didn't you say he would believe it?" Jiang Mai asked.

"I forgot he's a staunch materialist," An Ling replied.