Chapter 94: This time, Madam can rest assured and remarry me.

Hearing that name on the other end of the phone, Jiang Mai instantly sat up in bed.

"Are you serious?"

An Ling rubbed her temples with a headache. "I am. Aren't I in charge of a variety show? Guo Yu is a guest on the program, and it turns out he is Guo Yu's nephew. He recognized me first, but I didn't recognize him."

Jiang Mai let out an exclamation of surprise and disgust. "Holy crap."

Naturally, she couldn't forget this person either. The trauma that made An Ling so reluctant to tell others about her face blindness was entirely his doing.

At the time, no one knew An Ling was the daughter of the An family. However, her beauty couldn't be hidden, and word quickly spread throughout the grade that there was a very pretty girl in Class Eleven.

Xu Huoqing and his friends were curious, so they went together to see if she was really that pretty.

As a result, Xu Huoqing fell in love with An Ling at first sight right then and there.

After that, Xu Huoqing began to pursue An Ling. He tried different tactics every day, asking around for her preferences, bringing her breakfast, and waiting for her after school to walk home together. He made such a scene that the entire grade knew someone was going after An Ling.

Jiang Mai had even been tormented by him back then; the guy was always coming to ask her what An Ling liked and begging her to create opportunities for them to spend time together.

Xu Huoqing was quite good-looking at the time. His features were maturing, he was tall, and he had the spirited energy of a young man, along with a rebellious, roguish charm that made him very popular with the girls.

Unfortunately, An Ling had face blindness. She had absolutely no impression of Xu Huoqing's face, nor did she have any feelings for him as a person.

She rejected Xu Huoqing, but the guy just used the excuse of being friends to keep following her around.

During middle school, An Ling wasn't as guarded around people. Although she was quiet, she was still happy to make friends and obediently nodded in agreement.

Later, after hanging around her so much, Xu Huoqing gradually realized that An Ling didn't seem to be able to recognize people.

To test his theory, he conspired with some of An Ling's classmates. They deliberately picked someone with a similar build to him, dressed him in Xu Huoqing's clothes, and sent him to talk to An Ling while the others watched from the sidelines.

When An Ling started chatting with the guy, confirming that she truly couldn't tell the difference, Xu Huoqing couldn't hold back his mocking laughter before the act was even over.

"An Ling, you really can't recognize people, can you?"

The scene was instantly filled with shock and curiosity. The surrounding crowd burst into laughter and quickly gathered around.

"Are you serious?"

"Can you not recognize me either?"

"Is this a problem with her eyes? Or her brain?"

"Hahaha, she really can't recognize anyone! That's so funny. Does she not even recognize her own parents?"

"Look at her expression, it seems she really doesn't know, hahaha! Hey, An Ling, do you know who I am?"

"Wow, Xu Huoqing, when you finally win An Ling over and hold hands with her, she might not even know who her boyfriend is! Hahahaha."

Hearing this, Xu Huoqing scoffed.

"No wonder she wouldn't say yes to me. It turns out she can't even recognize people. If I had known earlier, I would have just found someone else to pursue her in my place, save myself from wasting so much time."

Surrounded by them, An Ling backed away in a panic, step by step. Her eyes were dazed and frightened as she was forced to look at the crowd of unfamiliar faces before her.

The sounds of mockery flooded her ears. Stared at by countless pairs of amused eyes, the beautiful girl's face grew increasingly pale, and she could barely keep her footing.

By the time Jiang Mai realized what was happening and came looking for her, it was already too late.

After that day, the An family immediately arranged for An Ling to transfer schools.

Not wanting to cause trouble for her parents, An Ling took the initiative to suggest they just suppress the news.

She just hadn't expected to run into Xu Huoqing again after all these years.

Every time she thought of that scene, Jiang Mai would get so angry she could barely breathe.

"Damn it, my only regret from back then is that I didn't punch that punk Xu Huoqing. Where is he now? I'm going to go punch him!"

Little An Ling was so cute, and she even agreed to be his friend, only to be backstabbed like that.

"So, will he tell people about your face blindness?"

In the past, Xu Huoqing didn't know An Ling was the An family's daughter, but that might not be the case now.

Hearing this, An Ling clenched her fists. She was silent for a few seconds before she spoke. "I don't know, but it doesn't matter anymore... The worst-case scenario is just a repeat of the past."

Her reluctance to reveal her face blindness was because she didn't want outsiders to know that the daughter of the An family had an illness.

But if she truly couldn't hide it anymore, then there was nothing to be done.

At worst, she would just have to go through those things all over again.

Hanging up the phone, An Ling let out a heavy breath. She was just about to take a shower and relax when she received a friend request on her phone.

Huo Yuan: [This is Xu Huoqing. Accept the request.]

Her gaze stalled for a moment. Then, expressionless, she replied with a "Get lost," and blocked the account without hesitation.

So annoying.

...

After running into Xu Huoqing, An Ling didn't even sleep well, dreaming of past events for the first time in a long while.

She spent the entire morning in a state of drowsiness, sitting in front of her computer, propping up her chin and yawning repeatedly.

She got up and went to the pantry to make a cup of coffee. She picked it up and took a sip; the bitter taste instantly stimulated her taste buds, finally making her feel a bit more awake.

An Ling picked up her phone again, blinking thoughtfully.

She was so disgusted by Xu Huoqing yesterday that she completely forgot to call Shen Linyan, though it seemed Shen Linyan was quite busy anyway.

She subconsciously touched the silk scarf around her neck, her lips curling up into a smile, and her mood improved slightly.

Once the variety show started filming, she could go to Shen Linyan's house to see Huihui.

Just as she was about to get to work, she suddenly received a message from Shen Linyan on her phone.

She was just about to check the content when a voice sounded from behind her.

"An Ling."

Turning her head to see who it was, she put down her phone. "What's wrong, Brother Nan?"

Nan Zhechuan walked over quickly. He couldn't hide the shock on his face as he lowered his voice, "Have you seen the news?"

"What news?"

Seeing the blank expression on the woman's face, Nan Zhechuan paused.

He silently handed over his own phone, his tone complicated. "Um... just read it yourself."

An Ling looked down, and a line of large text instantly caught her eye.

[Shen Linyan, the heir to the Shen Corporation, is exposed as an illegitimate child. The Shen family announces severed ties with him. The former chairman of the Shen Corporation has now resumed his position.]

The moment she read the headline clearly, her pupils dilated sharply. A sudden feeling of weightlessness swept over her entire body, her heart pounded wildly, and a chill shot up from the soles of her feet.

She recognized every single word up there, but put together, they felt exceptionally unfamiliar.

Why?

How could things turn out like this?

As if realizing something, she hastily picked up her own phone and unlocked the screen.

She saw that Shen Linyan had sent her a message.

[Madam, if you have time, could you come home and meet with me?]

An Ling stood up abruptly, grabbed her jacket from the desk, and looked up at Nan Zhechuan. "Brother Nan, I need to go out for a bit. If any work comes up suddenly, could you handle it first? Or leave it for me to do when I get back this afternoon."

Nan Zhechuan naturally knew where she was going and nodded. "Don't worry, the work for the past few days is mostly done. Just go ahead."

An Ling hurriedly put on her jacket and went downstairs.

Standing in the elevator, she gripped her phone tightly. Her eyelashes trembled in panic, and every breath was accompanied by the trembling of her heart.

An Ling didn't even dare to send a message to Shen Linyan, terrified of receiving the news that she feared the most.

Why...

Even though she had already gotten a divorce, why did Shen Linyan still go bankrupt...

What did they mean by an illegitimate child? Why would Shen Linyan be an illegitimate child...

An Ling's eyes stung. Her mind was a terrifying mess, her thoughts tangled up like hemp rope, completely impossible to unravel.

But as if he knew exactly how she was feeling, the very next second, her phone received another message from the man.

[Don't be afraid, my wife ^^]

Her gaze instantly froze.

Her heart, which had just been in a state of sheer panic, miraculously settled down at this moment. Pursing her lips, she slowly typed out a reply to him.

[I am coming to see you right now.]

Arriving outside Shen Linyan's house, An Ling stood silently at the door with her head lowered for a long time.

She stood there for so long that her legs began to ache, before she finally and slowly reached her hand out.

Beep—

The moment she pushed the door open, warm air rushed out from inside the house.

Before she could even step through the doorway, in the very next second, her entire body was pulled into a warm embrace.

"My wife." The man's deep, gentle voice sounded from above her head.

The familiar scent of cedar and sandalwood enveloped her. An Ling's nose stung, and she instantly burst into tears, her beautiful face filled with a helpless panic. "Why... Shen Linyan, this is fake, right? How could this happen? I don't want this, sob... this has to be fake..."

The man's warm palms cupped her freezing face. He lowered his head, kissing away her tears little by little, and coaxed her in a low voice, "Don't cry, my wife. I didn't go bankrupt."

An Ling's eyes were red from crying. Hearing his words, she looked up at him with teary, bewildered eyes. "Huh?"

"Do you remember the two hundred million I left for you, my wife?"

The man bent down to look at her tenderly, his eyes slowly curving into a smile. In his usually deep, pitch-black eyes, a layer of soft, shattered light now rippled.

"As long as my wife remarries me, our destined ending will be broken."

"This time, you can remarry me with peace of mind."