She resisted and was terrified of any instruments that resembled needles or syringes, and even nutrient solutions could not be administered into her body.

Seeing this, Lu Weixi felt a pang of heartache. She composed herself and coaxed her, "Ayun, eat something, okay? Mommy will feed you!"

Perhaps it was a word in her words that caught Gong Ning's attention, for the little girl raised her head, her eyes cool and serene, and uttered her first words since waking up:

"You are not my mother."

Lu Weixi was stunned.

Later, after trying countless methods, she finally became willing to eat by herself, and sometimes she would even say a few words.

The family subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

But it seems that the lively and mischievous little A-Yun of the past will never come back.

This accident also took away Gong Ning's healthy body.

As she grew up, being given a critical illness notice became a common occurrence that she had to accept.

The permanent loss of her body's internal functions, along with Gong Xiangru's occasional wishful thinking that she should die, have turned the body of the teenage Gong Ning into a spent force, counting down the days until she reaches the end of her life.

Restoring health has become completely impossible.

This was something that almost everyone in the Narumiya family tacitly understood.

Gong Ning pursed her lips and smiled mysteriously, "I won't tell you, but I'm really all better!"

Seeing their hesitant expressions, Gong Ning blinked and said, "Okay, when is Professor Tan available? I'll go to him for a checkup. Are you relieved now?"

“We have time now,” Gong Xiaojing said instinctively.

When he saw his youngest daughter looking at him with a slightly surprised expression, he asked, "Now?"

Didn't we just say we were waiting for Professor Tan to be free before we went?

He coughed lightly. "I called Professor Tan. He's available these next few days."

Gong Ning couldn't help but laugh out loud, and shook Gong Xiaojing's arm, "Dad, it's so late now, Professor Tan is probably already resting. How about tomorrow? You and Mom can come with me tomorrow, okay?"

Gong Xiaojing was taken aback. He looked down at his youngest daughter's coquettish manner and subconsciously pinched her pert little nose. "Okay."

Ah Yun, how many years has it been since we were this close?

Seeing Gong Ning like this made Gong Xiaojing, who had been holding his breath the whole time, slowly relax, and his eyes filled with a complex sense of emotion.

He was pleased that the little girl had become so sensible, but he also felt a pang of heartache.

A child doesn't become sensible for no reason, nor does he grow into an adult easily.

In the years since they left home, A-Yun's experiences have been far more difficult than they had imagined.

As night deepened, Gong Ning, who was chatting casually with her parents, suddenly yawned and squinted her eyes like a kitten.

Lu Weixi patted her head, "A-Yun wants to sleep..."

Gong Xiaojing also stood up. "Let's go, get some rest. After the check-up tomorrow, wherever you want to go, your parents will go with you!"

"Okay, but Dad, you're so busy with work, do you have time to spend with me?"

"How could that be? No matter how much work I have, it's not as important as my little A-Yun."

The little girl giggled, "Mommy, I'm going to steal Daddy away from me, haha!"

A gentle female voice feigned annoyance, "Little girl, are you asking for trouble?"

The guests who had gathered in the hall had all left. Gong Xiangru was about to go upstairs with a smug smile on her face. But when she saw the happy scene of Gong Ning and Gong Xiaojing, her hands clenched tightly and her whole body stiffened.

"Xiangru, aren't you going to rest?" Lu Weixi asked with slight surprise when she saw the figure in the hall.

She quickly snapped out of her daze, "Yes, Mom, I was just about to go upstairs!"

Gong Xiaojing and his wife lived on the second floor, while Gong Qiaoyu and others lived on the third floor.

On the second floor, Gong Xiangru finally found an opportunity to speak to her alone that day.

Neither of them chose to take the elevator. As Gong Xiangru walked towards the third floor, she asked, "Why did you come back?"

Gong Ning didn't stop walking, continuing forward, the smile on her lips never fading, her words uttered with a hint of nonchalance, "Didn't you tell me to come back?"

"When did I..."

Gong Xiangru suddenly paused, remembering what Gong Ning had said to her when she took her to the abandoned industrial park that day:

I will go with you, but I hope that one day in the future you won't regret it!

Seeing that the other person remained silent, Gong Ning gave a mocking smile, "What, regretting it now?"

Gong Xiangru glanced at her subconsciously, her lips pressed tightly together, "You can't beat me."

“Oh,” Gong Ning leaned against the stair railing, glancing at her indifferently, “I won’t argue with you.”

Gong Xiangru subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, then a hint of arrogance appeared on her face, as if to say: You know what's good for you.

Gong Ning took in her expression, tapped the solid wood armrest, and scoffed, "I'll only take back what's rightfully mine!"

After saying that, she turned and went upstairs, her footsteps light and lively, striking Gong Xiangru's heart and stirring up a few inexplicable unease.

Gong Xiangru gripped the handrail tightly, her fingertips turning a desolate white from the force.

Her breath was ragged, and the mockery in Gong Ning's words seemed to be a sarcastic remark that this was something she had brought upon herself.

After standing still and catching her breath, a confident smile suddenly appeared on her face.

What's there to be so proud of?

Will you still be so smug after tonight?

***

Gong Ning walked to the bedroom door, and just as she was about to open it, her eyes suddenly narrowed.

She then smiled as if in a good mood, touched her chin, and pushed open the door as if she were completely unsuspecting.

Before the people inside could react, he quickly closed the door and kicked it open.

He then followed up with a palm strike, knocking the opponent unconscious onto the floor.

Gong Ning clapped her hands, and without turning on the lights, scanned the bedroom.

She went downstairs for dinner, and more than one group of people entered her room.

Tsk!

I moved to a few secluded spots and, as expected, saw a few faint reflections in the moonlight. I rubbed my lips a few times with my fingers, thought for a moment, and decided not to take them off.

He opened the suitcase, took out the jammer inside, and turned it on.

After taking a deep breath, I took out my computer, logged into an account, and asked, "Has the final preliminary round of the micro-carving competition ended?"

The other party replied almost instantly.

The girl-chasing kangaroo: "No, there are still several more rounds to go!"

Gong Ning narrowed her eyes, a mischievous glint in them. "Okay, I'll send you the relevant documents and help me register."

The other person was momentarily stunned by her excitement at being online again after several years, and then carefully typed a line of text.

The womanizing kangaroo: "You, do you really need to participate in this kind of competition?"

Gong Ning chuckled, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes. "Hmm, let's play with an ignorant little kid for a bit."

The girl-chasing kangaroo: "Okay, I'll get right on it. You'll need to prepare a miniature sculpture for registration."

"Okay, I'll send it to you later."