Not long after Tang Ning and the others left, Yin Yuqing's phone received a location notification.

After checking her location and finding out her exact location, Yin Yuqing noticed it was getting late and was about to leave when she glanced at the Jinsheng boys' school uniform she was wearing, which she had worn for two days and had a stain on the cuff. Yin Yuqing immediately stopped.

Without hesitation, she turned and ran towards the dormitory building. The short-haired girl, who had quickly showered and washed her hair, rummaged through her closet but couldn't find anything better than Jin Sheng's school uniform. Left with no other option, she changed into another clean… uniform. Then, out of nowhere, she found a bottle of BB cream and a half-used lipstick. After tidying herself up, Yin Yuqing took a deep breath before heading towards the school gate.

Because it took her quite a while to shower, wash her hair, and blow-dry it, by the time Yin Yuqing arrived at the Ye family villa, which was located on her phone, by the time she took a taxi, the sky had already turned a deep, dark blue, and the streetlights along the roadside had already started to come on one after another.

"Thank you, Master."

After paying the taxi fare with her phone, Yin Yuqing glanced at the remaining balance of 1825.65 on her phone and immediately gripped it tightly.

She doesn't have much money left...

Last semester, she failed to rank among the top three in her grade as required by her brother and the school. She could no longer enjoy any of the school's preferential policies. Even her tuition was paid by Yao. Yao would always pay for her meals first. Now, although Yao still sat in the same seat as her, he didn't even want to say a word to her. These days, she had been eating alone. Even if she didn't eat special meals, she ate all three meals in the cafeteria, which cost at least 80 yuan a day.

If things continue like this, she won't even be able to afford food soon.

She had her older brother before, and then Jiang Yao. Yin Yuqing had never experienced such financial hardship on her own before.

Even after their parents passed away, no matter how poor or difficult life was before, she could always get whatever she wanted to eat by simply begging her brother. But now…

It's okay, it's alright.

As long as Mu Sheng succeeds, once A Yao sees Tang Ning's true colors, he will know who truly loves him, and he will definitely change his mind and come back to her side. So it's okay.

As Yin Yuqing got out of the taxi, she kept telling herself this.

She put her phone back in her pocket, looked up at the brightly lit Ye family villa in front of her, at the endless stream of luxury cars, some she recognized and some she didn't, at the elegantly dressed men and women getting out of the cars, and at the expensive jewelry and diamonds they wore on their ears, necks, wrists, and fingers...

Yin Yuqing, who had only worn her school uniform, stood across the street and instinctively shrank back.

She already knew that Ye Jinyan, Tang Ning, and Jiang Yao came from well-off families, but since they were all at school and mostly wore school uniforms and ate in the cafeteria, she didn't have a very direct sense of it. But now...

She seemed to realize all at once that she and they were from completely different worlds.

Why is the world so unfair? Some people already have so much—a privileged family background, a life like a little princess, a gentle older brother—yet she still tries to take away what others have as their only possession.

She had nothing left. Her father, mother, and brother were all dead. She only had A-Yao, truly only A-Yao. Why did Tang Ning insist on taking him from her? Why...?

Yin Yuqing clenched her fists tighter and tighter, and her body even began to tremble slightly from the force.

She stood there in the shade of the tree for what seemed like an eternity before she suddenly raised her head, took a deep breath, and then walked forward with her chin slightly raised.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Ye family villa.

Sitting in her room, Tang Ning had finished her evening's hair and makeup with the help of the stylist they had hired. She was holding a small diamond tiara, a birthday gift Ye Jinyan had brought back for her from England. Just as she was about to secure it to her updo, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Tang Ning quickly replied.

Turning around, I saw Tang Qing, dressed in a dark blue cheongsam, gently push open the door and walk in with a gentle smile.

"Mom, what brings you here?"

"Most of the guests downstairs have arrived. Your father asked me to come and see if you're all dressed up..."

As she spoke, she walked behind Tang Ning and looked at Tang Ning in the dressing mirror. Tang Ning was wearing a black starry off-the-shoulder dress. Her waist-length hair was styled into beautiful waves and draped over her shoulders. The stylist had tied her hair into a loose bun on top of her head. Her makeup was very light, her skin was fair with a rosy glow, her eyes were like stars, her eyelashes were curled, and the stylist had even added a little sequin to the corners of her eyes, making her whole face shine.

Tang Qing didn't know how long she stared at Tang Ning in the mirror before slowly turning her gaze away. She reached out and gently tidied a small strand of hair that she had deliberately left by Tang Ning's ear. "I can't believe how much you've grown in the blink of an eye. I still remember seventeen years ago, when I first gave birth to you, you only weighed 5.2 pounds because I didn't get enough nutrition during my pregnancy. You looked like a tiny little bundle, but you had big eyes, a high nose, a small mouth, and even your fingers were long and slender. Back then, I thought that you would definitely grow up to be a beautiful and well-behaved girl..."

As Tang Qing spoke, a nostalgic look appeared on her face, and she looked at Tang Ning in the mirror with a guilty expression in her eyes.

"In the past, I was sorry for you. I made you suffer too much following me. Even after you came to the Ye family, I was unable to protect you properly. It's all my fault."

As she spoke, Tang Qing's eyes reddened.

"Mom, what are you doing? I don't feel wronged or that I've suffered much. Having a mother like you is the happiest thing in my life."

These were the original owner's true feelings; she had always thought this way.

Hearing this, Tang Qing gently stroked Tang Ning's hair. "Today is your seventeenth birthday. Is there anything you want for your birthday? I remember before we came to the Ye family, when you were five years old, you saw that Yao Yao next door had a lot of gifts for her birthday, and you wanted a gift too. So I tried my best to get one for you. I wonder if you still have that gift?"

She asked this softly with a smile.

"You mean that toy bear with the red bow tie, one black eye and one gray eye? Mom, have you forgotten? When I was nine, Aunt Wang took me and Yao to the Ocean Park. He got so engrossed in watching the beluga whales that he got lost. I was frantically looking for him, and that's when the bear got lost. I cried for a long, long time that day because the bear had been with me for four whole years. I even used to sleep with it. After it got lost, I didn't sleep well for half a month. It was only because you slept with me every night, Mom, that I slowly got used to it... Thinking about it now, I realize that without you, Mom, I really can't do anything!"

Tang Ning didn't care that her makeup was already done. She hugged Tang Qing's waist and rubbed against her affectionately.

But the moment she embraced Tang Qing's slender waist, her gaze deepened slightly.

Tang Qing realized that she was not the original Tang Ning, which is why she suddenly started testing her like this.

Even with the interference and cover-up from both the plane's consciousness and the system, and despite the original owner's willing surrender, Tang Qing still discovered the differences between her and the original owner. After all, she and Tang Qing hadn't spent much time together since she entered this plane, hadn't they?

It just goes to show that a mother and daughter are truly connected at heart!

Tang Ning's eyes flickered slightly, her lips curved into a slight smile, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Tang Qing's arm.

Hearing Tang Ning say this, Tang Qing's previously uneasy look gradually softened. She looked down at her daughter and slowly raised her hand to gently pat her back.

Then she patted him and said, "Alright, you're all grown up now. Don't act like a child with your mother. This little diamond crown was brought back for you by Jin Yan from England, right? Let me put it on for you, okay? If you don't go down now, your father will be waiting anxiously downstairs."

"Um!"

Tang Ning nodded vigorously.

Then, with a smile, she watched as Tang Qing helped her put on the crown before going downstairs to inform Ye Zhen.

Before the banquet begins, Ye Zhen may have a few words of introduction to say, and only after he finishes speaking will Tang Ning walk down the stairs under everyone's gaze.

After Tang Qing left, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the mirror, Tang Ning suddenly whispered "54088" in her heart, "Little System..."

"What's wrong with Tang Bao?"

"Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to ask, what did the original owner wish for in the next life?"

"Wait a minute, let me check... Ah, I found it, Tang Bao. After signing the body entrustment contract, the original Tang Ning wished to be Tang Qing's daughter again in the next life, and hoped that her mother could have a sweet love and a truly loving partner."

That's it?

"It's gone."

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning raised an eyebrow and then smiled.

This is why she still believes in true feelings and sincerity after experiencing so many unbelievable things. There are just too many such beautiful people and feelings in this world, so beautiful that they seem almost unreal.

"Okay, I understand, thank you."

She said.

Almost simultaneously, on the way to the Ye family villa, in a white Cayenne teetering on the edge of speeding, Jiang Yao kept urging the driver in the driver's seat to hurry up.

"Uncle Li, could you hurry up a little? Ningning's birthday party at the Ye family is about to start, I'm afraid we won't make it in time..."

"No, young master, this is already the fastest speed we can go. Any faster and we'll be speeding."

"Then try to be as fast as possible!"

Jiang Yao said this with some anxiety.

After saying that, he raised his hand to look at his watch, took a deep breath, and to calm his anxiety, he slowly untied the red ribbon on the blue-black box on his lap, lifted the lid, and saw a brown toy bear in front of him. The bear was wearing plaid overalls, a red tie around its neck, and had one black and one gray eye.

As he watched, Jiang Yao couldn't help but smile.

He reached out and tapped the little bear's hard, black nose.

Even before Tang Ning's birthday arrived, he had been thinking about what gift to give her this time. He thought about it day and night, came up with countless gifts, but in the end, he rejected them all.

It was only when he suddenly felt like flipping through his old diary that he finally came up with this gift.

Even though so much time has passed, and Tang Ning has lost this toy bear for seven or eight years, as soon as Jiang Yao recalls it, the image of the toy bear immediately becomes clear in his mind, so clear that he even remembers that the bear's two eyes are different colors.

So he skipped a day of class and went directly to a toy factory, where he asked the workers to sew an identical toy for him based on his memory.

Back then, if he hadn't been so playful, Tang Ning wouldn't have accidentally lost that toy bear. She cried for a long time because of it. Even though he bought her many, many bears later, she said none of them were the same one she had before. She only wanted the original one.

Now, Jiang Yao has found someone to make her a teddy bear exactly the same as before.

He was certain that this one was exactly the same as the one Tang Ning had lost before. Just thinking about how happy Tang Ning would be to receive the teddy bear made Jiang Yao's lips curl up involuntarily.

It was only after flipping through his diary that he gradually remembered that he had spent so many days and nights with Tang Ning. In the past, he would seriously write down in his diary every game he played with Tang Ning, every cookie he ate, and every drink he drank. His love for her was so sincere and pure back then. If she had a bad appetite and couldn't eat, he would want to drag her to the hospital for a thorough check-up immediately.

[...I don't want Ningning to die. I want her to stay healthy and safe, and be my new wife forever.]

These are his original words from his diary. He was too young at the time, and he used pinyin to replace words he didn't know how to write, and he even misspelled the pinyin.

Jiang Yao chuckled softly.

He brought his diary today too; it's under the teddy bear in the gift box.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yao took a deep breath, closed the box lid, and tied the red ribbon.

He believed that he and Ningning had so many beautiful and innocent memories, like a dream, that once she saw the notebook, she would definitely forgive him and come back to him.

Yin Yuqing and Mu Sheng were just minor passersby in their long lives.

He and she are the perfect match.

Looking at the neon lights outside the car window, Jiang Yao thought to himself with great confidence.

After rushing as fast as he could, Jiang Yao finally arrived at the Ye family's residence.

It's true that timing is everything. He had just carefully placed the gift down when Tang Ning, introduced by Ye Zhen, slowly walked down the spiral staircase.

Upon seeing Tang Ning dressed like a little princess on the stairs, Jiang Yao felt a surge of emotion, completely ignoring Yin Yuqing, who had been staring at him intently since he entered.

Just as Tang Ning was about to reach the last step of the stairs, Jiang Yao instinctively went to meet her.

As the music began, the opening dance of the banquet was about to start. As the birthday girl today, Tang Ning was definitely going to do the opening dance, but every dance needs a partner.

Just then, Jiang Yao, who had arrived in front of Tang Ning, and Ye Jinyan, who had been standing in front of the stairs, almost simultaneously extended their hands to her.

The moment the hand was extended, the two boys subconsciously turned their heads and looked at each other. When they saw that the owner of the other hand was Jiang Yao, Ye Jinyan was about to withdraw his hand when Tang Ning on the stairs placed her hand in his.

Ye Jinyan immediately grasped her fingertips, his heart overflowing with joy and delight.

Feeling the pressure from her fingertips, Tang Ning turned to Jiang Yao beside her and smiled, "Yao, I'm sorry, my brother has been in England for a long time and just got back. I haven't had a proper talk with him yet, so can I dance with him for the first dance of the day?"

Tang Ning had already said all that, so even though Jiang Yao felt uncomfortable, he could only nod and slowly withdraw his hand.

Yin Yuqing, who had been watching the commotion from the crowd, saw that Jiang Yao was alone. She bit her lip and slowly walked over.

“Ah Yao…”

She called his name.

Upon hearing Yin Yuqing's voice, Jiang Yao turned around abruptly, "What are you doing here?"

When Yin Yuqing saw Jiang Yao clearly, her eyes showed only surprise, not joy, and even a faint sense of rejection and rejection. Her initial expectation plummeted, causing her pain.

"I...I was invited to Tang Ning's birthday party..." Yin Yuqing said slowly.

"Really?" Upon hearing that it was Tang Ning who invited him, Jiang Yao's expression softened. "Then have fun today, since there aren't usually any events like this at school. My parents are waiting for me over there, so I'll head over first."

After exchanging pleasantries with Yin Yuqing, Jiang Yao turned and walked towards the elders.

"Ah..."

Yin Yuqing was about to call out to him, but there were too many people around, so she couldn't say it. She looked around helplessly and saw Tang Ning dancing the so-called opening dance with Ye Jinyan in the center of the hall.

She looked at her black dress, which seemed to be adorned with stars, at the sparkling diamond crown on her head, at her radiant smile, and as she looked... and then compared it to herself, whom A Yao avoided like the plague, Yin Yuqing had a feeling that things shouldn't be like this, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what they should be like...

Meanwhile, as the music played, Ye Jinyan, who was dancing the opening dance with Tang Ning in the center of the hall, kept his eyes fixed on the smile on Tang Ning's face, which was so close to his. No matter how hard he tried to restrain himself, the corners of his mouth would still curl up slightly.

Because the two were so close, Ye Jinyan immediately caught a whiff of the faint fragrance emanating from the girl, exactly the same scent he smelled when he kissed her on the night of the school anniversary celebration.

Just as he thought of this, Ye Jinyan's gaze involuntarily fell on Tang Ning's lips, which were as delicate as newly blooming rose petals. With just one glance, his eyes darkened slightly. To this day, he still remembers the sensation of that night in a despicable way. Even... even after going to England, he would still dream about that night again and again.

He had clearly said he was going abroad to sort out his thoughts, but those beautiful dreams featuring Tang Ning as the protagonist, and the ever-present longing in his heart, kept telling him, "Admit it, Ye Jinyan, you've fallen in love with Tang Ning, you've fallen in love with your half-sister, you're hopelessly and stubbornly infatuated."

But……

A faint trace of disappointment and loneliness flashed deep in Ye Jinyan's eyes.

Putting aside his and Tang Ning's identities, the most crucial point is that Ning Ning has always only regarded him as an older brother, nothing more.

Therefore, Ye Jinyan had no choice but to suppress all his feelings deeply.

As the music faded, just as Tang Ning was about to pull her hand away, Ye Jinyan suddenly gripped her fingertips tightly, then with a slight exertion of his arm, he pulled Tang Ning into his embrace and held her tightly.

"……elder brother?"

Tang Ning, who was suddenly hugged, was stunned for a moment before calling out to him.

Hearing her call, Ye Jinyan whispered in her ear in a slightly hoarse voice, "Happy birthday, Ningning..."

"Thank you, brother."

Tang Ning smiled and replied, and Ye Jinyan then slowly released his embrace.

Ye Jinyan's current favorability rating: 95.

Actually, his popularity had been steadily increasing while he was in England; it just suddenly stabilized.

The lights suddenly came on, and enthusiastic applause rang out from all around. Tang Ning and Ye Jinyan smiled and nodded at the people around them, and everyone started to move around. Because her mouth was too dry, Tang Ning took a glass of juice from the tray of the waiter she had hired from her home. Just then, several people walked towards Ye Jinyan. Judging from their appearance, they should be his old friends.

Seeing this, Tang Ning immediately waved to Ye Jinyan, picked up her juice, and walked to the side.

"Jin Yan, what just happened... Heh, I seem to remember that you and your stepsister have never had a good relationship, what's going on now..."

"She's fine."

Before his friend could finish speaking, Ye Jinyan had already quietly replied with this sentence.

Upon hearing this, the friends exchanged surprised glances.

Upon seeing that Tang Ning was alone, Jiang Yao hurriedly apologized to his mother, who was still enthusiastically introducing him to the other ladies, and then walked straight towards Tang Ning.

Meanwhile, Tang Ning, who was sipping her juice, couldn't help but let her eyes wander outwards. Just as a look of disappointment appeared on her face, her phone, which was in her handbag, suddenly vibrated.

Feeling the vibration, Tang Ning hurriedly and expectantly took her phone out of her bag, turned it on, and saw on the screen—

Are you free now? I'll be waiting for you on the beach near the Ye family's house.

Sender: Mu Sheng.

Upon seeing this message, Tang Ning could barely contain her joy.

She quickly pressed her phone to her chest, then pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and casually put down her cup, heading straight for the equally bustling courtyard.

After stepping out, she looked around for a moment, then lifted her skirt and hurriedly walked out of the villa.

Just as Jiang Yao pushed through the crowd blocking his way and entered the courtyard, he saw Tang Ning's figure flash past the back door.

Everyone was celebrating her birthday at the villa, so where was Ningning going? Did she think the villa was too noisy and wanted to get some fresh air?

Jiang Yao thought to himself.

However, this might be a good opportunity!

He thought for a moment, then immediately picked up the teddy bear he had carefully prepared from the pile of gifts and hurriedly chased after them.

Throughout the entire process, Yin Yuqing's eyes never left Jiang Yao. Seeing him rush out and search for Tang Ning all over the villa but not finding her, Yin Yuqing hesitated for a moment before following him.

But because she was chasing too fast, she bumped into Ye Jinyan, who was chatting with a friend she hadn't seen in a long time. Without even turning her head, she said sorry and continued running forward.

Watching Yin Yuqing run out with her head down, Ye Jinyan almost subconsciously searched for Tang Ning in the lobby. Since he couldn't see her for the time being, he smiled and apologized to his friend before chasing after her.

Tang Ning wasn't in the courtyard either, and even Jiang Yao was nowhere to be found. Although he hadn't searched upstairs yet, his intuition told him that Tang Ning's disappearance was definitely connected to Yin Yuqing, who was now walking out.

So, Ye Jinyan, as if possessed, followed behind Yin Yuqing.

The four of them walked one after another towards the beach.

Tang Ning, who was walking at the front, was so excited that she started by walking with big strides, but gradually she started to jog. She ran faster and faster, and the corners of her mouth turned up higher and higher.

She ran all the way to the edge of the beach, and looking at the sand in front of her, afraid that it would be inconvenient to walk, she kicked off her silver high heels, lifted her skirt, and stepped barefoot onto the slightly cool sand.

Unexpectedly, she had only taken a few steps when she saw a tall man walking towards her with a big smile. "Miss Tang Ning, happy first birthday."

After speaking, he opened the gift box in his hand and looked at the complete set of Barbie dolls that were long out of print. Tang Ning remembered that this set of dolls had recently been auctioned off for a sky-high price.

She blankly accepted the gift box the other person stuffed into her hand. After walking a few steps, another person came up to congratulate her on her second birthday, her third birthday, her fourth birthday...

Diamond bracelets, designer handbags, women's watches...

All sorts of expensive gifts were delivered to Tang Ning by these strangers. In the end, because she couldn't hold any more in her arms, the people who delivered the gifts simply carried the gifts in their arms and followed behind her.

They kept receiving gifts as they went, and the gift-giving finally stopped when they had received about sixteenth gifts.

She looked around blankly, and the next second—

With a whoosh, a burst of flame suddenly blazed up behind her.

She turned her head abruptly.

"It's... a campfire..."

Tang Ning murmured this in disbelief.

Then, large bursts of fireworks suddenly erupted around the campfire. Unlike fireworks that fly into the sky and then explode, these fireworks only rose about one or two meters high. But the sight of so many going off together really gave people the illusion of being in a dream.

Happy 17th birthday, Tang Ning.

Just then, Mu Sheng's voice suddenly rang out behind her.

Tang Ning suddenly turned her head.

She then saw Mu Sheng, dressed in a blue-black suit, standing smiling about five meters behind her. When Tang Ning turned around, he walked towards her.

It was at this moment that Tang Ning noticed that the other person seemed to be holding a black gift box.

As Mu Sheng walked towards her, the words she had uttered while drunk on the beach echoed in her ears once more—

I also want a grand bonfire party, the bigger and more beautiful the better, I want everyone to envy me.

As she thought about it, Tang Ning's eyes reddened slightly as she looked at Mu Sheng.

She watched as Mu Sheng walked to her side, stopped, and opened the gift box in his hand, revealing an exquisite and expensive pink diamond crown inside. Large pink diamonds adorned the silver crown. If she wasn't mistaken, this seemed to be the same crown that the royal family of Country E had auctioned off a year ago for a sky-high price. It was said to have sold for 310 million dollars, which caused quite a stir on Weibo at the time. Tang Ning's female classmates at Sheng Ying had discussed how they would be completely satisfied if they could touch this crown someday.

But now, this crown, which screams "I'm very expensive" from head to toe, is placed in front of Tang Ning.

Tang Ning's lips moved, but she was too shocked to say anything.

"Here, your birthday present. Do you want me to help you put it on?"

Mu Sheng said this with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning looked up at him in surprise, but had not yet spoken.

Mu Sheng had already reached out and gently removed the small crown from Tang Ning's head, and then carefully put his own crown on her head.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? Is this the birthday party you envisioned...?"

Before Mu Sheng could finish speaking, Tang Ning, her eyes red, threw herself into his arms, hugging his lean waist tightly. She looked up at him intently, letting out a soft moan that sounded like she was both laughing and crying.

"Yeah, this is my idea of ​​a birthday party. I'm just that tacky, incredibly tacky. Don't you think I'm materialistic, ugly, and..."

"No, it's... cute."

Mu Sheng smiled gently.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning stared blankly into Mu Sheng's eyes, who was so close to her, and suddenly seemed to be bewitched. She spoke softly, "I said before that I had something to tell you tonight. I...I...I want to say that I like..." you.

Before she could finish uttering the remaining two words, her lips were sealed by the man who suddenly lowered his head.

Their eyes met, and their lips touched.

This was their first kiss while both of them were awake.

The campfire and fireworks around us were still burning, occasionally making a crackling sound.

The sky was dark, but the stars were bright.

But when Tang Ning closed her eyes, the stars in the night sky shone even brighter.

Mu Sheng stared intently into her eyes, clearly wanting her to fall for him, but his heart suddenly began to beat uncontrollably, more and more violently, and more and more uncontrollably.

He felt as if he were on a seemingly calm stretch of quicksand. He knew that once his feet were trapped, he would have to get out, but his feet seemed to be rooted to the ground, completely disobeying his brain's commands and unable to move.

He could only watch helplessly as he sank deeper and deeper...

Mu Sheng's current favorability rating: 58, 59, 60, 61...

It kept rising until it reached 66.

"What are you doing?"

A loud, slightly distorted shout suddenly rang out behind the two of them.

Upon hearing this sound, Tang Ning, who was still clinging to Mu Sheng's waist, opened her eyes slightly and turned her head sharply, only to see something about fifteen meters behind her.

Jiang Yao, furious; Yin Yuqing, smug; and Ye Jinyan, astonished, were all present.

Yo-jok.