The original owner of this body truly doted on Liu Zixi to the extreme, which is why she was so deeply hurt after being betrayed. Xiang Wan said all this to let Nangong Chen know that she had never doubted Liu Zixi in the slightest, and that she was wholeheartedly devoted to him. If Liu Zixi were to speak ill of her to Nangong Chen again, it would inevitably incur his displeasure. Xiang Wan wanted to plant a seed of resentment in Nangong Chen's heart, slowly waiting for it to take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree—the moment Liu Zixi would be completely rejected.
Xiang Wan was patient, slowly eroding the feelings between the two men that were based on hurting the original owner of the body. No passionate, enduring love can withstand the erosion of time, nor the fickleness of human nature. Since things could grow from faint to intense, they could certainly fade back to faint; it just needed a catalyst. And that catalyst arrived very soon.
After resting in the hospital for a day, Xiang Wan couldn't stay any longer and was discharged early. Her parents persuaded her to come home with them for a few days. Nangong Chen also stayed with her, visiting her every day, which made the elderly couple very happy.
Back at the villa, Grandpa Nangong called Xiang Wan over, exchanged a few words of greeting, and gave her a bunch of tonics. Although Grandpa Nangong wasn't a talkative man, he treated Xiang Wan quite well. He never used his status to pressure her, cared about her health, but didn't urge her to have children, which relieved Xiang Wan greatly. She was really afraid of being pressured to have a baby.
Ever since Xiang Wan started going to the old house, Nangong Yu has also been frequently appearing there, always picking fights with Xiang Wan. Old Master Nangong, perhaps having not seen the younger generation bickering in front of him for a long time, found it amusing and didn't interfere, letting them do as they pleased.
Nangong Chen was summoned back to the old house for dinner by his grandfather under various pretexts, and thus witnessed the discordant atmosphere between Xiang Wan and her brother-in-law. On the way back, he couldn't help but talk about Xiang Wan. Xiang Wan was very shrewd, and took the opportunity to refute him one by one, sometimes making Nangong Chen so angry that he had a black face the whole time, but the next day he still did whatever he wanted.
Nangong Chen's life was always monotonous, devoid of excitement or passion. Xiang Wan was determined to disrupt this routine, to leave an indelible impression on his heart. Whenever he was angry or furious, she would be the first person he thought of, even if the impression wasn't pleasant, it was still etched in his memory. And as time went on, she became an indelible mark on his heart, unforgettable yet unattainable!
One evening, Xiang Wan was about to go upstairs to sleep when she saw Nangong Chen take a phone call and go out.
"Ah Chen, it's so late, are you still going out?"
Nangong Chen looked anxious as he grabbed his coat and said to Xiang Wan, "I'm going out for a bit, I have something to do. You go to sleep first, don't leave the door open for me."
"Okay, drive carefully on the road!"
"Um."
Nangong Chen opened the door and left in a hurry. In his haste, he dropped his phone on the sofa.
Xiang Wan walked over, picked up the phone, and saw that it was password protected, preventing her from viewing its contents. After thinking for a moment, she changed her clothes, took his phone, and went out. She had originally wanted to see what Nangong Chen was up to, and this would be a good excuse to follow him while she delivered his phone.
Nangong Chen drove fast, but at night, there was less traffic. Xiang Wan accelerated to catch up, but ended up falling behind his car.
After driving for about forty minutes, Xiang Wan saw Nangong Chen get out of the car and walk into a star-rated hotel.
After parking the car, Xiang Wan got out. Nangong Chen was nowhere to be seen at the hotel reception. When Xiang Wan asked the receptionist, she was told it was a matter of customer privacy.
“My husband just came in. He didn’t bring his phone. I’m worried that something might happen to him and I won’t be able to contact him.”
"Feel sorry!"
The receptionist's insistence on not letting her in attracted the attention of other customers.
"Little girl, instead of begging them, you should beg me!"
Suddenly hearing Nangong Yu's voice, Xiang Wan was stunned for a moment. She looked up and saw the owner of the voice leaning leisurely against the front desk with a playful expression.
Xiang Wan rolled her eyes at him, turned around and sat down in the rest area, sulking to herself.
"I'm serious, why don't you beg me? If I'm in a good mood, I'll let you in."
Nangong Yu sat down next to Xiang Wan with a smile on his face.
"Of course I can get in, why would I need to beg you?"
Xiang Wan replied irritably.
"Do you want to know where your husband went?"
"Thank you, but I don't want to!"
"Hey? You came all this way in such a hurry, isn't it for your dear husband?"
"I'll just wait here."
"By the time he comes down, the daylily will be cold~~"
"What do you mean?"
"There's a good show coming, don't you want to see it?"
Xiang Wan stared at Nangong Yu suspiciously, wondering what he was up to.
"Aren't you curious why Nangong Chen came here in such a hurry?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Of course, it's for..."
Nangong Yu paused, gave Xiang Wan a deep look, and then put on a nonchalant attitude again.
Instead of sitting here all night, come to my room and I'll show you something good.
"I was hesitant at first, but after hearing what you said, I think I should leave to avoid being a lamb to the slaughter."
"You don't trust your uncle at all?"
"With someone like you, what place could I possibly trust?"
"Oh, my sincere heart has been trampled on, it's so heartbreaking!"
"That's enough, Uncle. You're getting on in years. It's one thing to fool young girls, but I can't handle your niece-in-law."
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Here's my room key card, go upstairs and rest."
As Nangong Yu spoke, he turned and walked towards the door. Xiang Wan grabbed him, "Where are you going?"
"Didn't someone not trust me? I'm leaving, you can rest assured now."
Nangong Yu looked dejected as his figure disappeared at the hotel entrance. Xiang Wan was puzzled; what was the point of just leaving him with a key?
Based on the principle of "if you're not staying here, you might as well stay here," Xiang Wan finally went into the room that Nangong Yu had booked. She wanted to look for Nangong Chen again, but the hotel had more than twenty floors, and it was not realistic to search room by room, so she had to put the idea aside for the time being and wander around the room.
Nangong Yu said there were good things in the room, but Xiang Wan was skeptical. She searched the room thoroughly, turning the bed upside down, but couldn't find a single clue. She couldn't help but wonder if Nangong Yu was just trying to trick her into coming up here.
She went into the bathroom, intending to wash up and rest, but something felt off. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but remembering the rumors of haunted hotels from her original world, she grew increasingly frightened.
Don't be afraid, there are no ghosts in this world. If there are ghosts, they are just people pretending to be ghosts.
Xiang Wan kept encouraging herself, and the mental suggestion worked. She regained her rationality, stared at the mirror for a long time, then pressed her fingernail against the mirror and observed it closely with her eyes. Sure enough, she found something different.
With a "snap," Xiang Wan turned off the bathroom light. She stood with her eyes closed for a moment, then slowly opened them. The mirror in front of her gradually became transparent, and a man appeared in the frame, facing her.
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