But the car door closed. The engine roared.
And just like that... he was gone.
She stood there, frozen.
Rejected.
Alone.
A mont later, the two bodyguards who had been watching her stepped forward.
They didn’t say anything.
They just grabbed her arms and dragged her back to the hut.
That night, they didn’t let her sleep.
Every ti she closed her eyes, they splashed cold water on her face. Every ti she slumped from exhaustion, they kicked her chair.
"Still think soone’s coming to rescue you?" one of them sneered.
Yu i cried quietly. Her lips trembled. Her hands clutched the edges of her soaked blanket.
"Why... why didn’t he believe ?" she whispered. "Why... did he think I was lying?"
But far away, in a tall glass building, Young Master ng sat in his office with an annoyed expression.
"What a waste of ti," he muttered. "I flew all the way here, thinking I’d get real dirt on the Ou family. Instead, I t a lunatic."
His assistant, Woods, stood nervously nearby.
"I’m sorry, sir," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "She kept saying she was Ou Xiaoxiao. It was strange from the start."
Young Master ng scoffed. "From now on, if any random number contacts us, ignore it. I’m done with weird gas."
"Yes, sir."
He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Young Master ng leaned back in his chair, his face gloomy and tired. He stared out at the night lights of City S, the glass of whiskey in his hand untouched.
"...What a waste of ti," he muttered again under his breath.
"I shouldn’t have gone to see that girl at all. I should’ve known... it was all part of the Ou family’s trap."
He let out a cold laugh and shook his head.
"That Ou Xiaoxiao... she must’ve found out who I really am. That’s why her attitude changed. She finally opened her eyes. Smart girl," he said, smirking. "She saw I was trying to trap her and turned the ga around."
He stood up, placed the glass back on the table, and fixed his tie.
"No more wasting ti on her," he said. "I’ll keep my focus on the big players now. If she wants to play tricks, let her. I’m done."
But what Young Master ng didn’t know was... he had it all wrong.
The girl he t earlier, the crazy, desperate one in the poor village, was Ou Xiaoxiao he had t, though not the real one.
He had been able to control Ou Xiaoxiao easily before. But now that the real Ou Xiaoxiao had returned to her body, she was no longer soone he could toy with.
....................
Back in the village, Yu i dragged herself through the muddy fields, the sun burning above her. Her hands were scratched, her hair ssy, her face thin and dirty.
She felt like she had aged ten years in just a few weeks.
’This is my life now...’ she thought sadly. ’Maybe I’ll die here. Forgotten. Alone.’
Just then, she heard a loud commotion at the village entrance.
A car had arrived, shiny and black. Not a cheap village truck. A real, expensive car.
Everyone turned to look.
From the car stepped out a tall, handso boy. His eyes were sharp, his clothes neat and expensive, and he had the air of soone very rich.
Yu i blinked. Who is he?
Before she could ask, the boy looked around frantically. The mont his eyes landed on her, he rushed forward.
"Yu i!" he shouted.
She froze in shock.
The boy ran up and hugged her tightly.
"I finally found you... I’ve been looking everywhere!" he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Yu i was stunned. "You... who are you?"
But then, mories flashed in her head, mories from the fake Yu i. She rembered his face.
’Leng Huan... ’ she realized. ’He was supposed to be Mirai’s fiancé.’ Mirai had chosen him for her.
She smiled suddenly and hugged him back. "Leng Huan! I missed you so much... please, can you take away from here? I don’t want to stay in this place any longer."
Leng Huan hesitated.
His smile faded.
"...Yu i," he said quietly, "I want to. I really do. But it’s not that easy. The Qiao family, the Ou family, and the Yu family... they’ve all worked together to keep you hidden here. It’s like a prison, and they made sure there’s no key."
Yu i’s face turned pale.
She glared at Ou Lin with deep hatred. ’So this is your true face... You pretended to be strong. Pretended to protect . But you’re nothing but a coward who can’t even fight for .’
But what Yu i didn’t understand was...
Fighting against those three families was like fighting giants. She was just one person.
It would be a war of giants and elephants against a single ant.
Still, Yu i didn’t care.
She pushed Leng Huan away roughly.
"You don’t love !" she shouted. "If you did, you wouldn’t say those things! You’re just another liar. Just another fake!"
Leng Huan’s eyes widened. "No! That’s not true. I really love you, Yu i. I always have! I promise I’ll marry you!"
But she shook her head. "No... You’ll forget just like the others. You’ll leave behind."
Leng Huan grabbed her shoulders gently. "I won’t. I’ll talk to my grandfather. I’ll ask him to plead for you. Maybe the three families will listen to him."
Yu i’s anger faded a little.
Her lips trembled.
"You... You’d really do that for ?"
Leng Huan nodded.
Without thinking, she hugged him tightly. "You really love ... thank you..."
Leng Huan stood still, his arms wrapped around her. But sothing in his heart felt strange.
’She’s different,’ he thought.
This Yu i... she didn’t feel like the Yu i he knew.
She was too emotional. Too dramatic. Too... not her.
What he didn’t know was, the Yu i he had t before had actually been Mirai.
.................
The next few days, Leng Huan did everything he could to free Yu i.
First, he visited the Yu family mansion. But when he arrived, the place was quiet and empty.
No servants. No guards. No signs of life.
It was completely isolated.
He knocked on the gate, waited, and called, but no one ca.
’Sothing’s wrong,’ he thought.
With no other choice, he went to Yu Corporation, hoping to et Yu Lin.
When he reached the building, he saw a crowd gathered at the front door. People were shouting. Security was dragging soone out.
It was Yu Lin.
The shareholders were yelling at him.
"You don’t belong here!"
Yu Lin was furious. "This is my company! I’m still a director!"
A man laughed loudly. "Not anymore. The board voted. You’re out!"
Leng Huan watched quietly, shocked. Yu Lin... has no power left at all.
Disappointed, he left the area and went straight to the Qiao family.
This ti, he requested a formal eting.
But he knew in his heart, his Leng family, though strong in Yu City, was nothing compared to the Qiao family, especially in the capital.
If Yu i had stayed with him, worked with him, grown with him... maybe in a few years, they could’ve stood tall against these giants.
But now...
Now he was alone.
Leng Huan stood outside the huge Qiao family house for a long ti. The guards didn’t let him in, but he didn’t leave either. He waited patiently, hoping soone important would co out.
Finally, after almost two hours, the door opened—and out walked a girl he instantly recognized.
Yu Holea.
His eyes narrowed.
She was dressed in a white blouse and dark pants, carrying herself like soone important. But Leng Huan didn’t care about her fancy looks. The mont he saw her, his heart filled with anger.
This girl... he thought. She’s the reason Yu i is suffering. It’s all her fault!
He walked up to her quickly, stopping her just before she got into her car.
"Yu Holea!" he shouted.
She turned around, frowning slightly. Her eyes studied him with confusion, like she was looking at a stranger.
"Yes?" she asked politely. "Who are you?"
Leng Huan clenched his fists. "Don’t pretend like you don’t know . I’m Leng Huan!"
Yu Holea blinked. "Leng Huan...? Oh! Yu i’s fiancé, right?"
Hearing her say that, Leng Huan felt a spark of hope.
"Yes! That’s . I’ve co to ask you sothing. Please... take back the order. Let Yu i leave that place. She doesn’t deserve to stay locked up in that dirty village."
Yu Holea tilted her head slightly and smiled.
"You love her that much?" she asked.
"I do," Leng Huan said firmly. "I’ll take her away. I promise she’ll never appear in front of you again."
Yu Holea paused.
Then, her smile turned a little colder.
"Didn’t you... Notice anything strange about her?" she asked quietly.
Leng Huan frowned. "What do you an?"
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