When Fu Hanru learned that Su Lingyu's health had improved somewhat, he went to visit her. The two had been childhood sweethearts, and when they were young, Lingyu was chubby and adorable, always following him around, calling him "Brother Fu" and saying she would marry him when she grew up. He loved that soft little girl back then and assumed that as she grew, she would still be the same.

But as she grew, Su family pampered her, and Lingyu developed a bit of a temper. Because he liked her, he indulged her. However, she became sick, and over time, she changed—becoming irritable, short-tempered, and unreasonable. Two years later, he was getting exhausted. She was always paranoid, suspecting him when he was late.

Later, a match for her heart appeared, and when he learned from Lingyu that it was a living person’s heart, he was stunned. The heart belonged to a girl who secretly admired him. He was shocked that Lingyu actually wanted a living person’s heart. She insisted that if the girl didn’t die, then the heart couldn’t be used. Lingyu threw a tantrum, and he finally compromised, agreeing to get close to that girl and persuade her to donate her heart.

Donate her heart? Fu Hanru almost wanted to laugh. It was not just donating a heart; it was essentially donating a life. Yet, he had agreed. Over the year he spent with the girl, he never promised her anything, but she was always happy. He tested her countless times, asking if she would donate her heart if her family needed it. She cheerfully said she would, but he still couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

They had argued many times over this issue. He didn’t want the girl’s heart to be transplanted to Lingyu. Eventually, he visited Lingyu less frequently and never mentioned the heart transplant to the girl again. One day, the girl suddenly called him and told him not to see her anymore. He insisted they meet, and when they did, she was resolute. He was disappointed, and after returning, he felt guilty and never tried to contact the girl again, nor did he visit Lingyu.

So, when he received a call from Lingyu, he was puzzled. Her voice sounded upbeat. "Brother Fu, come visit me, I’m feeling much better."

Lingyu was at the Su family’s home, and Fu Hanru went to see her. That’s when he learned that a lot had happened in the past three months. The Su family had met a skilled person who had temporarily helped Lingyu keep her life, and in a few years, they would slowly find a new heart source. He was quite surprised; it seemed like an odd thing, but it was good news. A few years were enough time to find a suitable heart.

Su Lingyu smiled and linked her arm through Fu Hanru’s. "Brother Fu, take me out to play."

So Fu Hanru took her shopping. While they were shopping, Su Lingyu acted coquettishly, "Brother Fu, let’s go visit Gu Qin. I owe her a thank you. If she hadn’t run away from the hospital, I would be using her heart right now. Honestly, I didn’t want her heart, though. She’s so ugly and thin. If I had used her heart, I might end up looking like her."

Fu Hanru froze, pulling his hand away from hers. "Lingyu, what are you talking about? What do you mean she ran away from the hospital?"

Su Lingyu chuckled, her face blooming with a sweet smile. "Didn’t Brother Fu know? Three months ago, my dad made a deal with her family. If they agreed to give me her heart, my dad would give them a huge sum of money, enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. But something went wrong during the surgery, and she ran away from the operating table. Luckily, she did. I really didn’t want her heart."

Fu Hanru’s face darkened as he glared at her. "Su Lingyu, how can you be so detestable?"

"Detestable?" Su Lingyu laughed mischievously. "Brother Fu, have you fallen for that thin little girl? What’s so good about her? Just because you spent over a year with her, you like her now? That’s why you didn’t want her heart to be transplanted into me?"

Fu Hanru’s face was expressionless, but Su Lingyu linked her arm with his again. "Brother Fu, let’s go thank Gu Qin."

Fu Hanru shook her hand off. "Lingyu, enough. I’m taking you home now. Since you don’t need her heart anymore, we have no further business with Gu Qin. Don’t go bothering her again."

Su Lingyu smiled sweetly but said nothing. After a while, she smiled even more, her eyes narrowing. "Brother Fu, what are you worried about? Are you afraid I’ll eat her? I was just joking. I really don’t want to see her. Well, Brother Fu, go ahead and leave. I’ve got someone else to accompany me shopping."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After Fu Hanru left, Su Lingyu smiled at his retreating figure, but her eyes held no trace of amusement. Once he was gone, she called her driver to take her to Daishan No.1 High School.

Later in the afternoon, when school was about to end, Lin Xinxin came to find Gu Qin. "Qin Qin, let’s go shopping after school. Tomorrow is the monthly exam, so let’s relax and reward ourselves before the first major exam of our high school years!"

Gu Qin smiled. "Where do you want to go?"

Lin Xinxin swallowed and her eyes lit up. "I heard there’s a self-service seafood restaurant on Baiyu Road. It’s supposed to be really good. Let’s go there!"

"I’ll treat you," Gu Qin said, propping her chin up with a smile. "I’ve got money. You’ve always treated me, so today I’ll treat you."

"Oh, no need! Save your money for yourself," Lin Xinxin refused. "Your dad’s situation has put your family in debt. If you have any extra money, save it. You can help lighten the burden for Aunt Cheng."

Gu Qin smiled. "The debt’s almost settled. I’ll pay it off next month."

"Eh? Where did you get the money?" Lin Xinxin was somewhat familiar with Gu Qin’s family situation.

Gu Qin didn’t answer directly, just smiled and said, "Are you eating or not?"

Lin Xinxin nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

As the two were chatting, their homeroom teacher came by. "Gu Qin, someone is looking for you."

Lin Xinxin went with Gu Qin outside, where they saw a well-dressed middle-aged man. When the man saw Gu Qin, he stepped forward and said, "Miss Gu, our young lady is waiting for you at the café next door."

They walked to the café, and the middle-aged man pointed to a seat. "Miss Gu, that’s where our young lady is sitting."

When Lin Xinxin saw Su Lingyu, she widened her eyes and whispered in Gu Qin’s ear, "Qin Qin, I know her. She’s Fu Hanru’s girlfriend. I saw Fu Hanru with her last time. What does she want with you?"

What else could she want but trouble? But Gu Qin was puzzled. Su Lingyu’s heart condition had been quite severe, and she should have still been in the hospital. Had she found another heart source? But even if she had, it was impossible for her to be bouncing around so soon after the surgery.

When Gu Qin sat down opposite Su Lingyu, she finally understood the situation. She gasped, but kept her face neutral. Su Lingyu’s body was surrounded by a heavy aura of death, and dark energy seemed to be swirling around her. Gu Qin quickly used her "heavenly sight"—

In the dimly lit room, a Seven-Star Lamp life-sustaining formation was set up. Su Lingyu sat in the center of the formation, with Su Guangzhi standing anxiously beside her. A woman with long, flowing hair was also seated in the formation, holding a yellowwood gourd in front of her. With her left hand, she formed seals, chanting incantations, while her right hand made gestures, channeling a stream of dark energy into seven of Su Lingyu’s acupoints.

Gu Qin immediately understood what was going on and withdrew her "heavenly sight." Her face turned pale. Su Lingyu hadn’t received a heart transplant—she had been given an extension of life, and the woman with long hair had performed the ritual.

This made sense. She had been wondering who was behind the real estate boom in Daishan City, and now she knew it was related to the Su family. She had suspected that Su Guangzhi’s brother could rise so quickly in a mere six months because someone was backing him.

Gu Qin hadn’t paid much attention to finance news, but if she had, she would have noticed that the Su family had a major influence on the local real estate market recently.

The life-extending ritual wasn’t a joke. There were two types: one was legitimate and required the consent of both parties, but it was extremely difficult. The other was an evil practice, forcibly taking someone else’s life to extend another’s.

Given the heavy aura of dark energy around Su Lingyu, it was clear she had taken someone’s life against their will. Even if the practitioner wanted to steal life energy, it wasn’t an easy task. This method often involved trapping the victim’s soul in a yellowwood gourd, and with Su Lingyu’s

overwhelming dark energy, it was clear the person who died was extremely unwilling.

Life and death were determined by fate, and life extension was a form of defying fate. Usually, this kind of ritual could only extend life for about half a year. Su Lingyu’s time was likely half a year, and even if she received a heart transplant after that, her body would always be affected by this dark energy.

Gu Qin now understood the situation. She didn’t recognize the woman in the formation, but judging by the energy she was emitting, this woman’s cultivation level was at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, while Gu Qin herself was still at the early stage. Fortunately, the Su family hadn’t set up any other formations yet, or she might not have been able to deal with this woman.

For now, the focus was on dealing with that long-haired woman.

"Hello, Miss Gu," Su Lingyu said, pointing to a list on the table. "Would you like something to drink?"

Seeing that Gu Qin was silent, she smiled. "I guess you don’t recognize me, huh? I’m Fu Hanru’s girlfriend."

"Hello," Gu Qin nodded. "I know. What’s the matter?"

Su Lingyu was a little surprised by Gu Qin’s nonchalant response. "Aren’t you the one who stole my boyfriend?" she said with a grin.

"Stole your boyfriend?" Gu Qin laughed. "Miss Su, you’re joking. Fu Hanru and I are just ordinary friends. We’re not even friends anymore. It was Fu Hanru who came to me first, never the other way around. If anyone should be concerned, it’s you—maybe you should keep better control over your boyfriend?"

Gu Qin’s response was calm, almost too calm. The original Gu Qin had never actively approached Fu Hanru because she cared too much and was afraid of being rejected. Every time, it had always been Fu Hanru who reached out to her first.