Chapter 2

After the production crew left, Yongrui Village returned once again to its usual tranquility.

Zhu Zhu’s younger brother, Xiao Jie, was woken from his nap and was in a foul mood, still displeased. Qin Meilan and Grandma comforted him tenderly. Whenever Xiao Jie saw Zhu Zhu, he would become irritable, scowling and waving her away, not letting her back into the room to avoid bothering him.

The village entrance had been decorated, and the children eagerly gathered their friends, quickly snatching up the colorful balloons adorning the walls and banyan trees.

The lively sounds of children playing echoed throughout the village. Zhu Zhu, small and short-legged, only managed to peek out after hearing the commotion, but she didn’t even catch a glimpse of a single balloon.

Grandma Song saw her from afar and called her over.

“These are specially saved for you,” Grandma Song said kindly, handing her a hidden blue balloon. “Hold onto it quickly.”

In a soft, childish voice, Zhu Zhu tilted her head and thanked the elderly woman.

“Go play,” Grandma Song said warmly.

The blue balloon was still full of air, plump and floating lightly.

Zhu Zhu stood on tiptoe to reach for it. The balloon lightly touched her little head, and she looked up, stretching out her two small hands, catching the balloon and hugging it close.

The little girl’s clear eyes fixed on the balloon, a shy smile gently curving her lips.

No one knew how long she played before a familiar crying sound gradually drew near.

Qin Meilan held her son with one arm, treating him like a precious treasure, soothing him softly: “Mommy will get it for you. It’s just a balloon. Let’s look for another one.”

The balloon floated higher again.

This time, Zhu Zhu had mastered the game. She bounced on her small feet and reached out to catch the balloon again, but Qin Meilan was faster.

Zhu Zhu’s balloon became her brother’s.

Qin Meilan didn’t bother to say a word and took the balloon away from her son, then turned to leave.

“Playing like a wild child,” she sneered coldly at Zhu Zhu.

Watching this scene, Grandma Song sighed with pity.

In fact, everyone in the village knew that Zhu Zhu was not Qin Meilan’s biological daughter.

Ten years ago, Qin Meilan married into Yongrui Village. Many years passed without a sign of pregnancy, and no one knew how many harsh words she endured from her in-laws. Then, more than three years ago, Qin Meilan’s husband Zhao Wu, who worked in the northern city, brought home a baby girl—Zhu Zhu.

The baby was plump and fair, irresistibly cute. Some said Zhao Wu had the child with another woman. Though Zhao Wu claimed the child was found abandoned, neither the villagers nor Qin Meilan believed him. Over time, he stopped explaining. But since the child was already brought home, they couldn’t just abandon her; Zhao Wu said that would be a crime.

Qin Meilan had no choice but to swallow her anger and raise Zhu Zhu by her side.

Surprisingly, not long after, Qin Meilan became pregnant.

After giving birth to Zhao Xiao Jie, Qin Meilan originally planned to have her husband send Zhu Zhu to an orphanage, but Zhao Wu refused outright. Moreover, the village elders said that her ability to conceive was thanks to this little girl’s good fortune. If Zhu Zhu were sent away, misfortune might follow. With so many eyes watching, Qin Meilan, unwilling though she was, had to keep raising Zhu Zhu.

Three and a half years passed in the blink of an eye. Whenever Qin Meilan looked at Zhu Zhu, she felt uneasy, reminded of her husband’s affair in the northern city, filling her with resentment.

Naturally, she could not love Zhu Zhu.

The villagers had noticed all this.

Everyone thought Qin Meilan was unkind and scolded Zhao Wu for being unfaithful, and in the end, they only pitied the child.

Zhu Zhu hurriedly followed the adults and her brother with small steps.

She mustered her courage: “Shall we play together?”

Though young, her brother seemed confident someone was backing him up.

He lifted his chin, his beady eyes glinting with arrogance on his dark little face.

“Go away.”

...

Ji Ning exited the airport, where a business car was already waiting outside the arrivals hall. The automatic doors opened smoothly.

She lightly lifted her skirt and stepped into the car, her silky hair cascading down.

Ji Ning brushed her hair back with one hand and met her assistant’s probing gaze with a slight nod and a faint smile.

The young assistant silently took note, then, after instructing the driver on the destination, pulled out her phone to record details in a memo.

Throughout the return trip, she meticulously documented every detail: who accompanied the young lady to the airport, how she gracefully declined a chat in the first-class lounge, how she behaved with etiquette upon disembarking, and so on.

All of this was to report back to the Madam.

Three years ago, Ji Ning woke up from a car accident with amnesia. At that time, the young heiress had already disappeared. With many people stirring up trouble at home, Madam replaced her caretakers. After months of rehabilitation, Madam fabricated the entire story of Ji Ning’s upbringing, transforming the once wild young lady into a doll-like shell.

The reckless past was difficult to erase completely. After much thought, Madam decided to send her abroad.

The assistant’s name was Fu Xiaoman, the daughter of the family driver. She accompanied Ji Ning ostensibly for mutual care, but in truth, she was there to monitor every word and action of the young lady.

Or rather, to spy.

After organizing her notes, Fu Xiaoman glanced quietly back at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning sat in the third row of the business car, the seat reclined flat, eyes closed, resting.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her translucent skin, even the fine fuzz on her cheeks visible, thick curled lashes casting shadows beneath her eyes.

Ji Ning had once been a beloved child star.

The exquisitely delicate child had grown up under public scrutiny, her every change a focus of attention. Yet Madam valued privacy and protected her well. Occasionally, rumors surfaced, but they were mere sensationalist attempts to ride her fame.

Still, Fu Xiaoman could never understand one thing.

If Madam was so opposed to Ji Ning appearing in public, how did she become a child star in the first place?

In over three years of constant companionship, Fu Xiaoman was unsure whether it was her own guilt or Ji Ning’s subtle distance, but they never became true friends.

A honk broke the silence, disturbing Ji Ning.

She opened her eyes.

Fu Xiaoman was startled and instinctively tried to avoid her gaze, but suddenly their eyes met.

There was no impatience in Ji Ning’s gaze. Her beautiful eyes seemed veiled in mist, gentle and kind, even somewhat confused.

A stark contrast to the arrogance she sometimes displayed.

Regarding Ji Ning’s life after leaving the spotlight, rumors abounded, mostly false.

She was both the flamboyant, spoiled girl and the gentle, reserved one.

Four years passed, and even Fu Xiaoman struggled to discern the real Ji Ning, let alone the one who had been deceived and manipulated through these years.

Thus, a once radiant and lively person had utterly lost herself.

...

Ji Ning raised her hand, and the car window slowly rolled down.

She rested her cheek on her hand against the window frame, gazing at the receding scenery.

When she first woke, the doctor told her the amnesia from the accident was temporary and that one day she would remember everything.

The lost memories were like scattered puzzle pieces. At first, she searched hard, but every deep recollection brought a splitting headache. Her mother told her that if she couldn’t remember, it meant it wasn’t important and she shouldn’t cling to it.

Ji Ning obeyed.

She let go of her obsession and followed her mother’s plan to study abroad.

That was the path she was meant to take.

Years passed in a flash.

At this moment, as the car wound through the hills and entered the villa district, a sense of familiarity welled up.

A traditional Chinese courtyard villa, fragrant with blooming flowers and the gentle sound of flowing water, serene and comforting.

The butler was already waiting to greet her. Soon, Ji Ning’s mother, Fu Mingya, and father, Ji Guoting, walked out along the pebble path.

Fu Mingya wore a professional suit, her crow’s feet faint, the marks of time showing, dignified and stern.

Ji Guoting draped his arm over her shoulder, as elegant as ever.

The couple looked at their daughter, who no longer caused them worry.

It was hard to imagine that the once rebellious, wayward girl who had troubled them so much had, by a twist of fate, been set back on the right path after the accident.

“Ji Ning,” Fu Mingya approached, “Are you tired?”

Ji Ning shook her head.

...

When asked by her father why she had suddenly returned home, Ji Ning took out her phone and opened a WeChat chat window.

“Bai Hui is getting married,” Ji Ning said. “She asked if I could come back for the wedding.”

“Bai Hui? The Bai family’s second daughter?” Fu Mingya raised her eyes.

Ji Guoting’s gaze fell on the chat window.

Back then, the family had completely covered up Ji Ning’s foolish actions. Her friends only knew she suddenly disappeared and had run off to some foreign country in search of freedom.

Fortunately, Ji Ning had few friends.

Take Bai Hui, for example. If Ji Ning remembered correctly, they barely qualified as acquaintances, more like superficial “plastic sisters” who exchanged barbs without courtesy.

“I actually forgot about her,” Ji Ning said. “But the doctor said that reconnecting with people and things from the past would help restore my memory.”

“That’s good,” Fu Mingya’s displeasure faded as she said calmly, “You just got back. Go soak in the bath first, then come down for dinner.”

Fu Mingya’s reproachful gaze fell on Fu Xiaoman’s face.

Fu Xiaoman immediately lowered her head.

“I understand, Mom,” Ji Ning said, locking her phone.

Her eyes flicked over the chat window filled with messages like “Dear, I miss you,” “Hug,” and “Muah” emoji stickers.

Just then, Bai Hui sent an electronic wedding invitation.

Ji Ning hadn’t seen it before and casually opened it.

The photo on the invitation showed Bai Hui wearing a cold, world-weary expression.

So annoying; Ji Ning felt like punching her.

How strange.

Fu Xiaoman dodged Madam’s scolding gaze and suddenly noticed the young lady’s face.

Her brows furrowed slightly, proud and lively.

The familiar arrogance, but fleeting, then returning to confusion.

...

The first episode of the show had ended, but Qin Meilan’s anger had not.

Long after, she was still complaining to her mother-in-law.

“It’s all because of that damn girl. I gave her a hint to hold the boy back, so grandma could come out to get him, but no, she just clung to that broken doll, clueless.”

“If Xiao Jie gets on ‘Switching Lives’ and is scouted to become a child model, his future would be bright!”

Zhu Zhu hid in a corner, sitting on her designated “reflection bench.”

‘Switching Lives’...

She had heard that name before, in her dreams.

Lately, the little one often had a recurring dream.

A voice from the depths told her she was living inside an old, melodramatic novel.

The novel was titled—

“Running Away Pregnant, Then Losing Memory: The Overbearing CEO Falls for Me.”

The child didn’t understand.

At this moment, the voice became clearer.

Zhu Zhu propped her chin with both hands, hesitating, and corrected in a timid childish voice:

“I’m not a ball.”

“I’m a person…”