Ji Mengran's heart instantly fell. She took another step backward, leaning against the car as her legs became weak. Her expression was pale as she stared in disbelief and guilt at Ji Nuan, who was smiling artificially.

How did she find out?

How did she know about those friends of hers?

How did she even know of the things she had planned?

Was Ji Nuan possessed by some sort of demon? She even had the ability to predict the future?

No!

There was no way!

There had to be a problem somewhere!

Ji Nuan must have investigated her and found out about those friends of hers. These must be the conjectures she arrived at after looking at those clues.

It must be; it had to be!

However, even as she thought this way, Ji Mengran still looked at Ji Nuan in fear. She could not comprehend how she had become so difficult to grasp...

Ji Mengran's entire body tightened with tension. Ji Nuan only smiled imperceptibly at her; she did not make any further movement or expression.

Ji Nuan reached out, patting her shoulder. "Mengran, ah, as a person, it's better to be quiet and not to scheme so much. When you wish to ruin someone, you must take care not to ruin yourself..."

Ji Mengran remained leaning by the car. Her expression was stiff as a rock as she laid limply against the car. She raised an arm to push Ji Nuan's hand away, avoiding her touch.

Ji Mengran was not afraid of her words. However, earlier on, she had seen something ambiguous in Ji Nuan's eyes, as though there were years of hatred and unspoken words hidden in there. She could not understand it and only knew that it terrified her.

For some reason, the frigid cold emotion in Ji Nuan's gaze seeped into Ji Mengran's bones, filling her with a fear that was indescribable...

Everything had already developed to this stage; Ji Nuan no longer planned on keeping Ji Mengran in too much suspense.

"Know your limits." Ji Nuan's gaze flitted past her face, before her lips curved into a smile that Ji Mengran wanted to crush. She then confidently and calmly turned to head back in.

Ji Mengran stood by the car door in a daze. When she heard the house door opening and closing, she checked that Ji Nuan had really entered before releasing a slow breath.

She sniffled, raising her newly bought phone to open some of the videos she had taken of Ji Nuan in the past. In those videos, Ji Nuan always behaved like a peacock; she was condescending and had many visible flaws. Then, it was easy to tug on her pigtails. These videos were what she had initially planned on showing to Mo Jingshen, for him to understand how pampered Ji Nuan really was.

After looking through those videos once, Ji Mengran's palms filled with sweat.

Within a night, Ji Nuan had transformed into someone that was impossible to control. Although she appeared innocent, she was frighteningly two-faced. She was even able to guess everything she had done so accurately, thoroughly seeing through her thoughts.

She left her with no opportunity to retaliate; it was as though Ji Nuan had been leading her by the nose the whole time.

Even if people could change, it was impossible for someone to become so different. Within a night, Ji Nuan understood all of her goals and could even make accurate guesses about her plans. This rendered all of her original schemes useless.

Was Ji Nuan hiding some sort of secret?

She had to be.

It shouldn't be like this...

Everything was too illogical! Everything had fallen into Ji Nuan's control! It was too illogical!

—-

After returning, Ji Nuan saw that Shen Heru had already put on an act to return the villa to its peace.

"Mengran really left?" Seeing that Ji Nuan had returned alone, Shen Heru furrowed her brows and asked.

Ji Nuan calmly glanced at her. "Auntie Shen, I truly don't understand you. Back then, for the sake of being able to stay in the Ji family, you cut off all ties with your own son without any hesitation. You were so cruel, yet right now, you are so concerned about a stepdaughter."

"Nuan Nuan, what are you talking about. Although my tone was slightly harsh earlier, isn't it because I hope that the two of you will be able to reconcile?" Shen Heru smiled as she pushed her hair behind her ear, taking on a motherly stance. "Don't mention the things in the past. For so many years, the ones by my side have been you and Mengran. I know very well who is close and who is not."

Ji Nuan smiled, but her smile did not reach her eyes. She shifted her gaze toward Ji Hongwen, who was still visibly upset. "Dad, let's talk?"

From the moment Ji Nuan stepped into the house, Ji Hongwen had known that this child had returned because she had something to tell him. He said, "Go to the study to wait for me."

"This child, why are you being so mysterious. I've already entered the Ji family for so many years; I'm not an outsider. Why can't you speak in front of me?" No matter how Shen Heru tried to suppress it, her tone was still slightly strange.

Ji Nuan, who was about to head upstairs, paused by Shen Heru's side almost carelessly, speaking so that only she could hear, "Auntie Shen, I haven't settled Sheng Yihan's debt from that year with you. Don't think you'll be able to protect him just because you severed ties with him back then. After hiding in ambush in the Ji family for so many years, you must be very tired, aren't you?"

Shen Heru's expression faltered. She swerved around to stare at her.

Ji Nuan smiled at her slightly. "I advise you to stop wearing a mask in the Ji family in the future. It's so tiring."

After Ji Nuan finished her words, she did not wait to see Shen Heru's expression and headed upstairs.

Not long after, Ji Hongwen entered the study. "You came in such a rush, what do you need to tell me?"

"Dad, I know that Auntie Shen has been married to you for many years. Although I used to be immature and was never especially pleasant to her, I've never targeted her. You should be well aware of this as well." Ji Nuan unhurriedly began.

Ji Hongwen nodded. "En."

"A while ago, I took some of the so-called health supplements she bought you for a professional drug analysis." While speaking, Ji Nuan took out a folded sheet of paper from her bag, placing it on his desk. "This is the result. Take a look at it."

Ji Hongwen approached the desk, putting on his glasses before scanning the drug analysis report.

After looking through it, Ji Hongwen did not become enraged as Ji Nuan had expected. He stood by the desk and was silent for a moment before speaking, "Don't raise your voice about this issue first. You are my daughter. I have full faith in your words, but this thing cannot be concluded so easily. Let me confirm it first."

Ji Nuan was just about to speak up when suddenly, she paused to look at the door behind her.

There was a figure standing carefully outside the door. It remained quietly there as though it was afraid of being seen. Only the slightest bit of its silhouette was noticeable, and if Ji Nuan was not standing far away from the door or had keen senses, she would not have noticed it.

She looked at the door and turned to meet Ji Hongwen's eyes. She unhurriedly curved her lips.

Ji Hongwen also noticed the silhouette because of Ji Nuan's gaze. His expression instantly became heavy.