Chapter 1043: Blind Date (4)

Xiu Xi gently squeezed her small hand, as if silently comforting her.

"Jiaojiao, are you feeling unwell? Is your hand still hurting? Let Uncle take another look."

Ruan Jiaojiao’s face did not look good at all. Shu Lang, feeling uneasy, bent down and placed her small hand on the table. His eyes lingered on the pale pink scar.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

Ruan Jiaojiao shook her head, attempting to force a smile. But her emotional fortitude wasn’t strong enough yet. Even if she smiled, it seemed very forced.

"Jiaojiao, what happened to your hand?" Seeing the scar on Ruan Jiaojiao’s palm, Qian Qian gasped sharply. Such a long scar—even a quick glance gave her a vivid sense of how severe the injury must have been.

"Should we go to the hospital to check it out?" she suggested.

"No need, it doesn’t hurt. Uncle, it’s really okay." Ruan Jiaojiao pulled back her small hand, picked up the newly served glass of milk, and took a sip, barely suppressing the trepidation in her heart.

"Maybe we should head back..." Shu Lang was still uneasy. Ruan Jiaojiao’s complexion had him deeply worried—it was alarming how her rosy, healthy glow from earlier had faded into a stark, pallid white.

"No, Uncle, I’m really fine," Ruan Jiaojiao said urgently. She didn’t want to leave but instead wanted to probe further into the "Nianian" Qian Qian mentioned. Was it the Feng Nianian she dreaded?

She turned to Qian Qian and asked, "Auntie, the Nianian you were talking about, does she look like me? Or in what way is she similar to me?"

"At first glance, you do look quite alike. But the vibe you both give off is completely different." One was like a moon hidden behind thick storm clouds on a rainy day, carrying a heavy, suffocating gloom. The other was like a small sun beneath the blue sky and white clouds, exuding a warm, comforting brightness. They were utterly distinct in temperament.

"What’s her last name?"

"Her last name is Feng. Her name’s Feng Nianian. How old are you this year? She just turned nine last June, so you two should be about the same age." Qian Qian didn’t suspect anything unusual, thinking her words had merely sparked Jiaojiao’s curiosity. She added, "Do you want to meet her? Auntie can introduce the two of you."

"No, no, that won’t be necessary," Ruan Jiaojiao waved her hand hastily in refusal.

She didn’t want to meet. She never wanted to meet her—not in this lifetime.

Now, Ruan Jiaojiao was certain the Feng Nianian Qian Qian spoke of was the very same Feng Nianian she knew.

She once thought that Beidu was so vast, their paths would never cross. But who would have thought she’d hear about her through someone else?

Feng Nianian...

Ruan Jiaojiao silently repeated the name in her mind, feeling more and more uneasy.

First came Xin Miao, and now Feng Nianian. One was unusual enough, but now there was another. Ruan Jiaojiao couldn’t wrap her head around why this world suddenly seemed to be filled with so many souls competing to take over others’ bodies.

Her mind was in chaos. She didn’t even register how Shu Lang and Qian Qian’s matchmaking encounter concluded. She returned to the Shu Family with her mind weighed down with worry.

When she left earlier, her mood had been cheerful, but her return was silent and heavy. Her complexion was still off.

Everyone looked on with concern. Hearing from Shu Lang that her hand had been doused in milk, Old Master Shu, to be safe, called his personal doctor to come by. After the examination confirmed there was no issue, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching Ruan Jianguo go outside to see the doctor off, Shu Jiao opened the door and re-entered Ruan Jiaojiao’s room.