Could it really be that she was the one who was reborn, and not Gu Jinzhou?

Gu Tong was completely dumbfounded. Wasn't Su Ruanruan supposed to be a hideous freeloader? Who on earth was this fairy standing right before her?!

The leading actor eagerly picked up the fallen face mask from the ground and handed it back to Su Ruanruan.

"Teacher Su, are you wearing a mask because you're allergic to pollen?"

Su Ruanruan smiled faintly. "Thank you, I'm not allergic to pollen, but I am allergic to drama queens."

Gu Tong's face turned alternately pale and flushed as she lifted her skirt and walked away.

In the vanity-driven vanity fair of the entertainment industry, whoever looked ugly lost the argument.

"She's so gorgeous, why was she even wearing a mask?"

"Beauties just love to keep a low profile."

"Our dance instructor is even prettier than Su Lan'er."

"I think I finally get it. If Teacher Su hadn't worn a mask, the rest of the actresses in our crew would've suffered from severe inferiority complexes."

"Bro, you nailed the truth!"

...

Ever since Su Ruanruan's mask fell off, regardless of whether she wore one or not, no one ever pointed fingers at her behind her back again.

At noon.

Li Shaojue came to visit Su Lan'er on set, bringing catered lunch for the entire crew—the exact same Jinsheng sushi set from yesterday.

Gu Tong was slapped in the face yet again.

"So that mysterious tycoon wasn't Gu Tong's secret admirer at all, but Su Lan'er's loyal knight, President Li Shaojue!"

"Was Gu Tong trying to edge Su Lan'er out and steal her spot?"

After collecting her sushi set, Su Ruanruan noticed from afar that Su Lan'er and Li Shaojue were speaking with grave expressions, as if plotting something in secret.

Planning to eat in her car, she took a detour that brought her close enough to overhear their conversation.

Su Lan'er's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, carrying her habitual haughtiness. "With Aunt Ding not around, I sometimes forget to take my medicine. I missed this morning's dose."

Li Shaojue wore a blank expression, his eyes deep and dark. "Lan'er, your health belongs to you. If you don't care about it, it's useless for me to care."

Su Lan'er stared at him in sheer disbelief.

Munching on a piece of sushi as she walked past, Su Ruanruan found herself equally unable to believe her ears.

Is Li Shaojue alright?

In her past life, he had been more than willing to donate his own kidney to Su Lan'er; why was he suddenly remaining completely indifferent when she tried to threaten him by skipping her meds?

Both Su Lan'er and Li Shaojue cast their gazes upon Su Ruanruan.

Since she was busy eating sushi, she hadn't put her mask back on. Her snow-white, chubby cheeks puffed out rhythmically as she chewed, making her look both stunning and adorable, while she hummed softly under her breath, "So delicious."

-

Old Madam Gu had already woken up the previous night, and her mental state was quite good.

Following Su Ruanruan's instructions, Gu Jinzhou picked her up from work at a "hidden and deserted" corner, and the two of them went together to the hospital to visit Grandma.

Old Madam Gu held Ruanruan's hand, remarking that she had lost weight and urging her to eat well.

"Grandma, I've been the good girl I always am. I've been eating properly lately."

"Such a good child."

Gu Jinzhou smiled faintly. "She's secretly downed several cups of milk tea, just putting on a good act in front of you."

Old Madam Gu chimed in, "Oh dear, eat less junk food. Jinzhou, keep an eye on her."

"I will, Grandma. I'll keep an eye on her always. You should rest now, we won't disturb you any longer."

Visiting time was limited, and doctors did not advise family members to linger in the ICU for too long.

As the two prepared to leave, they spotted Rong Xiu by the elevator.

"Jinzhou, can we talk?"

"Sure."

The three of them headed to a nearby café.

Gu Jinzhou fished a packet of pink snacks out of his pocket, opened the packaging, and handed it to her.

Weren't these the very snacks the twins had put in a basket and gifted her the other day?

She had already told Gu Jinzhou that she no longer cared for toddler snacks.

However, listening to the two men talk business was far more tedious.

Ruanruan accepted the sweet-and-sour milk candies and began to eat them.

Mmm—

Super delicious!

What kind of heavenly treats was she eating when she was little?!

Before handing them to her, Gu Jinzhou must have been entirely certain she would love them. Even Ruanruan herself wasn't always that certain of her own preferences; this man's meticulousness was downright terrifying.

Rong Xiu said, "Jinzhou, do you really want that plot of land in Xishui Bay?"

Gu Jinzhou replied, "You took a lot of flak from Grandpa Rong over that land, and since my capital is currently abundant, Xishui Bay happens to be a highly challenging project."

Suppressing his inner joy, Rong Xiu pressed, "You had your eye on this land from the very beginning; perhaps only you can develop it properly. If you have time today, we can sign the contract right now."

"Alright."

Su Ruanruan's jaw nearly hit the floor.

She had just praised Gu Jinzhou for his meticulousness, so why was he walking right into a trap in the blink of an eye?

In her past life, that was precisely where he had taken his fatal fall!

-

Silver Lake Manor.

After Su Ruanruan finished dinner, Gu Jinzhou still hadn't returned. She practiced dancing for a little while longer, but her mind was restless and she nearly sprained her ankle.

Consequently, she sat down on the floor in a daze.

Gu Jinzhou had managed to bypass the Xishui Bay trap once; why was he stepping right back into it?

Could it be that novel plots and character fates were truly unchangeable?

A complex mix of emotions churned within her. With a heart full of worries and no outlet for her frustration, she dialed Gu Jinzhou's cell phone and threw a furious tantrum: "Gu Jinzhou, you idiot! If I don't see you within half an hour, I'm moving back to the old mansion!"

Without waiting for Gu Jinzhou to retort, she hung up the phone on him.

And so...

Half an hour later...

Gu Jinzhou sped all the way back to Silver Lake Manor.

Su Ruanruan was watching a horror movie. Under normal circumstances, the sight of Sadako would freeze her with terror, but right now she was so angry she felt like picking a fight with Sadako herself.

"Ruanruan."

Gu Jinzhou pulled her into his embrace, his high, straight nose bridge rubbing against the delicate skin of her neck.

"Don't you dare hug me! Gu Jinzhou, I have something very serious to tell you... Never mind, there's nothing to say anyway, you've already signed the contract."

Her spirits were exceptionally low, her temper flared to the extreme, and she refused even to look at him.

Gu Jinzhou lifted her chin, bringing his clear-cut, handsome face close as the corners of his thin lips curved into a clean, unflustered smile. "Baby, I know you're worried I'll lose money."

"It's not about losing money or not, I... I dreamed that seven people died at that plot in Xishui Bay, it's cursed! Not only will it cause you financial ruin, it will bring absolute disaster!"

"Seven people have already died at Xishui Bay."

"Huh?!"

"Since Baby dreamed that seven people died at Xishui Bay, what happened after that? Did work on Xishui Bay halt completely, or was it rebuilt and brought back to prosperity?"

"This..."

The original novel hadn't detailed the aftermath of Xishui Bay; back then, she was barely surviving in the Su household, making it impossible for her to know anything about Xishui Bay's fate.

Gu Jinzhou kissed her soft, tender cheek, his low, magnetic voice carrying absolute conviction, "Baby, trust me, okay? Seven people have already died at Xishui Bay; no more lives will be lost. This is precisely the right time to develop it."

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan widened her eyes. That actually made a lot of sense.

Every single step he took was calculated to absolute perfection. Was she really the one who had been reborn, or was it actually Gu Jinzhou?

-

The Rong Residence.

Rong Ye stood under the moonlight smoking a cigarette, his striking facial features cast in gloomy shadows, giving him the appearance of wearing a mask.

As the illegitimate son of the Rong family, acting as a lapdog for Rong Xiu only ever netted him some pocket change. It would be far more profitable to act as a lapdog for Gu Jinzhou, through whom he could gain control of the entire Rong family.

After extinguishing his cigarette butt, he walked into his grandfather's study.

A few minutes later, the sound of Old Master Rong smashing a teacup echoed out.

He was furious that Rong Xiu had sold Xishui Bay to Gu Jinzhou, and further incensed upon hearing that Rong Xiu had become infatuated with an actress and called off his engagement with Mu Xin'er.

However, before long, the enraged Old Master Rong regained his composure.

"I am handing the Wansu Jinxiu project entirely over to you. You're older now, and you've had enough seasoning. If anything comes up, you don't need to consult Rong Xiu; make your own decisions."

"Yes, Grandfather."

After stepping out of the study, the humility vanished entirely from Rong Ye's face.

Rong Xiu had actually taken Su Lan'er out to dinner; such a cheap white lotus was treated like a precious treasure by Rong Xiu, even to the point of destroying his engagement with Mu Xin'er. Truly blind.