She was a doctor, saving lives and healing the wounded. In her past life, her best friend pleaded for her help. Whether to treat or not was a dilemma. He was an influential man, his power supreme. Any attempts to usurp him? He would promptly extinguish them. Whenever her parents arranged blind dates for her, he would interfere time after time. She didn't get mad, instead, she laughed: "Did the king order you to patrol the area?" He raised his eyebrows, "No, I'm here to bring my wife home!" This man stayed in her room, monopolized her food, occupied her bed, and demanded her company through countless nights of revelry. Quite overwhelmed, she was - utterly flabbergasted!
Suyan has been lying on this hospital bed for two months now, having received all the memories from the original host, she couldn't help but sigh.
An accident nearly took the life of this sixteen-year-old child. Because she had no loving parents, she was like a boy, mixing with the street kids all day.
Two months ago on the night of her sixteenth birthday, she went to a bar with some students, where they got drunk. They were noisy on the street, singing, dancing, and got into an argument with one of them, and run a red light in anger. She broke a leg and had to stay in the hospital for two months.
Suyan stared at the ceiling and sighed, the original host's reputation was pretty bad!
She was truant in school, causing troubles, and gave teachers a headache, if it wasn't because the Su family had some power in the city, the principal would have expelled her long ago.
In her own home, she was ignored, or else why would no one come to see her in the hospital for these past two months?
The people she saw the most were a care worker aunt and the attending doctor and the bed-riding nurse.
The hospital room door suddenly opened, she hurriedly closed her eyes, listening to a nurse say: "She looks very quiet, not like the wayward lady in the rumors."
Another nurse came to her bed and said: "Who knows, anyway, she's quite pitiful. If her parents loved her, they wouldn't just leave her here for two months without visiting, would they?"
The nurse drew back the curtain, and the sun shone in, she turned and smiled: "Suyan, the sunshine is very good today, would you like to get up and sit for a while?"
Ever since her condition stabilized, the nurse would come every afternoon with the caregiver to help her onto a wheelchair, sometimes the caregiver would push her outside to bask in the sun.
She no longer pretended, opened her eyes, looked at the nurse, and shook her head: "I don't want to get out of bed today, thank you."
The nurse nodded, walked to the door with another nurse and overheard one exclaim: "I think she's very polite! How is such a sensible child anything like a street hooligan?"
"Mmm..."
The hospital room door closed, cutting off their conversation.
Su Yan heaved a sigh, moving her leg encased in plaster, and struggled to sit up. She leaned against the head of the bed, thinking about her situation in her previous life.
In her previous life, her family property was siphoned off by evil people who also schemed to eliminate her and her mother. At that time, she fell from being the daughter of a wealthy family to a down-and-out ugly duckling. A sudden change in the family made her see the adulterous relationship between her best friend and boyfriend clear as day.
After experiencing some events, she understood growth. So, she used three years to study abroad, and after returning to her country, she seized back everything that belonged to her in three months. But Fate never loved her, even if she owned billions of assets, she was still decreed to depart from this world.
Because of a carefully planned scheme by a scum man and scum woman, she lost her footing and fell down the stairs, leaving the country that caused her heartache.
"Miss? Mis..."
She surged back to reality, quickly wiped away her tears, and looked at the nanny.
The nanny, in her thirties, seeing the tear slipping down her cheek, couldn't help but feel pity. "Mr. Su and Mrs. Su must be quite busy, they probably don't have time to come see you, but they call every day to ask about your condition."
Su Yan raised an eyebrow, surely there's been some misunderstanding.
"No need to make excuses for them, I'm already used to it."
The nanny nodded. Her tone still as bland and indifferent as before, only quieter than usual, perhaps because of the car accident.
She moved a few times, and as the nanny turned to assist her, she refused, "Don't come over, I can do it myself."
She had been recuperating for two months, if she didn't move, this leg would really be useless!
The nanny didn't advance any further, instead, she fetched the crutches from the side and handed them to her.
"Thank you!" she said.
A normal person would have moved to the wheelchair in a few steps, but she took half the day, exhausted and covered in sweat, to finally sit down!
What on earth has this child been feeding on? She's so frail, thin as a bamboo pole!
"Aunty, I'd like some pork rib soup tonight," she said.
Auntie was taken aback, then broke into a smile, "Sure, sure, my dear. Whatever you want to eat, I will cook it for you."
She responded indifferently before picking up the newspaper that she hadn't had time to read earlier today.
After a week of physical training, she managed to slowly walk to the window and stand there for twenty minutes, leaning on furniture for support. Even the attending doctor was quite surprised, after all, she was a child who was often uncooperative.
Upon hearing the news, CEO Su and Mrs. Su reluctantly visited the hospital. As soon as the door swung open, she frowned at the sight of them. Listening to the insincere concern from the high society madam, she asked, "Yanyan, the doctor says that you've started cooperating with your treatment. I am truly happy."
Happy?
Were they eager to see her dead?
"As you can see, everything is fine!"
The aristocratic madam was visibly uncomfortable; she hadn't expected her daughter to respond this way.
"What disrespect! How could you talk to your mother like that?"
The man scolded almost instantly, though she just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. If she had to pretend, she ought to make it realistic after all.
The high society madam held her husband's arm, and the man eased his expression slightly, but he still solemnly added, "I've discussed it with the doctor, and we'll be discharging you from the hospital next week. You should rest well at home then. During this week, cooperate with the doctors properly and recover quickly."
"Thank you so much," she remarked.
The man's eyes darkened, his hand pointed towards her, frustrated that she hadn't met his expectations. "When will you change your ways? All you do is indulge in a life of pleasure – no studies, no skills. Going out drinking at such a young age, who taught you this? Once we're home, you're staying inside. You're not allowed to go anywhere!"
Su Yan felt sorrow for the girl whose place she had taken. She knew that the girl was not a failure; she was just seeking her parents' attention and love from her elder brother.
This brother was a talented student — the pride of their parents for entering a top-rated university. But, compared to him, she was a disappointment, a wayward young girl. And when had they ever shown any concern for her?
They left her in the countryside when she was only three, going abroad with her elder brother. When they came back to take her home at the age of ten, they would often criticize her for behaving like a wild child. It was quite clear that they loathed her.
She even doubted whether she was their biological daughter!
Su Yan held her forehead, surprised to learn the girl was exactly like her, a top student. It would take talent to avoid all the correct answers and write the wrong ones instead.
A week later, she returned home and ran into her brother, five years her senior. She was stunned for a moment. He was very handsome, but what's the use? He disliked her just as much as their parents did.
"Yan Yan, you're back? How are you feeling now?" He asked, getting up from the couch.
Su Yan swept a glance at him and ignored him, passing by with the help of a crutch.
Mrs. Su patted her son's shoulder and sighed, "She's becoming more and more unruly!"
Su Huai'an felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that if he had taken her abroad with him, things might have turned out differently. But he was aware that their family had always prioritized the sons. The thought that their daughters were eventually going to be someone else's kept them from caring too much about her.
With only a month left for the college entrance examination, Mr. Su and Mrs. Su had low expectations. They hoped she could at least enter an average university to save some face. But ever since she came back, although she did not step out of the house, she never spent time studying either. She always had the worst grades. They had little hope left that she even could test into an average college.
As Su Huai'an saw Su Yan sitting in the shade of a tree in the courtyard, he walked over and called out with a smile, "Yan Yan..."
She raised her eyebrows and replied flatly, ready to leave in her wheelchair.
"Let's have a chat," he reached out and held her wheelchair.
She let go of the handles, feeling a bit at a loss on how to converse with a 21-year-old boy.
"The exams are coming up. Have you decided on which school you want to attend?"
Su Yan was surprised and replied with a sardonic smile, "As the student with the worst grades in class, what college do you really think I would qualify for? Enlighten me."
Su Huai'an stared at her for a moment before hurrying back to his room. He then returned with a book in hand, truly squatting down to explain the top universities to her.
This induced confusion in Su Yan - could it be that Su Huai'an knew she wasn't as unlearned as she seemed?
"Have you finished?" Su Yan interrupted him, "Do you assume I had an overseas education like you did? Or are you trying to provoke me, to remind me of when I was left in the countryside while you were taken abroad?”
"Yan Yan, I didn't mean that," Su Huai'an's face changed abruptly, unsure how to explain. After all, this had been the grownups' decision; it was not something he could refute.
"I just think these professions really suit girls," he added.
Su Yan glanced briefly at the book in his hand before averting her gaze, "I am not as smart as you, so don't waste your time, showing off your wisdom. I know how to find my own path, so save your concern. I'm tired and going back to my room to rest. You can do as you please."
"Yan…"
He stood there awkwardly, holding the university guide, frozen in place.
They never entered Su Yan's room. If they did, they'd find at least one cabinet full of books she'd thumbed through. Therefore, top universities were not really a big deal to her; it all depended on whether she was willing to sit the exams.
Being a 27-year-old, taking a college entrance examination was truly a headache. Fortunately, she wasn't academically incapable, or else she would've needed to study hard these days.
On the day of the exam, the cast was still on her leg, and Su Huai'an personally escorted her to the exam room. Upon seeing her, she was met with a variety of looks - contemptuous, disdainful, snide…
Someone shouted out, “Yan Yan, can you still walk?”
The whole classroom roared with laughter. She turned to look at the girl and replied, "I think there might be something wrong with your eyes!"
The girl was stunned for a moment before coming to herself, she then ingratiated herself and said, "Yanyan, I was just joking around."
Su Yan ignored her. After making her striking debut, she switched schools and started anew. Who would still remember her prodigal past?
Indeed, Su Yan made a startling debut when the college entrance examination results were released!
Who would have thought that the person who used to be at the bottom of the rankings would turn around and become the top in the class? This stunned all the teachers and students at the school!
"Yanyan, you see, your score is the same as that of Ji Mochen!"
Ji Mochen?
As Su Yan read that name, she remembered a small incident during the college entrance examination. That boy was even more handsome than Su Huaian, a real academic superstar.