Late at night, there were very few cars on the highway. Occasionally, one or two honks sounded in the distance, making the deep night feel even more quiet.

Lu Zhe straightened Su Ci’s waist. The boy did not allow her to lean against him like that.

Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe in the dimness with pitiful eyes. Knowing he was in a bad mood, she obediently sat properly and did not continue sticking to him.

She leaned against the seatback, enduring wave after wave of strange surges inside her body.

What on earth was happening to her body?

She had rushed over to find Lu Zhe today, hurried the entire way, and in the end, Su Ci could not resist the sleepiness. Her eyelids gradually closed.

In a daze, it felt as though she was pulled into an embrace. She rubbed against it comfortably and drifted into sleep.

Fat Fu had informed the orphanage staff in advance. The female staff member who had received them last time had been waiting.

Her expression didn’t look good. Her eyes were red. She spoke with Fat Fu for a bit before telling him, “The old dean is at the hospital. The children are all asleep. Will you be going over to see him later?” The funeral would be held tomorrow, and their staff were also handling things at the hospital.

Fat Fu drove to the hospital.

A hospital in the deep night had an indescribable quietness and eeriness.

Su Ci followed Lu Zhe and saw the old dean. The last time she had seen the old dean, she was still chatting with her about Lu Zhe’s childhood. And now, this elder had closed her eyes and was in her eternal rest.

Even though Su Ci had already known the old dean only had two months left to live, when truly facing this scene, she still felt deeply saddened, along with a sense of helplessness. She knew the old dean would die, yet she had no way to stop it.

Beside her, Fat Fu’s eyes were red. He was crying uncontrollably, extremely heartbroken.

Su Ci turned her head and looked at Lu Zhe beside her.

The boy’s cold and stiff face held a heavy expression, making it impossible to see what he was thinking. The cold white light fell on his face, giving him an indescribable pallor.

Su Ci knew Lu Zhe was grieving.

Reaching out, her soft little hand slipped into his icy palm and held his hand.

She was here.

Fat Fu could no longer even cry properly. In the end, it was Lu Zhe who half-supported him back to the car.

Fat Fu leaned over the steering wheel and cried for quite a while again. Lu Zhe handed him tissues.

In such a still and quiet night, there was a sense of unspeakable loneliness and sorrow.

Su Ci sat quietly in the back seat, thinking about whether, when she died before transmigrating into this book, anyone had cried for her or felt this sad for her.

– – – ˗ˋˏ♡ˎˊ˗ – – –

Considering that it was already very late and the children and staff at the orphanage were asleep, it was not good to disturb them. Fat Fu found a small hotel closest to the orphanage.

The hotel only had a few floors and was quite simple. The guests staying there were a mixed bunch. While checking in earlier, several drunk people had come and gone, and some had even stared at Su Ci, their eyes practically glued to her.

Lu Zhe checked the room carefully. After confirming there were no safety issues, he said to the girl, “Sleep. I’m right across the hall. If anything happens, call me.”

Su Ci sat at the edge of the bed, tugging on his clothes. “Can I sleep with you?” The strange feeling in her body made her want to get close to him, cling to him.

Lu Zhe glanced at her faintly. “No.”

“Why?” Su Ci looked at him with pleading eyes. “It’s not like we haven’t slept together before.” She and Lu Zhe had slept together before, and it had been fine.

She trusted him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bother you,” Su Ci promised.

After all, last time she had acted mischievously and made Lu Zhe grit his teeth in hatred. Now that she knew Lu Zhe was in a bad mood, she would behave. She just wanted to simply sleep next to him.

Lu Zhe rejected her in a cold voice, “No.” He pulled his clothes out of her fingers. “Rest early.”

Lu Zhe left and even closed the door for her.

The room quieted down.

Watching Lu Zhe leave so ruthlessly, Su Ci froze. She deeply realized that her beauty was utterly worthless before Lu Zhe!

Su Ci lay on the bed. It felt like countless ants were crawling over her heart, unbearably itchy. The strange sensations in her body kept surging, and she wanted to do something—anything—to release it.

She turned over, helplessly closing her eyes.

After a long while, she impatiently rolled to the other side.

She couldn’t sleep.

Even though she had rushed around the whole day and was exhausted, she still couldn’t sleep.

Su Ci closed her eyes and started counting silently:

One Lu Zhe.

Two Lu Zhe.

Three Lu Zhe.

By the time she counted to one hundred Lu Zhes, the more she counted, the more she missed Lu Zhe.

Su Ci opened her eyes. She looked at the time—past three in the morning.

Ugh. For a girl who loved beauty like her, staying up late was equivalent to indulging in becoming ugly—her beauty collapsing.

That was a grave sin.

Su Ci got out of bed, put on the disposable slippers beside it, and directly opened the door to go find Lu Zhe.

The hotel corridor was empty, making the atmosphere unsettling.

Su Ci reached the door across the hall and pressed the doorbell without hesitation.

Barely ten seconds passed before the door opened.

As soon as Lu Zhe opened it, a slender figure slipped swiftly past him. By the time he turned to look, that figure had already kicked off the slippers and dived straight into his bed.

Lu Zhe: …

Su Ci poked her head out from under the covers. Her eyes glimmered as she looked at the boy by the door. “I was worried you were too sad to sleep, so I came to keep you company.”

She had only pressed the doorbell for a few seconds before he opened the door. He definitely hadn’t been asleep.

Lu Zhe: “No need.”

Su Ci blinked. “Then I can’t sleep. You keep me company.”

Lu Zhe thought of the girl’s clingy tricks from before, how she stepped on his bottom line and pushed him back step by step.

Lu Zhe’s tone was light. “Go back and sleep.”

Su Ci was extremely shameless. She immediately closed her eyes. “I left my room card inside. I can’t open the door.” She did it on purpose.

Then Su Ci added very thoughtfully, “It’s so late. Don’t go to the front desk. Let them rest.”

Lu Zhe gave her a deep look and closed the door.

Su Ci kept her eyes tightly shut. She heard the sound of the door closing. After a while, the space beside her sank. She knew Lu Zhe had lain down.

Her red lips secretly curled up.

She turned to the side and inched her body toward him, directly pressing close. The little rabbit in her heart stopped its frantic thumping. Su Ci comfortably rubbed her head against Lu Zhe’s chest.

Lu Zhe: “Su Ci!”

“Here.” Su Ci’s eyes remained closed. She yawned. “I’m sleepy.” Saying that, she stopped moving around and fell asleep leaning against Lu Zhe.

The room quietened.

Lu Zhe indeed had not slept since returning to his room. He had been recalling his past life in the orphanage. The old dean had been the only elder who showed him kindness as he grew up.

He was still drowning in his grief when Su Ci came.

With the girl leaning against his chest, it felt a little soft there.

Lu Zhe let out a low sigh. His hand rested on the girl’s waist. He slowly closed his eyes.

The next day, sunlight slipped into the room through the gap in the curtains.

When Su Ci woke up, it was already close to noon. The spot beside her was empty.

She blinked, clearing the sleepiness from her eyes. Lu Zhe hadn’t woken her?

After washing up, Su Ci changed her clothes and planned to go find something to eat.

As soon as she reached the lobby downstairs, the front desk staff called out to her.

Because Su Ci and Lu Zhe were both too striking, the staff recognized her instantly.

They told Su Ci that Lu Zhe had ordered breakfast for her and asked if she wanted it brought over now.

Su Ci felt that although Lu Zhe looked cold on the outside, he was always very considerate.

After eating, Su Ci returned to her room. She waited for Lu Zhe to come back.

Lu Zhe returned after lunch. Su Ci looked at the boy dressed in all black, his expression cold and severe. She could sense the grief lingering around him.

“Is everything settled?” Su Ci asked.

Lu Zhe: “Mm. We’ll go to the orphanage later. We’re going back to City D tonight.”

“Okay.”

Su Ci had only brought one set of clothes to change into and didn’t have any luggage. She finished packing quickly.

Fat Fu was checking out at the front desk. When Su Ci saw him, she noticed his eyes were swollen and bloodshot, clearly from crying for a long time.

His car was parked outside the hotel. After getting in, the atmosphere inside the car was heavy. No one showed any intention of speaking.

Su Ci and Lu Zhe sat in the back seat. She leaned close to him. Compared to last night, she felt as though the strange sensation in her body had disappeared?

The trip from the hotel to the orphanage wasn’t far—about ten minutes.

It was now afternoon. The children at the orphanage had already woken from their nap and were playing in the yard.

The staff were sorting through the old dean’s belongings, and Lu Zhe and Fat Fu went to help.

Su Ci didn’t follow. The children still remembered her. When they saw she had come again, they were overjoyed.

Children were the purest. They liked pretty things, and they liked pretty older sisters. They surrounded Su Ci, greeting her one by one.

The children were still young and did not understand what the old dean’s passing truly meant. The staff told them that the old dean had turned into a ray of sunlight, and when the sun rose, it was the old dean watching over them.

Among the little ones, Su Ci didn’t see the boy from last time—Zhen Tiancai.

“Where’s Tiancai?” Su Ci asked the children.

The same little boy in a red outfit told her, “Zhen Tiancai is in the room changing into new clothes. Later, his new dad and mom are coming to pick him up.”

Su Ci froze. Someone was adopting Zhen Tiancai?

Most adoptive parents preferred choosing healthy, lively children. But Zhen Tiancai was quiet and shy, and he had a heart condition. Most people were unwilling to adopt a child like that.

And now, a couple was willing to adopt him. She was genuinely happy for him and hoped he would live a happy life in the future.

Su Ci told the little ones to go play and not crowd around her. She had no experience with children—at most she coaxed little Su Ning, but Su Ning was obedient by nature and didn’t require much from her.

With so many children chirping around her, her head started to ache.

Feeling a bit bored, Su Ci walked over to the fenced area where the rabbit Lu Zhe had held last time was kept.

No matter how she looked at it, she felt this rabbit was ugly.

Its fur wasn’t as pure or smooth as hers, its body was round and chubby, completely unlike her—delicate and cute. Its red eyes weren’t bright or pretty like hers either.

So why had Lu Zhe held it before!

Inside the enclosure, the rabbit kept hopping, running around wildly, circling nonstop. Su Ci watched curiously. She felt this rabbit looked rather dumb.

“Bunny seems sick. These days it keeps making noises.” The little girl named Tutu stood beside Su Ci, her two small hands gripping the bamboo pole of the fence as she tiptoed to look inside.

“Sick?” Although Su Ci was half a rabbit, she didn’t actually know much about rabbits.

“I’ll check for you. Let’s see what’s wrong with the bunny.”

The little girl’s eyes lit up as she obediently waited for her older sister’s help.