Return to before death

As Yan Ran walked out of the main family compound, she breathed a sigh of relief. So many years of entanglement had come to an end.

There's a saying that goes, "The deeper the love, the deeper the hate."

She loved Zongzheng Qing so much that she was willing to give up herself. When she learned the truth, she forced herself to remain calm and kept telling herself that everything was alright and that it was all in the past.

But at night, she still couldn't control her tears.

And her uncle, who made her feel warm in this home, always helped her silently behind the scenes. She really owed him so much, so much that she could never repay him.

All her emotions were hidden beneath her smiling face. Since when did she learn to pretend, just like those businessmen, wearing a fake smile?

Yan Ran was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the pebbles under her feet and fell uncontrollably to the ground.

"boom!"

The sound wasn't from her falling to the ground; a gunshot rang out the instant she tripped over the pebble, the powerful impact grazing her cheek and drawing blood.

"Foolish woman, didn't I tell you not to be alone? You ran into me this time, but what if you're alone next time? Who can save you?"

Sheng Xuanling's annoying voice came to Yan Ran's ears. If it weren't for the real warmth coming from her body, she would have thought she was hallucinating.

Pah! Even if I'm hallucinating, it couldn't be this bastard!

Yan Ran snapped out of her daze and reached out to push Sheng Xuanling away, but unexpectedly lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Silly woman!" In the end, she was still pulled into that embrace. It wasn't as cold as she had imagined; instead, it was a warmth that seeped into her heart.

She never imagined that his seemingly cold and indifferent embrace could be so warm.

"I said, have you had enough of being a lovesick fool? Even if you admire me, that's no excuse for you to stay in my arms and refuse to get up." Sheng Xuanling snorted coldly, his sharp words just as provocative as he was.

"Who's in love with you!"

Yan Ran straightened up and glared at him fiercely. "What are you doing here? This is the Zong family's gate. You didn't happen to be looking for Zong Zhengqing, did you? Well, unfortunately, he's not here."

Yan Ran casually glanced at Sheng Xuanling. He was wearing a black suit jacket and a tie, standard attire for receiving guests. And he just happened to appear at the Zong family's door. She couldn't find any other reason besides that explanation.

"Would you believe me if I said I came here specifically to see you?" Sheng Xuanling looked at her with a smile in his eyes, his gaze filled with a sweet tenderness.

But it had no effect on her.

Over the years, Zongzheng Qing had always used gentleness to attack her, and she had long since become immune to it. She never expected that in the end...

She laughed self-deprecatingly. She thought to herself, how could someone like Zong Zhengqing be interested in a woman like her who has neither a good figure nor wealth? The only thing she has that's acceptable is her face.

She didn't believe that he just happened to be attracted to her face.

"I don't believe it." The answer came without hesitation, her face as indifferent as ever.

"It's heartbreaking. If I hadn't come all this way to save you, you might be dead by now. Is this how you treat your benefactor?" Sheng Xuanling pretended to be hurt and looked at her pitifully.

Since gentle tactics didn't work, he tried a different approach and unexpectedly found the little woman in front of him quite amusing.

Yan Ran's body trembled involuntarily. "President Sheng, what about the most basic trust between people? If you keep acting like this, I'm getting goosebumps."

She looked at Sheng Xuanling with disdain, whose expression changed in an instant, and silently counted down in her mind.

3!

2!

1!

As expected, when he counted to the last number, he reverted to his usual indifference.

"I was just discussing a collaboration nearby and happened to see you here alone, so I was going to come over and say hello. I didn't expect to end up saving you by chance," Sheng Xuanling explained indifferently, making the whole story clear in just one sentence.

As expected, important people are different; they can organize the information in their minds so quickly.

"You didn't save me, did you? I think it was an inconspicuous pebble on the roadside that saved my life." Yan Ran rolled her eyes and blurted out the truth without hesitation, pretending to look down at the pebble on the ground. "Let me look for it. I still need to thank you properly."

She emphasized the last sentence especially.

The implication is that the mighty Shengxuanling is not even as good as an inconspicuous pebble on the roadside.

Sheng Xuanling calmly kicked the pebble she was standing on far away.

This woman is really ungrateful, but her actions are unexpectedly cute.

Sheng Xuanling stood to the side, watching her actions with amusement. He had already observed that apart from the pebble he had just kicked away, there were no other pebbles here. He wanted to see how this woman would save face.

"How did they suddenly disappear when they were just here? It seems good people always do things anonymously." Yan Ran searched for a long time but couldn't find them, so she simply gave up, but she still couldn't resist teasing Sheng Xuanling.

He underestimated her shamelessness.

"Hiss!" When Yan Ran raised her head, her hair accidentally brushed against the wound on her face, causing her to gasp in pain.

She was so focused on arguing with Sheng Xuanling that she completely forgot about the wound on her face, and now that she thought about it, she didn't realize how much it hurt.

She reached out and gently touched the wound on her face, her fingers stained with a little blood.

"Did you see who that person was? He even has a gun, so he's definitely not an ordinary person." She had once seen Zong Zhengqing with a gun, which he had hidden in his suit pocket.

Possessing firearms is an extremely dangerous thing. Ever since he saw her that time, he has kept everything to himself. Although he had doubts, he never asked her about it.

Those who can wield guns are either involved in organized crime or are extremely powerful and wealthy; neither of these is someone to be trifled with.

After thinking it over and over, she still didn't know who she had offended.

"It seems you not only have a low IQ but also a bad memory. I reminded you a few days ago, and you forgot so quickly. Can you be any dumber?" Having finally found a chance to turn the tables, Sheng Xuanling naturally didn't hold back in her sarcasm.

Even though the two were far apart, they could smell the gunpowder in the air. A war to be won with words was about to begin.

Did I remind her a few days ago?

Yan Ran recalled the last time they met, at a press conference!

Did they say anything else besides arguing that time? A blank look appeared in her eyes, then she remembered what he had reminded her of when it ended.

Damn it! How could she forget something so important!

I've been so preoccupied with Zhang Xinyi's situation lately that I completely forgot about the kidnapper.

Fortunately, Sheng Xuanling caught them this time, along with the mysteriously disappeared pebble; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

She might not be so lucky next time.