The mind-reading fake heiress changes her fate by eating melons.

After hearing this, An Jun asked Tu Lan with some concern, "What happened to your family back then?"

"It's nothing, it's all in the past," Tu Lan changed the subject.

Although Tu Lan was unwilling to say it, An Jun could actually guess a bit about it.

Based on the timeline, the period when An Yun was rescued should have coincided with the time when Tu Lan was taken from her hometown to Haicheng.

[It was truly a cruel coincidence. Tu Lan's grandfather, knowing his health was failing, had long planned to entrust Tu Lan to his second son. That day, Tu Lan was crossing the mountain to go home to get medical expenses when Tu Hong happened to return as well.]

Tu Lan's grandfather passed away that afternoon. After burying his father, Tu Hong'an took Tu Lan back to Haicheng, which conveniently coincided with the An family's search for someone in Huailin Town.

Tu Lan is currently devoting all her energy to the education industry and simply doesn't have the time or energy to follow entertainment news, so she naturally doesn't know that An Yun has been looking for her.

“Oh, right,” Tu Lan suddenly became a little flustered. She looked at An Jun apologetically, “There’s something I need to apologize to you for. I originally planned to return the jade pendant you gave me when your family came to pick you up, but not only did I not manage to return it, I also lost it.”

An Yun shook her head. "That was already yours. Even if you lost it, there's no need for you to apologize to me."

Then, he took out the jade pendant he had taken back from Tu Mumu last time and handed it back to Tu Lan.

"And I've also found the jade pendant, so it can now be returned to its rightful owner."

Tu Lan was clearly surprised. She didn't take the jade pendant, but tentatively asked:

"How come you...you know Tu Mumu?"

This time it was An Yun's turn to apologize. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Tu Lan, and really looked like a student who had made a mistake in front of the teacher.

"I'm sorry, I... I mistook her for you."

Although Tu Lan didn't know exactly what had happened, judging from An Yun's appearance and her limited understanding of Tu Mumu, she knew that something unpleasant must have happened.

The reason An Yun was able to find him this time is probably related to this matter.

"I'm so sorry," An Yun continued apologizing, finally voicing the thoughts that had been nagging at him. "If only I had found you sooner, you wouldn't have been bullied by Tu Mumu's family, kicked out by Ye Lishan, and wouldn't have had such a hard life..."

"Why apologize?" Tu Lan interrupted An Yun, who was still blaming herself, with a puzzled look.

An Yun paused for a moment, not understanding what Tu Lan meant.

Shouldn't he apologize?

If he had found Tu Lan the day he was rescued, she wouldn't have had to suffer the bullying from Ye Lishan and her family.

Settling down here would ensure she never has to worry about food or clothing, provide her with the best schools, and give her more choices, instead of having to return to this remote town.

"This is my own life, and it has nothing to do with you. Why are you acting like you're responsible for my life?"

Tu Lan said this in a very matter-of-fact manner, which stunned An Yun and An Ling.

Perhaps because they had witnessed Ye Lishan and Tu Mumu repeatedly using false identities to morally blackmail An Yun, Tu Lan's calm demeanor now was so different from that of the mother and daughter that they were momentarily at a loss for how to react.

“But you saved me, of course I have to repay you,” An Jun thought for a long time and could only come up with this answer. “It’s only natural.”

“But saving you was my own choice. I didn’t save you for anything in return,” Tu Lan said calmly. “So you don’t need to blame yourself for this, nor do you need to feel sorry for me. My life is my own story.”

[Shock...]

I feel as if my soul has been cleansed.

[Sister, sister... Teacher Tu Lan, please be my sister. You know I was born without a sister...]

An Yun was completely speechless at An Ling's antics; how could she still spout such frivolous things at a time like this?

“But I really want to do something for you,” An Jun said anxiously. “If you like being a teacher, I can help you transfer to the best school in Haicheng, where you will have better opportunities and more choices…”

As An Yun spoke, her voice gradually softened.

Because he saw Tu Lan looking at him with the same eyes one would give a student who didn't know any better, he couldn't say anything more.

Tu Lan just smiled helplessly at him and asked in return:

Why do you feel that this isn't my choice?

"Is it because this place is remote and has poor educational resources that working at a better school is the only option?"

“No,” Tu Lan answered herself. “Returning to Huailin Town was my choice. It is because I have seen a wider world that I know how difficult it is for children to leave here, so I want to come back and help them.”

After hearing these words, An Jun was even more shocked than before.

Even though Tu Lan spoke in a gentle tone and with a soft voice, he felt that every word was deafening and every syllable weighed down on him, making him feel ashamed.

"I'm sorry," he could say nothing more than apologize, "I was too narrow-minded."

Tu Lan smiled and shook her head. "I told you you don't need to apologize to me. Besides, you've already repaid me."

“An Yun, An Ling,” Tu Lan repeated their names, then said with certainty, “You are from the An family, right?”

“When I was in high school, I couldn’t afford the tuition and living expenses because I didn’t have a guardian. I was planning to drop out of school and go to work. My homeroom teacher paid my tuition in advance and later helped me apply for a corporate scholarship from Anshi specifically for students in Huailin Town.”

At the time, I didn't understand why such a coincidence would happen, but now it seems it must be related to you.

Tu Lan is a very smart person, but she didn't know the name of the person she saved before, and she had never thought about it in this way. Now that everything is connected, the truth is obvious.

"You see, this world is so amazing. Although I did save you, I also saved myself because of it."

Tu Lan comforted An Yun:

"So you really don't need to feel sorry for me or owe me anything. I'm doing very well now and I'm doing what I truly want to fight for for the rest of my life."

After hearing these words, An Yun suddenly felt that all her previous imagination and descriptions of Tu Lan were so pale and insignificant compared to the real her.

And that narrow-minded self, who thought the other person needed his rescue, appeared so small and arrogant in front of her.