Chapter 15: Ruined Home and Lost Lives

An hour earlier, Lu Mingyue finally shook off the rocking of the ship.

The moment her feet touched solid ground, she felt her heartbeat settle.

“Drink some water; it’ll make you feel better,” Huo Zheng said, gently patting her back.

Lu Mingyue had been vomiting on the boat for a while, her stomach churning with acid. Clutching the water bottle, she took some time to recover.

“Have some fruit to soothe your stomach,” Huo Zheng offered, handing her a piece of hawthorn cake he had bought at the dock’s ticket office.

Surprisingly, Lu Mingyue hadn’t felt seasick during the whole journey, only becoming ill as they neared their destination.

After eating the hawthorn cake, she finally felt revived.

Still unsteady on her feet, she had to lean on Huo Zheng’s arm as they walked.

Seeing her pale face, Huo Zheng felt a pang of guilt.

He had arranged for Qin Lie in advance, and soon they spotted the man leaning against a car, waiting.

Upon seeing Huo Zheng, Qin Lie’s face brightened with joy, waving enthusiastically. “Old Huo! Old Huo!”

Qin Lie stepped forward briskly. “So this is the sister-in-law?”

Lu Mingyue forced a smile. “Hello, I’m Lu Mingyue.”

“Seasick, huh? You look awful,” Qin Lie said bluntly, always speaking his mind. Seeing her pale complexion, seasickness was the most likely cause—surely not because Huo Zheng had upset her.

[So this is Qin Lie. System, aren’t we supposed to be on a cannon fodder route? Why is there so much detail about side characters?]

System: [Not much, not much. Our story develops gradually over time; it might even become a main plot.]

[Wow, that’s advanced! Does that mean I still have a chance to be the heroine?]

System excitedly: [Absolutely!]

Qin Lie looked up at the bright sun, feeling dizzy.

His expression shifted from happiness to confusion, then to bewilderment, before he struggled to compose himself and looked at Lu Mingyue with suspicion.

Huo Zheng glanced sideways and nodded in greeting.

Though puzzled, Qin Lie extended his hand according to his brother’s wishes. “Hello, sister-in-law. Welcome to Shashi Island. I’m Qin Lie.”

Lu Mingyue came back to herself. “Hello.”

“Let’s head back. It’s about ten minutes to the residential compound. You can rest on the way.”

Huo Zheng said softly to Lu Mingyue.

She nodded. After stepping onto the island and feeling the solid earth beneath her feet, the dizziness eased, and she had enough energy to inquire about Qin Lie.

[System, if I recall correctly, Qin Lie and Huo Zheng are as close as brothers.]

System quickly responded: [Yes, and speaking of Qin Lie, he’s quite a tragic figure.]

Lu Mingyue: [Heh, in your mouth, who isn’t tragic?]

System puffed up like a blowfish: [Do you want to know what happens next or not?!]

Lu Mingyue looked at Qin Lie’s retreating figure and said faintly: [Not really.]

After all, he was a minor character unrelated to her, so it didn’t matter.

She didn’t notice that after her refusal, the figure ahead stiffened, and the car veered slightly on the straight road.

Fortunately, it soon corrected itself, and Lu Mingyue glanced over without much thought.

The system was anxious. Why wasn’t the host playing along? In such a situation, shouldn’t she be begging to know more?

[Are you really not interested?]

[Not at all. If you don’t want to say, why force it?]

Lu Mingyue had no habit of indulging others.

The system raised a white flag in surrender; after all, it was a system that adored its host.

It quickly flipped through the storyline, found Qin Lie’s segment, and skimmed it in a flash before exclaiming: [Host, it’s fantastic!]

[Speak quickly, spit it out!]

The system whimpered; the host no longer loved it. Could it take back its words?

[Alright! Qin Lie’s story is tragic: shortly after his child’s birth, the baby was switched. The couple was kept in the dark while raising their enemy’s child. When the child was recognized by his biological father, they teamed up to destroy the Qin family, leading to its downfall.]

Qin Lie slammed on the brakes suddenly. Lu Mingyue, sitting in the back, was caught off guard and nearly flew forward.

Fortunately, Huo Zheng’s quick reflexes saved her, averting disaster.

Qin Lie felt as if plunged into an icy abyss. Though the sun shone brightly outside, a cold sweat broke out across his back.

He stared at the sun, wondering if the heat had made him lose his mind.

He glanced at his close friend. Their long-standing tacit understanding meant that just a look could convey volumes.

Huo Zheng subtly shook his head—this wasn’t the place to talk.

Qin Lie swallowed hard. “Sister-in-law, are you alright? Something ran across the road, and I panicked and braked suddenly.”

Lu Mingyue shook her head. “I’m fine.”

The sudden stop had thrown her forward, her nose nearly hitting the back of the front seat.

Had it been any more severe, her face might have been marred.

Hearing about the child being switched made Qin Lie lose control. He was desperate to know if Lu Mingyue’s words were true.

“That’s good. Don’t worry, sister-in-law. I will make sure you get safely to the compound.”

He hadn’t said this, but now that he did, Lu Mingyue felt even less secure, clutching her small bundle tightly, her face tense with disbelief.

Qin Lie thought, No, this really was an accident—he’s good at driving!

Now wasn’t the time to argue. He restarted the car and continued.

Lu Mingyue closed her eyes to rest, actually chatting with the system.

[All these years, didn’t the couple notice anything strange?]

[Of course not. Qin Lie’s wife realized a year ago that the child wasn’t theirs. With a mother’s intuition, she barely convinced herself otherwise, but later things didn’t add up…]

Hmm?

Why did it go silent?

Huo Zheng looked down and saw Lu Mingyue had fallen asleep against the car window.

Qin Lie felt as if he were being roasted alive, restless and anxious.

He wanted to hear more but was abruptly cut off, his heart suspended in uncertainty, caught between wanting to know and fearing the truth.

Through the rearview mirror, Huo Zheng saw Qin Lie’s hesitant expression.

Glancing at the sleeping Lu Mingyue, he whispered, “We’ll talk after we get off.”

The car soon arrived at the residential compound. The Huo family’s houses were near the coastline, a bit far from the main gate.

Qin Lie parked and walked back with Huo Zheng, carrying their belongings.

Lu Mingyue clutched her small bundle tightly, following them, constantly observing the compound.

Most houses were detached bungalows, with some living in the row houses at the rear.

All vacant spaces beside the roads had been turned into small vegetable gardens.

It was the season of rapid growth; she tiptoed to peek inside, seeing several pumpkins hanging on the vines.

Nearby stood various fruit trees and vegetables, a scene full of vitality.

Apparently, Shashi Island wasn’t so bad after all.

“…Really brings bad luck to Comrade Huo…”

The words drifted into the ears of the three.