Chapter Seventeen: The True and False Heiress

Gu Mingxu stood at the doorway, his steps heavy and reluctant.

He simply didn’t have the courage to push the door open.

Scenes from their past together played relentlessly in his mind like a film reel.

Such sincere feelings—how could they have been fake?

Why did she no longer want him?

He reached out his hand, but in the end, did not open the door.

Turning around, he fled like a man running from himself.

Mu Jinnian observed this scene quietly, sighing deeply without a word.

“Are you really going to marry Gu Mingxu? But you clearly don’t like him!”

At last, he voiced what he had long kept in his heart.

“If you’re truly going to get married, why can’t it be me instead?”

Why did it have to be Gu Mingxu?

“Only he will do,” Hua Ying said stubbornly.

Since she was the antagonist, it was only fitting that she fight the original heroine for the original male lead.

Xiao Hong had told her that as the villain, her mission was to gather favorability points from different people to redeem herself.

She was quite curious to see what would happen if she continued down the villain’s path without turning back.

Mu Jinnian’s heart felt uneasy.

He had thought he meant something special to her.

But it turned out Gu Mingxu was her one and only.

He still remembered the first time he saw Hua Ying—bathed in sunlight, she looked like a goddess.

She made his long-dormant heart beat once more.

Unable to hold back, he finally asked aloud, “Why only him? Is it because he’s Bai Jinwei’s fiancé?”

“Do you think he belongs to you?” he added.

Though the explanation was somewhat far-fetched, Mu Jinnian knew that with Hua Ying’s way of thinking, it was plausible.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Hua Ying’s expression said it all.

Was it really such an absurd reason?

He only felt amused.

Following her train of thought, he asked, “But he’s engaged to Bai Jinwei—it’s not a political marriage between families, so he doesn’t really belong to you.”

“In the future, everyone will know he’s your fiancé. You’ll be connected to him in every way, and when others mention him, they’ll think of you.”

“Do you really want that?”

Hua Ying had never considered this before.

Thinking of Gu Mingxu in her memories, disdain flickered in her eyes.

Mu Jinnian pressed on, “Moreover, this connection means you’ll have to deal with him and the Gu family behind him. Don’t you find that troublesome?”

“An engagement isn’t just a title adding a fiancé,” he said, looking at Hua Ying expectantly, silently waiting for her answer.

“Is it really that complicated?” Hua Ying asked Xiao Hong inwardly.

“Isn’t Gu Mingxu Bai Jinwei’s fiancé? Shouldn’t she be stopping this engagement, thinking I’m stealing her fiancé?”

“How high is Bai Jinwei’s favorability now?”

---

“Eighty-five,” Xiao Hong replied.

That was quite a high number.

Hua Ying frowned—why wasn’t this going as she had expected?

“Then let’s not get engaged,” she suddenly said.

Mu Jinnian was overjoyed by her words.

She wanted to be the villain, to snatch Bai Jinwei’s possessions.

But now it seemed she hadn’t done anything right after all her efforts.

A wave of helplessness surged from his heart.

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Tell me everyone’s favorability scores.”

“Bai’s mother is highest at ninety, Bai’s father and Bai Jinwei are both the same, Xue Wei and the children you once saved are mostly between seventy and eighty. The points have now reached a hundred.”

Xiao Hong chuckled softly; she planned to save up a bit more before changing her own name.

“What about Mu Jinnian?” Hua Ying raised an eyebrow, glancing at him.

He was puzzled but smiled in response.

“Him?” Xiao Hong’s smile faltered.

She sighed, “I don’t know. His favorability doesn’t appear on the mainframe. Not sure if it’s a bug.”

How interesting!

Could he be some ultimate big villain himself?

Really fascinating!

Hua Ying’s interest was piqued; her eyes sparkled as she looked at Mu Jinnian.

Even though she knew her gaze was meaningless to him, Mu Jinnian’s heart couldn’t help but race.

He stammered, “What are you looking at?”

“Do you like me?” Hua Ying asked directly, taking a few steps closer, closing the distance.

Mu Jinnian was stunned by the question, avoiding her gaze.

But there was nowhere to hide; he was cornered.

As he tried to sidestep, Hua Ying pinned him against the wall with her arm.

“Oh, is this what I get to see? Is this the so-called wall slam?” Xiao Hong, perched on Hua Ying’s shoulder, swung her legs leisurely.

She thought to herself, “If only there were some sunflower seeds to snack on.”

“What... what do you want to do?” Mu Jinnian’s panic was obvious.

“You haven’t answered my question,” Hua Ying pressed impatiently.

She wanted to know what the person before her truly felt deep inside.

Was his favorability rising as sharply as with the others?

Her eyes were so pure, untouched by any impurity.

As if any emotion would be a desecration to her.

Mu Jinnian paused, his mind racing.

Only one question remained: Did he like Hua Ying?

---

He couldn’t bring himself to deny it.

But to admit it...

He studied the girl before him; his heart felt gripped as if by invisible hands, making it hard to breathe.

He had never liked a girl before and didn’t know what liking someone was like.

The only certainty was that she was different to him.

Taking a deep breath, he finally mustered the courage and nodded.

Nervously staring at Hua Ying’s face, an inexplicable hope blossomed within him.

But her response was a calm, indifferent “Oh,” before she turned and returned to her original spot, silently pondering.

Was she really that calm?

Though Mu Jinnian had yet to sort out his feelings, he felt a profound disappointment.

He stepped forward tentatively, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Say what?” Hua Ying looked puzzled.

“I already have the answer I wanted.”

“I like you. What do you think?” Mu Jinnian blushed, unable to meet her eyes.

His nervous heartbeat sounded loud and clear in the quiet room.

Like a drumbeat.

Hua Ying gave another quiet “Oh,” expression serene.

It made Mu Jinnian feel he had been too tense.

Finally, he gave a bitter smile.

What exactly had he been expecting?

Clearly, Hua Ying was rather slow to grasp such feelings.

Probably she hadn’t yet understood what love was.

Gathering his emotions, he half-crouched and looked directly into her eyes.

“Why did you ask me that just now?”

“Curiosity,” Hua Ying answered honestly.

“You, Bai Jinwei, Xue Wei, and my parents all seem to like me.”

“My parents love me because we share blood. But why do you and Bai Jinwei feel that way?”

Shouldn’t Bai Jinwei hate her for coming back and stealing her parents’ love?

Was Mu Jinnian before her simply fond of her because she had helped him?

Hua Ying thought this and voiced the doubt in her heart.

She truly couldn’t understand.

“Of course, it’s because you’re wonderful,” Mu Jinnian answered confidently.

He was certain that anyone who got to know Hua Ying would like her.

“Me, wonderful?”

For the first time, disbelief flashed across Hua Ying’s face.

How could she be wonderful?