Chapter 4: Will You Only Believe Me If I Die?

Bai Lu figured that medical staff were probably just as curious as anyone else, which was why they hadn’t driven the Shen family away. They let the three of them linger in the hospital corridor, witnessing this melodramatic spectacle for free.

Wu Liping said, “Xinluo, you’re still young. If you did something wrong out of jealousy, you can make amends. Luckily, Bai Lu is safe. As long as you sincerely apologize, she’ll surely forgive you. Don’t let things get out of hand!”

Wu Liping was hinting at Shen Xinluo that it wasn’t too late to apologize to Bai Lu. If this escalated further, even if the police had no evidence, Shen Xinluo’s reputation would be ruined—a true disaster.

Shen Xinluo, unable to defend herself, felt both aggrieved and desperate. “Dad, Mom, do you really need me to die before you’ll believe I’m innocent?”

Wu Liping hesitated. “Honey, maybe it really was Bai Lu slandering Xinluo, just to retaliate for Xinluo accidentally pushing her…”

Her daughter’s lack of remorse and her wife’s mindless favoritism infuriated Shen Yanghong so much that he nearly had a stroke.

Did they really think he was blind, unable to see how the two of them tormented Bai Lu all the time?

It was one thing for his daughter to be young and foolish, but Wu Liping should have known better!

How much could Xinluo make? How much more could Bai Lu earn? The family was drowning in gambling debts—Wu Liping knew that well. If Bai Lu died, their source of income would be cut off. Who would pay off those millions?

With so many people around, there were things Shen Yanghong couldn’t say aloud. He just gave his daughter a long look, then turned and left.

Even her parents didn’t believe her. Shen Xinluo looked around at the medical staff’s accusatory stares. Knowing the police would soon arrive and her reputation would be in tatters—both in the entertainment industry and in the eyes of the public—Shen Xinluo, overwhelmed by injustice and panic, suddenly hurled herself headlong into the wall.

Bang—

Shen Yanghong turned just in time to see his daughter’s body, light as a withered leaf, crumple to the floor. “Xinluo!”

Wu Liping let out a piercing scream, dropped to her knees, and cradled her daughter. “Xinluo, how could you be so foolish? If you had something to say, why not just say it—why did you have to seek death? Even if dying could clear your name, what would be the point? My poor child!”

Hidden under the covers, Bai Lu let out a cold laugh.

She hadn’t expected Shen Xinluo to try to prove her innocence with her own life, but Wu Liping’s reaction was even swifter—just a few words, and she’d already fixed the story: Bai Lu was slandering Xinluo, driving her to the point of suicide to defend her innocence.

Did they really think she’d let them get away with that?

Bai Lu dropped all pretense of fear.

She threw back the covers, knelt upright on her hospital bed, her gaze unwavering.

Those eyes, often praised by directors as being full of spirit, now seemed utterly dim.

Slowly, Bai Lu lifted her head and stared blankly at the ring of medical staff, pausing deliberately to give the unscrupulous paparazzi a perfect shot.

“Bai Lu… did not… lie.”

With each word, her body went rigid and then collapsed straight back onto the bed.

“Hurry! Emergency room!”

At the back of the crowd, a sneaky figure slipped away as quietly as he had come.

———

Bai Lu had a problem: if she got too upset, her vision would go dark and she’d break into a sweat. This had all been instilled by Shen Yanghong.

When she was a child actor, she was talented and spirited, but still just a little girl. Long, exhausting shoots often made her cry and fuss—it was only natural.

Like any child, the more the adults on set tried to coax her, the more she’d act out. All she really wanted was a nap; even adults struggled with filming for over a dozen hours.

That’s when Shen Yanghong would silently take her to the nanny van, cover her mouth and nose with a pillow, and hold it there until her eyes rolled back and she was truly suffocating. Only then would he let go.

A pillow left no marks.

After a few times, she learned to behave.

Want to sleep? Fine, but maybe you’ll never wake up again.

He didn’t need to do anything else—just a glance, and she’d grit her teeth and endure.

She’d stopped fearing Shen Yanghong long ago, but she hadn’t realized this trauma still haunted her, even after all these years. Now, with her body so weak, she’d simply passed out.

She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious, or whether Shen Xinluo had died from that collision.

If she had, it would be letting her off too easily.

“Ah! Bai Lu’s awake!”

Two nurses came in and, seeing Bai Lu’s bright, blinking eyes, nearly melted on the spot.

Bai Lu flashed them a sweet smile, revealing her tiny tiger teeth.

That grin was too adorable for the nurses to resist.

No wonder she’d filmed the same ice cream commercial from age seven to eighteen—every year they changed everything but the little deer.

Just like the line from the ad: I’ve eaten Cute Crunch since I was little!

She really was the very embodiment of the brand’s beloved mascot.

She cooperated obediently with their examination, and finally, Bai Lu was allowed to eat.

Warm, fragrant rice! So delicious!

And all her favorite dishes!

Shamelessly, Bai Lu thought, with food this perfectly suited to her tastes, perhaps the entire hospital was made up of her fans.

After her meal, Bai Lu wanted to go downstairs for some fresh air. The nurses offered to accompany her, but she refused.

“I’d like to be alone,” Bai Lu said.

Immediately, the nurses thought of yesterday’s events.

Say what you will, the Shen family had never truly treated Bai Lu as one of their own.

She’d been in a coma for over half a month, and though the Shen family visited daily, they never stayed more than ten minutes.

It was clear they weren’t there out of concern for Bai Lu—they just wanted to avoid negative press, to give the media and fans something to talk about.

Bai Lu was still young, unaware of such things. But her fans worried themselves sick, wishing she’d break ties with that parasitic family.

If only she’d see the truth about the Shen family this time, it would be for the best.

“Don’t wander too far, all right? Be back before Dr. Ye does his rounds.” The nurse wheeled her to the elevator and gave her a brief overview of the hospital.

In her previous life, Bai Lu had a friend who worked here, so she was quite familiar with this private hospital.

Her wheelchair rolled over the pebbled path as she mechanically turned the wheels, not noticing she’d strayed farther and farther from the main road.

She needed time to organize her memories.

Eighteen years old—it had been a full decade since her rebirth.

Many memories had faded; even the dates of several important events were becoming unclear.

When she finally looked up and saw the glass conservatory glowing with warm light, she paused, then smiled softly.

In her past life, she’d often heard her acquaintance boast about this glasshouse.

Now she wanted to see for herself if it was truly as magical as rumored—more enchanting than Wonderland.

With determination, she spun her chair energetically toward the conservatory.

And her friend hadn’t exaggerated.

Wheeling herself inside, Bai Lu was utterly captivated by a scene that seemed torn from the pages of a fairy tale.

“…Are you insane? There are people out there who want you dead—come back!”

“Get lost! Anyone who tries to stop me dies!”

Suddenly, a furious shout startled Bai Lu.

Before she could react, a cacophony of crashing noises followed.

She looked over to see two men sprawled among broken pots and scattered soil, a fallen wheelchair not far away.

She froze.

It seemed the two men had been quarreling, knocking over a shelf and its potted plants, both ending up on the ground.

One man wore black, the other white.

The one in white hurriedly helped the man in black back into his wheelchair, but the latter thrashed his arms wildly, roaring in rage, “Whoever tries to stop me today dies!”

“Calm down, I’m not trying to stop you—” the man in white began.

“Shut up!” The man in black shot a murderous glare in Bai Lu’s direction. “Someone’s eavesdropping!”