Chapter 8: It Actually Self-Destructed?
Bai Lu knew Shen Xinluo’s ways all too well. Instead of returning straight to her hospital room after exiting the elevator, she made her way to the nurses’ station.
“Nurse Auntie, which room is my sister in? Xiaolu is worried about her and wants to visit.”
Seeing Bai Xiaolu leaning over the desk, her large eyes fluttering, the nurse’s heart melted. “She’s in 308, right next door to your room in 307.”
“Okay, Xiaolu understands.” Bai Lu nodded, but lingered shyly, reluctant to leave.
The nurse smiled, “Would you like Auntie to go with you, Xiaolu?”
Bai Lu nodded gently, biting her lip. “Mm… Sister is definitely angry, Mom is angry too, Xiaolu is scared…”
Privately, the nurses often gossiped about Bai Lu’s situation, and their attitudes were surprisingly unanimous: they were all indignant on her behalf.
It was one thing for Dr. Ye, a devoted fan, to favor Bai Lu—everyone accepted that. But not everyone was blind! Who didn’t know about Bai Lu, the nation’s sweetheart?
She’d grown up in an orphanage, adopted at age six by Director Shen, and soon after, appeared in an ice cream commercial that made her famous across the country.
Over the years, she’d filmed countless commercials and TV dramas. Even those who weren’t fans knew she barely rested during the year, always working, rarely attending school. Her presence was everywhere—she featured in nearly every drama.
No one could blame people for questioning Director Shen and his wife’s motives. Of so many orphans, why only adopt Bai Lu? Wasn’t it because she was spirited and adorable, perfect to become a child star and money-maker for the Shen family?
Such a grueling workload would exhaust any adult, let alone a child! It was hard not to suspect Director Shen and his wife of ulterior motives.
And everything Dr. Ye said was true. Shen Xinluo could never surpass Bai Lu—how could she not be jealous of her?
Poor Xiaolu, bearing so much wrong and bullying, yet still treading carefully to please the Shen family.
The Shens—what monsters!
The nurse’s brow furrowed as she took Bai Lu’s hand. “Don’t be afraid, Auntie will go with you!”
With her witness—no, with the nurse auntie—Bai Lu arrived at the door of Shen Xinluo’s hospital room.
It was quiet inside; Bai Lu hesitated.
That was odd. Knowing Shen Xinluo’s temperament, she should be making a scene, gnashing her teeth and cursing her to a miserable end.
How strange today was.
The nurse assumed Bai Lu was too afraid to enter and promptly pushed open the door.
In the tycoon’s private hospital, the facilities were nothing short of luxurious. The room was more like a suite in a five-star hotel.
The living room was empty.
“Mom!” Shen Xinluo’s shrill cry rang out clearly from the bedroom.
Bai Lu pretended to be startled, hiding behind the nurse, while secretly laughing.
Oh, Shen Xinluo, you never disappoint me! Such a good child!
“If you trust me, why do you still want me to apologize to Bai Lu?! If I apologize, doesn’t that confirm my guilt?”
Compared to Shen Xinluo’s agitation, Wu Liping’s voice was chillingly calm.
“Whether you apologize or not, your guilt is already confirmed. Did you see the looks from the doctors and nurses who changed your dressing today? You should understand—no one believes you. Even if you died, no one would believe you. And you’re not dead yet.”
“Mom! You—”
“Enough! I’m having you apologize to Bai Lu to save you, not to harm you.”
“But… it’s so humiliating. I have to lower myself to Bai Lu…”
“Would you rather be humiliated or lose your reputation and end your acting career?”
The nurse quickly turned to look at Bai Lu, her expression complicated.
Bai Lu pressed her lips together, her eyes rimmed with red.
Inside, Wu Liping’s voice, with its familiar laziness and contempt, reached Bai Lu’s ears.
“Though Bai Lu is clever and perceptive, as an orphan she craves affection too much. No matter how badly she’s treated, as long as she’s given the slightest warmth, she’ll obediently return, willing to continue being our golden goose for the Shen family’s pleasure.”
“But this time is different!”
Wu Liping’s face darkened. “How is it different?”
“This time, I almost got her killed…”
Her voice faltered, growing smaller with guilt.
Wu Liping sneered coldly. “Almost killed? It’s not the first time. When she was little and disobedient, you know how your father dealt with her. He’d use a pillow, let her truly feel death. A dozen times? Twenty? He’s lost count.”
“And when she was twelve, her old habits flared up and she refused to act. Your father nearly smothered her with a pillow. Her heart stopped from asphyxiation—she was only saved by emergency defibrillation in the ER.”
“At fifteen, she upset you over a dress. I, in a fit of anger, kicked her down the stairs. She suffered a concussion and broken ribs that nearly pierced her lung. Didn’t the doctor say she was lucky to survive?”
“The year before last, Bai Lu deliberately refused to help you get a role, and you cried incessantly after her scenes were done. Your father, furious, denied her food for a week. When she was taken to the hospital, didn’t the doctor also say she almost died?”
Wu Liping’s tone was scornful. “What’s different? After so much, she’ll have to get used to it.”
The nurse was trembling with rage.
Bai Lu herself was stunned.
She had only intended to bring a witness to hear Shen Xinluo’s verbal abuse, so that when the tables turned, these doctors and nurses would remember how Shen Xinluo had wished her dead.
She never expected Shen Xinluo and Wu Liping would just… confess everything!
Inside, still unaware of anyone outside, Wu Liping went on, “At the end of the day, Bai Lu is just a wretched orphan. Xinluo, all you need to do is lower yourself a little, shed a few tears, apologize, and Bai Lu will not only forgive you but continue to grovel at our feet, wagging her tail like a dog.”
The nurse was beside herself with fury, rolling up her sleeves as if to storm in and tear Wu Liping’s hair out. Bai Lu, feigning frightened sobs, used all her strength to hold her back.
Not yet. Let’s hear more!
Who knows what else Wu Liping might reveal?
The nurse turned around, hugging her protectively. “Don’t be afraid, Xiaolu. You’ve suffered so much.”
The exchange between the Shen mother and daughter didn’t trouble Bai Lu’s heart. Instead, it was the nurse’s warm embrace that made her nose sting with emotion.
In her past life, there were countless fans like this nurse who cared for her, but she had let them down and left them disheartened.
She’d grown tired of life in the spotlight, stopped explaining herself, and staged a scene that landed her in a psychiatric hospital. But she hadn’t thought of those devoted fans who loved her so deeply.
Bai Lu clung to the nurse, hearing her quiet sobs, her heart filled with guilt.
In her previous life, she had no desire for fame, truly living a “Buddhist” existence—uncompetitive, indifferent.
After her rebirth, she still lacked ambition, feeling that she had already achieved all there was as an actress by winning Best Actress in her past life. All she wanted now was to avenge herself and acknowledge her real father.
No!
She could not let down those who loved her so deeply!
Everything she had, she must protect!
In this moment, a tremendous change stirred within the reborn Bai Lu.
Deep inside, a grand plan began to quietly take root.