Chapter 39: Debts Owed

Ning Qier was not surprised at all, and he offered an explanation.

"You were very..." He paused for a few seconds, searching for the right adjective. "Very lively. You didn't need my help at all."

"The closer I got to you, the more I realized they weren't the type to bully classmates. Besides, you had the ability to protect yourself; I still remember the things you said back then very clearly."

Having been in such situations too many times, Yu Zhi didn't recall exactly what she had said, so she gave him a puzzled look.

"You said that you were the only one whose parents chose to raise you because they truly loved you, while everyone else was only being raised because their mothers had gotten pregnant and had no choice but to give birth. I was very surprised by that statement at the time. It had a profound impact on me, so much so that I chose a different path."

Yu Zhi naturally remembered those words. The very fact that she could say such things proved that she had been spoiled rotten.

In truth, she had been panicked at the time.

No one can maintain their sense of self amidst constant suppression unless someone is there to indulge them.

Under the pressure of her parents, Ms. Xu had been forced to transfer her and Chen Xingyue to a new school. The spoiled, willful young miss had brought earth-shattering changes to her life, and what Ning Qier had heard was what she said after she had beaten those people into submission.

Her words had been tough, but inside, she was filled with insecurity.

She had no parents.

The memory ended abruptly. Ning Qier had only provided the premise for why he acted that way, without elaborating on the details.

In the confined space, Ning Qier told Yu Zhi about the secret he had kept for so many years with caution and restraint.

"When I first met him, he turned and left. I realized then that he had known of my existence for a long time."

"..."

As time ticked by, Yu Zhi silently summarized the information in her mind.

The one she interacted with she called "Number One," and the one she hadn't was "Number Two."

Number One had repeatedly pestered Number Two, and the result was that after they teamed up to drive away a group of bullies, they finally had the chance to sit down and talk.

After hearing what Number One had to say, Number Two discovered that his life wasn't much better.

A father obsessed with philandering and a mother with a pathological need for control. His life at home was even worse than his own.

Young people always have a strange sense of equilibrium.

The two had been interacting in secret for a long time, until his mother discovered he was in contact with him, and the sparks of war were instantly ignited.

Grandfather Zhou, unable to bear the way they kept tormenting the children, finally stepped in and disciplined Mother Zhou.

The two then began their "exchange plan."

However, through this opportunity, Number Two won the chance to stand on the starting line alongside Number One.

How unfair, Yu Zhi thought. The unfairness she had suffered stemmed from blood relations, but what about "Number Two"? What was his reason? What was the purpose of "Number One" doing this?

"Why did you two come up with this plan?"

Having spoken of this great matter that had been buried in his heart, Ning Qier felt a sense of relief. "At first, we just wanted to experience each other's lives. Later on..."

Both sides were pouring out their grievances; exchange was the best way to understand that feeling firsthand. Yu Zhi lowered her eyes slightly; something else must have happened afterward.

"Things changed after Grandfather passed away. We knew clearly that those two people would never realize the magnitude of their mistakes, and no one would punish them. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Now, the time to catch them is almost here."

The implication was clear; Yu Zhi didn't need to think hard to understand what role she was playing in all of this.

Having clarified the matter, Yu Zhi glanced at the villa outside the car window and asked indifferently, "What role do I play in your plan?"

She had thought she had found a man who met her expectations, only to discover he had ulterior motives.

The old saying was right: if someone seems to meet all your expectations, don't overthink it—they came specifically for you.

"We needed a fiancée to resist Ms. Qi. There was no specific candidate at first, but Li Yuan happened to cross our path. We decided to play along, but my actions toward you have always been sincere. I'm telling you all of this now because I want you to know what might happen later."

It all clicked. Yu Zhi even had the mental capacity to think that if Lin Xian knew the current situation, he would have to praise her for her composure.

No wonder she had always felt a sense of dissonance; the goods didn't match the description.

According to Li Youning, Ning Qier couldn't have grown up to be who he was now. So, what she had seen and what she had heard had always been two different people.

So that was it. Was that the reason he always told her to ask him in person and get to know him face-to-face?

All the threads had been straightened out, and the feelings were not fake. The things Ning Qier had hidden didn't have much to do with her, so Yu Zhi didn't feel the need to be angry with him.

After all, her own motives for approaching Ning Qier weren't pure either; if it came down to it, they were two of a kind.

"Alright, I understand. What do you need me to do in a moment?"

They were truly worthy of being voted the "Quality Couple" by contemporary netizens. Both acted as if nothing had happened.

Ning Qier flashed a brilliant smile, which added a touch of vividness to his face. "Your existence and Wuwu’s are the greatest sources of annoyance. Just be yourself; you don't need to perform. The main thing is that Zhou Huan and I will be switching identities, which is why I told you the whole story."

To sum it up, she just needed to be a lucky little ornament for a while.

An annoying little ornament—very well, she liked that setup.

Getting out of the car to stretch, Yu Zhi agreed immediately. "No problem."

Perhaps Yu Zhi didn't even realize the sense of mutual understanding that existed between them.

For anyone else, they would have at least tried to get a clear picture of Ning Qier's current reality. It was hard to say how many other things had been done under false pretenses.

Or perhaps, Ning Qier was a bit too self-assured in his belief that Yu Zhi would accept this; it wasn't a sign of an equal relationship. He was notifying her, not asking for her decision.

However, it was clear that Yu Zhi didn't mind. After all, Ning Qier was also a part of her own plan. She just hoped that the ending would be as spectacular as today.

The sun was slanting to the west, proving that Yu Zhi had slept for a long time—long enough for someone to come out and urge them along.

Seeing a figure in the distance through the doorway, Yu Zhi signaled for Ning Qier to handle what came next.

"Someone is coming out. Should we go in now?"

Looking through the window, Ning Qier raised an eyebrow at Yu Zhi. "It’s too far to walk. Get in the car; we'll drive straight in."

Was he avoiding the person coming to fetch them? Or was it really that far?

Regardless, she was just a mascot, so she would just follow the plan. Yu Zhi got into the car, feeling indifferent.