The Abused Novel Heroine Became a Clingy Sweetheart [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 11

“Sister, don’t you think I’m overthinking things, or just having a pipe dream?”

Bai Nianzhao still couldn’t help but doubt herself slightly, lifting her head to look at You Ting.

She looked like a believer urgently seeking the Lord’s instruction.

You Ting said, “No, I don’t.”

“Learning, after all, should be a never-ending pursuit.”

She stood up and pushed a plate with milk and bread on the table towards Bai Nianzhao. “Besides, it’s already a great thing that you’re willing to take this step.”

At least, the original plot didn’t include this scene.

It meant her mission to save him/her was starting to show results.

A small joy surfaced on Bai Nianzhao’s face, but she quickly held it back with reserved grace.

She sat opposite You Ting, taking small bites of the bread.

You Ting propped her head with one hand, scrolling on the phone placed on the table with the other.

Ding-dong, a clear new message notification.

Her long, slender finger tapped the screen lightly, looking at the message the other party had sent.

You Ting’s red lips curled up slightly.

“The new housekeeper will arrive soon.”

“Since you have the idea of re-applying to university,” You Ting said, “let the housekeeper prepare the study materials for you later.”

Bai Nianzhao subconsciously asked, “What about Sister?”

As the words fell, she seemed to realize her overstep, and her fingers involuntarily clenched together.

But her gaze persistently looked at You Ting, and she asked softly, “Where is Sister going today?”

“Me?”

You Ting casually tucked the long hair that fell to her shoulder behind her ear. The faint morning light spilled from behind her onto the table.

There was a shallow, golden sheen that danced on her dark, thick eyelashes.

As she spoke, they trembled slightly, and with the curve of her eye corner, they shook off the hidden, long-drawn-out summer.

You Ting said, “To see an old acquaintance.”

Half an hour later, the new housekeeper arrived. After giving instructions, You Ting drove away from Dreamy South of the River.

She didn’t let the chauffeur drive her this time. Instead, she took the car keys and drove a random car out of the garage herself.

Fortunately, the eldest Miss had still passed her driving test.

The destination was not close, requiring at least two hours of driving.

According to the GPS, the road became increasingly secluded, and the signs of human habitation grew sparse.

When she finally stopped, You Ting leaned against the car door, squinting at the ancient castle structure before her.

It was almost hidden within the dense forest, only vaguely revealing the spire of a clock tower.

She couldn’t tell how old it was, but she could sense how expensive it must be.

Shortly after her car stopped, a large group of people immediately emerged from the castle.

Their uniforms were neat, lining up in two rows, with a glorious, grand red carpet laid out in the middle.

Then, they simultaneously bowed to You Ting, their voices shouting loudly enough to shake the sky: “Welcome, Miss!”

Fortunately, there were no neighbors here, or they would likely be reported for disturbing the peace.

You Ting nodded, standing in place with interest, observing the magnificent display put on for her.

Rich people just love these flamboyant formalities.

She didn’t move, but the castle gate slowly opened, carrying a heavy sense of history.

Someone slowly walked towards her from the other end of the red carpet.

Truly very slowly.

Because the person leading was already hunchbacked, leaning on a dragon-headed walking stick, their steps slow but firm as they walked towards You Ting.

Behind the elder, there was a pair of composed middle-aged man and woman, who, judging by their appearance, should be the elder’s children.

The few people moved along the red carpet, the distance between them and You Ting gradually shrinking.

When their eyes met, there was a feeling of predestination in the trance.

After an unknown amount of time, the elder finally reached You Ting.

He looked to be approaching eighty years old. Rich people of this age who maintained themselves well could still be hale and hearty.

But he was extremely frail, radiating an air of vicissitude from the inside out.

His clouded eyes moved, fixing on You Ting for a long time without turning away.

It was as if he were looking at someone else through her.

The man behind him coughed, mediating the situation: “Father, it’s cold outside, let’s go inside.”

“Yes,” the other woman added, “Xiao Ting must be tired from the long journey. Let her have a cup of tea inside.”

The elder’s eyelids fluttered, and he muttered as if waking from a dream, “Oh… it’s Xiao Ting…”

He looked at You Ting again, this time his gaze much clearer.

“You are still willing to see us,” the elder slowly said, “That is somewhat unexpected.”

You Ting replied, “The same goes for me.”

The people in front of her were precisely her mother Yan Hua’s family: her father, and her older brother and sister.

After deciding to gain authority in the You family, You Ting had planned to re-establish a relationship with the Yan family.

After Yan Hua’s death, she left the eldest Miss You an incredibly valuable and generous inheritance.

At the same time, she also left behind some of her connections, secretly protecting the eldest Miss.

Otherwise, a child like a blank slate, without a mother, facing a pack of jackals and tigers, would never have been able to grow up healthily.

Not to mention safeguarding the wealth in her hands.

A few days ago, You Ting needed to develop her own influence, so she took over these connections.

Concurrently, she also found out that people from the Yan family had actually been secretly monitoring her every move all these years.

It was understandable, after all, blood is thicker than water.

Except for people like You Father.

For Old Mr. Yan, even though Yan Hua had hurt his heart with her rebellious actions back then, he couldn’t sever the bond with his youngest daughter.

Yan Hua was conceived by accident, so she was quite a few years younger than her elder brother and sister.

Because she was the youngest, the whole family doted on her the most, treating her like a precious little princess.

After Yan Hua passed away, fearing that You Father would treat You Ting poorly after marrying Song Zhi Qiu, the Yan family had been quietly watching the You family.

Perhaps also out of fear of the Yan family, You Father’s cold face and displeasure toward You Ting were mostly only shown unrestrainedly within the house.

In front of outsiders, she could still maintain the façade of a glamorous eldest Miss.

When You Ting contacted the Yan family, she hadn’t expected them to agree to the meeting so readily.

They were even somewhat impatient.

The maid helped the old master walk ahead, with the middle-aged couple and You Ting trailing slowly behind.

They were walking almost side-by-side.

The man spoke first: “My name is Yan Rong. By seniority, you should call me ‘Uncle’ (Jiu Jiu).”

You Ting didn’t call him that, just nodded to show she knew.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Yan Rong’s face.

The woman followed with an introduction: “My name is Yan Li. I am your mother’s older sister. You can just call me ‘Aunt Li’ (Li Yi).”

You Ting nodded as usual.

A trace of nostalgia flowed in Yan Li’s eyes. “You really look like Hua Hua when she was young.”

While they were observing You Ting, You Ting was also quietly sizing up the family.

From what she could see, the Yan family genuinely loved her mother.

Perhaps because of this, they had a bit of ‘love the house and its crow’ for her.

This caused the icy wall of You Ting’s wariness to slowly melt a little.

“The reason we asked you to come for a visit as soon as possible,” Yan Li sighed and lowered her voice, “is because the Old Master’s health is not very good.”

Yan Rong’s expression was equally heavy: “The doctor said it might only be a matter of months.”

The siblings knew that the Old Master’s greatest regret in this life was the early death of Yan Hua.

Therefore, they hoped that You Ting could come and make up for some of the Old Master’s yearning for Yan Hua.

You Ting was stunned.

She glanced at the frail back figure ahead, feeling a little helpless for the first time.

No wonder the Yan family arranged this meeting with such urgency…

“No matter why you agreed to come, Uncle only hopes…”

Yan Rong, a tall man, couldn’t help but choke up slightly at this moment, “that you can spend more time with the Old Master during these few months.”

“Mother is gone, and Hua Hua is also gone.”

“He has been lonely for too long, far too long.”

You Ting didn’t deliberate for too long, she nodded and agreed: “Okay, I will.”

Surprise immediately surged in Yan Rong and Yan Li’s eyes. They wanted to affectionately pat You Ting’s head, but their hands rose and then sheepishly dropped.

This child wasn’t even willing to call them Uncle or Aunt yet.

The group entered the castle.

Aside from the demanding materials of the furniture and the relatively classical style of decoration, it wasn’t vastly different from other luxurious houses.

In the central reception hall, there was a soft, long sofa.

Old Mr. Yan took his seat first, and You Ting followed suit, sitting down closely with Yan Rong and Yan Li.

The atmosphere was silent for a while. Old Mr. Yan looked at You Ting and spoke solemnly: “Are you… still blaming us?”

You Ting understood what he meant.

When Yan Hua died, and Song Zhi Qiu entered the house already pregnant, the best choice for the Yan family, as the only dependable maternal family, should have been to immediately take You Ting away.

But the Yan family did not.

It was imaginable that a girl who grew up without a mother and was disliked by her father would not have an easy time in private all these years.

You Ting hadn’t spoken, but Yan Rong couldn’t hold back first: “Actually, we went back then, but Song Zhi Qiu blocked us!”

Song Zhi Qiu appeared before everyone, looking delicate and weak, crying miserably as if the Yan family had bullied her somehow.

She tearfully accused the Yan family’s actions of showing distrust in her, saying she’d rather hit her head against the wall to prove her innocence.

You Father, of course, protected her and helped stop the Yan family.

A few years later, the Yan family went to ask again.

This time, it was the three-year-old eldest Miss You who shouted in a childish voice, “It’s because you didn’t want my mom, you are bad people. You killed my mom, and I don’t want to go with you!”

Speaking of this, Yan Rong awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Because the person who was pointed at and called a ‘bad person’ back then was him, and the little girl had even stepped hard on his foot.

At that time, there were others present besides the Yan and You families.

After the incident spread, the relationship between the Yan family and the You family gradually broke off.

You Ting lowered her eyes in thought.

A three-year-old child probably couldn’t even distinguish between people, let alone understand the messy relationships between adults.

These words must have been taught to her by someone.

Unsurprisingly, it should have been Song Zhi Qiu.

You Ting let out a light snort.

She looked up, her gaze earnestly directed at the Yan family, and said, “I apologize.”

“Although it might not have been my intention at the time, the words spoken certainly hurt you.”

She said again, “I apologize.”

The Yan family was taken aback, suddenly feeling a little choked up.

How could there be overnight grudges between family members? They had never truly held a grudge against an ignorant little girl.

But when You Ting genuinely sat across from them and the misunderstanding was resolved, they couldn’t help but feel a surge in their hearts.

This was Hua Hua’s daughter.

…

…

You Ting stayed in the castle for a very long time that day. It was approaching evening when she prepared to leave.

She drove for a considerable distance, and through the rearview mirror, she could still see the Yan family standing in place, reluctantly watching her off.

You Ting didn’t know what kind of person she was before binding the system, but she could be certain of one thing.

Both she and the eldest Miss You were quite unfamiliar with the feeling of being cared for and missed by relatives.

Being cared for and missed by family…

She quickly shook off the distracting thoughts, concentrating on driving home.

The home, of course, was the villa in Dreamy South of the River.

The You family truly didn’t care about You Ting; no one had asked where she was staying when she went out.

When she got out of the car, You Ting spotted a familiar figure sitting in front of the door.

Seeing her car, that person stood up happily and trotted towards her.

It was Bai Nianzhao.

The girl was wearing a clean white dress, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, which bounced back and forth as she ran.

She stopped in front of You Ting, a look of joyful surprise on her face: “Sister, you’re finally back!”

The sky was already darkening. Looking at Bai Nianzhao’s fair and delicate face, You Ting suddenly felt a strange impulse in her hand.

She reached out a finger and smoothed Bai Nianzhao’s hair that had been ruffled by the wind.

“What were you doing outside?” You Ting asked.

Bai Nianzhao answered earnestly: “Waiting to have dinner with Sister.”

You Ting asked again, “What if I still hadn’t returned?”

The little rabbit became even more serious: “Then I would keep waiting.”

You Ting gently tugged at the corner of her lips, bending a finger to lightly tap Bai Nianzhao’s forehead.

“What a silly girl.”

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