Chapter 18: The True and False Heiress, Part 18

“You’re certainly wonderful.”
Little Red kept circling around her, expressing the affection buried deep within.
Blushing with excitement and a hint of shyness, she said, “Boss, you’re truly amazing, really.”

When she first bonded with Bai Huaizhen, she had thought the future bleak, already resigned to failing the mission and being erased.
But after all this time together, she finally realized something.
Bai Huaizhen was merely a child at heart, easily coaxed.

“Am I really good?” Huaizhen asked, puzzled.
Memories of past events flooded her mind.

A crowd had once surrounded her, shouting accusations at the top of their lungs.
They called her a monster, a lunatic.
They wished her dead.
They said no one in this world would ever truly love her.
That a monster like her would forever dwell in darkness and mire.

Among those people were her parents, relatives, friends, and strangers alike.
They drained her of vitality, yet despised everything about her.
Perhaps they were right—no one would ever love her sincerely.
Everyone kind to her did so for their own gain.

But Huaizhen never minded; love was not something noble or necessary.
She didn’t need it!

“I’m not good at all.”
Her expression turned cold as she looked straight into Mu Jinnian’s eyes.
Each word came with deliberate weight: “I don’t need anyone’s affection.”
“If you’re hoping to get anything from me, you’ll be disappointed.”

A flicker of pain, unseen even by herself, crossed her eyes.
Mu Jinnian’s heart ached sharply.
This kind of pain was all too familiar to him, as if he had suffered it countless times before.

He reached out, tentatively taking Huaizhen’s hand.
She didn’t pull away, which gave him great courage.

“No, you deserve to be loved. Everyone will like you.”

Huaizhen tried to curl her lips into a bitter smile but couldn’t.
Instead, she turned her gaze out the window.

Love was the most luxurious thing in the galaxy—something she did not need.
In this vast universe, all cause and effect was governed by cold laws.
Marriage was for alliance and power.
Children were to continue the bloodline.
Friendships were for mutual benefit.

All human connections were transactions of interest.
The strongest alliances were also the most fragile.
Love was merely a concept written in textbooks—no one had truly witnessed it.

And in those textbooks, love was labeled an incurable disease.
More terrifying than any apocalyptic virus.

---

“Boss.” Little Red’s expression grew increasingly conflicted.
“I admit, I’ve been coaxing you just to complete the mission, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like you.”
“You really are special, truly.”

She nodded firmly, afraid her words might be doubted.
Flying to Huaizhen’s right hand, her small hand barely wrapped around Huaizhen’s finger, her cheek gently brushing against it.
“Boss, you can feel it too, right?”

The warmth of their hands stirred Huaizhen’s heart.
It was as if a gentle current flowed from deep within, a strange sensation that was not unpleasant.

Huaizhen was momentarily stunned, silently holding the gesture for a long time.

Elsewhere, Mu Yuanzhou scrutinized the photos from the engagement banquet, sneering.
He never expected Mu Jinnian to be such a sycophant!
The person he desperately protected was now engaged to someone else.
Pathetic and laughable.

His gaze landed on Bai Jinwei nearby, sparking his interest.
If memory served, she was the fake heiress.
Today’s engagement banquet’s male lead was her childhood friend and shared enemy.

Mu Yuanzhou approached Bai Jinwei, greeting her with a smirk.
“Miss Bai, what a coincidence.”

Bai Jinwei recognized him instantly, her face hardening.
“Is there something you want?” she asked coldly.

“Why such an attitude, Miss Bai? I truly want to be friends.”
Mu Yuanzhou wore the facade of a courteous nobleman, which only made Bai Jinwei feel sick.

She shot him a disdainful glance and turned to leave, but he blocked her path.
Her eyes warned him silently.

Still smiling, Mu Yuanzhou said, “Don’t be so hasty, Miss Bai. I’m here to propose a collaboration.”
He leaned in slightly, a malicious smile curling his lips.
“You must hate that true heiress, right? She came back and stole your parents’ favor, and your childhood friend’s fiancé.”
“She made you a laughingstock in the capital. I can’t bear to see it—I truly pity you.”

Bai Jinwei sneered inwardly but showed no sign on her face.
“What sort of collaboration?”

“Simple. See this?”
Mu Yuanzhou pulled a small packet of drugs from his clothing, his face darkening with ill intent.
“It’s a banned substance. If she takes it, I’ll arrange a man for her. Today’s engagement banquet will become her biggest scandal.”
“A country girl doing such things—no one will suspect you. What do you think?”

Bai Jinwei took the powder, examining it with interest.
“Why help me?”

Mu Yuanzhou sighed.
“Because I pity you, Miss Bai.”

---

Seeing the disbelief in Bai Jinwei’s eyes, he dropped the act.
Clearing his throat, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
“Because we share the same pain.”
“That Bai Huaizhen is my older brother’s beloved. I don’t want him to have a happy ending.”

Bai Jinwei’s expression confirmed her suspicions.
She lowered her head, hiding the chill in her gaze.
When she looked back at Mu Yuanzhou, a faint smile played at her lips.

She packed the drug away.
“Here’s to a successful collaboration.”

Mu Yuanzhou smiled with satisfaction.
“Let me know when you succeed. I’ll arrange the man.”
He was eager to witness Mu Jinnian’s reaction.

“All right.” Bai Jinwei’s smile deepened.

In a corner, Huaizhen watched the scene with a lazy lean against the wall.
“So now everything’s falling into place? But isn’t this what a villain like me should be doing?”

Little Red was perplexed, checking the central system several times.
“That’s odd—Bai Jinwei’s goodwill towards you hasn’t decreased. Why would she agree to Mu Yuanzhou’s plan to drug you?”
“There must be some misunderstanding.”

Huaizhen shrugged indifferently.
“It doesn’t matter. They can’t scheme against me anyway.”

“Boss…” Little Red hesitated.
“Are you really going to get engaged to Gu Mingxu?”

She could see the engagement banquet was no more than a charade.
One was like a walking corpse; the other merely going through the motions.
There was no affection between them.

Especially Huaizhen—no one understood what she was clinging to.
But Little Red could do nothing to stop her; she could only watch.
No one dared imagine how broken this world would ultimately become.

Gu Mingxu followed the Gu family couple like a lifeless puppet, his face void of all emotion.
He had thought about resisting.
But then, what was the point?
He could never marry Bai Jinwei anyway.

And since that was what Bai Jinwei wished, he might as well comply.
Though he thought this, his eyes involuntarily sought Bai Jinwei’s.
As if to say: Just say the word, and I won’t go through with the engagement.

But the ending was inevitable disappointment for him.
Bai Jinwei didn’t so much as glance his way.
Yet her hand curled up involuntarily.