The more Huo Chao thought about it, the more troubled he felt.
So, who was the person who was saved?
At this moment, the elder added salt to Huo Chao’s wounds. “Xiao Shu Er even got a scar from saving that boy. It’s on her back. Just looking at it, you can tell how strong the beam was when it fell. She really went through a lot of pain.”
So that’s how she got the scar!
Countless thoughts flashed through Shu Jia Er’s mind in an instant.
The original Shu Er saved someone when she was young—this plot point never appeared in ‘Extremely Addicted’. When the male lead initially got close to the second female lead, he never explained his reason. And, of course, after she transmigrated into the book, the male lead never mentioned a “savior” either.
Later, when the heroine appeared, the male lead didn’t offer any explanation to the second female lead. He simply said he mistook her for someone else. Mistook her for who? How did he mistake her? He never explained, so the second female lead remained completely confused in the end. She didn’t understand why the male lead was suddenly so nice to her, only for him to retract his kindness soon after.
Could it be that the boy the original Shu Er saved was actually the male lead?
But there was one part of this guess that didn’t add up: why would the heroine know about the male lead’s childhood and claim that she saved him?
Could it be that both the heroine and the second female lead saved the male lead?
Or was it… like in ‘The Little Mermaid’, where the mermaid saved the prince, only to hide behind a rock when she heard footsteps, watching helplessly as another girl woke up the prince, making him believe that girl was his savior? That girl did nothing extraordinary, just a small thing anyone could have done, yet she became the prince’s “savior” in his eyes.
If it really was like that, the original Shu Er was truly pitiful.
Shu Jia Er felt a strong urge to ask for more details.
The elder, perhaps having gone too long without chatting with young people, couldn’t stop talking once they started. “Young man, you’ve got a conscience, but that boy Shu Er saved had none. He doesn’t even know she saved him. Fate can be cruel!”
Huo Chao frowned, “How could that happen?”
The hostess sighed and explained, “After saving him, Shu Er fainted, right? Her kind neighbor saved her, giving her CPR on the spot. Later, when the ambulance arrived, Shu Er was taken to the hospital along with everyone else. Shu Er only mentioned it to her grandmother afterward, saying she saved a boy. But by the time people went back to look, the boy was already gone. He must have woken up and left on his own.”
Huo Chao narrowed his eyes, “And they never found him afterward?”
The elder waved her hand, “No. The boy was a stranger, not from around here, and we never saw him again. If you want to know what he looked like, you’d have to ask Shu Er. She was the only one who saw him.”
Shu Jia Er had none of the original Shu Er’s memories, so she had no idea what that boy looked like.
But the more she thought about it, the more she felt that boy must have been Huo Chao when he was young.
So when Huo Chao looked her way, she spread her hands and smiled, saying, “It’s been so many years; I don’t remember exactly, only that he was a good-looking boy.”
Huo Chao clicked his tongue, his tone strangely annoyed, “So you risked your life to save him because he looked good?”
Shu Jia Er tilted her head, earnestly putting herself in the role of that young girl, and after a moment’s thought, replied, “Not entirely, but since he was good-looking, I suppose I was a little more dedicated to saving him.”
Huo Chao gave her a dose of reality. “He doesn’t even know you exist, and he’s never going to come looking for you. This part of the story is over.”
“But this memory will always stay in my heart.”
The old man and the hostess laughed cheerfully together. The old man said, “Actually, a few old neighbors saw Xiao Shu Er saving someone back then. Everyone thought she was so brave. Although that little boy might never know what happened, the fact that he’s alive is a way of repaying her. Shu Er did a good deed, and that’s like accumulating blessings for herself.”
The hostess agreed, “Exactly. You see, Xiao Shu Er is growing more beautiful with each passing day. With such blessings, she’ll only have better things coming her way.”
As they left the old man’s house, Huo Chao was still thinking about this matter. Who exactly was that boy? This person was given special treatment that even he had never received.
If he were in danger, he couldn’t even be sure if this spoiled little princess of his would risk her life to save him. Of course, if that day ever came and the little princess did try to save him, he might prefer she just kept herself safe.
The more he thought about it, the more envious he felt of that person.
Luckily, that boy didn’t know Shu Jia Er had saved him.
Hopefully, he would never appear again in this lifetime.
Naturally, Shu Jia Er noticed Huo Chao’s jealousy. Though she didn’t understand why he cared so much about that boy’s existence, it didn’t stop her from occasionally bringing him up.
With a playful, starry-eyed expression, she said, “I wonder how that boy is doing now. After all these years, he’s probably grown even more handsome, right?”
Huo Chao shoved his hands in his pockets, looking impatient. “No way. Most boys get uglier as they grow up— their faces get bigger and square-shaped. Most of them turn out less attractive.”
Shu Jia Er stifled a laugh. “Maybe he’s one of the few who gets better-looking with age?”
At this point, she asked again, “Brother, do you think he could be more handsome than you?”
Huo Chao stopped in his tracks and looked down at her. “Do you think that’s possible?”
The boy was probably Huo Chao when he was young, but Shu Jia Er pretended to be unconvinced and retorted, “Why not?”
Huo Chao scoffed, “Even if he grew up to be more handsome, could he be taller than me? Even if he’s as tall as me, could he be richer? And even if he’s richer, could he possibly be better-looking?”
It was a closed loop.
In short, Huo Chao was making it clear that no one could be taller, better-looking, and richer than him all at once.
“Oh, and let’s add one more thing—better at making the little princess smile than me.”
Shu Jia Er couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Huo Chao had all of these qualities even before she appeared. Even without her, he was already tall, handsome, and rich.
But that last point—making the little princess smile—was a skill Huo Chao only learned after she showed up.
No matter how much she acted out, Huo Chao always put up with it, fulfilling everything she asked for. Thinking about it this way, maybe there really was no one better than Huo Chao.
The two of them had lunch at a pizza place.
After lunch, they returned to the hotel for a short break.
Back at the hotel, Shu Jia Er lay down to rest. Meanwhile, Huo Chao met with the detective agency in his room.
He had already commissioned them to look into something, and this time, he was here to personally review the results.
Three men from the agency had arrived, one of them a tall, strong middle-aged man who pulled a folder from his briefcase. Inside were the findings from their investigation.
“Mr. Huo, from our recent inquiries, we’ve concluded that the person who saved you back then was not Miss Shu Er (book FL). Or to be more precise, Miss Shu Er (book FL) did help you, but her role was very limited.”
Huo Chao’s heart skipped a beat at those words, and he immediately recalled what the elderly couple had said.
“Xiao Shu Er fainted… was rescued by a neighbor… an ambulance… taken to the hospital… couldn’t find the boy… unfamiliar face… unknown.”
Each keyword flashed rapidly through his mind.
He clasped his hands together, lowered his gaze, and said in a deep voice, “Go on.”
“Okay, Mr. Huo. We spoke to many residents in a neighborhood where most people had lived there even before the earthquake. After the post-disaster reconstruction, they were assigned housing in the same area. We spoke with several elderly residents, and although ten years have passed, they still remember that boy.
Ten years ago, County B was slow to develop. It was a peaceful, beautiful area, but economically underdeveloped. The boy had delicate features, refined and distinguished, clearly raised in a wealthy family. He was memorable.”
“Go on.”
“You told us what you were wearing that time and it matched what the elderly residents remembered. They said a local girl had risked her life to save the little boy and got injured in the process, so she was rushed to the hospital. Later, they saw a young girl staying by the boy’s side and didn’t concern themselves with him anymore.”
One of the elderly residents they interviewed even sighed, ‘Good-looking boys always get the attention—they’re never short of girls willing to take care of them.’”
By this point, Huo Chao had a vague idea. “So, that girl afterward was Shu Er (book FL), right?”
“Yes, Mr. Huo. We verified it. Miss Shu Er (book FL) was actually on a school trip to County B that day with her classmates. She didn’t encounter any danger. She just happened to pass by your side after the earthquake.”
“And what about the girl at the beginning? Did you find any information about her?” Despite his speculation, he still needed confirmation.
The man glanced at the information in his hands and dutifully replied, “We did. The girl’s name is pronounced the same as Miss Shu Er’s (book FL), but written differently. Shu as in ‘book’ and Er as in ‘ear’. Quite a coincidence.”
Huo Chao thought to himself.
It is indeed a coincidence.
It turns out that the boy he had been so bothered by was actually himself.
While Shu Jia Er lay on her bed, her phone suddenly began to buzz continuously. She opened her eyes and picked it up to take a look.
It was Ning Meng calling.
As soon as she answered, Ning Meng’s voice came through the line, “Little Ear, there’s trouble. Jiang Xici’s relatives are unbelievable! They came asking him for money, claiming it’s an old debt his parents owed.”
Shu Jia Er sat up straight. “What happened?”
“Jiang Xici’s relatives came to him asking for money, and they even have an IOU. It doesn’t look fake.”
Shu Jia Er pressed her lips together. “How much do they owe?”
Ning Meng sighed heavily. “Fifty thousand. Jiang Xici is barely getting by—how could he possibly pay that back?”
So, it was only fifty thousand.
Shu Jia Er felt a wave of relief.
“Tell Jiang Xici not to worry. I’ll help him pay off that debt.”
Now that she was back with the Shu family, she was living a pretty comfortable life as a ‘little rich lady’.
She could finally start investing in Jiang Xici!
READ ADVANCE CHAPTERS ON MY KO-FI!
