-
Wen Yun was completely bewildered upon receiving the reply.
What happened?!
Surely it couldn't be that there was something wrong with her expression? But she made it so obvious!
“Host, the green tea's words will most likely be misinterpreted by those familiar with the original owner,” the system explained in a timely manner. “Moreover, Lin Qiqi already harbors ill will towards the protagonist.”
"...So, the more I praise the protagonist to Lin Qiqi, the more Lin Qiqi will believe that the protagonist bullied me?" Wen Yun was greatly puzzled. "This little devil doesn't even consider that a country student who has just arrived in a strange place, knows nothing about wealthy families, and is not loved by his own parents, how dare he bully a rich young lady who grew up in a wealthy family and was pampered and loved in every way? Who gave him the courage and confidence?"
"This system doesn't know either, host." The system was also helpless.
Because of her earlier clumsy attempt, Wen Yun didn't dare to reply to the message immediately.
She held her phone, thought for a while, and then started typing.
Do you really want to hear the truth?
Lin Qiqi replied instantly: 【Of course I'll listen!】
To be honest, I wasn't bullied. Xiaoyu is just an ordinary student with no past issues. I personally picked her up yesterday; no one knows her situation better than me!
Wen Yun typed rapidly, sending one message and immediately editing the next: [I want to emphasize again that my previous comments about Xiaoyu were indeed biased and gave you a bad impression; it was my fault. I also had prejudices against people from the countryside back then, but after spending time with Xiaoyu, I have completely realized my mistake.]
She thought for a moment, then added: "Xiaoyu is now an important member of my family. If you still think I'm being bullied and speaking up for her, I'm really going to get angry [cat punches you]."
After these messages were sent, Lin Qiqi did not reply for a long time.
Wen Yun was fiddling with her phone, wondering if she had been too harsh and scared her friend, the original owner of the body, when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts: "Miss, the bathwater and flower petals are ready."
She quickly agreed, plugged in her phone to charge, picked out a nightgown from the wardrobe, draped it over her arm, and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered that she was now a wealthy heiress and should have her clothes prepared by the housekeeper.
All she had to do was tell the housekeeper what color pajamas she wanted to wear that night, and the housekeeper would arrange everything.
Although the system does not restrict her from maintaining the original character's persona, if the deviation from that persona is too obvious, it will inevitably arouse suspicion.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
So she hung her nightgown back up, took only her phone, opened the door, and headed straight for the bathroom.
Soaking in the petal bath meticulously prepared by the butler, Wen Yun smelled the faint floral fragrance, looked up at the exquisite crystal chandelier, and couldn't help but recall the words of Wen's father in the original text, which advised the protagonist to stay in the guest room.
"There isn't a spare master bedroom, so Xiaoyu, you can live here from now on. It's spacious and bright, and it has all the necessary furnishings. It's also close to the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom."
She rubbed her temples, and then, remembering the room and tutor she had secured for the protagonist that day, her mood unconsciously improved.
In fact, her original intention was very simple: even if the protagonist really had to leave the Wen family in the future, she should still receive all the respect she deserved during this year.
If the protagonist can't have her own private bathroom, then she can use hers. At least the Wen family and those hired will understand that she, the Wen family's daughter, cares deeply for Ruan Yu.
Although Wen Yun is the real usurper, the original story set everyone in favor of the fake heiress and looked down on the real one.
Thinking this, Wen Yun dried her hands, picked up her phone which was lying to the side, and opened the pinned "Secret Observation Team" group chat.
In the original text, this was a small class group created by some busybodies in the second year of high school. There were no teachers, and anonymity was allowed. Some rumors about wealthy families would even circulate in the group.
Could she use this group chat to spread the rumor that "Wen Yun is interested in Ruan Yu"?
Wen Yun still hadn't received a reply from Lin Qiqi. Bored, she casually searched the chat history for the keyword "transfer school," and a lot of messages immediately popped up:
[Anonymous] Breaking news! A female transfer student from a rural area will be joining our class this semester, with a 99% chance of transferring!
【What? There are still idiots transferring schools in their senior year? Can they even keep up with our revision schedule?】
What's with these rural transfer students? Are they some newly rich rural residents who got rich overnight from land expropriation and are now throwing money at our school?
Wen Yun noticed that the initial messages were quite normal, until a new anonymous message appeared:
[Anonymous] I hope this kind of low-class transfer student from the countryside doesn't get ungrateful and lower the standard of our class!
After this message appeared, someone immediately posted an anonymous echo:
[Anonymous] Exactly! The transfer student should be incredibly grateful to have come to our class!
[Anonymous] I heard that in the countryside, girls are raised like boys, very rough and uncaring. They even make girls do farm work, and their skin gets tanned and cracked. My God, it's terrifying! If this transfer student is also this rough, will she be a violent girl with a bad temper?
Wen Yun:
Are you all alright?
-
At 11:30, the guest room light was still on.
After finishing the last reading comprehension question on her English practice test, Ruan Yu put the test away and into her bag. She yawned wearily, then picked up the latest model phone that the housekeeper had kept on the table. After unlocking it, she opened the search engine and typed in a line of text:
"The reason why an acquaintance's personality suddenly changes drastically."
Ruan Yu dared not say that she knew Wen Yun very well, but they had spent a year together. Moreover, she had seen through Wen Yun's true nature before she died, and she had a general idea of what Wen Yun would say and do in certain situations.
However, at this moment, she belatedly realized that Wen Yun in this life felt very unfamiliar to her.
After the search results came up, Ruan Yu scrolled down and found that most of the answers tended to be "suffering from physical or mental illness" or "having suffered a great blow".
But she remembered her mother saying that Wen Yun had always lived a smooth life before she came into the world, and that she would have a physical examination and consult a psychologist every year. She shouldn't have had such a drastic change in personality because of illness or trauma.
...So what exactly is the reason that Wen Yun is so enthusiastic towards her?
Ruan Yu couldn't figure it out at all, and browsed the other answers in a daze.
She didn't know how many pages she had flipped through, but a post from a forum for metaphysics enthusiasts caught her attention:
Have you ever heard of 'possession' or 'body snatching'? People whose personalities change drastically may not be the same people they used to be! Pictures prove it! [Images][Images]
Chapter 7
At one o'clock in the morning, Wen Yun, who was about to fall asleep, suddenly heard a series of new message notifications. She groggily picked up her phone from beside her pillow.
They were all sent by "Cute Sweetheart Xiao Qiqi":
I'm so sorry, Yunyun!
I have seriously reflected on my actions and now fully realize my mistakes [crying emoji]
I've read many reports about transfer students from rural areas, and I know they're not to be trifled with; they're the kind of people who have nothing to lose and nothing to fear. I'm really worried that you'll be bullied by such people and won't dare to speak up!
So when you told me that Ruan Yu came from the countryside, my first reaction was to see her as an enemy...
But I've already said those hurtful things, and now I have absolutely no idea what to do QAQ
[Images][Images]
Good heavens, Lin Qiqi is still awake so late!
These words sounded very sincere, which made Wen Yun breathe a sigh of relief. However, when she glanced at the picture that the woman had sent, which appeared to be a screenshot of a chat log, her heart skipped a beat for some reason.
Curious, she clicked on the picture, and when she saw the message, she sat up abruptly in bed.
It was the class group chat history she had just viewed!
Besides, the news about the rural transfer student and the anonymous comment that called the "low-class rural transfer student" are both on the right side! And they are not all using the same anonymous ID!
Wen Yun felt her blood pressure rise instantly.
She remembered that around the same time in the original text, someone anonymously "revealed" a message about a rural transfer student in the class group chat, which also sparked a wave of comments like "rural transfer students are really low".
But until the very end, the author never revealed who leaked the information.
In short, the news caused a wave of ridicule in the class, and as a result, the protagonist was isolated as soon as he transferred schools.
Wen Yun had indeed considered whether the original owner had leaked the information, but she hadn't found any such incident in the memories she inherited. She had checked all of the original owner's social media accounts and at most found that the original owner had subtly expressed to a few wealthy friends that she didn't want another family member.
I never imagined that this was actually the news spread by Lin Qiqi!! And Lin Qiqi was the one who orchestrated the whole thing!
What grudge do you have? You haven't even met them, and you're already calling them trash!
Wen Yun was sobered up by this whole mess. She turned on the bedside lamp and calmly typed a message:
I'm really angry.
If you genuinely recognize your mistake, I suggest you come and apologize to Xiaoyu in person sometime between tomorrow's entrance exam and the start of the semester.
Even though Xiaoyu no longer bears the surname Wen, now that she's been brought back by the Wen family, regardless of her previous status or origin, as long as she's with the Wen family, she's a member. I don't want this to damage the long-standing friendship between our two families.
[Besides, even without naming names, you've already tarnished her reputation. If she transfers to our class when school starts, the rumors will be confirmed, and you'll be held responsible.]
After sending all the messages, Wen Yun finally felt a little better. She sighed, went to the bathroom attached to her bedroom, washed her face with cold water, and when she came back, she saw that Lin Qiqi had called her on WeChat.
She answered without hesitation, sat back on the bed, and asked in a calm voice, "What's wrong?"
"I'm so scared," Lin Qiqi said, her voice sounding like she was about to cry. "What if she doesn't accept my apology?"
Wen Yun almost laughed out of anger: "Qiqi, you called her a lowlife and damaged her reputation. What's wrong with her not accepting your apology?"
"Then, what should I do?" Lin Qiqi asked, her voice trembling with tears. "I really know I was wrong! What can I do to make amends?"
Wen Yun originally intended to teach her a lesson, but then she thought that it would be too easy for this little vixen to just apologize and be done with it. So she said, "Do what I just said first, and then try to minimize the negative impact. It would be best to restore Xiaoyu's reputation."
She paused, then said, "If you really can't do that, then you must protect Xiaoyu from verbal violence, such as being ridiculed in public, insulted in public, or having rumors spread behind her back, no matter what. Do you understand?"
To some extent, Lin Qiqi's outrageous actions can be seen as a "truth mirror." After seeing those bizarre remarks, Wen Yun no longer has much hope that the students in this class will treat the protagonist well.
Even if the protagonist is indeed the Wen family's biological daughter whom they specially brought back, as long as she doesn't bear the Wen surname, in the eyes of other wealthy young men, she's nothing more than a country bumpkin experiencing a brief taste of life in a wealthy family.
Her ability to care for and protect others is ultimately limited, so why not recruit a close friend who is willing to follow her lead as a teammate?
Lin Qiqi may be vicious, but she is also a person of genuine character.
If the protagonist and she get along well, she would probably go to great lengths for him.
"Okay, okay! I understand! I'll do my best!" Lin Qiqi replied repeatedly. "Then I won't disturb your rest tonight. Goodnight, Yunyun!"
After hanging up the phone, Wen Yun couldn't fall asleep. After turning off the light, she lay there with her eyes open for a while and asked the system, "Has the class the protagonist is transferring to been decided?"
"Yes, host," the system replied.
"Can we send her back to her original school?" Wen Yun asked again.
"Unfortunately, host, with the protagonist's halo, even if you return to your original school, you can't avoid similar things," the system said. "Moreover, the Wen family will be ridiculed by other wealthy families because of this."
"..." Wen Yun couldn't quite understand the connection between the two, but since the protagonist couldn't escape this fate, it was best to keep her where she could see her.
At least if something really happens, she can discover and resolve it in time.