Chapter 16: The Butterfly Effect

That’s right.

She had been reborn back in Jingshi, returned to a time before all the suffering had begun.

Precisely because of this.

The ground beneath her feet was no longer deep in the mountains, and she was no longer facing uneducated rural women.

There was no need to argue fiercely with others, nor to bare her claws whenever emotions ran high.

Every word and action of hers now would silently influence many things.

If someone recognized her identity, it might bring disaster to the Yin family as well.

It was true that she wanted to cling to the Li family, but before that, she had to ensure her personal image remained positive.

If she were tainted, whether she could even enter the Li family’s doors was another matter altogether.

With this realization, Yin Qingqing, snapping back to attention, hurriedly apologized to the middle-aged man, “I’m sorry, comrade. I spoke out of turn in the heat of the moment just now.”

“I apologize to you. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

“Rest assured, I will definitely be more mindful of my words and actions in the future.”

Her words sounded fine, but the emotions in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Noticing the undisguised sense of superiority and smugness in her eyes, the middle-aged man shook his head in disappointment.

“The person you should apologize to isn’t me, but the millions of working-class families.”

“Without them, even the best family background would be useless.”

Understanding his meaning, Yin Qingqing glanced at the people leaning against the train windows, standing at the carriage doors, and gathered around her, then reluctantly apologized again, “I’m sorry, I misspoke earlier.”

“Considering I’ve just left school, I hope everyone won’t hold it against me.”

Hearing such an insincere apology, the onlookers showed the same disappointment as the middle-aged man.

It seemed this was just how this person was!

Having made up their minds, no one was willing to pay any more attention to Yin Qingqing, who lowered her gaze, and they all went about their business.

The middle-aged man, who was the last to leave, seemed to want to say something more but ultimately turned and boarded the train.

When no one responded, Yin Qingqing looked up and realized everyone around her had dispersed.

Although she could still feel eyes on her, she knew without thinking that they were just spectators who couldn’t get enough of the drama.

This realization made her stamp her feet in shame and anger.

‘Woo-woo-woo!’

Just then, the train’s departure whistle sounded.

Realizing she hadn’t accomplished her purpose in chasing after the train, Yin Qingqing turned and frantically knocked on the tightly shut train window, “Brother Li! Brother Li, I haven’t finished speaking!”

“Shen Yi…”

“Enough!” Before Yin Qingqing could finish, Li Beichen’s cold voice drifted through the window, his gaze filled with undisguised disgust.

“If you came to me just to slander my fiancée, I’m sorry, but I don’t have the patience to listen to any more.”

“Moreover…”

As these two words fell, his gaze through the window seemed to see right through her, “I’ve already verified with the dance hall staff.”

“After the incident that day, they found candy wrappers with unknown powder residue in the women’s restroom and sent them to the relevant authorities for testing.”

“The results should be out by the end of the month.”

“If it’s confirmed to be related to you, I won’t mind having a word with the Yin family in person.”

Hearing this, Yin Qingqing instantly turned pale.

Hadn’t she thrown away the candy wrappers containing the aphrodisiac-laced drugs?

Worried about being discovered, she hid it at the very bottom of the toilet paper basket.

Could it still be found like this?

No way, do the dance hall staff have dog noses or something?

Before she could gather her thoughts to explain further, a railway staff member maintaining order approached.

“Comrade, please step back a couple of steps.”

“The train is about to depart. Standing too close could easily lead to accidental injury.”

Saying “accidental injury” was being polite.

If one got swept into the tracks by the airflow, it would become a bloody lesson.

Clearly, Yin Qingqing was aware of this situation.

Hearing the staff member’s words, she quickly retreated a considerable distance.

Just as she steadied herself, the train began moving with a “clang-clang” sound.

After watching the last black dot on the tracks disappear, Yin Qingqing, who had been standing there for a long time, stamped her foot in frustration.

Damn!

Why did Shen Yi’an take Li Beichen home when returning?

Could her rebirth really cause such a significant butterfly effect?

Unable to figure it out for the moment, and feeling stifled by the platform’s air, she could only leave the train station resentfully.

She originally intended to take the tram home, but just as she stepped out of the station exit, someone stopped her. “Comrade Yin, Brother Guang asks you to come over for a chat!”

Hearing this, Yin Qingqing, who had been lowering her head deep in thought, looked up. Recognizing a familiar face, she was somewhat surprised. “You mean Brother Guang is looking for me? He’s awake? Then do you know why he wants to see me?”

The person didn’t speak, merely pointing to a bicycle not far behind.

The meaning was clear—she’d find out once she saw Brother Guang.

Not getting an answer didn’t upset Yin Qingqing. She sensibly sat on the bicycle’s rear seat.

Arriving at the hospital room door, she took out a small mirror from her bag to check her appearance.

Ensuring she looked presentable, she pushed the door open and entered the ward.

The first thing she saw was the person on the hospital bed, whose head was bandaged like a mummy.

If not for the pair of eyes visible, she might have screamed on the spot.

Even so, she was thoroughly frightened.

Afraid of angering the person involved, she tried to lower her gaze and replied in a trembling voice, “Bro… Brother Guang, you’re awake?”

“I heard you were looking for me. May I ask what it’s about?”

After her voice faded, there was no response for a long time. Yin Qingqing had to sneak a glance.

Slap!

The moment she looked up, a palm carrying a cold gust of wind struck her face hard.

Before she could utter a word, over a dozen more slaps followed in succession.

Only when she saw stars and collapsed to the floor did the person stop and retreat to the bedside.

“Wha… why are you hitting me?” Yin Qingqing asked after a long while when her head cleared.

But the forceful slaps had injured her face, making her speech somewhat slurred.

Facing her fearful and terrified gaze, He Haiguang, leaning against the hospital bed, remained silent and merely glanced at the man who had repositioned himself at his side.

Understanding the cue, Wang Fabing stepped forward and questioned, “First, you used Brother Guang to deal with your problematic roommate.”

“Then, you failed to mention that your roommate has a formidable fiancé.”

“What exactly are you trying to achieve? Do you want us to destroy each other? Or is there another reason?”

Hearing this, Yin Qingqing was so scared her pupils trembled violently. “No! I didn’t mean that!”

“I had no idea she had a fiancé, really!”

“Believe me, this is absolutely true!”

Before getting his head busted, He Haiguang would have believed this claim seventy percent.

Now, not only was his head injury affecting his speech, but his private parts had also suffered severe trauma—how could he possibly believe such a story?

He immediately scowled and waved at Wang Fabing again.

The next moment, the man who should have been guarding the sickbed strode toward Yin Qingqing, who kept shrinking back in fear.

Soon, screams and cries of pain echoed from the guarded hospital room.

But all of this had nothing to do with Shen Yi’an, who was sitting on a train.

At that moment, she was listening to Li Beichen talk about his relationship with the Yin family.