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d across her face. She stepped forward and walked out, flinging open the door.“Stop right there!” she called out to the stout, middle-aged woman in a caregiver’s uniform who was slowly walking away."W...Seeing her hesitation, Li Lanqiu raised an eyebrow and laughed at her.

"What, afraid Hey, you don't even have the courage to open a little box, do you!"

She said this, which only made the box seem even more dangerous!

"Coward!" Li Lanqiu snorted, "Let me help you!"

As he spoke, he reached out his hand.

Lin Meng stretched out her hand, shielding her. Under Li Lanqiu's smiling gaze, she calmly extended her hand toward the box and opened it. The box opened with a simple lift; it was too easy. But what lay before them was agonizingly painful!

Each photograph, infused with the scent of the past, flickered into her eyes, causing her eyelids to jump involuntarily. She should hate Li Lanqiu's wicked actions for showing her such photos. It left her without even a shred of self-deception. In the pictures, a stoic young man and a graceful, elegant young woman stood side by side, each carrying the shadow of another. There was no room for doubt; time may change things, but not drastically. The boy was Rong Ling, and the girl was Li Lanqiu.

They were affectionate together, either holding hands, smiling at each other, hugging, or even in one photo, Li Lanqiu kissing Rong Ling. And this was just the tip of the iceberg! Beneath these photos displayed at the top, there were more that she hadn't seen yet!

She felt like there was a thorn in her eye. She knew about the close relationship between Li Lanqiu and Rong Ling, which had always made her uneasy. Now, seeing it through photos, she truly felt the pain. She wanted to scream, to kick Li Lanqiu out of here!

"Hmph, didn't expect He Ya would send you these!"

Li Lanqiu said coolly, appearing completely innocent. But this innocence made Lin Meng suspicious!

"What did He Ya send!"

Her eyes were slightly bloodshot, and her face was cold.

"Well, among the gifts she gave me, she slipped this in, asking me to pass it on to you. Heh heh, I didn't expect her to still have these old photos!"

Li Lanqiu, with a hint of nostalgia, reached out her hand and gently touched the edge of the photograph, smiling as she asked, "Do I need to explain who is in this picture to you!"

That slightly provocative gaze made Lin Meng's mind light up, and then she felt a sudden tightness in her heart!

"You guys are all in this together, aren't you!" he questioned coldly.

Li Lanqiu didn't answer, but her entire demeanor suddenly changed into a kind of arrogant confidence.

"Seeing you live so happily every day, I really can't bear to hurt you. But now that He Ya has brought these things over, I have no choice but to intervene. You know, watching the man you love be with another woman every day, this feeling can really drive a person crazy!"

Lin Meng pursed her lips, almost with hatred, slammed the box shut, and then pushed it towards Li Lanqiu.

"

Take your things and leave. I don't want to hear anything from you!

"

"Coward!" Li Lanqiu sneered again. "Is that all you want, to live in your self-devised fantasy world!"

Instead, she opened the box and took out each photo one by one, laying them on the table. As she placed them down, she began to speak.

"You see, he has this attitude towards me! No matter what I've done before, even if... I've been married to someone else, he wouldn't push me away if I came back! Heh heh, do you know why Because I'm a stand-in!"

Lin Meng's face turned pale! The word "stand-in" was no longer foreign to her, because someone had already said it many times in front of him!

Li Lanqiu pointed at a photo of her and Rong Ling embracing each other. She said lazily, with a hint of pride.

"Because, you see, the real deal is back! All those other random stand-ins better step aside! And remember what Rong said He loves me. This lifetime, he will only ever love me!"

Lin Meng gritted her teeth, only anger and a nameless sadness remained, making her look like a flimsy paper tiger, as if with just a little more force, she could be pierced through!

"Look, look at me in this picture, don't you think we look alike!"

Lin Meng stiffened her neck and, following Li Lanqiu's instructions, looked over. In an instant, her face drained of color! Compared to the old Li Lanqiu, she couldn't say it was "very similar," but there were definitely some resemblances. Most importantly, it was the content revealed in the photo that made her heart ache.

Li Lanqiu was instantly pleased.

"Look, you see it too, right The building behind us, you're not unfamiliar with it! No. 4 Middle School, you're a student from No. 4 Middle School too, aren't you Look, you can see my school uniform, right The fine traditions of No. 4 Middle School, they've lasted all these years, and the uniform hasn't changed much at all. In a prominent place, there's always the No. 4 Middle School emblem. I heard you're a student from No. 4 Middle School too!"

Lin Meng quietly clenched her fist, her throat dry and slightly stinging!

She -- couldn't answer!

Li Lanqiu persisted, continuing to speak. "I also heard that when you first took Rong to No. 4 Middle School, Rongqi simply threw you onto the highway. Because of this, you were seriously ill!"

Lin Meng shivered, this memory was something she had tried her best to avoid since she became aware of Li Lanqiu's sensitive identity. But now, it was cruelly brought back by Li Lanqiu. That night, the car whizzing past, a man driving frantically with destructive intent, the two cars almost colliding, the fear that made one's heart leap out of their chest, the sudden shock of being left behind, and his callous departure. The desolate night, the biting wind, the dim streetlights, the terrifying bus driver, the empty highway, the cold rain, the helplessness of a desperate plea to heaven and earth…

Suddenly surging, her breath quickened abruptly. Her fists clenched tighter and tighter. Because she needed to restrain herself with all her might so that she wouldn't appear too embarrassed in front of Li Lanqiu, so that she wouldn't be easily laughed off!

“He was so angry then, I thought, you should know now why, shouldn't you!” Li Lanqiu’s voice echoed softly, with a hint of alluring charm. She leaned down, almost to the edge of Lin Meng’s ear. Like this, she truly resembled an evil witch. Words that left her mouth could become curses, capable of inflicting unbearable pain on those who heard them!

He's angry because you touched upon a taboo. And I, I am that taboo, the one that exists in his heart for life. He can't let me go, so anything related to me can get his attention! For example——

She paused, a faint smile playing on her lips, before languidly crossing her arms and straightening her back slightly. "For example, B Bing, Hee Hee, you must know this little girl. I heard from He Ya that under Bing Bing's hand, you seem to have suffered quite a few hidden losses, while Rong, she's very, very protective of her. So, do you know why Rong protects her!"

Lin Meng took a deep breath. Well, she knew what Li Lanqiu wanted to do, so let her get it all out at once. Some things, just expose them all, and let her take the full brunt of it all at once!

Silent, she stared with her eyes wide open and lips pressed together, coldly fixated on the photograph occupying a considerable space on the table. All that reached her ears was Li Lanqiu's infuriatingly triumphant voice.

“Because she’s like me, like I was when I was little. I showed Rong pictures of myself when I was young, and she remembered them so well, so she treats Bingbing very well, just like her own daughter. And because Li Yiping is my cousin, out of love for her, she’s also good to my cousin, He Ya, and their family. I believe you understand this deeply.”

This is my status in Rong Ling's heart, no one can replace it!

Now, the reason he's fallen out with the He family is because you are Rourou's mother. I forgot to tell you something, I once took a knife for Rourou, a fatal one, so I can never have children for the rest of my life. Therefore, Rourou is incredibly important to Rourou. For Rourou's sake, he'll be nicer to you and go along with you more. But now that I'm back, it's over for you. A stand-in is just a stand-in, never think you can surpass the original.

From the age of sixteen, I lived in Rong Ling's heart for almost twenty years, and influenced him for almost twenty years. And you, you also walked into Rong from the age of sixteen, but, you are just my stand-in. Until now, it hasn't even been six years! Lin Meng, what do you have to compare yourself to me with!

Lin Meng's lips moved, wanting to retort, but in the end, she could only sigh softly in her heart.

“Well, you don’t believe me!” Li Lanqiu raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips as she goaded her. “If you don’t believe me, then you can ask He Ya and the others. Oh, no, you probably think that I, He Ya, and my cousin are all in cahoots, so you probably won’t believe that either. Well, then, why not ask Rong’s brothers I believe his several brothers should know about my existence!”

Then, she reached out and gently pushed the photographs that had already been laid out.

"Just enjoy these, I hope they give you new insights, hehe…"

As she spoke, she swayed her body and left the small study with great ease. Leaving Lin Meng sitting there, feeling a mixture of emotions in his heart. If she fully believed what Li Lanqiu said, that was absolutely impossible. She wasn't stupid, nor was she a self-deprecating ghost who didn't even have a little confidence in herself!

***Off-topic***

Next chapter, many long-awaited men will appear~.

Moreover, as a graduate student in STEM field, my experimental work is very busy, so the update frequency may be limited. Please understand!

I can only say, keep up the good work! Thanks for your support!adn't pressured you, or if nothing had happened before, would you have kept it from me forever""No." He frowned, unwilling to see her tears. He immediately kissed her forehead and soothed her. "Don't...