After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 42

Wendy hadn’t run far. She sat hugging her knees at the villa’s entrance, the two girls who had been comforting her leaning close, their heads touching as they murmured back and forth.

When they saw Lan Xiao emerge, they instinctively shifted aside, making room for her.

Lan Xiao approached and said, “The food’s here. Go eat first; I’ll take care of things here.”

“Okay.”

The two girls didn’t refuse. Linking arms, they walked into the villa, glancing back occasionally. Once Lan Xiao crouched down, they could no longer see her.

Wendy buried her face in her knees, peeking at Lan Xiao through the gaps. When she saw Lan Xiao squatting in front of her, she shuffled sideways until she was facing the wall.

Lan Xiao turned ninety degrees and crouched down beside Wendy.

Wendy: “……”

Unsure of Lan Xiao’s intentions, she mumbled, “I won’t apologize to that woman.”

“Mm, I know.”

Lan Xiao offered her some tissues. “I came to thank you for helping me.”

Wendy lifted her head from her knees, her eyes confused. “You don’t think I did wrong?”

“I do.”

Lan Xiao’s stance remained unchanged. “I asked Meng Yu. You did pull Ye Ling away forcefully. And your insults… they were excessive.”

Wendy wanted to argue. “But she—”

“She didn’t do anything to me. She just said a few words.”

Lan Xiao looked at her and said, “I didn’t realize it looked that way from your perspective. I’m sorry. And thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Wendy mumbled.

Lan Xiao paused, still wanting to clarify another matter with Wendy.

Among all the suitors she had encountered, Wendy was the most difficult to handle.

Her pursuit seemed mild and restrained, but in reality, she never left an opening for rejection, always keeping her options open.

Lan Xiao had tried subtle hints and even explicit rejections through mutual friends, but Wendy always managed to rationalize her actions as mere “friendship” or cultural differences in expressing affection—anything but genuine romantic intent.

This was what frustrated Lan Xiao the most.

“Besides that, I also wanted to ask you something else.”

Wendy clenched her hands. “Ask away.”

Lan Xiao said, “If today’s situation involved Meng Yu or someone else, would you have acted the same way?”

“I…” Wendy pouted and glanced at Lan Xiao, understanding her meaning. She fell silent.

Lan Xiao sighed. Ye Ling, so frail she seemed to sway in the wind and limped with every step, was only seen as a threat by Wendy—a threat beyond the physical realm.

“You should know better than anyone whether your actions, or rather your thoughts, have crossed a line.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Wendy said, lowering her head.

“No, I know you do.” Lan Xiao stood up. “I cherish our friendship, and I hope it doesn’t change. Today’s incident started because of me, so I’ll apologize on your behalf.”

Seeing Wendy’s silence, Lan Xiao took out her phone and sent an address. “You’ve been busy all morning. I’ve made a reservation at your favorite restaurant. Let’s go eat first. I’ll drive you.”

With that, Lan Xiao unlocked her car parked nearby. By the time she turned around and drove back to the villa entrance, Wendy’s figure had vanished.

Lan Xiao went home to grab some things and, on a whim, tried calling out to Xiao Jiu.

But no matter what name she used, that irritable child’s voice didn’t appear.

If it weren’t for the chain that had survived System 823’s explosion still lying in her bag, Lan Xiao would have almost doubted if she’d imagined the whole thing.

How long does He plan to keep Ye Ling here?

After stuffing a piece of bread into her mouth to stave off hunger, Lan Xiao switched to her WeChat alt account and sent a few messages to her only friend.

Due to the time difference, there was no reply. After finishing her meal, Lan Xiao gathered her things and returned to the party villa.

Pu Mengyu had tried several times to pry information from Ye Ling, but the woman remained tight-lipped, revealing no critical details.

Seeing Lan Xiao, Pu Mengyu rushed over and summarized the situation in a few words: “She won’t say anything. Xu Min asked the villa staff, and they claimed not to recognize Ye Ling either.”

Lan Xiao pursed her lips. “Thank you for your trouble.”

“What choice did we have? We’re stuck with this mess,” Pu Mengyu shrugged. “I checked her discarded clothes—nothing but a room key. If you ask me, we should just call the police.”

Lan Xiao nodded. “I contacted the community center earlier. They said we just need to bring her over.”

“Then let’s go?” Pu Mengyu suggested.

Lan Xiao glanced at a room behind her. “Let her change out of Wendy’s clothes first.”

Ye Ling rested alone in her room.

According to her body clock, it was the middle of the night, but she felt no drowsiness, her mind racing as she analyzed the situation.

If she could instantly travel from Yuexin to this place, then Lan Xiao—if that was truly her name—had likely experienced a similar phenomenon.

Ye Ling recalled the night seven years ago when “Geng Xiaoxiao” first appeared, and the anomalous lunar phase she had observed.

Had “Geng Xiaoxiao” become Lan Xiao from that moment onward?

If so, it would explain “Geng Xiaoxiao’s” strange behavior during that period and the stark differences in her personality compared to her childhood self.

But this raised a new question:

The time flow between the two worlds.

During dinner, she had overheard conversations that revealed her earlier assumptions were incorrect—she was currently abroad.

If the time difference was merely due to geographical location, could this be her original world? It certainly wasn’t Lan Xiao’s world, or the “previous world.”

Then, a year from now, would Lan Xiao disappear again, just as she had three years ago?

Ye Ling instinctively recoiled from this thought, shifting her focus to another person:

Wendy.

Based on her probing, Ye Ling concluded that Lan Xiao treated her more like an ordinary friend, while Wendy harbored a one-sided affection.

Though she couldn’t discern Lan Xiao’s current motives, at least they differed from her previous actions.

This realization brought Ye Ling a measure of relief, but countless questions still lingered.

For instance, the voice that had once invaded her mind, eavesdropping on her thoughts.

What kind of entity was it…

A “god”?

Knock, knock.

Hearing the knock, Ye Ling paused her thoughts and called out, “Come in.”

She expected Pu Mengyu or someone else, but to her surprise, it was Lan Xiao. Her eyes lit up instantly. “Where have you been?”

“None of your concern.”

Lan Xiao set down a paper bag, her tone formal. “Wendy is young and impulsive. I apologize for her behavior. If you need to claim medical expenses, call this number.”

Ye Ling recognized the protective undertones in Lan Xiao’s words, and the warmth in her eyes cooled.

Seeing Ye Ling’s hesitation, Lan Xiao simply retrieved Ye Ling’s washed and dried clothes from the bag and tucked the slip of paper with the number into the pants pocket. “Please change again. I’ll take you home afterward.”

With that, Lan Xiao placed the paper bag containing the pants in Ye Ling’s arms and turned to leave.

“Xiaoxiao,” Ye Ling called out, stopping her. Lan Xiao turned back, meeting her gaze calmly. “Let me reiterate: I am not Geng Xiaoxiao. If you wish to address me, please use my full name.”

Ye Ling stared stubbornly at her. “Isn’t there anything else you want to say to me?”

“I don’t think so,” Lan Xiao replied.

Ye Ling pressed her lips together. Seeing no one was paying attention outside the door, she decided to bluff.

“I know everything. You don’t belong to this world, do you? I’ll keep your secret.”

Ye Ling fixed her gaze on Lan Xiao, determined not to miss even the slightest reaction.

But she was destined for disappointment.

The pink-haired girl merely frowned slightly, her voice flat. “I was wrong. Perhaps you need to see a psychiatrist more than a doctor for your foot.”

She turned away, leaving with a final remark: “Please stop bothering me.”

The door closed, severing Ye Ling’s lingering gaze.

Lan Xiao leaned against the door, her expression seemingly calm, but a thin layer of sweat had already broken out on her skin.

Ye Ling had guessed correctly.

Over the past four years, it had been impossible for Lan Xiao to maintain a flawless facade, leaving no trace of her true nature. After experiencing “time travel” firsthand, Ye Ling had easily unraveled her inconsistencies.

When will Xiao Jiu finally return? Lan Xiao thought, frustrated. He can’t even give me a clear answer, only adding to the chaos!

At that moment, Lan Xiao’s only desire was to get Ye Ling out of her sight.

She approached Xu Min, the party organizer, and explained her decision to withdraw. Xu Min nodded understandingly, telling her to focus on her urgent matters.

From Xu Min, Lan Xiao also learned that Wendy was withdrawing from the party as well.

This came as no surprise. Wendy, a local resident who hadn’t even graduated yet, had only joined the farewell party for one purpose.

After settling the villa matter, Ye Ling changed clothes and emerged from her room. Lan Xiao sidestepped her, gathered up the bear-patterned pajamas, and planned to return them after washing.

Perhaps restrained by the presence of outsiders, Ye Ling remained silent.

Lan Xiao welcomed this silence. She left the house, bringing Pu Mengyu along to prevent Ye Ling from reopening their contentious arguments.

Lan Xiao floored the accelerator, arriving at their destination in no time. She parked the car, pulled the rented wheelchair from the trunk, and gestured for Ye Ling to sit down.

“Why are we at the police station?” Ye Ling looked reluctant.

“Because you wouldn’t tell us where you live,” Pu Mengyu answered, then playfully reached out to hug Ye Ling. Ye Ling dodged the gesture, frowned, and got out of the car to sit in the wheelchair herself.

Pu Mengyu chuckled and pushed Ye Ling forward. Lan Xiao had already spoken with the police, and soon someone came to take Ye Ling for questioning.

The results weren’t ideal.

They scanned Ye Ling’s fingerprints and facial features, but found no matching records in their database. Since Ye Ling had no identification documents to prove her identity, the worst-case scenario was that she would be treated as an illegal immigrant.

Pu Mengyu clicked her tongue. “She doesn’t look like an illegal immigrant at all. What do we do now?”

Lan Xiao hadn’t anticipated this outcome. She had assumed that Xiao Jiu, having brought Ye Ling here, would have taken care of her identity and documentation. Who knew he’d done absolutely nothing?

Lan Xiao closed her eyes briefly. “Let’s go to the embassy,” she said.

The embassy’s handling of the situation proved far more reliable than the police station’s. They took Ye Ling in and promised to contact their home country immediately to verify her identity as quickly as possible.

The embassy’s security was beyond question, and Lan Xiao felt she had largely fulfilled Xiao Jiu’s request, putting half her mind at ease.

Before leaving, she pulled aside a kind-faced staff member and subtly hinted that Ye Ling might have some mental health issues.

After receiving assurances that they would keep a close eye on her, Lan Xiao finally relaxed completely. She left her phone number, urging them to call immediately if any problems arose.

Afterward, she took Pu Mengyu back to the party and then headed home.

By the time she’d finished dealing with everything, it was already evening.

Lan Xiao mixed a bowl of yogurt with granola for dinner and replied to a few part-time job group messages and other miscellaneous notifications.

Switching to her alternate account, she saw that the messages she’d sent earlier still hadn’t received a reply.

Of course, Lan Xiao thought. It’s still so early. She’d have to be crazy to be awake.

Lan Xiao turned on her phone notifications, went to the study, and logged into her computer account to avoid missing any messages.

While waiting, she read a few research papers. By the time she looked up again, it was completely dark outside.

A message from Pu Mengyu popped up on her phone: It’s too noisy here. I’m coming back to sleep. Can you get my freshly washed sheets and make the bed?

Lan Xiao replied with a simple Okay. After making the bed, she gathered some dirty laundry to wash and paced around the living room to stretch her legs.

Just as she was about to take a shower, her phone, which she had left in the study, suddenly rang with a piercing ringtone. Lan Xiao’s eyelids twitched violently as she hurried into the room.

It was a call from the embassy—Ye Ling had gone missing.

At that very moment, a clattering sound came from outside the door, followed by Pu Mengyu’s shrill scream.

“Ahhh! Who’s lying at the door?!”

Domestic.

The sun rose in the east, ushering in another new day.

This was Meng Lianqiu’s second time knocking on the door, but there was still no response.

Realizing the phone wasn’t going through either, Meng Lianqiu gritted her teeth and requested a spare room key from the front desk.

She knocked a third time, and after confirming there was no answer, she swiped the keycard to open the door.

“President Ye, you haven’t gotten up yet, and I’m getting worried.”

Crossing the living room to stand outside the bedroom door, Meng Lianqiu paused before continuing, “I’m coming in now.”

She pushed the door open, already prepared to call emergency services, only to find the pristine white bed completely empty.