Like going to war, she quickly dressed, washed, ate, and rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, she was a regular here; otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to explain Qiu Ruofeng’s sudden selective amnesia.
Sitting at the nurses’ station in her changed clothes, she observed others while flipping through Qiu Ruofeng’s notes. Luckily, her handwriting was similar—delicate and elegant. With some practice, she shouldn’t be easily exposed.
However, what right did he have to think he hadn’t personally pushed away the person he loved most? Ru Feng crouched down, suppressing her emotions. Not being able to obtain his love was her regret! Even if he was no longer her Ning Yuan brother, she still couldn’t remain indifferent to his pain.
“You…”
“Ning Yuan!”
As Ru Feng opened her mouth, she heard an anxious call from the corridor. Sui Feng rushed over, hugging a bag and bumping into Ru Feng, who swayed.
“Ning Yuan!” Sui Feng panicked, pulling him up and pressing a hand on his wound. “They called and said you accidentally hit a table! Why haven’t you gone to bandage it? Where’s the doctor?”
Ning Yuan was silently pulled toward the emergency room.
Ru Feng stood motionless, watching her sister and him walk away. After a moment, she forced herself to turn around and pat her face. Wake up, Si Tu Ru Feng; he has said he doesn’t love you. His happiness is now another person’s responsibility.
Hugging her belongings, she strode out. Sitting outside the hospital, she felt lost again. She had the hundred yuan Qiu’s mother had given her that morning. After spending four yuan on transportation and water, she was left with ninety-six yuan. It was unlikely she’d get more money anytime soon.
Earlier, she had reset her bank password and found only 52 yuan in her account. Propping her chin in her hand, she gazed blankly at the sky. Love and emotions felt like clouds; survival was the real priority.
She considered finding her brothers but immediately recalled the awkward scenes from last night and shook her head. Seeing them now would be more depressing than anything.
She sighed, wondering why her eldest brother could earn money so easily with just a phone call and a signature, while she found it so difficult. Taking a sip of water, she continued to ponder. Suddenly, she jumped up.
Her second brother had always been unable to see color without assistance. Now that her soul was reborn in Qiu Ru Feng’s body, she wondered if he could still see. If he couldn’t, he would never experience the world’s colors again. If he could, would he recognize her at a glance?
To be sure, half an hour later, Ru Feng walked out of a supermarket. Wearing a white T-shirt and black pants, she felt at ease, knowing her second brother saw in black and white. However, she sadly realized she had only sixteen yuan left. She touched her nearly empty pocket, feeling heavy-hearted. She had chosen the cheapest items in the supermarket, yet they still seemed expensive.
She forgot that the clothes she used to wear were far more expensive. If she couldn’t handle being an office worker, she should at least be able to do manual labor. Bringing her purchases home, she found Qiu’s mother embroidering cross-stitch in her room.
Already over forty, her prime years gone, and dismissed by Qiu Chi, she had struggled to find a suitable job, occasionally doing odd jobs and surviving on the money Qiu Ru Feng brought home.
“Xiao Feng?” She was surprised her daughter would appear at this hour.
Ru Feng steeled herself and stammered out the excuse she had prepared—that she had offended some powerful person and been fired. Surprisingly, after a long silence, Qiu’s mother accepted this explanation. “Was it Qiu Chi?”
Ru Feng broke out in a cold sweat, neither nodding nor shaking her head. Qiu’s mother then understood, “I told you not to provoke him. What are we going to do now?”
Thinking about the bank card with less than a hundred yuan that couldn’t even be withdrawn, Ru Feng asked, “How much money do we have at home?”
Qiu’s mother took out her wallet and counted for a while, eventually telling her, “Two hundred yuan!”
Ru Feng fell silent. The unsettled hospital bill wouldn’t be paid until the end of the month, and it was only the beginning. Were they supposed to survive on this?
“I’ll go find a job!” After lunch, she went out with several of Qiu Ru Feng’s documents.
If she couldn’t be a white-collar worker, she should at least find a manual labor job to meet her basic needs. However, reality proved that even manual labor jobs wouldn’t hire her. Fast food delivery? She couldn’t ride a bicycle or drive. Outside a company with a bright “Hiring” sign was a requirement for “two years of work experience.” She wondered if her hospital work experience was suitable for a clothing company.
For property management cleaning staff, the old man said, “We require women between thirty and fifty, married with children,” claiming it was about being “reliable.” He looked at her strangely and asked, “Aren’t you running a fever?”
Finally, she saw a recruitment advertisement on a utility pole for female public relations at a large entertainment venue. The ad had no education or experience requirements but demanded attractive features and height over 1.6 meters, offering a salary of no less than 15,000 yuan monthly. She bit her lip, knowing there was no such thing as a free lunch. A female PR with no professional skills couldn’t possibly earn more than fresh college graduates in her brother’s company.
The night was dark when she returned, and Qiu Mama was by the doorway, waiting for her. Her heart was filled with emotion as she walked over and supported her.
Qiu Mama smiled, held her hand, and said, “You’re back, that’s good. The food is ready, let’s eat.”
The meal was simple: a tomato scrambled egg dish and green pepper stir-fried meat. Qiu Mama continuously transferred meat to Ru Feng’s bowl, evoking an indescribable feeling in her heart.
“I’ll look for work again tomorrow,” Ru Feng said.
Qiu Mama added another piece of egg to her plate, “It’s okay, take your time. You’ll find a good job eventually. We’re not in a hurry, right?”
Ru Feng smiled slightly.
Qiu Mama’s eyes suddenly turned red. Startled, Ru Feng asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qiu Mama wiped her eyes, “Nothing, I’m just too happy. My daughter hasn’t spoken to me for so long. Eating together and chatting like this makes me want to cry.”
Her hair was gray-white, and wrinkles around her eyes revealed the marks of age.
Ru Feng held her hand, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.”
Now that she’s in Ru Feng’s body, she must take on her responsibilities. However, she wondered if this soul’s rebirth would eventually return to its original place.
Ru Feng let out a light sigh. She couldn’t understand why she had died and been reborn in someone else’s body. Recalling the blurry voices from her deathbed, she questioned if her second brother had cast the Situ family’s forbidden curse. Yet, her second brother was fine, and her original body was dead, leaving her confused about the cause of these events.
The night was deep, and Ning Yuan’s room was still lit. The door opened gently as Zhong Shu Qin walked in, “Yuan, aren’t you going to sleep?”
Ning Yuan, buried in company documents, replied without looking up, “Mother, you go to sleep first. I still have work to do.”
As Ru Feng entered the building, the security guard stopped her, “Miss Qiu, sorry, you cannot enter.”
“Why can’t I enter? Is it under martial law? And how do you know my name?” Ru Feng asked, clearly confused.
The security guard, polite yet cold, stated, “I apologize, but there are orders from above that prevent you from entering this building, Miss Qiu.”
Ru Feng raised her hands, showing two large cake boxes. “These are cakes ordered by your customer service department for your clients.”
