Even After My Death
Chapter 151 - 124: The Engagement Must Be Canceled! (Two in One)

Chapter 151: Chapter 124: The Engagement Must Be Canceled! (Two in One)

By noon, everyone was exhausted, and Jiang Ning purposely chose a spot by the stream for a rest break because there was fresh water.

She had become quite adept at slaughtering chickens and letting their blood.

This time, however, Jiang Ning carefully collected the chicken blood in a bamboo tube, making sure not to waste it.

Nong Chun gathered some firewood, and soon a fire was blazing. Although he had a small stove, the flavor of chicken cooked over a wood fire was more aromatic, and the flames from the firewood burned more vigorously than those from the stove.

Drained from fatigue, Mu Mingxuan and the others were foraging nearby, while only Huo Miao, with both hands injured, remained seated in her original spot.

Huo Miao kept her eyes fixated on the pot over the firewood, her gaze filled with hunger, especially after the rich aroma of chicken soup wafted through the air. She was so eager that she couldn’t help but keep swallowing saliva, wishing she could grab that pot of chicken soup for herself.

But that thought stayed only in her mind—she wouldn’t dare put it into action.

With Jiang Ning’s crazy offensive power, she probably wouldn’t have been able to get her hands on the chicken soup before being pinned to the ground by Jiang Ning.

Huo Miao repressed her inner urge and when she noticed that Mu Mingxuan and his group had wandered off, she picked up her backpack and sat down under a large tree, her back turned to Jiang Ning and the other two.

The audience in front of the screen thought that Huo Miao was simply too hungry to bear the sight of the chicken soup, fearing that looking at it would make her crave it more. But the next second, they saw Huo Miao fumbling in her bag for a while before quickly taking out a brown object and stuffing it into her mouth.

[What is that?!]

[It looks like a piece of broken chocolate?]

[Holy shit? Huo Miao still has food?]

[Where did she get it from?]

[...I remember now, before embarking on the yacht, the director let everyone pack their belongings, and Huo Miao sneakily stuffed some snacks into her bag, including chocolate. I’ve never seen her eat her snacks before, I almost forgot about that.]

[Huo Miao is truly something, she’s even been hiding stuff.]

[If she has something to eat, why did she just eat Huo Ziheng and Mu Mingxuan’s raspberries!]

[Huo Miao keeps surprising me time and again with her acts. It’s one thing not to share with the other guests, but she doesn’t even share with Huo Ziheng and Mu Mingxuan.]

[No wonder she was so nervous yesterday when Huo Ziheng wanted to get her backpack in the tent. It turns out she had other food in her backpack!]

[Hahaha, Huo Ziheng and Mu Mingxuan, such big fools, they would never expect Huo Miao to eat behind their backs.]

[Yeah, as expected, seeing how practiced she is in sneaking food, this isn’t her first or second time doing it behind everyone’s back.]

Although Mother Huo’s phone was turned off, that didn’t prevent her from watching the live broadcast on the TV in the villa’s living room.

When she saw Huo Miao sneakily eating chocolate behind Huo Ziheng’s back, Mother Huo’s hands clutched the sofa beneath her, and for the first time, her gaze toward Huo Miao on the screen was filled with resentment and disdain.

For so many years, she had treated Huo Miao as her own daughter, even preferring Huo Miao’s side after finding Jiang Ning later.

But one was a daughter with no blood ties, and the other was her own son. Mother Huo’s heart still distinguished which was more important!

Putting aside the care and affection that the Huo family had showered on Huo Miao all these years, just focusing on the care that Huo Ziheng had provided for her during the show. He fulfilled the role of a brother perfectly, not only filling his own backpack with Huo Miao’s belongings but also making sure Huo Miao got to eat every time he found food, even if it meant going hungry himself.

But Huo Miao? She clearly knew Huo Ziheng was also starving, yet her heart was filled only with thoughts for herself!

Watching Huo Ziheng, completely oblivious and desperately searching for food, Mother Huo was so heartbroken she nearly cried.

Who knows where the show’s crew got their equipment from; although it was a virtual reality show, every image was exceptionally real. Huo Ziheng had been eating poorly and sleeping fitfully over these past days, and within just a few days, he looked haggard.

Mother Huo was heartbroken, wishing she could instantly pull that ingrate Huo Miao out of the screen and strangle her while demanding answers.

Where had the Huo family gone wrong for her to be so heartless!

If Huo Miao hadn’t knelt before her, crying and pleading, she wouldn’t have rejected Jiang Ning as her daughter for the sake of Huo Miao’s feelings, and none of these vexing issues would have arisen.

Mother Huo glared malevolently at Huo Miao as if looking at an ingrate.

Someone else who shared the same disgust for Huo Miao was Madam Mu, Mu Mingxuan’s mother.

"The Huo family has really raised a good daughter!" Madam Mu started, and then she couldn’t hold back her disgust any longer. She grabbed the glass on the coffee table and smashed it fiercely to the ground, "She’s absolutely outrageous!"

The servant stood by, trembling.

Madam Mu gasped for air, her brows furrowed and eyes flashing with anger: "The Huo family found their real daughter two years ago and kept it secret, letting this imposter fool us! We’ve been so committed to her, but she only thinks about herself, that ingrate!"

The Mu family had never known about the true and false daughters of the Huo family, and the Huo family had never informed them!

At that moment, in Madam Mu’s eyes, Huo Miao was not only an ingrate but also a disaster.

If it weren’t for her asking Mu Mingxuan to participate in this program, there wouldn’t be so many issues now.

Even the Mu Family’s stocks plummeted these past few days, and now they have become the laughingstock of the circle!

As Madam Mu watched Mu Mingxuan still striving to find food, her heart ached immensely. When she turned to look at Huo Miao sneakily eating alone, Madam Mu’s gaze immediately took on a hint of loathing.

Once her husband returned, she definitely planned to discuss with him the matter of canceling the engagement.

Huo Miao, that counterfeit ingrate, would absolutely not be allowed through the doors of the Mu Family!

Huo Miao secretly snatched a couple pieces of chocolate and took a few sips of water, finally feeling her stomach wasn’t so empty anymore.

She didn’t know what Jiang Ning had put into the chicken soup, but the rich aroma was especially enticing, making Huo Miao constantly swallow her saliva.

She placed her items on the ground and then headed in the direction where Mu Mingxuan and Huo Ziheng had just disappeared.

She couldn’t stay here any longer; otherwise, she’d be tempted to death by Jiang Ning’s chicken soup sooner or later!

Besides, if she just sat here, what if Mu Mingxuan and the others found something delicious and ate it first?

When Huo Miao found Mu Mingxuan and them, Mu Mingxuan and Huo Ziheng were squatting on the ground foraging for wild vegetables.

In normal times, these would be things they’d be too stingy to even glance at, but now, in order to survive, these two proud business elites had to set aside their dignity and, under Jian Tiantian’s guidance, forage for wild greens.

"Young Master Mu, Young Master Huo, after you finish picking those in your hands, you can come over here. There’s a large patch all around me," Jian Tiantian said, her voice gentle and pleasant.

Mu Mingxuan and Huo Ziheng responded, quickly picking the plants in their hands, and then went over to Jian Tiantian to continue foraging.

The three of them squatted on the ground, huddled around a bunch of wild greens. When Huo Miao approached, she saw them closely squatting together.

Huo Miao’s eyes darkened, "Big Brother!"

Upon hearing the voice, Huo Ziheng immediately turned around, "Miaomiao, why did you come over?"

"I was a bit worried about you all." As Huo Miao approached, she realized they were picking wild vegetables, but she still looked at Jian Tiantian with some discontent.

"Brother, why are you here picking wild vegetables instead of looking for other food?" Huo Miao complained with a pout, "Jiang Ning is cooking chicken soup; I didn’t get full last time Ling Bo caught that chicken. If Jiang Ning can catch chickens in the forest, there must be other ones nearby. Let’s go look for them too."

"Miaomiao, catching chickens isn’t that easy..." Mu Mingxuan replied helplessly.

If it had been possible, they would have already gone hunting.

Previously at the campsite, Mu Mingxuan and the others had also spotted roosters and rabbits in the forest, but don’t underestimate these animals—they’re extremely alert and nimble!

Mu Mingxuan and the others had tried several times before, failing to even touch a rabbit’s shadow; instead, they would end up exhausted, covered head to toe in mud.

"How can that be? I saw Jiang Ning catch one quite easily just now. She even catches rabbits every day," Huo Miao sulked, "Didn’t Ling Bo catch a chicken the other day too?"

She glanced indifferently at the wild greens in their hands, "We’re still on the move now, and eating just wild vegetables isn’t nutritious."

Huo Ziheng replied, "We’ll see how it goes. Ling Bo and the others have already gone that way to look. If they spot any rabbits or chickens, they’ll call us."

Huo Miao deliberately squatted next to Huo Ziheng and Mu Mingxuan. Jian Tiantian wasn’t stupid, she could tell from Huo Miao’s words and expressions that the other woman seemed to have some issues with her.

Jian Tiantian walked to the other side to pick wild vegetables.

Huo Miao followed them, and although she didn’t help, at least she didn’t cause any trouble.

Until Jian Tiantian raised her hand, pointing to a spot with excitement, "There’s a nest up there. I just saw a bird fly away from it; could there be eggs?"

Upon hearing this, Huo Ziheng and Mu Mingxuan immediately ran over.

The tree wasn’t tall; a grown man could easily climb it.

After Huo Ziheng climbed up, he indeed found five little eggs in the bird’s nest and directly took the whole nest down.

Huo Miao was thrilled; she took the five bird eggs from Huo Ziheng’s hand right away.

Even though the eggs were small, they could be eaten once cooked!

Jian Tiantian originally wanted to come forward to have a look, but Huo Miao directly put the bird eggs into her own pocket.

Afterward, Huo Miao began to wander nearby, attempting to find other edible things.

Huo Miao, with her keen eyes, under her earnest search, indeed made a discovery.

Passing a large tree, Huo Miao thought she heard something.

She quickly turned to look, a fluffy animal nimbly running in the forest, and Huo Miao’s expression brightened. Without even a clear sight of what the animal was, fearing it would run away, she turned to shout at Huo Ziheng and the others, "Big Brother, Brother Mingxuan, come quickly! I’ve found prey!"