Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 109 Slap in the Face Incident, Major Turmoil! [1 Update]

Chapter 109: 109 Slap in the Face Incident, Major Turmoil! [1 Update]

This was the first time Lin Wenli had used the term "sister" in four years.

Indeed, as his classmates had said, he had a poker face, wasn’t good with words, and was even less adept at expressing his feelings.

But this didn’t mean he couldn’t discern the kindness and malice around him.

He had been puzzled by the events of the past few years, but as Lin Huaijin said, Ye Wanlan was changing for the better, and he could perhaps try to trust her again.

After all, Ye Wanlan was his cousin—could others see her more clearly than he could?

Xu Nanchu’s words came to an abrupt halt, her mind seemingly struck by lightning, instantly blank.

What did Lin Wenli call Ye Wanlan?

...Sister?

Didn’t he only have one cousin, Lin Qin?

Xue Yiwei also looked at Ye Wanlan in disbelief, her pupils dilating and contracting, clearly dealing with a huge shock.

"Jiaojiao said the sweet and sour pork ribs and green pepper pork slivers at Jiang University are not bad, do you have any dietary restrictions?" Ye Wanlan turned her head, "If not, let’s go eat on the third floor of the second cafeteria in a little while."

Jiangcheng University had five large cafeterias, each with three floors.

"No," Lin Wenli nodded slightly, his face returning to its usual impassiveness, "If they taste good, we could take some back for Mom and Dad to try."

"Yeah, I’ve also applied for day release," Ye Wanlan said. "Otherwise, auntie and uncle might get anxious if they don’t see us for a few days."

Several students from No.7 Middle School, upon meeting Lin Wenli’s icy and slightly resentful gaze, came to a realization in an instant.

"Ah Lan, go have a meal with your brother; you’ve already left your notes for us, we can just read them ourselves," they said.

"That’s right, that’s right, Ah Lan, go ahead."

"Okay, if you have any questions, you can ask me in the group," Ye Wanlan nodded slightly, stood up, and left with Lin Wenli.

"Who would’ve thought Wanlan and Top Scholar Lin from School No. 1 were siblings? Such high IQs run in their family," He Jiaojiao exclaimed, "Doesn’t that mean next year’s top scorers for the humanities and sciences college entrance exams could all be from one family?"

Xue Yiwei and Xu Nanchu still stood there dazed, unable to recover their senses for a long time.

Other people’s joy had nothing to do with them; all they were left with were embarrassment and awkwardness.

"Hey, some people, bad-mouthing their sister right in front of their brother, I really don’t know what they’re thinking," a voice drawled, "If I were them, I’d really want to dig a hole and bury myself in it."

Xu Nanchu, feeling her sore spot poked, was furious: "What’s it to you? You want to manage me, too?"

"I wouldn’t dare manage Miss Xu," the other person continued in a casual tone, "Your Xu Family is so powerful, I’d be rushing to stay away. But oh, the son of the Qin Family just went to prison, if one day your Xu Family... tsk, I didn’t say anything."

At these words, Xu Nanchu became even angrier.

Xue Yiwei pursed her lips, not knowing what to say to cover her embarrassment: "They are siblings."

"I didn’t know Wenli had another cousin either," Xu Nanchu said feeling embarrassed and saddened, "I thought our relationship was already good enough, why didn’t he tell me about it?"

With his cold demeanor and excellent looks, coupled with his outstanding academic achievements, Lin Wenli had no shortage of female admirers at school.

Xu Nanchu also had a fondness for Lin Wenli.

"Didn’t she run off to be a stand-in for the Young Master of the Zhou Family for two years?" Xue Yiwei said with a mix of sarcasm and mockery, "Who would want to recognize someone like that as a sister? She probably ran back to the Lin Family after realizing she couldn’t marry into the Zhou Family."

Xu Nanchu had an epiphany: "Yiwei, you make sense, I will definitely make Wenli see her true colors."

She was certain she could grasp the pretense of Ye Wanlan and help Lin Wenli escape the sea of misery.

**

The cafeterias at Jiangcheng University were indeed very good, Ye Wanlan leisurely finished two plates of dishes, three bowls of rice, and then packed three more dishes to take away.

Facing Lin Wenli’s deep gaze, she was very calm: "Wenli, you go back first, I need to make a trip to the drama crew."

Ye Wanlan valued the drama "Annus Mirabilis" greatly. Not only could it help Pulling the Sky Company to further open up the market, but it was also a great opportunity to promote intangible cultural heritage.

In the past, whether it was in the economy, military, culture, or other areas, the Ning Dynasty was undoubtedly first.

And so Shenzhou would be too, afterward.

Even if it was a huge project, she was determined to make her way against the current.

"Okay," Lin Wenli hesitated, "Isn’t it too tiring to run back and forth like this?"

"I’m okay," Ye Wanlan stretched lazily, speaking lightly, "A long time ago, during classes, it was much more exhausting."

There’s never something for nothing in this world.

Outsiders might see how glamorous she was, surpassing all the princes and princesses, entering the East Palace to become the Crown Prince.

But they didn’t know that back then, she got at most five hours of sleep each day, spending the rest of her time learning from different teachers.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

That was a truth she understood long ago and one that she would continue to uphold in her heart.

Her visit to the drama crew today was because she had accepted an invitation from Yan Tingfeng and Rong Yu.

Both of them were eager to see the latest sets of Su embroidery and brocade clothing.

"Student Ye, get in the car quickly," Rong Yu said with great animation, "I’ll drive, so you just sit back and relax."

Ye Wanlan buckled her seatbelt, "Thank you."

"Tired?" Yan Tingfeng turned around, "Want some refreshing tea?"

"Indeed my body is quite tired, but my mind is quite active," Ye Wanlan said with a faint smile, "The feeling of conquering a city is quite exhilarating."

Yan Tingfeng slightly raised his eyebrows, looking at the girl with a deeper contemplation.

They arrived at the film set at five-thirty, just when the actors and crew were on their break.

Rong Yu got the chance to take several close-up photos of the Su embroidery clothing and sent them all to Rong Jingqiu.

[Please Father, abdicate in my favor]: Su embroidery? A whole set? Is that brocade next to it? Where are you, lad?

[Prince Here]: That’s right, I was lucky to lay my eyes on these fine things thanks to my patient.

Rong Yu grinned cheekily, "There’s finally a day that my dad is stunned, something he hadn’t calculated! He really should abdicate."

What he didn’t know was that his bragging indeed set off a bomb in Rong Jingqiu, who was far away in Yunjing.

In the Rong Family, a handsome young man looked up, his brows slightly lifted, "Dad, what’s up?"

This was Rong Qi, Rong Yu’s elder brother by birth and Rong Jingqiu’s eldest son.

"I can’t seem to calm down," Rong Jingqiu paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, "Xiao Qi, as you know, three hundred years ago our Rong Family barely managed to preserve a lineage and that surviving to this day is in fact the thin thread of life prophesied by our ancestors."

Rong Qi nodded in agreement.

"But over these three hundred years, no matter how our Rong Family has passed down the mantle, every family head and Great Elder has calculated that in these years there must be a major upheaval in Jiangcheng." Rong Jingqiu continued, "And any upheaval in Jiangcheng would inevitably affect the whole of Shenzhou."

"I know," Rong Qi spoke indifferently, "The divinations say that Shenzhou will regain what it has lost."

"Exactly!" Rong Jingqiu’s expression grew animated, "Your grandfather, the Elders Council, and I have discussed time and again what this ’lost thing’ might be, with no conclusion, but now we have a clue!"

Rong Qi pondered for a moment, "Like intangible cultural heritage such as Su embroidery? Ancient craftsmanship?"

"No, it’s not just that," Rong Jingqiu spoke loudly, "I have a premonition that everything from the zenith of the Ning Dynasty will return, including the lost last seven parts of the Su Family’s Taiyi Divine Needle and also the final two parts of our Rong Family’s lost Great Purity Pulse Technique!"

Even someone as composed as Rong Qi was taken aback by this revelation.

But how could something lost be remembered unless someone from that time was still alive?

Although the Taiyi Divine Needle and the Great Purity Pulse Technique are related, the human brain has its limits—how could it remember so much?

"Xiao Qi, I need to set off for Jiangcheng right away, you go and recalculate this matter with the Elders Council," Rong Jingqiu said. "There’s another thing, if your mother hasn’t been in touch within twenty-four hours, remember to look for her."

Rong Qi paused, "What happened to Mom?"

Rong Jingqiu sighed, "Your mother ran away from home because she didn’t manage to secure a spot for the high-end jewelry from the Pulling the Sky Company."

"..."

That was something his mother would do.

Rong Jingqiu quickly booked a flight, "I need to see what’s really going on."

A watershed event that hasn’t happened in a millennium, the person who caused it must be no ordinary individual!

**

On this end, at the "Annus Mirabilis" film set.

"Chairman Ye, we’ve taken five sets of makeup photos for Shuangyi, representing the five crucial periods in the drama," Song Lingyi said. "We’re now shooting a behind-the-scenes highlight, which is a climatic scene in the story. When we reveal the lead actress, we’ll release this footage simultaneously."

Nie Shuangyi, who had been an extra for eight years and honed her acting skills, was not overshadowed by Zhou Chengyu in their scenes. Instead, her acting was improving.

"Very good," Ye Wanlan nodded, "After all, Shuangyi hasn’t played a lead role before, this will help increase her recognition among the public."

Song Lingyi smiled, "Chairman Ye really thought the same as I did. There’s also—"

"Sister Song, something major has happened, something really major!" The agent’s assistant hurried over, looking panic-stricken, "The lead actress has been leaked ahead of time, and quite a number of media are gathered at the entrance of the studio!"

Song Lingyi frowned, "What happened? Didn’t everyone sign a confidentiality agreement?"

The agent’s assistant handed over a phone, and the trending search list was dominated by relevant terms.

#Nie Shuangyi, The Leading Lady of Annus Mirabilis#

#Nie Shuangyi, Rising to Fame#

Upon clicking into the tag, a post from Yeh Jialing’s Weibo appeared.

[@Yeh JialingV: I can’t imagine that "Annus Mirabilis" would choose someone whose private life was incredibly messy during her university days to play an upright female official. On behalf of everyone, I must ask, Nie Shuangyi, what gives you the right?

I was roommates with Nie Shuangyi, I know she has always liked to climb up the ladder by using her body, the evidence is below.

Don’t tell me with your talents you could get Shengshi Entertainment to sign you? Do you have some unsavory dealings with the head of Sheng Entertaiment?]

[What? Nie Shuangyi? Who did the "Annus Mirabilis" crew choose to play the female official? A bottom-feeder actress like you is worthy of starring alongside Zhou Chengyu? Worthy, my a**!]