C15 Seeing Old Friends Again

"Lin Ci, long time no see! Did you miss me? I sure missed you, you heartless thing. Ever since you fell into the water last time, my parents wouldn't let me disturb your rest, and you just never reached out, huh? When I tried to visit, Bai Chongyuan turned me away."

Before the person even arrived, the voice did. Lin Ci turned her head to see an adorably familiar face. Tears welled up in her eyes—it was her best friend, Yang Lingling. In her past life, they had drifted apart because of Lin Shuangning's meddling. In her final moments, after being harmed by Lin Ya, it was Lingling, the friend she had hurt, who took care of her remains. Lingling had cried so heartbreakingly back then.

At that moment, Lin Ci realized her mistakes, but it was too late. Now that life had given her a second chance, she was determined to cherish those around her and steer clear of toxic people.

"Lingling..." Lin Ci's eyes reddened, her voice choked with emotion.

"What's wrong? Don't cry, Lin Ci. If you cry, I'll want to cry too," Lingling said, a bit flustered.

Lin Ci couldn't help but laugh at Lingling's antics.

Both friends laughed together, and even their coworkers joined in. It felt so good, Lin Ci thought. In this life, the people she loved and who loved her were all here, and any past tragedies could be rewritten.

This only strengthened Lin Ci's determination to become more powerful. Only by becoming strong could she protect those around her.

“Lin Ci, we don’t have any classes this afternoon. How about we go shopping?” Lingling asked eagerly, her cute and delicate face impossible to refuse.

Besides, shopping sounded like a good idea to Lin Ci.

“Sure, let's go shopping together,” Lin Ci agreed readily.

In the afternoon, as they stood outside the department store, Lingling exclaimed, “We have to shop till we drop today!”

Lin Ci and Yang Lingling bought a lot of clothes. While shopping, Lin Ci noticed a café on the fifth floor of the building—a perfect plan formed in her mind.

Before heading home, Lin Ci mentioned, “Lingling, I just saw a nice-looking café on the fifth floor!”

“Coffee, our favorite! Let’s go there sometime,” Lingling responded enthusiastically, proving once again why they were such good friends with shared interests.

Lin Ci continued, “How about this Sunday afternoon?”

Though it was phrased as a question, Lin Ci knew Lingling would definitely agree.

Lingling agreed without a second thought, "Sure, sure, I have so much I want to talk to you about."

After setting a time, Lin Ci and Yang Lingling each went their separate ways.

Tonight, Lin Ci was dining alone because Bai Chongyuan was working late. She was used to it by now. Even in the past, when they had Linlin, she often found herself alone in the evenings, wanting to be considerate and not add stress to Bai Chongyuan, who was busy with his career.

After dinner, Lin Ci went to bed early.

In a luxurious mansion, a figure entered and casually turned on the light. It was Shen Yejin, who had come to Fu Yuanyi's home to report. Shen Yejin, breaking from his usual demeanor, said, "Yuanyi, I looked into Lin Ci, and there are indeed some issues. Just a month ago, she fell into the sea. At that time, only her cousin, Lin Shuangning, was present. I found out that Lin Ci didn't fall by herself; her cousin pushed her. I also checked Lin Shuangning's itinerary."