Chapter 85

Seizing the opportunity presented by her partner, Song Pianxian immediately grasped it. In just one lunchtime, she had already caused Song Xuehen to zone out several times, her usually indifferent face showing complex emotions.

During post-meal conversations, by explaining her relationship with Xiang Sixi, she successfully hinted at the fact that “she and Xiang Sixi both came from the orphanage.” In that moment, she saw Song Xuehen’s expression change.

This was the advantage of the task performer. The original person didn’t know her relationship with the Song Family and regarded Song Xuehen as a stranger of high status, while Song Pianxian could disclose information to steer Song Xuehen towards the correct answer.

While talking, Song Pianxian also analyzed the entire process of advancement. She noticed Song Xuehen’s approach, which was different from the original plot, but both methods involved Tian Yi, Luo Ruzhi, and then leading to Song Xuehen, giving her a subtle sense of déjà vu.

Nie Lingbo only had memories of her small world. Could this be her instinct?

Every time she started to contemplate matters concerning Qing Lu, Song Pianxian vaguely felt that, compared to the task small world where she had only briefly stayed, the Quick Transmigration Bureau was like a bigger enigma.

Layers of mysteries.

After bidding farewell to the Nie Family with Xiang Sixi and settling her down, she asked 09:

“If my contribution value is high, can the Quick Transmigration Bureau help me restore my memory?”

All the uncertainties stemmed from her insufficient understanding of the Quick Transmigration Bureau. If it were just her alone, she wouldn’t mind exploring slowly.

Or rather, if it were just her alone, it wouldn’t matter whether she had memories or not, as long as her instinct for tasks remained.

But with Qing Lu, it was different.

Song Pianxian said, “If not, can my personal file be accessed? It should contain information about me.”

09 was caught off guard by the question. What, weren’t we having lunch and doing tasks just now? How did we suddenly change the topic?

After blinking and checking, 09 responded:

“Your personal file has been transmitted to you.”

“Your medical history is blank, indicating good health. Therefore, I deduce that your memory aspect is irreversibly eliminated, with two possible reasons.”

Song Pianxian quickly glanced through her file, seeing it as empty as a college student’s resume with four years of nothing but the basics, even past task experiences were just noted as “skimmed.” She furrowed her eyebrows slightly and closed the file.

“Please continue.”

“One is due to a major mistake by the task officer, leading to the accidental death of the chosen one, the cornerstone of the small world, resulting in psychological trauma that cannot be reversed, requiring treatment by the psychological department of the Quick Transmigration Bureau for formatted reboot healing, not classified as an illness.”

“Second is… you voluntarily requested the psychological department to format and clear you.”

09 whispered, “Compared to the rare situation of the destruction of the small world, many task officers who fell in love with the wrong person chose emotional elimination. There were also many who were too emotionally charged and chose to format themselves directly. The likelihood of reason two is high.”

“…” 09’s tone was full of sorrow, almost making Song Pianxian imagine a world of love and hate.

She pondered for a moment. “I shouldn’t be the second reason.”

“Hmm? Why do you say that?” 09 was puzzled and protested, “But host, you’re so outstanding, succeeding in every task. How could the small world be directly destroyed by you? The first scenario is fundamentally impossible for you, right?”

Song Pianxian remained noncommittal.

She denied the second scenario because of her understanding of her own personality. Just as she wouldn’t choose to forget Lin Qinglu after the first world, she didn’t think she would resort to formatting as an escape.

Moreover, based on general behavioral principles, what a person has done in the past will determine their future actions.

If she had once given up on a loved one or avoided the intense pain caused by the small world, then Song Pianxian believed her subconscious wouldn’t have the courage to make the new her choose to remember Qing Lu.

But to say that she caused the collapse and destruction of the small world…

“Is there no third possibility?”

“No.” 09’s tone was very firm, sticking to the script.

Song Pianxian let out a slow breath.

This wasn’t the first time that 09’s answers failed to convince her.

Though she had a high regard for 09, who was usually active and cute, Song Pianxian didn’t harbor much suspicion. But ultimately, 09 was just a set of code, a receiving end for the Quick Transmigration Bureau.

At this moment, Song Pianxian’s speculation and her intuition were highly aligned, emitting a faint but joyful buzz.

09 was a puppet controlled by invisible threads, a spider web sprayed out from the gland. It seemed lifelike, but it was just a prop.

A prop unaware of being manipulated and toyed with, a means used by the Quick Transmigration Bureau to deceive task officers—at least, that’s what Song Pianxian believed.

Song Pianxian kept this in mind, calmly saying, “Okay, thank you, 09.”

Aside from the matter with the Quick Transmigration Bureau, everything else progressed as usual.

Since that day, Song Pianxian had “coincidentally” encountered Song Xuehen several times.

Song Pianxian perfectly displayed the image of a distressed Cinderella that the original body should have, or rather, the classic image of a naive and innocent female lead in a CEO romance.

(In the eyes of the wealthy) She was as poor as a church mouse, but kind, pure, proactive, optimistic, and beautiful.

In Song Xuehen’s eyes, her attitude toward Song Pianxian was also changing.

With the groundwork laid by Nie Lingbo’s familial relationship, when Song Xuehen first met Song Pianxian and saw her face so similar to Nie Lingbo’s, along with her orphaned background, she keenly sensed something.

But this was only based on her sense of responsibility and the excitement of finding a glimmer of hope after years of searching in vain. As for emotions… emotions develop over time, and she didn’t have any feelings toward Song Pianxian.

However, after several meetings, Song Xuehen couldn’t help but admit that even without the fertile soil of the Song Family, Song Pianxian was diligent enough to make herself outstanding.

With the conditions she possessed, she was already doing quite well.

Song Xuehen couldn’t help but think, if she were truly her cousin, if her aunt knew that her cousin hadn’t been sold to human traffickers to become a child bride, manipulated into disability, but had instead miraculously survived, grown up healthy, and even become an outstanding young person, how wonderful would that be?

At this moment, Song Xuehen completely forgot the faint bias and suspicion she had toward Song Pianxian when she first met her, and instead sincerely looked forward to obtaining Song Pianxian’s personal information.

When Song Xuehen received the information, seeing Song Pianxian’s doubtful date of birth and a series of matching time and location details, it was like a giant rock swaying in the air, crashing to the ground with a trembling aftershock.

Song Xuehen folded the document with trembling hands, loudly instructed the butler to prepare the car, and declared she would go find Song Pianxian to personally confirm it.

On the second floor, as Luo Ruzhi, who was helping Song Fei with homework, walked to the staircase, she asked her:

“You’re not taking a nap today? What’s the rush?”

There was nothing Song Xuehen felt the need to hide from her own wife. “I may have found some news about my cousin. It seems very likely, but I need to confirm it again.”

“Cousin?” Luo Ruzhi didn’t react at first, then her eyes widened suddenly, and she grabbed the staircase railing, “The missing cousin??”

“Yes, I’m going out.” Song Xuehen hurried away.

Standing on the second floor, Luo Ruzhi watched her wife’s figure getting smaller, still unable to come to her senses.

After so many years of no news, suddenly there was news?

“Thud.”

A dull sound came from behind, startling Luo Ruzhi.

She turned around to see Song Fei standing not far behind her, with a celebrity biography lying scattered at her feet.

Following the address in the information, Song Xuehen went to Song Pianxian’s apartment, only to find it empty. It then occurred to her that today was the weekend, and Song Pianxian might be at the Nie Family’s house.

When she arrived at the Nie Family’s house, Song Xuehen saw another person outside the iron gate of the Nie Family’s garden.

The Nie Family’s gatekeeper was courteous but firm: “Master Xi, without an invitation from Missus, I really can’t let you in.”

“I’ve come to visit with a gift, can’t you announce it?” Xi Heng exuded an imposing manner towards the gatekeeper.

But there was no way. He had tried everything recently to get close to Nie Lingbo but couldn’t. He had no choice but to come to the Nie Family to find someone.

“It’s really not possible. Please don’t make it difficult for me.” The gatekeeper remained polite, but inside he was frantic. Others might ask some more questions, but Master Xi, you were personally instructed by our Missus not to be entertained. Who would dare to let you in?

“I…”

“Make way.” A cold female voice came from behind.

Xi Heng turned around, almost biting his tongue.

How was Song Xuehen here!

Since the banquet that day, Xi Heng had unilaterally considered Song Xuehen as his adversary, albeit one he couldn’t afford to offend for the time being.

Seeing her now, Xi Heng’s mind was filled with malicious thoughts, but he had to swallow his pride and smile:

“President Song, are you also here to visit Ms. Nie?”

He glanced at the gatekeeper, “He said, without an invitation, Ms. Nie -“

“President Song, you’re here. Please come in quickly. Miss will be delighted to see you.” The gatekeeper enthusiastically ushered, even kicking away some obstructing fallen leaves for Song Xuehen, showing great hospitality.

“…”

“Mm.” Song Xuehen quickly walked past, not giving Xi Heng a glance, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Behind Song Xuehen, the gatekeeper blocked the path again, looking serious: “Master Xi, please leave. I really can’t let you in.”

“…”

Shift!

The scene at the entrance didn’t register in Song Xuehen’s mind at all. She was fully focused on the important matter at hand. Upon arriving at the Nie residence, she didn’t even have time to exchange pleasantries with Nie Lingbo and the others. Instead, she quickly suggested speaking privately with Song Pianxian.

They borrowed a study room at the Nie house and closed the door to talk for half an hour. Though the time was short, both of them showed some changes afterward.

There was a bit more certainty and closeness in Song Xuehen’s eyes, while Song Pianxian’s usually pure face seemed more bewildered.

In Nie Lingbo’s eyes, she appeared pitiful, vulnerable, and helpless, like a freshly baked honey cake – soft and warm inside, but as long as she, Nie Lingbo, was there to watch over her, she could still exude a sweet aroma.

While Nie Xingzhou miserably went to take an exam, Xiang Sixi supervised nearby. Nie Lingbo took Song Pianxian out of the room to sit by the open bookshelf on the second floor, poured her a cup of tea, and asked softly:

“It seems like you’ve encountered some trouble. Can you tell me about it?”

Song Pianxian thanked her softly, took the cup with both hands, and looked at Nie Lingbo with her clear, tea-colored eyes.

“This… it happened so suddenly, I’m a bit overwhelmed,” Song Pianxian said softly.

Nie Lingbo was patient, her voice steady, with a hint of coaxing:

“What happened?”

Come on, tell me.

Tell me about your hidden vulnerabilities, your troubles, your need for support.

Under her gaze, Song Pianxian seemed hesitant for a moment but eventually spoke up softly:

“President Song said I might be the lost child of the Song Family.”

“How is that possible? This is too… too unbelievable, and too sudden. Although the children in our orphanage have had this kind of dream when they were young, dreaming that their parents would come looking for them, but…”

Nie Lingbo stroked her long hair, then used her fingers to gently gather the top of her hair, quietly, subtly, controlling her.

“But what?”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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