Lin Xiaoxiao had never given it serious thought before. She liked Zhou Huai'an—yes—but not enough to willingly stay in this world for him.

If she had a chance to return home, she would take it. She couldn't stand the thought of the original owner bullying her parents and making her mother suffer.

So she hadn't considered the consequences. Now, looking at this once emotionally dense man who had surprisingly learned to buy her gifts, she felt a pang of emotion. Blinking back slight tears, she smiled at Zhou Huai'an. "You're so good to me. If we were to separate one day, would you be sad?"

Zhou Huai'an looked up, his gaze intense and deep. "I would come find you."

Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly laughed. She stood up, leaned over, and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for the gift. I really like it."

She thought he meant that if they were ever apart, he would seek her out—and that alone moved her. This wooden man was slowly figuring things out.

Mindful of Zhou Xiaoling next door, Lin Xiaoxiao didn't make too much of a scene. Letting go, she happily wrapped the scarf around her neck, then draped it over her head. "Does it look good?"

she asked Zhou Huai'an.

Zhou Huai'an swallowed and nodded honestly. "It does."

Zhou Xiaoling, hearing the commotion, came in to join the fun. "What looks good? Oh, Sis bought a new scarf! It's beautiful!"

She circled Lin Xiaoxiao, thumbs up. "Big brother has good taste!"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought Zhou Xiaoling's praise was overly generous. The red scarf was commonplace—you saw them everywhere on the street, in basic colors like red, yellow, blue, and green. Red was the most common.

Nevertheless, the gift lifted her spirits and stead her mood. Whether she could return home was still uncertain, but she trusted her intelligent parents and brother would eventually see through the original owner and not let her cause trouble.

For now, in this era, she would live earnestly. If she did make it back one day, she'd have plenty to tell her family about life here.

Her back injury wasn't serious, and within two days Lin Xiaoxiao was back to her lively self.

Anxious to investigate Dai Xueming, she urged Zhou Xiaoling to return to work.

Zhou Xiaoling hesitated. "Are you sure you're okay? You need to rest properly so it doesn't cause problems later—like it did for me."

Lin Xiaoxiao was curious. "What do you mean? You look perfectly healthy."

Zhou Xiaoling scratched her head. "It's nothing much, but I got sick in Tibet and didn't recover fully. Now I'm prone to asthma."

Lin Xiaoxiao was alarmed. "You have to be careful then! No more carrying heavy bags. Asthma isn't something to ignore."

Zhou Xiaoling had meant to advise Lin Xiaoxiao but ended up being lectured herself. She nodded vigorously. "I know, I know. I'm usually careful."

After seeing Zhou Xiaoling off, Lin Xiaoxiao hurried to class.

She slipped in quietly after the lesson had started, took out her notebook, and focused on the lecture.

After class, Li Guiling came over with concern. "How are you feeling? We heard you were injured and wanted to visit, but Dr. Lu said not to disturb you."

Lin Xiaoxiao waved it off. "It's fine—just superficial wounds. A couple days of rest was all I needed."

Li Guiling sighed in relief. "Thank goodness! We were so worried. But you still need to be careful and let yourself recover."

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled her thanks. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dai Xueming approaching but pretended not to see him, continuing her conversation with Li Guiling.

Dai Xueming hesitated at the edge of the group before speaking up. "Xiao Lin, I'm glad to see you're okay. I blame myself for what happened."

Lin Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. "Did you loosen the rope?"

"No, no!" He shook his head quickly. "The rope was worn through in one section—we didn't notice during inspection."

Lin Xiaoxiao knew that was plausible. Rescue ropes here were reused constantly; some looked strong but were actually rotten inside.

But her main issue was that someone had stepped on her hand.

"Then why say it's your fault?"

Dai Xueming looked embarrassed. "Because we were on the team together, and you got hurt. If I had gone down instead, you wouldn't have been injured."

Lin Xiaoxiao raised her brow again. "Could you have even fit through that opening?"

Dai Xueming fell silent. He had hoped to get closer to her, never expecting her to be so direct.

Flushing, he turned and left.

As he walked away, Lin Xiaoxiao noticed his shoes—a brand-new pair of military-green sneakers, expensive even in stores.

She'd heard Dai Xueming was from the countryside, his family poor with many sisters. He was the only son, and his parents and grandparents were often ill. The whole family struggled to make ends meet.

He had always worn patched cloth shoes before. How could he afford new sneakers?

She watched him suspiciously as he walked away. Li Guiling, unaware, continued, "Xiao Lin, you were a bit hard on him. Is there some misunderstanding between you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao frowned. "What misunderstanding? I was stating facts."

Li Guiling continued defending him. In her eyes, Dai Xueming was decent—hardworking and diligent despite his family's situation. She'd even heard he studied late in the restroom every night.

"When you were unconscious, he was really worried. He asked several times when you'd wake up, and why you hadn't if your injuries weren't serious."

Maybe it was guilt, Lin Xiaoxiao wondered. Maybe he wished I'd died?

Annoyed, she cut Li Guiling off. "Talking like that is what causes misunderstanding. I'm married—it's my husband's place to care about me. Please don't say things like that again."

Li Guiling finally realized her mistake and nodded repeatedly. "You're right, that was inappropriate."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't dwell on it. Her mind was on Dai Xueming's shoes. He's definitely hiding something, she thought. Let Zhou Huai'an investigate the rest—he'll find something.

Things were getting more interesting by the day.

After school, she rushed home to tell Zhou Huai'an, not without a hint of pride. "See? I told you Dai Xueming is suspicious. But why target me? We've never had any conflict."

Zhou Huai'an looked at her with appreciation; he hadn't realized she was so observant. "I'll have Lin Zihao look into it. But you be careful too—don't pay him too much attention or he might notice."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded cheerfully. "Don't worry, I'm clever."

Humming happily, she went to fetch bowls and chopsticks when someone called from outside the door, "Is this Zhou Huai'an's home?"