"Lin Xiaoxiao" shot to her feet, her pretty face heavily made up but unable to hide the emptiness in her eyes. She glared at her mother. "I think you're just stingy and don't want to give me the money! Stop making excuses!"

Floating mid-air, the real Lin Xiaoxiao watched furiously as the original owner of her body screamed at her mother.

She never imagined that after she'd left, the original soul in her body would end up mingling with those good-for-nothing rich kids. What kind of people were they? Utterly depraved, capable of the most heinous acts.

Her best friend had once been drugged and assaulted by this very crowd. Unable to bear the shame, she had eventually jumped from the twentieth floor.

Yet those criminals walked free—their families had paid off the right people, turning a clear case of murder into a supposed suicide.

The thought made Lin Xiaoxiao tremble with rage. She lunged forward, trying to grab the original owner by the throat.

But her form passed right through the other woman's body, weightless and ineffective.

Filled with despair and frustration, Lin Xiaoxiao drifted back and forth, wishing she could shake some sense into this reckless version of herself. Why was she destroying their parents' lives?

Mrs. Lin leaned back weakly on the sofa, opening her mouth but finding no words.

She couldn't understand why her daughter had changed so drastically after the car accident.

Tears welled up again. "Xiaoxiao, your brother still hasn't woken up from his crash. Can't you try to be a little more understanding? Our family is falling apart."

Lin Xiaoxiao, who had been phasing helplessly through the other girl's body, froze upon hearing about her brother's accident. She turned toward her mother in horror, wanting to ask what had happened—but she couldn't make a sound. Tears streamed down her face instead.

The last time she dreamed of her brother, he was fine. How could this have happened?

The original "Lin Xiaoxiao" suddenly shivered, feeling a strange chill around her neck. Annoyed by Mrs. Lin's crying, she snapped, "Why are you crying? I didn't cause Lin Wenbin's accident. I'm not a doctor—crying to me won't help!"

Mrs. Lin suddenly stood up and slapped her across the face. Tears in her eyes, she looked at her daughter with utter disappointment. "Listen to yourself! Is that any way to talk? Your brother always treated you so well—he gave you everything. And now you show no gratitude, no heart at all!"

Stunned by the slap, the original "Lin Xiaoxiao" glared back. "You hit me? You're all hypocrites! If you really loved me, why is all the family money going to Lin Wenbin? Admit it—you favor boys over girls!"

She was sick of these phony parents. They were just like her birth mother—once they had a new family, they didn't want her anymore.

Mrs. Lin suddenly grew very calm. "If that's what you believe," she said quietly, "your father and I will revise our will tonight."

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't bear to listen any longer. It was too cruel. And she was powerless. All she wanted was to see her brother—what had happened to him? Why did he have an accident too?

What had happened to their once happy family?

She wanted to go home. She wanted to switch places with the soul in her body again. Anxious and furious, she could do nothing but cry.

"Saozi (Sis), were you worried about me? I'm back! And my mom's okay too—she woke up this morning! Sis, you've been sleeping a long time. My big brother said it's been two days. If you hadn't woken up soon, he would've gone crazy with worry."

Lin Xiaoxiao was crying out of helplessness when the chattering voice pulled her back to reality.

She hadn't returned home—it had only been a vivid, painfully real dream.

Zhou Xiaoling held her hand. "Saozi, don't cry. I'm back now. Wake up, please..."

Lin Xiaoxiao blinked, reluctant to open her eyes but knowing she had to face reality.

Through tear-blurred vision, she saw Zhou Xiaoling leaning over her. The girl gasped when she saw Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes open. "Big brother! Xiaoxiao's awake!"

Then she immediately asked, "What happened? Why were you so exhausted? Was it really because you were worried about me?"

Before Lin Xiaoxiao could answer, hurried footsteps came from outside. Zhou Huaian walked in quickly, his hands still stained with blood.

Seeing him looking weary and unshaven, Lin Xiaoxiao felt her nose sting with fresh tears. "What were you doing? Why are you like this?"

Zhou Xiaoling grinned. "He was slaughtering a chicken to make you soup. He's done it every morning since you fell asleep, but since you didn't wake up, he ended up giving the soup away."

Lin Xiaoxiao wanted to cry even more. "Why would you do that? You could've waited until I woke up."

Still weighed down by the emotions from her dream, she felt low even after waking. Not wanting to waste Zhou Huaian's effort, she forced herself to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Zhou Huaian had work to attend to and couldn't stay long. He took a lunchbox to the hospital for Li Yunlan, then left for work. Before going, he gave Lin Xiaoxiao a long, deep look.

Zhou Xiaoling stayed by the bed, trying to cheer up the despondent Lin Xiaoxiao. "My big brother said the expert who operated on my mom came from Beijing. Dad is bringing the expert here tomorrow. I had no idea my brother knew someone that impressive!"

"Also, guess who kidnapped me? It was the same group that tried to kill my second brother three years ago. That means Zhou Xiaoming might not only face murder charges—but also treason."

"They were trying to infiltrate from overseas, wanting information on the nuclear research institute."

Lin Xiaoxiao finally showed a flicker of interest. "Why kidnap you? You don't know anything."

Zhou Xiaoling scratched her head. "I wondered the same thing. Maybe they couldn't catch anyone more important, so they thought they could bribe me? But Lin Zihao was amazing—he tracked the tire marks, analyzed everything, and found me in a day and a half. He beat those kidnappers black and blue."

Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't particularly interested in how Lin Zihao had rescued her. Instead, she asked, "Did they catch the people behind it? Who ordered it?"

Zhou Xiaoling shook her head. "Not that fast. They're still being interrogated."

Lin Xiaoxiao leaned back against the pillows, lost in thought. Her heart still ached, as if pricked by countless tiny needles.

Zhou Xiaoling studied her for a long moment. "What's really wrong? I thought you were worried about me, but it seems like something else is bothering you. Whatever it is, you should talk to my big brother. He was really scared these past couple of days—he didn't sleep for two nights straight."