THIP Chapter 52 V2

She placed the folder back where it had been, picked up the empty bowl, and turned off the light. The room fell into darkness.

But under the moonlight filtering in, one could faintly see that her steps as she left the room were a bit unsteady.

Once outside, Gu Changran’s fingers trembled. The empty bowl slipped from her grasp and shattered on the floor. A single, clear tear fell with it.

A servant, hearing the noise, came up to clean. Meanwhile, Gu Changran slowly made her way back to her own room.

Once inside, she locked the door behind her. Her legs gave out, and she slid down against the door, hugging her knees, silent tears streaming down her face.

When a truth you refuse to accept is placed right in front of you… is it still worth lying to yourself?

Her lips moved slightly. She whispered, “Brother…”

Then came a bitter laugh. So in the end, she was just a spare heart—a walking organ bank meant to save Bai Qi.

But if that was all she was… why treat her so kindly?

It felt like something had reached into her chest and wrenched her heart out—it hurt so much.

The next morning.

Warm sunlight streamed into the bedroom. Mu Liuyin blinked groggily as she woke up. She squinted, and the memories of last night hit her all at once.

She sat bolt upright in bed and rubbed her throbbing forehead. Thinking of the way she had looked at Gu Changran with that pitiful expression… how Gu Changran had fed her the hangover soup spoon by spoon…

Aaaahhh!!!

Her image was ruined!

Mu Liuyin clutched her face, unable to face the truth.

A few seconds later, she lowered her hands and picked up her phone, which was still flashing with a message from Yu Chen.

[Gu Changxi, don’t forget to look over those files I gave you!]

She grabbed the folder on her nightstand. She vaguely remembered Yu Chen giving it to her two nights ago, saying he’d found several heart donors who matched Bai Qi. But things had been so busy lately that she’d tossed it aside for later.

But the moment she saw the first page, Mu Liuyin’s eyes widened: !!!

Why was Gu Changran’s heart compatibility chart still in there?!

Did Gu Changran see it last night or not?

Mu Liuyin cursed Yu Chen repeatedly in her mind. Hadn’t she already made it clear she wasn’t going to use Gu Changran’s heart?!

Still… Gu Changran was such a polite, well-behaved girl. Surely she wouldn’t go through someone else’s things, right? Mu Liuyin tried to reassure herself.

There were four charts in total, including Gu Changran’s. But aside from hers, the others had only a 69% compatibility rate, and all carried a risk of rejection.

With Bai Qi’s rare blood type, finding even these matches was already incredibly difficult.

Mu Liuyin sighed and pulled out the one with the 69% compatibility rate—not Gu Changran’s.

She called Yu Chen, asking him to keep searching. If they really couldn’t find a better match, they might have to try this donor’s heart. Luckily, this donor still had three years left to live—there was time.

Yu Chen’s voice was complicated:
“So you don’t plan on using Gu Changran’s heart?”

Mu Liuyin gave a cold snort and was about to say I told you that already when Yu Chen suddenly said:
“Oh, by the way—I heard that the girl you adopted is the long-lost daughter of the Luo family. No wonder you changed your mind.”

Mu Liuyin: “……”

“Tsk tsk, I knew you couldn’t be that kindhearted,” Yu Chen teased. “That girl’s just lucky the Luo family finally found her.”

Mu Liuyin snapped, “Screw off,” and hung up the phone.

In her heart she thought: If it weren’t for me, the Luo family never would’ve found Gu Changran in this lifetime!

She also thought of Luo Chen, who always mocked her—does the original Mu Liuyin’s cold reputation run that deep?

She sighed helplessly. At least her sweet, obedient little Changran still trusted her.

…Unaware that that same sweet little Changran had already cried her heart out all night after learning the truth.

Mu Liuyin took off her clothes to head to the bathroom for a shower before dragging Gu Changran out of bed for breakfast.

But just as she finished undressing, she heard the door open.

Gu Changran, thinking Mu Liuyin was still asleep, hadn’t knocked:
“!!!”

Mu Liuyin froze, unsure whether to cover the important parts or not. Would that make her look more embarrassed? In the end, she acted indifferent, face blank—but her ears were bright red as she yanked a blanket around herself.

Gu Changran realized what was happening and immediately shut the door and fled.

Back in her room, she looked in the mirror and saw her face just as red.

Gu Changran: “……”