Mrs. Nangong passed away peacefully, and finally, Li Taizheng and Li Xiaohao could breathe a sigh of relief. The father and son spent a long time reflecting on this unexpected turn of events. Li Taizheng blamed his own negligence for her not dying in the car accident, but Xiaohao saw it differently, believing it was a heaven-sent opportunity to legitimately earn Nangong Ying’s acceptance.

Regardless of the slight detours, the overall plan was proceeding as anticipated. The remaining task was to help Yingzi manage the funeral arrangements for her two closest relatives.

On the third day after Mrs. Nangong’s death, the police managed to piece together Mr. Nangong’s fragmented remains from the crash and returned them to a tear-soaked Nangong Ying. Li Taizheng instinctively stepped into the role of guardian, busy arranging the cemetery plot and the procession. Soon, the bodies of both parents were sent to the crematorium. Following the memorial service and rites of solace, Yingzi, clad in black mourning attire, retrieved her parents’ ashes, accompanied by relatives, friends, and Li Taizheng and Xiaohao, and interred them in a cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

These matters required considerable effort, and nearly all of the Nangong family relatives attended. Those who knew Li Taizheng almost universally mistook Li Xiaohao for Li Xiaoshu. Whenever someone greeted Xiaohao, he would offer a polite, fleeting smile or let Li Taizheng handle the dismissal; he preferred to remain quietly by Yingzi’s side, speaking little. Meanwhile, the real Li Xiaoshu was blissfully unaware of all this, trapped in the abyss of grief from losing her lover, suffering from sleepless nights and perpetual sorrow. Li Taizheng merely dismissed it with a light comment about heartbreak being a mandatory lesson in life, then set his son aside, using work commitments as an excuse to send him alone to a hot spring resort for recuperation. This shrewdly concealed the twins' dual identity from public view.

Undoubtedly, this strategy was highly effective. Under the assumption that Li Taizheng only had one son, Xiaohao’s public appearances necessitated Xiaoshu’s complete withdrawal from the social scene. This was precisely the main reason why, at the book's opening, Ming Xiaoyu was misled by Hou Dayong into mistaking Li Xiaohao at the Yuan Ying Villa for the famous Li Xiaoshu from school. When Li Xiaohao met Ming Xiaoyu, the genuine Li Xiaoshu was studying abroad. Consequently, the more Ming Xiaoyu insisted he had met Li Xiaoshu, the more convinced the police and doctors became of his severe schizophrenia, ultimately pushing him into the quagmire of the mental institution.

After the funeral concluded, Yingzi completely collapsed, feeling lost and adrift, uncertain which direction would lead to hope. Doctors diagnosed her with depression stemming from the major life upheavals. Thus, Li Taizheng arranged for the two young people to study abroad, temporarily escaping that place of trouble. It was there that Yingzi and Xiaohao’s bond deepened day by day, rapidly evolving from friendship to an inseparable partnership. A new life goal was slowly forged from the ruins of the old world.

One day, after returning from class, Yingzi was browsing the internet while sitting on the windowsill when she suddenly heard rustling sounds coming from the bathroom. She tiptoed over, pressed her ear against the closed door, and distinctly heard what sounded like someone chewing on an apple or a pear. Assuming Xiaohao was hiding inside playing a game of peek-a-boo, she silently counted to three, then violently shoved the door open, intending to startle him. To her surprise, the bathroom was completely empty once the door swung wide; only the shower curtain swayed inexplicably in the air, as if someone had just pulled it aside.

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