Ning Yunhuan had absolutely no idea that the casual lie about having a boyfriend had lodged itself deeply in Lan Lingyan’s mind; right now, she was leaning against him, her eyes darting around restlessly.

Lan Lingyan’s aura didn't require fierce words to underscore it; he simply sat there, radiating an air that instinctively made others feel ashamed and hesitant to speak to him, yet held close by him, she dared not move. The car was terribly cold and quiet. Ning Yunhuan lacked the courage even to look at him. Although the vehicle was equipped with a small LCD screen receiving all channels perfectly—meaning she could have watched TV as if at home, even more clearly—she had zero desire to do so at that moment. Out of sheer boredom, Ning Yunhuan finally rested her weight upon him, turning her gaze toward the window.

This car had been specially modified, and the window glass was no ordinary material. However, Ning Yunhuan had only managed to discern so far that the glass seemed to allow viewing only from the inside out, and that distant figures on the street, even quite far away, could be brought into sharp focus.

She had merely glanced outside out of boredom, but unexpectedly, she thought she spotted a familiar figure. Ning Yunhuan instantly sat bolt upright and stared intently outside.

But the car accelerated, and for a moment, she couldn't clearly make out the person she'd seen on the street. Perhaps fueled by anxiety, Ning Yunhuan suddenly lunged forward onto Lan Lingyan, kneeling over him while leaning her upper body against the left door, her eyeballs practically glued to the window glass as she strained to see.

Lan Lingyan frowned, wondering what interesting sight outside had captured her attention so completely. He felt a touch of displeasure but still coldly pressed a nearby button and instructed in a low voice, "Slow down!" A deep voice from the driver in the front compartment replied, "Yes, sir."

As expected, the speed dropped. Lan Lingyan immediately wrapped an arm around Ning Yunhuan's waist and drew her back to sit directly on his lap. Ning Yunhuan grew impatient. "Wait, I need to see." She thought she had just seen the female lead, and the man with her didn't look like the somewhat tall and thin Xie Zhuoyin based on the fleeting glimpse; furthermore, his attire seemed different—much more formal.

After officially cementing her enmity with that wretched pair in the restroom a few days prior, the female lead had declared in her fury that she wouldn't let her off. Regardless of whether Gu Yingxi was telling the truth or lying, Ning Yunhuan had taken those words to heart. Now, upon seeing Gu Yingxi’s silhouette, an idea surfaced in her mind: seeing clearly who the man was might benefit her.

"Sit properly!" Seeing her hurried state, Lan Lingyan became even more displeased about what held her attention outside. His brow tightened, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he pulled her close and began tapping at the small LCD screen beside him. After entering a password once, he leaned toward the screen. The display lit up with a blue grid, showing a miniature version of Lan Lingyan's head in the center. After one scan, the machine's cold female voice announced, "Retinal scan, consistent..."

After three such confirmations, the screen beeped twice and suddenly transformed. The scene on the street seemed to shrink instantly, manifesting on the display.

Lan Lingyan unhurriedly extended the hand not holding her, tracing a few lines on the screen. It was like navigating a map on a tablet, allowing him to zoom in and out arbitrarily with a single touch—though this capability was far more formidable than merely enlarging a map!

Ning Yunhuan sensed his intention and stopped struggling. Instead, she gazed at the small LCD screen with a sense of surprise. She watched as Lan Lingyan tapped a few spots, and within moments, the surrounding buildings, streets, and crowds were dismissed by his command. Soon, two familiar figures emerged on the street view!

"You want to see her?" Once the targets were located, Lan Lingyan let out a cold laugh, extending two fingers to tap one of the figures. Two electronic beeps sounded, and a red highlight suddenly illuminated that silhouette. He moved his fingers slightly, and the scene over there was instantly magnified. For some reason, once enlarged on this screen, the view became astonishingly clear—it was as if they could see the fine stubble on the man's face. Ning Yunhuan clearly had no time to ponder how Lan Lingyan achieved this; her gaze fell upon the small screen, her expression growing complicated.

It really was Gu Yingxi! And the man standing beside her was also recognized by Ning Yunhuan.

"It's him?" Ning Yunhuan stared blankly at the man’s smiling face for a moment. As the man’s expression shifted, the LCD screen replicated the change.

A man around forty, refined and gentle, wearing thin gold-rimmed glasses, with a somewhat slender and pale face, was currently turning to speak to Gu Yingxi. Both of their faces seemed etched with a hint of anxiety. Unfortunately, they were too far away to discern their conversation.

"You know this man?" Lan Lingyan asked, his expression unreadable, his brow furrowing with suspicion. His investigation suggested Ning Yunhuan’s life was as pure as a blank sheet of paper; logically, she shouldn't know who this man on the screen was. Yet, she clearly looked as if she recognized him. The appearance of a strange man, coupled with her odd tone, caused Lan Lingyan’s eyes to narrow dangerously. He glanced back at the man on the screen, pressed something unseen on the small LCD, and soon the word "Sent successfully" appeared. Meanwhile, Ning Yunhuan tilted her head, her thoughts already miles away, focused on the middle-aged man she had just seen.

The moment that man's face appeared on the screen, Ning Yunhuan had already recognized him. He was Song Qingyun, the only man in Gu Yingxi's harem in her previous life who was older and, despite lacking power or influence compared to the others, remained one of Gu Yingxi's most relied-upon and cherished figures.

He was a full two decades older than Gu Yingxi. Originally just an ordinary middle school teacher, Song Qingyun had lived a perfectly normal first half of his life, growing up alongside his childhood sweetheart, Duan Ling. The couple’s relationship had been good, and their son was already twenty-three; by all rights, they should have been a happy family of three.

But this happiness began to decline catastrophically the moment Duan Ling had the terrible luck of encountering Gu Yingxi. In the explicit novel Ning Yunhuan had read before her transmigration, Gu Yingxi’s sister, Gu Yingyu, was in love with Song Qingyun’s son. Gu Yingyu was merely a supporting female character the author killed off early to clear the path for the protagonist. It was through her sister that Gu Yingxi met the Song family, initiating a long and tragic romance.

Updated two hours late due to the introduction of a new male supporting character... My dears, please forgive me... C