Chapter 325: Polish her own name
The next morning, Hua Jing woke up with a rare peace in her heart. She had slept like a baby in Fu Jing Rong’s arms, his steady breathing and warmth wrapping around her like a cocoon. For the first time in a long while, the nightmares didn’t chase her.
But the tranquility shattered the moment her phone lit up.
A call.
She frowned when she saw the unfamiliar number. This was a new phone—one she had barely given to anyone. Who could it be?
Hesitant, she picked up.
"Hua Jing," the voice on the other side was unusually soft, warm even, "let’s meet up."
Hua Jing froze. Hua Ling.
Her first instinct was to hang up immediately, but she pressed the phone closer instead, her lips curling into a cold line. "No, thank you."
The gentle tone disappeared at once.
"If you don’t come," Hua Ling’s voice turned sharp, dripping with malice, "I’ll release the news of you being with Fu Jing Rong. You’ve only just returned. Imagine what the netizens will say if they hear you stole their man the moment you came back. What kind of publicity would that be?"
Hua Jing closed her eyes, exhaustion washing over her. So this is her game.
It wasn’t good for her relationship with Fu Jing Rong to be exposed yet. They needed time, to grow slowly and steadily, to stand unshaken before the world. If the news broke now, it would only bring chaos.
Her voice dropped into ice. "Are you threatening me?"
"Yes."
Click.
The line went dead.
A sharp beep lingered in Hua Jing’s ear, but before she could even lower the phone, a message popped up on her screen.
[Location: XX Café. Don’t be late.]
Hua Jing stared at the glowing text, her brows knitting tightly together. She didn’t want to go. Every part of her told her to ignore Hua Ling. But some truths couldn’t be avoided forever.
She knew Hua Ling had been behind the "accident" back then—the brake failure, the crash, the pain that almost ended her life. What she didn’t know was who had pushed Hua Ling to such extremes. Too many things were still cloaked in mystery.
And for that... she had to go.
When she came out of the bedroom, the house was already empty. Fu Jing Rong had left early for work, just as she expected.
He was a CEO, the heir of the Fu family. Since his return, the company had been drowning him in projects, negotiations, endless responsibilities. Yet even so, he had still prepared breakfast for her before leaving.
Her heart softened when she spotted the neatly set tray on the dining table.
She ate quickly, then washed up, slipped into a casual but elegant outfit, and headed out.
The café Hua Ling had chosen wasn’t far. But from the moment she arrived, Hua Jing’s instincts screamed that something was off.
She spotted Hua Ling immediately—the woman sat at an outdoor table, back perfectly straight, her smile faint yet suffocating.
But before Hua Jing could approach, she felt it—eyes on her.
A prickle crawled down her spine. Someone was following.
Then—snap!
The faint but unmistakable sound of a camera shutter.
Her heart sank.
And when she lifted her eyes toward Hua Ling, everything clicked.
Hua Ling wasn’t here to talk. She was here to stage a show.
Reporters lurked nearby, waiting like vultures. If photos of them "meeting up" spread, the narrative would twist instantly. People would think the sisters were on good terms, perhaps even that Hua Jing was trying to reconcile with her.
And in the ruthless world of public opinion, momentum was everything.
Hua Ling... she wanted to ride on Hua Jing’s return to polish her own name.
Hua Jing did not believe for a moment that this matter was as simple as having the reporters take a few pictures and stir up waves in the media.
She knew Hua Ling far too well to be fooled by something so shallow. That woman would never show up in public with such boldness unless she had other plans—plans far more insidious than what could be seen on the surface.
The moment Hua Jing lowered herself into the chair across from Hua Ling, the sound of camera shutters only grew louder.
Click. Click. Click.
They were like small needles pricking at the air around them.
But Hua Jing didn’t so much as flinch.
She simply lowered her gaze to the porcelain cup in front of her, lifted it with calm fingers, and took a sip as if she were sitting in her own living room and not beneath the flashing lenses of unseen vultures.
Only when the photographer, apparently satisfied with his bounty, slipped quietly out the door, did she finally raise her eyes to meet the woman across from her.
It was the first time they had faced each other since the day she woke up from the coma.
Her lips curved into a smile. It was soft, almost pleasant, but in the depths of her eyes there was a glint of steel—sharp, cold, unyielding.
"I heard you did a great deed before I woke up," she said lightly.
"We haven’t met since then... I think I should be thanking you."
The words were polite, even gentle, but every syllable was like the tip of a dagger.
Hua Ling’s brows twitched the instant she heard them.
That "great deed"... yes, she had done it.
She had secretly moved Hua Jing out of the hospital when she was still in a coma, hiding her away in that house deep in the forest, far from the city and far from prying eyes.
Her plan had been perfect—keep her half-sister in that endless sleep until her body withered and the world forgot her.
It should have worked.
But then—Fu Jing Rong.
Hua Ling’s fingers clenched around the edge of her teacup. A bitter, burning fury rose in her throat at the memory.
She looked at Hua Jing and, in a tone that was almost casual but in truth laced with venom, asked,
"Why didn’t you die?"
The question dropped between them like a stone, shattering the brief, polite calm.
Several customers in the café turned to glance in their direction, sensing the chill that had just descended.
Hua Jing tilted her head slightly. Her smile didn’t falter, but her eyes went cold.
This woman could speak of life and death as if it were the weather.
She had wondered, in the other world she had once been in—why Hua Ling’s hatred of her was so deep.
Now, sitting here, even after all she had been through, she still couldn’t comprehend the depth of that darkness.
"Ah..." she said softly, setting down her cup with an audible clink.
"So even the accident back then... that was your doing. I really should thank you for getting me to the hospital at least. Otherwise I might have died right there on the roadside."
Hua Ling’s lips curled into a sharp, mocking smile. "You say that as if it was a blessing."
Hua Jing leaned back in her chair, one arm draped lazily over the armrest, her posture unhurried, her tone dripping with a kind of detached amusement.
"It’s funny. You went through all that trouble—tampering with my car, bribing the right people, even spiriting me away to that house in the forest. And yet... here I am. Sitting in front of you."
The nonchalance in her voice was like salt rubbed into an open wound.
Hua Ling’s eyes blazed.
Her fingers tightened so much around the cup that the porcelain made a faint creaking sound.
Hua Jing tilted her head again, a soft sneer playing on her lips.
"But let’s be honest. You couldn’t have pulled all of that off alone. So tell me, Hua Ling... who was it? Who stood behind you?"
For a moment, Hua Ling’s eyes flickered—an involuntary spark of hesitation.
Then she smiled.
It wasn’t a warm smile.
It was the slow, cold stretch of a predator baring its teeth.
"You really want to know?" she asked, her tone light, almost teasing.
"I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t," Hua Jing replied, her voice flat, her gaze unwavering.
A soft laugh escaped Hua Ling’s throat, but it held no trace of humor.
"You’ve always been like this—so calm, so composed. I wonder if that calm will last when you find out the truth."
"Try me."
The two words were like the cocking of a gun.
Hua Ling’s smile sharpened.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers.
"Do you really think the world revolves around you? That everything that happened was just because of my jealousy? You have no idea, Hua Jing. You’ve been living in a dream. Do you want to know who wanted you gone?"
Hua Jing met her gaze head-on.
"Go on," she said quietly, almost lazily. "I’m listening."
Hua Ling’s expression darkened, as if some memory had clawed at her from within.
She opened her mouth as if to speak—then shut it again.
A moment later, she laughed softly, shaking her head.
"On second thought... why ruin the suspense? I’ve waited years to see you crawl and break. Maybe I’ll let you discover it yourself. That way, when you do find out, you’ll wish you were still in that coma."
