HBWMA -Chapter 10 Recognizing Reality

In July, the lake was filled with green lotus leaves. Golden-tailed koi swam playfully through the water. At this time of year, every corner of the Shen Estate looked peaceful and serene, as if time itself had slowed down.

In the waterside pavilion, Jiang Huashan had a swollen red bump on her forehead. Her youthful face carried a seriousness that was entirely out of place for her age.

Just moments ago, the instant she had bumped into the pillar, that “book of the storyline” had suddenly appeared in her mind.

Without any warning.

“Book spirit?”

“What the hell kind of storyline is this?!”

From then until now, she had been trying to make contact with the book spirit, but there was no response at all.

Wasn’t that book already torn up by her? How could it appear out of nowhere again?

Could it be… she had really returned to the past?

A flash of joy mixed with vigilance appeared in Jiang Huashan’s eyes. She stared blankly at her smaller hands, her entire body trembling with excitement.

If this was real, then this time… could she change the fate of her grandfather’s poisoning death?!

In her previous life, not long after she married Shen Lanxi, her grandfather was murdered by poison in his room in the Qin Garden. The doors and windows were all locked from the inside. From the moment of poisoning to his death took a full three hours—during which he desperately called for help. He even smashed his favorite set of Song porcelain cups, but no one came.

Given the Shen family’s status in Country A, the only people who could poison him inside the Shen Estate and conveniently send everyone away had to be someone close to him. That meant there was a traitor within the family.

In order to uncover this insider, the Shen family’s third branch fell into endless suspicion and internal conflict. And she herself, because Shen Lanxi also began to suspect her, became one of the “suspects,” and was expelled from the Shen Estate on the day of her grandfather’s funeral.

“Shanshan.”

Just as Jiang Huashan was lost in thought, a soft voice came from behind her, interrupting her.

Fang Mei walked into the pavilion with a smile, quietly observing her. “Shanshan, what’s wrong with you? I’ve been calling you for a long time. Why didn’t you respond at all?”

Jiang Huashan frowned and met her gaze without any hesitation.

Before, she didn’t understand the situation, so she couldn’t be bothered dealing with this woman. But if everything really had restarted, then this time—she had to settle things with her early.

In her previous life, this so-called “good mother” had treated her like a dog, not only using her as a bargaining chip but also destroying her dreams at twenty years old. After her grandfather’s death, she even took Jiang Wanyi and went to the second branch.

At that time, Shen Lanxi and the second branch were in a brutal power struggle. Fang Mei’s betrayal made Shen Lanxi even more certain that their marriage had been a premeditated trap. He believed she had colluded with the second branch to murder the grandfather, which was why, on the day of the funeral, he completely turned on her and expelled her from the Shen Estate.

But what she could never forgive was that on the very day her grandfather died, Fang Mei forced her to sell the “Little Shen Garden” that the grandfather had given her. Because she refused, Fang Mei immediately dropped all pretenses and subjected her to three hours of psychological humiliation and emotional abuse, ending with only eight words:

“Blood ties severed. All kindness ended.”

No.

Jiang Huashan suddenly had a flash of insight—she noticed something suspicious.

This mother of hers always prioritized profit above all else. Even after the grandfather’s death and Shen Lanxi’s rejection of her, she was still the legitimate Young Madam of the Shen family. That title alone brought countless benefits—how could she just give it up so easily?

Moreover, Fang Mei was extremely good at avoiding risk. Whether it was stocks or futures trading, she would only act after careful confirmation that she would profit. But during the internal struggle of the Shen family, which was still unresolved at the time, how could she have so decisively sided with the second branch?

“Shanshan? What’s wrong with you? Why are you looking at Mom like that?” Fang Mei felt an odd unease rising in her heart. She sensed that Jiang Huashan today seemed… different.

Jiang Huashan calmly withdrew her gaze, treating the woman in front of her like a background prop. Without another glance, she walked out of the pavilion.

Fang Mei had never seen Jiang Huashan like this before. By the time she reacted, Jiang Huashan had already turned into the moon gate and disappeared from view…