Transmigrated into the body of a villain, I became my sister's savior.

But the carriage was too quiet.

Zhong Ran's voice was very loud on the other end of the phone, and he still couldn't help but hear some of it.

A middle-aged man's voice, filled with barely suppressed anger: "A grown woman, always fooling around with other men! Look at what people are saying about you online!"

"You've completely disgraced my old self!"

Zhong Ran's face flushed instantly, and her voice trembled slightly: "Dad, those people are spreading rumors. I'm innocent, I've never..."

"Innocence?" she was rudely interrupted. "Who would believe that? The photos are all online, and you're still arguing with me?"

"I'm fucking incredibly unlucky to have a daughter like you!"

"You'd better get back here right now! Otherwise, don't ever come back!"

"dad……"

"Beep beep beep—"

The phone hangs up.

Zhong Ran remained motionless, still holding her phone, like a statue that had suddenly frozen in time.

Even breathing seemed to have stopped.

The air conditioner hissed as it circulated its cool air.

Less than a minute later, the phone rang again. Zhong Ran seemed to be startled awake. She took a deep breath and answered the phone: "Mom, what's up?"

The person on the other end of the phone said, "Don't blame your dad, that's just his temper."

Zhong Ran lowered her eyes: "Yes, I know."

"He said that all for your own good," Mrs. Zhong said with a helpless tone, "He's just too concerned about you, that's why he's so angry."

Zhong Ran remained silent.

Aunt Zhong started a conversation on her own, saying, "It's almost October, and the weather is still so hot. I can't sleep at night."

Zhong Ran asked, "Didn't I install air conditioning in the house? Why isn't it on?"

"The air conditioner uses a lot of electricity," Mrs. Zhong said matter-of-factly. "It uses so many kilowatt-hours a night. Your dad and I are used to it. It's a bit hot, but we'll get through it."

Lin Jianshen noticed that a thin blue vein was slowly bulging on Zhong Ran's temple, which was facing him.

"Don't worry about running it, it won't use much electricity." Zhong Ran took a deep breath. "If you need more money, I'll send you more."

Mrs. Chung said, "It's alright, our generation is used to enduring hardship."

"Unlike your generation, you've been living such a comfortable life."

"Sigh, it's really hot inside."

Zhong Ran clenched her fist: "Then why are you telling me all this?"

Aunt Zhong said, "I just wanted to tell you that it's really hot at home, and I can't sleep at night."

Listening to this from the side, Hayashi Mikami felt his blood pressure rising.

Zhong Ran didn't say anything more.

The incessant chatter from the other end was like invisible threads, wrapping around her neck and almost suffocating her.

She handled everything at the company very well and was kind and polite to everyone.

But she couldn't handle her family background.

Lin Jianshen recalled her sorrowful figure on the rooftop back then.

Even though she was already so upset at the time, she still composed herself and tried her best to share her experience with him so that he could avoid making the same mistakes.

The trauma from one's family of origin can tear a bottomless chasm in one's heart.

Some people spend their whole lives trying to fill in the gaps.

Lin Jianshen sighed inwardly.

He was a sensitive and thoughtful person, a melancholic person, and he could sense her sadness.

Zhong Ran hung up the phone at some point, and a smile returned to her face: "I'm sorry, you had to see that."

She smiled again, this time more naturally, like a skilled actor finally finding the right state: "Actually, my parents have always been like this, I'm used to it, and I've come to terms with it."

Lin Jianshen looked at her and said, "Actually, I really want to believe you, but I know that's not the case."

"Right now, you are sad."

Zhong Ran's smile froze.

"I've been able to sense other people's emotions since I was a child," Lin Jianshen said. "So I understand."

You can't fool me.

Zhong Ran was stunned, and murmured, "You could have just pretended not to know, why did you have to say it out loud?"

"Do you know how hard it is to respond to that?"

Lin Jianshen said, "Actually, being sad isn't something to be ashamed of."

Zhong Ran looked out the window.

Her reflection was shown in the glass—exquisite makeup, smooth long hair, and appropriate clothing.

That was a perfect, flawless Zhong Ran.

But at this moment, the reflection felt so unfamiliar to her.

"Everyone says I'm a good actress," she said, as if talking to herself.

"Actually, it was all forced upon me by my family."

"When I was little, if I was unhappy, my mom would tell me how much she had suffered."

Lin Jianshen remained silent, tilting his head slightly to indicate that he was listening.

What she needs is not comfort, but to be listened to.

Listening is a form of recognition and also a form of understanding.

"She said that she suffered from malnutrition when she was pregnant with me, and that she was so frugal while raising me that she didn't dare to spend money, wearing the same clothes for several years..."

She said she suffered so much for me. So I should be grateful and happy.

Lin Jianshen looked at Zhong Ran with sympathy.

Having no parents or having parents like these is undoubtedly a very painful thing.

Zhong Ran continued, "Otherwise, it's just being ignorant and unfilial."

"So I learned it very early." She turned her head, and the smile on her face gradually disappeared.

"I've learned to laugh when I'm unhappy, to say it's okay when I feel wronged, and to say no when I want something."

She raised her hand and pointed to her face.

"My acting teacher said that there are 44 muscles in the human face, which can be combined to create more than 5,000 expressions."

"This is the most amazing mask. You can activate any muscle you want to make any expression."

"Happiness, sadness, surprise, emotion... as long as you practice enough, no one will be able to tell the difference."

Lin Jianshen looked at her perfect face: "Actually, sometimes you can try to take off your mask."

"To be yourself for a short time."

"Cry if you want to cry, laugh if you want to laugh. Don't care about what others think, don't worry about disappointing anyone. It's just for a little while, and there's no one else here anyway."

Zhong Ran murmured, "To be myself again?"

Why did she insist on becoming an actress despite enduring so many rumors and gossip?

Because she can shed her own tears and laugh her own laughter in other people's stories.

Why did she want to be friends with Xu Yan?

Because although Xu Yan can be willful and capricious at times, she is also warm and radiant like a little sun most of the time.

I'm always happy and joyful when I'm with her.

But Xu Yan didn't see the sadness in her heart, and she didn't want to let these things affect Xu Yan's mood.

Lin Jianshen continued, "I've always been curious, how can you, a girl, maintain such a mindset after such a big setback in your career and having to face all those rumors at the company?"

"Now I realize that you were just suppressing yourself."

He lowered his eyes slightly: "Suppressing one's inner feelings... that feeling is really unbearable."

"I understand this very well."

Zhong Ran stared at him blankly.

The car has excellent sound insulation; outside noise becomes muffled.

The cool air from the air conditioner brushed against my skin, bringing a slight chill.

Everything is normal.

But the mask she had worn for over twenty years, the mask woven from 44 muscles, suddenly felt incredibly heavy.

The pressure was so great that she could no longer maintain the smile her teacher had taught her during acting class.

The weight reached her eyes, and a single tear slowly welled up.

Her tears flowed more and more.

She raised her hand and covered her face.

At first there was no sound at all, only her shoulders were trembling slightly.

Then, the first sob escaped from between her lips.

The cries that were buried deepest inside, which she thought had long since died, burst forth like a flood breaking through all defenses.

Lin Jianshen pulled out a stack of tissues from the car door storage compartment and handed them to her.

Zhong Ran's fingers trembled as she reached for a tissue and covered her eyes.

One, then another.

She cried for a long time.

As she cried, she suddenly raised her head, her lips moving slightly: "Could I borrow your shoulder... for a moment?"

"it is good."

Zhong Ran turned to the side, buried her head in his shoulder, and burst into tears.

Zhong Ran cried for a full half hour.

An hour later, the vehicle arrived at Tunghai University.