Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

Huo Xin still remembers Xu Xingguang from childhood. She said, ”When you were a kid, you were carefree, always running to our house, constantly whispering to my brother. Back then, I thought you were like a child bride. Tsk, who would’ve thought, you really became my Huo Family’s daughter-in-law.”

Xu Xingguang showed an embarrassed expression.

She said, ”That was all in the past. If you’re going to tease me with that, then I have to tease you about the time when you were 14 and still played with poop.”

Huo Xin’s cheeks turned red, and she said in embarrassment, ”I was intellectually challenged back then. What’s the fun in ridiculing a patient?”

”And is it fun to tease a little kid?”

The two of them argued, neither willing to back down.

They stared at each other for a while, and then Huo Xin suddenly sighed, ”It seems the relationship between us sisters will surely not be harmonious in the future.”

Xu Xingguang raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, ”Whether we get along or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that we both love Huo Wen’an.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Xin was stunned for a moment, and her gaze towards Xu Xingguang softened slightly.

”Xingguang,” Huo Xin said with much seriousness, ”There’s something that I find a bit odd, and I want to give you a heads-up.”

”Hmm?”

Huo Xin said, ”The current Zhang Zhiyi looks almost identical to Zhang Zhiyi from ten years ago.”

Xu Xingguang didn’t understand the implication of Huo Xin’s words and said, ”They’re the same person, so looking the same isn’t unusual, is it?”

”That’s not what I mean.” Huo Xin pointed at her own face and asked Xu Xingguang, ”Do I look the same as I did in my teenage years?”

Xu Xingguang instinctively wanted to nod, but suddenly realized Huo Xin’s words were not as straightforward as they seemed.

Ten years had passed, during which Huo Xin had turned from a young girl into a mature and enchanting woman. Yet Zhang Zhiyi still had the same appearance, caught between youth and maturity.

”You mean to say that Zhang Zhiyi’s appearance hasn’t changed at all in ten years. She’s forever youthful?” Xu Xingguang felt a shock.

After ten years, even the most well-maintained wealthy daughters would have some changes. How could Zhang Zhiyi remain unchanged?

The first time Xu Xingguang saw Zhang Zhiyi was during the summer her grandfather passed away. Afraid and shaken, she was taken by Mo Yinshu to stay in Cangshan Town for a while.

During the school opening season, Zhang Zhiyi came to Building 219 to help Mo Yinshu fetch some documents, and met Xu Xingguang for the first time.

That day, Zhang Zhiyi wore a gray pleated skirt that was full of student vibe, a pink and black striped polo short-sleeve shirt, white shoes, light makeup, with wavy hair adding an atmospheric touch. Standing in the courtyard, her beauty caught Xu Xingguang’s gaze repeatedly.

Due to Mo Yinshu’s relationship, their bond gradually became closer, and later after graduating from university, Zhang Zhiyi and Xiahou Shang held a wedding, solemnly inviting her to be a bridesmaid.

Later, Xu Xingguang became a vegetative state.

Upon waking up, she had no deep impression of her teenage years and naturally did not pay much attention to Zhang Zhiyi’s appearance.

Perhaps it was because the initial encounter left too deep an impression on her that after regaining consciousness, when she met Zhang Zhiyi again, she didn’t find anything strange about her still being youthful and beautiful.

It was only after Huo Xin’s deliberate mention that Xu Xingguang belatedly realized that her senior’s appearance indeed seemed unchanged.

The only thing that had changed was her clothing style and increasingly mature aura.

But aura is something that can change.

”Maybe people of their status have some special anti-aging secrets.” Huo Xin frowned and said, ”It just seems a bit intentional to me, and I’m worried it might be an important detail, which is why I brought it up.”

Nodding, Xu Xingguang said, ”Got it, I’ll keep an eye on it.”

”Mm.” Huo Xin turned to leave.

Watching her mature and enchanting back, Xu Xingguang suddenly said to her, ”That drowning accident actually claimed You Jiaoyang’s life. The one who woke up wasn’t really You Jiaoyang, right?”

Huo Xin’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

Her eyes widened, revealing a look of complete shock.

When Huo Xin turned to look at Xu Xingguang, her eyes were filled with vigilance and wariness. ”Miss Xu, what do you mean by that? If he’s not You Jiaoyang, then who could he be?”

”After You Jiaoyang drowned, he was briefly unconscious for half an hour. After the doctor declared him dead, he miraculously woke up with a completely changed personality.”

”The change was so great, it was like he became a different person entirely.” This was often told as a legendary story by You Jingqiu at the Xu Family.

After that accident, You Jiaoyang suddenly became ambitious. He stopped hanging out with bad influences and gallivanting around, and no longer indulged You Mingyue’s antics, becoming a rare clear-minded person.

Stuck between You Jingqiu and You Mingyue, he seemed more like an aloof sage.

You Jingqiu always spoke of the drowning accident with both fear and relief.

Upon hearing this, Huo Xin also explained, ”I just think he carries many traits of Wang Yue, but You Jiaoyang is a real person. How could Wang Yue be You Jiaoyang? Their age, identity, and experience don’t match up at all.”

More than anyone, Huo Xin wished You Jiaoyang was Wang Yue, but she didn’t dare question You Jiaoyang. She feared hearing You Jiaoyang’s denial, and was afraid all joy would turn out to be an illusion.

Because it all sounded truly unbelievable.

”There’s something I think you need to know,” Xu Xingguang told Huo Xin. ”On the day I cut ties with the Xu Family, I took Huo Wen’an to the Xu residence to help me move some things. That day also happened to be You Jiaoyang and his sister’s birthday, and it was the first time You Jiaoyang saw Huo Wen’an.”

”At the time, Huo Wen’an was hiding his identity, and his outward identity was just a convict from Cangshan Town. But when You Jiaoyang saw Huo Wen’an, his expression changed dramatically, as if he saw someone he both dreaded and revered.”

”He even blurted out the word ’Huo.’ I think he recognized Huo Wen’an’s true identity back then.”

Hearing this, Huo Xin’s beautiful eyes immediately sparkled with hope.