But that answer clearly wasn't very convincing. Ye Zhibai had to admit, if she saw someone get flung that far by a car and still survive, she'd be baffled for the rest of her life!

Ye Zhibai was about to ask a couple more questions.

Up front, Ye Qinghe spoke at that moment, too.

“Sigh... Zhibai, objectively speaking, you can be a little strange sometimes. But to me, you're no different from anyone else's daughter. In fact, you're much more sensible than most! Ever since you fell into a coma and ended up in the hospital, how should I put it... It felt like there were so many fewer people at home. The place was just so empty. Sometimes Yun'er would even hide in her room and cry... As your father, I feel so ashamed...”

“Dad, that's enough.” Ye Zhiyun shot a look toward the driver's seat. “You spend every day wondering when Sis will wake up, then sit there sighing to yourself. Don't act like I'm the only one who's upset.”

“...”

Ye Qinghe had absolutely no authority as a father.

Ye Zhibai had now confirmed it beyond a doubt.

And... even though Ye Zhibai couldn't quite relate to the conversation they'd just had, it still inexplicably made her feel warm inside.

Ahem. Anyway, Ye Qinghe had never thought of Ye Zhibai as a burden on the family.

Just as he was saying now.

“You couldn't go to school like other kids when you were little. You were always leaning against the window, watching the birds fly across the sky outside, wondering about who knows what. Whenever I think about it, I feel so guilty... I took you to so many doctors, and they all said there was nothing wrong with your intelligence. But for your own safety, you could only stay at home. Apart from Yun'er, you had no one to talk to and no friends...”

Ye Zhibai listened attentively, all the while keeping an eye out for holes in the story.

She couldn't help thinking... Even if there had been someone to talk to, I couldn't speak back then!

I used to be mute!

Ye Qinghe's next words were clearly self-deprecating.

That was the real source of his guilt: he hadn't been able to save his daughter back then.

He let out a faint sigh and gave a bitter smile. “So if we're talking about something strange... I'm the strange one. I'm her father, wealthy beyond compare, and yet I couldn't let my daughter live like a normal person...”

Ye Qinghe's words brought back memories for Ye Zhiyun, reminding her of all the little moments she'd shared with Ye Zhibai as a child.

She squeezed Ye Zhibai's hand and spoke softly.

“Sis could be pretty distant, but I always remembered the little ways she showed she cared. You might not remember any of this, but... you used to share little snacks with the maids at home all the time, and listen to them talk about the funny things and problems they ran into at work. Even if you couldn't answer them, everyone still wanted to confide in you, you know? They all really liked you...”

“So you don't know how our whole family... had our hearts broken the day you were hit by that car.”

So that's how it was...

Ye Zhibai looked at her hand, clasped tightly in Yun'er's, and fell into thought.

The old Ye Zhibai had no soul or feelings, yet somehow, by a twist of fate, she'd been very easy to like.

If her old behavior had mostly been imitation, copying Ye Zhiyun, who'd grown up alongside her...

Then Yun'er must have been an incredibly sweet little girl, even back then.

Of course, she still was.

Ahem. At least, she was when it came to Ye Zhibai.

Ye Zhiyun tilted her head against Ye Zhibai's shoulder and shared another thing she'd noticed.

“And another thing, another thing! Even though you getting hit by a car was a terrible tragedy, today... I suddenly feel like something good came out of it. Sis's eyes used to look so lifeless, like a bottomless lake... I could never tell what you were thinking. But today, there's a light in your eyes!”

“Do you mean... I've gotten smarter?”

“You've always been smart, Sis! You just couldn't express yourself! So... now that you can talk, there are so, so many things I've been wanting to tell you! When we get home, we have to sit down and talk properly. We can have an all-night chat and make up for all the years you couldn't talk to me! Ah, sorry... you only just got out of the hospital today, so you must be tired. We'll do it another day! We definitely will! Tomorrow, then!”

“I... I'll do my best.”

What terrifying enthusiasm!

Just because a mute suddenly learned to talk doesn't mean you can squeeze a whole mute's worth of words out of her!

Still...

Was there really a light in her eyes now?

Ye Zhibai knew the reason herself.

—An empty shell had gained a soul, so of course there was light in its eyes.

But... she wasn't going to tell them about being reincarnated.

She still had unresolved ties from her past life, but that didn't mean she had to let them affect this life.

This time, she wanted to live again.

To start over as Ye Zhibai, as Ye Zhiyun's family...

Ahem. Still, suddenly becoming a girl was definitely strange!

But... hardships had to be overcome! There were always more ways than obstacles!

As long as she kept the heart of a tough guy, what did it matter if she looked like a girl?

She could keep that tough-guy heart... probably?

Ye Zhibai now more or less knew the answers to the questions that had been bothering her.

But there was one question that was much more practical.

She wanted to know what her family thought about the fact that she'd been hit by a car hard enough to leave her in a vegetative state, yet had only suffered a few scratches.

Looking at her smooth, unmarked arm, she asked quite naturally.

“Why... don't I have many external injuries?”

“Zhibai.”

“Hm?”

Ye Qinghe answered her question right away.

As a father, Ye Qinghe kept his eyes on the road, watching his daughter in the rearview mirror from the corner of his eye as he spoke with firm conviction.

“I'll tell you all about your background once you've had time to rest. But as for the question you just asked... honestly, I can't answer it either. You were hit by that car, yet you barely have any external injuries. According to the road surveillance footage from the time, you were thrown more than ten meters... By all rights, you should've either died or been crippled. But as you can see, you're safe and sound. That's the truth of it, and even the Medical Maid Corps can't explain it.”

He paused, then continued. “But... there are bound to be many secrets in this world that we don't know about. I told you before: you're my daughter, Ye Qinghe's daughter, and the Ye Family will protect you. This matter will be buried forever. No one will find out that there's anything unusual about you. And you... and Yun'er and I... we don't need to know, either. As long as our family can live in peace, isn't that enough?”

As long as our family can live in peace...

Yeah.

Ye Zhibai, who'd hardly ever known a peaceful life, understood the weight of those words all too well.

Now she understood everything.

That damn ball of light hadn't lied. It seemed she'd really been well protected.

Without the Ye Family's protection, with her strange condition, she'd probably have been taken away for experiments long ago.

But just as Ye Qinghe had said, the eldest daughter of the Ye Family had nothing to fear.

Ye Zhiyun pressed herself against Ye Zhibai in a hug. After their conversation, she seemed to be holding on even tighter than before.

And with even less restraint.

Ye Zhibai managed to free both hands with some difficulty, then gently patted Ye Zhiyun on the back twice.

Then, clearly and unmistakably, she voiced what she was really thinking.

“Thank you...”