Did this girl get a personality transplant? She was actually admitting her own faults?

Bai Zidan was completely baffled. She stared blankly at her daughter for a long while, and only after seeing that Mu Lishan’s expression hadn’t changed and she clearly wasn’t pretending did she manage a couple of hesitant “Oh”s and start working the phone.

“There. I think that’s how you delete it…” She swiped twice, finished deleting the contact, and handed the phone back. Then she took another careful look at her daughter.

Mu Lishan took it and nodded. Under Mu Hua’s watchful gaze, she then opened WeChat and QQ.

Just as she’d expected, both chats pinned to the top had profile pictures from some “Funeral Love” clan, along with a ridiculously flamboyant username.

She tapped into the chat to delete the contact. She couldn’t avoid seeing their latest exchange.

Northeast Cold Wind: Babe, you absolutely can’t agree to what your dad says. My love for you will always be as solid as a mountain, as unyielding as bedrock!

Coral: How could I ever?! Dad only cares about himself! I won’t give up on our love!

Northeast Cold Wind: That’s my girl. By the way, I’m a little short on cash lately, so I can’t even buy you presents. What do you think you can say to convince your dad to unfreeze your bank card?

Coral: I’ll go talk to him tonight. If he won’t unfreeze it, then… I’ll make a scene and threaten to jump into the river!

Mu Lishan’s brows twitched. Even as she deleted the contact, she couldn’t help grumbling inwardly: What a hopeless fool.

“I’ve blocked his number, too.”

Mu Lishan blocked “Dear” from her contacts. With that final task done, she looked up at her father, who’d been silently watching her the whole time.

“That’s all there was on your phone? No other way to contact that man?”

The stern look on Mu Hua’s face softened a little. He asked again, as if to make sure.

He hadn’t been paying attention to what Mu Lishan was doing. He’d been watching her expression the entire time.

But Mu Lishan’s movements had been smooth and completely unhesitating. The disgust on her face was like someone forcing down a live rat—there was no way she could’ve faked it.

After all, he didn’t trust Mu Lishan’s actions. Information technology was so advanced these days that anything online could be recovered at any time.

Deleting a friend and blocking a number could both be done just for show. Mu Lishan could act one way to their faces and another behind their backs, then secretly restore the relationship later.

But a person’s expression was something they couldn’t hide. After years in business and meeting all kinds of people, he believed he could tell whether Mu Lishan’s emotions were genuine.

Judging by her expression just now, his daughter had certainly given him more reason to believe her.

“I didn’t find anything else. You can look too, Dad, if you want.” Mu Lishan spoke frankly and held the phone out to him.

“No need. I hope you remember what you said tonight instead of learning how to lie smoothly and come up with excuses.” Mu Hua had reluctantly decided to trust his daughter. His voice was low and stern.

Mu Lishan’s behavior tonight had genuinely pleased him, even if she was still as resistant to his authority as before.

But compared with her princess-like temper, this cool, detached attitude was actually much easier for him to take.

If his daughter had always been like this, then taking over the family business someday might cause a lot fewer problems.

“Keep your phone. Since you’ve realized you shouldn’t be dating, there’s no need for me to take your things away.”

Mu Hua didn’t take Mu Lishan’s phone back. He shook his head, then continued speaking to Bai Zidan, who hadn’t said a word.

“A-Dan, restore her deactivated credit card tomorrow.”

He didn’t completely trust Mu Lishan’s behavior, either. He’d need to watch her for a few more days. Giving her phone back was a way to lower her guard.

After all, his daughter had already tried crying, throwing tantrums, acting spoiled, refusing to eat, and threatening suicide. What if this was just a new act—playing it cool—and she happened to be especially talented? Then he’d be fooled.

Mu Hua had already decided to hire a private investigator. If his daughter went looking for that man again, there was no way she’d be able to hide it from him.

And he’d only asked his wife to unfreeze the card in front of Mu Lishan because he wanted to keep observing her reaction.

His earlier questions had all been about that man. If Mu Lishan really didn’t like him anymore, then perhaps her coldness was only directed at him.

Now he’d changed the subject. Whatever the reason, his daughter was usually extravagant, throwing money around like it was nothing. She was bound to be happy when she learned the financial restrictions were over.

But Mu Hua was surprised again. If she really didn’t care about the money, then she’d hidden her feelings like a true master.

The truth was, Mu Lishan really didn’t care. Money had never meant much to her anyway—and even now, the thought still made her feel sick.

The one good thing was that the original owner’s little brain worked in ways she couldn’t understand. She might say stupid things about killing herself, but there was one thing she absolutely stuck to: she believed any kind of intimate behavior should be saved for after marriage, as a surprise.

So it wasn’t just that he hadn’t kissed her—the blond hadn’t even held this body’s hand. Otherwise, she really would’ve thrown up from disgust.

“Ah, all right…” Bai Zidan nodded a beat late. She hadn’t figured out what her husband was up to, but she was happy that the biggest issue between her and her daughter—the lack of money—had been resolved.

“Xiao Shan, are you really not mad at us?” She tilted her head and muttered the question.

She was still troubled by how suddenly cold Mu Lishan had become. She thought even her behavior now might just be because she was throwing a tantrum.

If her daughter still didn’t speak to her with that familiar, blood-bond warmth, Bai Zidan might even have suspected someone else had taken her place.

“…No. I just did a little thinking about myself.”

Mu Lishan could only force out an explanation, feeling helpless.

“I had a dream… It helped me figure a lot of things out.”

She could tell her mother was puzzled by the change. The original owner had been such a spoiled princess, so it was strange for her to suddenly turn into someone as cool and distant as Mu Lishan.

But she couldn’t imitate that coy, sugary way of speaking—and she didn’t want to.

Because she wasn’t the original little girl, “Mu Lishan.” Even though she wasn’t “Mu Lishan” in the same way anymore, that didn’t mean she planned to become the other person.

“I… I see. If something’s wrong, remember to tell Mom. Don’t bottle it up.” Bai Zidan knew that couldn’t be the whole truth, but since her daughter had said that much, she didn’t want to press her.

“Um, Xiao Shan, how about I stay with you at the hospital tonight? Your dad can go home by himself.”

Bai Zidan saw that it was nearly midnight, but her daughter’s state of mind left her too worried to go. So she asked.

“Mom, there are only two beds in the room. The person across from me gave us some privacy so we could talk, and they still haven’t come back. It’s been almost an hour.”

Mu Lishan shook her head, then added softly:

“I’m really fine. You and Dad should go home, too. It’s already so late.”

When Bai Zidan heard her daughter say that, and saw that the considerate patient in the opposite bed really had given them space, she didn’t insist.

“Then Mom won’t keep you from resting. Good night, Xiao Shan.”

She gave her daughter’s little hand a squeeze, then reluctantly rose from the edge of the bed.

After saying goodbye to their daughter, Mu Hua and Bai Zidan left the hospital.

The next morning, warm sunlight streamed into the room. By the time Mu Lishan woke up, she’d already finished washing up.

Huo Tong was a professional at sleeping in. She was still bundled up in bed like a dumpling, fast asleep, so Mu Lishan didn’t disturb her.

After all, Huo Tong had waited for Mu Lishan to finish talking with her parents the night before. When Mu Lishan came back, the two of them had talked for quite a while, and Huo Tong hadn’t finally fallen asleep until 12:50.

She was pretty disciplined about her routine, getting up at seven every day and almost never letting outside circumstances change that.