Chapter – 37
Who Said I Liked You?
Seeing Jiang Xuxu’s unusually serious expression, the Song family couldn’t help but feel their hearts skip a beat, wondering if there was another hidden risk in this matter.
But then Jiang Xuxu began to speak.
“The one who stole Xiao Li’er’s intellect back then was a nanny who had worked for the Jiang family for many years. She once accidentally helped a wicked sorcerer, and as a reward, the sorcerer offered to ‘transfer intellect’ to her own mentally disabled son. So, she targeted Xiao Li’er, who happened to be visiting the Jiang family at the time.”
These details came from Madam Wu’s later confession.
Jiang Xuxu had no intention of hiding them from the Song family.
Hearing such a truth, the expressions of the Song family members became complex.
It would be a lie to say they held no grudge against the Jiang family.
After all, it was a nanny employed by the Jiang family. Who could have guessed that one of their household staff would harbor such malicious intentions?
Their Xiao Li’er was just a visiting guest, yet she became the target, forced to live a life akin to a toddler’s for the next eight years.
And they had been completely unaware, always believing Xiao Li’er had become simple-minded after hitting her head in a riding accident…
While inwardly blaming the Jiang family for their poor judgment in hiring, it was ironically Jiang Xuxu from the Jiang family who discovered the problem and proactively offered to help.
Song Yongming took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, and finally sighed.
“As long as Xiao Li’er recovers… that’s enough.”
The two families originally had ties. If they truly severed relations over this, it would also put Jiang *Da Shi* in a difficult position.
For now, they could only hope their daughter would get better.
Impressed by the Song family’s magnanimity, Jiang Xuxu felt a slight sense of goodwill. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry. She will definitely recover.”
With that, Jiang Xuxu went upstairs, took a few strands of Xiao Li’er’s hair on the spot, and arranged a small reincarnation array under the midday sun.
Unlike the last time when her flying talismans had shocked everyone, this array was remarkably plain and unspectacular.
The group simply watched as she recited Taoist incantations in a low voice, burned the hair wrapped in a talisman, then stood up and announced, “It’s done.”
The Song family couldn’t quite grasp it immediately. Song Yuli especially recalled how vividly his mother had described the spectacle of Jiang *Da Shi*’s previous ritual and had been looking forward to witnessing it directly today.
— And this was it??
He didn’t know that last time, Jiang Xuxu had partly performed for show, to convince the Song family, particularly Old Lady Song. Now that the Song family fully trusted her, Jiang Xuxu no longer felt the need for extra theatrics.
The best techniques are often performed with the simplest methods.
The Song family was solely focused on Xiao Li’er’s condition, no longer concerned with the process, and watched her with tense expressions.
Then, Xiao Li’er’s eyes seemed to carry a clearer light than before. Her large pupils swept around the room, finally settling on Jiang Xuxu. After a moment, she asked curiously, “Sister Puppy, are we not playing treasure hunt today?”
The hearts of the Song family sank.
— This… seemed no different from before.
Madam Song grew anxious and looked to Jiang Xuxu to ask, “Jiang *Da Shi*… Did it fail? Xiao Li’er doesn’t seem to be cured yet?”
In response to the Song family’s doubts, Jiang Xuxu calmly replied, “She is already cured.”
Song Yongming frowned, looking at his still innocent and naive daughter. She didn’t look cured at all.
Jiang Xuxu explained to them, “Her intellect was stolen when she was eight years old. So now, she is still eight. The regained intellect cannot grant her the mental capacity of a sixteen-year-old overnight. But from today onwards, she will grow and learn like an ordinary child.”
However, she would mature eight years later than her peers.
It might feel odd now, but the gap would gradually close over time, and she would eventually become a proper adult.
Hearing this, the Song family finally understood.
That’s right.
Their Xiao Li’er had been in a childlike state for these eight years. Just because she was cured didn’t mean she could suddenly become a sixteen-year-old girl overnight.
If she had become an adult overnight, they might have suspected another soul had taken over instead.
Realizing this, Madam Song’s heart immediately lightened. Looking at her daughter’s pure, innocent expression, she smiled through teary eyes. “It’s fine. She just has a slightly longer childhood. Our Song family’s little princess doesn’t need to rush to grow up.”
Confirming the Song family’s acceptance, Jiang Xuxu took out a jade pendant from her bag and placed it around Xiao Li’er’s neck. “This is a protective jade talisman I made. It will guard against any evil magic and protect her future health.”
After all, Xiao Li’er had been targeted precisely because her life fate was exceptionally good.
Seeing the jade pendant was of far superior quality to the broken one before, Song Yongming immediately transferred 5 million yuan to Jiang Xuxu.
As payment for this service.
But Jiang Xuxu promptly returned the money.
“For this matter, someone else has already paid.”
Song Yongming was surprised.
The receipt screen she showed displayed an amount of 10 million yuan.
And in the remitter’s notes was the name “Jiang Yucheng.”
Song Yongming: “…”
“There is a certain responsibility on the Jiang family’s part regarding the stolen intellect. This today represents the Jiang family making amends for that fault.” At this moment, Jiang Xuxu was both Jiang *Da Shi* and a representative of the Jiang family.
Hearing this, Song Yongming’s lingering resentment towards the Jiang family completely dissipated.
…
Leaving the Song residence, just as Jiang Xuxu was about to get into the car, a familiar voice called from behind.
“Xuxu?”
Turning around, she saw Pei Yuanzheng standing not far away, gazing at her.
His eyes held irrepressible joy and an artificial-looking deep affection.
“I came to visit my second uncle. I never thought I’d run into you here, what a coincidence.” Pei Yuanzheng explained in a gentle tone. Seeing her remain silent, he continued.
“I saw you at the banquet the other night. I actually wanted to talk to you, but I was afraid you’d be displeased to see me… After all, there’s been a misunderstanding between us.”
Jiang Xuxu raised an eyebrow.
“Misunderstanding?”
Seeing her finally speak, Pei Yuanzheng quickly said, “Yes. Did Ruirui tell you we were dating? But that’s not actually the case. When you had that accident and unexpectedly found your relatives, Ruirui lied and said your family was from a remote, declining lineage. I was worried you’d be sent away and your future ruined, so I asked Uncle Guan to let you stay with the Guan family. The condition was just that I promised to act as Ruirui’s boyfriend…”
Jiang Xuxu’s eyebrow arched even higher.
“So, you’re saying that was for my sake?”
Pei Yuanzheng looked at her with a pained expression. “Perhaps it’s just fate playing tricks. Xuxu, you must know. The one I’ve always liked is you. You… liked me too, didn’t you…?”
Jiang Xuxu had been watching, curious about what fabrication this man, who had clearly been lying in wait, would come up with. Hearing this, she finally couldn’t hold back and interrupted.
“Pei Yuanzheng, who said I liked you?”
