Liu Rouran considered running away from the landing site, but if she left without her suitcase, she'd have nothing and probably end up sleeping on a bench somewhere, like a stray.
But then again …
What was the point of bringing anything if they were just going to harvest her organs anyway?
Just as her imagination began to spiral out of control, the door of the helicopter opened and a tall, handsome man stepped out of it.
He was dressed in a dark brown suit, his hair perfectly combed back, and glasses resting neatly on the bridge of his nose.
He looked like someone important, like a CEO stepping out of a business jet.
'Wait … is he the guy who's going to harvest my organs?!'
"You're Liu Rouran?" the man asked. His voice was deep, but surprisingly soft.
Liu Rouran hesitated before nodding slowly, keeping her distance. "I am …"
His face was expressionless, so blank that Rouran thought he looked like a human robot.
"W-who are you?" she asked warily.
"Liu Zeyan," he replied. His sharp phoenix eyes locked onto hers as he added, "I'm your eldest brother."
Brother?!
Her brother owned a helicopter?!
How was that possible?
She thought they were just regular mountain villagers. Farmers, maybe. Poor people who couldn't even afford a car, let alone this.
"Come on." Liu Zeyan extended his hand toward her. "The others are waiting for you."
Rouran stared at his hand for a moment. Her instincts told her to be careful, but there was nothing threatening in his eyes.
Slowly, she reached out and took it.
Even though Liu Zeyan seemed cold and emotionless, his grip was surprisingly gentle.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, before helping her put on the headset and intercom.
Liu Rouran froze.
She hadn't expected someone like him to be this polite.
If it had been Jiang Zemin, he definitely would've used that moment as an excuse to touch her without permission.
Was this what having a real brother felt like?
As the helicopter took off, Liu Rouran clutched her seatbelt tightly.
It was her first time flying in a helicopter and she instantly hated it.
The turbulence was far worse than an airplane, and her fear of heights hit her hard.
To distract herself, she avoided looking out the window. Instead, she stared straight into Liu Zeyan's eyes.
He raised a brow, clearly noticing her gaze. "What is it?" he asked. "Do you want to say something?"
Liu Rouran quickly looked away, but the moment her eyes met the open sky outside, she snapped her gaze right back to him.
"Is our family … like, successful farmers?" she asked without thinking.
It was a random question, but in her defense, it made sense.
How else could a farming family afford a helicopter unless they were incredibly successful?
Or maybe the helicopter was borrowed from one of their rich clients?
"Farmers?" Liu Zeyan repeated, and then, he let out a soft chuckle, the first sign of warmth on his cold face.
"No," he said. "We're not farmers."
Liu Rouran tilted her head slightly. "Then … does our family sell organs or something?" she asked quietly.
She bit her lower lip, trying to laugh it off, but deep down, she wasn't really joking.
Honestly, it kind of made sense.
A few days ago, someone from the Liu family had contacted Jiang Weiguo, claiming that Liu Rouran was their long-lost daughter, taken from the hospital right after birth.
After the abduction, she had been abandoned in front of an old orphanage.
She was left in a little basket, with nothing but a note resting on her blanket. It said one thing: "Liu Rouran."
The orphanage was located in a remote town, and the woman who ran it was already quite old.
She didn't want the trouble of dealing with the police, so she simply took the baby in without trying to find her family.
Liu Rouran spent the first five years of her life there until Jiang Weiguo came and brought her to the Jiang family home.
But now, she couldn't help but wonder.
If she didn't come from a dangerous family, then why would someone go through the trouble of kidnapping her?
Maybe her instincts were right.
Maybe they didn't want her back to welcome her, maybe they were planning to sell her organs, or worse, beat her up if she didn't listen to everything they said.
Liu Rouran continued, "Just so you know, I eat way too much sugar every day, so my organs probably aren't in great condition."
Liu Zeyan frowned. His brows pulled together as he narrowed his eyes. "You have unhealthy organs? Didn't your family ever take you for regular checkups?"
Why did he suddenly look so upset?
'Wait, is he mad because my organs are damaged?'
Panicking a little, Liu Rouran quickly tried to make herself sound even more worthless. "I rarely go to the hospital," she said quickly. "It's such a waste of money."
Liu Zeyan looked even more confused now. "Then what do you do when you're sick?"
"I just take whatever medicine I can find at home," she said proudly. "I don't even take vitamins. So, yeah, my organs are definitely not in good condition."
His face darkened, and his tone turned sharp. "We're going to the hospital tomorrow."
Why?!
Shouldn't he just lose interest now that her organs were "damaged goods"?
Was he trying to fix her organs first, so they could be harvested later?!
Oh no.
Hospitals were expensive.
Even Zhao Lihua used to complain whenever she had to take Liu Rouran to one, but compared to hospital bills, the price of human organs was way higher.
Liu Rouran sighed deeply.
Her dream had only shown what would happen if she stayed with the Jiang family.
She had no idea what the future looked like now that she'd left.
And so far, it seemed like her visions only came during specific moments, not whenever she wanted.
Well, there was nothing she could do now.
If she still ended up dying horribly even after leaving the Jiang family, then maybe she really had done something terrible in her past life and this was heaven's way of punishing her.
• •
Three hours passed before Liu Rouran finally spotted a mountain rising in the distance.
It was breathtaking.
Many people called it the most beautiful mountain in Huaxia Country, known for its untouched nature and rare flowers that bloomed across its slopes.
That was Mount Louhua.
Liu Rouran stared in disbelief. She never imagined her family would live on a mountain like that.
She had assumed they lived at the foot of a random hill, somewhere closer to farmland or village areas.
The helicopter touched down on a small helipad hidden among tall trees. Strangely, there weren't any houses in sight.
A few black cars were parked nearby. Several men in black suits stepped out and bowed deeply the moment Liu Zeyan and Rouran exited the helicopter.
"Welcome home, Young Master Liu."
Then they turned to her, this time with warm smiles. "Welcome home, Young Miss Liu."
Liu Rouran was stunned by their sudden gentleness.
They looked so serious a moment ago, but now they sounded gentle, respectful, even protective.
She barely had time to process it all before Liu Zeyan gestured for her to get into the car.
The drive from the helipad to the house took about fifteen minutes.
As they moved deeper into the forested path, passing gardens and beautiful stone walls, Rouran slowly came to a realization.
Her family might not be poor after all.
Not far ahead, a massive manor stood alone in the middle of the valley.
The gate was so tall that no outsider could easily step foot onto their property.
Liu Rouran stared through the window, her breath caught in her throat. She had imagined her real family living in a small house on a quiet hill, not this.
Not a place that looked like it belonged to royalty.
Dozens of staff members were already standing by the entrance, dressed neatly in black and white uniforms, forming two perfect lines on either side.
At the end of the path, right at the top of the stairs, stood a few people who seemed to be members of the Liu family.
Liu Zeyan glanced at her from the seat beside her and said in a gentle tone, "Welcome home, sister."