Chapter 379: Chapter 379

"Cough... cough cough..."

In the evening, from a villa in Jiang City came the continuous, hushed quarrels of a young man and woman.

Perhaps too engrossed in their argument, neither adult noticed that just beyond the door, on a princess bed, a little girl of about seven years old was slowly opening her eyes.

The moment her consciousness returned, ignoring her feverish head, An Ning instinctively felt the bed beneath her, sensing the obviously soft, smooth fabric and the distinctly modern decor before her eyes.

Hmm... not bad, not bad.

Although the family situation currently looked quite troublesome, at least this world's starting point was acceptable.

Could this be compensation for the troubles of the last world?

For a rare moment, An Ning felt pleased.

However, just as she was about to relax, propping up her weak little body, countless memories suddenly flooded her mind all at once.

A quarter of an hour later, on the large bed, the little girl who had been in a fairly good mood now showed clear signs of her face turning dark with anger.

Especially while listening to the quarrels outside the door, which though deliberately lowered, still reached her ears intermittently.

Heh, nestled comfortably in her warm quilt, An Ning rolled her eyes hard.

She knew it—the heavens, especially the Quick Transmigration Bureau, never dropped free pies from the sky.

The original little girl was named Lu An Ning, the product of a marriage alliance between two major renowned groups in Jiang City. Her biological father was the eldest son of the Lu family, who had entered the company right after graduation and was now a bona fide domineering CEO and future heir.

Due to his outstanding abilities, even with countless illegitimate children and a stepmother's young son outside, this father's position remained largely unshakable.

Her biological mother was the eldest daughter of the Shen family. Though she had an older brother and wasn't cut out for business herself, losing inheritance rights, her maternal grandparents compensated by giving her shares and real estate worth billions.

Logically, with this family background, and being the only child, even if the couple didn't get along, the original little girl should have had a comfortable, easy life.

But unfortunately, fate is unpredictable. According to the original girl's memories, in just six months, this world was going to change completely.

A meteorite would fall, followed by mutated plants and animals, and even zombies, catching everyone on this land completely off guard.

This was the legendary apocalypse.

Of course, in any era, those with money and connections always found ways out, especially since both of the original girl's parents coincidentally awakened supernatural abilities.

Her biological father Lu Ting had extremely powerful lightning-based combat abilities, while her biological mother Shen Meng had the rare spatial ability. Logically speaking, with one specializing in attack and the other in support, plus both families' military connections, protecting one seven-year-old girl should have been easy, right?

Unfortunately, there are no ifs.

Facts proved that no matter how capable someone is, once infected with the love-addled brain virus, the results are, well... heh...

Outside, the hushed quarrels continued. Lying in bed with wide eyes, An Ning silently swallowed a mouthful of diluted Spirit Spring Water. She didn't even need to listen—it was the same old repetitive arguments.

"Ning Ning is burning up with fever, and you, as her father, don't even ask about her, instead running around busy for someone else's daughter!"

"What, now that Jiang Miao is divorced, you want to rekindle your old flame? Lu Ting, don't forget, I didn't force you into this marriage back then!"

"Having Ning Ning wasn't forced by me either!"

"Lu, are you having regrets? Do you want to rekindle your old feelings..."

Though deliberately keeping her voice low, the woman's words still carried a hysterical edge. In contrast, the man's voice was noticeably more rational and steady:

"Alright, didn't we agree to leave all that in the past? Why bring it up again."

"It was just a coincidence that I helped today. If I'd known Ning Ning had a fever..."

What a scene of lingering old affections, what a drama of him loving her, her loving him...

Having listened to most of it, An Ning felt too exhausted to even complain. She finally understood why the original girl's parents, despite their excellent conditions, still managed to ruin their daughter completely.

One love-addled brain isn't scary, but when two come together, the destructive power is simply unbeatable. Especially when their emotional lines are entangled with other people.

Jiang Miao, Lu Dad's ex-girlfriend before marriage. They were reportedly campus sweethearts. Unfortunately, not all relationships reach a happy ending.

Unlike the harmonious family background of biological mother Shen, the eldest daughter, the Lu family situation was inherently complex. With a bunch of illegitimate children watching eagerly from the front and a stepmother's son stirring trouble from behind, it's hard to imagine how Jiang Miao, a girl from an ordinary background, would handle these complicated relationships after marrying in.

After the passion faded, just the hidden contempt and pressure alone left both of them, especially Jiang Miao herself, exhausted.

Coincidentally, at that time, a lovesick yet wealthy senior was persistently waiting for her. Meanwhile, the original girl's biological mother, Shen, the eldest daughter, had been deeply in love with this childhood sweetheart since childhood.

In short, after a series of setbacks, the two tacitly stepped back, choosing to marry others.

A year later, the original Lu An Ning was smoothly born.

For several years after, the family remained relatively harmonious.

Things should have ended there, but then, a few months ago, Jiang Miao suddenly divorced that senior for some reason, reportedly almost leaving with nothing. She also inexplicably reestablished contact with Lu Dad...

Then, a year later, due to a distress call from her, Lu Dad, thinking he had settled his wife and daughter safely, led a team out to rescue her.

Coincidentally, at that time, the largest-scale zombie siege in the base's history occurred. Because it happened suddenly, and coincidentally the original mother had run away from home in anger over her husband's departure.

Just imagine—in that scenario, the original girl was only eight years old, hadn't even awakened any abilities yet. One can easily guess the outcome.

As for the original mother, Shen, the eldest daughter, who possessed life-saving supplies within the base, seemed determined to rush back to save her daughter at the last moment, but was knocked unconscious and taken away!

Well, that means in this family, during this so-called accident, the only likely casualty was probably the unlucky original girl alone.

Please don't tell me they ended up playing some tragic love story afterward. Recalling the tropes of some novels she'd unintentionally seen before, An Ning instinctively shuddered.

In any case, after the memory transfer was complete, inside the room, An Ning fell into silence once more...

Lying in bed, An Ning once again sorted through the original girl's memories.

So, there were only six months left until the apocalypse outbreak, and the original girl had no supernatural abilities at all at that time. Currently, the only ones she could basically rely on were her parents...

Glancing at her unlucky parents still arguing outside the door, then looking down at her own small arms and legs.

Wow, this is really...

Within her spiritual sea, the realized An Ning unceremoniously gave a certain system a beautiful eye-roll.

Trembling with fear, not daring to make a sound.

About half an hour later, the quarreling couple seemed to finally remember their daughter, who had just recovered from a fever, inside the room.

On the pink princess bed, seeing their daughter awake, their earlier argument instantly vanished.

They immediately called the auntie to prepare porridge and carefully inquired, afraid that An Ning felt unwell anywhere. Seeing their daughter visibly listless and dispirited, Lu Ting, still in his unworn high-end suit, tall and straight with the makings of a domineering CEO, gently promised to take her out for some fun on the weekend...

Beside him, Shen Qing, voice gentle, wearing a beige long dress, elegant and graceful, with bright, attractive features, showed no trace of her earlier hysterics.

They really seemed like good parents, showing no potential of being troublemakers!

However, An Ning, armed with the original girl's memories: "..."

Listlessly nodding, An Ning quickly lay back down in bed.

Seeing this, her parents didn't suspect anything. After all, a child's mood changes as quickly as the weather in June; it's normal for them to feel down when sick.

Besides, the original girl was an especially quiet child.

In fact, Lu Ting, as the father, even thought his daughter was upset because he had neglected her earlier and hadn't been by her side sooner.

After carefully instructing her a few more times and tucking the quilt snugly around the little girl, the couple finally left one after another.

"Cough, Ning Ning, rest well. When you're better, Dad will take you to the island. You like that the most, wait a while..."

As for An Ning, she stared blankly at their retreating figures, a thoughtful glint flashing in her eyes.

Within her spiritual sea, the system inexplicably shuddered.

"Um, host, you... what are you planning? C-calm down!"

"Oh, nothing. I just think that without the love-addled brains, these parents might actually be somewhat decent, don't you agree?"

At least they wouldn't end up as unlucky as in the previous lifetime!

Rubbing her chin, the little girl of just a few years on the rose-pink bed looked deep in thought.

Wait, other things aside, can the love-addled brain thing even be cleared?

Besides, if it remembered correctly, forget the original girl's father, this mother had liked Lu Dad for many years since childhood!

"In ancient times, that was called 'unswerving devotion'!"

Glancing lightly at a certain system, An Ning quickly closed her eyes.