Chapter 40

Chen Jing gestured toward Chen Lianxing’s room, signaling to Dai Ning that she would be staying there for the night.

Even after just a few hours together, Chen Jing had already surmised the young woman’s personality: she had clearly lived a life of luxury and found fault with almost everything.

Chen Jing’s own bedding was years old, and Dai Ning had assumed that, given his cold demeanor, she would be stuck with the old bedding Chen Lianxing had left behind. To her surprise, Chen Jing took a new quilt out of the wardrobe instead.

The quilt was a lovely macaroon pink, with a youthful and delicate design. The material was high quality—not the cheap stuff sold at street stalls.

For the past two days, Qingtuan had been flipping through books to better understand Yan Jing’s world. Seeing this, it explained to Dai Ning, “Chen Jing is actually very capable of earning money. When he was seventeen, he worked three jobs and made tens of thousands of yuan purely from manual labor. But the Chen family was a bottomless pit. His mother was frequently ill, and Chen Lianxing would come up with endless excuses to ask him for money. No matter how much he earned, it was never enough to keep up with their spending.”

Dai Ning now understood: it wasn’t that Chen Jing couldn’t earn money—it was that all of it had been spent on that mother and daughter.

This new quilt must have been purchased because Chen Lianxing had complained about their living conditions. But when she stopped returning home, it had simply gone unused.

Now that it was sitting in the wooden cabinet, Chen Jing decided to let Dai Ning use it.

If Chen Lianxing had accepted Chen Jing, he could have been an amazing older brother—just like Zhao Yu was to Zhao An’an.

But alas, Chen Lianxing was a selfish and ungrateful person. One could only wonder if she would regret her choices when Chen Jing eventually rejoined the wealthy circles.

Chen Jing handed the quilt to Dai Ning and raised his chin slightly, signaling for her to make the bed herself. His gaze clearly asked: Do you know how?

Without hesitation, Dai Ning nodded. “I do, brother.”

She rolled up her sleeves and climbed onto the bed with the quilt in hand. Chen Jing couldn’t be bothered to correct her way of addressing him. Since she claimed she could handle it, he left her to it, closing the door behind him as he returned to his own room.

Qingtuan was stunned. “You know how to put on a duvet cover?”

“I don’t,” Dai Ning admitted.

She picked up the duvet cover, glanced at it briefly, and then lazily flopped onto the bed with the quilt still bundled up. Whether she could or couldn’t, she had no intention of trying.

The May night wasn’t particularly cold, so Dai Ning grabbed another soft new quilt to make do.

In the past, she wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep under such conditions. But after spending months in Xinghua Village, this was nothing—at least she had a bed and proper bedding.

The room wasn’t large, but its furnishings were decent.

It was clear that while Chen Jing was stingy with himself, he treated his sister relatively well.

Never had Dai Ning imagined she would one day sleep under a new quilt—courtesy of Chen Lianxing, of all people.

In the middle of the night, the rustling of branches in the courtyard woke Dai Ning. She rubbed her eyes and instinctively murmured, “Zhao Yu, I’m hungry.”

The room was silent. For a moment, both Qingtuan and Dai Ning were stunned.

Dai Ning closed her eyes, rolled over as if nothing had happened, and went back to sleep.

Qingtuan couldn’t fall asleep. Since waking up, Dai Ning had never once mentioned Zhao Yu. But in Zhao Yu’s life, three years had already passed. Curling up into a ball, Qingtuan found itself missing Zhao Yu, too.

If Zhao Yu were here, he would have taken excellent care of Dai Ning.

To the second male lead, Dai Ning was just a stray girl he had picked up—not even comparable to a pinky finger of Chen Lianxing.

After so much time, Qingtuan had developed emotions resembling those of humans. Shaking its small head, it decided not to dwell on such thoughts and drifted off to sleep within Dai Ning’s consciousness.

Everything would get better eventually.

—

Chen Jing was an early riser. His days were packed with work: during the day, he manned a position at an internet café. In the evening, he drove a truck to deliver goods. Occasionally, he worked as a bartender at a club at night.

Over the years, he had picked up a variety of skills. The jobs he chose now offered relatively decent pay.

While ordinary internet café attendants and bartenders didn’t earn much, it was a different story for someone with exceptional combat skills.

Places like these often operated in gray areas. To maintain order, they needed someone with an iron grip to keep things in line. For establishments like these and the infamous No. 18 Alley, Chen Jing was that person.

That morning, Chen Jing didn’t eat breakfast at home as he usually did. Instead, because of his meddling and the unexpected guest in his house, he bought an extra portion of breakfast for the young girl.

When Chen Jing knocked on the door, Dai Ning was still groggy from sleep.

She opened the door, half-asleep, and Chen Jing handed her a bag of breakfast.

Dai Ning accepted it. “Brother, are you heading out?”

Her cheeks were flushed from sleep, and Chen Jing’s eyes caught the messy state of her bedding.

The girl seemed to realize something, lowering her head with a trace of guilt.

This pitiful expression was genuine—it spoke of her fear of being abandoned. She had clearly been afraid of causing trouble for him, which was why she had claimed she could make the bed, despite her lack of skills.

Chen Jing was used to trouble. From his teenage years, he had been solving problems for everyone in the Chen family. Even though Chen Lianxing didn’t like him, she couldn’t deny that he was practically omnipotent.

He wrote on his notepad and showed it to her:

“I’m going to work. I’ll be out until midnight. Someone named Li Ming will bring lunch for you. After you’ve eaten, leave on your own before I return.”

Dai Ning’s wide eyes carefully read his words. Holding back her tears, she nodded earnestly. “Okay, okay.”

Chen Jing turned and left.

Dai Ning trailed after him, running to the door. Waving goodbye, she said softly, “Goodbye, brother. Stay safe.”

Chen Jing didn’t look back. There wasn’t anything valuable at home, so he left without concern.

Once he was gone, Dai Ning shut the door, tossed the breakfast bag into the trash, and went back to bed. By the time she woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.

The Lane 18 Alley was bustling at night but quiet during the day. Dai Ning pressed a button on her bracelet, and soon, a tall woman accompanied by several bodyguards silently arrived at the Chen family courtyard. Dai Ning opened the door for them.

She threw herself into the woman’s arms. “Guzi, I’m starving!”

Qiu Gunan, though puzzled about why Dai Ning had come here, was heartbroken to see her in such a state. “I brought you something delicious, my lady.”

She wasn’t exaggerating. Qiu Gunan’s team had brought three food containers: one filled with meals, another with fruit, and the last with desserts.

Compared to Uncle Qian, Qiu Gunan’s care for Dai Ning was even more attentive and meticulous.

Though she wasn’t yet thirty, Qiu Gunan practically doted on Dai Ning, spoiling her with what could only be described as indulgence.

Dai Ning finally had a proper meal.

“Did anyone see you when you came here?”

Qiu Gu Nan shook her head. “No. We followed your instructions and avoided people.”

“That’s good.”

“Miss, now that you’ve woken up, when will you inform Old Master Ji?”

Dai Ning had only brought Qiu Gu Nan and the bodyguards stationed near the beach with her. She replied, “I know what I’m doing. It’s not the right time yet. You all head back first. Don’t touch anything in the courtyard. Wait for my signal before coming over again.”

Although Qiu Gu Nan had many questions, she trusted Dai Ning’s judgement and didn’t press further. She left quietly with her people, taking the breakfast in the trash bin along as instructed.

—

Li Ming had known Chen Jing for six years and was one of the few people Chen Jing trusted. When Jing-ge asked him to deliver food today, Li Ming was surprised. As far as he knew, Chen Jing had been living alone for years. Who could the food be for?

“I’m Li Ming. I brought your meal!”

The door opened to reveal a girl’s delicate, doll-like face. Li Ming almost dropped the lunchbox in his hand, wondering if he had come to the wrong house.

Dai Ning’s large eyes curved as she smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Brother Li Ming. Just give it to me.”

Li Ming’s face turned red instantly. “No need to thank me.” His gaze lingered, slightly dazed.

It wasn’t his fault. In fairness, Li Ming considered himself decent at controlling his thoughts, but this girl was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in Fengming.

Looking at her clothes, he scratched his head and asked, “Are you Jing-ge’s girlfriend?”

Dai Ning shook her head. “Oh no, I’m his sister. My name is Chen Daidai.”

Li Ming was shocked. “Jing-ge only has one sister, Chen Lianxing, doesn’t he?”

Feigning confusion, Dai Ning replied, “Who’s Chen Lianxing?”

Li Ming quickly shut his mouth, realizing it was a family matter he shouldn’t meddle in. “Alright then, Miss. Eat your meal first. I have other things to attend to.”

“Goodbye, Brother Li Ming,” Dai Ning said sweetly.

Her soft voice sent a shiver down Li Ming’s spine, and he fled in near panic. He was just a small-time thug, but staying longer felt like it would test his limits.

After running a distance, he saw his buddies smoking under a large Chinese banyan tree. Li Ming wasted no time sharing the news about the stunning beauty at Jing-ge’s place.

One of them laughed. “Li Ming, have you gone stupid? We’ve all seen Jing-ge’s sister, Chen Lianxing. She’s no great beauty.”

“It’s not Chen Lianxing! She said her name’s Daidai. She’s ridiculously beautiful, the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Li Ming, stop exaggerating. Every woman looks beautiful to you.”

Angry that no one believed him, Li Ming retorted, “Fine, just wait until you see her for yourselves. Don’t let your eyes pop out.”

Back in the courtyard, Dai Ning threw away the meal Li Ming delivered. She wouldn’t eat it.

Dai Ning played games all afternoon before stretching lazily and saying, “Dumb qingtuan, it’s time for us to get to work!””

Qingtuan asked curiously, “What are we doing?”

Dai Ning grinned. “Didn’t I tell Chen Jing to stay safe before he left? If he wants me gone, I should repay his kindness.”

To Chen Jing, his priority was always Chen Jirui and his family.

Dai Ning pouted. Chen Jing wasn’t moved by her looks and was annoyingly cold and stubborn. She hated people like that.

As night fell, the once-quiet Lane 18 came alive with all sorts of unsavory characters roaming about. Dai Ning activated her communicator but didn’t let Qiu Gunan follow. Instead, she took a few disguised bodyguards with her into the bustling streets.

Wearing a cap and a mask to conceal her face, she ordered the bodyguards, “Keep track of Chen Jing’s movements and report.”

“Miss,” one of them said in a low voice, “this morning, Chen Jing first visited the hospital to see his foster mother. Then he worked at the ‘Sky Abyss’ internet café. At 7 p.m., he went to an entertainment club called ‘Peace Under Heaven.’ Officially, he’s a bartender there, but everyone knows his real job is being a top enforcer who handles troublemakers.”

So, he earned his living with his fists.

The book did mention this luck-bearing protagonist was skilled at fighting. Dai Ning thought for a moment. “How skilled is he?”

The bodyguard hesitated. “We haven’t seen it firsthand.”

Dai Ning blinked, calculating her next move.

If Chen Jing was that formidable, she wouldn’t have her people fight him head-on. Instead, she’d ensure he could only get beaten up.

Even the male lead wasn’t invincible. A silent, stammering type like him would still feel pain and get hurt.

Qingtuan cautiously reminded her, “We can’t act directly, or we’ll suffer backlash.”

After being with Dai Ning for so long, Qingtuan knew there was no hope of rehabilitating her moral compass. Dai Ning had her own principles, twisted as they were. Even if they seemed vicious, Qingtuan knew she was sacrificing her soul for fleeting joy.

A third of Dai Ning’s soul power was already gone. Qingtuan wondered if it hurt her. Did she feel the pain? Dai Ning always acted indifferent, as if losing her soul didn’t matter.

But Qingtuan knew the truth: losing pieces of her soul would only weaken her. It watched the smiling Dai Ning, aware she was in pain.

In the sea of consciousness, Dai Ning patted its tiny head. “I know, dumb qingtuan. Don’t worry, we won’t act ourselves.”

She called over one of the bodyguards and whispered instructions. The man looked a bit taken aback but nodded. “Understood, Miss.”

From a small snack shop opposite the “Peace Under Heaven” club, Dai Ning sat watching the nightlife unfold. Fengming City’s nights weren’t as glamorous as the capital, but the vibrant atmosphere was still impressive.

Sipping juice through a straw, she waited. Everything was set; all that remained was for Chen Jing to take the bait.

Let him treasure that ugly Chen Lianxing while tossing her aside like yesterday’s trash.

Dai Ning smiled sweetly at the club across the street. The show was about to begin.