Chapter 11 

System: [Host, do you really not want to acknowledge this brother?]

Rationally speaking, the system hoped Jiang Lisheng would complete the mission properly. On a more personal note, it wished even more for someone who truly cared for Jiang Lisheng to be there and protect her.

Jiang Lisheng understood the system’s good intentions.

After all, the identity she held belonged to the female lead of an old-school abusive romance novel. In such a setting, the female lead was often not an independent individual. Her entire world revolved around the male lead. She had no family, and certainly no friends. In the end, she might have a pair of children, but even then, she would still not truly be herself.

In the original story, Jiang Ansheng was indeed on Jiang Lisheng’s side.

But what had he done?

He hadn’t defended her when she suffered humiliation, nor had he protected her when the male lead seized her by force. His so-called care was nothing more than a weightless promise spoken aloud.

Jiang Lisheng had seen transmigrators exhaust every trick they had, only to fail in escaping their fate. If Jiang Ansheng had truly lent a hand when they were in danger, she would have looked at him differently.

But he hadn’t.

He had done nothing at all. He had only watched coldly as his twin sister suffered misfortune.

Jiang Lisheng shook her head and said to the system, [I’m no saint. I will hold a grudge against this family for everything they’ve done to me, but I’ll also make use of the Jiang family’s resources to get what I want.]

She wanted both.

Hatred and gain were not mutually exclusive.

Jiang Lisheng had had enough of the days when she had to get up early and work hard just for a few dozen yuan; she had also had enough of not even owning a warm cotton coat in winter.

By now, Jiang Lisheng was completely clear-headed. She understood that pride would not fill her stomach.

It was true that the Jiang family owed her. No matter what Jiang Ansheng’s kindness was based on, she would accept all of it without guilt as rightful compensation.

“Enough talk. Today’s task counts as a prelude to tomorrow’s. Send me the next mission in advance so I know what to do next.”

The system had originally thought Jiang Lisheng was feeling upset and wanted to comfort her properly.

But seeing her composed expression and how she was fully focused on “working,” there wasn’t even a trace of sadness in sight.

[Visit the sick male lead with a “gift.” (Plot progression: 15%) (In progress)]

Visit the male lead?

Oh ho, how perfect.

The thought of getting to act shameless again filled Jiang Lisheng with boundless energy.

She sped up and worked alongside the laborer to finish the job. By five in the afternoon, Little Jiang the pig’s garden pigsty was finally complete. After airing it out for two or three days, it would be ready to live in.

“Should I go be shameless now—no, I mean, should I go visit him now, or wait until tomorrow?”

The system checked Huo Bai’s current status and replied: [Tomorrow morning would be best.]

So she had to wait until morning…

Jiang Lisheng deflated again.

Still, this stretch of time was just right for her to make some preparations.

She first went to the security office and copied the surveillance footage from the afternoon in the backyard. Then she returned to her room and scrolled through her Moments, immediately spotting Huo Bai’s post.

[Huo Bai: Not in the mood.]

Jiang Lisheng vaguely remembered that Huo Bai had blocked her before. Now that he had unblocked her and let her see this, it was probably on purpose.

Ridiculous.

Tomorrow, he was in for it.

Jiang Lisheng changed Huo Bai’s contact name to “Huo Bai the Fool.” After washing up, she grabbed her exercise book and loudly knocked on Jiang Ansheng’s door.

Before long, Jiang Ansheng opened the door from inside.

Although the two of them had had a bit of a falling-out earlier in the day, Jiang Lisheng showed no awkwardness at all. She pushed her way into his room and tossed the exercise book onto his desk. “Tutoring.”

Jiang Ansheng paused for a moment and left the door slightly ajar.

There were no extra chairs in the bedroom, so Jiang Ansheng could only stand and flip through Jiang Lisheng’s exercise book. After reading two pages, his brows lifted in surprise. He looked up from the workbook without a word, quietly studying her expression.

Jiang Lisheng leaned against the chair, spinning her pen lazily with one hand, clearly showing no intention of leaving.

After a while, she remembered her delicate and innocent character persona. She adjusted her sitting posture, closed her legs together, and put on a well-behaved expression. “Are you going to tutor me or not?”

“…” Jiang Ansheng uttered a single word, “Yes.”

Judging from the content of the exercises, it was going to take some time. He said, “Let’s go over to the sofa.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Lisheng got up and moved to sit on the sofa.

“There are only a few days left before school starts. I want to transfer to the Experimental Building and aim to get into one of the top six classes during the placement exam. Do you think I have a chance with my current grades?”

Yinghua International High School had originally been an elite private institution.

Ten years ago, the former chairman of the board donated part of his estate before passing away to fund the construction of a new building and invested heavily in recruiting top-performing students who couldn’t afford tuition. After a series of later reforms and refinement, Yinghua developed into what it was today.

The International Building provided education for wealthy students planning to study abroad, and the learning environment was relatively relaxed. The Experimental Building, on the other hand, was filled with underprivileged students who worked part-time to support themselves. The teachers hired there were on par with those in public schools. Similarly, the admission standards were high, and the academic pressure was intense.

Given how black-hearted her parents were, Jiang Lisheng figured that once she graduated, they would likely try to treat her as a resource and marry her off. So she had to seize the time to study hard, squeeze as much benefit from the Jiang family as she could, and get into a good university after graduation. Once she had her own wings, she would come back to fight for the inheritance.

Such a vicious mind! And such a flawless plan!

Jiang Lisheng had carefully studied the score requirements for the Experimental Building over the years.

The average scores for Class One ranged between seven hundred and six hundred, which was definitely out of her reach. Classes Two and Three weren’t much easier. The bottom three classes ranged between five hundred and four hundred—if she really pushed herself, she might just scrape into the lowest one.

Jiang Ansheng stared at her workbook in silence for a long time. “Are you planning to take the college entrance exam?”

Jiang Lisheng blinked. What kind of nonsense question was that?

“What else would I be doing?”

Jiang Ansheng said, “I’ve gone through your practice papers. With those scores, you might barely make it into the lowest class. But… you rely too much on rote memorization and lack flexibility. Even if you do get into the Experimental Building, if you don’t learn to adapt, you’ll only be mediocre at best.”

Jiang Lisheng raised an eyebrow.

That was basically him poking her forehead and calling her rigid.

“And besides,” he added, “our parents plan to send you and Jiang Nuonuo to St. Lystie in the UK. If you go through with this, they might get angry.”

St. Lystie was a prestigious women’s aristocratic college.

To put it bluntly, it was a place meant to train future wives for other people’s families.

In the original novel, both Jiang Lisheng and Jiang Nuonuo were supposed to attend, but in order to curry favor with Huo Bai, they ended up not going.

Hearing Jiang Ansheng speak like that, Jiang Lisheng became irritated. “So what you mean is… just because I came to live with your family, I have to listen to your parents? Otherwise, I’m being ungrateful?”

Jiang Ansheng sighed helplessly. “That’s not what I meant.”

Jiang Lisheng wouldn’t let it go. “Then what do you mean?”

Jiang Ansheng replied, “Whatever I meant, it’s not what you think I meant.”

Jiang Lisheng snapped, “Sounds to me like that’s exactly what you meant.”

Jiang Ansheng: “…”

Annoying.

Jiang Lisheng knew it—this so-called brother of hers couldn’t be relied on. She snatched the notebook from him and was about to leave.

Jiang Lisheng tugged the notebook back forcefully.

“In our parents’ eyes, everything is about business interests. Compared to being their children, we’re more like merchandise in their hands, just waiting for the right moment to be put up for auction.” Jiang Ansheng’s voice wasn’t loud, but his gaze was clearer than ever. “You should understand this too. So before you plan to go against them, make sure you are fully prepared.”

Jiang Lisheng said nothing.

Jiang Ansheng casually flipped through the notebook. “Work hard and aim for Class Three.” He smiled. “By then, even if our parents try to force it, the teachers over in the Experimental Building probably won’t agree.”

After saying that, Jiang Ansheng picked up a pen and began marking Jiang Lisheng’s test paper.

His side profile, which shared at least sixty percent resemblance to hers, was focused and serious. In that moment, she even saw a reflection of herself in him.

However—

Jiang Lisheng’s expression remained firm. “Don’t think you can win me over with this.”

Jiang Ansheng gave a small laugh. “Jiang Lisheng, you still don’t understand.” He said, “I told you, in this family, everyone carries their own interests. It’s true that I want to help you. It’s also true that I want to use you.”

Jiang Ansheng’s tone paused slightly. “I want to take control of the Jiang family. I know you hate me, and I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I only hope that when the final moment comes, you’ll stand with me. After all…” He extended his hand. “This family holds both what we want and what we want to destroy, doesn’t it?”

Jiang Lisheng made no effort to hide the scrutiny in her eyes. He faced it openly and calmly, letting her look all she wanted.

To be honest, Jiang Lisheng had no idea what Jiang Ansheng truly intended to do.

He was quite different from his portrayal in past lifetimes. Without access to the complete plotline, she didn’t know his exact trajectory in the story.

Logically speaking, he was the Jiang family’s eldest son. Even if he didn’t fight for anything, the family would eventually be his.

But just as he had said, the children of this family were all products. Maybe one day, Father Jiang would be willing to sacrifice even this son in exchange for power and fame.

Besides… in the original novel, Jiang Ansheng’s ending had not been a good one.

Jiang Lisheng’s gaze flickered.

Jiang Ansheng might not be a qualified older brother, but he was undoubtedly a worthy collaborator.

She reached out to shake his hand. “From now on, you have to give me half of your allowance. This is called…”

Jiang Ansheng finished the sentence, “Profit sharing.”

Then there was no problem.

The two withdrew their hands—one earnestly explaining the material, the other listening with full attention.

Jiang Ansheng was indeed quite smart. Rather than rigid textbook knowledge, he preferred a more flexible and adaptive approach. With just a bit of guidance, he could make Jiang Lisheng have a sudden epiphany, a partial insight, or at least a small realization.

They studied until ten o’clock. Only then did Jiang Lisheng rub her sore neck and get up to leave.

“Jiang Lisheng.” Just before she left, Jiang Ansheng leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and casually said, “Huo Bai mentioned in the group chat that he’s going to teach you a lesson.”

Rather than a warning, it sounded more like a passing comment.

Jiang Lisheng had almost forgotten about it. She really had planned to give Huo Bai a taste of his own medicine.

“Other than studying, you don’t need to worry about my business.” Jiang Lisheng waved her hand, hugged her books, and walked away.

By tomorrow morning, Huo Bai would learn exactly who would be watching whose downfall.

Jiang Ansheng let out a soft chuckle, closed the door, and opened that small group chat with just three or five people.

As expected, Huo Bai’s message had stirred everyone up.

[Zhao Ming (the one who got his leg broken by my sister): What’s up, bro? That crazy woman messed with you too?]

[Gu Xi (truly a piece of work): What’s going on??]

[Wang Qiangqiang (the one who can’t even add 1+1): Bro, just say the word if you need anything! Is that woman clinging to you again, all shameless and skinless?]

With the chat blowing up, Huo Bai finally made a late appearance.

[Huo Bai (the one who got dung dumped on him by my sister): Mm.]

Just one word, but it said a lot—clearly, he was in a foul mood.

The others were all pressing for details, but Jiang Ansheng simply held his phone and went to the fridge to grab a bottle of cola. He pulled the tab open with one hand, took a few sips, and then finally typed his reply—

[Jiang Ansheng: My sister’s actually pretty good-looking.]

[Wang Qiangqiang (the one who can’t even add 1+1): Of course, Nuonuo’s really pretty.]

[Jiang Ansheng: I meant Jiang Lisheng.]

The group chat instantly fell into silence.

A second later, the screen displayed a notification—

You have been removed from the group by the group owner.

Boring.

Jiang Ansheng tugged at the corner of his mouth. Huo Bai really had too much mica in his system—so easy to shatter.

Tsk.

Huo Bai, fuming with anger, sent a voice message: “Jiang Ansheng, what’s that supposed to mean? We’ve been brothers for so many years, and now you’re going to fall out with me over that cheap sister who just came back?”

Jiang Ansheng immediately frowned. [Don’t twist things.]

[Huo Bai: ?]

[Jiang Ansheng: It’s not like you’re my girlfriend. Talking like that makes us sound ambiguous.]

[Huo Bai: ???]

[Jiang Ansheng: Besides, my sister’s definitely not cheap.]

Five thousand an hour, after all.

Pretty expensive.

As he said this, Jiang Ansheng transferred the tutoring fee for those few hours over to Jiang Lisheng.

When he tried to contact Huo Bai again, he realized that not only had Huo Bai deleted him—he had also blocked him.

Jiang Ansheng: …6.

Definitely made of mica.

Extremely brittle, and easily shattered.