Chapter 12: That’s Tsinghua, Not a Latrine

“Report to the police? What busybodies you are!”

“Lin Xiao, get over here!”

Hearing Ning Ning speak with such certainty, the Lin couple began to panic.

“I won’t! I want to cut ties with you. You’re always scolding me, beating me, not giving me food, forcing me to care for my little brother. When he cries or falls, you still blame me. Now you even want to sell me. I don’t want to be your daughter anymore!”

Lin Xiao stood her ground, voice loud and eyes firm in a way they had never been before.

“You’re trying to anger me to death! I gave birth to you—unless you crawl back into my belly, you’ll always be my daughter. No matter how I treat you, you have to endure it!”

Zhang Hongying was beside herself with rage. If not for the Ning couple blocking her, she would have rushed forward and torn Lin Xiao’s mouth apart.

“According to Article 234 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, intentionally causing harm to another person is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment, criminal detention, or public surveillance. If the crime causes serious injury, the penalty is three to ten years. If it causes death or permanent disability by especially cruel means, the penalty is more than ten years, life imprisonment, or even the death penalty.”

“According to Article 240, anyone who traffics women or children shall be sentenced to five to ten years in prison and fined. In severe cases, the punishment is over ten years, life imprisonment, confiscation of property, or even the death penalty.”

“Understand, law-illiterates? Let me spell it out: hitting people is illegal, trafficking is illegal. I don’t care if you’re her parents—you’ll still go to jail. If it’s serious, you can even be executed.”

“Look at the bruises all over Xiao’s body. If I report this, the police will act without question. Since you refuse to repent, just wait for prison. No need to pack clothes—you won’t get to wear them inside.”

Ning Ning rolled up Lin Xiao’s sleeve, revealing a swath of purple bruises, deep finger marks etched into her skin. Other parts of her body bore even worse injuries, from strikes and falls. The sight was shocking. If not for this, Ning Ning would never have pushed so hard for Lin Xiao to sever ties. If this wasn’t abuse, what was?

“Xiao, let’s go.”

“Wait! Wait! How much will you give? I must’ve sinned in a past life to have such a money-losing daughter! Lin Xiao, you’re nothing but trouble!”

Fear had crept into Lin Zhong’s voice. Prison was unthinkable. Better to get rid of this disaster once and for all.

“Ten yuan. Cash for a written statement.”

“One hundred fifty!”

“Xiao, we—”

“Fine, one hundred!”

“Ten.”

“Fifty!”

“Twenty.”

“Damn it, ten then! But if she ever sets foot in my house again, I’ll strangle her myself!”

Lin Zhong kicked the door furiously. Losing face and money at once, he could kill someone from sheer rage. Zhang Hongying grumbled:

“Only ten yuan? Might as well have kept her for labor—”

“Shut up!”

As if he wanted this—if not for that damned Ning girl forcing his hand.

“Bring paper and pen. Write the severance statement now. Everyone here will be a witness.”

“Dad, Mom, could you lend me ten yuan? I’ll pay you back tomorrow.”

Seeing the couple waver, Ning Ning seized the chance—she didn’t want to delay even a day. Her parents scolded her gently.

“What’s this talk of borrowing? Silly child, everything we have is yours. You’re doing the right thing. Xiao is your friend—it’s natural to help her. I’ll fetch the money right now.”

“Husband, watch over the girls. Don’t let them get hurt.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

Events unfolded unexpectedly quickly. With the money in hand, Lin Zhong and Zhang Hongying actually signed the severance agreement. From that moment, Lin Xiao was no longer their daughter. Lin Zhong glared with disgust.

“You’re no longer of the Lin family. Don’t even think of using our surname.”

The crowd was stunned. Someone couldn’t help but ask:

“Then where will Xiao live? Who will care for her?”

“She’ll live with us. From now on, Xiao is my daughter. Don’t worry—no one wants your surname. Xiao will take our family name, Ning.”

Ning’s father and mother spat in Lin Zhong’s direction and, ignoring the neighbors’ chatter, led the two girls home.

Ding-dong.

“Mission progress +20. Total progress: 52. You’ve reached a life node. Do you wish to make a change? a. Yes, b. No.”

Just as she had earned some points, the system appeared again. Even with Ning Ning’s good temper, she was on the verge of cursing.

“How many points this time? And how many do I still have?”

“Required: 30 points. Available: 31. Current life value: 1.”

So if she used them, she’d only have one point left—just enough to exchange for a single day of life. All that work, and one choice resets her to square one. Whether the system was human or not was unclear, but it was certainly a dog.

“Does it have to be now? Can’t I save more points and decide later?”

“No. It must be chosen now, or the chance will be lost.”

Fine. Sometimes you had to bow your head beneath the eaves.

“Alright, take them!”

“Condensing, why are you smiling like that? It looks… eerie.”

Her mother poked at Ning Ning’s pretty face, puzzled. Then she thought perhaps her daughter was jealous and whispered softly.

“Xiao has suffered so much, and since you two are close, I thought it best to bring her home as a companion. You were the one who suggested it. But don’t worry, my heart is still with you. You’ll always be my dearest little jacket.”

“Mother, you’re overthinking. I’m not that petty. I was just considering this: since Xiao is now truly my sister, my expectations for her must be raised. I’ll make sure she gets into Tsinghua too. Only then can our whole family stay in the capital.”

Ning Ning said this with complete seriousness.

…

At that moment, Lin Xiao might have regretted becoming her daughter. Ning Ning’s mother forced a wry smile, too embarrassed to argue. That’s Tsinghua, not a latrine—you can’t just walk in because you want to.

The Ning family had only two rooms: one for the parents, one for Ning Ning. Now that Xiao was there, she could only share with Ning Ning. That first night, Lin Xiao was uneasy. She would be living there long-term—what if Uncle and Auntie Ning grew tired of her?

But Ning Ning gave her no time to worry. She piled textbooks in front of her.

“Xiao, are you better at Chinese or math? Which one do you want to start with?”

“N-neither…”

Lin Xiao swallowed hard. At the sight of those books, she wanted to flee.

“Alright, we’ll start with Chinese then. Write me an essay so I can see your level, then a few practice sheets to test you.”

Ning Ning deftly pulled out a workbook and assigned her the simplest essay topic.

“Write about your most unforgettable day. One thousand words. Thirty minutes should be enough, right?”