Chapter 43: Are You Heartless?

Beijing No. 3 Middle School.

At the school gate, Jian Xu looked at the woman outside the gate, his expression heavy, his eyes alert, “What do you want?”

Jian Ying stood outside the gate, her eyes sarcastic as she looked at him, “Even if you’re a bastard, you’re still my brother.”

“What’s wrong with coming to see my brother? Can only Jian Jinci come to see you?”

Jian Ying looked at the school gate that stood between them, her nails digging into her palm. After being chased away last time, this ordinary middle school no longer allowed any Jian family members except Jian Jinci to enter.

They only knew that Jian Xu had a powerful force behind him, but they couldn’t figure out who it was.

Jian Xu’s eyes were cold, “I only have one relative, Jian Jinci. Please don’t claim kinship with me, Miss Jian.”

Besides Jian Jinci, he had no relatives, including those in the Jian family. They were either related by blood or relatives.

Jian Ying covered her lips and chuckled, “Jian Xu, you’re so naive.”

Jian Xu frowned, the deep aversion in his eyes was undeniable, he felt disgusted even looking at Jian Ying for a second longer.

He turned to leave, but Jian Ying’s words stopped him, “Jian Xu, what if I told you that the person who killed your mother was Jian Jinci?”

“All these years, she’s been nice to you out of guilt.”

He stopped, his back to Jian Ying, his hands clenched at his sides, his veins bulging, his jaw clenched. He said in a low voice, “What else do you want to say?”

Jian Xu’s reaction was too calm, beyond Jian Ying’s expectations. She said, “Jian Xu, that’s your reaction to your mother being killed by Jian Jinci?”

“She’s your mother, Jian Jinci killed her not long after you were born, are you heartless?”

Jian Xu turned around, walking step by step towards the gate, his whole body exuding gloom, “The ones who have the least right to criticize me are the three of you.”

“What have you done all these years?”

“Now you’re coming to stir up trouble?”

“Jian Jinci, a girl, how much of a threat could she be to you that you’ve been trying to drive her to a dead end all these years?”

A girl eight years older than him, all these years she was bullied and schemed against by the three of them, and she had to take care of him while being schemed against. He had seen how hard she had been through all these years.

She should have been a blooming young girl, she should have had a life that was either passionate or peaceful and warm, but she wasted all her time on him.

If it wasn’t for him, even if the Jian family didn’t want her, she could have lived a good life on her own. She had no handle, no weakness, and was not threatened by anyone. If she was tired of this city, she could just move to another city.

He used to think he was a burden to Jian Jinci. He had run away once. He was only twelve years old, he stayed under a bridge for two days. Later, he missed his sister, he wanted to go back and see her, just to see her from afar.

He walked back based on his memory of the route. When he reached the rental housing complex, it was already nine o’clock at night.

He was afraid of bumping into her at this time, so he hid in the bushes of the complex. He watched Jian Jinci return home dejectedly, he waited until after midnight before coming out of the bushes and going up the stairs.

At that time, they lived on the seventh floor. He heard sobbing sounds at the turn on the sixth floor. It was Jian Jinci. He stopped, staring blankly at the floor above, she was crying with restraint.

Listening to the sobs, he fell into thought. Was his selfless concern for her really for her good?

He left, would she really feel relieved?

The crying stopped upstairs. He listened to the footsteps leave and went back to his room.

He went upstairs and sat on the stairs where Jian Jinci had cried for a long time. He didn’t leave until four in the morning, when it was almost dawn.

He didn’t go far, he hid in the complex where he could see her coming and going.

At four thirty, Jian Jinci came out of the building, her fatigue evident on her face. He quietly followed her from a distance, and only then did he realize that she had been to many places every day to find him, not eating or drinking, just running around all day until she went home at night and cried secretly by herself.

At twelve o’clock the next night, she came back from outside. One side of her coat had slipped off her shoulder, her eyes were vacant, like a walking corpse.

She threw her bag on the bench, sat down, and buried her face in her legs. He was hiding aside and couldn’t see clearly, but he was sure she was crying.

This wasn’t the outcome he wanted. He thought that if he left, she would feel better, do things she wanted to do.

But he had caused her even deeper pain.

He walked out and stood in front of her, his voice hoarse as he called her “Sister.”

She looked up, the streetlight shone on her. He could see her chapped lips, her pale cheeks, and her red eyes from not eating or drinking all day. The moment she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes.

She raised her hand, and when he thought the slap would land on his face, the sound was painful, the slap landed on her own face.

Then she hugged him and cried, saying over and over again that she was useless.

She never blamed him, she blamed herself for being useless.

After that, no matter how hard life was, he never did anything stupid again.

“She made you lose your mother when you were young, can’t you understand?” Jian Ying’s sharp words pulled Jian Xu back to his senses.

“What kind of magic potion did she give you that you don’t even care about your mother’s revenge?”

“I don’t care.” Jian Xu dropped those four words and left directly.

Jian Xu’s unusual calmness surprised Jian Ying. How could this be?

Even if he didn’t blame Jian Jinci for killing his mother, he shouldn’t be so calm. A flash of dark light flickered in Jian Ying’s eyes. Since he wasn’t buying it, then don’t blame her for using Plan B.

Jian Xu sat on the playground, his eyes lowered. He had actually known about this matter for a long time. When he was eight years old, he was cleaning his grandfather’s study and found a letter his grandfather had left for him. The letter explained the details of his mother’s death. At that time, he knew that his mother had died saving Jian Jinci.

Knowing the truth, he didn’t hate or blame her. Saving her was his mother’s choice, it had nothing to do with her. He just wanted to be with his sister.

He took a leave of absence and went back home, only to find that they had already moved. He called Jian Jinci, but she didn’t answer or reply to his messages. Finally, he got the address from Yan Xi.

Yan Xi didn’t know the exact location, she only told him it was in the old villa area on the outskirts of the city.

He knew where it was, he had been there a few times with Jian Jinci. He took a taxi there.

Pei Yanzhou had Qin Huai deliver three meals a day to her. She had just finished dinner, washed the lunch box and put it in the kitchen. She was about to take her phone when she heard a noise from the yard.

It was already dark. She knew only a few people knew where she lived. Xie Qingyun would tell her in advance if he was coming, and Pei Yanzhou and Qin Huai were even less likely.

Could it be a thief or a bad guy?

She looked around, picked up a pot from the kitchen and walked out cautiously.

She quietly hid behind the entrance, listening to the footsteps getting closer and closer. She was panicking.