Chapter 53

In her second week back at school, Dai Ning found a report slipped into her backpack by Chen Jing.

Curious, she asked, “What’s this?”

“Give it to your teacher,” he replied.

Dai Ning flipped through the pages casually. It was a document explaining the origins of her narcolepsy. The report outlined her enzyme deficiency, though it wasn’t severe enough to justify her sleeping in every class. Chen Jing was aware of this but chose not to scold her. Perhaps noticing how much she disliked studying, he didn’t push her, opting instead to cover for her. He was a brother who doted excessively on his sister. In another household, a “troublemaker” like her would have likely been disciplined harshly.

Dai Ning was overjoyed, nearly wanting to throw herself at him for a hug. But she restrained herself, only letting her gaze shine with happiness and affection. Chen Jing chuckled and patted her head. “Off you go.”

After she entered school, Chen Jing sat outside for a while. Eventually, he took out his phone. “Li Ming, it’s time.”

On the other end, Li Ming, who had already received instructions, responded eagerly, “Got it!”

In less than ten minutes, a group of delinquents gathered at the school gate.

Chen Jing’s cold gaze swept over them as he gave a slight nod.

One of the brightly dyed “Lost Love Tribe” gang members said, “Don’t worry, Brother Jing. We know how to handle it. We’ll keep watch these few days.”

Chen Jing twisted the cap of his bottle, watching the group swagger off to patrol the school’s surroundings.

A few days later, Song Xiaojie and her group of girls finally returned to school after recovering from their injuries. Over the past two years, they had relied on Zhang Youying’s reputation to bully others, tormenting several girls behind her back. Two of their victims had even been forced to transfer schools due to their relentless bullying.

This time, however, they had ended up in the hospital after being beaten by strange men. Now back at school, Song Xiaojie and her friends were far from willing to let things slide. Not only had the Chen siblings deleted the incriminating photos and videos from their phones, but they had also left them seriously injured.

The group secretly conspired to escalate the matter at school and get Dai Ning expelled.

They were confident for two reasons:

-Their phones contained no evidence of their prior bullying, and their victims wouldn’t dare come forward to relive their humiliating experiences.

-The Chen family appeared to be ordinary. No matter how skilled Chen Jing was at fighting, could he withstand public scrutiny? If word got out that an adult man had assaulted underage girls, online backlash alone would be enough to overwhelm them.

Manipulating the truth, public sentiment, and social narratives was a game they knew well. Today, they planned to ensure the Chen siblings could no longer stay in Fengming City.

However, before they could even enter the school, they were dragged into an alley with their mouths covered.

They struggled and whimpered, only to find themselves face-to-face with over a dozen tall, imposing men who exuded an air of menace.

A green-haired man laughed heartily and patted Song Xiaojie’s face. “Just this little courage, and you dare mess with our sister?”

“W-Who’s your sister?”

Swinging a steel rod in his hand, the green-haired man smirked roguishly. “You should be asking what we’re going to do to you.”

Two of the girls burst into tears from sheer terror.

The green-haired man rapped the wall with his steel rod. “Don’t be scared. We’re just going to take a few photos of you, post them online, and let everyone have a good laugh.”

Song Xiaojie, genuinely terrified, tried to escape but was yanked back by Dai Ning’s purple-haired “brother.” He licked his teeth menacingly. “Run, and I’ll make sure you’re paralyzed for life.”

Crying hysterically, Song Xiaojie pleaded, “I’m sorry, I was wrong! I’ll never do it again! I didn’t mean to do those things to them!”

“Smart girl. You figured it out quickly,” sneered the green-haired man, mockingly repeating the threats Song Xiaojie and her group had once used to intimidate others.

This time, they got a real taste of what their victims had endured. One girl was so frightened she wet herself on the spot.

Shaking his head, the green-haired man laughed, “How amusing. You were so thrilled when tormenting others, but now, as lambs to the slaughter, you’re nothing but cowards.”

“Withdraw from school,” he said coldly. “Just like the girls you bullied into leaving. Get as far away as you can, and remember this day for the rest of your lives. Let fear and guilt haunt you every single day. If not, one night when you’re walking home, you’ll see us again.”

Dazed and terrified, Song Xiaojie and her friends were released, fleeing as fast as their legs could carry them. The mere thought of seeing those men again kept them from even considering revenge on Dai Ning.

Humans are like that. The crueler someone is, the more they prey on the weak. When Song Xiaojie’s group had banded together to bully others, they felt invincible. Perhaps someday, some of them would feel a twinge of guilt for their actions. But those feelings could never undo the lives they had destroyed.

For the victims, wasn’t it unfair?

Chen Jing wanted Song Xiaojie and her group to live in constant fear, never daring to cross another line.

The green-haired man disdainfully wiped his steel rod. “Why so scared? Even if I wanted a woman, I wouldn’t pick ones this vicious.”

Though gangsters themselves, they had principles and a sense of honor, looking down on people like Song Xiaojie.

Within days, news spread like wildfire at Fengming High School: several girls had abruptly dropped out.

Speculation ran rampant, with multiple theories swirling even in Dai Ning’s class.

Qingtuan beamed. “Dai Ning, it must’ve been Chen Jing’s doing!”

“Why are you so happy?”

Qingtuan froze for a moment. Right, why was it so thrilled? Bewildered, it realized it didn’t know. Dai Ning observed the little spirit in her sea of consciousness, its naive and slightly soft-hearted nature explaining why it struggled to sustain itself in the vast multiverse.

Fewer troublemakers at school was a good thing. But whether Zhang Youying could maintain her reign as the school bully without most of her lackeys remained to be seen.

In the meantime, the teachers who had reviewed the report no longer interfered with Dai Ning’s activities. She enjoyed a peaceful, carefree life.

After school one day, Li Hu slung a shoulder bag over himself and appeared at Class 8’s door, gesturing for her to come over. “Hey, little sloth, come here.”

The young lady, unimpressed, walked past him.

Unable to help himself, Li Hu laughed and hooked an arm around her neck.

Caught in his grip, the girl glared at him with puffed cheeks and stomped on his foot. Li Hu’s face stiffened in pain as he ruffled her hair.

“You little ingrate. After all I’ve done for you, you’re this ruthless?”

Dai Ning scrunched her nose and whined coquettishly, “That hurt.”

Li Hu had no choice but to let her go, checking if her neck was really hurt. “Let me see.”

The girl’s fair and slender neck bore a faint red mark. Li Hu frowned—she was so delicate! If it were Zhang Youying, even eight hooks wouldn’t leave a scratch.

“I’m sorry, okay?”

Dai Ning shook her head, clearly unwilling to forgive him.

Li Hu sighed, knowing she wasn’t one to yield to pressure. Her temper was big, and she was delicate and demanding—it required endless indulgence to win her over. Resigned, he knelt down to tie her loosely hanging shoelaces and opened his shoulder bag. “Want some snacks?”

The green orb spirit peeked in. Whoa—Li Hu had packed an entire bag full of snacks.

Dai Ning picked out a bottle of sugar beans. “I’m still mad, though.”

Li Hu laughed helplessly. “Alright.”

He followed her to the school gate, bringing up something as they walked. “Next month, there’s a cultural event in Fengming City. Schools like No. 3, No. 6, No. 9, and some universities are all performing. Our school’s doing an adapted version of Sleeping Beauty. The lead actress fell sick. Wanna give it a try?”

Dai Ning perked up. She’d read about this in Ji Tian’s notes—next month’s event involved both Ji Tian and Chen Lianxing.

If she calculated right, it was the perfect time to give Ji Tian a scare.

“Can I join just for fun?”

“Sure, for fun.” Li Hu sounded indifferent, treating what others saw as a golden opportunity as nothing more than a game for Dai Ning.

As the event coordinator, he had no qualms about bending the rules in her favor.

“What would I play?”

“How about Sleeping Beauty?”

Dai Ning shook her head, her big eyes sparkling with mischief. “Li Hu, I want to play the villain. Any roles where I get to whip Sleeping Beauty?”

“…” What a weirdo. Who’d dare play Sleeping Beauty then?

Li Hu chuckled, mulling it over. “Alright. From now on, come to the dance studio for an hour of practice after school. Whatever you want, I’ll figure it out.”

Dai Ning turned to Qingtuan. “See? In this world, unless it’s a protagonist, men are super easy to deal with.”

The green orb was speechless, suddenly reminded of that old simp, Lan Lingyun.

Who knows how long that poor fool cried after Dai Ning’s ‘death.’

—

June arrived, and Fengming grew hotter by the day.

Chen Lianxing had spent a week recovering from her injuries, nearly losing her part in the stage play due to delays. Only Ji Tian’s plea allowed her to stay.

These days, Chen Lianxing felt conflicted and inexplicably aggrieved. Chen Jing hadn’t visited her at all since her injury. This feeling of being ignored made her uneasy.

Once her wounds healed, she decided to visit Chen Jing’s mother. Wearing a mask, she went to the hospital.

Chen Jing’s mother, pale and frail, lit up at the sight of her. “Lianxing, come here. Have your studies lightened up lately?”

Chen Lianxing nodded. “Mom, how are you? Chen Jing mentioned you had a fever recently. Are you feeling better now?”

“I’m fine. Chen Jing’s been taking good care of me.”

At the mention of Chen Jing, Chen Lianxing’s frustration surfaced. “I got injured during rehearsal recently, but Chen Jing didn’t even visit me. Mom, do you think he’s growing distant because Dad’s been in prison for so long? Is he planning to stop taking care of us?”

Her words hit Chen Jing’s mother’s deepest fear. In her fragile state, any slight neglect from Chen Jing could mean death. He was the only one who could save her life.

“How could you say that? Chen Jing has always been good to you.”

“But he’s not as attentive as he used to be,” Chen Lianxing grumbled. “He’s changed. What if he stops caring for us?”

The mother-daughter pair depended on Chen Jing for survival. Though they secretly looked down on him, their reliance on him ran deep.

“Lianxing, we can’t let that happen. You need to improve your relationship with Chen Jing,” Chen Jing’s mother said anxiously. “You’ve treated him poorly in the past. From now on, see him as your brother.”

Chen Lianxing scowled, reluctantly nodding.

But Chen Jing’s mother grew increasingly anxious. She couldn’t afford to die—not while Chen Jing was her lifeline. “This won’t do. Even as siblings, once he has a wife, his priorities could shift. Back when your father was here, he had another idea…”

She revealed that Chen Jirui had once hoped for Chen Lianxing to marry Chen Jing.

Chen Lianxing was horrified. “Ridiculous! Dad wanted me to marry that stammering fool? I’d never agree!”

Chen Jing was terrifying—cold, dull, with a terrible voice and flaws she couldn’t accept.

Despite her mother’s pleading, Chen Lianxing adamantly refused.

“I’ve recently met a wealthy heiress. Through her, I could marry into a rich family. I won’t end up with that stammerer. I’ll just try to get along with him for now, but marrying him? Never!”

The two argued bitterly. Chen Jing’s mother knew her daughter’s looks weren’t nearly enough to secure a rich husband. But Chen Lianxing thought lowering herself to curry favor with Chen Jing was already degrading, let alone marrying him.

With this mindset, Chen Lianxing decided to visit “Alley No. 18.”

—

It had been a while since she’d been there. Walking along the alley, she was filled with disdain and disgust. Some people still recognized her but kept their distance, muttering quietly. Chen Jing’s reputation kept her safe.

When she reached the house and unlocked the door, she was surprised to find it deserted. The courtyard was empty, and inside, the furniture was coated in dust. It was obvious no one had lived there for a while.

Realizing something was off, she quickly called Li Ming for answers.

Li Ming wasn’t fond of her, but since she was Chen Jing’s foster sister, he couldn’t ignore her. With a touch of schadenfreude, he replied, “You didn’t know? Chen Jing moved out ages ago.”

Chen Lianxing was struck like lightning.

Moved out? Chen Jing had left the alley without telling them? When? Could it be that her suspicions were right, and he planned to abandon them?

Furious, she immediately set out to find him. Following Li Ming’s directions, she arrived at his new address.

—

Dai Ning was napping in her bedroom. Today was a school holiday, and after a refreshing bath and a face mask, she had dozed off peacefully.

The green orb suddenly spoke. “Dai Ning, wake up! Someone’s knocking at the door.”

Chen Jing’s work mostly happened at night, so he was rarely home during the day. Dai Ning was curious—who could it be at this hour?

The gang? Unlikely. Rubbing her eyes, she went to check.

The green orb sensed the visitor first. “It’s Chen Lianxing!”

The orb bit its metaphorical nails, eager for the drama to unfold. Two sisters vying for the same brother—Chen Jing’s secret hideaway exposed! This was going to be a showdown!

T/N: dear my lovely readers, please check out my other translation too <3