The next day, Chen Zimo got up early. After fully charging his new Fruit smartphone, he headed out.
At a roadside stall, he happily drank a large bowl of soy milk, ate two fried dough sticks, two sesame balls, and a beef pancake. Only then did he stroll leisurely toward school.
Halfway there, he unexpectedly ran into Su Qing, the class monitor.
Su Qing was still hunched over, with a birthmark on her face, looking plain as ever.
“Good morning, Class Monitor. Aren’t you going to remove your seal at the commendation ceremony today?”
“You’re so beautiful, yet you don’t dare show your real face. Are you afraid someone will snatch you away to be a bandit’s bride?”
Chen Zimo leaned closer and whispered into Su Qing’s ear.
Su Qing’s small face instantly flushed red all the way to her ears. She did not dare to lift her head.
Bang!
Chen Zimo suddenly blocked her path. Su Qing’s heart was already racing, and with her head lowered, she did not notice him at all.
She walked straight into his chest.
Chen Zimo cried out and pretended to fall to the ground, startling Su Qing into panic.
“Chen Zimo, are you okay? I… I didn’t mean to!”
Chen Zimo wore a pained expression. “Su Qing, you’ve injured me internally. The kind that can’t be cured. What are you going to do about it?”
Su Qing was very smart. Of course she could tell he was pretending. But out of courtesy, she still asked, “Then what should I do?”
Chen Zimo said, “If I have an internal injury, I can’t work. If I can’t work, I can’t earn money.”
“So you have to take responsibility for me.”
“Support me for the rest of my life.”
Su Qing’s face turned red again, like a ripe apple.
Seeing her lower her head and remain silent with her cheeks flushed, Chen Zimo found it extremely amusing.
“Who would have thought this beauty who loves pretending to be ugly could be made to blush with just a few words?”
“Hahaha! Could it be that after being reborn, even my talent for teasing girls has improved?”
Feigning anger, Chen Zimo said, “Su Qing, do you have any sympathy at all? How long are you planning to let me sit on the ground? Aren’t you going to help me up?”
“Oh! Coming!” Su Qing hurried forward and reached out her soft, boneless hand to pull him up with force.
She did not expect that despite Chen Zimo being 1.8 meters tall, he was so thin. Not only did she easily pull him up, but because she used too much force, she pulled him straight into her arms…
Their eyes met.
They could clearly hear each other’s breathing.
Their heartbeats sped up instantly.
Just then, an old man passing by shouted angrily, “What’s happening to the world these days!”
“In broad daylight, early in the morning, hugging and holding each other like this. Where is your sense of decency?”
“In our time, you would have been punished severely for this!”
Chen Zimo and Su Qing did not bother with anything else. Without even letting go of each other’s hands, they ran off together.
It was only when they were almost at school that they realized they were still holding hands.
Su Qing’s face reddened again. She quickly shook off his hand. “I… I’m going ahead! Don’t be late for the commendation ceremony!”
Watching her run off as if fleeing for her life, Chen Zimo smiled.
Today was the commendation ceremony. It was also the day to watch a good show.
After all, he had run into Chen Tinghao the night before, and the man had made it clear he was going to target him.
But it no longer mattered. Chen Zimo was fully prepared.
“Good thing I made plans in advance based on my understanding of the Chen family.”
“Every one of them holds grudges. Not a single one is easy to deal with.”
“Especially now that Chen Zixuan needs a kidney transplant. That step must not go wrong. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be pushed into an abyss without return.”
…
Lost in thought, he suddenly saw a supercar parked at the school entrance.
Chen Zimo frowned. “Bad luck.”
The car door opened, and a tall beauty at least 1.75 meters stepped out.
The moment her long legs in black stockings appeared, they instantly attracted the attention of the naïve teenage boys around.
Bang!
“Ouch! Why did you suddenly stop?”
“Are you asking for a beating? Not even watching where you’re going?”
“Damn, who is that beauty? She’s prettier than a celebrity!”
“I think I’ve fallen in love! The kind of deep, hopeless love!”
“You fall in love 800 times a week…”
That was the destructive power of beauty.
But Chen Zimo did not think so. He walked past the supercar and headed straight toward the school.
“Chen Zimo, stop! I’m your Big Sister!”
“Didn’t you say I was your idol? How can you ignore me?”
Chen Zimo narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within. “You read my diary?”
For Chen Siyin, the most important thing now was bringing her younger brother home. Everything else could wait.
She knew that their parents had already decided the night before to cause a scene at the commendation ceremony.
Only by stopping Chen Zimo from going to school and taking him home to kneel and apologize could she prevent that from happening.
At worst, he would just be beaten and scolded at home.
She could not change their parents’ decision, so she could only try to calm the situation.
From her perspective, she was doing this for his own good.
“Zimo, Big Sister is sorry!”
“I will make it up to you in the future!”
“But right now it’s urgent. You must listen to me.”
“Now, immediately, come home with me and kneel to apologize to Mom and Dad. Otherwise, you will regret it!”
“Regret?” Chen Zimo looked at her coldly.
“Chen Siyin, stop pretending in front of me. It disgusts me.”
“You think I don’t know what kind of person you are?”
“And listen to you?”
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a dark red patch of scarred skin.
“You once tricked me the same way before. What happened then?”
Seeing the red scar, Chen Siyin’s mind drifted back.
That day, Chen Zimo had angered their parents again. The third sister, Chen Qingya, had come up with a way to punish him.
As the person Chen Zimo trusted the most, Chen Siyin had coaxed him into climbing a tree to pick fruit.
But after Chen Zimo climbed up, she had taken away the ladder.
Already slightly afraid of heights, he had been so frightened that he fell from the tree, injuring his arm and leaving a large scar.
Thinking of the past, Chen Siyin felt even more indebted to him.
That was why she could not let anything happen to him this time.
She could not change their parents’ decision. But she believed that as long as she sincerely acted in his best interest, he would feel her sincerity and come home with her to apologize.
“Zimo, can you not speak to Big Sister in that tone? It hurts. Big Sister feels terrible.”
“Yes, I read your diary. I also learned more about you from Director Zhang. Big Sister knows she was wrong. I came this time to make it up to you.”
At this moment, Chen Siyin looked nothing like the CEO of Chen Group, the domineering female CEO.
She looked completely humble.
But Chen Zimo knew exactly why she was being humble.
After all, a dog does not stop eating filth overnight.
He remembered clearly how harsh this Big Sister had been toward him and how miserably she had treated him.
A monk might chant scriptures for a lifetime and never become enlightened, yet a villain could drop the knife and instantly claim redemption.
It might seem that villains become enlightened more easily, but people do not understand the greed and obsession in a villain’s heart.
The pleasure of bullying and humiliating others was like addiction. Once tasted, it was hard to give up.
And how many villains ever believe they are villains?
Chen Zimo looked at her coldly. “Make it up to me? How? Trick me back home so I can donate a kidney to your obedient and sensible brother?”