“Look, isn’t he quite well-behaved? Soft and adorable, you…” The colleague beside her spoke up, clearly eager to pinch the cute little boy’s cheeks herself. He truly looked like a delightful Little Glutinous Rice Dumpling that seemed so squeezable.
Before the policewoman could respond to her colleague, she noticed the young boy and the girl interacting again.
“Didn’t you have them treat your wound?” Su Meng glanced at Ji Weichen’s hand and frowned. In just this short while, Ji Weichen’s palm had already swollen up. The cut in the center looked extremely frightening, with some areas crusted with blood scabs while others continued to drip blood steadily.
“Maybe they don’t like me either,” Ji Weichen said, looking like a pitiful little thing. He kept his head lowered, and from Su Meng’s perspective, she could only see his long eyelashes and his damp, messy black short hair.
“Please… don’t hate me.” Ji Weichen’s uninjured hand gently hooked onto the corner of Su Meng’s clothing.
“…” The policewoman fell silent.
Su Meng didn’t ask further. Instead, she took another clean handkerchief from her bag and carefully covered the wound on his palm, performing a simple bandaging. Throughout the process, Ji Weichen obediently let Su Meng tend to him.
“I won’t hate you,” Su Meng said.
Standing up, Su Meng looked back at Ji Weichen, paused for a moment, then asked again.
“Do you still need me to hold your hand? How’s your eyesight recovering? Can you see the path clearly now?”
Ji Weichen didn’t answer, but silently extended his hand.
Su Meng then took hold of his hand.
The two walked out of the police station one after the other.
“Maybe they just have a good sibling relationship. Isn’t it normal for a younger brother to act spoiled with his sister?” The colleague laughed upon hearing the policewoman describe Ji Weichen’s earlier attitude and appearance.
The policewoman didn’t speak further, only slightly furrowing her brows as she watched Su Meng and Ji Weichen’s departing figures, lost in thought.
She felt… something was off about their relationship, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
Especially that young boy—his gaze and series of behaviors were like…
He resented her attention being taken away by others, possessing a strong desire for exclusivity. He wanted her to look only at him, to pity only him. It was a unique, intense emotion that was just sprouting, yet powerful enough to destroy everything.
…
Exiting the police station, they found the sky completely dark outside, with heavy snow falling. A thick layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground, leaving footprints with every step.
Su Meng walked ahead, and Ji Weichen followed step by step in the footprints she left behind. Along this short stretch of road, the street was deserted and quiet—so quiet that Ji Weichen felt dazed, thinking it would be nice if time stopped at this moment, if they could just keep walking like this forever, without worrying about the Qin Family, the Ji family, and all their troubles.
“Aren’t we going back?” Ji Weichen noticed this wasn’t the way back to the Qin Family. They were walking closer and closer toward the bustling commercial street.
This was a commercial street filled with snack vendors. The vendors’ small carts were adorned with colorful lights of various hues, displaying the names of their signature snacks. The passing crowds were drawn in, stopping in front of the carts to wait for their delicious food to be ready.”Because I’m hungry, so I sat down to eat something, and also…” Su Meng directly brought Ji Weichen to sit in front of a small street stall, casually ordering many grilled skewers, almost all of which were meat.
Soon enough, the boss of the barbecue stall brought over the grilled meat skewers, covering the table with a dazzling array. Sprinkled with chopped scallions, the aroma was irresistible. Meat was Su Meng’s favorite food, but unfortunately, her current body was too weak to handle such things.
“Want to see the results of our mischief?” She picked up a skewer and handed it to Ji Weichen.
Her gaze fell into the distance. This bustling and lively snack street led further in to an old tube-shaped apartment building, which was where Ji Weichen used to live.
After some time, the lean man appeared, looking disheveled and battered. His face was bruised and swollen from the fall, making his originally honest and simple face appear much uglier and more ferocious. His broken leg and arm were bandaged, making them look less horrifying.
Now, with one arm in a cast and the other intact hand leaning on a crutch, he hobbled back on one foot with great difficulty.
Rumors spread the fastest; no one bothers to verify their truth.
Several old neighbors gathered around, watching the lean man with contempt and disbelief in their eyes.
“Oh my god, I never expected him to be this kind of person. I just got some information from the police comrades, he…” a woman who looked very gossipy spoke, clicking her tongue.
“No way, I always said he didn’t seem decent and liked to gamble. Could it be that before…” another person chimed in.
Suddenly, all sorts of gazes fell upon the lean man—strange, disgusted—leaving him no room to defend himself, or rather, no chance to explain at all.
The lean man felt a suffocating anger stuck in his chest that he couldn’t release. He had indeed harbored some dirty thoughts but had never acted on them. He had no idea how things had turned out this way. If he had known, he should have just killed that little bastard from the start.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Unable to catch his breath, the lean man thudded to the ground, his anger and frustration causing him to faint.
[Host, why did you specifically bring Ji Weichen here to see this? Is this really okay? If we repay evil with kindness, maybe the bad person would be moved and realize their mistakes.] 666 couldn’t help but feel pity for the man who had offended its host.
If it remembered correctly, it was probably, perhaps, a system meant to redeem villains and persuade them to do good, right?
[If we don’t watch our enemies suffer in front of us, how can revenge be considered satisfying? As for repaying evil with kindness to redeem our enemies? Six-six, you know what? They would only feel pain and regret—regret that they didn’t eradicate the root of the problem, that they didn’t kill the person earlier—not regret their mistakes.] Su Meng replied.
[Six-six, you’re really adorable, you know.]
[…] 666, although… it didn’t feel particularly praised.
666 glanced at Ji Weichen again and finally understood: only an equally ruthless villain could tame a ferocious one. Anyone else would probably be devoured without a trace.
But… would its host accidentally tame him too much…?Recalling the original novel’s antagonist—sickly, gloomy, and ruthless toward everyone, cold-hearted and cruel—666 suppressed the words it wanted to say. Probably… it would be fine?
…
A small cake appeared on the stall’s table. It didn’t look particularly delicate, simply decorated with a few piped buttercream flowers and a single lit candle.
“I looked up some information about you. If I remember correctly, today is your birthday.” Su Meng pushed the cake forward slightly.
“Make a wish.”
Hearing Su Meng’s words, Ji Weichen froze for a moment, his hand unconsciously clenching.
Birthday…
He had celebrated birthdays before, back when his mother was still alive.
On his fifth birthday, his mother suddenly became unusually gentle. The table was filled with delicious food, and she even whispered “Happy Birthday” to him, holding him close as if in an illusory dream.
Then she stabbed a knife into his chest.
The dream shattered.
The only time his mother had ever been gentle with him was to kill him—unfortunately, she missed by just a bit.
Later, she chose to end her own life on his birthday.
She said, “I should have strangled you at birth. Your existence was never wanted by anyone. No one has ever liked you.”
As if determined to trap him forever, she made it clear how much she despised this day, despised his very birth.
Ji Weichen lifted his gaze. The candle’s gentle light spilled into his pupils, washing the hazel-green irises into a pale, warm hue. He closed his eyes and made a wish over the candle.
Around them, the world buzzed with lively chatter, filled with the warmth of ordinary life, while the person before him watched intently.
It felt… as if he had been abruptly pulled from a cold, dark hell into the human world.
The one who had once pushed him into hell was now reaching out to save him from it.
He wondered, just how far would this person indulge him?
What if… he pushed a little further?
Su Meng stood up, leaning in slightly, her soft voice whispering close to Ji Weichen’s ear.
“Happy Birthday.”
With her fingertip, she scooped up a small dab of cream and gently smeared it at the corner of his lips.
Ji Weichen licked the cream from his mouth.
Sweet.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the person before him—her round almond-shaped eyes shimmering with a faint smile, lips curved upward. Her fair skin flushed with an unnatural rosy hue as she covered her mouth with one hand, coughing lightly.
Bright blood seeped from Su Meng’s lips, staining her palm with crimson foam. Her heart throbbed with a sharp, swelling pain.
“Now… we are Accomplices~”
Ji Weichen’s heart trembled.