It’s Big Sister
Opening her eyes early in the morning, the first thing she saw was a large interface displaying: Countdown 109 hours, 12 minutes, 24 seconds.
The seconds continued to tick away.
Jiang Quqi suddenly opened her eyes wide, staring at the interface in silence.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Quqi asked.
Just a reminder to fill your morning with motivation, dear.
“It didn’t,” Jiang Quqi closed her eyes tightly. “There’s still plenty of time. I’m going back to sleep.”
As soon as she closed her eyes, a familiar melody rang out in her mind.
*”Hearing the rooster crow in the morning, cock-a-doodle-doo~”*
*”Pushing open the window to welcome the morning sun~”*
Jiang Quqi silently opened her eyes again.
*”Flowers fragrant, birds singing, spring is beautiful, cock-a-doodle-doo~”*
*”Today is another sunny day!”*
…
Jiang Quqi resignedly got out of bed.
It was already past eleven last night when she finally found a hotel to check in, and she didn’t get into bed until almost one o’clock. Now it was just past seven in the morning, and she was so tired she was seeing stars.
She walked sleepily to the mirror, raised her toothbrush, and looked up—her movements suddenly froze.
She had been too exhausted last night to notice, but now she saw that the girl in the mirror looked about seventy to eighty percent similar to her original appearance, yet distinctly different.
The girl had eyebrows distant like mountains, eyes clear like autumn water. Her expressive eyes seemed to hold endless tenderness, her skin fair and blushing without a single blemish. Her chestnut hair cascaded down like a waterfall, paired with long eyelashes, rosy lips, and a straight nose. Anyone would call her breathtakingly beautiful.
If her original self could be considered pretty, then this version was absolutely stunning. No wonder the female lead in the novel could be scouted by talent agents just walking down the street.
She looked almost unreal, and Jiang Quqi loved it!
“I’m so beautiful,” Jiang Quqi murmured, utterly captivated by her own reflection.
Because I edited it well.
…
“Zip it.” Jiang Quqi’s eyes instantly turned cold. She forced a smile and made a gesture of zipping her mouth shut.
The system hummed nonchalantly and went offline.
The weather was clear and sunny today, not a single cloud in the sky, with a gentle breeze.
Jiang Quqi strolled down the street with her left hand behind her back, looking like a loafer. In her right hand, she held a meat bun, and on her feet were the hotel’s disposable slippers—she couldn’t get used to high heels. She was wearing a green t-shirt and yellow shorts she had grabbed from a clothing store nearby.
Even dressed like this, her striking beauty stood out. In just a few dozen minutes, she had already rejected countless advances from men and women of all ages, turning them all down flat.
Her top priority wasn’t to find Qin Jiao for the mission yet; after all, she still had over ten days. Right now, what she needed most was a place to live.
A house was essential. It didn’t need to be big, expensive, or even hers, but she needed one.
Staying in a hotel wasn’t a long-term solution. For the sake of her future life, and considering if she really ended up adopting the villain, she needed a home. She couldn’t very well take him to live in a hotel—that was too expensive and too strange. People might get the wrong idea.
Jiang Quqi’s requirements weren’t high. A two-bedroom or three-bedroom apartment would do. It needed a balcony, close to Guangming Middle School, have good lighting, and be fully furnished so she could move in immediately. Price wasn’t really an issue since she now had an eight-figure balance in her bank account.
Originally, she planned to rent. After all, the real estate market wasn’t doing well; buying a house and trying to resell it later would definitely mean a loss, even if it was near a school. But as she looked around, one place immediately caught her eye. The owners were planning to emigrate and were eager to sell. The price was fair and the house was perfect in every way.
The moment she stepped inside, she knew it was right. It fit her taste and requirements perfectly. She went through the procedures immediately, contacted the owner, and everything went smoothly. By the time she finished, it was already past eleven.
“Eleven twenty… Perfect. System, let’s go stake out the place.”
… Dear, please watch your wording.
Jiang Quqi didn’t waste time on the way. She had already found out the school schedule by chatting with some retired elders hanging around nearby. In fact, she had practically dug up all the gossip about the school.
Which teachers were good, which students were top performers, which teachers liked to accept gifts, which ones were strict… There was no shortage of student gossip either.
According to the elders’ information, self-study usually started at 6:20 AM, though some classes started earlier.
Lunch break began at 11:40 AM. Teachers often kept them for another three to five minutes, though sometimes they let them out early, but only by a minute or two.
Students could choose to stay at school or go home for lunch, but they had to be back before 2:00 PM, or the teacher had to sign them in at the gate.
School ended at 5:40 PM. There was no evening study, but third-year junior high students might stay later, sometimes finishing at 6:00 PM.
The house was only about a ten-minute walk from the school. Jiang Quqi stood outside waiting for a while, but feeling hot, she went to a nearby milk tea shop, ordered a drink, and continued watching.
It was now almost 11:50. She had waited a full twenty minutes, but still hadn’t seen him.
Resting her chin in her hands, Jiang Quqi grumbled, “Did the teacher keep them late?”
Possible.
“Is he eating in the cafeteria?”
Possible.
Jiang Quqi said dryly, “Or did he skip class?”
P-possible not.
“Tch,” Jiang Quqi elegantly rolled her eyes. “So perfunctory.”
…
The system muttered to itself: If I really ignore you, you’ll be unhappy anyway.
By 12:00 PM, no more students were coming out of the gate. Jiang Quqi couldn’t sit still anymore. She threw away her empty cup and was about to go ask the security guard when suddenly, a static sound buzzed in her mind.
*Ding! Detected Villain Health Points decreased by 0.00000001. Proceed to rescue Villain? (Yes/No)*
As the mission was issued, the familiar red arrow from yesterday appeared again. The incessant buzzing made her flustered and dizzy. Barely registering what the system said, she instinctively answered “Yes” and ran after the arrow.
Buildings and streets blurred past her. Jiang Quqi sprinted as if she was trying to make up for a month’s worth of exercise in just two days. At this rate, she should have brought her phone and turned on the fitness tracker.
The red arrow disappeared. Jiang Quqi looked up and saw, not far away, the thin but straight figure of a boy kneeling in front of a door.
Sunlight fell on his pale face, making him look almost translucent. His slightly long hair covered the expression in his eyes as he kept his head down, lost in thought. Passersby seemed accustomed to the sight, glancing over briefly before hurrying away.
An inexplicable surge of anger rose in her chest. Jiang Quqi strode over to Qin Jiao and reached out to pull him up.
Feeling the hand reaching for him, Qin Jiao looked up in surprise. When he saw who it was, his eyes widened even more, but he gently pushed her hand away and shook his head slightly.
Jiang Quqi pressed her lips together, her brows furrowing in displeasure.
“System, what do I do if he won’t get up?”
The system ignored her, playing dead.
“Why won’t you get up?” Fueled by anger towards his adoptive parents, Jiang Quqi’s tone came out sharper than intended, sounding more like a demand than concern.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. Looking at Qin Jiao, she saw him withdraw even more, his long eyelashes casting dark shadows on his cheeks.
Jiang Quqi quickly tried to fix it. “I’m not mad at you.”
“Mm.”
Great, he clearly didn’t believe her.
Jiang Quqi wiped her face, squatted down, and spoke softly, “Why are you kneeling here?”
A look of inexplicable sadness appeared in Qin Jiao’s eyes. His fingers tightened, gripping his pants tightly, and his lips trembled as he spoke, “…Mom told me… told me to kneel.”
Just then, his stomach let out a loud growl, as if echoing his words.
*”I told him to kneel! So what?!”*
The closed door suddenly swung open, and a thin, sharp-looking woman walked out.
Jiang Quqi stood up slowly, looking her up and down with a cold expression. “You are his… adoptive mother?”
She took a step forward, using her height advantage to look down at the woman. Mrs. Qin instinctively took a step back, then realized what she was doing and moved forward again.
“Y-you! Who are you?! I am his mother!”
“What right does a woman who abuses a child have to call herself his mother?”
“Has anyone ever told you that abusing minors is against the law? You don’t know the law, you don’t understand the law—are you illiterate? Oh wait, no, you don’t even know basic decency. Illiterate people are better than you by a mile.”
“You—!” Mrs. Qin pointed at Jiang Quqi, too furious to breathe properly. “This is my family matter! If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police!”
“Oh,” Jiang Quqi pulled out her phone, dialed 110, and showed her the screen. “Go ahead.”
Mrs. Qin stared wide-eyed, dizzy with rage, but didn’t dare to actually make the call.
“Call the police! Why not?! He stole money from our house! He deserves to be arrested! He deserves to die!”
A chubby boy walked out from inside. His massive body wobbled with every step, the ground seeming to shake with his weight.
Seeing her son come out, Mrs. Qin immediately rushed over anxiously. “Why did you come out? Isn’t the food good?”
The boy pushed her away impatiently. When his eyes landed on Jiang Quqi, they lit up. He waddled over, his gaze leering.
He reached out his chubby hand towards her. “Big sister, you’re so pretty. Be my girlfrie—”
*Slap!* A clean, sharp slap landed on his face before he could finish.
“You…”
*Slap!* Another slap, perfectly symmetrical with the first.
The boy looked at her in shock, then turned and hugged his mother, crying loudly. “I’m calling the police! I’m calling the police… Waaaaah!”
Mrs. Qin struggled to hold her precious son, her eyes filled with heartache and hatred as she glared at Jiang Quqi. Before she could speak, Jiang Quqi held up her phone again showing the 110 screen and said, “Call the police.”
Mrs. Qin was furious and helpless, able only to stare.
Jiang Quqi turned around and saw Qin Jiao still kneeling there, unnoticed by anyone else.
“Why is he still kneeling like a statue?”
.
“What does the period mean?”
Nothing at all. Please do your best.
…
Jiang Quqi silently gave a middle finger in her mind. She knew the system received it because a panel immediately popped up: *”Please use civilized language.”*
Jiang Quqi walked up to Qin Jiao, more or less forcefully helped him up from the ground, and looked down at his knees.
They were bright red from kneeling, marked with fine scratches from pebbles, and slightly abraded. Jiang Quqi hissed in sympathy. “Can you walk by yourself?”
Qin Jiao nodded.
Jiang Quqi ignored him, muttering to herself, “Looks painful. I’ll carry you.”
She gently guided his arms around her neck and easily hoisted him onto her back.
He was even lighter than she expected.
“Let’s go to the clinic to disinfect those wounds.”
*”Where are you taking him?!”* Mrs. Qin finally reacted and grabbed Jiang Quqi’s sleeve. Carrying Qin Jiao made it awkward to move, and Jiang Quqi couldn’t shake her off after two tries. She said impatiently, “Taking him to the clinic. Did you not hear me?”
Mrs. Qin waved her arms dramatically, acting as if she cared so much. “You can’t take him away! Who knows if you’re good or bad! What right do you have—”
“I’m his older sister.” Qin Jiao had called her that before, so it wasn’t exactly a lie, right?
Mrs. Qin froze in shock and loosened her grip. Jiang Quqi took the chance to shake her off completely.
Mrs. Qin looked at Qin Jiao in disbelief. “She… she…”
Qin Jiao suddenly gave Mrs. Qin a strange, cold smile. Then he turned his head away and spoke in a soft voice, loud enough for everyone to hear: “Sister, it hurts.”