Ji Xue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Nuannuan, I’m begging you. Just apologize to Mom. As long as she gets better, I’ll give you anything you want in the future.”
The onlookers nodded in approval. “Xiao Xue is beautiful, kind, and filial. Even after being bullied like this by the adopted daughter, she still can’t bring herself to retaliate.”
“Whoever gets to marry Xiao Xue will be truly blessed.”
Su Nuannuan raised her hand into a fist, her knuckles protruding as she struck fiercely toward Ji Xiao’s waist and abdomen.
She quickly grasped his thick wrist and exerted force abruptly. The hand he held slipped away like a fish escaping his grip.
Ji Xiao froze, clutching his waist and abdomen, staring blankly at his still-numb hand, his face filled with astonishment.
“You…”
With his strength and skills, even if he were grappling with a wild boar, it wouldn’t have broken free so easily.
How could she…?
Su Nuannuan rubbed her throbbing wrist, where a dark red circle had formed on her slender arm.
[Ding! The System has issued a new mandatory task: Hug Ji Xiao in public for one minute. Reward upon completion: 10 Health Points. If not completed within ten minutes, the Host will be forced to sing and dance to “Meow Meow” in public.]
Su Nuannuan took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to cry out.
Making her sing and dance to a brothel tune like “Meow Meow” in front of so many people was worse than killing her outright.
Outside, gazes swept over her like searchlights.
Su Nuannuan glanced around, feeling dizzy and her heart racing.
Memories she had buried deep in her heart from her past life resurfaced.
In the orphanage, she stood alone on stage at five years old.
Below her was a sea of dark, familiar faces, filled with sneers and mockery.
“Sing, you little fool!”
“Su Nuannuan, the little mute.”
“If you can’t do it, get off the stage!”
“Get off! Get off!”
Su Nuannuan covered her ears, lowered her head, and her eyes turned crimson.
Damn it, even after transmigrating into a book, why was her fear of crowds still here?
007 sat on her shoulder, swinging its little legs leisurely.
[Once the Host’s Health Points reach 90, these issues will naturally disappear. The Host must work hard on completing tasks!]
Su Nuannuan bit her tongue until it bled, forcing herself to ignore the crowd outside as she walked step by step toward Ji Xue and her mother.
Her crimson eyes looked as though she had suffered immense injustice, and her frail body trembled slightly. To Ji Xue, Su Nuannuan now resembled a cat about to be abandoned by its owner.
Ji Xue sneered inwardly. Su Nuannuan was still most afraid of being kicked out of the Ji family. This time, she would compromise again and kneel to beg for forgiveness.
Ji Xue raised her head like a noble white swan. “Nuannuan, I know you didn’t mean to upset Mom. Hurry and explain things clearly to her. She won’t blame you.”
Su Nuannuan stopped in her tracks, her voice unnervingly calm.
“You said that if I wake her up, you’ll give me whatever I want. Does that count?”
A flicker of disdain passed through Ji Xue’s eyes. This useless girl only knew how to cling to her older brother and couldn’t even handle her studies. What did she know about saving someone?
She was just putting on an act to avoid kneeling and apologizing.
Ji Xue wouldn’t let Su Nuannuan have her way.
“It counts. As long as you apologize to Mom and stop upsetting her, I’ll give you anything.”
“Good, it’s a deal.”
Su Nuannuan crouched down and removed the rose brooch pinned to Ji Xue’s chest.
She straightened the pin and stabbed it forcefully into Mother Ji’s philtrum.
“Ah… What are you doing?” Ji Xue’s eyes widened in horror, her voice rising sharply as she pushed Su Nuannuan away and anxiously looked at the person in her arms.
Mother Ji’s eyelids twitched in pain, but she gritted her teeth tightly, not letting out a sound.
Ji Xiao had intended to intervene, but just then, he noticed his mother’s trembling hand. His gaze turned cold for an instant, and he withdrew his outstretched arm, silently standing in place.
As a former special forces reconnaissance soldier, he could detect something amiss from the slightest clue.
Something was off about his mother. Could it be that what Su Nuannuan had just said was true?
The moment this thought surfaced, an invisible force suppressed it.
Impossible. How could his mother possibly mistreat Su Nuannuan?
“Ouch! That Su girl is really ruthless—she even drew blood!” someone exclaimed in shock.
A drop of blood the size of a thumb had welled up on Mother Ji’s philtrum.
“This isn’t raising a daughter—it’s raising an enemy! Su Nuannuan is trying to stab Mother Ji to death!”
Ji Xue clung tightly to her mother, weeping pitifully.
“Su Nuannuan, I misjudged you. Brother, hurry and arrest her! She dared to hurt Mom—we can’t let her get away with this!”
Su Nuannuan chuckled lightly. “Feeling sorry already? Weren’t you the one begging me to wake her up? Now that she’s about to come to, are you, Miss Ji, trying to go back on your word?”
She raised the needle in her hand. Under the sunlight, its tip gleamed coldly. Beneath her thick bangs, a pair of dark eyes remained indifferent and unreadable, her smile not reaching them.
“I hate people who break their promises the most. Anger harms the body, so for my own sake, I’ll just have to harm hers instead.”
As she spoke, her fingers moved slightly, and she aimed the brooch pin toward an acupoint on Mother Ji’s head.
Ji Xue’s pupils contracted sharply. This madwoman—she was serious!
The unconscious Mother Ji suddenly opened her eyes, only to be met with the sight of the cold, gleaming needle tip. Terrified, she screamed, covered her head, and rolled to the side.
“Su Nuannuan! Have you gone mad? Are you trying to stab me to death?”
The entire crowd was stunned!
The onlookers felt as if a flock of crows had flown over their heads, leaving behind a trail of bird droppings.
“Tsk, so it was all an act. I really thought she’d been angered to death by that Nuannuan girl.”
“You never truly know a person. Who would have thought that the usually kind Mother Ji could be like this? Looking at it now, what Nuannuan said earlier might actually be true.”
“If I remember correctly, Nuannuan’s father sacrificed his life to save Ji Chuan. Who would have thought that his only remaining daughter would be mistreated like this by Ji Chuan’s family?”
Gossip is a fearsome thing. If these words spread, Ji Chuan would be branded as someone who mistreated the orphan of a martyr—a reputation for repaying kindness with cruelty.
Both Ji Chuan and Ji Xiao’s military careers would suffer a massive blow.
At best, they would have to undergo ideological reviews and face thorough investigations by the disciplinary committee.
At worst, they would be demoted one rank and never promoted again.
Mother Ji’s face turned deathly pale, her expression dazed. Why had this once-obedient person suddenly become uncontrollable…?
Were Ji Chuan and Xiao’s careers about to be ruined by her?
A chill rose from the soles of her feet, and Mother Ji trembled all over.
Ji Xue tightened her grip on her mother’s arm, her tear-filled eyes examining Mother Ji with concern.
“Mom, how are you feeling? Does your chest still hurt? The doctor said you have coronary heart disease and shouldn’t get agitated. You really scared me just now. Thank goodness you took your medicine in advance.”
“Medicine?” Mother Ji turned her head, met her daughter’s cold, penetrating gaze, and suddenly snapped back to reality. She quickly clutched her chest, gasping for breath.
“That’s right, I have coronary heart disease. If I hadn’t taken my medicine in advance, I might not have woken up this time.”
The onlookers suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is. I knew Mother Ji wasn’t the kind of person to act one way in front of others and another behind their backs. It was all a misunderstanding.”
“So it turns out Su Nuannuan was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse—she got lucky.”
“What a top-tier green tea bitch. Host, you’ve met your match.” 007 sighed, propping its chin in its hands.
“A friendly reminder: there are five minutes left until the mission ends.”
“That’s enough.” Su Nuannuan rubbed the brooch between her fingers. “Remind me when there’s one minute left.”