After Han Qian returned home that day, she reported on her brother to Father Han soberly.
Now Han Ying sill lay in the hospital and lived an even more miserable life.
âAre you and your brother biological brother and sister?â
âHow do you think our appearances compare, am I like him?â Han Qian pointed to her own face.
Ming Shu recalled Han Yingâs face in her mind. It was indeed very different from Han Qianâs, but normally biological brothers and sisters would share some similarities in appearance.
âHan Ying is the son of my fatherâs brother. After my mother gave birth to me, she couldnât have children anymore, so they took in Han Ying and raised him with me in our family.â
People in this era thought that the family ought not to let their belongings fall into outsidersâ hands.
Han Ying was not their biological son, but his last name was also Han.
âDoesnât your father...â Have many bastard children out of the family?
Han Qian knew what Ming Shu was trying to say. She looked very calm as if she had long been used to it.
âMy father doesnât seem to have any sons, and all the other children outside of the family... are girls.â This was probably his punishment.
âHan Ying is too ambitious and I dislike him.â Han Qian didnât hide her real feelings. âI should thank you for this time. Iâve always wanted to contend with him, but he hurt me several times.
âOkay, letâs not talk about this, I think heâll need quite some time to recover.â Han Qian waved her hands in the air like she wanted to wave away all unhappy things. âJian Xi, about your brother...â
Han Qianâs face flushed when she mentioned Jian Shu.
She tried many different ways to get information on him.
Ming Shu wouldnât interfere with Jian Shuâs private life and didnât want to cause trouble for him. Therefore, Ming Shu was very aware of what she should say and what she should not say.
...
Li Meng stayed low recently. She was so quiet that Ming Shu couldnât even feel her existence if she didnât take the initiative to find her.
The semester was going to end and the final exam was coming.
Ming Shu stared at test papers all day long and worried.
Why is there such a thing as exams?
Do I need an exam?
I only need snacks!
âLittle Xi, do you know what Boss Ye has been doing recently? He appeared and disappeared so mysteriously, we canât find him at all.â
Ming Shu pinched an exam paper while turning her head to look at the empty seat.
Ye West Wind seemed to avoid her on purpose.
âWhatâs strange about him skipping classes?â Ming Shu asked the errand boy back.
The errand boy scratched his head. âGood point.â
Before Ye West Wind came classes everyday, which may have made them forget that he was actually a student addicted to skipping classes.
After the final exam, Ming Shu thought she could finally have a good rest and didnât have to deal with those difficult marks everyday.
The Jian family didnât have strict requirements for her grades, so she didnât have to worry about receiving a bad score.
But she heard that Ye West Wind had to spend the winter holiday studying at home because he got very poor grades.
Throughout the whole winter holiday, Ming Shu didnât see him other than meeting him at the Ye familyâs yearly feast.
Snacks ATM... She could change to another!
Like Han Qian.
Han Qian had used all kinds of excuses to come to her during the holiday, covering the hidden intention of meeting her brother.
Jian Shu also spent most of his winter holiday at home and talked with Han Qian several times. But Ming Shu didnât think they would end up together.
Instead, she thought the female protagonist Li Le might have a chance. Jian Shu and the female protagonist contacted each other several times.
Yet she wasnât sure how far they had gone.
After the winter holiday, school started again.
Ming Shu watched the seat behind her which was still empty and breathed a sigh of relief; or perhaps it was just a long sigh.
Ye West Wind transferred to another class.
His errand boys stayed, though. They still bought snacks for Ming Shu and carried her schoolbag for her, which was apparently ordered by Ye West Wind.
In another class, Ye West Wind seemed to have changed into another person. He suddenly became interested in studying and wouldnât go against the teacher, nor would he skip classes.
His grades improved, taking him from the bottom all the way to the top twenty. In the mid-term examination, he even ranked top ten on the list.
During all this time, Ming Shu only met him once.
It was a quick meeting by chance and Ye West Wind walked away in a rush.
One day after school, Ming Shu saw Li Meng.
The fake female protagonist was far too law-abiding recently and Ming Shu didnât have any chance to gain Hatred Points.
Seeing Li Meng was alone right now, Ming Shu followed up without any hesitation.
She walked along the road behind Li Meng, keeping an appropriate distance.
Li Meng made a call at the telephone booth, then looked around while marching slowly on the road. She seemed to be very alert.
After walking past two more streets, Li Meng stopped.
This place...
Ming Shu saw this place in a picture at home; it was exactly the lot that Jian Shu and Li Le talked about before. Now the construction had begun and the demolition work was under progress.
Why did Li Meng come here?
Li Meng had already begun to walk inside. Strangely, there were no workers there today; the ruins were everywhere but it was very quiet.
Li Meng walked fast and disappeared from Ming Shuâs sights soon.
Ming Shu stood at the stairs and looked up.
The handrails had been removed, and the broken and old wall displayed cracks. Childrenâs scrawling were present everywhere.
Dongdongdong...
The sounds came down from above.
Ming Shu frowned.
She felt something was not right and retreated.
Li Meng who stood in a corner twitched her mouth. She had to make noises and make Ming Shu see her.
Indeed, Ming Shu had seen her but she didnât move. She stood down there, then turned around, preparing to leave the site.
âJian Xi!â
Li Meng shouted.
Ming Shu turned her head back. âWasnât you avoiding me? What now, have you thought it through and want to date me?â
A cold smile appeared on Li Mengâs face. âDo you know that your brother and Li Le are going to die right now?â
Ming Shu looked up slightly at her and sounded light and casual. âSo?â
â...â So? Are you not worried? Wonât you ask me where they are?
Li Meng thought her hair would turn gray when she tried to communicate with her.
So angry.
Li Meng took a deep breath. âTheyâre up here, wonât you come up and see?â
âWonât I die if I go up? Iâm not a fool!â
Ming Shu stepped back.
In the face of Ming Shuâs unconventional behavior, Li Meng was very confounded. âWhere are you going?â
âIâm going to call the police.â
Li Meng: â...â
Li Meng looked up, then came down very quickly. âStop, Jian Xi, stop where you are! If you call the police, your brother will die immediately.â
Ming Shu paused. Li Meng thought her threat worked.
She rushed in front of Ming Shu quickly and stood in her way. Her hatred showed itself in the set of her eyebrows. âJian Xi, donât blame me, blame yourself.â
âBlame myself for what? I didnât take you to the Jian family? I didnât treat you like the Jian familyâs real young miss?â Ming Shu looked at her with a faint smile. âLi Meng, tell me, why?â
The Host devoted herself to her just because of her fake kindness, but then what end was the Host given?
âShut up!â
Li Meng scolded her.
âIf it werenât for you, I wouldnât have become like this. Do you know how hard Iâve worked? Why were you born to be rich, why...â
Li Meng looked as if she was going to eat Ming Shu alive.
âYou were just born into a good family, werenât you? Why...â
âI earned myself a good family before birth, are you not convinced?â Ming Shu interrupted her without mercy.
â...â
Li Meng almost choked on air.
âHumph, Jian Xi, itâs no use arguing with me here. Youâll know the consequence later.â Li Meng took out a knife. âGo up.â