Shao Qile's biological clock dictated that he should get up on time early in the morning. He wanted to run ten or eight laps as usual, but due to his current sickly condition, he could only take a slow walk around the perimeter of the military compound three or four times before he had to go back for lunch, then put on his schoolbag and take the bus to school.
She had assumed the driver would take her to school, but to her surprise, Shao Qibin volunteered to do so. She initially found it odd, but upon seeing Zhang Mengxin—wearing a red armband, her hair styled in a high ponytail, with pretty bangs, and large, expressive eyes that curved into beautiful crescent moons when she smiled—Shao Qile began to have some plans.
Shao Qile herself had eyes that curved like crescent moons when she smiled. Yet, for some reason, she felt a sense of unease towards this girl who bore a striking resemblance to herself, even possessing larger and more expressive eyes. This was because she suddenly recalled a detail about Zhang Mengxin's character: the reason Zhang Mengxin, despite being an orphan, had attracted Shao Qibin's attention was precisely because of her eyes, which resembled hers.
However, unlike the original owner's melancholy shrouded in a thin mist, Zhang Mengxin's curved eyes shimmered with a smile as bright as the stars. Yet, "Shao Qile" was the pampered eldest daughter of the Shao family, unaware of her good fortune, while Zhang Mengxin was abandoned by her parents at a young age and grew up alone in an orphanage, yet possessed a resolute, cheerful, and optimistic nature.
“Mengxin, Lele is young, weak, and introverted. As her senior, please take good care of her.”
Shao Qile followed Shao Qibin out of the car and watched as Shao Qibin spoke kindly to Zhang Mengxin in front of everyone, entrusting her with his duties. But all Shao Qile felt was the number of black lines on his forehead increasing.
What's going on?
Was the original "Shao Qile" really in such a precarious situation at school? The eldest daughter of the prestigious Shao family needed to be taken care of by a commoner girl who only qualified to attend this government-run school because of the Shao family's connections? Looking at Zhang Mengxin's matter-of-fact and enthusiastic nod, and even her familiar gesture of linking arms with hers, and then glancing at the teasing and amused looks in the eyes of the classmates around them who had obviously slowed down because of this scene.
Shao Qile was already used to being the center of attention. However, every time she attracted attention and caused a sensation, the eyes were filled with envy and admiration. It was the first time she had ever been watched like a monkey trainer in a circus!
Interesting, really interesting!
With a slight, graceful turn, avoiding Zhang Mengxin's affectionate touch, Shao Qile raised her delicate chin slightly, her eyebrows arched, and her originally gentle face gained a touch of heroism. Coupled with the pride in her eyes, this made Zhang Mengxin abruptly retract her hand that was hanging in mid-air.
"Thank you for your kindness, senior. Brother, I am a daughter of the Shao family. Besides, this is a school, and we are all classmates. I believe everyone will take good care of me because of you."
Shao Qibin looked over with a dark gaze, meeting the eyes of Shao Qile, who was smiling proudly and stubbornly. Noticing the gazes around him, and recalling his younger sister's words in the living room that day, he began to believe in Shao Qile's change. So he didn't say much, but simply nodded: "It's getting late, you should go to class."
After dropping Shao Qile off at her class, Shao Qibin didn't leave immediately. Instead, he went to visit her former teachers and met with the current student council president. Although the person who dared to harm the Shao family and target Shao Qile had been dealt with, Shao Qile would still be staying at the school for a few more years. To prevent any further troublemakers from showing up, some arrangements were necessary.
Shao Qile stood in front of the classroom of Class 1, Grade 1. Faced with the silence that had been created by her presence, she shrugged noncommittally and did not think about where the original owner of her body was sitting. She picked a window seat that looked good and sat down directly.
She had already checked, and this class was indeed full of children of high-ranking officials, but in terms of status, there were very few who could match her family background.
Sure enough, when she was about to sit by the window, the person who was originally sitting there tactfully picked up their bag and moved to the third row in the middle, which must have been the original owner's seat.
Several teachers were lecturing in and out of the classroom, but they all chose to ignore Shao Qile, who was staring blankly out the window with her chin in her hand. Having just been visited by Shao Qibin, they naturally wouldn't try to demonstrate their authority as teachers by showing off their willingness to challenge the powerful at this juncture.
Shao Qile casually flipped through the book. The contents weren't difficult, and she now had time to think carefully about how to proceed.
After actually meeting Zhang Mengxin, Shao Qile had no interest in even trying to compete with her. If it were in the past, if someone had said that she, the eldest daughter of the Shao family, would lower herself to argue with a woman who wasn't even qualified to look at them, they would have been laughed at.
Dealing with a woman like this sometimes requires swift and decisive action, which can be done in a matter of seconds, without her even having to lift a finger.
However, Zhang Mengxin happens to be the little sister whom the male lead, Shao Qibin, dotes on, and his affection and care for her far surpasses that for his biological sister. If Shao Qibin's thoughts and attitude are taken into consideration, this originally simple matter becomes complicated, and many more troubles arise.
Shao Qile was still struggling with whether to compromise herself and deal with Zhang Mengxin indirectly, but Zhang Mengxin seemed not to have heard what she said at the school gate before, and actually brought a homemade bento box to ask her to have lunch together.
"I don't know what you like to eat, Lele. I've prepared pork rib and winter melon soup, as well as stir-fried corn and green beans, and hot and sour shredded potatoes. There might not be enough food, so we can go to the school cafeteria together to get some more later. I know a place with a great view. I've prepared a tablecloth, so let's go there for lunch together."
Strictly speaking, Zhang Mengxin isn't a beauty, but her skin is flawless, her eyes are big and bright, and when she smiles, she looks like an adorable kitten, making you want to stroke her fur. It just feels a bit cruel to refuse such a lovely girl's request.
"Zhang Mengxin, right? Don't think that just because you've latched onto my brother and have a chance to get into this school, and even used my brother's connections to get your adoptive parents good jobs, you can act like my future sister-in-law. Even if my brother is set on you, we'll have to wait until you're officially recognized and my parents acknowledge you. As for these 'love-filled' bento boxes of yours, keep them for my brother to enjoy. I don't have that kind of luck!"
If you want to gain entry, you'd better see if you're qualified!
Author's Note: Lele is definitely taking her anger out on others!
Unable to vent his resentment on others, he took it out on Zhang Mengxin, who had deliberately run into him. Poor local female lead!
Ahem, Lele will adjust her mindset later! Everyone, please remember to love my biological daughter!
Chapter 7: Self-righteousness
Zhang Mengxin was just a pretty young girl of sixteen, and even her orphanage years hadn't extinguished her vibrant, upward-striving spirit. A vigorous life force, like weeds, seemed to grow within her. Even as Shao Qile, who was taking his anger out on her, spoke so harshly and disdainfully, Zhang Mengxin only paled slightly, then raised her head and calmly replied.
“Junior Shao, I respect you as Qibin’s sister, which is why, after Qibin asked me to look after you, I was worried you might not have many friends at school and specially invited you to lunch. I am grateful to Qibin for taking care of my family, and I will naturally repay this kindness after I graduate. I know the gap between Qibin and me, and I have always respected and admired Qibin’s life, treating him like an older brother. I believe Qibin treats me just like a younger sister. I have no intention of climbing the social ladder, so there’s no need for Junior Shao to worry so much. Since Junior Shao can take care of herself, I will go have lunch by myself.”
After saying that, she even nodded slightly at Shao Qile, then turned and left decisively without any hesitation, showing not a trace of embarrassment or hesitation. It was as if she wasn't the one who had been pointed at and scolded.
Having been given a roundabout scolding, Shao Qile paid no attention to the pointing fingers, buzzing discussions, and the hint of schadenfreude and disdain in the eyes of those around her.
She seems to be taking things too lightly!
She naturally assumed that Zhang Mengxin, born from humble beginnings and dependent on Shao Qibin, who was also labeled a "local leading lady," must harbor some vanity deep down. However, given Shao Qile's years of experience in judging people, she didn't detect any hypocrisy or affectation just now. If Zhang Mengxin wasn't a highly skilled actress at such a young age, then she genuinely thought that way. Recalling the expression on Shao Qibin's face this morning when he introduced her to Zhang Mengxin and asked her to take good care of his younger sister, he seemed very innocent.
She seemed to have overlooked something, her mind racing, before she vaguely felt she had grasped something. She had only glanced at the character outline once and hadn't taken it to heart. But now, it seemed she had acted too rashly.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for adjusting your mindset. The characters in this instance are all self-contained. Be careful in the game, and don't be careless!"
"Ding, friendly reminder: complete more tasks to increase the favorability, trust and intimacy of the task targets, and you can exchange them for multiple rewards, including the character outline and preliminary plot of 'Peach Blossoms in Full Bloom'."
Shao Qile took out his wallet from under his desk, followed the flow of people to the restaurant, ordered some food and drinks, and made do with the meal. But then a passage of text suddenly popped into his mind, reminding him of something he had overlooked.
Zhang Mengxin is only sixteen years old, and Shao Qibin is twenty. In the original character outline, their relationship at this stage is simply that of good siblings. The reason their feelings will change is because of a major event!
Her volatile temper is not good. Even though she clearly knows that she has no choice but to stay in this world, she is too aggressive and extreme in her dealings with people. She is like a firecracker that will ignite at any moment. Because she knows that she cannot and should not provoke the Shao family at this moment, she restrains herself and endures. Knowing that Zhang Mengxin is the first hurdle she must overcome when she returns home, she arbitrarily labels Zhang Mengxin as greedy and vain, and then throws a tantrum without restraint.
Shao Qile can be domineering and unscrupulous, but she cannot be so easily swayed that she becomes bewildered, helpless, and loses her rationality.
In one afternoon, through some small benefits and her status as the eldest daughter of the Shao family, plus a little manipulation of the scene before lunch, a report on Zhang Mengxin was compiled before school ended. This report included her blood type, measurements, how many mother-fixators she had at school, how many close friends she had, who she was close to, and even some details about her family.
What Shao Qile should pay attention to in the relevant information is Zhang Mengxin's adoptive parents. After adopting Zhang Mengxin, they not only got good jobs despite having no formal education, but also have an eight-year-old brother, Zhang Baobei. In addition to this brother, Zhang Mengxin also has a cousin, He Mu, who is said to always come to her for money.
"Lele, I heard you lost your temper with Mengxin a few days ago?" No matter what, Shao Qibin still cared about his half-sister. Since he had instructed someone to take good care of Shao Qile, someone naturally told him about what happened to Shao Qile at school on the first day.
When Shao Qile asked Shao Qibin, she nodded noncommittally, then said matter-of-factly, "Brother, if I really needed someone to take care of me, I'm sure there are plenty of people at school lining up to fawn over me. I just didn't let my classmates know about my situation before to avoid some unnecessary trouble. I believe everyone understands after what happened last time. As for Zhang Mengxin, brother, if I remember correctly, I'm your real sister."
When she said the last sentence, Shao Qile bit her lower lip slightly, her eyelashes trembling like a startled butterfly, fluttering about, looking lost and helpless with nowhere to lean on.
A mixture of stubbornness and fragility, pride and timidity, are blended on this somewhat haggard face, worn down by years of humility and illness. Yet, the pride that comes from the soul makes it all the more moving.