Shao Qibin, who was trying to lift the girl out of the bathtub, was instead dragged into the bathtub by Zhang Mengxin, who was burning with desire and had lost her mind, for a romantic bath together.
However, it's unclear whether Shao Qibin's fall was an accident or something else.
The vibrant, sensual atmosphere here, with its fleeting pleasures, was nothing more than a lavish feast. But Shao Qile, after being kept in the dark for some time, only then realized that his seemingly perfect plan had unexpectedly slipped up in such a huge way!
Shao Qile had finished his usual morning stroll in the courtyard before leisurely wandering back when he heard a crisp "crack" as glass shattered on the floor. He stopped abruptly in his tracks.
"Aunt Zhang, what did you say? Zhang Mengxin is still in Beijing. Qibin even secretly transferred Zhang Mengxin's school registration to No. 2 Middle School and bought her an apartment near the school so she can live there?"
Xia Meiyue's voice was noticeably sharp, and the disbelief in it completely robbed her of her usual elegance and composure. It was clear that no matter how calm and composed a woman is, when it comes to her children, she will always become like a mother hen, extremely protective of her offspring.
Author's Note: Ahem, the rise of a local female protagonist is quite something! What is Lele going to do this time? Any suggestions?
12 countermeasures
Chapter Eleven: Countermeasures
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. That night, Zhang Mengxin was the main person to be celebrated at the farewell party, but she disappeared without a trace after saying she was going out to play. Later, the students present saw the floor staff come in and whisper a few words in Yang Meng's ear. Yang Meng's expression at that moment was far from pleasant. Knowing Yang Meng's usual temper, he wouldn't let someone get away with it if they provoked him. But that night, apart from a brief loss of control, he acted as if nothing had happened and went back to having fun.
Many people knew that Yang Meng was interested in Zhang Mengxin; in fact, more than half of those present were aware of his extravagant spending that night. Now that Zhang Mengxin was missing and Yang Meng seemed to be swallowing his anger, it was easy for anyone with a discerning eye to find out more. Moreover, the news of Shao Qibin and his group's gathering upstairs that night hadn't been deliberately concealed from public inquiry.
When Shao Qile learned of this news through his own channels, he gave the boy in front of him, who was grinning arrogantly and making gossipy faces, a flick on the forehead.
The boy's surname was He, and his given name was Shengchao. He was the same age as Shao Qile's current body, only fifteen years old, and a kid from the government compound. He Shengchao was one of the people who led a group of teenagers to intercept the kidnappers last time, along with Shao Qile.
This guy's gossip-hunting skills are top-notch. Shao Qile only bumped into He Shengchao playing video games in the student council office by chance, and on a whim, he showed off his skills. Their relationship has become more than just that of ordinary classmates. However, it's not that Shao Qile trusts He Shengchao completely; they just get along fairly well. And the thing Shao Qile asked He Shengchao to investigate was a trivial matter.
"Shao Qile, let me tell you, you can cut off my head, you can bleed, but you can't mess up my hairstyle. If you touch my hair again, I, I..." He Shengchao's ability to avoid danger was first-rate. Seeing Shao Qile's friendly smile, he felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. He quickly checked his watch, looking like he was in a hurry, and took the opportunity to say goodbye.
However, after leaving Shao Qile's house, He Shengchao stroked his chin with amusement. He knew that if the news spread that the eldest son of the Shao family had taken a liking to a weak and lonely girl and had finally managed to win her over, it would be quite sensational. It would also be amusing to tarnish the reputation of the always-glorious eldest son of the Shao family. But the He family and the Shao family seemed to have little connection. In China, the political and military systems have always prohibited interference, but political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, and some things are simply not out in the open.
If he really does that, he'll probably have to wash his neck clean and wait for his old man to finish his business.
"Lele, when did you become so familiar with that boy from the He family? This is the first time you've invited a classmate home." A mother's worries are endless. She thought of her daughter, who, though delicate and frail since childhood, was now fifteen—a budding flower, just beginning to bloom. If her daughter were to fall in love early, and the object of her affections was that seemingly carefree He Shengchao…
“Mom, He Shengchao and I are classmates. He’s also the class representative for chemistry. You know I’m not good at chemistry. I was sick this time and didn’t even take the final exam. I don’t know what homework the school assigned, so I called He Shengchao over.” Shao Qile naturally wouldn’t tell Xia Meiyue that part of the reason she was on good terms with He Shengchao was because she discovered the seemingly unrelated connection between the Shao family and the He family.
Having appeased Xia Meiyue, Shao Qile pretended to obediently do her homework, sitting down at her desk while pondering her next move. The plot had certainly taken many unexpected turns, but based on the information she'd gathered so far, Shao Qibin and Zhang Mengxin were practically living together. She didn't believe they hadn't taken the final step, especially after He Shengchao's wicked bribery of the private club's room service staff—the bedroom was clearly a battlefield after a passionate encounter, stained with the woman's first time and blood.
However, Shao Qile clearly remembered the discussions in the WeChat group about the male protagonist "Shao Qibin" playing the role of a "raising a child" character, and that Li Qiang, who wrote such a raising-a-child plot, was actually a loli-raising enthusiast. In order to prove himself, Li Qiang specifically pointed out the setting in the outline: even though the original plan was for their relationship to develop during the kidnapping incident, and even because they were both under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs and made preliminary explorations of each other's bodies, they did not cross the final line.
After that, because Shao Qibin was about to be transferred to a lower-level base, he became entangled with a second woman. However, Shao Qibin and Zhang Mengxin's first time happened on Zhang Mengxin's eighteenth birthday.
Now, although the plot seems to have taken a turn back, Zhang Mengxin's adoptive parents and all her extended family have been expelled from Beijing and sent to the distant Y Province. Zhang Mengxin is now alone and helpless, living in an apartment near the Second Middle School. And, at such a young age, Zhang Mengxin has already tasted the forbidden fruit with Shao Qibin.
Is there anything she can do about it?
Zhang Mengxin was indeed a self-reliant and strong-willed girl. Waking up in Shao Qibin's arms that day, her body covered in bruises and aches, made her understand something. She felt a mix of disappointment, confusion, and genuine joy and happiness. She realized she liked Shao Qibin, the older brother who had pulled her out of the abyss.
Life in the orphanage wasn't easy, but Zhang Mengxin had gotten used to keeping the bitterness and darkness buried deep in her heart. Getting used to it didn't mean she liked it. She liked the older brother who smiled warmly at her back then and didn't want to trouble him, so she politely declined Shao Qibin's offer to find her a good family. However, in the end, her adoptive parents' family still owed a great deal to Shao Qibin for their comfortable life. Recently, even their relationship had become strained because of her cousin's situation.
When Shao Qibin put his arm around her waist and told her he would treat her well and asked her to stay, she was tempted.
However, without her adoptive parents by her side and without her younger brother's constant chatter, Zhang Mengxin felt an unprecedented loneliness as she stayed alone in the large apartment. She knew that Shao Qibin wouldn't be happy for her to go out and do odd jobs; it would embarrass or even shame him, and outsiders would think that he, Shao Qibin, couldn't even support a woman.
Zhang Mengxin understood Shao Qibin's pride, so she simply made some handmade trinkets and sold them online, which was a way for her to pass the time and earn some pocket money.
Shao Qibin has his own social circle, and Zhang Mengxin vaguely knows that Shao Qibin will soon be sent down to the countryside for training. She is always patient and strong, but she inevitably feels a little lost when facing an empty house alone.
Around this time, she met Li Meng, who was two or three years older than her. She learned to paint with Li Meng, made handmade trinkets together, and went shopping together, which made her life much happier.
Author's Note: Please leave a comment! No comments, no happiness!
13 The snipe and the clam fight
Chapter Twelve: The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam
"Hey, that girl in the cute silver shorts is Li Jianmei. Don't let her heavy makeup fool you, she's a month younger than you. She's your perfect brother's number one fan." As He Shengchao said this, his legs, which were resting on the coffee table in front of him, were trembling slightly.
Shao Qile watched Li Jianmei swaying her slender waist like a water snake on the dance floor, then glanced at the character attribute panel in the game interface, invisible to others. This Li Jianmei's attribute panel was still somewhat dark, and the note "Reborn Heroine" following it hadn't been lit up. This meant that the fifteen-year-old Li Jianmei was still the original version. The Li Jianmei who had been reborn carrying hatred hadn't returned yet.
Actually, Shao Qile found Li Jianmei's character design rather bizarre from the very beginning. After all, she clearly remembered that the character outline explicitly stated that Li Jianmei's family was destroyed in her previous life, transforming her from a high-ranking official's daughter into a prostitute on the streets of a bar. Although Shao Qibin's family didn't go all out, they didn't offer any help either. Even when Li Jianmei sought help from Shao Qibin as a younger sister who had admired him for years, he only coldly gave her some money and did nothing more.
This woman, reborn, embarks on a path completely different from her former life as a rebellious youth. Entering the political arena as a woman, she possesses certain innate advantages due to her rebirth, forging a unique path in the Chinese political landscape. Yet, this woman, reborn from the ashes, while decisive and ruthless in political affairs, becomes indecisive in matters of the heart, once again falling irrevocably in love with the male protagonist.
As for Li Jianmei at this moment, she is not the reborn heroine who returned from the brink of death on her eighteenth birthday in the original work. Instead, she is still the carefree little girl who loves to play and make a fuss. Apart from her older brother Shao Qibin, whom she loves but cannot have, she has no other worries in the world.
If Li Jianmei were to learn of Zhang Mengxin's existence, and discover that the person she so desperately wanted was actually keeping a mistress, who knows what kind of chemical reaction would occur.
Actually, if her body weren't so weak and her resources so limited, she wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble. Let her see how fiercely Zhang Mengxin reacts to Li Jianmei. Even if Li Jianmei doesn't succeed this time, who knows what she might do three years later when she returns from her rebirth with this memory, combining old and new grudges.
Sigh, if possible, the best solution would be to simply eliminate Shao Qibin, the source of all this chaos. But that damned system task is there, hindering her actions in many ways.
Shao Qile's body was not suited to stay in this heavy metal music environment for long. Even though she was in the private room, the deafening music still came over from time to time. After sitting for a while, she went back on her own.
Actually, there was no need to do much. He simply had someone secretly give some money to a few girls who were on good terms with Li Jianmei, and then led Li Jianmei to the vicinity of Zhang Mengxin's residential area. This allowed Li Jianmei to see the tall and elegant Shao Qibin carefully protecting the petite and adorable Zhang Mengxin, and everything naturally fell into place.
Whether it's a woman or a young girl, they often make the same mistakes when it comes to relationships. Instead of thinking about how to get back at the man, they immediately run off to start a showdown with another woman.
At this time, Li Jianmei was just an age where she didn't like reading, didn't like being restricted, and wanted to do whatever she wanted. She found a moment when Shao Qibin was not around, and brazenly led her people to his door to confront him.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Li Jianmei stretched out her arm, blocking Zhang Mengxin, who was about to go out with Li Meng to buy some art supplies. "I'm warning you, don't let me see you near Brother Qibin again. Brother Qibin is mine. I'm going to marry Brother Qibin when I turn eighteen. You, whoever came from who-knows-where and doesn't even know who your parents are, get as far away from me as possible."
The little girl had her hair styled into a huge afro to follow the trend, and her eyes were wide open. As if to enhance her imposing presence, she deliberately crossed her arms, striking a shrewish pose, but her chubby young face made her look somewhat out of place.
Zhang Mengxin was utterly bewildered. Even though she was always strong, sensible, and independent, this issue of her parents was a major weakness. As an orphan, Zhang Mengxin's Achilles' heel was the fact that her parents had abandoned her. Now, she had been thoroughly humiliated by a girl she had never met before who immediately started calling her "Brother Qibin." For some reason, she suddenly recalled the day Shao Qibin's real sister, Shao Qile, had looked at her with such nonchalance and condescension.
She always knew that she and Shao Qibin came from different worlds. That difference wasn't simply about material wealth; it was the condescension of one social class over another. Some people are just that lucky—born into good families, their upbringing and upbringing influencing them. No matter how uneducated they may be, the aura they carry with them is always different.