CH 36

Chapter Thirty-Six:

But The Heavens Won’t Let Her Go Quietly

That evening, Shaoshang expressed her homesickness to the Wan family, risking life and limb to decline their enthusiastic invitation. In Uncle Wan’s hopeful tone, ‘Your mother will hit you again, and you will come to Uncle’s house,’ she ended her vacation.

Lights were being lit when she returned to the Cheng family household. Before she could reunite with her brothers, Shaoshang quickly paid a solitary visit to the Cheng Shi couple. She decided not to talk about her interactions with Ling Buyi and told them the few words she had heard underneath the bridge.

As soon as Shaoshang finished speaking, Cheng Shi turned to his wife with a surprised expression. “That isn’t right,” he muttered. “We already asked him to hand over the map.”

Madam Xiao’s face was solemn. “…Ling Buyi made two visits; it must have been General Wan who hid the map.”

Cheng Shi patted his thigh and exclaimed, “This temper of his is something else! If I had known, I would have insisted on asking for it and handed it in myself!”

The couple became silent, and Shaoshang huddled to the side, afraid to speak out.

“I have already said that we have a weak foundation. Ordinary gold pearls, beautiful jade, and even weapons and bronze vessels can be taken over without any harm, but the seal of authority and the map must not be kept.” Madam Xiao frowned and said to her husband, “It’s better for you to talk to him. It would be best if he hands it in.”

“What would be the best!” Cheng Shi said. “Songbai is so reckless, whether it’s been handed in or not now, I have to tell Old Madam Wan to beat her son up for a long time!”

Madam Xiao shook her head and sighed, then turned to her daughter. “Still eavesdropping…”

Shaoshang was waiting for that, and when she heard those words, she quickly said, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It was unintentional. Mother, if you punish me for this then I won’t tell you anything even if I hear it! …Ah, Father, don’t tell anyone what I heard under the bridge or tell Uncle Wan that I told you the secret, otherwise how can I visit them in the future!”

The idol had spoken and the hardcore personal guard, General Cheng, naturally took the order. “Yes, yes,” he hurriedly said, “how can you be wrong this time? If Songbai hasn’t handed over the map yet, it’s all up to Niao Niao to report the situation. To avoid bad things, it’s worth the reward! …Niao Niao, don’t worry, I’ll say I heard it from somewhere else and it has nothing to do with you.”

Madam Xiao secretly sighed. She actually didn’t want to scold her daughter at all; she just wanted to know why she had been under the bridge. Oh, forget it.

On the other side of the room, Cheng Shi had already moved to his little daughter with a smile, and entrusted the idea that had already been discussed at home –

“Really?!” Shaoshang was overjoyed. “I can really go with Third Uncle and Aunt when they take office?!”

“Naturally!” Cheng Shi said proudly. “Haven’t you always wanted to go out and take a look? There are really beautiful things in the capital city. If you go out and take a look at the beautiful mountains and rivers, then the sky will be high and the clouds will be wide. Fish will leap and eagles will fly! You’ll leave after your Uncle Wan’s family banquet.”

Shaoshang was overjoyed. She tugged at her father’s sleeve and thanked him. She praised him, who was the best father in the world, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the man next door, Ali, who killed pigs.

[Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors is the earliest system of Chinese histiography.]

Madam Xiao silently watched the father and daughter boast to each other without joining in.

She knew in her heart that her husband was afraid that during the time he will be gone, their daughter would suffer losses in her own hands and her sons might not be able to stop her. Therefore, she entrusted her younger brother and sister-in-law in advance and her husband would pick her up when he returned.

Looking up, although the wound on her daughter’s face had not yet healed, she was full of vitality and energy, much livelier and more energetic than when she had been at home. Madam Xiao felt inexplicably lost, as if someone had snatched something from her palm.

After her tip-off was completed, Shaoshang divided the wine given to her by the Thirteenth Sister into three parts. The first one belonged to Father Cheng, the second to show filial piety to her Third Uncle who would be supporting her in the coming months, and the third was to offer gratitude to the three brothers and ask for another exorcism spell from Cheng Shaogong.

“These days have been really smooth sailing!” Shaoshang was beaming with joy. “Uncle Wan, Aunt Wan, Grandmother, and Qiqi treated me so well. Just now, Mother actually said, ‘I need to recuperate now, and I will be punished slowly when I go out with Third Aunt.’”

She shimmied over to Cheng Shaogong’s side, flattering him and saying, “Third Brother, you can draw me another talisman on the way. This time, you can draw more powerful and supernatural spells. You need to turn misfortune into good fortune, and in times of adversity, the weather will be smooth, and everyone loves each other…”

Cheng Shaogong rolled his eyes. “Do you want to be able to pick up gold on the road?”

Shaoshang was both surprised and delighted, knowing that she had a shallow understanding of this. “Is there such a talisman in the world? Then… give me two!”

“Like hell I will! I’ll give you two more wooden slips to write as punishment!”

Cheng Yong and Cheng Song, who were drinking with each other, burst out laughing at those words. Shaoshang deliberately kept a straight face, but her head was like cotton candy. She didn’t think Director Xiao was all that bad. At least she was good at raising sons, and her older brothers were all very good.

After delivering the wine, Shaoshang was about to go back. Unexpectedly, Elder Brother Cheng Yong stopped her on the porch. “The day after tomorrow,” he whispered, “I expect someone from the Yin family will come. When they apologize to you, you’ll have to look better.”

Shaoshang was taken aback. Only then did she realize that during her absence, Madam Yin had brought Yin Xu’e to their house several times to apologize, and the elders of the two families held no grudges against each other. Sure enough, the day after she returned home, Madam Yin arrived and brought her daughter to visit.

Seeing Yin Xu’e startled Shaoshang again.

At the beginning Yin Xu’e was like a delicate and reserved phoenix flower, picky and slow, arrogant and proud. Now she had become a low-key and simple little cabbage, with smooth eyebrows and soft eyes. Unlike the happy Shaoshang who had been on vacation these days, Yin Xu’e was clearly well put together and organized, as if she had grown up overnight.

After the greetings, Madam Yin, Madam Xiao, and Madam Sang went into the house to discuss adult topics. Unfortunately, Cheng Yang was checking the crops for spring at the estate and had not yet returned. Only Shaoshang and Yin Xu’e sat face to face, speechless.

“…I didn’t think about it, your injury hasn’t healed yet.” In the end, it was Yin Xu’e who couldn’t help but speak first.

Shaoshang touched her face and gave a bitter smile. “I didn’t expect it to take so long, either.” This piece of leather looked good, but the quality was poor. Healing was crawling along at a snail’s pace.

“What about your injury? I didn’t hold back that day.”

Yin Xu’e looked ashamed. “It only hurt for three or five days,” she said. “Everything is recovered now.”

Shaoshang thought that if she knew her injury would take so long to heal, she would’ve hit her a couple more times.

“…It’s all my fault.” Yin Xu’e was full of sincerity. “In this world, there’s so much suffering, and there is no life without worries. I’ve learned about my mother’s past…” She suddenly choked up. “It’s full of blood and tears. I really don’t know how my mother survived! If someone ridiculed my mother for having no parents like I did to you, I would have skinned that person alive!”

Shaoshang silently handed over a silk handkerchief and Yin Xu’e took it to wipe away her tears. “My mother hasn’t had to remember the sad things for many years. It’s all because of me. My mother cried for several nights on end and became sick. My father, sister, and brothers all blamed me, saying that I was cold, heartless, and ungrateful…”

Shaoshang didn’t expect that she had pushed the right buttons and she didn’t know if she should be proud or worried.

“Today, I sincerely apologize to my younger sister. It’s all because I was too proud and mean to be aware of what I did. In the future, I will definitely make all the necessary changes.” Yin Xu’e bowed respectfully to Shaoshang.

Shaoshang quickly responded with a bow of her own. “This… I’m also at fault.” This was really hard to say!

Seeing that Shaoshang couldn’t continue, Yin Xu’e took over the conversation and said with a smile, “In a few days, the Wan family will be holding a banquet. Uncle Wan has always been grand and generous. This banquet will definitely be lively and interesting. Let’s play together then.”

The corner of Shaoshang’s mouth twitched. “Mother said that if my face hasn’t healed yet, I won’t be able to go,” she said dryly. “Otherwise, if I go out with this face and people see it, the story of your fists and feet will be spread all over the capital. You would have to bring your personal guards to see other girls.”

Yin Xu’e was both embarrassed and wanted to laugh. “Aunt Xiao is really a considerate person…”

“Our mothers are all good people. But for us, it seems like good bamboo shoots have produced bad ones.”

Upon hearing the words ‘bad ones,’ Yin Xu’e covered her mouth with her sleeves and began to laugh. Shaoshang mischievously shook out her sleeves, and the two of them smiled at each other. Finally, this chapter of their childhood had ended.

As Yin Xu’e smoothed out her dress, she looked forward and stuttered. “Fortunately, there is only one bad bamboo shoot in the family. My sister and brothers are all very good, Shaoshang, your cousin and brothers are also very good.”

Shaoshang nodded. “Of course! My elder brothers are great! I wouldn’t exchange them for the mountains of gold that are all over the city.”

In the compartment outside the Nine Zhui Hall, Cheng Yong sat quietly and heard the cheerful laughter of the girls inside. Knowing that everything was okay, he finally turned to leave. This was a great outcome. Until his little sister leaves home, there would be no reason for his mother and sister to fight again.

Having settled the grievances with Yin Xu’e, Shaoshang felt extremely relaxed. If she thought about it, she would be leaving the city soon for a long journey, which had a free and easy meaning of ‘smile away the grievances, and the rivers and lakes will be calm.’ She didn’t know if it was because of Cheng Shaogong’s magic stick was working, but the day before the Wan family hosted the banquet, General Cheng’s youngest daughter was finally no longer a pig’s head.

On the day of the banquet, the Wan family mansion was draped in brocades and colors, and the guest’s rubbed shoulders with each other while coming and going. Wan Songbai stood at the main entrance to greet the guests, his hands resting on his fat belly, smiling broadly, but walking with a slight limp on one leg.

Shaoshang whispered to Wan Qiqi, “Didn’t Uncle fully recover from his leg injury? Why is it like that again?”

“I don’t know why, but Father angered Grandmother,” Wan Qiqi lowered her voice. “The day after you left, Grandmother became inexplicably angry and asked the guards to hold Father in the garden. She beat him so hard! That wide board…” She clapped her two hands together. “It was slapping and slapping and now his leg is like that again…”

Shaoshang looked towards Uncle Wan, who had treated her well, and felt guilty seeing him limping.

Wan Qiqi was very active and unable to hold an indoor banquet, nor did she like to drink rice wine and discuss Fù. Instead, she created a space in the backyard to place various entertainment items, ranging from cuju to throwing pots, and even set up several sets of bows and arrows, along with targets.

The girls took to their respective interests; some sat quietly on the porch to enjoy the fire, eat and drink, or chat with each other, while others decided to play some of the games laid out.

“… It’s said that Sister Xu’e is talented in both literature and martial arts. Why not have a game with me today?” Wan Qiqi raised her chin, holding a bow in her hand, and pointed to a distant arrow target.

Yin Xu’e was now reformed and unaffected. She smiled and said, “Where did that come from? My little sisters are just being polite. My arrows could not reach such a distant target.”

Wan Qiqi angrily lowered her bow.

That was the fourth time she tried to verbally provoke Yin Xu’e and was also the fourth time she had hit cotton wool and made no progress – she couldn’t help but wish that Yin Xu’e remained steadfast and unchanged. Life moved on but, without a rival, it really was lonely like snow.

Since the two largest personalities failed to come to a disagreement, the girls ate and drank in the garden and had a great time, until the last group of gorgeously dressed aristocratic women arrived late, and the atmosphere in the garden changed again.

The young woman had a full moon face, rosy lips, high eyebrows, and a frivolous expression. She was surrounded by a group of girls dressed in silk and brocade.

Shaoshang compared the two and felt that this person was more imposing than Yin Xu’e had been when they first met. Because Yin Xu’e didn’t deliberately accept flunkies but was flattered by them when they all got together. This one in front of her was clearly an organized leader of this little gang.

The young girl smiled. “Qiqi,” she said, “why didn’t you come to greet me?”

Wan Qiqi’s face darkened, but she remembered her identity as host today and came forward to greet her.

Although Wan Songbai had both meritorious and noble achievements, as well as wealth and power, he was far from reaching the first-class aristocratic family in the court and it was impossible to capture all the powerful figures of the dynasty. This time, the banquet guests could only invite families related to his own family. Unfortunately, Wang Ling’s father was among one of them.

Shaoshang stood next to Yin Xu’e. “Who is that?”

“That’s the daughter of General Che Ji, Wang Ling. She’s also the niece of the Empress…” She thought for a moment and added, “Watch.”

“I don’t think Thirteenth Sister is very happy to see her.” A blind man could see that.

Yin Xu’e curled her lips. “I’m not happy to see her either. She loves to cling to nobles the most, and she’s a gloomy and hateful person.”

“Have you ever been bullied by her?” Shaoshang grit her teeth and sneered.

“I’m fine,” Yin Xu’e bit her lip. “My father has no contact with her family. But I have a few good friends who have suffered because of her. It’s just that their family is weaker, so they were humiliated without fault.”

“You’ve also humiliated me,” Shaoshang joked. “You two should never work together, it would be catastrophic.”

Yin Xu’e pretended to hit her, thinking of her previous behavior. “If I want to be difficult, I at least need a plate of golden bird’s nest dates as a pretext. But she…” She gave a disdainful look. “There are only two types of people in Wang Ling’s eyes. Either they need to be flattered and wooed, or they can be bullied and manipulated. It all depends on whether there is power or not.”

“She’s so shallow.” Shaoshang shook her head. “Power is not black and white. In my family, although my father’s official rank isn’t as good of that as General Wang’s, and there is no Empress as a relative, why should I flatter her if I only ask for her?” Official rank didn’t represent everything, but it also depended on the family status and official authority, as well as whether they were highly valued by the emperor. What if the emperor only wanted to give a high salary for retirement?

“Who says it’s not!” This sentence was suitable for Yin Xu’e; the more she looked at Shaoshang, the more pleasing she was to her. Although her father was not in an important position, the emperor had always treated the Yin family very well, and often said in front of people, ‘Yin Zhi is an honest gentleman.’

Wang Ling wrinkled her nose, as if she smelled something bad, looked critically at the garden and said, “Is this how you treat me? Such a simple layout is not as good as a restaurant.”

“My humble abode is too simple for you to come with such a big presence! But it’s not the first time we’ve met, you should know how I like to entertain,” Wan Qiqi said nonchalantly. “Since you don’t like my house, what are you even doing here today?!”

Wang Ling ignored those words. “I heard that Eleventh Lang was here today?”

Wan Qiqi was stunned for a moment, but her mind was spinning fast, and she immediately smiled. “He’s here? I didn’t know.”

Wang Ling’s face changed and another slightly younger round-faced girl appeared behind her. “Don’t deny it! We’ve all inquired about it! Eleventh Lang is here!”

Wan Qiqi deliberately hesitated. “So what if he did or didn’t come, what does it have to do with me? I don’t want to see him. Oh, it’s little A’Li! You came out with Wang Ling today to see Eleventh Lang, does your mother know?”

Shaoshang laughed loudly. They turned out to be a group of star-chasing girls!

The girl named A’Li blushed when Wan Qiqi mentioned her. Upon seeing the situation, Wang Ling hurriedly said, “Don’t implicate A’Li. Let me know if you have anything to say! We just heard that your father was taking the children who came out today to the martial arts arena. We want to go and watch the excitement. This is your home, and we don’t want to intrude. That’s why we came to ask you.” After saying this, the girls around her agreed.

Wan Qiqi smiled. “I just moved into this new house a while ago,” she said. “Where is the martial arts arena? Hmm, where is it…” She deliberately didn’t answer and teased around the bush.

Wang Ling was not easy to provoke. Seeing Wan Qiqi procrastinating, her eyes turned, and she saw Shaoshang standing beside her. She smiled. “Stop making excuses. This is for the best. If not for us, do it for the Cheng sister you have now! Sister Shaoshang, come here, come to us. Don’t you want to see Eleventh Lang?”

Shaoshang was enjoying leisurely watching the events unfold with Yin Xu’e. When her name was called unexpectedly it took a moment for her to realize she had also been a part of this group of brainless star-chasing girls!

“Eleventh Lang…” She trailed off with a laugh, trying to recall the name. She couldn’t think of it. “I don’t want to see him,” she said.

“I’ve heard for a while that since General Cheng and his wife returned, Sister Shaoshang no longer plays with her former sisters,” Wang Ling sneered. “However, as the tide rises, the boat rises high and now she wants to socialize with families like the Wan and Yin families. Her former playmates were affectionate but if you lose them, you lose them. I hate those who don’t know the inside story and think that Sister Shaoshang is following the trend, turning her face, and denying others. But we naturally know that Sister Shaoshang is not such a person!”

Yin Xu’e didn’t want to interrupt but she remembered her mother’s embarrassment of having no guidance from her parents when she was young. Her face sank and she said, “Wang Ling, don’t talk about that. You want to see Eleventh Lang? Just go and meet him yourself. Shaoshang used to be young and ignorant, and she didn’t know how to choose friends. Now that she has the guidance of her parents, it’s naturally different.”

Wang Ling was about to retort when suddenly a young man’s voice came through –

“A’Li! Why are you here?”

The girls immediately turned to look and saw a young man in splendid attire with a feather arrow on his back, standing at the entrance of the garden, looking around in surprise.

Shaoshang glanced over. Wasn’t that Lou Yao from the Hedong Lou family, whose fiancé was very powerful?

As soon as A’Li saw Lou Yao, she let out a scream and hurriedly hid behind the other girls. Lou Yao took a few steps forward and pulled the girl out. “A’Li,” he scolded, “Aunt didn’t allow you to come, and you actually snuck out…”

“Cousin… please, spare me…” Lou Li pleaded. “Don’t tell Mother!”

Lou Yao showed no mercy for his younger cousin and said he was going to drag her to find his own carriage, so that he could pack her up and send her home.

Wang Ling stepped forward and pulled, saying in a sharp voice, “This isn’t your business! Let go of A’Li…” She was not weak, and with a single pull, Lou Yao’s sleeve was torn open. She couldn’t help but pause.

Lou Yao turned back around. “A’Li only learns bad things from you. Last time I heard you say that my aunt is biased towards my brothers and sisters. When I meet people, I cry and say that I’ve been bullied and not valued! It’s better to not see you at all!”

Wang Ling didn’t expect Lou Yao to say those words in front of everyone, which made her feel embarrassed.

However, her face was sour, and her heart was hard. “Have you ever been bullied?” she retorted. “Only you know it yourself. I can say whatever I want, you can’t control it! If it’s really a flat bowl of water, why should A’Li cry? Maybe…” She sneered coldly. “Maybe A’Li has been wronged!”

Lou Yao was so angry he was half-dead. “You’re talking nonsense!” he exclaimed. “Who bullied A’Li?! A’Li is the youngest in the family, how could we…”

Wang Ling was proud and became even more stingy. “Do you still have time to take care of A’Li? After more than ten years of being engaged, she broke off the engagement and has turned around to marry someone else. Gods know how unbearable and incompetent you are. That’s why Sister Zhaojun couldn’t wait. If I were you, I wouldn’t have the face to meet anyone!”

Lou Yao’s face turned red with anger. He pointed at Wang Ling, saying ‘You, you!’ The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy learned from his father and older brother to be calm and reticent, so he wasn’t good at arguing with a naughty girl like Wang Ling.

Seeing Lou Yao slumped, Wang Ling was proud and continued to Shaoshang, “Sister Shaoshang, you really don’t want to see Eleventh Lang? I heard you were captivated by him and threatened not to marry anyone else!” She began to laugh.

Shaoshang raised her eyebrows. “Am I the only one in the capital who claimed I wouldn’t marry anyone other than Eleventh Lang?” she asked. She had no idea who this person was, or if this Eleventh Lang was round or fat.

Wang Ling’s laughter ended abruptly.

“Not really!” Wan Qiqi laughed. “Half of the young ladies in the capital have said such a thing!”

Lou Li tried to peek her head out from under her cousin’s arm. “That’s different,” she said. “We’re fair and aboveboard, unlike you! You obviously like him in your heart but insist you don’t want to see Eleventh Lang! What hypocrisy!”

Wang Ling smiled again.

“So, have the women in this city who threatened not to marry anyone other than Eleventh Lang been ordered by their parents to marry anyway?” Shaoshang said lightly, face unchanged. “Are they all hypocritical and extreme?”

Yin Xu’e smiled. “They have indeed,” she said. “Eleventh Lang always refused, and they must get married either way. Many of them might be mothers by now.”

Shaoshang looked gratefully at Wan Qiqi and Yin Xu’e, reminding herself to not easily cause trouble again.

She turned her head to look at Wang Ling. “Sister Wang, there are a few people in the world who remain unchanged from childhood to adulthood. Some people love to eat fish when they’re young, but when they grow up, they don’t like it at all. Some are cowardly when they are young. I heard my elder brother say there was a great general who was always bullied by people when he was a child, and he couldn’t even speak back. But later, as his soldiers pointed out, he dominated the world. Is it so rare for people to change when they grow up?” She wished she had listened to the story seriously; she wouldn’t have forgotten the general’s name then.

Lou Yao unknowingly let go of his cousin’s arm and stared blankly at the slender girl.

“You’re actually putting gold on your face and comparing yourself to a general?” Wang Ling sneered. “Do you think you’re worthy?!”

Shaoshang ignored the provocation. “The sisters who played with me before may have looked down on me, or there may be other reasons, but they never corrected me when I made mistakes. They never helped me when I was in trouble. Some people made fun of my foolishness when I was cowardly. I no longer socialize with them, and my mother tells me that I will make good friends in the future. Now that I have made friends with the sisters of the Wan and Yin families, do you think I’m right this time?”

Wang Ling’s face stiffened and, as she was about to speak, Shaoshang rushed to say, “I know that Sister Wang is going to talk about attachment. So, I dare to ask all of you… haven’t you ever made friends with those who are higher than your own family? Is it true that if you make friends with sisters who are higher than your own family that it must be clinging?”

The girl’s expression was calm and her tone indifferent. The girls around her listened to her quietly.

Lou Yao remembered accompanying his elder brother to Mingtang to listen to great Confucian scriptures. It was like he was back there and Shaoshang was the most outstanding student there, talking eloquently, while the other students listened attentively.

“As for the Eleventh Lang…” Shaoshang smiled. “I used to be captivated but now I’m not. If you don’t believe me, I can make a poisonous oath…”

The girls who were surrounding Wang Ling were a bit embarrassed, with both a hint of joy for losing an opponent, and a hint of regret for losing an accomplice. Wang Ling stood there, with a gloomy face, and said nothing.

Shaoshang turned around and arched her hand mischievously towards the Wan and Yin daughters, saying with a smile, “Since my parents came back, these are the two differences in me. I don’t know whether this change is good or not…”

“It couldn’t be better!” Wan Qiqi took the lead in praising.

Yin Xu’e chuckled lightly, caressing her palm. “You keep getting better and better,” she said. “Good, good.”

The other girls in the garden finally reacted, fast or slow, loud or weak, and they all began to praise them one after another.

“Young Mistress Wang!” Lou Yao suddenly said. “I remember that when you were young, you were awfully close to the daughters of several generals under your grandfather’s command. Later, your grandfather was defeated. Although His Majesty forgave him and didn’t blame your family, those ladies’ families were still gradually left out. Why don’t you keep talking to them?”

“Lou Yao!” This directly poked Wang Ling’s sore spot. Her eyes were red, and she responded sharply, “You…”

“If you talk to A’Li again, I’ll…” Lou Yao had a bad tongue and couldn’t think of a powerful killing blow for a moment. In a flustered state, his gaze turned and he met Shaoshang’s clear eyes.

He suddenly became clear minded and loudly said, “I’ll ask my uncle and father to talk to General Wang. The Wang family insists on interfering in the Lou family’s affairs, what’s their intention?”

Wang Ling’s face turned green, then red, both resentful and shameless. In anger and embarrassment, she tossed her sleeves and left. The girls who surrounded her quickly followed her, leaving Lou Li standing there in a daze.

Wan Qiqi clapped her hands and laughed. “I haven’t told you where the martial arts arena is yet!” she shouted.

Yin Xu’e gave her a push and scolded with a smile, “It’s already been some time and you haven’t taken us to the banquet yet.”

Wan Qiqi almost couldn’t straighten up with a smile, holding Shaoshang in one hand and inviting the young ladies to the banquet with the other. Lou Yao arched his hands towards the remaining girls, thanked Wan Qiqi for the banquet, then grabbed Lou Li, who was still scolding and struggling, and left.

Amidst the laughter, the girls walked to the inner hall in twos and threes. No one noticed that although Shaoshang’s face was full of smiles, her eyes were cold. She wasn’t paying attention and turned back slightly to take a look in the direction where Wang Ling had left.

The only reason in this world she could endure being bullied was because she feared the consequences that would follow. If she had a way to eliminate the consequences, why not retaliate back?

Things of the past, such as death, were yesterday, and all things in the future, such as life, were today. She had the intention to start over again, but there was always someone who refused to let her go. She planned to set up a game to make people like Wang Ling suffer a little bit.

Just a little bit, really.

…

The Author’s Note for this chapter is simple; she would like to remind everyone that there are no perfect characters in this story.