Volume 1 Chapter 25 An Eye for an Eye

Lu Ning raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp and defiant.

"I remember it very clearly," she said.

She would never forget.

Lu Ning shut the door firmly, having no desire to say anything more. Outside the door, Lu Nanfeng stood clutching the necklace, reflecting on what he had just said. A wave of regret washed over him. Yet, Lu Ning’s words had clearly been intentional. She was clever enough to understand his meaning; was she still angry?

Lu Nanfeng stared at the tightly closed door. *Lu Ning, what am I supposed to do with you?*

Lu Ning’s mood had soured. She shouldn't have held onto any naive hope that her brothers would see the light and be consumed by tearful regret. She had expected too much. She had underestimated the status Qin Xiang held in her second brother’s heart. He was moved to tears by a simple bowl of white porridge made by Qin Xiang, while the medicinal meals Lu Ning had meticulously prepared for years were treated like trash, worthless.

She would take back everything she had given. She would refuse to join her sixth brother’s esports team, stop making medicinal meals for her second brother, and cease maintaining the firewall security for her eldest brother. And as for her third, fourth, and fifth brothers—she would reclaim her efforts from them all, one by one.

After opening the gaming forum, Lu Ning discovered that the guide she had written a few days ago, "A Beginner’s Guide to Executing a Twelve-Hit Combo," had gone viral. While many had bookmarked it, the comments section was filled with people mocking her for being arrogant. Lu Ning didn't bother to retort; her guide was merely a summary of the experience she had gained from someone else in the past.

She received a private message. Checking the sender's profile, she realized it was her sixth brother’s account.

*Message: "Hey kid, remember stealing my boss last time?"*

Lu Ning remembered, of course. She had done it on purpose. She didn't reply.

A second message arrived: *"Ever thought about joining a professional team? The benefits are negotiable. I’m impressed by your mechanics; joining us would mean professional training!"*

Looking at the message, Lu Ning felt nothing but irony. Had her sixth brother finally realized that Qin Xiang was unreliable, and since he knew she wouldn't join the competition, he was looking for new recruits?

Lu Ning replied bluntly: "I refuse."

She logged off immediately after sending the message.

Lu Liu stared at the two words. For no reason, Lu Ning’s face flashed through his mind. Every time she refused him, she used the exact same words. Frustrated, Lu Liu shut down his computer. He felt deeply aggrieved, especially since he was living away from home because of her. He felt a pang of regret for hitting her on the day of the revival match, but his pride wouldn't let him back down—he was far too accustomed to his younger sister, Lu Ning, being the one to coddle him.

***

Time slipped away, and the final mock exams arrived. Lu Ning felt confident, believing she had done quite well. She handed in her paper early and left the classroom, taking a moment to catch some air in the playground.

When she returned, she found Qin Xiang slumped over her desk, sobbing. Her usual sidekicks were nowhere to be seen.

"Don't cry, Qin Xiang. We all believe you aren't the type to cheat."
"That's right, the teacher will surely uncover the truth and clear your name."
"Exactly, your grades are usually so good, Qin Xiang; there's no reason for you to cheat."

Hearing this, Lu Ning quickly pieced together what had happened. She had always suspected that Qin Xiang’s grades were falsified, as even her primary sidekick’s grades were decent. This hadn't happened in her previous life. It was likely that Qin Xiang had spent too much time on games and, desperate to keep her ranking looking respectable, had been forced to take a gamble.

In her past life, the truth had come out during the college entrance exams; Qin Xiang had performed poorly, scoring even lower than her second-tier sidekick. After the results were posted, Lu Ning had done very well. Qin Xiang had made excuses, claiming that Lu Ning had ruined her mood, causing her to fail. Lu Ning had endured the cold violence of her brothers for a long time, until her fourth brother suggested she apply to the same university as Qin Xiang, claiming it would be a way to "make amends" for ruining her grades. What kind of logic was that? Yet, in her past life, she hadn't dared to defy her brothers and had simply complied.

As Lu Ning recalled this, the primary sidekick stormed into the classroom and confronted Qin Xiang: "I was the one who was supposed to cheat, so why am I the one facing disciplinary action?"

Qin Xiang replied through her tears, "I didn't cheat! Why are you slandering me? I didn't tell you to write that note!"

"It was you! Why won't you admit it, Qin Xiang? Aren't we best friends? Why would you stab me in the back?" The sidekick was nearly hysterical; with a disciplinary record now, what would happen to her college entrance exam?

Qin Xiang, however, maintained an innocent expression, and the others around them began to blame the sidekick for making false accusations.

Qin Xiang remained incredibly calm; she knew she would be fine. The teachers and students would only believe her word.

The sidekick looked at Lu Ning in despair. "I finally understand how you felt. Qin Xiang is a snake in the grass. She pretends to be a saint, but she's actually a venomous widow!"

Lu Ning wore a mocking expression. The sidekick had finally figured it out.

The sidekick rushed to her side. "You must know the truth, right? Qin Xiang’s grades are usually terrible; I’m the one who does her homework. We were in the same room for the exam, and you passed by our classroom when you turned in your paper early—you must have seen it! Please testify for me!"

Lu Ning had always been at odds with Qin Xiang; she must have a way to help.

Qin Xiang’s brow furrowed slightly. Surely Lu Ning couldn't know?

With a cold expression, Lu Ning pushed the sidekick’s hand away. "Everyone has seen how Qin Xiang conducts herself. How could you slander her for no reason?"

The sidekick’s face turned deathly pale. She clearly hadn't expected Lu Ning to say that.

Lu Ning remained calm. She was no saint; had she not suffered enough from the rumors these two sidekicks had spread about her in her past life? It was time for the sidekick to taste the bitterness she had once endured because of Qin Xiang.

With Lu Ning’s support, Qin Xiang instantly let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the sidekick with a wronged expression. "It's precisely because we were friends that I can't watch you make a mistake. If you just apologize to the teacher, I believe they will forgive you this once."

The second sidekick chimed in, "That's right, you shouldn't just go around slandering people."

The first sidekick looked at the second one and sneered, "My today will be your tomorrow. You’d better watch yourself."

The second sidekick looked uneasy. "What are you babbling about? You’re the one who wanted to cheat and got caught. You can't expect Xiangxiang to lie for you."

The first sidekick shouted, "Qin Xiang, do you really think I don't have proof? I'm going to expose the fact that your grades have always been faked. Let's see how you keep up this 'straight-A student' act!"

Qin Xiang’s expression changed instantly. Was this woman looking for death?

The homeroom teacher walked over. "Chen Hong, what evidence do you have?"

"I have proof on my phone. I’m the one who usually does Qin Xiang’s homework. And during the exam, when I passed the note to Qin Xiang, Lu Ning was passing by the classroom—she must have seen it."

The teacher turned to Lu Ning. "Did you really see it?"

Lu Ning pondered seriously. In truth, she hadn't paid much attention, but she did remember Qin Xiang turning her head.

Was this a perfect opportunity falling into her lap? If she said she saw it, would that be the end of Qin Xiang?