Volume One, Chapter Five: It’s Best to Draw the Line from Here On

The ward was very quiet.

Lu Ning parted her lips but ultimately didn’t say a word; language felt utterly hollow at this moment.

After all, she had explained countless times before, yet her brother never believed her.

Lu Nanfeng’s throat moved slightly, and then he finally released her hand.

He looked at Lu Ning with disappointment. “If you continue to be stubborn, when our eldest brother returns, even I won’t be able to protect you. Think carefully about it.”

After saying that, Lu Nanfeng left.

Lu Ning seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and leaned back against the headboard.

There was self-mockery in her eyes. What else could she think?

Should she lower her head like in her past life, cautiously trying to appease them, only to be driven out of the house and locked away in a mental hospital to die a miserable death?

She absolutely refused.

“Here, take this!”

An ice pack wrapped in gauze appeared in front of her.

Lu Ning took the ice pack and pressed it against her bruised and swollen cheek. She glanced secretly at the man beside her and whispered, “Thank you for earlier.”

His voice was cool and distant. “Why didn’t you explain?”

Lu Ning lowered her head, revealing a bitter smile. “Believe it or not, I explained many times before, even showed evidence, but they never believed me. They just thought I was lying.”

The room fell into a brief silence.

Lu Ning didn’t want to explain too much; many outsiders simply thought she was disobedient.

“It’s hard not to doubt.”

Lu Ning was momentarily stunned. Did he really believe what she said?

Ji Chiqian stepped forward and placed his hand on her forehead. “Your fever has gone down.”

Lu Ning was startled. His hand was a little cool, very comforting.

She felt much better now, not as miserable.

She looked at his wrist. “Is that scar on your hand from the car accident too?”

Ji Chiqian’s hand suddenly paused, quickly withdrawing.

He removed the IV drip and, after a while, answered, “Yes, it’s from the car accident.”

He propped his hands on the edge of the table, still facing away from Lu Ning.

The light backlit his profile, making his expression hard to discern.

“I have one too, on my leg.”

Lu Ning pulled up her skirt a little. “Here—doesn’t it look a lot like your scar?”

Ji Chiqian glanced at her slender, fair-skinned leg, where the scar stood out starkly.

But her skirt seemed pulled up a bit too high, revealing more than it should.

He glanced once, then quickly turned his head away. “Child, don’t lift your skirt so carelessly in front of men.”

“But you’re a doctor.”

Ji Chiqian’s Adam’s apple moved slightly—he was a man after all.

“Has no one ever taught you these things?”

He continued, “That scar can be treated. Why haven’t you healed it?”

Lu Ning’s expression softened somewhat, though a sharp pain stabbed at her heart.

Because her third brother, Lu Xicheng, had said that scar represented their parents’ presence and that he would personally help her heal it when he had time.

She believed him.

But in the end, Lu Xicheng looked at the scar on her leg with disgust, saying he hated it and would never help her heal it.

He said she was the reason their parents died.

That scar was her brand, the mark of having caused their deaths, a lifelong reminder.

She was devastated, even truly believing she had caused their parents’ deaths, making her more humble and eager to please her brothers.

Recalling these memories, Lu Ning felt a suffocating ache.

But she couldn’t bring herself to voice this reason now, so she asked, “What about you? Why haven’t you healed yours?”

“I’m a man; it doesn’t matter to me. But for a young girl, it’s better to heal it.”

Lu Ning forced a bitter smile. “Maybe later.”

Seeing her lower her head, Ji Chiqian said no more.

He sat beside her and turned on the television.

Lu Ning noticed the screen showed a game livestream—and it was her sixth brother, Lu Liu, currently competing.

Her sixth brother had missed Qin Xiang’s banquet just for this competition.

But in the end, he lost to the young master of the Ji family from Beicheng.

Lu Ning recalled her previous life: after her sixth brother lost the match, he was harshly mocked by the opponent.

When he returned, furious, he reorganized the family’s esports team.

The second brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, sixth brother, and her.

Though they failed the preliminaries, there was a revival tournament.

They made a comeback through the revival rounds, and at the national competition, they faced Beicheng’s Ji family young master again.

Back then, she spent countless hours training in the game, studying the opposing team’s traits, and eventually won against them in the match.

Qin Xiang was not on the team.

Because Qin Xiang had little gaming talent, she was only a substitute who never played.

So Lu Ning loved the feeling of fighting alongside her brothers in the game, undisturbed by outsiders—just their family.

She was so focused on the esports competition that she even neglected studying for the college entrance exam.

But after they won a crucial round and the championship was within reach, her brothers stopped the match.

She was benched, replaced by Qin Xiang.

In the end, they won the championship and became national champions.

Her brothers stood on the winner’s podium with Qin Xiang, stepping on the fruits of her hard work.

Qin Xiang held the trophy that belonged to her, smiling happily among her brothers.

Watching the game footage on the television, Lu Ning felt as if a hole had been torn in her heart—one that could never be mended.

“What are you crying for? This isn’t a soap opera; is it worth getting so emotional?”

Lu Ning snapped back to reality, wiping away her tears.

She had lost control of her emotions after recalling her past life.

A piece of paper appeared before her, the man’s fingers long and elegant.

She took the paper, a bit embarrassed, looking at him. “Do you play this game?”

“Child, your most important task now is to prepare for exams, not play games.”

Ji Chiqian leaned lazily in his chair, not looking at her but focusing on the match.

Lu Ning also watched the game screen, speaking seriously. “The Lu Tian team will lose.”

The Lu Tian team was the one her sixth brother belonged to.

Ji Chiqian’s lips curled slightly, his tone calm. “Looks like you have good judgment.”

After the match ended, the Lu Tian team lost without surprise.

Lu Ning saw her sixth brother Lu Liu’s face on the livestream, extremely grim, even smashing his keyboard.

He had always been hot-tempered.

Seeing her sixth brother lose, she actually felt a bit happy.

When he returned, he would definitely rebuild the team—and this time, she wouldn’t play for the Lu family.

She wanted to fight for herself, become a professional player, make money, attend college, and support herself.

She no longer wanted to be threatened into obedience by cutting off her living expenses or be forced to give up her preferred university to attend the less prestigious one where Qin Xiang studied.

She wanted financial independence to break free from the Lu family’s control.

Though professional gaming wasn’t favored commercially now, with the rise of streaming next year, pro players could earn money through broadcasts.

For her, with experience from her past life, this was the fastest and easiest way to make money.

Lu Ning made this resolution silently.

After the livestream ended, Ji Chiqian glanced back, walked over, and removed the IV needle.

He took a cotton swab and pressed it on the back of her hand. “The medicine is on the table. Take it, and you can leave.”

“Thank you!”

Lu Ning took the medicine and left the infirmary.

No sooner had she left than a young man swaggered in, casually saying, “Brother Qian, rare to see you playing hero, but that girl’s reputation at school isn’t good—she’s been harshly criticized on the campus forum. Don’t let her fool you.”

Ji Chiqian leaned in his chair, less aloof and a bit more relaxed.

He replied casually, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

“I’m curious why you chose to be the school doctor at this high school, and why you didn’t even go to watch Xiao Ji Mo’s match live, causing him to be distracted looking for you and almost getting ambushed by the Lu family kid. Tell me why, and I’ll leave immediately.”

Ji Chiqian removed his mask and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a ugly scar.

Gu Zifeng’s expression darkened upon seeing it. “After all these years, you still haven’t let go? That car accident had nothing to do with you! Wait, could this girl be...”

“Shut up!”

Ji Chiqian closed his eyes to rest, ignoring the person beside him.