Han Xiao stared coldly at her.
“So, are you satisfied now?”
“How could I possibly be satisfied?”
Qin Yimo sighed lightly.
“When I came here, I even guaranteed you were [beautiful inside and out], saying you definitely wouldn’t stoop to her level… Well, now I’ve been slapped in the face. With Sister Qin’s methods, she wouldn’t go so far as to hurt someone on purpose, but picking a fight? She can’t run from that… She’s even the moderator of my super-topic. If this blows up and people start talking, it’ll be a problem.”
After speaking, she calmly met Han Xiao’s gaze.
She really was a beautiful girl, with delicate features and fair skin…
But unfortunately, she was just too beautiful.
Whether it was boys or girls, including herself, whenever anyone spoke, their eyes couldn’t help but fall on her face.
As a fellow girl, Qin Yimo actually envied her quite a bit.
Or rather, “jealousy” was more accurate.
Everyone thought she was the precious daughter of the Qin family, so her life should be above others, lacking nothing, able to do as she pleased.
But only she knew her position in the family was far from secure.
No matter what, an adopted daughter could never become a true-born one.
Especially since she was already old enough to remember things when she was adopted.
She couldn’t even pretend she didn’t know she was adopted.
Not to mention, the family still had a big brother with real power, who had always kept a guarded attitude toward her arrival.
All these years, she’d been walking on thin ice, never daring to throw a tantrum, trying hard to play the role of the Qin family’s precious daughter, afraid her big brother would be dissatisfied with her.
In her original life trajectory, the life she had now was something she could only dream of.
But because of her adoption, she’d caught a glimpse of another world.
Suddenly, she realized—this was the life she truly wanted.
But she also knew, as long as her big brother didn’t accept her, she could be thrown back to her original state at any time.
So she had to show him her efforts, let him know she wasn’t just some lucky parasite who got adopted, but a little sister he could be proud of, someone he could introduce to others with her head held high.
She just hadn’t expected someone as flawless as Han Xiao to appear.
From the moment they met, the pressure had been overwhelming…
In the training camp, her background was bigger than anyone’s, but she worked harder than everyone else.
She won for two whole years, but at the very end, when she confidently invited her big brother to watch the finals, Han Xiao slapped her in the face.
If a child of the Qin family wasn’t number one, it meant nothing.
Han Xiao destroyed her two years of hard work.
Han Xiao!
Han Xiao!
Han Xiao!
She’d called that name in her heart countless times.
During those days, she listened to every song Han Xiao sang, watched every scene she acted in, trying to figure out why her own scores always fell short.
But what was the result?
Someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, Lu Qin ignored her self-recommendation, and they teamed up to embarrass her…
But Han Xiao refused to admit it.
If that’s how it was, then don’t blame her for turning her back without mercy.
***
“Then you should all the more go after her and comfort her. What if she does something stupid?”
Han Xiao’s face was expressionless.
“She’s even older than me, but she acts like she has no sense at all.”
“I just meant for you not to take it personally. Isn’t that clearly more beneficial than harmful?”
“That’s what I’m saying, isn’t it?”
“Isn’t that the case? In the entertainment industry, it’s always about profit above all else…”
“Your worldview really is in pieces.”
“No matter how fragmented, at least it’s out in the open.”
Qin Yimo was a bit unhappy inside, but she still kept a smile on her face.
“But I won’t force you. I just have some news I think you should know…”
“Isn’t that Sunshine Welfare Home a place you visit often?”
“What are you up to?”
Han Xiao’s heart suddenly sank.
Qin Yimo smiled and shook her head.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just giving you a heads-up—they’re going to redevelop that area, so they might have to move.”
“Qin! Yi! Mo!”
“I have nothing to do with this.”
Qin Yimo put on an innocent face.
“I don’t have any say in company matters, either. I only heard it from Second Brother. He knows you’re close to the welfare home, even tried playing the hero to save the beauty, but he doesn’t have the money. In S City, every inch of land is precious. There’s no way they’ll find another place to give you guys. So who knows what’ll happen? Most likely, they’ll have to move somewhere remote.”
“But I can give you a suggestion. If I help you promote it and call on fans to donate, this problem could be solved easily, and they could live more comfortably.”
“Would you really be so kind?”
Han Xiao’s face was so dark it looked like water could drip from it.
“Of course! As long as you forgive her.”
Han Xiao sneered.
“And what’s this? A threat?”
“It’s a deal.”
Qin Yimo smiled, correcting her wording.
“Even if it’s an ad, there should be compensation, right? Don’t you know what I’m worth now? You don’t have any real connections in the industry. If you don’t rely on me, and try to do it yourself, I’m afraid the welfare home will be buried in rotten eggs and vegetable leaves before any donations come in… A person’s greatest strength is self-awareness. Since you care so much about the kids at the welfare home, you won’t just sit by and do nothing, will you?”
Han Xiao frowned.
“Of course, you don’t have to agree now. My offer stands. What can I say, I just love my fans.”
After saying this, Qin Yimo didn’t linger any longer and turned to leave.
Jiang Ran couldn’t even enjoy the warmth of her brother’s embrace anymore.
She immediately broke free and said anxiously, “How come I didn’t know the orphanage was going to be demolished?!”
Xu Huo ruffled her hair.
“How could you possibly know? Maybe even Qin Nainai doesn’t know yet.”
“Unbelievable! All those real estate developers should be hung from street lamps!”
Jiang Ran hurriedly pulled out her phone and went to the balcony to make a call.
Xu Huo glanced at Han Xiao, then waved his hand in front of her face with a smile.
“Smile, will you? You look like you just ate a bitter melon…”
“And you’re still cracking jokes?”
Han Xiao didn’t realize she was actually complaining.
Clearly, Xu Huo had nothing to do with any of this.
The real culprit had just left.
She’d always been the type to ‘let the innocent stay innocent.’
Even in front of Sister Qin, she could always smile brightly… but she still couldn’t hold it in.
Xu Huo shrugged.
“I recorded the whole thing. I’ll send it to you, so they can’t twist your words out of context.”
“She’s not that stupid.”
The light in Han Xiao’s eyes flickered for a moment, but quickly dimmed again.
She actually hoped Xu Huo could do more…
“So what, you two are feeling sorry for each other now?”
Xu Huo pinched his nose with a look of disdain.
“That was some heavy tea just now… With all that money in the family, she still resorts to these petty tricks, it’s just downright disgusting.”
“If I forgive her, I’d just be a pushover. She wouldn’t be grateful to me; she’d be even more grateful to Qin Yimo… But if I don’t forgive her, she’ll think she’s not at fault, that she’s a righteous avenger, and that dealing with someone like me requires unconventional methods.”
It was a dead end.
“So? While Ranran’s not here, do you want to have a good cry? I can pretend not to see it… Or, if you’re willing to pay extra, you can borrow my shoulder and chest.”
Han Xiao glared fiercely at him, her facial muscles twitching as her expression twisted out of shape.
She didn’t know why, but whenever she was with him, she always felt especially violent, always wanting to hit, poke, or stomp on him.
How could he be so infuriating?
Xu Huo, seeing Han Xiao like this, turned his gaze out the window.
Some things he’d said, some he hadn’t.
“People like Qin Yimo, they talk all [gentle and soft], but when it comes to doing things, they’re very decisive… You know why?”
Xu Huo smiled, asking and answering himself, “Because the scariest people in the world aren’t those who simply do bad things. No matter how vicious their words, deep down they know they’re doing wrong. This sense of wrongdoing is a basic moral value recognized by society.”
“But it’s those with moral cultivation, ways of thinking, and academic credentials, who act without hesitation. Because they twist the very logic of moral and value judgments at the root, hypnotizing themselves into thinking their misdeeds are unavoidable.”
“And once they accept this necessity, they become even more resolute and ruthless in doing bad things than they are in doing good. Take the orphanage, for example. Normal people would never use this as leverage, but she would, because she knows it’s what gets to you most.”
“So… can you really swallow being bullied by someone like that?”
Xu Huo’s expression turned serious as he suddenly asked.
Han Xiao was stunned.
Her bright eyes shimmered, and reflected in them was Xu Huo’s silhouette.