Chapter 25

Qiao An hadn't expected Gu Ting to actually eat something she had already eaten.
He was clearly so disgusted.
But after his moment of disgust, he still took it.
Just like his demeanor and actions in the kitchen the night before, as he ate, his eyes gradually narrowed, clearly satisfied and happy.
Listening to the system's mechanical voice in her mind: [Congratulations, host, mission accomplished]
Qiao An was utterly bewildered.
Is he sick?
Does he like eating someone else's leftovers?
When she tried to take the fried rice away, Gu Ting glared at her with his dark eyes. Although he didn't show an obvious glaring expression, she could still feel it, he was glaring at her.
With a complicated expression, Qiao An took the empty bowl to the kitchen, where she received a concerned look from her mother: "Are you still hungry? Young ladies shouldn't diet."
"Mhm, mhm." Qiao An nodded perfunctorily, then told Xu Hui about the incident where her classmate deliberately tried to disgust her by requesting a housekeeper. She sent the note with the phone number over and ran upstairs, picked up a pen, and started doing her homework!
Returning to high school, becoming younger, and taking care of herself early meant she could become even prettier in the future, but the most painful part was having to endure countless exams again.
And tomorrow was the monthly exam.
Qiao An could only cram at the last minute, trying to review as many example problems as possible.
The original host's memories hadn't disappeared, they were all handed over to her. However, applying them was somewhat difficult. Having been away from high school for many years, her thinking had dulled a bit.
But fortunately, her memory was still quite solid, almost like an open-book exam.

The school's monthly exams weren't very formal, and the schedule was tight.
Two exams in the morning and two in the afternoon left the students with no time to chat with friends.
Qiao An was also alone.
The original host had been quite popular before, but after that incident, everyone viewed Qiao An with a certain strangeness and discomfort. Now that this Qiao An was not the same as the previous one, she decided it was better to treat them as strangers.
A small incident occurred during the exam.
During the break after one exam, Qiao An went to the restroom. On her way back, she bumped into a girl head-on.
It happened to be Bi Jiabei, who was tall and bony. The collision made Qiao An's left shoulder ache sharply, and she staggered back two steps. When she looked up, she saw Bi Jiabei towering over her by a head, looking down at her with a provocative, mocking expression: "Shorty!"
Qiao An: "!!!"
Qiao An gritted her teeth, about to get angry, when suddenly a short female teacher turned the corner. She was about the same height as Qiao An, also quite thin, appearing petite and delicate. She was pretty but dressed very formally at school.
As she walked over, she happened to hear those two words. Her eyes behind her glasses instantly sharpened as she stared at Bi Jiabei.
The gaze felt like needles on her back.
This time, it was Bi Jiabei’s turn to be horrified.
Her face changed slightly, quickly showing a hint of embarrassment. She lowered her head and was about to leave.
The female teacher said sternly, "The next subject is about to start. Why are you standing here instead of preparing?"
At these words, Bi Jiabei ran even faster.
Qiao An also hurried toward the exam hall, though her heart still ached faintly from those two words.
In her previous life, she hadn’t been short, and the original owner of this body wouldn’t have stayed this height forever. She remembered the original owner was over 160 cm tall, with a great figure, wearing office attire, she’d be a stunning career woman.
But she was only seventeen now; there was still time to grow.
Suddenly, an idea struck Qiao An, and she asked the system, [How many points do I have now?]
The system replied, [A total of 6,500 points, Host. You’ve completed three tasks and achieved a small milestone reward. Would you like to use it?]
There was such a perk?
Ever since Qiao An first saw the items in the system mall, all priced with strings of zeros, she had given up entirely. After all, she couldn’t afford them, so she simply stopped looking.
Used to living frugally, she had always suppressed her desire to shop.
Today, Bi Jiabei had ignited that shopping urge, and Qiao An couldn’t resist asking. Hearing about the reward, she immediately felt like she’d missed out on a fortune: "Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
The system replied seriously, [Host, you had exams today. To avoid distracting you and reducing your study time, I waited for you to ask first.]
Qiao An paused, thinking the system made a fair point, and skipped over the issue, saying, [Use it.]
Soon, a semi-transparent lucky wheel appeared before her eyes, with the words [Free Spin] written in the center. On the dozens of segments of the wheel, a few items were sporadically labeled: [Slimming and Shaping Pill, Whitening Pill, Eye-Brightening Solution…]
All premium items.
Of course, most of the slots read: Thank You for Your Patronage.
Qiao An felt a pang of frustration. Just as she was silently lamenting, she leaned in closer and spotted a few words in a tiny corner of the wheel: [Intelligence Pill]!!!
Her eyes lit up.
But when she considered the minuscule probability, smaller than a fingernail’s edge, she gave up hope. Qiao An pouted, her finger hovering over the wheel, too hesitant to tap.
They were all great items.
But the odds were just too slim.
Because of this, Qiao An couldn’t bring herself to spin it.
"Ah, Qiao An! I just heard Bi Jiabei is planning to cause trouble for you after school, she’s waiting for you at the school gate!" Lei Xiao’s anxious voice rang out as she rushed over, plopping down on the chair next to Qiao An. Leaning in, she accidentally bumped into Qiao An’s arm.
Qiao An watched as her finger touched a screen that no one else could see.
Immediately, the roulette wheel began spinning on its own.
Qiao An: "!!!"
She instantly grew tense.
Lei Xiao, unable to see the roulette wheel, thought she was scared. His originally hurried expression turned fearful as he bit his finger and said, "Qiao An, um, why don’t you have your family come pick you up?"
Qiao An glanced at the still-spinning wheel, then looked away and smiled at Lei Xiao. "It’s fine, I have a way."
"Thank you for coming to tell me."
Lei Xiao immediately grew bashful, smiling sheepishly. "I just overheard it by accident. Good luck on your exam, I’m heading back now."
"Mm."
Lei Xiao walked away with light steps, having come all this way just to say those few words to her. They weren’t in the same exam room.
Just then, the roulette wheel finally stopped.
Qiao An held her breath, her eyes fixed intently on the space before her. She watched as the red needle, after several wobbles, finally landed on, [Rebound Armor].
Immediately, a piece of clothing as thin and transparent as a cicada’s wing appeared in Qiao An’s hand, invisible, but tangible.
The system explained: [Rebound Armor: All damage inflicted on the wearer will be partially reflected back to the attacker. Would you like to equip it?]
"Equip!" Qiao An nodded decisively.
Once she left the school and got into the Gu family’s car, she wouldn’t have to worry as long as she was safe on campus.
Originally, Qiao An had planned to have a teacher wait discreetly nearby. When Bi Jiabei brought people to bully her, the teacher would step in and catch them red-handed. The original host was a good student, and protecting students on campus was the teacher’s responsibility.
Even if Bi Jiabei had connections, it wouldn’t matter.
But now, that plan was unnecessary.
As soon as she nodded, the weight in her hand vanished. Then, a brief, cool touch brushed against the back of her exposed hand, fleeting, yet it instantly filled her with a greater sense of security than before.
The roulette had spun, and Qiao An was halfway satisfied. But still bothered by the comment about her height, she decided to check the system’s shop.
Unfortunately, everything in the shop was too expensive. Inflation was severe, and she still couldn’t afford anything.
Just then, the system kindly reminded her: [Host, the shop refreshes a 10-minute limited-time discount every day at midnight.]
Qiao An: [Why didn’t you mention this earlier?]
[This system assumed the host didn’t need it.] The system replied innocently.
The previous Qiao An had been too laid-back, completely ignoring the system, what else could it do?
Qiao An gritted her teeth.

The four exams were over.
Qiao An was utterly exhausted, completely drained, with nothing left to give. Her head even throbbed faintly with pain.
She had overexerted her mind, desperately sifting through the original host’s memories to extract the scant knowledge needed in the short exam time.
For almost every subject, she hadn’t finished, there simply wasn’t enough time.
Except for Chinese.
Qiao An yawned, listlessly making her way toward the school gate.
She had completely forgotten what Lei Xiao said during the exam break, her only thought being to go home and rest properly in bed, until her path was blocked.
They were right between the school gate and the teaching building, with many students coming and going around them. The large trees lining both sides of the path conveniently obscured their figures.
Qiao An froze mid-yawn, forcing it to a halt. Her nose tingled with sourness, and tears welled up in her eyes, a little more, and she might have cried on the spot.
Bi Jiabei sneered at the girl who, even before anything had started, already had slightly reddened eyes, looking pitiful. She scoffed, "Here we go again. Can't you go a single day without pretending?"
The classmates passing by all subtly stopped not far away, their gazes fixed on the scene as if they were enjoying some drama.
Was a confrontation about to break out?
How bold, daring to cause trouble at school.
Everyone knew how strict No. 1 High School was.
Qiao An blinked in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Bi Jiabei widened her eyes, took two steps forward, and pushed her, saying smugly, "Can't I just dislike you?"
She shoved hard against Qiao An's shoulder, intending to make her stumble awkwardly. But as soon as she exerted force, the person in front of her remained unmoved. Instead, she was bounced back by Qiao An's rigid posture and stumbled backward two steps in surprise.
Bi Jiabei: "??? What's going on?"
How was she so steady on her feet?
Dou Xinlan also widened her eyes, suddenly sensing an ominous intuition, perhaps this time, Bi Jiabei wouldn't come out on top either?
Qiao An recalled the reward she had drawn and chuckled inwardly. On the surface, she looked utterly innocent and even boldly took a step forward. "I don't know. What's wrong with you?"
Bi Jiabei was frustrated but grew wary of Qiao An. She had used quite a bit of force just now, yet Qiao An seemed to be hiding her true strength?
For a moment, she hesitated to act again.
But she wasn't alone. Besides Dou Xinlan, there was also a girl with yellow hair, wearing large silver earrings and an arrogant expression. She swaggered over and kicked Qiao An, cursing, "You little bitch, what are you pretending, ah!"
Her arrogant words were cut short as her leg, upon making contact with Qiao An's, was suddenly struck with intense pain. It felt as if she had kicked a wall, the agony so sharp that tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She hunched over, clutching her leg, her face contorted as she slowly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, the girl who had been kicked stood there completely unharmed.
As if she hadn't suffered any injury at all.
Qiao An truly felt no harm, only a slight sensation where her leg had been kicked. The neutralizing effect of the force was simply invincible!
Bi Jiabei and Dou Xinlan both fell silent in unison.
The former eyed Qiao An suspiciously. "What did you put on your body?"
Qiao An pursed her lips into a faint smile and shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
She calmly walked past them.
Bi Jiabei's eyes sharpened, and in that instant, she struck out, aiming an elbow at Qiao An's back.
If that hit had landed, she would surely have been sprawled on the ground for quite some time.
The surrounding onlookers let out a low gasp.
Yet Qiao An showed no reaction at all. Instead, Bi Jiabei’s face turned deathly pale the moment her elbow collided with Qiao An. She immediately clutched her throbbing elbow in pain.
It felt as though she had struck steel. With so many tendons and nerves in the elbow, the impact was so painful she nearly suffocated.
Dou Xinlan’s expression completely changed. She instinctively took a step back, avoiding Qiao An’s gaze, and supported Bi Jiabei. "Sister Bi, let’s go back first?"
Bi Jiabei didn’t speak for a long while, grimacing in pain as cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Just like the girl still clutching her leg on the ground, her face was drained of color and took a long time to regain warmth. Gnashing her teeth, she cursed, "Damn! Is she a damn porcupine or what?"
Dou Xinlan nodded doubtfully, "Possibly."
"Possibly my ass!" Bi Jiabei snapped irritably. She looked up at Qiao An’s retreating figure, a trace of fear flickering in her eyes.
At that moment, Qiao An was sitting in the Gu family’s car, her eyes closed as she asked the system, [Will anyone notice this?]
This ability was just too overpowering.
She had previously wanted an Intelligence Pill, but with this, the Intelligence Pill didn’t even matter anymore.
The system replied calmly, [Host, don’t worry. No one will suspect anything.]
Qiao An breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as the car sped along, the system issued another task: [Task 4: In 20 minutes, the antagonist Gu Ting will be injured. Please reverse the outcome. Reward: 10,000 points.]
Qiao An’s drowsy eyes snapped open instantly, her muddled mind clearing rapidly. Looking at the scenery outside, she realized they were still about twenty minutes away from the Gu residence!
"Uncle Zhang, could you drive a little faster, please?" Qiao An said.
The driver immediately nodded and accelerated.
However, the road was filled with cars picking up students after school, especially on a Friday when all the students were heading home. The traffic was heavy, and it was impossible to speed up much.
Wait.
Friday?
Qiao An’s expression sharpened as she realized why Gu Ting would run into trouble.
Gu Ting’s younger brother, Gu Ze, who was two years his junior, attended a private elite school and was in the same grade as Qiao An. Today was also his day off.
He usually lived with the second branch of the Gu family, which was closer to the school, and only came over on Fridays.
As soon as Qiao An thought of this, she felt a wave of agitation.
Every time Gu Ze left, Gu Ting would lose a noticeable amount of weight, occasionally even running a fever or being scolded by Grandfather Gu.
In the storyline, Gu Ze deeply resented his older brother because, when they were children, his insistence on going to an amusement park had led to their parents’ deaths.
[Three minutes remaining, ] the system prompted coldly.
Qiao An’s heart tightened.
But seeing that they were already near the villa community, she felt slightly reassured.
[One minute, ] The car smoothly entered the community.
[10 seconds, ]
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Qiao An had already opened the door and leaped out. Moving nimbly, she dashed straight toward the backyard, following the system’s directions.
[1.]
The countdown ended.
Just as Qiao An reached the entrance of the backyard, she saw a boy who bore some resemblance to Gu Ting but had phoenix-like eyes and wore a small silver hoop earring on his ear cartilage, giving off a slightly rebellious aura. He was currently staring coldly at a swaying swing.
On the swing, Gu Ting’s face showed a rare trace of panic and helplessness, as if he wanted to get down, but the swing was swinging too high.
Qiao An had only glanced at him, unable to react in time, when she saw the sinister boy curl his lips into a smirk, his eyes growing colder. At the same time, he tightly gripped the base of the swing and exerted force,
The boy on the swing abruptly leaned forward and fell!
Everything happened within a second, swift and decisive.
After a dull "thud," Gu Ting hit the ground, his body bouncing slightly. A faint "crack" was heard, but he made no sound as he lay there, slowly curling into a ball.
Qiao An was stunned by the scene, her mind exploding with shock, almost cursing: "Psycho!"
But she didn't.
She was left speechless, not even a scream escaping her, her legs going weak. Luckily, she managed to steady herself against the wall.
Qiao An took a moment to calm down, clutching her racing heart, and noticed that Gu Ting hadn't fallen on the gravel path in the middle. Her heart, which had turned cold, revived slightly.
At the same time, the system emotionlessly announced: [Task failed.]
[Triggered Task 5: The villain Gu Ting has injured his right hand. Please take on the task of feeding Gu Ting during this period. Reward: 100,000 points.]
Qiao An's near-breakdown state suddenly halted: ???
Was the task wrong? It failed, yet the reward was even greater?
A wicked thought crossed her mind.
The system remained silent.
Qiao An pursed her lips in disappointment, wiped the cold sweat brought on by fear, and quickly ran to Gu Ting's side.
His white clothes were already covered in weeds, dirtied and no longer as pristine, which made his face appear even paler.
His neck was red, veins bulging. As he lay on his right side, his injured hand was hidden. He gritted his teeth tightly from the pain but still didn't make a sound.
Qiao An wanted to help him up but didn't dare to touch him, afraid she might hurt him further.
A sinister, cold laugh sounded by her ear: "Not dead yet, what are you afraid of?"