Chapter 29

By the time Qiao An had brushed up on all her high school knowledge, half a month had passed.
The cast on Gu Ting's right wrist was removed ahead of schedule. The family doctor of the Gu family exclaimed in astonishment, "This recovery speed is incredible!"
Gu Ting expressionlessly flexed his nimble wrist, offering neither thanks nor a smile to the doctor, making him seem rather unlikable, as if the doctor were performing a one-man show.
Gu Ze leaned against the doorframe of Gu Ting’s room, his gaze icy as he remarked coolly, "You really are quite lucky."
"…"
The room fell silent for a moment. Gu Ting lifted his eyes to look at him, then quietly lowered his head, his hidden hand nervously picking at the bedsheet behind him.
When Qiao An entered, this was the scene she encountered.
She had rushed upstairs as soon as she got out of the car. Though it was only a few steps, her delicate constitution left her slightly breathless. Seeing that Gu Ze hadn’t entered the room, she breathed a sigh of relief and felt a bit more at ease.
The previous Friday, Gu Ting had refused to come out, and Gu Ze had returned without causing any trouble.
But a few days ago, after Qiao An lured Gu Ting out with some dried fish snacks, he had returned to his usual routine, going out for walks and play at regular times, no different from before, except that he no longer touched the swing.
It seemed the swing was the only thing that had left a slight shadow on him.
He really was quite resilient.
Fearing that Gu Ze might cause trouble again this time, Qiao An had urged the driver to speed up as soon as she got in the car, rushing back in a hurry.
The seventeen-year-old girl, compared to the thin and frail figure she had before, seemed to have gained a little weight. Her face had filled out slightly, and her overall impression had shifted from a single sheet of paper to several layers stacked together, in short, she had become a bit fuller.
Her fair skin glowed with a healthy blush. As the weather had grown warmer, she wore a sleeveless long dress and carried a large backpack, her eyes clear and bright, looking every bit the well-behaved student.
Gu Ze’s eyes sparkled as he gave a gentle smile and said, "Sister Qiao An, tomorrow is my birthday. I’ll be inviting some classmates to my party, and I’d like to invite you too. Would that be alright?"
His sudden shift away from his usual eccentric behavior felt a bit unfamiliar to Qiao An. Her finely arched brows, slightly thinner than longsword-shaped eyebrows, furrowed as she shook her head and replied, "Sorry, I have homework to do tomorrow. I won’t be able to make it."
Of course, even if she could, she wouldn’t want to attend. For one, she didn’t know Gu Ze’s friends and had no desire to socialize with strangers. Secondly, attending someone’s birthday meant she’d have to carefully prepare a gift, and she didn’t want to bother with the effort. It was easier to just not go.
"Alright," Gu Ze said without pressing further, nodding before stepping away from the door.
Qiao An offered a polite smile, brushed past him, and hurried inside. There, she saw Gu Ting’s eyes visibly light up at the sight of her. He then waved his right hand in front of her, expressing his joy.
His hand had healed!
[Task 5 Completed.]
Qiao An instantly broke into a radiant smile, a huge amount of points had dropped! Her voice was light and cheerful: "Congratulations on your right hand recovering! How about I make you some salted and peppered dried fish today?"
Gu Ting nodded vigorously!
Though his expression remained stoic, his peach-blossom eyes shone brilliantly, clearly overjoyed.
Qiao An laughed even more delightedly. Gu Ting really was just like a cat. Ever since that last time, he had developed a strong liking for dried fish. With it, he could even eat an extra bowl of rice. Qiao An suspected he was gaining a little belly fat.
But she had no proof.
Gu Ze, who hadn’t gone far, could hear the voices inside. Though it was a one-sided conversation, the girl’s voice was crisp and pleasant, filled with genuine care.
His eyes darkened for a moment, his lips pressed tightly together as a wave of hostility radiated from him.
Why was it always him?
"A-Ze?" Grandpa Gu’s gentle and kind voice sounded.
Gu Ze reined in his emotions, curling his lips into a faint smile. "Grandfather, tomorrow is my birthday. May I invite some friends over?"
Originally, his plans hadn’t included this, but since Qiao An wasn’t participating, it wouldn’t hurt to make a change.
Grandpa Gu nodded indulgently, full of affection. "Of course. If you need anything, just tell Qiao Yi." After taking a couple of steps, he added, "You should’ve told us earlier, child. The house isn’t prepared at all."
Gu Ze smiled. "No need to prepare. I’ve already got everything ready and can bring it over directly."
"That’s good then. For your seventeenth birthday, what gift would you like?" Grandpa Gu asked.
"Nothing. I have everything I need," Gu Ze shook his head, flicking the dust off his fingertips. After all, what he didn’t have, no one could give him anyway.

Qiao An’s life was very routine. She woke up a little past seven every morning, took breakfast to eat with Gu Ting, and after the meal, took him for a walk, a solid twenty-minute stroll around the neighborhood. Then she’d return and do homework with Lei Xiao over video call.
After lunch, she’d take a nap, then get up and continue with her studies.
To others, this kind of daily life made her seem like a bookworm, even the original Qiao An hadn’t been this diligent.
Xu Hui and Qiao Yi thought she must have been traumatized and tried to subtly figure out what was wrong. They even secretly went to her school behind her back, afraid she was being bullied but too scared to speak up.
After all, incidents of school bullying were frequently exposed online, and as parents, they worried.
But in the end, they found out nothing, only that their daughter hadn’t done well in the monthly exam. They guessed that was the reason she was now doubling her efforts.
Xu Hui didn’t know how else to help, so she bought Qiao An some clothes, each costing thousands. Though not as expensive as the ones the Gu family had given Qiao An, they were still quite pricey.
Her old clothes were still wearable but had become a bit too small.
Fortunately, they were all summer clothes, so it wasn’t a big deal.
When Qiao An unexpectedly received the gifts, she was momentarily stunned. It took her a long time to convince her parents that she wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown and wouldn’t overwork herself to the point of losing her mind.
She was simply cherishing this second chance at life even more.
On Saturday, everything started out as usual. After their walk, the two parted ways. Qiao An handed him the remaining dried fish: "This is for the whole day. You can only eat half in the morning, got it?"
Gu Ting looked at her without a word.
Qiao An didn’t mind whether he agreed or not. If he didn’t follow the rule, there’d be no dried fish tomorrow.
Back in her room, Lei Xiao had already sent a message: [An An, I’m ready!]
Qiao An curled her lips and proactively sent a video call. It was quickly answered, and Lei Xiao’s cheerful voice came through the line, slightly distorted but still lively: "My parents were so shocked to see me being so disciplined lately, they thought I was secretly dating someone, hahaha, it’s hilarious. They even insisted on checking my chat logs."
"My parents thought I was too devastated by last month’s exam and were worried sick," Qiao An said, her palm-sized face on the screen beaming with joy. "They even bought me a bunch of clothes."
Lei Xiao paused, surprised. "Wasn’t it because of the exam?"
She had also assumed Qiao An was working so hard because she hadn’t done well on the exam. After all, good students never wanted their grades to slip, it felt worse than having been mediocre from the start.
Qiao An quickly shook her head, her voice crisp and clear. "Of course not. I just have a school I want to get into."
"What school?"
"Q University!"
Lei Xiao gave an impressed thumbs-up. "Then go for it!"
The two exchanged smiles and pulled out their homework to begin.
Halfway through, Qiao An suddenly heard the system’s voice, interrupting her thoughts: [Mission 7: The antagonist Gu Ting is being bullied. Please transform into a righteous savior and rescue the antagonist! Countdown: 1 minute. Reward: 50,000 points!]
Qiao An furrowed her brows, her first reaction being confusion over why the reward was so high.
Of course, the last failed mission had also offered several times more points than the usual ones worth a few thousand. Was this situation even more serious?
What was going on?
Qiao An broke out in a cold sweat instantly. After quickly explaining to Lei Xiao, she opened the door and stepped out.
The noise that had been muffled by her door now reached her ears clearly. The old house, usually quiet and sparsely populated, was unexpectedly filled with the voices of complete strangers today.
Teenagers around seventeen or eighteen, boys and girls, all dressed elegantly and appropriately, were chatting animatedly.
Near the staircase not far away, a few boys were laughing and saying, "Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Isn’t that a bit rude?"
"Hey, can you even understand what we’re saying?"
"You’re so skinny, are you being mistreated? Let me take a look hahaha"
“...”
Gu Ting, trapped at the staircase landing with no way up, stood on the higher steps, surrounded on three sides, left, right, and front.
Among the boys blocking him, some were slightly chubby, some tall and sturdy, and some quite handsome. They all shared one common feature: earrings similar to Gu Ze’s, giving off a cool, edgy vibe.
At that moment, they wore smirks on their faces, clearly enjoying the spectacle unfolding before them.
Although he wasn't as tall as Gu Ting, nor as good-looking, his presence clearly dominated the scene.
When Qiao An saw them, she noticed a slightly chubby boy tentatively reaching out his hand. Gu Ting stood there stiffly, tall and lanky like a pole, his face expressionless.
But as the other boy's hand approached, Gu Ting instinctively flinched and moved aside.
His shoulder accidentally bumped into a boy in a black shirt, who immediately frowned in displeasure and waved Gu Ting away, snapping, "Who said you could touch me!"
Gu Ting was standing on a small step, and with that push, he lost his balance and began to fall backward, a flicker of panic in his eyes.
"Ah!" The chubby boy's face paled, and he reached out to grab him.
But Gu Ze held his arm and said coldly, "Nobody move!"
The others froze, not daring to take another step.
Thud! A dull thump echoed, followed by a muffled groan from a woman. Instead of tumbling down the stairs, Gu Ting was cushioned by a slender figure.
With this human cushion, Gu Ting didn't fall. Instead, he landed heavily on the girl on the steps. His initial panic faded as he realized what had happened, and his face turned pale. He struggled to get up but, already on the stairs, ended up rolling down a few steps before stabilizing himself. He immediately scrambled back up and reached out to support the girl who had cushioned his fall.
Gu Ze, who had been waiting gleefully to watch Gu Ting's miserable fall, froze in disbelief. His triumphant smile vanished as he stared at the figure who had rushed over to act as a human shield. His expression darkened, his jaw clenched, and his eyes grew shadowy, lost in thought.
The boys beside him instinctively took a few steps back, putting distance between themselves and him.
"Damn!" Qiao An gasped in pain, clutching her wrist, leg, and buttocks where the stairs had dug into her. Her eyes welled up, tears streaming down her face, distorting her pretty features. Her face flushed and paled alternately, like a neon light.
It hurt so much!
She had just stepped out and seen what was happening. She rushed over but was still a step too late. Still, it was better than the last time when the mission failed outright, at least this time, she had witnessed it.
To prevent the mission from failing, Qiao An's mind went blank the moment she saw Gu Ting falling, and she dashed forward without thinking. If she had been more conscious, she might not have dared.
But the problem was, she had already rushed over and taken the full impact of a grown young man's weight, not on flat ground but on a wooden staircase.
The pain was so intense that every breath felt like a knife cutting through her. For a moment, she thought she was going to die.
She curled up, trying to ease the pain. Gu Ting scrambled back up, his usually expressionless face now filled with panic and anxiety. His hands hovered, wanting to help but afraid to touch her. He could tell she was in agony and wanted to relieve her suffering but didn't know how. The slightest contact seemed to make her hurt even more.
As if feeling her pain himself, Gu Ting's eyes reddened slightly. He swallowed hard and managed to utter a single word: "Hurt!"
Hearing this while on the verge of passing out from pain, Qiao An mustered a weak response, "So you can talk now?"
As soon as she finished speaking, it seemed to aggravate her injuries again. A fresh wave of tears streamed down her face, and her lips trembled from the pain.
Damn system!
If it weren't for that countdown startling her into a mental blank, she would never have subjected herself to this torment.
If she failed the mission this time, she would definitely dismantle the system!
"Ouch!" Gu Ting blinked, shedding two tears.
This time, her voice came out more smoothly and louder than before, successfully startling those who had been stunned by the sudden turn of events.
The teenagers attending the birthday party were all shocked: "What happened?"
Gu Ze, his face grim, rushed over. Just as the slightly chubby boy thought he was about to throw a punch, Gu Ze instead scooped up the curled-up girl and roared, "Uncle Zhang, get the car ready!"
Unfortunately, the servants in the house had all been sent away by him earlier, leaving everyone at a loss for what to do.
It wasn't until one of the boys spoke up: "My car is still here. Take my car!"
"Alright."
Gu Ze nodded, his expression calm on the surface but panicked inside as he hurried out.
The others quickly followed, leaving the staircase behind.
Only Gu Ting, who hadn't reacted in time, remained sitting dazedly on the stairs. He watched the crowd swarm away, then turned to look back at the staircase steps. When his gaze fell upon a smear of bright red bloodstains, his pupils abruptly contracted.
As if recalling something painful, his entire face scrunched up for a long moment. His untrimmed nails scraped against the wooden steps, producing a series of grating, teeth-gritting sounds.
Once the car drove off, Gu Ting relaxed. His pale, thin lips moved slightly, and his teary peach-blossom eyes shed two more transparent tears as he murmured softly, "It hurts"
The pain of bleeding
Was she gone?
The expression on Gu Ting's face gradually faded, slowly returning to its initial state, devoid of any emotion.