Chapter 16

Half a month earlier.
After receiving the Transformers and cookies, Qiu Li didn’t return to class right away.
He stood at the school gate for a long time, admiring the new gift, even memorizing the athlete’s name and face printed on it.
He basked in that joy for quite a while before carefully tucking the cookies into his backpack. The Transformers was too big to fit, so he carried it in both arms as he headed to class.
Everyone knew the “big class” kid, Qiu Li, and the “small class” kid, Yan Xiao, met at the gate every morning. Many children had even started imitating them, exchanging tiny gifts with their own friends. But that day, when Yan Xiao handed Qiu Li such a huge Transformers, every kid in the kindergarten couldn’t help but be curious.
But Qiu Li wasn’t one for small talk, and the other kids didn’t dare get too close to him either. They only stole glances from afar.
Ever since the middle class, he’d learned to ignore other people’s stares. The way his classmates looked at him, with either curiosity or unease, had long become a part of his everyday life.
Sitting down in a corner with the Transformers in his arms, he admired it quietly for a while longer. Then, thinking of the cookies, he took them out of his bag, broke off a small piece, and popped it into his mouth.
Sweet.
And there were nuts and cranberries too.
It was really good.
After only one bite, he carefully tucked the cookies away again, something this delicious should be savored slowly.
Just as he finished, the chubby kid, Chen Yao, came swaggering over with a few of his tag-alongs.
At this school, the two people Qiu Li hated most were: first, the school nurse, and second, Chen Yao.
He pretended not to see them, sitting still, waiting for class to start.
Last time, Chen Yao had tried to corner him in the bathroom but got beaten instead. That incident had made the boy keep quiet for a while, but now that some time had passed and Qiu Li hadn’t retaliated, his courage had swelled again.
And today, after seeing Yan Xiao give Qiu Li a huge Transformers, he’d come looking for trouble.
Qiu Li didn’t respond. If not for being afraid to scare Yan Xiao last time, he’d have already beaten Chen Yao up again. But he was in a good mood today, he didn’t want to bother.
Chen Yao, seeing him so silent, assumed he was afraid. He reached straight for the toy on the desk.
Qiu Li, of course, refused to let go.
And then, they fought.
Old grudges and new anger mixed together; the scuffle turned vicious.
Chen Yao fell and hit his chin on the stool, knocking out a tooth and scraping his forehead. Qiu Li’s own chin got scratched and bleeding.
With injuries like that, the kindergarten had no choice but to call the parents.
When Chen Yao’s parents arrived and saw their precious son beaten up, they immediately blew up. And when they learned the one who did it was that illegitimate child from the Qiu family, their expressions grew even uglier.
They wanted to make a fuss, but against the Qius? That would be stupid.
Still, could they really just swallow this humiliation? Their son had been beaten, and by a bastard child no less.
The Chen family wasn’t as rich as the Qius, but they had some standing. There was no way they’d let their boy get hit and still walk away silent.
After waiting quite a while, the person who finally arrived wasn’t Qiu Li’s father, but his father’s secretary.
Chen’s father’s face darkened instantly.
Anyone qualified to be Secretary Qiu’s aide wasn’t an ordinary man. He knew how to talk circles around angry people.
A kindergarten scuffle between children, not exactly headline news.
Besides, the teacher had already sent the footage: Qiu Li had hit first, yes, but only after being provoked.
With a mix of soft persuasion and firm reasoning, the secretary eventually calmed them down.
Chen Yao’s parents left with their son, furious but powerless.
After settling things with the teachers and principal, the secretary also took Qiu Li away.
He’d worked under President Qiu for many years and knew the family inside and out, especially this son.
When he called to report what had happened, President Qiu nearly flipped his desk in rage.
Even though the teacher had explained both sides were at fault and that Qiu Li was provoked, President Qiu still felt this son had embarrassed him.
The man never attended parent meetings, let alone “summons for parents.” That responsibility, naturally, always fell to his most trusted secretary.
From the rearview mirror, the secretary glanced at the boy sitting in the backseat, silent, head bowed since they’d left school. “Your father had an important meeting today,” he said quietly. “He couldn’t make it.”
Qiu Li didn’t respond.
He’d known from a very young age that his father didn’t like him.
When he’d first started kindergarten, all the other kids had their parents dropping them off. He alone was dropped off by the driver.
And whenever there was a parent meeting, it was either the driver or one of the house staff who came, never his father.
He could understand why Qiu Zhan didn’t like him. He could even understand why Aunt Xu disliked him. But why didn’t his own father like him?
He still didn’t know the answer.
Once, he’d asked this same secretary uncle why his father never attended his parent meetings. The man had said it was because his father was “too busy.”
Then one day, a classmate had fallen off the slide and cut his head open. That boy’s parents were also “very busy,” but they came running the moment they heard.
So Qiu Li tried to copy him.
He fell off the slide too.
His head didn’t break open, but his leg did.
That day, the person who came wasn’t his father either. It was the secretary.
He thought maybe it was because his head wasn’t hurt badly enough, so later, he did hit his head.
His father still didn’t come.
When he got home, his father just scolded him, said he was restless, always causing trouble.
That was when he finally understood: to his father, he wasn’t a son.
He was a nuisance.
After that, he never went near the slide again.
And he stopped expecting his father to ever show up at school.
Just like today.
He hugged the Transformers tightly against his chest and blinked, the corners of his eyes stinging.
Uncle Secretary was lying, but he didn’t blame him.
Seeing the boy’s silence, the secretary sighed, withdrew his gaze, and said nothing more.

At lunchtime, Qiu Zhan overheard the family’s driver saying that Qiu Li had gotten into a fight at school and injured another student.
He didn’t care why Qiu Li fought, he was only annoyed that the little brat had walked away unscathed.
But when his classmate Chen Xin came over complaining that his younger brother’s tooth had been knocked out by that “bastard Qiu kid,” and then casually asked when Yan Xiao had gotten so close to him, even giving him a Transformers.
Qiu Zhan snapped his chopsticks in half.
Chen Xin, the older brother of Chen Yao, and Qiu Zhan’s classmate, had told him everything. As the story unfolded, Qiu Zhan’s face darkened shade by shade until he ground out through his teeth, “That little bastard”
Chen Xin shrank back, startled. He thought Qiu Zhan was just furious that the “annoying illegitimate kid” from his house had beaten his little brother, and quickly tried to calm him down.
“Hey, hey, forget it. Little Yao’s fine. Don’t get so worked up, okay?”
Qiu Zhan shot him a cold glare. “What the hell do you know?”
For the rest of the afternoon, he didn’t hear a word the teacher said.
All he could think about was how to teach that brat a lesson, to make him understand exactly what he was, and keep him far, far away from Qiu Yan.
Five years ago, that homewrecker woman had stolen his mother’s place and thrown their family into chaos.
And now, her son wanted to steal his brother’s friend.
He wasn’t that helpless, powerless kid from back then anymore. That little bastard could forget about having it easy!
From that day on, he’d been waiting, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
And finally, today, it came.
Their parents were overseas with Qiu Yan for the art exhibition, leaving only him and Qiu Li at home. Taking advantage of the holiday, he’d given all the servants the night off then shoved Qiu Li into the elevator.
His original plan had been simple, fake an elevator malfunction and trap him there for the night. With no one home, the brat would spend hours in the dark, terrified.
He hadn’t expected that after just one hour, Yan Xiao would show up.
Now, as Qiu Li glared at him with raw hatred in his eyes, Qiu Zhan’s lips curved in a thin, cold smile. “Still sitting in there? What, planning to spend the night in the elevator?”
Qiu Li said nothing.
Yan Xiao, unaware of what had really happened, misunderstood Qiu Zhan’s words. She thought maybe Qiu Li had just gone into the elevator by himself and gotten stuck when the power went out.
Still, she didn’t scold him.
Even adults could break down after being trapped alone in a dark space, much less a child. And judging by Qiu Li’s expression, he wasn’t doing well.
Seeing him motionless, not even blinking, Yan Xiao waved a small hand in front of him. “Come on, out you go, okay?”
Slowly, the darkness faded from his eyes. His senses returned bit by bit. He looked up at her blankly.
She was smiling at him.
Waving him over.
Then his gaze shifted to Qiu Zhan.
He had never hated him this much before. Never to the point of wanting to tear him apart.
His fists clenched. His chest ached, a burning, suffocating pain, like a fire he couldn’t put out.
“Qiu Li?”
Her soft, familiar voice brushed against his ears, and that fire died down, little by little.
He turned his head.
Yan Xiao was still there, still smiling, still holding out her tiny hand.
After a brief hesitation, he reached for it.
As for that strange voice he’d heard earlier, the one that had echoed in his mind when the elevator opened, he brushed it off as a hallucination, something born from anger and too much time alone in the dark.
Seeing him finally move, Yan Xiao’s heart settled back into place.
Thank goodness. She’d been seconds away from calling her aunt, thinking he’d gone catatonic from fright.
But when she grabbed his hand, she froze.
His hand was ice-cold.
And weak, he barely had any strength. Poor kid must’ve been terrified.
“Xiao-xiao.”
Qiu Zhan had been silently fuming. The sight of them holding hands made something in him snap. Forcing his tone into something polite, he said, “Your aunt’s still waiting outside, isn’t she? You should head home. Everything’s fine now.”
Yan Xiao wanted to stay a little longer, but since he’d basically kicked her out, she glanced at Qiu Li, his hand was finally starting to warm up. Reluctantly, she said, “Alright then”
She tugged her hand. It didn’t budge.
Qiu Li hadn’t let go.
“…”
“…”
“Um” She looked from one boy to the other. “How about I stay for a bit longer? You probably have homework to do, Brother Qiu Zhan. You can go upstairs, don’t worry about me. I’ll leave soon.”
Qiu Zhan nearly lost his composure right there.
He forced down the fury boiling in his chest, nodded stiffly, and went upstairs.
Once he was gone, Yan Xiao sat down on the sofa.
After a few moments, she got up again, fetched the cup of warm milk Qiu Zhan had poured earlier, and handed it to Qiu Li.
He held the cup but didn’t drink.
She guessed he was remembering how, whenever he drank milk in front of others, it always ended with someone throwing it away. So she didn’t say anything more.
It wasn’t until a long while later that he finally spoke. “Why are you here?”
“Huh?” The way he said it sounded more like ‘What are you doing here?!’
“Just passing by,” she said quickly. “Why were you playing with the elevator anyway? When it stopped, why didn’t you call for help?”
He glanced down at the cup in his hands but didn’t answer.
“What?” she muttered under her breath. Now he’s mad at me too? Can’t even ask a question?
Probably embarrassed she’d caught him in such a pitiful state.
Knowing how proud he was, she decided not to push it. “Alright, I’ll go then.”
He looked up. “Okay.”
She raised their joined hands. “Let go. I’m going home.”
He blinked, realizing only then that he was still holding her. He quickly released her hand, and, in his fluster, wiped his palm on his clothes.
“…”
Did he just wipe his hand?
Right in front of her?! What a level of pride, impressive, really.
Still, thinking of how she was always doing things he hated for the sake of earning points, she decided to forgive him.
She waved a tiny hand. “Bye. And don’t play with elevators anymore.”
At the mention of the elevator, his expression darkened.
Alright, alright, she thought. Touchy subject. Won’t mention it again.
Just as she reached the door, she remembered something and ran back, rummaging through her little bag.
Qiu Li’s eyes lit up, was she going to give him a cotton candy?
But instead, she pulled out a shiny red apple.
“It’s Christmas Eve,” she said. “I bet no one’s given you a Peace Apple yet, right? So here, this one’s for you.”
He blinked.
When he didn’t move, she did what she always did, gently pushed the apple into his hand, but this time, her gesture was softer than usual.
“I’m heading home,” she said, turning away. “My aunt’s waiting for me.”
It was only after she left that Qiu Li looked down at the apple and whispered, “Thank you.”
Then, without another word, he gulped down the milk. For once, he didn’t bother washing the cup clean, he just left it on the table and headed upstairs, the apple still in his arms.
He closed his bedroom door, hesitated only a moment, then locked it.
He’d never done that before. Never dared to.
But tonight, tonight, he refused to yield anymore.
He locked the door, then turned on every single light in the room, even the small desk lamp.
The brightness stung his eyes, but he didn’t care. He climbed onto the bed, clutching the apple tightly.
After a few moments, he sat up again, barefoot, and ran to dig out a box from under the bed. Dumping its contents onto the blanket, he looked at the pile: cotton candy, cookies, the Transformers.
Everything Yan Xiao had given him.
He lay down among them, hugging the apple close, and only then did he drift to sleep in peace.
[Ding, 41 points.]
Strapped into her child safety seat, Yan Xiao blinked. “Huh?”
Chen Zilu laughed. “Huh, what? Haven’t had enough fun yet? Grandma’s called three times to ask where we are.”
Yan Xiao frowned, little brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what had just happened. “Let’s hurry home,” she answered absently.
Her aunt could tell her mind was elsewhere. Pinching her cheek, she sighed. “Honestly, I must’ve owed you a debt in a past life. Look at me, waiting here all night, playing chauffeur, and you don’t even give me a kiss.”
Yan Xiao leaned over and gave her a perfunctory peck on the cheek.
“…”
Chen Zilu’s eyebrows practically started dancing with joy.
But Yan Xiao didn’t notice. She was too busy puzzling over her sudden six-point jump.
The highest she’d ever gotten.
Why though?
Could it be because she’d caught him at his lowest, most embarrassing moment, and triggered that explosive self-esteem of his?
She gripped the seatbelt, thinking it over for two whole blocks before thumping her tiny fist in realization. That must be it!
Even giving him that apple probably made him think she was mocking him.
The more she thought about it, the more amused she felt.
No wonder the system always said future villains were complicated. He was so young and already so hard to read, imagine when he grew up. She had to make the most of this time while he was still small and easy to “farm” points from. Ideally… she’d max him out before then.
With that goal in mind, not long after Christmas, she learned that Qiu Yan’s exhibition was over and the family had returned to China. Without wasting a second, she begged her mom to take her to the Qiu house.
But when they got there and she searched every corner, she couldn’t find Qiu Li anywhere.
Finally, one of the young housemaids who often greeted her told her, “Oh, Qiu Li moved out two days ago.”
“Moved out?”
Yan Xiao froze.
Why would he suddenly move out?
When the system had briefed her on the plot, it never mentioned Qiu Li leaving the Qiu household as a child.