'Son, make sure you keep this money safe and don't lose it,' Zheng Lanxin worriedly handed over a plastic bag containing twenty thousand yuan to Chen Junsheng by the ATM on the street, softly reminding him with concern.
Twenty thousand yuan is not a small sum. It's the maximum daily withdrawal limit of the ATM, just hitting Zheng Lanxin's psychological threshold. After hesitating for a while, she made up her mind.
Jian Yi claimed that Chen Junsheng had beaten someone up to the point of hospitalization and that the victim's parents demanded compensation. Zheng Lanxin didn't believe it.
She might not believe Jian Yi, but she trusts her son, Chen Junsheng.
Without explaining anything, Chen Junsheng tacitly agreed and told her that he would take the money himself and that there was no need for her to take time off to accompany him.
Zheng Lanxin works at a 24-hour supermarket and was scheduled for a night shift today. It was almost time for her to go to work. Her boss is a middle-aged man with a temper, and she couldn't muster the courage to ask for leave. So, she repeatedly instructed Chen Junsheng to be careful with the money.
Blaming her son was never an option for Zheng Lanxin.
Chen Junsheng's biological father passed away early, and Zheng Lanxin always felt guilty towards her son, spoiling him since he was young.
The only exception was the first two years after they moved in with Jian Yi's family. To prove to Jian Yi's father that she wasn't biased as a stepmother, she harshly punished her son a few times.
However, Jian's father was a kind-hearted man. The few times she did punish Chen Junsheng, he intervened.
It was just a fight, after all. Jian Yi said the victim was a troublemaker; surely, he must have provoked her son first. She believed her son was silent only because he didn’t want to upset her.
As for getting up to hit someone at the dinner table earlier, it was just a moment of anger, just for show.
Jian Yi, dressed in her school uniform and carrying her backpack, leaned against the wall outside the ATM, looking indifferent as if all this had nothing to do with her.
'Yi Yi, here is the school uniform fee. Take it and pay,' Zheng Lanxin came out, handing Jian Yi two hundred yuan reluctantly.
Earlier at the dinner table, she said she had no money, but now she could come up with twenty thousand yuan for her son to keep the peace. Even Zheng Lanxin herself found it hard to convince.
Still, she saw Jian Yi as a naive girl and casually gave her two hundred yuan, intending to brush it off.
Unexpectedly, Jian Yi took the money without hesitation and then asked, 'Is this from the money my dad left from selling the house?'
Zheng Lanxin, who was about to step away, froze in her tracks and turned back to look at Jian Yi with some embarrassment. She struggled to find an excuse.
But before she could think of anything, Jian Yi smiled innocently and reminded her, 'Auntie, remember to keep the card safe. Don't lose it; there are many people in the supermarket.'
'Ah, yes!' Zheng Lanxin hesitated for a moment, then agreed, praising Jian Yi for being thoughtful.
Urging her son Chen Junsheng to go back to school and to be careful on the way, she left hurriedly, glancing back three times with every step.
What Zheng Lanxin didn't anticipate was that as soon as she left, her beloved son Chen Junsheng, like offering a treasure, presented the twenty thousand yuan to Jian Yi.
'Big sis,' the boy looked at her with bright, hopeful eyes, longing for a gentle smile from her.
Jian Yi smirked, her demeanor completely different from when she faced her stepmother.
Her dark, deep eyes were filled with mystery and allure. Chen Junsheng was momentarily stunned, his expression growing even more obedient.
Twenty thousand yuan was barely enough for her to prepare for the upcoming doomsday in three days.
Jian Yi took the money, put her backpack down, and replaced the books inside with the money. She zipped up the bag and walked away.
Chen Junsheng hurriedly followed her, stuffing her books into his own bag as they walked.
'Big sis, what do you need so much money for?' he asked curiously.
Jian Yi walked briskly, not answering his question. The young boy kept up with her, not realizing that the road ahead was leading them further away from school.
Jian Yi suddenly turned and asked him, 'You knew I was lying, and you still helped me deceive your mom. Aren't you afraid she'll find out and disown you?'
Hearing this, Chen Junsheng's eyes instantly shone with fervor as he earnestly said, 'As long as it's something big sis wants, I'll help you get it... at any cost!'
'At any cost?' Jian Yi looked him up and down, noting the tall, seemingly slender but explosive figure of the seventeen-year-old boy.
Boys his age are impulsive and harsh in their actions. With proper training, he could be a useful ally.
'Then I'll wait to see you help me get what I want at any cost.' Knowing he was flattering her, Jian Yi didn't reject it.
Little did she know, her words became a sacred decree to Chen Junsheng. From then on, whatever she said she wanted, he would truly spare no effort to bring it to her, including his life.
Of course, this was a story for another time. Right now, Jian Yi just wanted to use the twenty thousand yuan to prepare for the imminent apocalypse.
Chen Junsheng, following her, was indeed a bit superfluous.
'Stop following me, it's annoying!' she said impatiently."
Just when Chen Junsheng felt he had become much closer to his sister, he stopped in his tracks upon hearing her words. His bright eyes dimmed, feeling the distance between them remained as distant as ever.
Jian Yifeng left hastily, not going to school.
Chen Junsheng stood on the street, watching her leave. He wanted to follow, but feared her cold gaze. Ultimately, he didn't.
He silently watched her enter an outdoor survival gear shop, then turned and walked in the opposite direction of the school, clutching his backpack strap.
At seven o'clock, the streetlights came on, but their light never seemed to reach him.
His handsome face remained in the shadows, eyes slightly lowered, long and dense eyelashes casting a shadow...
The boy had a secret.
A secret of rebellion against the norms, too fearful to share.
He had fallen in love with his step-sister, who, since he and his mother moved into this home, never showed him a hint of kindness.
Despite her apparent dislike for him, during that cold winter, she kept him close, protected him, and led him home.
That sun-like beautiful girl was the only light in his young, frightened, dark world.
She warmed his entire winter...
"Chen Junsheng, where's your backpack?"
The twelve-year-old girl, already stunningly beautiful and the pride of the neighborhood, stood with her friends, asking him with bright, curious eyes.
At that time, Chen Junsheng could see that the girl didn't really want to bother with him. She only approached him to maintain her image in front of her friends, dealing with him, the poor kid afraid to go home.
Twelve-year-old boys, less developed than girls and having moved around with his mother, Chen Junsheng was thinner and smaller than his peers. His rural accent made him a target for mockery and bullying by other boys.
Jian Yifeng, half a head taller, looked down at him, her gaze warning him to confess honestly.
The confidence and radiance she exuded were things he envied. He looked at her for a long while before mustering the courage to say, "I lost it."
"Lost it? Where?"
"How can you lose your backpack?"
Jian Yifeng's friends were shocked, having never seen someone foolish enough to lose a backpack.
The three girls exchanged glances, quickly understanding the truth behind the boy's lie.
"Who did it?" Twelve-year-old Jian Yifeng already had a commanding presence. In her eyes, this stepbrother brought by her stepmother was only hers to bully!
The boy, shivering under her gaze, lowered his head, not speaking.
He didn't think speaking up would help. He feared that once at home, his disliking stepsister would report to their stepfather. His mother, eager to please the man who provided stability, would surely punish him severely, only stopping when the kind-hearted stepfather intervened.
"Chen Junsheng, I'm talking to you. It's rude not to answer," the girl reminded, frowning.
Chen Junsheng bit his lip, knowing she wouldn't give up without a satisfactory answer, and finally told the truth.
"It was Long Xiaohu and the others..."
The girl's expression changed instantly, her eyes widening in anger. "He's got some nerve!"
"Let's go!"
Chen Junsheng, stunned, asked, "Where to?"
She didn't answer, just grabbed his hand, summoned her friends, and stormed to Long Xiaohu's house, kicking the door!
With a loud "bang!", the outer metal door trembled, and so did Chen Junsheng.
Immediately, the infamous loudmouth of the neighborhood, Long Xiaohu's mother, began her tirade.
"Who's the brat kicking my door!"
The door swung open, revealing the furious woman, who paused upon seeing Jian Yifeng, a well-known good girl in the neighborhood.
"Jian Yifeng?"
Her tone softened, unable to believe the door-kicker was this girl.
Jian Yifeng, holding the stunned Chen Junsheng's hand, stepped forward with a smile. "Auntie, I've come for my brother's backpack."
"Backpack? What backpack?"
Didn't she dislike him?
"Why... could this be another of her schemes?" Chen Junsheng couldn't figure out how this benefited her. Looking at the girl's not-so-broad shoulders, his panic seemed to be smoothed out in an instant.
Seeing Long Xiaohu being scolded to tears by his mother, Chen Junsheng realized that Long Xiaohu was not so formidable after all.
Eventually, the backpack was returned by a tearful Long Xiaohu. As he left, his hateful gaze made Chen Junsheng realize that his days at school would be tough.
"See you tomorrow, Jian Yifeng," her friends said as they parted.
Jian Yifeng energetically waved goodbye to her friends. Turning around, she saw Chen Junsheng holding his backpack, his thin face showing no joy of having it back. Instead, he looked as if the sky was falling.
She sneered, walked past him, and headed upstairs.
"From tomorrow, wait for me after school."
A heavy backpack, along with her commanding order, was thrown at Chen Junsheng. Caught off guard, he staggered under its weight, nearly falling.
But within two seconds, his eyes, filled with sorrow, lit up with surprise.
He hurriedly put on his backpack and held hers, quickly catching up with her. The relief in his heart seemed to warm the cold winter corridor.
The girl slightly curled her lips into a cold smile. She was vengeful; today was just the beginning. Long Xiaohu's doom was yet to come!
Though she didn't like this step-brother who was only a month younger than her, she wouldn't allow anyone else to bully him!
The next day after school, Long Xiaohu appeared as expected, shocked to see Jian Yifeng with Chen Junsheng.
She walked elegantly with her hands in her school uniform pockets, Chen Junsheng holding her backpack as if he were her follower.
Most twelve-year-old girls hadn't blossomed yet, but Jian Yifeng was different. Her beauty was emerging, captivating the boys around Long Xiaohu with just a gentle smile.
The siblings stopped in front of them. The beautiful girl took out a cigarette and lighter, expertly lit it, and took a shallow puff. She blew the smoke towards Long Xiaohu.
"What are you doing, Jian Yifeng!" Long Xiaohu exclaimed, trying to disperse the smoke, his heart racing unknowingly.
She leaned closer, blew smoke into his ear, and smirked, "You're doomed..."
"What?" Long Xiaohu, confused, didn't hear her clearly. Suddenly, someone shouted, "The head teacher is coming!"
Panicked, Long Xiaohu and his friends ran, but were quickly caught by the physical education teacher and the head teacher.
"You youngsters smoking? Is this how a student should behave?" scolded the head teacher.
"Call your parents!"
The head teacher, full of authority, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from Long Xiaohu's pocket. "Caught red-handed, still want to argue?"
Long Xiaohu, in disbelief, looked at the evidence in the head teacher's hand. Realizing what happened, he looked up and saw Jian Yifeng pointing at him, "Teacher, I saw him smoking and blowing smoke at me."
"You're lying, Jian Yifeng... Ah, it hurts!" Long Xiaohu's ear was grabbed by the head teacher.
"Jian Yifeng, you may go," said the head teacher kindly, his tone much softer than towards Long Xiaohu.
Jian Yifeng nodded obediently, looking "frightened" at Long Xiaohu. The head teacher's gaze turned colder, sending shivers down Long Xiaohu's spine.
He watched in disbelief as Jian Yifeng casually walked past him with Chen Junsheng, shuddering at the thought.
Chen Junsheng, following silently, was equally shocked. He looked at her back in astonishment, not finding her two-faced nature scary.
On the contrary, he felt an unprecedented sense of safety beside her. "So this is what it feels like to be protected?"
The thin boy, never protected before, thought uncertainly.
"Chen Junsheng, hurry up!" she called impatiently.
He quickly followed, his heart not feeling the cold of winter. Looking at her, like a little sun shining brightly, he felt warmth even in winter.
From then on, he loved winter.
......
In a luxurious hospital room, a woman was coaxing a sullen young man lying in bed.
"Xiangqian, eat a bit, I made your favorite chicken soup... You must eat something."
Sitting on the sofa playing with her phone, a beautiful young girl commented disdainfully, "Why bother with him? He got what he deserved."
"Where's Hao Jiali, what are you talking about, girl? Are you talking about your brothers and sisters like that?" A middle-aged man with fashionable glasses and a happy face scolded his daughter.
Haoli shrank back at her father's scolding, but continued defiantly, "It's true, isn't it? A girl like Jian Yifeng, smart and pretty, the school beauty of Yizhong, why would she ever look at my brother? He was just harassing her. If I were her, I'd have someone beat up Hao Xiangqian too..."
The tall young man in the bed, Hao Xiangqian, sat up abruptly, his eyes fierce. "Haoli!!!"
"Oh my, you just had your cast put on, lie down!" His mother, alarmed, tried to push him back down. But the 18-year-old, tall and strong, was too much for her. She called for help, "His father, come quickly!"
"Haoli, get out!" Her father, Mr. Hao, grabbed his daughter, still playing her game, and threw her out of the room, dealing with the instigator before turning to his son.
Still fuming, Hao Xiangqian grabbed a water cup from the bedside table and threw it towards the door, causing Haoli to scream outside, "Hao Xiangqian, have you gone mad! It wasn't me who got someone to beat you... Huh? Who are you?"
Chen Junsheng, in his school uniform and with a clean smile, appeared at the door of the hospital room. Haoli's eyes widened, her heart pounding as if a deer was jumping inside.
Inside, the previously irate Hao Xiangqian's face changed dramatically, suddenly quieting down. His hand, attached to an IV drip, clenched into a fist, causing a trickle of fresh blood to flow back into the IV tube.
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.
"Ask Xiaohu, he knows," Jian Yifeng replied, her polite smile belying her recent action.
Knowing her son's mischiefs, Long Xiaohu's mother's face darkened, yelling for her son.
Long Xiaohu emerged, looking fierce at Chen Junsheng, his eyes full of hatred as if saying, "You'll pay for this!"
Chen Junsheng instinctively stepped back, but the girl beside him held him firm, stepping in front of him fearlessly to confront Long Xiaohu.
"Long Xiaohu, where's my brother's backpack?"
Chen Junsheng, protected by Jian Yifeng, looked up in shock, unable to believe she was defending him.
Didn't she dislike him?
"Why... could this be another of her schemes?" Chen Junsheng couldn't figure out how this benefited her. Looking at the girl's not-so-broad shoulders, his panic seemed to be smoothed out in an instant.
Seeing Long Xiaohu being scolded to tears by his mother, Chen Junsheng realized that Long Xiaohu was not so formidable after all.
Eventually, the backpack was returned by a tearful Long Xiaohu. As he left, his hateful gaze made Chen Junsheng realize that his days at school would be tough.
"See you tomorrow, Jian Yifeng," her friends said as they parted.
Jian Yifeng energetically waved goodbye to her friends. Turning around, she saw Chen Junsheng holding his backpack, his thin face showing no joy of having it back. Instead, he looked as if the sky was falling.
She sneered, walked past him, and headed upstairs.
"From tomorrow, wait for me after school."
A heavy backpack, along with her commanding order, was thrown at Chen Junsheng. Caught off guard, he staggered under its weight, nearly falling.
But within two seconds, his eyes, filled with sorrow, lit up with surprise.
He hurriedly put on his backpack and held hers, quickly catching up with her. The relief in his heart seemed to warm the cold winter corridor.
The girl slightly curled her lips into a cold smile. She was vengeful; today was just the beginning. Long Xiaohu's doom was yet to come!
Though she didn't like this step-brother who was only a month younger than her, she wouldn't allow anyone else to bully him!
The next day after school, Long Xiaohu appeared as expected, shocked to see Jian Yifeng with Chen Junsheng.
She walked elegantly with her hands in her school uniform pockets, Chen Junsheng holding her backpack as if he were her follower.
Most twelve-year-old girls hadn't blossomed yet, but Jian Yifeng was different. Her beauty was emerging, captivating the boys around Long Xiaohu with just a gentle smile.
The siblings stopped in front of them. The beautiful girl took out a cigarette and lighter, expertly lit it, and took a shallow puff. She blew the smoke towards Long Xiaohu.
"What are you doing, Jian Yifeng!" Long Xiaohu exclaimed, trying to disperse the smoke, his heart racing unknowingly.
She leaned closer, blew smoke into his ear, and smirked, "You're doomed..."
"What?" Long Xiaohu, confused, didn't hear her clearly. Suddenly, someone shouted, "The head teacher is coming!"
Panicked, Long Xiaohu and his friends ran, but were quickly caught by the physical education teacher and the head teacher.
"You youngsters smoking? Is this how a student should behave?" scolded the head teacher.
"Call your parents!"
The head teacher, full of authority, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from Long Xiaohu's pocket. "Caught red-handed, still want to argue?"
Long Xiaohu, in disbelief, looked at the evidence in the head teacher's hand. Realizing what happened, he looked up and saw Jian Yifeng pointing at him, "Teacher, I saw him smoking and blowing smoke at me."
"You're lying, Jian Yifeng... Ah, it hurts!" Long Xiaohu's ear was grabbed by the head teacher.
"Jian Yifeng, you may go," said the head teacher kindly, his tone much softer than towards Long Xiaohu.
Jian Yifeng nodded obediently, looking "frightened" at Long Xiaohu. The head teacher's gaze turned colder, sending shivers down Long Xiaohu's spine.
He watched in disbelief as Jian Yifeng casually walked past him with Chen Junsheng, shuddering at the thought.
Chen Junsheng, following silently, was equally shocked. He looked at her back in astonishment, not finding her two-faced nature scary.
On the contrary, he felt an unprecedented sense of safety beside her. "So this is what it feels like to be protected?"
The thin boy, never protected before, thought uncertainly.
"Chen Junsheng, hurry up!" she called impatiently.
He quickly followed, his heart not feeling the cold of winter. Looking at her, like a little sun shining brightly, he felt warmth even in winter.
From then on, he loved winter.
......
In a luxurious hospital room, a woman was coaxing a sullen young man lying in bed.
"Xiangqian, eat a bit, I made your favorite chicken soup... You must eat something."
Sitting on the sofa playing with her phone, a beautiful young girl commented disdainfully, "Why bother with him? He got what he deserved."
"Where's Hao Jiali, what are you talking about, girl? Are you talking about your brothers and sisters like that?" A middle-aged man with fashionable glasses and a happy face scolded his daughter.
Haoli shrank back at her father's scolding, but continued defiantly, "It's true, isn't it? A girl like Jian Yifeng, smart and pretty, the school beauty of Yizhong, why would she ever look at my brother? He was just harassing her. If I were her, I'd have someone beat up Hao Xiangqian too..."
The tall young man in the bed, Hao Xiangqian, sat up abruptly, his eyes fierce. "Haoli!!!"
"Oh my, you just had your cast put on, lie down!" His mother, alarmed, tried to push him back down. But the 18-year-old, tall and strong, was too much for her. She called for help, "His father, come quickly!"
"Haoli, get out!" Her father, Mr. Hao, grabbed his daughter, still playing her game, and threw her out of the room, dealing with the instigator before turning to his son.
Still fuming, Hao Xiangqian grabbed a water cup from the bedside table and threw it towards the door, causing Haoli to scream outside, "Hao Xiangqian, have you gone mad! It wasn't me who got someone to beat you... Huh? Who are you?"
Chen Junsheng, in his school uniform and with a clean smile, appeared at the door of the hospital room. Haoli's eyes widened, her heart pounding as if a deer was jumping inside.
Inside, the previously irate Hao Xiangqian's face changed dramatically, suddenly quieting down. His hand, attached to an IV drip, clenched into a fist, causing a trickle of fresh blood to flow back into the IV tube.
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.