It really hurt.
She was still putting on a brave front; she should practice a bit more.
Downstairs
Pei Xiyue was still lying on the ground, one hand clutching his neck and the other instinctively pressed against his wildly beating heart.
Uncle Wei quickly stepped forward to help him up. “Young Master, are you okay?”
Feeling the pain coursing through his body, especially in his neck, Pei Xiyue slowly shook his head. He glanced toward the staircase, where a figure was calmly ascending, capturing his attention.
Soon, the figure disappeared around the corner.
Pei Xiyue lowered his gaze, an awkward expression revealing hints of embarrassment.
Suddenly, a shocked voice broke his thoughts. “Wow, she managed to beat you! A-Yue, did you let her win, or is she that amazing?”
Pei Xiyue snapped back to reality, grimacing in an attempt to alleviate the pain on his face. He listened to his friend’s words, struggling to force a smile in response. He wanted to say something, but his mind was filled with the image of Fu Qingli, his heart racing like never before.
After waiting for a moment without any relief, he quickly shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I have something to do, so I’m heading out first. You all take care.”
Without waiting for a response, he rushed outside, as if something were chasing him.
The remaining boys were left dumbfounded, exchanging confused glances. “What just happened?”
Someone speculated, “Maybe he got beaten by a girl and is embarrassed?”
Meanwhile, in her room, the girl who did the hitting, Qingli, had just finished applying medicine to her wounds.
Her elbows, knees, and even her cheeks were smeared with iodine, the orange-brown color standing out starkly against her pale skin. But even more striking were the bruises that the color could not hide.
The original owner had seldom faced hardship besides being bullied; she was used to a pampered life, with only her hands showing signs of roughness from cooking and doing homework to please the Pei family.
The injuries were painful enough to make Qingli break out in a cold sweat, even ruining her shower.
Half an hour later, the kitchen aunt delivered the fish-flavored shredded pork, along with a stack of other dishes and a generous serving of white rice.
As Qingli ate, she scrolled through her phone, searching for rental properties near the school.
She couldn’t continue to bother Pei Mingjiang; it was too risky, and staying with the Pei family had lost its appeal. Therefore, she planned to move out, knowing that until the original owner’s grandfather took over, the Pei family would have to provide her with money.
However, if Pei Mingjiang intentionally forgot to transfer the funds, causing trouble, she would need to keep an eye on her finances and avoid being as extravagant as before.
As Qingli pondered, a message notification popped up on WeChat.
She opened it to see a simple yet enticing message at the top: “Half a month has passed, and your 100,000 has turned into 130,000.” — Xu Nianhan
Qingli’s eyes lit up as she replied, “As expected of the study god; your reputation is well-deserved!”
Xu Nianhan replied, “Not bad, not bad. Do you want the profits now, or should I continue managing them?”
Qingli responded, “You handle it.”
Xu Nianhan replied, “Okay.”
After their brief conversation, Qingli shook her head with a smile and returned to her search for properties. There were still plenty of rentals available near the school, and besides the high prices, there were no other issues.
But the price was not a problem for her.
After the monthly exams, the weekend followed. After exercising the next day, Qingli approached Pei Mingjiang to discuss her plans to rent a place. She wanted to devote more energy to her studies, and the round trip from the Pei residence wasted over twenty minutes, even longer if there was traffic.
Pei Mingjiang not only didn’t refuse but also breathed a sigh of relief, his smile more genuine than the previous forced kindness. “It’s great that you love learning. Of course, you can. I’ll transfer some more money to you. Just call if you need anything.”
Finally, this nuisance was leaving!
If she didn’t move out, Pei Mingjiang felt that this time next year could very well be his memorial day.
Qingli feigned ignorance of his hope that she wouldn’t return, cheerfully nodding. “Okay, thank you, Grandpa Pei.”
Once the money was in hand, Qingli didn’t linger and excitedly headed out.
As she got into the car, her phone chimed with a transfer notification.
This time it was 500,000.
Wow!
The first time she received such a large amount from the original owner, it seemed Pei Mingjiang was happy.
Qingli was always quick to act. After deciding to move out, she found a nice, fully furnished, high-end community close by that Saturday, paying the rent for the next year all at once. She moved in that weekend afternoon.
She didn’t have to lift a finger during the move; Pei Mingjiang sent people to help, even asking Uncle Wei to assist with the arrangements.
By the time the Pei family realized what was happening, Fu Qingli had already disappeared from their lives.
After living under the same roof for so many years, and with Fu Qingli’s recent strong presence, Pei Mingjiang was shocked enough to be hospitalized twice. His stocks plummeted, and they had yet to recover to their previous heights.
Pei Qi and her mother were too scared to come around again, while the cheerful and lively boy Pei Cheng developed a psychological shadow regarding this place.
Ever since that day, Pei Xiyue moved to his grandmother’s house and stopped answering calls. If it weren’t for the fact that they confirmed he was indeed at his grandmother’s, the Pei family would have been frantic.
This showed just how powerful the adopted daughter had become!
That afternoon, Fu Qingli’s disappearance caught the attention of Pei Rong and his wife.
He Yue was pleased; Pei Rong had learned of the situation from his father the night before. After dinner, the father and son went to the study on the third floor, and Pei Rong broached the subject. “Dad, is it okay for her to leave home at this time? Will there be any problems?”
Pei Mingjiang was delighted. Since Fu Qingli had left, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief, the smile on his lips relaxed. “Do you think I’m foolish? Lin Hengzhi doesn’t have much time left. A few days ago, I contacted him cautiously—”
Pei Rong was startled and couldn’t help but interrupt, “Dad, didn’t you say to avoid contacting him proactively?”
Pei Mingjiang shot his son a glance, seemingly dissatisfied with his lack of composure. “It’s been more than ten years. If I hadn’t contacted him casually before the date, it would raise suspicions. After so many years, he trusts me enough. Besides, I only mentioned that I visit the hospital every few days and asked about his condition.”
Pei Rong sighed with relief but complained, “Isn’t this your doing?”
If he hadn’t concealed Fu Qingli’s grandfather’s situation for so long, would he have to be this cautious?
To be honest, if he had known earlier that Fu Qingli had such a powerful figure behind her, his father shouldn’t have kept it a secret. He should have told them from the beginning to treat that little girl well!
This was completely contrary to Pei Mingjiang’s usual way of doing things.
Pei Mingjiang cleared his throat, seemingly wanting to change the subject. “It just so happens that when I contacted him, he was in the hospital too. Although I didn’t get to say much, his condition isn’t looking good. I told him that girl is in her final year of high school and wanted to make one last push. I rented a place near the school for her. He simply said okay, without a second thought. He probably doesn’t have the energy to think too much about it!”
Pei Rong’s gaze flickered, feeling regretful. “I still think it was a waste for Fu Qingli to leave.”
Pei Mingjiang’s eyes narrowed. “What? Do you still think she hasn’t troubled your father enough?”
Pei Rong quickly shook his head, about to explain when Pei Mingjiang’s phone chimed. His phone was a family one; only relatives had the number, and it was rare for anyone to contact him at this hour.
He halted his reprimand and put on his reading glasses to check his phone, only to see a text message: “Hello, parent of Fu Qingli. Your child’s results for the May monthly exam have been released. For inquiries, please log into the school’s official website: Chinese… Class ranking: 2nd, Year ranking: 69th!”
Pei Mingjiang froze, quickly pulling back to look again, only to find Fu Qingli’s name again!
Suddenly, he recalled the incident with Wen Shi that had transpired earlier. At that time, he hadn’t paid much attention to it and even felt secretly pleased that Wen Shi had completely ruined Fu Qingli.
With the final year of high school just around the corner, even if she lacked Wen Shi’s half-baked PUA skills, how could she possibly rise above?
He was still thinking that when the college entrance exam results came out, if Lin Hengzhi were still alive, he would call to share the good news.
Pei Mingjiang looked again and still couldn’t believe it; had she improved this much?!
As he scrolled the screen, the results from Fu Qingli’s April exam from a month ago appeared. She was still at the bottom of the rankings, and the pitiful score was so low that one could easily calculate the total.
He took a deep breath and trembled as he said, “Boss! You need to come over and take a look! Am I seeing this wrong?”
If this were true, Fu Qingli would undoubtedly be a genius comparable to her grandfather!
Suddenly, he felt his heart aching even more than when he was sick!
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152