They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

I've forgotten how I felt when I saw the video my senior sent me.

Disgust? Surprise? Fear? Or anger?

But in the end, I only sent this message.

"...May I ask what you want me to do so that you will not pursue this matter further?"

The fact that she didn't choose to go public but instead added me as a friend is itself a hint.

So, I became my senior's toy.

Although she said it was a toy, Ling Qingxue didn't seem to intend to hurt me directly.

Perhaps she also knows that my feelings for Ning Ruoyu are merely a sense of responsibility as a family member. If it crosses a line, I will not agree.

So she only asked me to occasionally help get rid of some guys who might cause a scene, and to do things for her that were inconvenient at the time.

Although I disliked it, I got used to silently cleaning up Ning Ruoyu's messes. Things remained peaceful until about February, when we had a rather intense conflict.

She asked me to get close to Ling Chuqing and find out if she had a crush on any boys, and what her type was.

I was terrified after realizing that Ah Qing was her sister.

If she were just a normal older sister, perhaps this would just be a routine inquiry.

But she definitely isn't.

I don't want to involve my friend in such disgusting things. That's between me, Ning Ruoyu, and her. Aqing is innocent.

So, as the price and warning for disobeying her, she exposed some of Ning Ruoyu's deeds on the confession wall, and at the same time, she also exposed the fact that I was Ning Ruoyu's sister at my school.

My situation at school suddenly became difficult. Ah Qing tried every day to clarify the matter behind my back, but I myself did not intend to deny it.

I have no regrets about protecting A-Qing. If this is the punishment Ling Qingxue wants, then let her do it; I'm not afraid.

Ning Ruoyu is indeed my brother by blood, and I am also trying my best to protect my friend. I don't understand what's shameful about these two things.

Although he felt somewhat apologetic about Ning Ruoyu's situation, the things Ling Qingxue publicly revealed were indeed done by him, and there was no denying it.

I'm so incompetent, this is really all I can do.

Perhaps she found it boring, because even though she still had the video, Ling Qingxue no longer seemed to pay attention to me. Apart from some inexplicable targeting and sarcasm at school, my life became easier afterward.

Until this summer vacation.

……

"Wow~ Even the most aloof beauty in our school comes to visit us ordinary folks~ That's really rare~"

I met three girls in the bamboo grove behind the school.

This was supposed to be a private discussion after lunch break, but when I went downstairs, many people looked at me with strange eyes.

At first I thought it was because of my injured leg, but even when I stood in this grove of trees, the teaching building was still full of students who had stayed at school to watch the commotion.

Did they spread the word? But at this moment, I have no time to criticize or complain.

"...I'll get straight to the point. Please delete that video, please."

That's what I said.

That night, when Ling Qingxue asked me to send Ning Ruoyu away, I found it amusing.

I don't have that ability. I'm just an insignificant little sister who wouldn't even be cared about if she went missing; I can't help you.

Aren't you worried about that video?

【(picture)】

Ling Qingxue sent me a screenshot; it was the interface for preparing to send the video.

Just like last time, she seems to be planning to send the evidence to those people at school who are unfriendly to me, and then use them to punish my resistance.

Please proceed.

After I typed those two words, I remembered that the dishes my senior made today needed to be preserved with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator, so I found a chair and stood on it.

—And then I fell down.

That idiot Ning Ruoyu guessed a lot of things correctly, but in the end, she was too clever for her own good and thought I fell down so that he could go home.

Who would do something so stupid! Besides, I've given up hope. I thought... no matter what happened to me, he wouldn't abandon his own affairs to help me.

That night, when I secretly sat up in the hospital bed, I saw him curled up in the chair in a somewhat amusing way, like an insecure child.

I suddenly felt scared.

During these past few days of illness, he seems to have spent most of his time at home taking care of me.

Did I make a mistake again?

"Hey~ what video are you talking about? I don't understand it."

The girl in the lead had dark skin, her earrings jingled, and she looked at me with a grin.

"...Please delete that video of my brother." I lowered my head and continued.

Perhaps this is just wishful thinking on my part.

But if, if my brother ever really cared about me.

Then I...

We must protect him.

Is this how you ask for a favor?

"Yeah, yeah, still acting all high and mighty like a princess!"

"Where is the sincerity in all this? Where is the sincerity?"

"...How do you expect me to demonstrate my sincerity?"

I looked up at the three girls and asked them.

"Ugh, so annoying. Where was Yan Xuejun when it mattered most? Otherwise, it would have been so much fun to let him bite me in public!"

"Ah, absolutely! What a pity. I also wanted to see that aloof goddess's lewd expression~"

"If he's not here, he's not here. Anyway, there are so many people upstairs watching. Consider it a perk for everyone. Why don't you take off your clothes first?"

The girl in the lead grinned at me and picked up her phone.

"Isn't it common sense that you should show your belly when you apologize? If you stood naked in front of us and kowtowed, maybe we would take pity on you?"

"...Can you guarantee you'll delete the videos?"

I asked.

"Huh? No way, really? Hahaha, you wouldn't actually agree, would you?"

The girl in the lead burst into laughter, wiping away tears of joy.

"Fine! As long as you take off all your clothes and kneel down to kowtow to us, we promise to delete the video."

I nodded. I took off my coat and reached for the buttons on my school uniform shirt.

The three girls gave strange laughs, and there seemed to be some commotion coming from the teaching building behind them.

—I know that if I really did exactly what they said, I would probably get nothing but a laughing stock and a bottom-tier status.

I have already recorded this audio. Next, as long as I take off my clothes until I can barely cover myself, the charge of bullying will be undeniable and cannot be refuted by teachers or parents because of the established facts.

They both have something on each other, so they probably won't spread it around recklessly anymore.

That's good. My brother doesn't need to know anything, and he doesn't need to know. He seems to be trying to change himself lately, so...

It seems that I'm the only one suffering.

Just as I was unbuttoning the third button, the girl in the lead smiled.

"Hey Yan Xuejun, you've come at the perfect time! Come quick, come watch your former goddess's striptease performance!"

"Come here, come here quickly, let her serve you a little later, and you'll have enough material to dream about for the rest of your life!"

"How could you... Wow..."

The girl in the lead suddenly fell silent, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

There was another commotion in the teaching building behind them, interspersed with occasional excited cheers from the girls.

"So handsome!!!" "Is he some celebrity idol?!" "Oh my god, he has such great charisma! I'm looking over here!!!!"

The girls at our school are prone to making a fuss, but were they cheering for Yan Xuejun? Impossible!

I was puzzled and stopped moving.

"........."

A light gray coat was draped over my shoulders. I looked up, and there stood that familiar figure beside me.

"Lu Ning... senior?"

I feel confused and lost.

"Damn! You know this senior?"

The girl in the lead immediately came over, looking the senior up and down while whispering in my ear as if she were very intimate with me.

"If you can introduce me to this senior, I can let you off the hook for now."

Just as I was about to speak, my senior looked over with a half-smile.

"Excuse me for interrupting, my hearing has always been pretty good."

The girl in the lead blushed instantly. Her words and actions just moments before had been filthy and vulgar, yet now she seemed like an innocent young girl in the throes of first love.

"Um, senior, I am..."

Senior student Lü Ning waved his hand, interrupting her speech.

"Oh, no need for self-introduction, I don't care."

"I'm here just to say hello to everyone—thank you all for taking such good care of my dear sister."

What exactly is he saying?

It was only then that I noticed something.

Mingming looked as gentle and handsome as usual, but Yan Xuejun, who was next to him, seemed to have a stiff expression and showed an unspeakable fear.

[Next chapter preview: I can only say that her power is entirely based on my imagination. Did you call everyone out just for this?]

Deception is not about deliberately hiding something, but about inducing others to believe something.

"If you still don't believe me, just go to the police station to check."

However, before executing a prisoner, their final appeal must be heard.

Please, I'm not a gangster! Don't say things like that in front of someone's sister!

Chapter 42: The World Has Never Lacked a Future for Bullies (6k)

"Eh?"

Not only the three hot girls opposite me, but Ning Ruoxin next to me also seemed stunned.

Seeing the child's confused and uneasy eyes, I felt both annoyed and amused.

Just this, this, this?

The reason I've been cautious and haven't intervened is because I suspect Ning Ruoxin has some unspeakable secret that Ling Qingxue is holding against her. If Ning Ruoxin has something on her, then without understanding the situation and seeing what the other party has to offer, acting rashly could easily result in me being unharmed while Ning Ruoxin is exposed.

But based on Yan Xuejun's testimony, Ling Qingxue's final act of betrayal after being driven to the brink, and my recent observations, I am convinced.

—This guy has been holding back only because he's worried about me. He's even willing to keep everything to himself.

As for what leverage Ling Qingxue has over Ning Ruoxin, it seems all I can say is that her power is purely in my imagination. Did she really call everyone out just for this?

Well, of course, for someone like me who's practically immersed in threats, blackmail, and extortion, it's a small matter. But for Ning Ruoxin, still in her ivory tower, not losing her composure was already a testament to her relative calm. As an ordinary student, she had done very well.

Moreover, given Ning Ruoyu's previous behavior, it's understandable that Ning Ruoxin would rather handle things alone than rely on me.

I roughly ruffled Ning Ruoxin's hair with my hands. This time, I was a little mischievous, making her hair all messy.

"Lu Ning... senior?"