MGG - 12

Chapter 12: Bastard

The June breeze was warm and gentle, the setting sun casting long shadows on the streets.

After saying goodbye to Yun Bu, Su Ling boarded a bus back to school. She wasn’t going to go along with it.

She had thought it through—she couldn’t outmaneuver Qin Xiao. He was like the person flying a kite, holding the string tightly in his hand, pulling her whichever way he pleased. And she was the kite, suspended high in the air, constantly reminded of her fear, every step she took dictated by him.

If she wanted to break free from him, to escape this dynamic, she couldn’t just give in to him.

She didn’t love this man.

She hadn’t loved him in her past life, and she didn’t love him in this one either.

Damn foot fetish.

During the several hours on the bus, Su Ling decided to take out her textbook for her major and study. The content felt both unfamiliar and familiar to her. Slowly, she began to internalize the feeling of reciting lines. Closing her eyes, she could almost vividly picture the scenes unfolding before her.

When the bus arrived at a stop near the school, she packed her book into her bag. As soon as she stepped off the bus, she saw Qin Xiao.

The man was leaning against his luxury car, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes clearly saying—come here.

She glanced around. The stop was remote, and it would take eighteen minutes to walk back to campus. At this hour, there were only a few people nearby.

She ignored him and started walking toward the school.

Suddenly, her arm was grabbed forcefully.

“Su Ling, are you really that repulsed by me?” His anger flared, and the curse slipped out naturally.

She didn’t struggle. “Let go.”

He leaned down, locking eyes with her. “What do you mean? Do you really hate me that much?”

Summoning courage she didn’t know she had, Su Ling met his gaze firmly. “Yes. So, can you please stop following me?”

Instead of getting angry, he smirked. “But what if I like you?”

Her face flushed despite herself. “Stop joking around.”

“I’m serious. Don’t believe me? Feel for yourself.” He grabbed her slender wrist and placed her hand on his chest. In the slanting rays of the setting sun, the frantic beating of his heart pulsed beneath her palm.

Thump, thump, thump—it was so intense it made her heart tremble. He grinned mischievously. “What now?”

That same sense of helplessness washed over her again. She stammered, “You… let go first.”

He chuckled softly. “Do you really hate me?”

“Yes.”

“Say it again.”

Her voice dropped. “It’s the same no matter how many times I say it.”

She seemed unusually stubborn about this. He found himself unable to smile anymore. “Even if I make you the heroine, would you still not like me?”

She shook her head. “No. Let me go. People are watching.”

They were both strikingly attractive, and their standoff had become the focus of attention at the stop. Though there were few people around, Su Ling’s shy nature made her uncomfortable with being stared at.

This year, Qin Xiao’s temper had indeed been terrible.

His expression turned cold. “Who cares.”

He released her hand. Su Ling stole a nervous glance at him, seeing his cold profile as he turned his head away. She exhaled in relief and continued walking toward the school.

Behind her came a loud thud. Su Ling turned around and saw him kicking his luxury car with all his might.

The sound drew everyone’s attention.

He glared at the onlookers and barked, “What the hell are you looking at!” The few people who had been staring were intimidated by his domineering and ferocious demeanor, quickly lowering their heads.

Su Ling couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at his outrageous behavior.

She knew it well—back when Qin Xiao was in school, his reputation hadn’t been good. He was infamous as the most unruly student in the entire school. Perhaps because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had never known restraint. Aside from his sharp business acumen and ruthless tactics, his academic performance had been abysmal. He had grown accustomed to getting his way no matter what.

In her past life, she had only ended up tied to him because someone else had orchestrated it.

In this life, she had avoided that starting point. Once she resolved the matters concerning her grandmother and uncle, she could cut all ties with him.

Even with her usually calm temperament, she still found this bastard utterly despicable.

Did she have to apologize and placate him?

Love him? Never in a million years! Hate was hate. She often thought about how, in her past life, if it hadn’t been for that fateful nap that sealed her fate—if it hadn’t been for the weight of rumors and medical bills—she would never have chosen to be with him.

She pressed her lips together, turned around, and walked away without sparing him another glance.

Qin Xiao watched her retreating figure, finally understanding that she truly didn’t like him—not even a little. He had said he didn’t care, but after her figure disappeared from sight, he still stood there.

Not once did she look back. Not once!

Fuck!

He reached into his pocket, pulled out the perfectly preserved smiley-face envelope, and angrily threw it into the trash.

Mid-June, the weather gradually grew hotter.

Su Ling could no longer keep up her long sleeves and pants. She had to switch to shorts and short sleeves. Although things had fallen apart between her and Qin Xiao, she still cautiously chose to wear sneakers.

Compared to her face, what likely attracted the foot fetishist more was her feet.

That pervert had kissed every inch of her feet. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine. As a normal person, she simply couldn’t comprehend such a bizarre obsession.

And yet, just because of her face, he had already harassed her for a while.

If he ever saw her feet, it would be disastrous.

After spending some time at school, she finally felt more at ease. With Qin Xiao’s arrogant temperament, perhaps he wouldn’t bother her again?

But then, a late-night phone call made Su Ling begin to wonder—was it really that hard to change fate?

The call was from her aunt. Su Ling had a bad feeling as she hurried out of bed to take the call in the corridor outside. Her roommate Zhao Wanwan, woken by the ringtone, mumbled something and rolled over to continue sleeping.

The night wind was cool, contrasting sharply with the summer heat. Her bangs were damp with sweat, and the breeze made her feel deeply uncomfortable.

Su Ling’s aunt was named Tian Shuyun. She had a loud voice and a short temper, and at home, even Su Ling’s uncle listened to her. Now, her tone carried obvious impatience. “Why did it take you so long to answer?”

People were like that. In her past life, when Su Ling was with Qin Xiao, Tian Shuyun had spoken to her with flattery and smiles. How could she be so disdainful now?

Su Ling didn’t dwell on it. She was patient by nature and calmly explained, “I didn’t want to wake my roommate, so I came outside to answer.”

Tian Shuyun cut her off. “Enough with the excuses. Your grandmother had an episode earlier, and the whole family is with her at the hospital now. The doctor says she needs surgery, but you know our situation—your uncle wants to help but can’t. So, when are you taking leave to come back and stay with her? That’s all.”

Su Ling felt a chill run through her body.

“Aunt, don’t hang up! Please don’t hang up!”

“What else is there to say? Hurry up.”

“How is Grandmother doing?”

“How should I know? It’s her usual heart problem, plus some other issues with her body…” She paused, trying to recall the doctor’s words but failing. “Anyway, either she gets surgery, or… never mind. Jia Nan and I will go back first to get Mom some clothes.”

“Aunt!” Su Ling felt dizzy. “How much does the surgery cost?”

The other end sounded even more impatient. “Fifty thousand or so. We don’t have it. Do you think you do? That’s all. I’m hanging up.”

It was 578,400 yuan.

Su Ling leaned against the corridor wall, her body growing icy cold.

How could this happen? There was no “doxxing” this time, no one had said those hurtful things to upset her grandmother, so why had her grandmother’s condition still flared up?

Fifty thousand or so—her uncle’s family might have that amount, but at most, they probably only had around fifty or sixty thousand.

They wouldn’t possibly use that money for her grandmother’s surgery. It wasn’t just because her aunt was domineering; Su Ling’s uncle, Ni Liguo, wasn’t even her grandmother’s biological son!

Her grandmother only had one daughter—Su Ling’s mother. Her uncle, on the other hand, had been picked up from the snow by her grandmother out of pity. Her grandmother’s heart had softened, and she had raised both a son and a daughter all by herself.

So whenever Ni Haoyan said, “Why do you care what I do? You’re not even my sister,” Su Ling never took it seriously or argued back.

Now, where could she find the money for her grandmother’s surgery?

Su Ling had originally thought she could make the best of this year by working hard. She hadn’t expected that everything that was supposed to happen would still unfold without fail.

No! She couldn’t let her grandmother die. Even if it meant she lived just one more year, one more year would be enough!

She had to get this money.

Su Ling didn’t sleep through the rest of the night, staying awake until dawn.

The next day, she took leave from school and went to wait at “Lian Cheng,” an upscale entertainment venue. She couldn’t ask Qin Xiao for help, but there was someone else she could turn to—and he wouldn’t demand anything in return—Guo Mingyan.

She didn’t have Guo Mingyan’s phone number, nor did she know if he had been joking before, but this was her best hope right now.

Su Ling knew that these wealthy young men frequented Lian Cheng—it was an elegant, high-end entertainment venue.

Qin Xiao came here to conduct business, while Guo Mingyan came here to have fun.

She could only count on luck, hoping she’d run into who she needed.

God always opens a window for the desperate. Almost as soon as she arrived at Lian Cheng by taxi, she saw Guo Mingyan burst out of the entrance wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, shouting three times: “I’m an old man! An old man is me!”

Su Ling stared in disbelief.

After finishing his shout with his eyes closed, Guo Mingyan spotted Su Ling standing frozen beside the car.

Guo Mingyan: “Holy crap!” He wanted to die on the spot. Why did Su Ling have to see him like this?

He awkwardly said, “What… what a coincidence.”

Su Ling lowered her eyes. Though the situation was highly inappropriate, her grandmother couldn’t wait. She politely avoided looking directly at him and softly asked, “Young Master Guo, I need to borrow some money. I’ll pay it back as soon as possible.”

Guo Mingyan blushed. “How much?”

“Five hundred eighty thousand.”

“You… just wait a moment. My clothes are inside, and I’ll go get my card.”

Guo Mingyan’s mind was collapsing internally: Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, I should’ve worked on my abs! Now she’s seen me looking like a pale, scrawny chicken… she’s seen me like this…

Then Guo Mingyan rushed back into the club.

Su Ling covered her cheeks. She felt awkward too, but this had gone smoother than she could have imagined! Guo Mingyan hadn’t even asked questions before agreeing.

She sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, Guo Mingyan ran shirtless back into the club, his face alternating between white and red.

As soon as he entered, he locked eyes with Qin Xiao’s icy glare. Guo Mingyan was close to tears: “Xiao Ge, stop looking at me like that. I messed up, okay? I’ll never joke about your age again.”

Had he swallowed firecrackers recently?

There were seven or eight people in the private room, and someone teased him: “Young Master Guo’s physique looks pretty good.”

“Go to hell.”

Guo Mingyan put on his shirt. “Hey, where’s my wallet?”

Dong Xu was also there and glanced up indifferently to remind him: “You changed into flashy clothes when you left but forgot your wallet.”

Guo Mingyan: “….” In his nervousness and embarrassment, he had completely forgotten. “Can someone lend me a card? One with a balance of a few hundred thousand will do. I’ll transfer the money tonight.”

Dong Xu frowned. “What do you need it for?”

Guo Mingyan blushed again. “Someone asked me for a loan.”

Whistles immediately erupted around the room: “Young Master Guo borrowed money while stripped down to his shorts? Impressive, impressive.”

“Shut up, hurry up! The person’s still waiting outside.”

Qin Xiao sat on the couch smoking, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. He was in a foul mood and radiated coldness. The men around him didn’t dare provoke him.

So they turned their attention to Guo Mingyan instead. These men had known each other since their school days and were notorious pranksters. One after another, they became interested: “Who is it? Bring them in and let us take a look. Someone as picky about looks as you must have found someone special.”

Guo Mingyan panicked. “Don’t look! She’s just a pure student, not one of us. Hurry up, hurry up!”

From the corner, Qin Xiao finally lifted his eyes.

He stubbed out his cigarette and looked at Guo Mingyan. “A student?”

Guo Mingyan wanted to cry: “Uh… well… that…”

He stammered, but Qin Xiao understood immediately.

With a cold snort, Qin Xiao stood up and strode toward the door.