Chapter 60: Turning Bad Part 1

Chu Ran clutched the bank card she’d been holding for so long, then shoved it back into her pants pocket.

Given Qian Hao’s personality, if she returned the card directly, Qian Hao would probably throw it on the ground in a fit of pique.

Whatever.

Before leaving, she still needed to meet with Lawyer Qian one more time. She could hand the card over to him to pass along.

She detoured to the small shop and bought a few ice creams. When she reached the flower bed at the corner, sure enough, she ran into Hu Guyue, Zhou Tian, and Zheng Lingxuan.

It was summer vacation, and the three little rascals were running wild like untethered horses, with no one to rein them in.

Zhou Tian and Zheng Lingxuan were crouched in the shade of a tree by the flower bed, using toy squirt guns to wreck an ant nest.

Hu Guyue stood to the side directing them like a little general.

When they spotted Chu Ran approaching, Zhou Tian shouted excitedly, “Boss, come quick! We’re about to breach the enemy fortress!”

Hu Guyue kept urging them on. “Hurry, hurry! Sixty degrees to the right—focus your fire and break through the walls!”

No sooner had she spoken than Zheng Lingxuan’s squirt gun struck like a dagger to the heart, instantly flooding the ant nest.

A twitch crossed Chu Ran’s forehead as she shook the plastic bag.

“Want some?”

Zhou Tian and Zheng Lingxuan swarmed over in a flash.

“Ice cream!”

Their hands dove into the bag, scrambling eagerly.

Hu Guyue rolled her eyes in disgust. “You two look like pigs fighting over slop!”

Zhou Tian and Zheng Lingxuan each snatched their favorite flavors and beamed with smug satisfaction.

Only then did Hu Guyue saunter over leisurely.

Chu Ran watched her with amusement. “There’s only one chocolate cone, and Zhou Tian grabbed it.”

Hu Guyue’s pretentious general act crumbled in an instant. Furious, she lunged at Zhou Tian.

“You bastard, that chocolate cone is mine!”

The two tore off in a chase, one fleeing and one pursuing.

Zheng Lingxuan munched on his ice cream, his squirt gun tucked under his arm, as he sidled up to Chu Ran mysteriously. He pulled open a pocket for her to peek inside.

“Boss, check this out.”

Chu Ran leaned in, expecting some treasure. Instead, she saw a wriggling mass of earthworms.

Her brow twitched, and she took a quick step back.

Oblivious, Zheng Lingxuan proudly yanked open his pants pocket.

“Boss, I’ve got this too.”

Not wanting to disappoint her loyal follower, Chu Ran forced herself to glance again. This time, she spotted a cicada inside.

Seeing her eyes widen, Zheng Lingxuan lit up like he’d found a kindred spirit. “Boss, it’s alive!”

Something stirred in Chu Ran.

“Take it out and let me see.”

Zheng Lingxuan beamed with delight and placed it in her hand, introducing it proudly. “Boss, I caught this one myself. Zhou Tian and Hu Guyue couldn’t snag a single one!”

Chu Ran examined the cicada and realized the kid had torn off its wings to keep it from escaping.

She closed her hand around it.

“Mine now.”

Zheng Lingxuan’s lip quivered. “Boss, that’s my only one.”

Chu Ran shushed him. “I’m appointing you Grand Mage of the Sky-Riding Saint-Smiting Alliance.”

His eyes sparkled instantly. He volunteered eagerly, “Boss, how many more do you want? I’ll go catch them for you!”

Chu Ran glanced at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected this quiet-looking kid to be such a smooth flatterer.

She put on a stern face. “As Grand Mage, you’ll be summoned when the alliance needs you. Go play for now.”

Zheng Lingxuan bounced away happily.

Back home, Gu An’an was sewing a quilt cover.

Chu Ran tiptoed past her from behind.

She hadn’t gotten close when Gu An’an chuckled first.

“Little Ran, what are you sneaking around for?”

“Sister An’an~~~”

Chu Ran sounded a bit downcast, dragging out her words.

Gu An’an turned to look at her, her eyes brimming with laughter.

“I heard you come in the door.”

Chu Ran held out her hand. “Look?”

She opened her palm.

Gu An’an’s eyes widened slightly. “A cicada? You caught it?”

She broke into a beaming smile, gazing at Chu Ran with tender indulgence.

“Were you playing at the flower bed?”

Chu Ran hummed in affirmation, dragged over a stool, and squeezed in beside her. She spread the cicada out on her palm, poking at it with her finger.

“Sister An’an, make me another specimen?”

Gu An’an’s voice was soft and gentle. “Sure, I’ll do it after I finish sewing this quilt.”

Chu Ran added, “Put it next to the other one.”

Gu An’an smiled faintly. “Are you catching it a little companion?”

Chu Ran stared at her without blinking.

Gu An’an had a pair of limpid almond eyes and slender, elegant brows. When she smiled, they curved like spring blossoms in her expression, with a soft, enchanting moonlight spilling into her gaze—an endless charm and grace.

“Yeah,” Chu Ran replied brightly.

Gu An’an lowered her eyes and carefully embroidered a character into the corner of the quilt.

Chu Ran peered closely and saw it was her own name, “Ran.”

“Sister An’an, why are you embroidering my name?”

Gu An’an explained softly, “I read online that college students often lose their bedding when they hang it out to dry. Some even caught colds from it. I’m just worried about you. It’s so cold up north, so I’m marking it to make sure no one takes yours by mistake.”

Chu Ran fell silent, watching her stitch the name needle by needle. Once the quilt cover was done, Gu An’an picked up the pillowcase and kept embroidering. She clearly planned to mark the entire four-piece set with Chu Ran’s name.

Her head was slightly bowed, revealing the graceful curve of her swan-like neck. Strands of raven hair cascaded down, making her skin gleam like smooth, creamy white jade.

Chu Ran stared for a long moment. Suddenly, she thought this scene deserved a photo to cherish. She started to reach for her phone but couldn’t bear to move even an inch away.

During that time, her phone buzzed three times with messages, but she ignored them.

A while later, it rang with a call.

She still lounged lazily, unwilling to budge.

Gu An’an prompted her. “Little Ran, your phone’s ringing. Go answer it.”

Only then did Chu Ran get up to take the call.

Seeing it was Qian Hao, she frowned instinctively.

“What is it?”

“I’m home. Just letting you know.”

“Why not text?”

Qian Hao turned sensitive right away. “So you don’t even want to pick up my calls now?”

“No, I just think calling isn’t necessary.”

Qian Hao was left speechless.

When she didn’t reply, Chu Ran said, “If it’s nothing, I’m hanging up.”

Qian Hao asked in a pitiful tone, “Are we really going to the capital together?”

Chu Ran hesitated, unsure whether to tell her the truth. She’d only said that earlier to cover her tracks.

Qian Hao took Chu Ran’s silence as confirmation, her fragile heart shattering.

Chu Ran never initiated contact, so the waiting felt endless. But when Qian Hao reached out first, Chu Ran’s cold response made the torment just as unbearable.

“Forget it.”

She gritted out the words and hung up, swallowing her pain.

Chu Ran casually unlocked her phone. Three new messages, all from Qian Hao.

Turns out Qian Hao had texted her right after getting home, but Chu Ran hadn’t checked.

She paused.

A strange pressure settled over her, stirring some irritation.

That evening, Wang Li called.

“Chu Ran, there’s a buyer who heard about your family situation. He says you’ve got great fortune on you and thinks living in your house will bring him luck. He’s offering five million flat out for it. If you agree, we can sign tomorrow. What do you say? I had the agent check him out—he’s solid.”

For some reason, Chu Ran immediately thought of Qian Hao from that morning.

Her family’s place was a 120-square-meter three-bedroom. Based on the city government’s demolition hints, compensation would be around 30,000 per square meter. Selling now for five million was way too high.

High enough to make her suspect Qian Hao was pulling strings.

“Wang Li, tell me straight—who’s the buyer?”

Wang Li paused, then chuckled. “Some rich merchant. Family’s loaded; his cars start at five million. The price might seem high, but it’s just like one of his runabouts.”

“Man or woman?”

“An old geezer. Let me tell you, he’s super superstitious. Once he learned about your family, he fixated on this place and kept stuffing me with red envelopes to convince you to sell.”

“Of course, I didn’t take them until you agree.”

“By the way, the buyer wants to come see the house in person. Cool?”

If he was a superstitious businessman, it made sense.

Chu Ran’s suspicions eased, and she agreed.

Two days later, her bank balance read 5,175,672.45 yuan.

She stared at it for a long time.

To her, those numbers felt utterly hollow and cold, devoid of any warmth.

But because of them, the only house her parents had left her was gone.

Her tangible link to her parents had shattered in an instant.

Her emotions were a tangled mess, heavy with loss.

Unable to help herself, she wandered through the house, peering into room after room.

In her memories, her parents had loved her dearly, carefully collecting and treasuring every little thing about her.

One wall in the living room was dedicated to her awards, from kindergarten all the way through fourth grade. They covered a huge swath of the wall, densely packed and arranged in the shape of a pyramid.

But the bottom three rows of certificates were scarred with deep gashes, slashed over and over with a knife until they looked utterly ruined.

Huang Biao had done that.

Jealous of her good grades, he had destroyed most of her awards the moment he took over the nest.

Gu An’an had always said she wanted to replace them for her, to restore everything to its original state, but Chu Ran hadn’t agreed.

They were just certificates. She would earn plenty more in the future.

She entered her own bedroom. It was decorated in a warm, cute style, like a princess’s room. The walls, papered in pink, still bore her childhood favorite anime posters. The lampshade on the bedside lamp was white, though a chunk of paint had chipped off.

Huang Biao had smashed it.

The original wood-colored bookshelf had yellowed slightly with age, and it was lined with old books.