Everyone Thought The Fake Heiress Had Her Reasons Ch. 12
The System exclaimed in astonishment, [So this is what you call wilder?]
Xu Tingting’s fair cheeks flushed bright red, whether from anger or humiliation, it was hard to tell. Tears welled up in her eyes, on the verge of falling, making it almost unbearable to bully her further.
But Ming Jiao remained unmoved, her heart as hard as stone. “Don’t bother me again. Get lost.”
Humiliated beyond measure, Xu Tingting was in no mood to back down. Enraged, she shrieked, “What are you two standing around for? Hold her down and strip her clothes off!”
The two lackeys, momentarily stunned, had initially intended to shove Ming Jiao a few times to help Xu Tingting vent her anger. But upon hearing the command to strip her, they hesitated. Going that far seemed excessive.
The slightly heavier girl wavered, “Isn’t this going too far? She’s still a foster daughter of the Ming family, after all.”
Blinded by fury, Xu Tingting had no patience for reason. “What’s there to be afraid of? The Ming family has already abandoned her. Besides, if she ends up humiliated in public without a stitch on, the Mings will be even more eager to cut ties with her.”
The two girls took a couple of hesitant steps forward but didn’t immediately reach out to grab Ming Jiao, clearly torn.
The System was furious. [What kind of people are these? Don’t they know the one who starts trouble is the one at fault? Host, don’t be afraid. If it comes to it, I’ll electrocute them for you.]
Ming Jiao hadn’t expected the System to have offensive capabilities. She had assumed systems were purely supportive, and even if they could attack, they’d need some medium. After a moment’s thought, it dawned on her. [So, your true form is a Pikachu?]
The System sighed helplessly. [I may not be a Pikachu, but you must have learned from Pikashangtian.]
Ming Jiao chuckled. [Don’t worry, no need to go to such trouble.]
With practiced ease, she stepped forward, picked up the slender-necked vase Xu Tingting had casually left on the sink, and smashed it forcefully against the edge of the counter.
The crisp sound of shattering glass made the other three tremble. But when the sharp, broken edge was pointed at Xu Tingting, they all shuddered in fear.
Xu Tingting’s face, flushed with anger moments before, turned deathly pale. “You…” Her teeth chattered, and she instinctively retreated from the glinting shard of glass.
As the three huddled together, shrinking back in fear, Ming Jiao shot them a sharp glare. “Get lost. If you bother me again, we’ll all go down together. Life isn’t worth living anyway. Might as well reincarnate early.”
Her icy gaze sent another shiver down their spines. The casual tone in which she spoke made her words feel terrifyingly real. After all, there were plenty of examples of people who couldn’t handle falling from grace and resorted to extreme measures.
Xu Tingting didn’t even dare to utter a final threat. She and her two lackeys fled the restroom as if chased by ghosts, not even bothering to see who was standing outside.
[See that, System? This is what I call wild.]
Ming Jiao walked to the sink and stood before the mirror, leisurely tidying her hair.
[Maybe this should be called unhinged. I doubt they’ll dare bother you for a long time.] The System sounded both pleased and cautious. [But there’s still someone outside the restroom.]
Ming Jiao had already noticed. Without turning around, she raised her voice slightly and called out to the person outside, “Did you enjoy the show? Care to share your thoughts?”
Someone strode in briskly, their sharp lips pressed into a stern line, looking very serious. It was Shi Yan.
She stood not far from Ming Jiao, her brow furrowed tightly. “When will you learn to rein in your temper?”
Without the protection of the Ming family, many people and situations that weren’t troublesome before would become problematic. Not everyone was as easily fooled as Xu Tingting, who would run away with just a scare.
“Can’t change it.” Ming Jiao turned to face her, her peach-blossom eyes naturally carrying an intoxicating charm, though now tinged with a hint of defiance. “Before, I could act spoiled because I was favored. Now, I have nothing to lose.” She casually fiddled with the glass powder manicure she had recently done. “I’d rather die than swallow my pride.”
Whether she had truly suffered any indignities, Shi Yan didn’t know, but Shi Yan herself was so angered by her that she wanted to turn and leave. Yet, whenever she glimpsed the contour of Ming Jiao’s profile with her eyes lowered, she would recall childhood memories of Ming Jiao following behind her, softly calling out “Yan Yan, little salt pouch” over and over. Her resolve to abandon her would waver.
Shi Yan studied Ming Jiao carefully and suddenly felt she wasn’t a fool who understood nothing. She was simply living life on her own terms, regardless of right or wrong, and without considering the consequences.
In the end, all these complex emotions condensed into a half-command laced with a sigh. “Come with me.”
·
Inside the guest room.
People with meticulous personalities have this advantage—they consider problems comprehensively and prepare for unexpected situations.】
【You make it sound like bringing an extra set of clothes is some profound foresight. At that moment, Ming Jiao was sitting in the guest room listening to the System’s complaints. She lazily smiled. 【But what I said is true.】
It was Shi Yan who had brought her here, saying she had brought spare clothes and asking Ming Jiao to wait for her.
To be fair, Ming Jiao didn’t actually dislike people with such upright and soft-hearted personalities.
She waited patiently for a while, but hearing no sign of Shi Yan’s return, she stood up and walked to the window to admire the night view outside.
The villa’s owner had hung many colored lights outside, so even though it was completely dark, the outside was beautifully illuminated with shimmering colors.
However, when she opened the window, the noise from outside seemed to grow fainter. At some point, fog had begun to form, and the night became increasingly hazy.
Ming Jiao’s gaze gradually turned alert. 【System, I feel something isn’t right. A mysterious and eerie sensation washed over her, as if the entire world was slowly being still. The System’s voice came after a long pause. There are abnormal energy fluctuations outside the villa, and spatial anomalies as well. It’s highly likely that the invasion of extraterrestrial beings the protagonist mentioned has occurred again. Ming Jiao’s heart tightened as she peered outside, but through the night fog, the distant scenery was a blur.
Just then, the System exclaimed in surprise, 【Host, look up at the sky!】
Ming Jiao quickly raised her head and saw a large white ship floating high in the night sky.
Although it was positioned high up, it was very close to the villa, so Ming Jiao could see it clearly.
【What is this?】
The System sounded uncertain. 【It seems to be something used to protect ordinary people. The protection level on it is very high—I can’t breach it. Ming Jiao immediately said, “Then don’t try to touch it.” If it raises anyone’s suspicion and they trace it back to us, it would be trouble.】
She thought of Tang Xiaoyu, who was an ability user. If the situation outside was truly a monster invasion, she would inevitably take action. Feeling uneasy, Ming Jiao wanted to go out and check. 【How are the others outside right now?】
The System said, “After that large ship appeared, everyone in this area has been protected by some kind of force—likely a barrier. Their consciousness seems quite hazy; they don’t know what’s happening right now.”
Ming Jiao nodded thoughtfully and asked, “Can I go out and take a look?”
The System replied, “Host, you can move freely within the villa, but I don’t recommend going outside. There’s a barrier blocking the exterior. Unless you approach the battlefield, you won’t be able to see anything. Moreover, there are conscious people nearby outside the villa. If you go out rashly, you might run into them.”
Ming Jiao was somewhat surprised—there was more than just Tang Xiaoyu as an ability user in this villa. Then she keenly noticed the nuance in the System’s wording. “Are the other conscious people ability users?”
The System spoke slowly, as if scouting the situation while conversing with her. “I’m not sure, because they aren’t participating in the battle.”
“Who are they?” Ming Jiao asked. “Is Ming Yue among them?”
She had long suspected that the Ming family had more than just Tang Xiaoyu as an ability user.
The System said, “Host, this is quite interesting. There are two conscious people—one is indeed your younger sister, and the other is your fiancé.”
A flicker passed through Ming Jiao’s eyes. “Is that so? They’re both people I know.”
The System affirmed, “Yes, and it seems they’ve both noticed each other, but they’re carefully avoiding one another.”
After a moment of contemplation, Ming Jiao suddenly laughed. “Then it’s highly likely they’re both ability users. However, Ming Yue’s height and age are quite obvious. In other places, it might not matter, but in an area with so many familiar people, even with disguises, it’s easy for others to trace their identities.”
As for why her fiancé wasn’t taking action, Ming Jiao couldn’t think of a reason for now.
Looking back, many things made sense. For example, why did Ming Yue, who had just returned to the Ming family and wasn’t particularly sociable, become so close to Tang Xiaoyu? It was likely because they had known each other before.
The System sighed. “Judging by their behavior, they probably don’t know each other’s identities. Do all ability users have to be this wary of one another?”
Ming Jiao found it quite normal, though from an outsider’s perspective, it felt somewhat absurd. She said, “Ability users can be good or evil and belong to different factions. Such caution is understandable.”
The System remarked, “True. I wonder what expressions they’ll have when their identities are eventually revealed.”
Ming Jiao realized that this System, which seemed honest, actually had quite a mischievous side—completely enjoying the drama without any concern for the consequences.
However, whether her sister and Xie Chu knew about Tang Xiaoyu’s identity or each other’s, the fact that they still had the presence of mind to hide themselves and not intervene indicated that the situation wasn’t extremely dangerous.
Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, the System informed her that the battle had ended.
Ming Jiao ultimately didn’t leave the guest room. Since she couldn’t watch the battle live and couldn’t offer any help, leaving the room was pointless. It was better to sit quietly and wait for Shi Yan to return.
About five minutes later, the villa returned to its lively state, as calm as if nothing had happened.
The large ship floating in the sky had also disappeared back into the clouds. However, the System told her that the ship hadn’t left the city—it was just using advanced technology to achieve perfect invisibility.
It seemed that this world not only possessed supernatural powers but also technology far more advanced than her original world.
As Ming Jiao was pondering this, she heard footsteps outside the door, which was gently pushed open from the outside.
Shi Yan had returned.
Seeing Shi Yan back, Ming Jiao felt completely at ease. Although the System would have alerted her if anything unusual had occurred, Shi Yan had gone to the car to fetch clothes instead of staying inside the villa with the others. If anything had happened, she might have gotten hurt.
For some reason, Shi Yan felt her mind growing hazy. She placed the spare clothes from the paper bag on the table and drowsily sat on the sofa to rest.
“Hurry up and change,” she said.
She had completely forgotten to step out to give Ming Jiao privacy. Under normal circumstances, even if Ming Jiao didn’t mind, Shi Yan wouldn’t have stayed in the room while someone was changing.
Ming Jiao drew the curtains shut before walking to the table, picking up the paper bag, and moving to the bed to change.
Since they were both girls, there wasn’t much need for hesitation. Besides, given Shi Yan’s personality, she wouldn’t stare openly while someone was changing.
With that thought, Ming Jiao removed her knit sweater and reached to unzip the side zipper of her skirt. One of the main reasons she had chosen this skirt was its conveniently placed zipper, which meant she didn’t need to ask for help.
After all, if the zipper had been at the back and she’d asked her Aunt for assistance, the bandages on her body would have been hard to explain.
Little did she expect that while she managed to avoid explaining things to her Aunt, she couldn’t escape Shi Yan’s questioning.
Just as she had changed into the skirt Shi Yan brought and was about to put on the T-shirt, Shi Yan’s voice broke the silence, “What happened to your back?”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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