Volume 1, Chapter 37: Only When Lost Do We Know Regret

Lu Ning stood still, her slender figure radiating a calm and composed demeanor.

"Yes!"

"Fine, fine, fine!"

Lu Liu yanked the IV needle out of Qin Xiang’s arm and scooped her up. "We’re leaving. We aren't getting treated here."

Qin Xiang clung to Lu Liu’s neck in silence, a sense of smugness lingering in her heart.

As Lu Liu reached the entrance, he saw the torrential rain outside. His umbrella was far too small. Casting a glance at the large umbrella in Lu Ning’s hand, he demanded with a sense of self-righteousness, "Give me yours. You only need the small one for yourself."

Lu Ning found this laughable. "Why should I?"

"Because Xiangxiang is sick because of you. You should be the one to give up the umbrella."

Ji Chiqian’s face darkened. He kicked the small umbrella Lu Liu had tossed aside, crushing it under his heel. His gaze was icy. "You only had the right to make demands when she still regarded you as her brothers. But now that she no longer does, what exactly do you think you are?"

Lu Liu was nearly exploding with rage. "Lu Ning, do you really have to be like this, making everyone miserable? You’re involved with this man in such an ambiguous way, and now you want to break ties with your own family?"

Lu Ning said nothing. She gripped the large umbrella and walked toward Lu Liu. With a clear, unwavering gaze, she opened the umbrella wide, shielding them from the rain drifting in from outside.

Lu Liu sneered, "If you turn back now, it’s not too late! This school doctor is a man of low character; he clearly has ulterior motives!"

In the next second, Lu Ning slapped him across the face.

The force of the blow left Lu Liu stunned. Had it not been for the stinging pain on his cheek, he would have thought he was dreaming. Holding Qin Xiang, he had no way to dodge, but he never imagined that Lu Ning would actually dare to strike him.

Seeing this, Qin Xiang quickly interjected, "Sister Ningning, how could you hit Sixth Brother? Even if you didn't want to swap umbrellas, you shouldn't have—ah!"

Lu Ning backhanded Qin Xiang, slapping her across the face as well.

Finally, the world went quiet. With a hint of bloodshot intensity in her eyes, Lu Ning said in a cold, indifferent voice, "I hit you, so what? You can say whatever you want about me, but you are not allowed to talk about him!"

Lu Ning turned and walked toward Ji Chiqian, fuming. "Let’s go."

Ji Chiqian was surprised that she had stood up for him. He took the umbrella from her hand, and the two of them stepped out into the pouring rain together.

It took a long time for Lu Liu to recover his senses. He chased after them, the heavy rain lashing down on them both. Qin Xiang was already feeling unwell from her cold, and this ordeal only made her feel worse. She felt a surge of irritation—what was this idiot Lu Liu doing? She didn't want to get soaked in the rain!

Too afraid to vent her anger, she feigned a cough. "Sixth Brother, my head is spinning, I feel terrible."

Only then did Lu Liu realize he was still carrying her.

He felt a pang of resentment. "Xiangxiang, let me take you back first."

By then, the backs of Lu Ning and Ji Chiqian had already disappeared into the distance.

***

After returning to the car, Lu Ning noticed that Ji Chiqian’s shoulder was soaked. He must have tilted the umbrella toward her while they were walking, leaving himself exposed to the rain.

Ji Chiqian started the car. "You were quite brave back there."

Lu Ning’s expression was slightly unnatural. "I didn't want them to talk about you like that."

"Are you that angry?"

Lu Ning paused. "After all, you are my first friend. I don't want others speaking of you that way."

She didn't care what her sixth brother thought of her. She didn't care, nor did she value his opinion. But he was not allowed to speak ill of Ji Chiqian.

Ji Chiqian kept his eyes on the road, the corners of his mouth curling upward ever so slightly.

Upon returning to the apartment, Lu Ning’s phone rang incessantly. She saw it was her second brother calling. She set the phone to silent and didn't answer.

Lu Nanfeng looked at the unanswered call in frustration and glanced up at Lu Liu. "She didn't pick up."

"Second Brother, I told you long ago that she was being led astray, but you just kept indulging her. Today, she actually dared to lay a hand on me and Xiangxiang."

Lu Nanfeng replied, "Didn't you lay a hand on her before? We’re even."

"That’s not the same thing! I’m her brother! Besides, Xiangxiang didn't provoke her, did she?"

Lu Nanfeng sighed. "I know. But Ningning isn't as easy to cajole as she used to be. If you didn't have an umbrella, couldn't you have just asked the driver to take you? Did you really need the one in her hand?"

He knew Lu Ning was already resentful toward them, yet he still insisted on forcing her to compromise! Wasn't he just asking for it?

"I was just trying to save time! Besides, can Lu Ning even hold such a big umbrella by herself? If she didn't want to share, she didn't have to, but she actually hit people."

The more Lu Liu thought about it after returning, the angrier he became. "No, I have to send her a message and set this straight."

[Lu Ning, where are you right now?]

Just as the message was sent, a notification popped up in the chat box: "You are not friends with this person. Please send a friend request first."

Lu Liu’s face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth and muttered, "She deleted me! How dare she!"

Lu Nanfeng looked helpless. "I warned you long ago not to act rashly. You’re still in quarantine; you shouldn't have gone to see her. If she calls the police, you’ll be in trouble."

"I’m afraid of her? I’ll just pretend I don't have this sister!"

Lu Liu’s face darkened as he threw his phone down! He hadn't expected to be deleted, and he felt humiliated.

"Don't talk nonsense. She’s just going through a rebellious phase, and after being wronged previously and egged on by that school doctor, that’s why she’s acting like this. She is our biological sister; that can never change."

Lu Nanfeng’s gaze was firm. "I will find a way to make her come home. If you don't want to lose your sister, don't do anything else."

Only then did Lu Liu fall silent.

At dinner, he took two bites and set his chopsticks down. "Who made these sweet and sour ribs? They taste awful. Where’s the old chef?"

The housekeeper answered with difficulty, "The young miss used to make the sweet and sour ribs herself. She adjusted the seasoning ratios specifically to your palate. The other chefs don't know how to do it."

Lu Liu froze, staring at the plate of ribs, lost in thought. He had never noticed it before; he hadn't even paid attention to these small details.

Since Lu Ning left, his life—and the team’s competitions—had all fallen into chaos! The moment he realized he had been deleted, he felt more panic than anger. He had never realized how much of an impact Lu Ning actually had on him.

***

The next day, Lu Ning went to school as usual, but Qin Xiang took a sick leave and did not show up.

Lu Nanfeng stood outside the classroom, watching Lu Ning sitting at her desk. Her posture was straight, and her side profile looked incredibly focused. Seeing this, he felt a momentary sense of disorientation.

Lu Ning had indeed changed a lot during this time.

Lu Nanfeng hesitated for a moment before asking, "How has Lu Ning been doing lately?"

The homeroom teacher replied, "Lu Ning has made great progress. I hope you as parents can show her more concern and try to protect her from negative influences. I believe her poor grades in the past were likely due to the pressure from your family, which is why she didn't take her studies seriously."

Lu Nanfeng asked suspiciously, "Pressure from us? What do you mean?"

"Actually, Qin Xiang’s grades have always been average, but Lu Ning is the type of child who is naturally bright. Could it be that because you all focused so much on Qin Xiang, Lu Ning intentionally scored poorly so as not to put pressure on her? It’s not really my place to say this, but Qin Xiang can be a bit petty. Perhaps that is why Lu Ning’s grades were so poor for the past three years."

The teacher spoke very tactfully. After hearing this, Lu Nanfeng’s expression grew stiff.

Was it true that Lu Ning had been deliberately underperforming just to avoid putting pressure on Qin Xiang?

He recalled the changes in Lu Ning recently, along with her meteoric rise in grades, and for a moment, it felt as if something had sliced through his heart.

It throbbed with a dull pain.

Lu Nanfeng could barely stand steady. "Teacher, could you please ask Lu Ning to come out for a moment?"

He wanted to ask her—was it really like that?