Chapter 913: A Genuine Man
The rich woman who was robbed kept her word. After Xiao Qin and I brought back her stolen property, she gave us a ‘reward for our bravery’ —— a red envelope containing ¥300.
Tacky as it may be, people still love money. I gave the red envelope to Xiao Qin and told her to use it to buy more tools for her manga. It’s so that ‘Detective Li Ergou’ will be released eventually and poison everyone’s eyes.
Xiao Qin actually defeated the robber alone, but Xiao Qin gave me all the credit because ‘it wasn’t cute for girls to use violence’, and it was me who returned the stolen items to the rich woman.
The rumor that ‘Ye Lin acted bravely to defeat a robber’ soon spread like wildfire. The vice-princ.i.p.al changed his att.i.tude towards me and even asked me to accept an interview, and told me to mention about his great leadership of 28 Middle during the interview —— I simply refused.
“I’m sorry, I’m camera shy, so I can’t be interviewed.”
“I… I heard that you played a role in a short film series before, so how could you be camera shy?”
“Ah, that’s a misunderstanding. The actor was a man named Wu Sheng, he just looks a bit like me!”
“My schoolmates said all sorts of things about me: some said I was just showing off to get attention, others said I was trying to impress the cla.s.s leader. The most outrageous claim was that the drug addict robber was my next client, that he bought drugs from me and that I dealt with him to silence him.”
The Flash’s mother said it best: “Accept the things you cannot change. Have the courage to change the things you can… and have the wisdom to know the difference.“
The prejudices of the ma.s.ses can’t be changed overnight, but the sister discipline plan I had for Xiao Qin was progressing smoothly, maybe progressing a bit too much. I have to caution Xiao Qin not to rush into dangerous situations next time.
“Wow, Ye Lin and Xiao Qin are so impressive!”
Gong CaiCai said enviously after watching me and Xiao Qin run into the alley and then successfully capture the robber.
Ever since joining Happy Science, Ye Lin and Xiao Qin must feel stronger, right? As long as I persevere like you guys, then maybe one day my wishes will also come true!” Gong CaiCai said, she was like a certain well-known Christian actor who attributed everything to their religion.
A lot of girls who were less endowed might feel envious, jealous, and resentful like Xiao Qin if they knew Gong CaiCai’s wish was to have her breast size reduced.
After the incident, the cla.s.s leader talked to Xiao Qin, mainly to advise her that while it’s good to stand up for what’s right, she should consider her safety first. In cases of robbery involving only financial loss, it was safer to call the police and wait for them to handle the situation.
“Hmph, the secondary female protagonist must be jealous of my willingness to help others, hence she envies my inner beauty!”
Xiao Qin mumbled to herself after cla.s.s.
However, when the cla.s.s leader distributed candy from a relative’s wedding on Sunday before the self-study cla.s.s, Xiao Qin accepted it without any reservations.
“According to the rules of shoujo manga, the female protagonist must be more naïve than the secondary female protagonist! So, even if the candy given by the cla.s.s leader is poisoned, I’ll still eat it all!” Xiao Qin said as she peeled off the colorful candy wrappers to reveal the chocolate underneath and sniffed it.
“It smells different… very suspicious! This must be chocolate made with a.r.s.enic!” she exclaimed.
“Can you even make chocolate with a.r.s.enic? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory doesn’t even have that capability! I think you’re talking about ‘Ouyang Feng’s Chocolate Factory’.”
“Ah! It exploded!” Xiao Qin, after gobbling down a few pieces of candy at an almost choking speed, turned her head towards me with a pained expression.
“The chocolate contains a strange liquid! I must have been poisoned! Ye Lin, now you must see the cla.s.s leader’s true colors, right? Please don’t fall for the cla.s.s leader’s traps when I’m gone…”
I skeptically took a piece of candy from Xiao Qin’s desk, peeled off the wrapping, and inspected it.
“What poison? It’s just a chocolate liqueur! It’s quite an evil choice of words to use explode to describe it… Have you never eaten chocolate liqueur before?”
“Chocolate… chocolate liqueur?!”
Xiao Qin’s face went pale and she frantically raised her hand towards the cla.s.s leader:
“I, I need to leave! I’m not feeling well! You have to approve!”
Huh? It’s only the beginning of the month, it’s not time for Xiao Qin’s period yet. Moreover, she easily took down a robber at noon, which meant she was in good health. Why does she need to leave after eating two pieces of chocolate liqueur?
The situation was somewhat reminiscent of the time at the lodge under Cui Song Mountain when she immediately ran out of the window and climbed up the mountain to destroy a bamboo forest after I fed her beer mouth to mouth.
“I become a pushover when I drink, but what about Xiao Qin? ？—— Does she turn into an extremely aggressive demolition team?”
“Xiao Qin, you want to leave?” the cla.s.s leader approached and asked in detail, “Did you get injured today at noon? Do you want to go to the infirmary first?”
“No… no need for the infirmary!” Xiao Qin said nervously, “I’m not injured, just not feeling well, and I have to go home now… immediately!”
“Is it that serious?” the cla.s.s leader frowned, “Do you want me to notify Auntie Ren, or should I escort you home?”
“No need, I can go home by myself, so you’re approving my request, right? Then I’m leaving… Don’t follow me! Definitely don’t follow me!”
Xiao Qin, without even bothering to bring her backpack, dashed out of the cla.s.sroom at lightning speed and caused many of our cla.s.smates to turn and look at her.
I had a vague feeling that something was not right.
What happens to Xiao Qin when she drinks? Does she indiscriminately attack pa.s.sersby? Considering Auntie Ren’s behavior when drunk, forcing herself on my dad… If Xiao Qin gets drunk, could she possibly do something similar? She’s rushing home, but what if she a.s.saults someone else? She might possibly be my step-sister, but if she’s going to force herself on someone, then it should be me!
“Cla.s.s leader, something seems off with Xiao Qin. How about I escort her home?” I asked.
The cla.s.s leader nodded: “Okay, keep a close eye on her, don’t let her do anything dangerous, and you be careful too.”
I didn’t grab my backpack either (I told the cla.s.s leader that if there was time, I would come back for the evening self-study session), and I took the route Xiao Qin usually took home.
Xiao Qin was walking very fast. She was dressed in the same school uniform and flat shoes like me, yet she was significantly faster than me —— even though I had already recovered from heart problems!
I was curious about how Xiao Qin’s personality might change after she’s drunk, so I didn’t start running after her but instead followed at a brisk walking pace.
Xiao Qin soon reached the vicinity of the subway station but didn’t enter. Instead, she leaned against the outer wall of the subway station as if she was drunk and about to vomit.
No way? Her alcohol tolerance is even worse than mines! Regardless of how Xiao Qin’s personality might change when she’s drunk, she clearly needs someone to look after her now; this isn’t the time to just stand by and watch.
I approached her from behind and gently patted her trembling shoulder.
“Are you okay? I can’t believe you have such a low alcohol tolerance, getting drunk off only chocolate liqueur…”
Xiao Qin’s posture didn’t change, but she turned her face towards me. Her eyes burned with an unexplained rage that instilled a familiar sense of fear in me and it made my muscles involuntarily tense up.
She looked at me with an expression that was foreign yet it strangely evoked childhood memories. She raised an eyebrow and her mouth twisted into a mocking smile.
“Hmph, I thought it was someone else… aren’t you the wild donkey?”
“Wild… wild donkey?”
I thought I had misheard.
Xiao Qin punched the outer wall of the subway station, “Who else would be called wild donkey other than you? Have you grown bolder recently?”
The flush on her cheeks from the alcohol and her increasingly masculine actions turned Xiao Qin into a walking contradiction.
“Not only did you dare to ask me for Optimus Prime, but you also dared to play with others! Did you even get my permission!?”
My G.o.d! Her tone is just like the Little Tyrant! So Xiao Qin’s inner personality hasn’t disappeared after all! The Little Tyrant was hiding inside your seemingly fragile body! Just a little bit of alcohol awakens it!
I must make it clear: Xiao Qin was my step-sister, which gives her certain privileges with me, but that does not mean the Little Tyrant has the same privileges. Once Xiao Qin spoks to me with the tone of the Little Tyrant, I couldn’t help but talk back.
“Hey! Don’t get all high and mighty just because you’re drunk! I won’t say anything about you holding onto Optimus Prime for now, but since when did I need your permission to hang out with other people?”
As the alcohol spread through her body, Xiao Qin seemed to travel through time as her expressions became more and more masculine —— though her features remained feminine.
She didn’t answer my question but gave a dry laugh instead. It was filled with supreme arrogance as if the whole world would shatter in the sound of her laughter.
Then she suddenly turned to me and stood up straight.
“Wild donkey, why are you following me!? Are you looking for a fight? Still haven’t given up on getting your Optimus Prime back? You’re as weak as a dog…”
“Who’s as weak as a dog!? Stop using ‘dog’ and ‘donkey’ to describe me as a girl! People pa.s.sing by are looking at us! Aren’t you embarra.s.sed?”
“What? What did you call me?” Xiao Qin, with a somewhat blurry gaze, looked at me sideways.
“I said, as a girl…”
“Nonsense!” Xiao Qin fiercely kicked the wall outside the subway station with her shoes, “Who says I’m a girl? I’m a man! A genuine man who was unbeatable in our neighborhood!”
“Hey! While it’s true no one your age from the neighborhood can beat you, the fact that you’re a girl has been proven many times! Although I was also reluctant to believe it at first…”
Xiao Qin got angry at my words, “If you don’t believe me, then prove it by competing with me! Don’t think that just because you’ve grown taller and stronger, I would be afraid of you! You’re all talk!”
Her remark made me very unhappy.
I was letting her off because she was drunk, but now her alter ego came out and she’s being so rude and even wants to start a fight.
A good man doesn’t fight women, but my heart condition was healed and I’ve gained a deeper understanding of Yin Yang Sanshou. If you really want to fight me, I’ll show you the natural difference between men and women without hurting you!