Chapter 8

Through her blurred eyes, Ning Lingyu saw one heartwarming scene after another from her past, each indelibly etched in her memory!

"How could you be so careless? If you tear your clothes, Mom will have to stay up all night sewing them again!" A boy, about seven or eight years old, with a clear and innocent face, pulled up the little Lingyu who had fallen to the ground, gently patting the dust off her pants.

"This piece of milk candy is for you; big brother doesn't like sweets!" Mother had only given them two pieces of candy. Lingyun licked his lips and swallowed hard, then, while Mother was in the kitchen cooking, he reached out and gave the candy to the hopeful little Lingyu.

"I'll fight to the death if you dare to bully my sister!" Nine-year-old Lingyun stood stubbornly in front of little Lingyu, clenching his small fists, and fiercely warned the several children who wanted to bully Ning Lingyu.

"Don't be afraid, sister. Don't worry, big brother will protect you..." After the fight, Lingyun, with a bruised and swollen face, forced a smile through the pain, gently patting Ning Lingyu's small shoulder to comfort her.

Seeing the shallow dimple that appeared on Lingyun's left cheek whenever he smiled, Ning Lingyu felt a deep sense of pride and security, and she nodded her delicate head forcefully.

One heartwarming scene after another played out in her mind, and finally, the time came to six years ago! That year, Lingyun was just twelve, and Ning Lingyu was also twelve.

A single harsh word from someone else brutally shattered the emotional bond between the two siblings who had already grown up!

"Her surname is Ning, yours is Ling. You're not real siblings! You're a child she picked up from the street! An unwanted child!"

For the first time, Lingyun did not stand in front of his sister, did not speak, and did not clench his fists in anger!

The pure, brave, and kind heart of the young boy was shattered by that cruel and vicious remark!

It turned out that Ning Lingyu had fallen seriously ill not long after she was born, and Lingyun was picked up by Mother from the temple gate when she was still in her postpartum period.

Wrapped in simple bedding, there was only a piece of paper inside with the name "Lingyun" written on it, no other identifying marks, clearly indicating that Lingyun's parents had intended to let him fend for himself.

The two siblings knew from a young age that they were not blood-related, but their bond was even stronger than that of real siblings! Ning Lingyu always regarded Lingyun as her real brother.

Even after hearing those words, she continued to follow Lingyun as she always had, and she even secretly complained to her mother for not changing Lingyun's surname to Ning Lingyun.

She naively thought that if this were the case, her brother would not be attacked with such vicious words.

But her mother simply said, "He's called Lingyun, and he'll stay Lingyun. I won't change his name. This way, if his biological parents ever want to find him, it will be easier."

Though Lingyu complained, she accepted her mother's reasoning.

What Ning Lingyu did not expect was that after hearing those words, Lingyun changed, completely changed!

He became silent, self-destructive, and introverted. He no longer shielded her from the wind and rain, no longer stood bravely in front of her, waving his fists at the bad students who bullied her.

But Ning Lingyu knew that Lingyun was still protecting her, just in a different way.

Whenever he discovered that someone wanted to bully her, Lingyun would choose to let those boys beat him up, with the condition that they not bully his sister!

Apart from her, who else knew that Lingyun had grown so fat just to reduce the pain when he was beaten?

What Ning Lingyu did not know was that Lingyun had chosen this method because he realized that although he was taller than his peers, his body was incredibly weak!

He did not tell anyone this; he just silently endured it. A single cruel remark from a bad kid had indeed struck at the deepest part of Lingyun's insecurity, causing a drastic change in his personality!

No matter how Ning Lingyu tried to persuade her brother, it was all in vain. In the end, she became utterly disheartened but still held onto a glimmer of hope, hoping that her brother would stand up again and protect her once more.

To this end, she even treated Lingyun with cold eyes and ignored him, hoping to stir up his masculine pride and dignity!

This morning, Ning Lingyu naturally heard the two major rumors about Lingyun. She did not care about what had happened between her brother and Cao Shanshan, as even a fool could see that they had nothing in common.

But when she heard that her brother had burst out and fought in the dormitory last night, her eyes lit up!

Then she did not believe it at all! After six years, was it possible? Her brother was lucky not to be beaten himself, let alone beat others?

But now, seeing the big boy on the playground carrying a sandbag and running desperately, she believed it! She was excited, happy, and could not help but shed tears.

The brother who could protect her, who could love her, and who would shield her from the wind and rain at all costs, had finally returned!

A handsome boy, with a graceful demeanor and wearing a set of designer clothes, stood not far from Ning Lingyu. His slightly sinister eyes were filled with intense desire, greedily staring at Ning Lingyu, who was leaning on the railing and crying.

He was in the same class as Ning Lingyu, named Xie Junyan, one of the four rich kids at Qing Shui No. 1 High School. However, unlike the other three, his academic performance was excellent.

Those who did not know him were often deceived by his handsome looks, elegant manners, graceful demeanor, and proud smile, thinking he was a charming and refined young man.

At that moment, a girl, also dressed in designer clothes, wearing high heels, with a seductive appearance, heavily made-up face, and red lips, was tightly clinging to his elbow. Her eyes were also fixed on Ning Lingyu.

This girl seemed to have a natural sense of superiority, and her gaze was filled with disdain and contempt, with unmasked hatred and venom on her face.

All of this indicated one thing: she was jealous of Ning Lingyu.

She was the third school beauty at Qing Shui No. 1 High School, named Zhuang Meina, the beloved daughter of the richest man in Qing Shui City, the head of the Zhuang Pharmaceutical Group. In terms of family background, she was second only to the mysterious Cao Shanshan and was still considered a prominent figure in Qing Shui City.

In short, Zhuang Meina was a standard rich and beautiful girl.

Coincidentally, both she and Ning Lingyu were assigned to Class 1 of Grade 3, and from that moment, her nightmare began!

Both were among the top three school beauties at Qing Shui No. 1 High School, but she was always overshadowed by Cao Shanshan and Ning Lingyu. No matter how she dressed up, she was still only the "third" school beauty in the eyes of the entire school.

Zhuang Meina also worked hard in her studies, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not match Ning Lingyu, who had consistently held the top spot in the school since high school.

Cao Shanshan's mysterious family background was a given, and Zhuang Meina knew she could not compete with her. She accepted it, but why should Ning Lingyu, who came from a poor family and could not even afford decent clothes, always overshadow her?

These were not the worst of it. What made Zhuang Meina most jealous was that Xie Junyan, whom she had secretly liked since junior high school, had publicly pursued Ning Lingyu and, despite being repeatedly rejected, had persistently pursued her for two and a half years!

It was not until Grade 3, under the pressure of the college entrance exam, that Xie Junyan, realizing his pursuit of Ning Lingyu was hopeless, temporarily gave up and accepted Zhuang Meina's advances.

This famous love triangle at Qing Shui No. 1 High School was one of the most talked-about gossips among teachers and students in the past three years!

Now, seeing Xie Junyan, who had finally accepted her as his girlfriend, completely ignoring her feelings and staring at his arch-rival Ning Lingyu in front of her, Zhuang Meina's jealousy and hatred were unimaginable!

Zhuang Meina could no longer suppress her venom. She rolled her eyes, glanced at the slowly running figure on the playground, and a cruel smile flashed across her lips. She deliberately said in a voice that Ning Lingyu could hear, "Junyan, look at that stupid pig on the playground, trying to lose weight in such a stupid way. It's hilarious!"

Another major gossip at Qing Shui No. 1 High School over the past three years was that everyone knew the absolutely proud and dazzling school beauty, Ning Lingyu, had a half-brother, Lingyun, who was a complete failure.

The sister had always been the top student in the school, while the brother had long given up on his studies and was a super waste of life!

"I really don't know what the point of living is for such a useless person who only knows how to eat and wait to die. He might as well be dead!"

Seeing Ning Lingyu's delicate body tremble slightly, Zhuang Meina's seductive face showed a satisfied smile, and she continued to pour oil on the fire!

Zhuang Meina's purpose in insulting Lingyun to humiliate or anger Ning Lingyu was clear to Xie Junyan, but he only frowned slightly, glanced at her, and did not react.

Ning Lingyu, who had always ignored and tolerated Zhuang Meina's provocations for over two years, finally wiped away her tears after hearing her second sentence. She took one last look at Lingyun on the playground and slowly turned around.

Her eyes were slightly red, but her cold gaze was direct and cold, making Zhuang Meina feel a chill.

"I'm telling you, my brother is not a failure!"

Her voice was like a nightingale singing, cold as ice, yet filled with unshakable confidence!