Li Zhan's monthly living allowance was five thousand.
Even during holidays, it was never cut off—sixty thousand a year.
Li Mushí had even called his grandparents, his uncle and aunt, and anyone else who might secretly slip Li Zhan money—doing it right in front of him.
Whoever dared give him money behind his back would be openly opposing Li Mushí.
Li Mushí was an oddity among the Li family elders.
Bearing the status of an elder, with the youngest-looking face, yet living like a rigid, old-fashioned traditionalist. Even Old Master Li and the old madam were wary of this youngest son.
In one sentence: he was practically everyone's father in the Li family.
Always ready to discipline them.
"Little Uncle!" Li Zhan snapped angrily. "Then how am I supposed to live?!"
"Your stash, go earn it through part-time work, or sell your golf clubs, bicycles, or sports cars," Li Mushí replied calmly. "Go experience for yourself how hard it is to earn those four thousand."
Li Zhan pressed his lips into a flat line.
Of course he knew it was hard.
But it was precisely that hard-earned money that Jing Ge had spent—four thousand in one go.
Just to buy Li Mushí a gift.
Li Zhan left with a dark expression, slamming the door behind him.
Jing Ge hadn't said a single word from start to finish.
The girl sat beneath the light, her eyelids and the tip of her nose flushed like spilled strawberry milk—porcelain-white tinged with red.
"The living expenses deducted from Li Zhan," Li Mushí said, perfectly fair, "will be kept by you."
"Kept by you" was just a polite phrasing. What he really meant was that it would be given to her.
Jing Ge lowered her lashes slightly. "There's no need, Little Uncle. Thank you, and I'm sorry for disturbing your evening."
With that, Jing Ge nodded and went upstairs.
She had lived in the Li residence since she was young, visited often, and was familiar with everything here. But right now, she just wanted to go home.
Li Mushí leaned back against his chair, pondered for a second, then looked at Aunt Zhang. "Did I say something wrong?"
"…Probably not?"
"Then was it my punishment of Li Zhan that dissatisfied her?"
"..." Aunt Zhang shook her head repeatedly. "That can't be it. The punishment was already very severe. Don't overthink it."
Li Mushí said, "She didn't even take the sugarcane."
Aunt Zhang: "."
You're far more unsettling than she is.
—
The moment Jing Ge returned to her bedroom, she received a call from Li Zhan's parents.
Without even asking what happened, they first berated their own son fiercely, then gently coaxed her to explain the whole situation, insisting they would stand up for her.
Jing Ge never got the chance to mention wanting to go home.
After hanging up, Li Mom transferred her a big red packet, telling her to go shopping, buy clothes, and spend it however she pleased.
The two families were extremely close. Red packets given to Jing Ge were always transferred directly to her bank card or Alipay, leaving her no room to refuse.
Forget it.
For Li Dad and Li Mom's sake, Jing Ge was willing to endure that bastard Li Zhan a little longer.
After showering, Li Ying sneaked in with a pitiful look. "Sister~"
Jing Ge's gaze dropped downward, then she closed her eyes. "I'm not signing."
"Don't be like that," Li Ying pouted. "The teacher said a parent must sign it, and write 'Read' as well."
Jing Ge opened one eye. "What did you score?"
Li Ying hemmed and hawed. "Eight points."
Jing Ge stared in disbelief. "How much? Out of a hundred, or ten?"
Li Ying said weakly, "A hundred."
"I didn't do it on purpose," she hurriedly added before Jing Ge could react. "This exam was super hard."
Jing Ge was about to collapse. "Your brother and your little uncle are both here. Go ask them to sign."
Li Ying shook the test paper loudly, getting worked up. "My brother would just curse me out, say he could pass just by stepping on the paper with his shoe, then tell me to get lost. And my little uncle—you know him! He's always full marks in every subject. If he sees my score, he'll grow corns on his eyes!"
He'd probably look at her the way a human looks at a cockroach—confused, bewildered, questioning how someone could score such an anti-human eight.
"..." Jing Ge covered her face with a pillow, fake-crying. "If this gets exposed, we'll both get punished."
Li Ying shook her arm, begging. "It won't! I swear this is the last time!"
Jing Ge tossed the pillow aside and looked at her. "Are your promises worth anything?"
Li Ying nodded vigorously.
Jing Ge said, "I don't believe in promises. I only believe in improved grades."
"..."
"Starting tomorrow," Jing Ge said seriously, "twenty minutes every morning memorizing Chinese, thirty minutes of English listening during breakfast, and one page of mental math after school. Can you agree?"
Li Ying's little face collapsed.
Jing Ge said, "Then I won't sign."
"Ah—okay, okay!" Li Ying was about to cry. "Why are you just like my little uncle? He loves winning without spilling blood…"
Jing Ge took the test paper and signed her name.
"Want to sleep with me?"
Li Ying's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Jing Ge said, "Consider it compensation for my bloodless suppression."
Li Ying was an unruly sleeper. No matter how big the bed, she could roll all the way around it. Over time, her parents strictly forbade her from squeezing into Jing Ge's bed, afraid it would affect Jing Ge's rest.
Still young, she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
In the darkness, Jing Ge stared at the ceiling until around one in the morning, when she vaguely heard someone coming upstairs.
Only she, Li Ying, and Li Zhan lived on the second floor.
It was Li Zhan returning.
The footsteps drew closer, stopping outside her door.
Jing Ge tilted her head toward the door.
After two seconds, the footsteps left. Then the door next door opened and closed.
That night, Jing Ge had a nightmare.
She dreamed that Li Zhan was holding a knife, his left hand gripping her long hair, his face ferocious. "Why do I have to be engaged to you? Why do unlucky things always fall on me?!"
Jing Ge cried out in pain. "You think I'm not unlucky?!"
Li Zhan shouted, "Still talking back!"
Then—crack—he cut off her head.
Blood poured across the floor like a waterfall.
Even her shoes were soaked through.
Jing Ge jolted awake.
Her hair was tugging at her scalp, the pain making her bare her teeth.
Li Ying was sleeping right on top of her head.
Dawn was just breaking. The Li residence was quiet.
Jing Ge carefully pulled her hair free, refilled the dried-out humidifier with water, then went to the bathroom to shower and change, washing away the cold sweat brought on by the nightmare.
She tossed the blood-soaked shoes by the door.
Worried the bloody smell would fill the room, Jing Ge picked up the shoes and tiptoed downstairs, planning to scrub them in the courtyard's mop-washing basin.
The lights were on in the first-floor living room.
Li Mushí sat beneath the light, writing on a document. Aunt Zhang brought over a cup of coffee. The man thanked her politely and asked her to set it aside for now.
Both of them saw Jing Ge at the same time.
She spoke softly. "Good morning, Little Uncle. Aunt Zhang."
"Why are you up so early?" Aunt Zhang said in surprise. "You went to bed so late last night—you should sleep more."
Jing Ge shook her head. "I don't feel like sleeping."
Li Mushí put down the document. His gaze passed over the table and chairs, lingering on her face without leaving a trace. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"..."
Li Mushí said, "Do you need psychological counseling?"
Jing Ge shook her head again, murmured her thanks, and carried the shoes into the courtyard.
"She must've been frightened," Aunt Zhang sighed. "The young master wasn't quite right when he came back last night either. Maybe he realized her call was a cry for help and is regretting it now."
Li Mushí didn't comment on that, only said calmly, "Steam the sugarcane until it's warm, then let her eat."