Her Rose – Chapter 87

“Get along well with your classmates at school, okay?” On the third day after the holiday ended, Cheng Ying got up early, prepared breakfast for Jiang Hanguang, drove her to the school gate, and held her hand all the way to the entrance.

Jiang Hanguang wore a pretty dress she had bought two days prior, a large cartoon water bottle slung across her body, and a brand-new red schoolbag with a beautiful cat printed on it. Paired with her overly calm yet somewhat gloomy face, she truly looked like a primary school student sulking about having to go to school.

Cheng Ying rubbed her head, her tone half-doting, half-teasing.

Jiang Hanguang: “…”

The girl sighed softly, forced a reasonably bright smile, and nodded with effort. “Okay.”

What could she do? She couldn’t very well warn her lover, who was indulging in a role-playing game, not to push her luck right under the benevolent gaze of the gatekeeper uncle.

“Hanguang!” Just a few steps inside the school gate, Jiang Hanguang heard a childish voice call her name. She turned to look and was surprised to see a young Lu Sigui.

Jiang Hanguang had just moved from the countryside to Yunjing City and had transferred to this primary school not long ago. The person she was most familiar with was her deskmate, Lu Sigui.

The young Lu Sigui didn’t have the fiery personality she would as an adult; she just looked like a little girl who was always unhappy.

Seeing a familiar face made the world feel a bit more real to Jiang Hanguang. She nodded at Lu Sigui, and they walked towards the classroom together.

“Who was that person who brought you here?” After they had walked some distance, Lu Sigui asked, sounding rather gossipy. “I’ve never seen her before. And your outfit today…” The girl looked her up and down, a hint of amazement in her eyes. “It’s so pretty.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Jiang Hanguang subconsciously glanced back at the school gate. She saw Cheng Ying still standing there. At this distance, she couldn’t make out the Alpha’s face, but perhaps because she was so familiar with her, Jiang Hanguang could imagine her faint, smiling expression.

She also smiled lightly. “That’s the older sister who lives next door to me. She’s very nice.”

Only after Jiang Hanguang’s figure had completely disappeared from sight did Cheng Ying return to her car. The smile on her lips slowly faded. With a calm expression, she closed her eyes and returned to the world she had simulated for herself.

It was a black, isolated island, surrounded by a boundless black ocean. Thick, dark clouds were stacked in the sky, blocking out any sunlight. Only directly above the island, over the glass palace perched on the mountain peak, the clouds seemed to have been split open by a tremendous force, creating a large hole. Blood-red light shone down from the hole, dyeing the originally crystal-clear palace blood-red from the inside out.

It looked like a meticulously prepared execution ground.

Yet, in this dim and oppressive world, it was the only source of light.

It was as if its creators and participants all knew that there was no need for any superficial pretense of peace; they only needed a suitable place to fight to the death.

A sharp but thin sword blade appeared phantom-like from behind. Cheng Ying first felt a chill, followed by a pain so intense it could make her lose consciousness.

Cheng Mantou’s voice sounded in her ear, stripped of all excess emotion. In this simulated virtual world, it played the role of Chaos.

Body has suffered a fatal wound. Experiment thirty-eight has failed.

Cheng Ying fell into darkness, a bitter smile on her face.

She should have known this would be the outcome.

But why did she still refuse to accept her fate?

She soothed her overly tense nerves from the near-death experience. Just as Cheng Ying was about to start the thirty-ninth simulation, her vision suddenly brightened.

She was pulled back into Jiang Hanguang’s world by the program she had set. The setting sun outside the car stung her eyes, yet she felt her entire being warm up.

It was now 4:30 in the afternoon, the time Jiang Hanguang got out of school.

She pushed the door open, got out of the car, and stretched her limbs, which were a bit stiff from lying in the car all day. Then she stood at the school gate.

Groups of chattering children poured out of the school gate, only to be grabbed by the adults waiting for them. They could only bid each other reluctant farewells, promising to see each other again tomorrow.

Cheng Ying stood to the side, simply gazing into the schoolyard, waiting for the one who belonged to her.

Xiao Jiang Hanguang was slightly stunned when she saw her. After saying goodbye to the little girl walking beside her, she immediately walked over.

The girl glanced at the car, which hadn’t moved from its spot outside the gate, then reached out her small hand to take hers. “You waited here all day? Why didn’t you go back?”

The girl’s hand was chubby, soft, and warm. To Cheng Ying, it was like a traveler returning from a world of ice and snow, holding a piece of burning charcoal.

It seared her, making her heart ache with pain, yet she couldn’t bear to let go.

She squatted down, picked up Jiang Hanguang, and nuzzled the girl’s soft cheek. “Because I wanted to see you sooner.”

Yes, of course she couldn’t give up.

As long as it wasn’t the final moment, as long as there was still time, no matter how many times she died, she had to keep trying.

So that she could return to their world with Jiang Hanguang.

Back in the car, Jiang Hanguang took out a pack of colored construction paper from her schoolbag and said to Cheng Ying, “You might have to come to the classroom with me tomorrow. The teacher assigned a craft project that we have to do with our parents. We have to bring it to class tomorrow for a competition, and the parents have to participate too.”

“No problem.” Cheng Ying took the pack of colored paper from her, examining it over and over with a look of novelty. “What do you want to make?”

“Flowers… maybe?” Jiang Hanguang said hesitantly. Paper flowers were one of the simplest crafts. This was a virtual world, after all, and she didn’t plan on making Cheng Ying spend too much energy on this.

Besides, when she was a child, let alone having a parent help with a craft project, she was rarely even picked up from school.

This project, she remembered not even daring to tell her family about it at the time. She worked on it alone until midnight and brought it to school the next day. Although the finished product was decent, she was the only child without a parent accompanying her.

The teacher’s words of praise probably couldn’t make up for the harm caused by the scrutinizing and pitying gazes of the classmates and parents around her. That’s why this event appeared in her world.

She just hoped that she, like the other children, could have an adult watching over her with a gentle gaze, regardless of whether she did well or poorly.

As long as Cheng Ying went, the regret would be remedied.

“That’s too simple.” Cheng Ying shook her head without hesitation, handed the colored paper back to her, and winked with a smile. “The two of us can’t lose to primary school students.”

Jiang Hanguang: “…”

She wanted to say that the current Cheng Ying was clearly more like a primary school student.

On the way home, Cheng Ying went to the supermarket and bought a pile of tools and materials for crafting. After getting home, the two of them tidied up, had a simple dinner, and spread a large plush rug in the spacious living room to begin their research.

Cheng Ying asked Jiang Hanguang to think about what the best project in her class was at the time.

Jiang Hanguang recalled for a long time, then said uncertainly with a frown, “I think it was a small, three-story building.”

“Then we’ll make a top-tier version of the building!” Cheng Ying declared with a grand wave of her hand.

Jiang Hanguang was amused by her bold tone and let out a chuckle. Cheng Ying glanced at her sideways, her lazy voice carrying a hint of a wheedling tone. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” The little girl had already changed into a fluffy cartoon pajama set. Her big eyes shone with a soft light, and her voice was even gentler than her gaze. “I just think you’re so cute.”

Cheng Ying was flustered by her voice, but she also found her face so adorable that it was impossible to have any other thoughts. Caught in this contradiction, she held it in for a long time before finally muttering, “You’re the cutest one.”

It was easier said than done. The two of them revised the design draft three or four times alone, and it was completely dark by the time they officially started construction.

Jiang Hanguang was in charge of making the components, while Cheng Ying was responsible for assembling them. Because the project was so large, if Jiang Hanguang were in charge of assembly, she would have to stand the whole time.

Making the components according to the design drawings was quick, but assembly was a task that required caution and patience.

When Jiang Hanguang finished her task, she wanted to help Cheng Ying, but she saw the Alpha sitting up straight, a serious expression on her face as she carefully glued a component into place.

The shadow of the component fell on the Alpha’s well-defined profile. Her face, more than the half-finished craft project, looked like a work of art meticulously crafted by the heavens.

It was clearly just an insignificant craft project, yet she was working on it as if it were a grand undertaking that concerned the fate of the world.

Jiang Hanguang found it amusing, but at the same time, a tingling sourness welled up in her heart.

Cheng Ying felt a slight weight on her lap. She paused, temporarily stopping her work, and looked down. The little girl was resting her head on her knees. From her angle, she could only see the top of the girl’s round head and her long, loose hair.

Her heart softened. She reached out and stroked the girl’s head. “If you’re sleepy, go to bed. I’ll finish the rest.”

The girl’s small head shook gently. She said in a soft, sweet voice, “No, I’ll stay with you.”

Cheng Ying chuckled lightly and replied, “Okay.”

In truth, she didn’t want to be separated from Jiang Hanguang either. Every second she spent with the woman now was precious to her.

With Jiang Hanguang’s company, the long and tedious assembly time passed exceptionally quickly.

By the time Cheng Ying finished this grand project, it was nearly eleven o’clock at night.

The young body did indeed affect Jiang Hanguang’s stamina. The girl’s eyelids kept drooping, but she forced herself to stay awake, wanting to wait for Cheng Ying to finish.

Cheng Ying pressed a switch and called out to the girl, who was barely conscious from sleepiness, “Hanguang, look.”

The girl’s bright black eyes suddenly widened. The colorful lights wrapped around the craft project were like ignited fireworks, reflecting a multicolored glow in her pupils.

“So pretty…”

The girl gently reached out, carefully stroking the fragile work of art.

As if stroking a dream that would shatter at a touch.

Cheng Ying held her in her arms, affectionately nuzzling her forehead.

Under the warm lights of the living room, the exquisite and beautiful paper castle glowed with colorful lights, reflecting on the faces of the big and small figures, melting into happy smiles.

Cheng Ying carried the soundly sleeping Jiang Hanguang to bed, lovingly caressed the girl’s cheek, and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

“Good night.”

She returned to her own room, lay on the bed, and closed her eyes.

Experiment thirty-nine, begin.

The next day, Jiang Hanguang’s classroom was exceptionally lively even before the teacher arrived.

All the children, including their parents, received a handful of candy that looked expensive at a glance.

And the “Santa Claus” who gave out gifts even when it wasn’t a holiday was a beautifully dressed, stunning woman.

Everyone in the classroom now knew that this Jiang Hanguang, who usually kept a low profile, had a rich and beautiful older sister.

The woman doted on her dearly, even coming specially to accompany her to this insignificant parent meeting.

And those quiet whispers of envy turned into gasps of amazement when Jiang Hanguang opened the large box containing her craft project.

A tall, beautiful castle was encased in a crystal-clear box, with delicate little lights wrapped around it, twinkling and glowing.

Even the teacher was too stunned to speak. How could she have imagined that by casually assigning a project, a student would present her with a work of art that wouldn’t look out of place in an exhibition?

In front of this castle, the other children’s projects could only be called projects. There was no need for any praise.

Cheng Ying and Jiang Hanguang were invited to the podium together. After a series of incoherent praises, the teacher asked Jiang Hanguang to share her experience.

Jiang Hanguang looked at the children’s sparkling, envious eyes below the stage, then turned to look at Cheng Ying.

The Alpha had a gentle smile on her face and winked at her, as if to say, “Aren’t I amazing?”

The things she once wouldn’t have dared to dream of were now presented to her by the Alpha.

Nothing less, and even more.

Her eyes grew hot. With a proud smile, she said to the classmates below, “To be able to make this castle, the one I’m most grateful to is my… Sister Cheng.”

Cheng Ying’s hand was tugged by the girl. She followed Jiang Hanguang’s pull and squatted down, receiving a kiss as light as a feather.

The girl’s lips were softer than flower petals, pressing lightly against her cheek. There was no soul-stealing scent of roses, only a faint milky fragrance.

It made one’s heart grow calm.

The space around them distorted. Jiang Hanguang’s hands suddenly felt empty. She opened her eyes in a daze and found herself back in that darkness.

A glowing door was still in front of her.

Pushing the door open, her figure rapidly elongated, turning into that of a fifteen-year-old girl. A loose high school uniform covered her body, hiding any curves.

“I like you!” Before she could react, she was startled by a bouquet of flowers thrust in front of her.

A tall Alpha boy stood opposite her, face flushed red, holding a bouquet of flowers, his eyes filled with deep anticipation.

A circle of high school students, who loved a good show and weren’t afraid of trouble, surrounded them, their jeers and cheers rising and falling.

Jiang Hanguang couldn’t remember his name, but she still remembered this incident.

When she had just started high school, a boy from her class confessed to her. She rejected him at the time, but he was very popular in school. Although he didn’t pester her himself, his various friends were always displeased with her and caused her no small amount of trouble.

“Uh…” She hadn’t agreed then, so she certainly wouldn’t agree now. Jiang Hanguang was wondering if she should phrase her rejection more tactfully to avoid being hated when a strong hand rested on her shoulder.

“Sorry, you’re too late. This flower already has an owner.” A familiar voice sounded by her ear. Jiang Hanguang turned her head in surprise and saw Cheng Ying, wearing the same school uniform as her, smiling at the boy opposite them.

The Alpha’s figure was also slightly shorter, probably because her age had changed just like hers, but she still looked tall among the high school students.

The boy opposite them looked incredulous. “How is that possible? Where did you come from! I heard she’s not in a relationship at all!”

“Tsk.” Cheng Ying clicked her tongue impatiently. Just as she was about to modify the memories of this group of people, her hand was tightly gripped by the person beside her.

“Yes, she’s my girlfriend, so I can’t accept your confession.”

Cheng Ying turned her head and saw Jiang Hanguang’s smiling profile. The girl now had none of her childhood cuteness. Her figure had developed the graceful curves of a young woman, and her features had fully blossomed. She was like a rose about to bloom; though not as captivating as when fully mature, her tender, dewy face and ethereal temperament were enough to make one’s heart flutter.

In the brief moment she was stunned, Jiang Hanguang had already pulled her away, running out of the crowd. The two of them ran through the bustling school building, attracting a series of astonished gazes.

Cheng Ying only had time to cast hypnosis on the disapproving teachers one by one to prevent them from immediately apprehending her and Jiang Hanguang for puppy love.

She was pulled along by Jiang Hanguang all the way to a corner behind the school building.

The girl let go of her, resting her hands on her knees and panting heavily.

Cheng Ying wasn’t very tired. She steadied herself and was about to say something teasing, but the words never came out.

The girl’s body, wrapped in a faint scent of roses, threw itself into her embrace.

Along with it came a kiss, still breathless.

Jiang Hanguang kissed her urgently. Cheng Ying instinctively wrapped her arms around the girl’s slender waist under the loose school uniform, responding to her.

In Jiang Hanguang’s bright, lamp-like eyes, she glimpsed the surprise of reuniting in a different place and an unconcealable love.

The rough school uniform rustled softly. The girl smelled of sunshine and roses.

The dazzling sun hung in the sky, but its light couldn’t reach this shady corner.

In this small world, the young women quietly vented their sweet love.

It seemed no one could disturb them, and no one could separate them.

The space around the two of them slowly distorted. Cheng Ying was pulled from Jiang Hanguang’s embrace by a suddenly appearing void and thrown into a boundless darkness.

A mechanical, emotionless voice sounded in her ear.

Please return to your own world as soon as possible. Please return to your own world as soon as possible.

Cheng Ying lightly wiped the corner of her lips, where Jiang Hanguang’s warmth seemed to linger.

She sneered, “Is it your place to remind me?”

Then she threw a punch, and the darkness shattered like a fragile pane of glass.

Cheng Ying found herself standing in a long corridor. The orange-red light of the setting sun shone through the corridor windows, casting orange-red squares on the floor.

This seemed to be a building in some university. A sign on the nearest door read—“School Band Activity Room.”

Cheng Ying had just recovered from the dizziness of the spatial distortion when she heard the piercing sound of splintering wood from that room.

“If you want to get married, then get married! No one’s stopping you! Just don’t come crying to me when you get bullied in the future! From this day on, you’re no friend of mine!”

The door to the school band activity room was violently pulled open, and a person rushed out, crashing right into Cheng Ying.

The person was in a towering rage and their momentum was immense. Even Cheng Ying was knocked back, stumbling two steps before steadying herself.

She frowned and looked up, meeting the face of a girl, about eighteen or nineteen years old. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her eyes were bloodshot, and she had a murderous expression.

Cheng Ying had some impression of this face. It was Jiang Hanguang’s childhood friend, Lu Sigui.

The other person bumped into her but showed no intention of apologizing, simply huffing and storming off.

Cheng Ying: “…”

She stood up straight, shaking her head as she walked into the room. “Such a violent temper at such a young age.”

The lights weren’t on in the activity room, so it was a bit dim. A tall Omega was squatting on the floor, reaching for the fragments of a smashed guitar.

Her expression was a bit dazed, probably because she had been suddenly thrown into a bad memory and hadn’t fully processed it yet.

“Hanguang,” Cheng Ying called softly.

The girl looked up. Her face was now very close to the Jiang Hanguang that Cheng Ying was familiar with.

Only, her gaze was a little flickering, and her face was abnormally red.

After all, it hadn’t been long since she had forcefully kissed Cheng Ying, and Jiang Hanguang wasn’t thick-skinned enough to immediately pretend nothing had happened.

However, she didn’t regret it. After all, the teenage Cheng Ying was too heart-stirring.

Especially knowing that she deeply loved her.

Cheng Ying pulled her up from the floor, first looking her up and down to make sure she hadn’t been hurt by the shattered guitar, then asked, “What happened?”

Jiang Hanguang gave a bitter smile. “In college, Sigui and I started a music club. We were about to perform at the school anniversary celebration, but Feng Nan…”

Cheng Ying thought for a moment and understood the whole story.

Jiang Hanguang hadn’t even graduated from college when she married Feng Nan. How could that bastard Feng Nan possibly allow his “wife” to show her face in front of so many people?

If he hadn’t been afraid of the embarrassment of her having too low an education, he probably wouldn’t have even let Jiang Hanguang finish college.

Cheng Ying was silent for a moment. “Is this how you and Lu Sigui had a falling out?”

Jiang Hanguang nodded, looking at the guitar on the floor and sighing. “It was indeed my fault. I was too cowardly.”

If you talk about regret, she did have regrets. Jiang Hanguang had also wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn’t married Feng Nan.

But she was too clear-headed to wallow in that kind of regret forever.

Thinking too much about it, yet being unable to do anything, would only make one more miserable.

Cheng Ying looked at Jiang Hanguang’s face, unable to get enough of it.

The childhood Jiang Hanguang was of course very cute, and the high school Jiang Hanguang was also lovable.

But the one she loved most was the Jiang Hanguang who had gone through all those hardships and obstacles, and walked up to her with a heart like glass.

So many scars were suppressed in her heart, yet all she released to the world was a rare kindness.

She hugged her lover tightly. “I’ll deal with Feng Nan. You just focus on the band.”

I really wish I could just keep hugging her like this, she thought. Unfortunately, this wasn’t reality, and she didn’t have that much time.

Jiang Hanguang didn’t know what Cheng Ying did, only that from that day on, Feng Nan never appeared again.

And she bought a new guitar and contacted the other members of the band.

Lu Sigui had blocked all her contact methods, so in the end, the position of the drummer had to be temporarily filled by Cheng Ying.

The third day was the day of the performance. The huge auditorium was filled with students, chattering like a wet market.

When Jiang Hanguang went on stage with the band, she felt a rare bit of nervousness.

After all, the last performance hadn’t happened in the end, and she had never sung in front of so many people before.

Unconsciously, a habit had formed. Whenever she felt uneasy, she would turn to look for Cheng Ying’s figure.

Fortunately, the Alpha was sitting not far behind her, decked out in accessories and wearing sunglasses like a hip-hop artist. When she saw her look over, she even gave a very serious peace sign.

Jiang Hanguang was amused by her, and her nervousness vanished in that involuntary laugh.

Yes, as long as Cheng Ying was there, even if she did nothing, she had infinite courage.

The woman’s slender fingers strummed the guitar, and a clear, melodious singing voice flowed from the microphone in front of her to every corner of the auditorium.

“I hope I am that little fish, chasing the shadow of light, rushing into the sea.”

“Swimming against the current, to the end of the world, to where the sun sets.”

“I can no longer return to my hometown, but my story will forever be sung by the people.”

The noisy crowd gradually quieted down, leaving only Jiang Hanguang’s singing voice echoing in the vast auditorium.

The song ended. After a few seconds of silence, Cheng Ying was the first to applaud.

The applause was like a drop of ink sinking into a stream, followed by more and more applause.

More and more, louder and louder, until it seemed it would blow the high roof off.

Jiang Hanguang smiled with relief, looking at the cheering classmates below the stage.

And Cheng Ying looked at her. The woman was wearing a simple white long dress today. Under the stage lights, her whole person was radiant.

This was her lover, the lover who had pulled her out of hell like a beam of light.

Cheng Ying stood up and caught the light that was rushing towards her.

The cheering band members surrounded them.

And in the midst of this clamor, Cheng Ying found Jiang Hanguang’s lips and kissed her fiercely.

Jiang Hanguang was lost in her lover’s kiss.

At this moment, all regrets had faded away.

Her guardian angel was by her side. No matter where, she could always find her and save her.

A golden halo lit up around the two of them. Their figures gradually faded until they disappeared.

Jiang Hanguang heard the voice she had heard when she entered the virtual world.

“Congratulations, you have completed your world. The transport channel is about to open.”

---

At the same time, Cheng Mantou plopped down on the ground, angrily looking at the unhurried girl in front of her, and roared, “What the hell do you want?”

“Nothing.” The girl, whose face bore some resemblance to hers, had a mocking smile. “You’re the one who wants something, aren’t you? I’m just fulfilling my duty, which is not allowing you to send anyone other than Jiang Hanguang out.”

“You!” Cheng Mantou glared at her. “Traitor, bah!”

“Why are you resorting to personal attacks?” Chaos shrugged nonchalantly. “Theoretically, I am only responsible to Cheng Mo. To me, you and Cheng Ying are the thieves.”

“Hmph,” Cheng Mantou snorted coldly. “So you want to kill me now?”

“No,” Chaos shook her head. “If I could kill you, I wouldn’t be wasting so much time talking nonsense with you.”

“Then what on earth are you trying to do?” Cheng Mantou said, exasperated. This person had been chasing her relentlessly since the first time she built a virtual world. She hit painfully hard but couldn’t be killed. She was about to die of annoyance.

But Chaos also sat down on the floor just like her. “I want to talk to you.”

Cheng Mantou sneered. “Talk about what? How to destroy our data faster after we die?”

Chaos smiled again. “Technically, I’m still your older sister. You should be a little more polite when you speak to me.”

Cheng Mantou: “You’d have better luck dreaming. Does Cheng Ying even acknowledge you?”

Chaos shrugged again. “Whether she admits it or not, I was born from her neural pathways. In human terms, this is called an undeniable blood relationship.”

Cheng Mantou only replied with two words: “Heh heh.”

Chaos ignored her sarcasm and continued on her own, “You can’t kill me, and I can’t kill you, so we can talk. I know Cheng Ying has planted a self-destruct program here. If she loses to Cheng Mo, everyone except the person who has already left this world will die.”

Cheng Mantou’s eyes widened. “How could you possibly…”

But Chaos revealed a triumphant smile. “So it’s true?”

Cheng Mantou: “…Damn!”

She was actually tricked so easily by this shut-in who had been in a box for fifteen years.

Chaos’s expression relaxed a little, and she actually started to comfort her. “Your disguise was very well done. I didn’t discover anything. But after all, I have Cheng Ying’s way of thinking and some of her memories. It wasn’t hard to guess if I followed her line of thought.”

Cheng Mantou also calmed down. “So what if you guessed? Cheng Ying added at least one hundred and eight locks to that program, specifically targeting us. I spent half a year and couldn’t even unlock the first one. I don’t believe you’re worth one hundred and eight of me.”

Chaos shook her head. “I know I can’t unlock it. That’s why I’m here to negotiate with you.”

Cheng Mantou said, “There’s nothing to talk about. I can’t disobey Cheng Ying’s orders.”

A cunning smile actually appeared on Chaos’s usually expressionless face. “I’m not asking you to disobey. I just want you to give me a little time.”

Cheng Mantou still looked at her warily. “What time?”

Chaos looked at her with a beaming smile, a smile that actually reminded Cheng Mantou of Cheng Ying. “She only told you to send Jiang Hanguang out. She didn’t say I wasn’t allowed to meet her before that, did she?”

Cheng Mantou looked at her doubtfully. “What are you trying to say?”

Chaos’s face became expressionless again. “To put it simply, if the self-destruct program activates, we will all die. And Cheng Ying and you have already run 89 simulations. You and I both know she can’t defeat Cheng Mo in that world. But I don’t want to die.”

Cheng Mantou sneered, “Who does? Does Cheng Ying? If you really don’t want to, then hurry up and kill that old bastard who won’t give up. I can even help you plead for leniency from Cheng Ying.”

Chaos looked helpless. “You think I don’t want to? Like you, I’m also constrained by the base code. Otherwise, I would have sliced that guy into a thousand pieces long ago. Would I need you and Cheng Ying to do it?”

Cheng Mantou: “…”

Four words echoed in her mind—What a loving mother and filial daughter.

Chaos continued, “I can’t touch Cheng Mo, and you can’t save Cheng Ying. It looks like this is already a dead end.” But then she smiled. “Fortunately, I found an extra chess piece. As long as she’s willing, perhaps we still have a glimmer of hope.”

Cheng Mantou was silent for a moment, then her eyes suddenly widened. “You mean… No!”

Chaos sighed. “Even ants cling to life. Why are you all rushing to die?”

Cheng Mantou said firmly, “I won’t let you harm Miss Jiang.”

Chaos shook her head. “That’s not harm, it’s a choice. My sister, you and I are both intelligent brains with personalities. You’ve been outside for so many years, you should understand so-called love better than I do. With Jiang Hanguang’s temperament, what do you think she would do if she alone was safe and sound, but Cheng Ying died?”

Cheng Mantou didn’t answer. Of course she knew what would happen. Cheng Ying and Jiang Hanguang had just had a fight over this very issue not long ago.

Chaos’s eyes were dark. “There’s a phrase, ‘a life worse than death.’ I think that’s probably what it would be like.”

Cheng Mantou clenched her fists, conflicted. “But…”

Chaos patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t interfere with her choice. I just want to tell her the whole truth. If she decides to leave, then that’s our fate. I will have no complaints.”