CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 142: GAZING AT THE MOON FROM ABOVE, DANCING ON THE BALCONY

Bai Yusen froze, his brows gradually furrowing.

"Are you wondering how this could be? You’ve already sent away everyone around her who was gossiping. Right?"

Ji Ning saw through his thoughts at a glance. Bai Yusen was a bit surprised, but didn’t show it on his face.

"Kind words make a warm mind, while harsh words chill the heart. You can drive away the harsh speakers, but you can’t stop the spread of malicious words or their impact on your sister. It’s not something you can offset with material comforts.

Have you truly understood your sister’s real thoughts? Do you know why she’s so determined to come to Anhe alone?"

Bai Yusen pressed his lips, saying nothing.

Ji Ning chuckled softly, "You know! But for your ridiculous selfishness, you’ve chosen to clip her wings, making her a timid, self-abasing girl who depends on you for everything."

Saying this, Ji Ning looked directly into his eyes, speaking each word with precision that pierced Bai Yusen’s heart, "Do you think keeping her near you can make up for the guilt in your heart? How did your parents end up on that plane?"

Before she finished speaking, Bai Yusen slammed the table and stood up, his eyes rimmed with redness, "What do you know? Tangtang is my only family in this world. I can’t bear to see any harm come to her!"

"So you’d rather watch her cry in grievance due to her inferiority, see her being toyed around by others? Bai Yusen, do you know the consequences of your actions?"

Ji Ning held up three fingers, "She was plotted against three times by your family’s driver, and there were five groups queuing to kidnap her. I thwarted four times, but succeeded just once."

"What? Tangtang was kidnapped?" Bai Yusen was shocked by this information, wishing to rush back immediately.

"Why would people repeatedly try to kidnap Bai Xiaotang? Isn’t it because she seems weak and easy to bully, making kidnapping her and extorting the Bai Family a path to fortune?"

"That’s exactly why she should return to Beijing. No one dares to touch her there," Bai Yusen said insistently.

Ji Ning shook her head, "Really? Do you know your sister has a habit of sleepwalking at night? Do you know that when she’s scared, she likes to hide in a closet? The kind she can only crawl into by curling up."

Bai Yusen’s pupils instantly widened, seemingly shocked by this statement.

He couldn’t believe the person Ji Ning described was his well-mannered, kind-hearted sister.

"Don’t believe it? You can enjoy watching your sister moon-gazing from the balcony, dancing in the air at night," Ji Ning’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

Bai Yusen’s heart felt heavy; he remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he clenched his fists and pounded the table hard, unable to control his emotions anymore. His eyes were full of anger, yet more so of regret and remorse, even wishing he could slap himself.

He clearly wanted to protect his one and only sister.

Since when did she stop sharing her thoughts with him, and their distance grew more significant?

Why did it become like this?

How could he be such a bastard!

...

Ji Ning quietly watched him vent.

A pity for the tea that tasted quite good.

"Aren’t you leaving yet?"

After venting for a while, Bai Yusen asked in a low voice, panting heavily.

Ji Ning stood up with an indifferent expression, "Your sister’s talent isn’t bad; her physical condition is C9 and her spiritual power is at B1-level."

Bai Yusen was stunned.

He looked up at her in disbelief, but Ji Ning had already walked to the door.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask for more clarity, but didn’t speak.

***

A late autumn night.

A non-smoker stood downstairs, lighting one cigarette after another.

The smoke choked his throat, and Bai Yusen coughed until his eyes were nearly red.

Bai Feng felt heartache full of compassion, but couldn’t say anything.

Master Bai’s heart was heavy; just reaching adulthood, he faced the loss of both parents, a power struggle within the Bai Family, and deceitful attacks from enemies.

Surrounded by adversities, this young man couldn’t afford to grieve but had to brace himself to face such cruelty.

If he didn’t harden himself, how could he protect the Bai Family?

Protect his sister, Bai Xiaotang?

The Bai Family’s enemies were everywhere.

...

Bai Yusen spent a full five years firmly taking control of the Bai Family, ensuring no enemies dared target them again.

But those five years also drove an irreversible rift between the siblings.

Bai Feng clenched his fists tightly until Bai Yusen finished his last pack of cigarettes, then stepped forward to hand him a bottle of water.

"Master Bai, it’s late. Missy called you several times just now."

Bai Yusen didn’t take the water, seeming not to hear, just looked up at the roof, his vision gradually blurring.

Hoarsely, he asked, "Ah Feng, if someone fell from such a height, would they be gone forever?"

These words scared Bai Feng, making him anxiously exclaim, "Master Bai, please, don’t think that way. Missy isn’t truly mad at you; otherwise, she wouldn’t be calling to check on you. You see, she’s also texting me asking about you..."

But Bai Yusen kept staring at the rooftop.

Bai Feng made up his mind, hugging Bai Yusen’s legs tightly, crying and complaining tearfully.

Listening to this, Bai Yusen, though annoyed, felt his sadness couldn’t be vented, forcing him to look down, "I’m fine, let’s go."

Compared to Bai Yusen’s sorrow, Bai Xiaotang was rather carefree at the moment.

She was lying next to Ji Ning, hugging the blanket with a face full of delight, asking, "Sister Ning, is it true my brother won’t take me back to Beijing?"

Ji Ning gave an "hmph."

"How did you convince him?"

"Time to sleep."

"I’m just curious," Bai Xiaotang got up and shook Ji Ning’s arm.

"If you don’t sleep now, I’ll throw you out."

"Stingy," Bai Xiaotang pouted, but she was more happy than anything else.

Does her brother letting her stay in Anhe mean he’s agreed for her to take the military academy exam?

In such hopeful thoughts, Bai Xiaotang sweetly fell asleep.

Next to her, Ji Ning, upon hearing the steady breathing, turned over and gently touched Bai Xiaotang’s forehead with her fingertips.

A gentle glow as soft as a breeze emanated from her fingers, gradually enveloping Bai Xiaotang.

She looked as if she was lying on a cloud, her sleeping face relaxing more and more, even smiling, seemingly dreaming of something pleasant.

Ever since discovering Bai Xiaotang sleepwalked at night due to anxiety, Ji Ning had been visiting her room every evening to relax her mind.

This kind of mental issue isn’t easy to cure; the least she could do was to ease her brain nerves, so her mind wouldn’t be as tense.

This method significantly boosted Bai Xiaotang’s spiritual power to B1-level.

Spiritual power is different from physical condition.

Advancing from C-level to B-level isn’t easy; some people might be stuck at C9 for their whole life.

A night of sweet dreams till dawn.

Bai Xiaotang woke up earlier than usual.

She was full of energy.

She glanced at her side; Ji Ning was still asleep, so she carefully got out of bed.

Sensibly, she put on a weight vest, donned a jacket, and prepared to go for a run.

"So early?" Lin Yuanyang, yawning, came out of the bedroom, seeing her all dressed and ready to head out, was quite surprised.

Thinking of Ji Ning’s words last night, Bai Xiaotang cheerfully said, "What time do you think it is? Without Sister Xiaotong here, you’re slacking."

After saying that, she didn’t care about Lin Yuanyang’s reaction and hummed a song as she walked out the door.

Lin Yuanyang was a bit dumbfounded, turning to look at the clock on the wall.

It’s 4:30 in the morning.

Huh???