High Steps Across the Clouds (7)
Behind her, a round-faced, kind-looking lady quickly spoke up: "Now that the child is back, say less."
The woman had a kind and considerate smile and was very polite. Shu Ningmiao didn't feel embarrassed at all and simply sat down.
This is Su Jia, the wife of Shu's father after his marriage. Su Ni shares the same surname as her, and like her, she always has a smile on her face, appearing gentle and easily bullied.
"Let's eat first." As soon as Su Jia spoke, the atmosphere eased. Shu's father and grandmother also left the sofa. Su Ni happily got up and was about to sit down next to Shu Ningmiao.
Shu Ningmiao glanced at him: "Go to my room and bring me the things from the second drawer."
Shu Ningmiao's original room was on the third floor. After she moved out of the Shu family, her father converted it into a study for Su Ni.
Su Ni was taken aback for a moment, then obediently nodded and did as she was told.
Grandma Shu glared at Mr. Shu, and the two exchanged a silent glance. Mr. Shu couldn't help but scold her, "Why do you always order your brother around?"
Su Jiaxian stopped Shu's father from speaking: "It's only right for a boy to help his sister with some things. You keep saying these things."
Before Shu Ningmiao could even speak, the two of them finished their conversation in one sentence each, and she didn't care.
Seeing that Su Ni had already gone upstairs, Shu Ningmiao turned her head, her arrogant eyes haughtily surveying the people in front of her.
She is quite adept at putting on this aloof and uncomfortable air because her contempt comes entirely from the heart.
Shu Ningmiaoguang just sat there with an air of irrationality, exuding a sharp and beautiful fierceness that made her father, the old lady, and Su Jia feel uneasy.
This is her consistent style; anyone who makes her uncomfortable won't have an easy time either.
People only think of retreating when facing a sharp blade, and only know how to yield when faced with strength.
Old Mrs. Shu couldn't stand her arrogant and domineering behavior, so she threw down her chopsticks and left the table, making the atmosphere even more tense.
Su Jia tried to start a conversation with her: "School's started, right...?"
The woman got off to a good start, and Shu Ningmiao quickly chimed in, "Yes, I'm in Class A."
She had been waiting for the woman to say those words, and upon hearing them, a smile appeared on her lips, her eyes revealing blatant contempt: "Su Ni is in Class C, right?"
Although Shu Ningmiao didn't say anything excessive, excellence is sometimes a form of discrimination. It was common knowledge that Shu Ningmiao had excellent grades in the preparatory course, while Su Ni was only assigned to class C because her grades were slightly worse. Su Jia was already feeling a bit embarrassed after hearing this.
Shu's father chimed in, "It's normal for boys to have slightly lower grades in preparatory courses; they usually catch up later. Doesn't String Light Academy only look at special abilities? Your special ability has awakened, right? How's it going?"
Shu Ningmiao nodded: "I awakened the power enhancement type."
Shu's father responded calmly, saying that the strength-enhancing type is a fairly common type among superhumans, not special, with a high lower limit and a low upper limit.
Su Jia exclaimed "Oh!" and said, seemingly a little embarrassed, "Su Ni's ability seems to be a special type."
Finally finding something to put Shu Ningmiao in her place, the woman spoke with a deliberate air of feigned nonchalance: "I heard from others that even the teacher was amazed by his special ability."
Shu Ningmiao smiled faintly: "I heard that there is a special department in the academy whose ability is to disassemble their own body and put it back on at will. It is indeed quite surprising."
“That’s different.” Su Jia sat down next to her and smiled. “Your brother’s special ability is to transfer damage. No one can hurt him at all. Isn’t that amazing?”
Shu Ningmiao: "Oh."
"Oh what?" Shu's father scolded her, "You have no manners. I know you like to compete for everything, but if you rank low in school this time, don't be petty and blame it on your younger brother."
At this point, Shu Ningmiao had figured out everything she wanted to know, and Su Ni had brought her what she needed.
Su Ni handed the items to her, seemingly wanting to say something, but then hesitated.
Shu Ningmiao took the things without even lifting her eyelids, but her father's anger had reached its limit, and he suddenly stood up: "Come with me."
Shu Ningmiao crossed her legs and glanced at the things in her hands before leisurely following him to the study.
Mr. Shu plopped down in a chair, frowned, and tossed a document at me: "You should sign this. You and Su Ni can each have half. Make it clear, and things will be more peaceful at home. Your grandmother is giving me a headache every day."
Shu Ningmiao glanced at the words on the cover; it was an agreement that made her voluntarily give up her inheritance.
"Impossible." Shu Ningmiao laughed.
"Do you really have to make such a mess of things at home?"
Shu's father didn't ask her to sit down, but Shu Ningmiao simply sat down in the chair opposite him and placed the book in front of him: "What are you referring to?"
The man didn't even look at her, and his tone softened: "I've said it before, you and your brother each have half of the things in the house. I won't favor either of you. We're all family, so don't act like someone owes you something every day."
Shu Ningmiao and he each said their own thing: "You should still take a look."
Only then did Shu's father open the booklet she pushed towards him. Upon seeing its contents, his expression changed drastically: "How did you get my and Su Ni's genetic test results?"
This question is a bit silly. She has lived in the Shu family for so many years, with two living people right in front of her. What's so difficult about getting some hair samples for testing? Just in case, she also kept genetic samples from everyone in the Shu family.
This test report and the marriage record together could send Shu's father to prison for two years. The time and punishment are not very severe, but for someone like Shu's father who cares about his reputation, it would be worse than death.
Shu's father stammered in anger: "You've really gone too far! You want to send your old man to jail?"
If she really wanted to send Shu's father to jail, he's already out. A handle is only a handle when it's not yet used. Shu Ningmiao didn't waste any more words with him: "Transfer 25% of the mining rights to me first."
According to Pinneapolis law, as an only daughter, no matter how her father manipulates things, this part of the power will eventually belong to her. Seventy-five percent of the mining rights are enough for her to basically control the Pandora's Spring located in the Lingtian District of the Shu family.
Mr. Shu was furious: "You ungrateful wretch! All you ever do is covet the family's possessions. When have I ever mistreated you? I made you sign this because you already have 50% of the mining rights left by your mother. Can't the other half be left to your brother?"
"No." Shu Ningmiao didn't even want to think before answering: "My mother isn't his mother, what do my things have to do with him?"
“He’s your own brother! I’m only doing this for your own good. Years from now, when we’re all gone, you’ll still have family to support each other.” Shu’s father laughed angrily, “His superpowers are incredibly strong. You don’t understand now. You’re just angry now, but who knows, you might still have to rely on him in the future.”
Shu Ningmiao was impatient. Anyone can talk, but only what you actually hold in your hands doesn't lie: "We're all family, why can't he give me his things? And give me the other 25% too."
"You insolent brat, what are you saying?" Shu's father's face turned red. Looking at Shu Ningmiao's unmoved expression, he sighed deeply: "It's not that I don't want to give it to you. You know that Su Ni's illness is a bottomless pit. I just want to give him some mining rights so that he will have something to rely on for treatment in the future."
Su Ni's genetic disease costs at least 1.5 million CIN per month for treatment and testing. It's a bottomless pit; you can throw money into it and still hear a sound.
"The money you gave him," Shu Ningmiao said calmly. "He's not my son."
Shu's father was so angry that his blood pressure rose again.
After much dawdling, Shu Ningmiao finally got what she wanted. Compared to her son, Shu's father probably felt that his own face was more important. No matter which way the scales of favoritism tip, in the end, they only tip in his own favor.
Although it is common knowledge that Su Ni is his son, it is not considered shameful for a man to have an affair and have a child. However, if he is sent to the central court for trial and imprisoned because of this by his own daughter, he will never be able to hold his head up again for the rest of his life.
It wasn't a virtuous method, but as long as it achieved her goal, that was all that mattered; that was her main reason for coming here.
The deaths she experienced in the game gave her a sense of urgency to speed things up.
She walked out arm in arm with her father, whose face was ashen, and smiled sweetly: "Thank you, Dad. My tutor asked me to help grade assignments, so I'll head back to school now."
Su Ni stood up and sat down again, but Shu Ningmiao gave him a look and ordered him in front of everyone: "Come and see me off."
Su Ni seemed surprised that Shu Ningmiao would speak to him first, and said with delight, "Wait a minute, sister, I have a gift for you."
He returned to his room, took out a birdcage, and inside was a small white bird with smooth feathers, chirping sweetly and looking adorable.
Su Jiaxin said with relief, "She even knows to give her sister a gift. She's so thoughtful."
Su Ni teased the little bird with her finger and said hesitantly, "Sister, do you remember? You used to have a little bird."
Shu Ningmiao stopped in her tracks and stared coldly at the bird in his hand.
Of course she remembers.
After her mother's death, Su Ni quickly moved in with her. At that time, Su Ni was even more like an angel than she is now, even her eyelashes were a light color.
Shu Ningmiao felt nauseous whenever she thought about what her father had done, but out of pride, she wouldn't take her anger out on innocent children for no reason.
She picked up the bird from under a tree in the courtyard.
Shu Ningmiao and her brother followed the instructions on the terminal and clumsily bandaged its wings.
Before leaving, Shu Changyan repeatedly reminded her that once the bird recovered, she must release it back, as wild birds cannot be tamed.
Shu Ningmiao released it as instructed. Occasionally, it would fly back, stop in front of her window, and bring her corn kernels.
She didn't see the bird again for a long time afterward; perhaps it had migrated to another place.
Until one day, she overheard the maid complaining that a dead bird had been swept out of the young master's room.
"I don't know when it flew in, it's all stinking."
Shu Ningmiao walked up to the maid and gestured for her to move aside. Amidst a pile of garbage, the beautiful little white bird, its wings stained with filth and blood that did not belong to it, slumped limply against its chest, strangely curled up in a ball.
Amid the servants' cries of alarm and attempts to stop her, Shu Ningmiao reached out and picked up the bird's corpse. The bones between its skull and body were broken, and blood was pooled in the middle; it had been strangled to death.
She asked Su Ni, "Did you do this?"
Su Ni seemed to have no concept of guilt, remorse, or fear whatsoever. She smiled at her and admitted it without hesitation.
He followed Shu Ningmiao's example and kept the bird in his room, bandaging it and feeding it. But it still desperately pounded on the glass, trying to leave his side. So he reached out, grabbed its wings, and suffocated it under the covers, strangling it to death.
As the bird's body gradually cooled in his palm, he felt a subtle joy.
He lived with his mother in Yingjian, the district closest to the slums, until his ex-wife passed away. Yingjian combined the savagery of the slums with the arrogance of the upper class. With his distinctive appearance and the disease of affluence, he was like a drop of cold water thrown into a pot of boiling oil.
From the first day he entered the Shu family, he couldn't help but let his longing gaze fall on his sister. The powerful and composed woman seemed to take everything for granted. She was so beautiful, like the rising sun, that she left no room for anyone else.
But Shu Ningmiao never looked at him directly. She would rather sit by the window for hours watching birds pecking at rice grains than come downstairs and say a word to him.
His surroundings constantly reminded him of how despicable, weak, and powerless he was.
At this moment, he finally found his own strength in controlling lives weaker than himself.
Shu Ningmiao said nothing, grabbed Su Ni by the hair and pushed him into the fountain. By the time the adults came and rescued him, Su Ni's face had turned blue and he was almost lifeless.
Shu's father slapped her and never dared to let the two of them be alone again.
From then on, whenever Su Ni was injured, she was the first person suspected.
The two walked out of the Shu family home. Shu Ningmiao walked ahead and took out her terminal. Her immune status, "Arrogance," indicated that it was still in use.
Su Ni walked behind her, holding a birdcage, her expression unreadable.
When Shu Ningmiao spoke again, they had already moved out of the Shu family's surveillance range: "What would happen if I snapped your neck right now?"
She finished speaking softly and noticed that the "In Use" status on the terminal had suddenly disappeared.
Su Ni immediately canceled the use of her special ability on her.
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