Dominion's End

Volume 4, Chapter 8: Misplaced

Translated by Miaka_Mei (proofread by EvlNabiki & Minthe; C/E edited by lucathia)

When I came round, a blood-red and yellow sunset was reflected on the snowy leaves of the icy tree that had filled the sky, strikingly colorful like tears of blood, appearing as beautiful as a rose… Jiang Xiaorong, why the heck did you grow and fill the sky for no reason?

I crawled up and even had to push aside the branches all over my body, as I had been completely buried by tree roots. Frowning, I asked, “Xiaorong, are you protecting me?”

The banyan tree excitedly shook his tree trunk, even curling up his roots and tightening around me, as if asking for credit for how well he had protected me.

“Well done.” I nodded, then asked with a slight smile, “Now then, tell me, how many caterpillar crystals did you eat while I was asleep?”

The banyan tree suddenly froze, as if he was just a tree that was incapable of moving. That shaking just now must have been caused by the wind.

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Still playing dumb? Don’t tell me there’s nothing left? Besides, aren’t you afraid of exploding from overeating? Now, hand over the rest of the crystals.”

Ripping away the tree roots as I stood up, I looked down to check on my injuries—the tank top had vanished without any trace, and all that remained of the pants were several strips of rags hanging around the crotch area. This actually made it easier to see the condition of my injuries at a glance. The situation was slightly better than I’d thought. All of the wounds had closed, so I was unlikely to have had much blood loss.

Fortunately, I had eaten that tier one crystal before passing out. I really had no choice since my injuries were too serious. I had been a bit worried that I wasn’t fainting, but was actually dying, so I had to eat it. Otherwise, I really wanted to save it for Junjun to eat; her strength must surpass her beauty!

I frowned while looking at the surrounding sunset scene, hoping that I had only fainted from early morning to evening. It better not be several evenings later now. If Xiao Sha had returned to the base for quite some time, then I’d be in huge trouble.

A tree branch carefully outstretched to the front, and a leaf spread open. Fine, tiny crystals occupied half of the leaf’s surface. I looked down. It was not a small amount, so Xiaorong had only eaten one third at most.

I put away the crystals and said, “In the future, unless you’re wounded and in immediate need of crystals, wait until I wake up to make distributions. Rest assured, you won’t be losing out. As long as you follow me well, I’ll ensure that you’ll have no end of crystals to eat.”

Xiaorong was so happy that the whole tree rubbed against me; however, he was just too big. Although not as excessive as the previous tree that stretched across the sky, he was still a banyan tree of ordinary size. Don’t mention rubbing, just having a few branches shoot over instantly buried me.

Foiled, Xiaorong seemed quite displeased. He started to retract the branches and turn from a big tree into a bonsai. I haven’t got the faintest idea of how he can grow and shrink like this. I really have no words in response to his flexibility of suddenly growing into a huge tree and suddenly shrinking into a small bonsai.

“Wait! Don’t turn small just yet. Help me take some white silk.”

I didn’t want to walk in the city practically naked. Worse still would be returning to the base in the nude with injuries all over my body. My big brother’s fury and little sister’s tears were even scarier than the end of the world.

Although the white silk was made of “fine threads,” it was relative to the huge cocoon. In fact, each and every piece was wider than my hands. After Xiaorong grabbed a large section, I trimmed and cut holes and strips into it with the ice dagger, wrapping the strips like bandages as my shirt and pants. I really hadn’t lost any of my past life’s tailoring skills.

After fixing everything, the result was not bad at all—both tough and flexible. If I had worn this material during the fight earlier, it would not have left me running naked.

Look at all that white silk. How can we let it go to waste? Of course, just straight away let Xiaorong go at it!

Finally, I dragged a large bundle of white silk back home in a net woven from tree branches. My speed was a bit slow as the injury to my left thigh was pretty serious. I really couldn’t walk very fast.

Back at the mini warehouse, no one was around. I continued to walk. There was no trace of fighting along the way. I was really glad—it seemed that Xiao Sha hadn’t encountered any great danger while retreating.

When the familiar bell tower came into view, and I found nothing unusual, I sighed in relief. The bad luck of the Jiang family was terrifying enough. I always felt like something was going to happen at any time. I don’t care if it happens to me. Please don’t let it happen to the other Jiang family members.

As I approached the town, there were many people there—that was, far exceeding the total people in the JDT. They appeared rather calm, some sitting or standing. They should be the group of people with Guan Weijun. It seemed that they had just arrived and were still sorting things out. Awesome!

I made a quick detour to avoid the crowd and headed straight for the main building that was higher up.

“Shuyu!”

As I approached the main building, a head protruded from the sentry point above the door. Ceng Yunqian quietly called out, “Hurry up and get inside. Xiao Sha just arrived with a large group of people. Boss’s face instantly turned dark when he didn’t see you. Even Shujun was shouting about wanting to go to the city to find you.”

Hearing that, I threw the huge lump of Xiaorong directly across the gate and then jumped over immediately. I first told Xiaorong to toss the white silk into the backyard and directly return to the room to be a bonsai. Following this, I rushed to find my big brother and little sister.

When I rushed into the hall, Xiao Sha was standing in front of Dàgē and Shujun—head bowed as he received double the bombardment.

“I’m back!” I promptly shouted and quickly stepped in front of them, ignoring the pain in my leg. Even if it gets broken later, right now, I must walk steadily in front of Dàgē and Xiǎomèi!

Dàgē looked at me with a very dark face and Xiao Sha was obviously relieved, while Junjun directly pounced on me, almost knocking me down. I feel like my left thigh broke. I hope I’m just imagining it…

It hurt so much that I couldn’t think for several seconds. When I raised my head, Dàgē and Xiǎomèi were standing in front of me with equally stormy faces.

“You’re wounded?” Dàgē coldly said.

“Yeah.” I braced myself to answer, “My left thigh hurts pretty badly. Everything else is trivial. Really!”

Familiar rays of light shone again.

Junjun circled around me for inspection, and I quickly cooperated by posing in various ways to show her. She made three rounds before finally stopping and speaking with relief, “The injuries this time aren’t serious.”

See! I hurriedly nodded. Of course, I made no mention of the contribution of a certain tier one crystal.

It didn’t take long for the light that covered my whole body to shrink to the thigh. It felt like Dàgē was even trying to completely heal the broken bones. Although Dàgē’s expression didn’t change, I could clearly feel that his energy was depleting. I hastily took out the tier two crystal and said, “Dàgē, eat this crystal before you go on.”

If I didn’t have Dàgē eat it quickly, I would keep feeling uneasy. Right now, it’s not easy to get tier two crystals. Besides, it’s the crystal of an aberrant that was almost tier three. I was a little excited since Dàgē might directly rise to tier two if he ate it.

Dàgē didn’t stop. He simply glanced over and actually said, “Eat it yourself.”

I was stunned, and was about to persuade him, but he interrupted me. “In the next few days, you’ll keep watch over the town base. In exchange, I’ll be going into the city. I will hunt for my own crystals to eat.”

I looked at Dàgē in shock. He actually wants to enter Lan City?

He spoke in a matter-of-fact way, “If I don’t train, how can I become stronger?”

Indeed, that was true. It was not enough to just eat crystals. Actual combat experience was extremely important. Sometimes, I even felt that fighting a battle didn’t lose to the effects of eating crystals.

After thinking it through, I no longer tried to stop him, but simply continued to advise, “Dàgē, just treat this as the last crystal that Dìdi hunts for you. In the future, you can hunt for them yourself.”

This was a tier two crystal. As long as he ate it, Dàgē could hunt for tier two crystals by himself later on. But I dare not voice this, for fear that Dàgē would not eat it.

Upon hearing this, Dàgē finally took the crystal and said, “This is the last time. When you hunt for crystals in the future, I won’t eat even a single one.”

Watching him eat the crystal, I finally dared to complain, “Dàgē, do you need to be so stubborn? Anyway, Dàgē, when you become stronger, you’ll protect your dìdi, right? It’s the same no matter who eats it!”

Dàgē retorted, “So when you get stronger, you won’t protect your gēge? What’s the difference then with having you eating it?”

I was speechless.

Junjun laughed, and the next second, a huge rush of energy exploded from Dàgē all at once, scaring her so much that her rosy face lost all color.

My leg which was being treated was jolted by this energy, and I almost fell. Fortunately, Junjun held me just in time, while Xiao Sha hurriedly pulled the two of us to a safe distance.

Junjun turned to look at me. After confirming that I was okay, she actually dashed directly toward Dàgē. Even Xiao Sha was too late to hold her back. His face changed, and he rushed to catch up to her.

Knowing that there was nothing wrong, I wasn’t worried. I first touched my leg—it doesn’t hurt at all. Pulling aside the white silk shirt, I saw that not even a single bruise remained on my whole body. Dàgē’s outbreak was just too powerful. I hoped he could control it well, so he wouldn’t end up healing all of the enemy’s wounds with this explosive power…

“èrgē! What happened to Dàgē?”

Junjun stood near Dàgē, but she didn’t dare to move any closer. She was confused about this, not understanding why she didn’t dare to step forward.

“Move a bit closer. Nothing is gonna happen.”

I calmly walked over. This movement clearly pacified Junjun. She did as she was told. Even Xiao Sha moved over. Both of them walked toward Dàgē step by step. Their faces changed but they could only crease their foreheads in a frown and bitterly endure it. Although it was such a cold day, their foreheads were drenched in sweat.

“How is it? Tier two isn’t for show.”

I went over but didn’t enter Dàgē’s range of oppression. Junjun and Xiao Sha were not Dàgē’s opponents, as their gap was too big, so getting closer was fine. But if I were to get closer to Dàgē, he’d be somewhat on alert. He was currently on the cusp of leveling up. I didn’t wish for any unforeseen events to occur.

But for Junjun and Xiao Sha, it was a good opportunity, especially Junjun. Her chance of fighting an aberrant alone was almost zero. It was a rare opportunity for her to feel the oppressiveness of a difference in tier—although I actually didn’t want her to experience this.

“Have a good feel of this oppressiveness. You can come out if you really can’t handle it.”

With sweat running down like raindrops, the two were unable to respond. Pursing their lips, neither of them moved their feet.

I stood at the sidelines, sensing that the surrounding energy was gradually being tucked away by Dàgē. Originally, his energy level had already almost reached the peak of tier one but was stuck at a bottleneck. Triggered by this tier two crystal, his energy instantly burst out. In fact, the impact of breaking through tier one usually wasn’t so big. Dàgē had caused such a big deal likely due to the crystal being too overwhelming. For a moment, he wasn’t able to completely absorb it.

I carefully felt the energy around Dàgē to prevent things from going wrong. At this time, Dàgē threw me a glance. Seeing that I smiled back at him, he didn’t return a single word and concentrated on absorbing the energy.

It took several minutes before Dàgē finally finished reeling in the energy. I immediately rushed over to hold Junjun. The moment the oppressiveness let up, she went limp and fell into my arms. Seeing that my little sister really didn’t have any strength to stand up, I simply carried her princess style. As for Xiao Sha at the side—Sorry, since you’re not my family’s little princess, you’ll just have a lie on the floor by yourself.

Dàgē slowly opened his eyes, looked down at his body, and then looked up and asked, “Shujun, Xiao Sha. You all okay?”

Junjun nodded and said, “Just a little tired.”

Xiao Sha propped himself up. He shook his head, sweat dripping down his face—he was too tired to speak.

Dàgē finally felt at ease. He walked over and touched Junjun’s forehead. Lifting his eyes, he asked, “Shuyu, what’s the matter with this crystal? I felt especially good right now.”

I honestly confessed, “Tier two crystal.” In any case, his tier had already gone up. Even if he cut his stomach open, Dàgē wouldn’t be able to dig out the crystal.

Dàgē glared furiously at me. I shrank back and pitifully sought support, “Junjun, look at Dàgē. He’s bullying me. I fed him food, but he’s scowling at me.”

Junjun said in a sour mood, “Can’t blame Dàgē. Lately, I’ve been wanting to glare at you, too!”

I felt aggrieved. Where’s my gentle and soft Mèimei, whom I personally raised since childhood? “Sob sob sob… After growing up, Mèimei no longer loves èrgē.”

Junjun exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. Patting her unloved èrgē, she urged, “I want to take a bath.”

“I need to bathe too. Let’s…” I shut my mouth, having almost said “bathe together,” momentarily forgetting that Mèimei was already fifteen, almost sixteen! I almost turned into a pervert! “…Let’s take you back to your room. Then I’ll wash up, too.”

Junjun glanced over and snorted, seemingly knowing that her èrgē had secretly changed his previous remark.

I held Junjun in my arms, while Dàgē supported Xiao Sha. Just as we were about to take them back to their rooms, Lily came in.

“Boss, the people Xiao Sha brought back want to see you.”

Dàgē looked at me and lifted one eyebrow, handing over the work to me just like that. “Xiao Sha said you wanted to bring these people back. You should handle this yourself. Whether they leave or stay, you decide.”

“Dàgē, this won’t do.” I looked at Xiao Sha with a frustrated face. “Why didn’t you clearly explain the whole story?”

Xiao Sha sullenly said, “You didn’t come back, and when I explained that you went off by yourself to fight a huge cocoon and a large group of spiders, Boss’s face had instantly darkened. He wanted me to explain in detail about what kind of aberrant it was, the situation surrounding it, and why you wanted to go by yourself. Besides that, he didn’t want to hear about anything else at all.”

Why were you so honest!? Can’t you just say that I went to slay some bugs? See how truthful an answer it would have been? It can’t even be considered a lie!

“People that èrgē wanted to bring home?” Junjun curiously asked, “Are they really strong?”

“Nothing amazing.”

Xiao Sha shook his head before he added, “There’s a woman. She’s quite decent.”

Hearing “woman,” Junjun’s eyes shone. She looked at me with a wide grin and even gave me a wink.

Dàgē even hurriedly asked, “Is that woman beautiful?”

Xiao Sha thought about it and said, “Ordinary. Not as attractive as Shuyu.”

Don’t make a comparison with me. This face of mine has long since defied all natural order.

Lily interrupted, “She’s not breathtaking, but she is rather pleasing to the eye. She’s quite the cheerful and lively lady.”

Believe me, her “liveliness” far exceeds your imagination.

Dàgē nodded and inquired, “How old is she?”

“Twenty-five.” I answered.

Dàgē frowned. “A bit old.”

Say I’m old again, and I’ll never speak with you again… Wait, that’s not right. I’m not Guan Weijun. I’m Jiang Shuyu, an eighteen years old youngster in his prime.

“Was she the one who took the initiative?”

Take what initiative? I was at a loss.

Xiao Sha shook his head and said, “No, Shuyu started it.”

Dàgē nodded and casually said, “Then, there’s no need to say more. As long as Shuyu likes her.”

Hey hey hey, your thought processes have completely derailed! I only took the initiative to save her, okay? What’s this about liking her?!

“I’m going to see what kind of woman Shuyu likes.”

After saying this, Dàgē immediately walked to the door, and Lily followed him with brightly shining eyes.

Xiao Sha was stunned. He gazed at me in puzzlement. “Who do you like?”

I fiercely glared at him and was about to shout at Dàgē when Junjun suddenly patted me. She anxiously said, “èrgē, put me down.”

I could only carefully set her down, making sure that my family’s princess could stand up stably. By the time I lifted my head, Dàgē’s figure was already far away.

Shit! Wait a minute, Dàgē, let me explain! I was about to catch up—

“èrgē, I want to go, too. Help me out. I can’t walk properly.”

With a grimace, I turned around to support the unusually powerless princess as we slowly moved to the door. Soon after, someone tapped my shoulder again—it was Xiao Sha, taking the opportunity for a lift.

Oh come on! I’m the injured person who needs help, okay? Although my wounds had been healed, the energy I’d used up and my blood loss hadn’t been replenished. Why are you making me into your walking tools one after another?

By the time our pale-faced trio rushed outside of the gate, Dàgē and Guan Weijun were already standing face-to-face. At first glance, they seemed to be confronting each other. The members of the JDT were all gathered together and standing behind Dàgē, while Tai Wen and Zhang Jing were standing behind Guan Weijun.

These troop members, who always appeared like invincible airheads, were currently standing in an orderly fashion, their hands at their guns. Although their postures were all different, you could tell they were pros at a glance, tigers and wolves whose strength could not be underestimated.

“Does Guan Weijun really like you?” Xiao Sha seriously said, “I think she likes someone else.”

Indeed. Guan Weijun’s eyes were glued on Dàgē, and she was even occasionally gulping while sneaking a glance at his chest and abs.

Look at my past self with such a thirsty look, as if she hasn’t seen a man for eight hundred years—don’t mention my image, even my integrity has been fed to the dogs.

“You’re called Guan. Wei. Jun?” Dàgē softly uttered this name.

Guan Weijun gasped and murmured, “Oh my god, my ears are going to get pregnant.”

Let’s see you try giving birth?

“èrgē…”

“Yeah?” I looked at Junjun.

Junjun comforted me in sympathy, “People say that first love is always fruitless. Losing to Dàgē is nothing unusual. èrgē, you’re very handsome and also a good guy. You’ll certainly find a better girl!”

…Question: I was relegated to a good guy by my beloved mèimei. Should I cry my heart out?

“Wait here,” Dàgē commanded.

“Okay, I’ll wait for you!” Guan Weijun answered like she was willing to wait forever for him.

Dàgē walked over. From his movement, it seemed like he wanted to drag me to the side to interrogate me. However, I was supporting Shujun and couldn’t leave, so I simply shrugged my shoulders. Dàgē paused his footsteps and gave me a glance, indicating that the interrogation was delayed, but would occur.

He turned to Guan Weijun and the other two and said, “Out of consideration for my dìdi Shuyu, you can stay in Old Town—temporarily.”

After that, he picked up Junjun in a princess carry, turned around, and left—his manner so handsome that it could be called arrogant, suave, cool, and overbearing.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Get some rest as soon as you finish talking to them.”

I nodded obediently and watched Dàgē carry Junjun away. The latter shouted, “èrgē, I’ll ask Auntie to stew chicken soup for you.”

I should just go straight to my room later, lie down, and sleep for three days and three nights. I refuse to believe that the chicken soup won’t spoil after that!

Guan Weijun came over and said with admiration, “I did feel like the great benefactor was too submissive to you. Even as the boyfriend of a guy, he wouldn’t be so obedient, right? Then, it turned out that you have the backing of a super strong gēge. The support of brotherhood truly can’t be underestimated!”

…Mom would never raise an evil, sinister kid, but it seems to be no problem for her to raise an idiotic and scatterbrained girl. Can that mouth of yours ask for any more trouble? Tai Wen and Zhang Jing are crying behind you!

“Oh right, Xiao Yu. Your clothes, shoes, and sewing machines are all outside. Wanna bring them in?”

I instantly said, “Of course.”

Guan Weijun shrugged and said, “Then, you’ll have to find someone to carry them. Your people wouldn’t let us into this house.”

I nodded. Looking at her, I was reminded of my mother whose condition was unknown. But it wouldn’t do to fix my attention on someone else’s mother all day long, so I could only take the indirect approach. “So, what are you going to do next?”

Guan Weijun’s eyes suddenly turned sharp. She spoke with some difficulty, “Well, it’s a bit hard to say, but it seems I’ll have to trouble you.”

Indeed. Among them, the ones with combat strength aren’t very strong, while the ones with no combat capabilities occupy almost two-thirds of them. Asking for the Jiang Dominion to take them in is simply an impossible task. It’d be hard for anyone to start talking about the matter.

“Please, let me be your sister-in-law!” Guan Weijun excitedly shouted. Then seemingly having recalled something, she asked, “Oh, by the way! Is your brother married?”

…Could you be anymore frank than this!? You’ve frightened my family’s invincible troop! Do you have any idea how difficult it is for them to maintain their image? Cain was enduring so much that even his face twisted!

Getting stared at by my past life’s face, with her eyes almost sparkling, my face twitched as I replied, “My dàgē isn’t married yet.”

“Girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No!”

Guan Weijun was flooded with euphoria. She extended her hand, and said, “Then from now on, I’m your brother’s pursuer. Dìdi, kindly give me more advice, please!”

I was a bit sluggish while forced to shake hands. What the hell is going on? “Guan Weijun” wants to be my family’s sister-in-law? Thinking about the scene of Dàgē and Guan Weijun together—why do I feel like Dàgē and I are having a taboo, incestuous relationship? Fuck! This is just too creepy!

“W-Weijun.” Tai Wen helplessly said, “Right now, our first priority is to have them willingly accept us. It’s not to scare them away, right?”

“Of course not. If I scare away my dream lover, who am I going to marry?” Guan Weijun twirled in delight—she was literally spinning around in a circle! Clasping her heart, she said, “I’ve never seen such an amazing man in my whole life. That intimidating presence of his is just like a savage lion’s. If I piss him off, I could instantly die anytime. How thrilling!”

That sounds nothing like the characteristics that a good husband should have…

“I wanna go back and tell Mom that I’ve finally found a real man! She’s getting a son-in-law!”

This ultimate move sure is powerful, roasting all the guys here in a single strike.

Guan Weijun skipped to the door with joy. She only then remembered her two companions. She turned around and called out, “Come on, we have to arrange for everyone to settle down.” Then, she happily hummed with small bouncing steps.

Zhang Jing hurriedly followed her. Tai Wen pushed his glasses as he sighed, and apologized to all the members of the JDT, “Weijun is just a little simple-minded. She is actually a good person. She’s quite clever when she’s not being foolish and is also pretty strong. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Please consider taking us in.”

As an older member, Zheng Xing stepped forward and answered, “That depends on Boss. But you should prepare yourselves. If Boss isn’t willing, you have to immediately leave this town.”

“It’s best that you don’t mess around or have any crooked thoughts. Otherwise…” Cain smiled like a ruffian while saying this. His eyes gleamed coldly—the very picture of a man with a big smile and evil intentions.

“Of course not. We’re just a group of normal people.” Tai Wen looked at us, seemingly a bit unwilling to leave. He continued asking, “Excuse me, is there anything that could make you more willing to let us stay?”

I cut in, “Sort out your abilities and present them. My big brother likes competent people.”

Tai Wen shot me a glance, dropped his eyes, and humbly said, “All right, understood. Then, I’ll go back and ask everyone.”

He finally turned to keep up with Guan Weijun, walking behind her to the left, like a genuine subordinate. If I hadn’t known he had a wife, I might have thought that he was fond of Guan Weijun, but it wasn’t so.

“Tsk. I like that woman.”

Ceng Yunqian was the first to start talking. But the words that she said horrified me. Make it clear, is it the common like, or that “other kind of like?”

With no outsiders, Cain immediately dropped his “frivolous expert” image and shouted, “Come on, guys, let’s make a bet! Will that woman be able to pursue Boss?”

“It’s definitely possible,” Lily calmly said. “Boss doesn’t take the initiative, but he doesn’t refuse anyone who offers themselves as long as they’re pleasing to the eye.”

Yes, my family’s dàgē has little regard for integrity. The discipline since childhood turned out to be useless. Despite having arduously disciplined him since I was young, I still couldn’t restrain him.

However, Dàgē had never brought a woman home, or perhaps, he had never thought of those people as his girlfriends.

But there was one woman who had personally made a visit. She was an ultra-sexy, gorgeous beauty with a figure like roaring waves. She came up and instantly hugged me tightly, and kept on saying “Dìdi looks so cute,” “I’m your dàgē’s girlfriend Yunyun.” Then, she stayed in the house and refused to leave. Lin-bó, who wanted to call the police, was locked outside by her. This situation frightened Junjun so much that she burst into tears.

I had given Dàgē a call, and we never saw the woman ever again. Afterwards, there were no longer any women who came for a visit. I even privately asked Yunqian, did Dàgē cut off all communication with that woman after breaking up? She only replied, “Very scary, don’t ask.”

But I was really curious, so I secretly investigated. Because Dàgē hadn’t guarded himself against me at all, I was able to easily check from his own sources.

The woman turned out to be an assassin, and she did have some mysterious and unclear relationship with Dàgē. Reportedly, she was killed by Dàgē for unknown reasons in the end, and he even took her head to receive her bounty. This little affair had turned out quite famous within the underground. There were all sorts of conjectures: loving and killing each other, the untold story between a hit man and a mercenary, the clash between love and mission. The whole plot of the story was more dramatic than a primetime show.

However, the truth was that she had scared Junjun into tears, while I had given Dàgē the ultimatum to hurry up and get the fucking woman out of here, and to never have her come back again. Thereupon, the killer lady got sent to hell and was guaranteed to never return.

“I’m not talking about a bed warmer. I’m betting on the position of sister-in-law!” Cain’s loud voice drew my attention.

“That’s a bit hard.” Lily thought for a long time, then turned to ask me, “Shuyu, do you have a good impression of this woman?”

“Ah?” I was still out of sorts. I didn’t even know why Guan Weijun would fall in love with Dàgē… Then again, women were super attracted to my family’s Dàgē. He was basically a hormone manufacturing machine. Her liking Dàgē only proved that her eyes weren’t blind.

Lily analyzed in all seriousness, “I think Boss is okay as long he likes how she looks. There’s no problem with having her as a bedmate or even a girlfriend, but if she’s actually to become your ‘sister-in-law,’ then Shujun’s and your opinions might be ninety-nine percent of the factor. Boss would never take a wife who the two of you dislike.”

Everyone glanced over. Cain immediately cried out, “Shuyu can’t join the gambling party! You’re definitely going to cheat!”

Cheat? I felt a bit helpless. I don’t know if I should “cheat” to have Guan Weijun win over Dàgē, so I can smoothly accept and look after Mom as my mother-in-law; or have Guan Weijun stay far away from Dàgē, so that I don’t have the illusion that I’m marrying Dàgē.

Stuck between two dilemmas, I abruptly smacked my head hard. I have no right to meddle in Dàgē’s marriage! I’m his dìdi, not his parents! Besides, even parents can’t control who their son wants to marry these days.

It rains when Heaven deems fit; mother remarries when she wants to; even if Dàgē wishes to marry a violent woman, it’s all the will of Heaven. I’m better off washing up before bed.

After I finished taking a bath, Dàgē and Xiǎomèi came to visit me.

“What’s with that Guan Weijun?” Dàgē got straight to the point and asked.

I was momentarily silent, then said, “No idea. But she shouldn’t be me. The disparity in our personality is too big. In the past, I didn’t have that kind of personality, but I don’t know who she really is either.”

Hearing that, Dàgē hurriedly said, “Maybe she’s just a stranger. This matter is too bizarre, so no one can say for sure. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Junjun also firmly nodded, expressing her agreement.

I fell silent. In the end, the Ice Emperor was still Dàgē. Although a different fate had brought about a slight discrepancy in personality, I could discern that they were the same person. Mom’s existence further confirmed this point—she was undoubtedly my mom. Her character was exactly the same.

Then it could only be me and Guan Weijun who were different. Only me and her…

Startled, I was finally able to grab hold of a flicker of an idea that had come to me… In the past lifetime, it was me and him. I was Guan Weijun; in this lifetime, it’s me and her. I am Jiang Shuyu…

“Jiang Shuyu…”

“What?” Dàgē and Junjun looked at me, puzzled.

She’s Jiang Shuyu! The Ice Emperor’s real dìdi, the Jiang Shuyu who was often scolded by Mèimei as optimistic and thoughtless.

I was trembling all over. The ice covering my arms was so cold that the coldness was seeping right into my heart.

“Shuyu.”

“èrgē!”

Dàgē and Xiǎomèi each grabbed one of my shoulders, with an expression of utmost worry, not knowing that their own brother had been wrong ever since birth.

I opened my mouth but suddenly felt a stabbing pain in my heart, as if warning me not to say anything. But looking at the face of Dàgē and xiǎomèi—they totally didn’t care who Guan Weijun was. They were only worried about my condition.

With this kind of brother and sister, I didn’t want to hide anything at all from them. With a trembling heart, I confessed, “She, she is Jiang Shuyu! That Guan Weijun is the real Jiang Shuyu!”

Dàgē was stunned, but unlike me who was too close to the situation, he was apparently more clear-headed, and instantly understood.

“The two of you have been swapped.”

At this time, Junjun suddenly screamed and let go of my shoulders, while Dàgē didn’t let go of his hold. He was even emitting healing light. But I’m not hurt, so why is he suddenly helping me heal?

Flustered, I simply focused on the most important matter, and asked, “Junjun, are you all right?”

I grabbed her hand. Her palm was already reddening, but Junjun seemed to be completely unconcerned about her hand. She cried out, “èrgē, your arms are so cold. Will you be all right? Are you cold?”

Weren’t my arms cold due to psychological factors? I quickly lifted my arms and looked. It felt like the ice patterns had turned faint…

I immediately took off my jacket. There were numerous veined patterns on my arms, but at this moment, only faint marks were left. The originally silvery blue ice pattern was so faint that only a smear of watery color remained, so light that it was almost invisible.

The weapons that the Ice Emperor left behind…

I tried to call out the dagger. Ice ability condensed, but no weapon formed even after a long while. I kept at it until I started getting a headache from overusing my ice ability. I had to stop.

“I’m sorry…”

Ice Emperor, I’m sorry for having misplaced your love. I’m sorry for snatching away the weapon that you wanted to give to your dìdi. I’m sorry for causing your dìdi to lose such a good Gēge and Mèimei.

“èrgē!” Junjun desperately hugged me, as if refusing to let go, as if not letting her èrgē go anywhere.

I sucked in a deep breath and held Mèimei’s warm and small figure. I might have been guilt-ridden, but I would never regret becoming “Jiang Shuyu.”

“èrgē, you’re my èrgē! I won’t recognize anyone else!”

“Okay. If you don’t want to, then so be it.” I patted my sister on the back to comfort her as she kept trembling. She must have been really scared. “Junjun, don’t be afraid. Nobody can replace me, your èrgē.” The figure in my embrace finally stopped trembling.

She lifted her head, staring straight at me with big and watery eyes. “Really? You won’t leave our home? You won’t say you’re not my èrgē? You won’t get seriously injured?”

Um… I braced myself and said, “I absolutely won’t leave you again. I’m definitely your èrgē. I’ll do my best not to get seriously hurt.”

Junjun was slightly dissatisfied with the last sentence but nodded reluctantly.

Stroking Mèimei’s black hair, I looked up and asked, “Dàgē, can you take in Guan Weijun and the rest? Although the number of people is a little much—”

Dàgē readily responded, “All right. As long as you stop worrying over insignificant problems, I’m fine with even marrying her!”

“…She’s your past life’s dìdi.” Dàgē, don’t you have any qualms about it? Can’t you at least have a bit integrity!

“In this lifetime, you’re my dìdi.”