Chapter 607: 314 Never (First Watch)

“Who is she apologizing to? He obviously didn’t do anything wrong,” Ming Chen furrowed his brows in confusion.

Standing there quietly was his gentle and calm sister Ming Jing, who didn’t utter a word and just lowered her gaze to look at the youth in front of her.

Her deep, dark eyes were as calm as a still lake, giving off an eerie feeling.

Ming Chen shrank back, not daring to breathe.

This scene was too strange.

It felt like a long time had passed, but it was just an instant. Ming Jing bent down to squat in front of Qu Feitai and softly whispered.

“All is in the past now, she has forgiven you.”

Qu Feitai lifted his bewildered gaze, his eyes straight and unfocused.

The same tender and tolerant look in his memory.

As if he were just a child who had made a mistake and was still a good child as long as he corrected it.

No…it’s not right, she is Ming Jing…

Qu Feitai shook his head, trying to break free from the chaos of his memories. More and more blood flowed out of his nose, falling to the floor, and he didn’t bother to wipe it. His flushed face twisted in pain.

Ming Jing’s fingers brushed against the back of his neck, and Qu Feitai’s eyes rolled back as he fell to the ground unconsciously.

In the gradually hazy and tilting view, he heard a sigh.

A sigh that traveled through time, from thirteen years ago.

“Ah, Brother Qu fainted,” Ming Chen exclaimed.

Ming Jing lifted Qu Feitai up. She seemed so fragile yet effortlessly carried a man stronger than her.

Placing him on the bed, Ming Jing revealed his strong muscles by draping his clothes open.

Immediately, Ming Chen covered his eyes, but sneakily peeked through his fingers.

What was Sister going to do? Force herself on him? That would be too exciting.

He quickly realized that he thought too much. Ming Jing took out a needle kit and spread it out, with a row of silver needles of different thickness and sizes in neat order. Ming Jing picked up a needle and her left hand’s fingers touched Qu Feitai’s Tanyuan and Jiwei points, with the needle piercing two inches deep into the skin.

Under Qu Feitai’s skin, there was little fat, so the needle pierced shallower than usual.

She then took his left hand’s middle finger, punctured the fingertip, and said, “Bring a bowl.”

Ming Chen quickly ran and returned.

Beads of crimson blood oozed from Qu Feitai’s fingertip, falling into the bowl one by one.

Soon, his face didn’t seem so red, and his breathing normalized.

Ming Jing wiped away the blood from his face and hands with a damp towel, her movements gentle and meticulous. She didn’t notice someone behind her secretly taking pictures.

“Sister, is Brother Qu okay?”

After tucking him in, Ming Jing softly replied, “When I saw him last time, he had a weak spleen and stomach. It was probably due to long hours of staying up that left lingering issues. He usually doesn’t pay attention to his diet and rest. This tonic soup was perfect to bring out the symptoms, so he could be properly diagnosed and treated to nourish his spleen and stomach.”

“I see, I thought you didn’t like Brother Qu and wanted to make him suffer on purpose. It turns out you actually care about him.”

Ming Jing sat beside the bed for a while, “Ming Chen, I will write a prescription. You ask Xiao Ying to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine.”

“Alright, I’ll go with Sister Xiao Ying.”

Ming Chen left happily with the written prescription.

Ming Jing looked at the pale youth lying on the bed and slightly furrowed her eyebrows.

“It turns out that for more than a decade, you have been suffering from the guilt of your conscience. But you silly child, she has never blamed you.”

The youth in his dream uneasily furrowed his brow.

Ming Jing’s delicate finger landed on his forehead, gently tapped, and recited the Daming Mantra. Along with her soft humming, the youth’s expression gradually returned to normal.

The room was silent, and the outside night was cold and clear. The moon shone through the window.

After a long time, Ming Jing looked at the bloody handprint on her skirt, snapped her fingers, and flicked away the shackles of her heart, putting her mind at ease.

—

Qu Feitai’s slumber was a bit too long this time.

It seemed like he had many dreams, filled with all sorts of strange things he was afraid of. He felt like he had fallen into an icy, snowy world, with his surroundings inducing panic. Wronged souls came to claim his life, and he kept running and running…

The ghost caught up to him, its hands tightly strangling his neck, and he could barely breathe…He saw with his own eyes the hideous ghost transform into a beautiful young girl, her body emitting a faint golden glow, pure and untainted, resembling the Buddha in his imagination.

She reached out and tapped him on the forehead. A warm current spread throughout his body.

“Ming Jing?” The young girl clearly looked like Ming Jing.

As gentle as ever, her eyebrows and eyes seemed like unchanging ice from ancient times, so distant and unfamiliar.

“Ming Jing…” Qu Feitai suddenly shouted, opening his eyes abruptly.

He was stunned for a long time before slowly recalling what had happened.

Last night, he drank the soup, had a nosebleed, and then some bad memories surfaced. Before he passed out, he seemed to have seen Ming Jing.

Qu Feitai rubbed his temples and lifted the covers to get out of bed.

As he opened the bedroom door, he suddenly froze.

On the dining table, breakfast was prepared, along with a bowl of steaming hot herbal medicine.

There was a note next to it, with neat and delicate handwriting that still had a bit of childishness.

He recognized it as Ming Chen’s handwriting.

— Brother Qu, I am going to school. I’ll secretly tell you that my second sister personally cooked the medicine. Be sure to finish it. Also, last night my second sister stayed with you for most of the night. She wanted you to drink the tonic soup for your own good.

Qu Feitai clenched the note in his hand, his eyes softening immediately.

He picked up the bowl of herbal medicine and gulped it down in a few bites.

Although it was bitter, it tasted sweet in his heart.

——

“Ming Chen, I saw the news. Is Sister Ming Jing okay?” At the school gate, Zhang Yunfang had waited for a long time before finally catching up with Ming Chen, and immediately asked her.

“Of course she’s fine. How could anything happen to my second sister? Don’t believe those shameless media nonsense.”

“As long as she’s all right, I was so worried.” Zhang Yunfang breathed a sigh of relief.

The three of them walked into the school, and Cui Yumeng, who was far away, noticed and followed them.

Ming Chen slipped away upon seeing her. “She’s here again, so annoying.”

Ever since last week, Cui Yumeng had been clinging to her, following her wherever she went.

She used to be a bully like Li Yu, never doing anything good. Ming Chen had been bullied by her before, but now this girl had suddenly changed her ways. Surely, she didn’t have good intentions like a weasel greeting the New Year.

“Ming Chen, wait for me! I… I’ve brought you something delicious.” Cui Yumeng quickly handed her a beautifully wrapped bag.

“I know you like chocolate. This is handmade chocolate my cousin brought back from abroad. It’s especially delicious, you can’t find it in our country. I couldn’t bear to eat it myself, so I saved it all for you.”

Ming Chen snorted, “I don’t care. What do you want to do?”

“Ming Chen, I… I just suddenly realized how nice you are. I was wrong before, I shouldn’t have bullied you with Li Yu. Let me apologize to you, alright? I hope we can become good friends in the future, and I will share all my delicious treats with you, as good friends should.”

Ming Chen felt increasingly uneasy. “Has your brain been fried from a fever?”

In the past, Cui Yumeng would have been furious. But today, she was very calm and even smiled, saying, “You can say whatever you want. I just want to know if Sister Ming Jing is all right?”

Ming Chen immediately became alert. Why were they all asking about her second sister? Did they have ill intentions?

“Don’t misunderstand, I… I admire Sister Ming Jing very much and am her loyal fan. I just want to know if she’s doing well.”

Ming Chen snorted, “My second sister is doing great, of course. It’s the bad guys who aren’t.”

“That’s good. Here’s the chocolate. Let’s have lunch together.” Cui Yumeng stuffed the chocolate into Ming Chen’s embrace and ran off.

She was in Class 7, not heading in the same direction as Ming Chen.

Ming Chen mumbled, “What’s going on?”

She unwrapped the chocolate and shared it with Ming Ti and Zhang Yunfang, “Won’t eat it for free.”

Ming Ti gave her a glance, “No backbone, I’m not eating.”

He left the two behind and walked straight up the teaching building.

Ming Chen exclaimed, “Imported chocolate is delicious. I wish we had it every day.”

Zhang Yunfang smiled. Ming Chen caught a glimpse of her smile and narrowed her eyes: “You’re acting weird too. What’s going on between you and Cui Yumeng that you’re hiding from me?”

Zhang Yunfang, unable to keep secrets, quickly told her about the incident at the riding arena.

After hearing the story, Ming Chen laughed, “My second sister is awesome. No wonder Cui Yumeng has become as obedient as a quail. She wants to worship my second sister as a master? She can dream.”