Lin Qing gritted her teeth, shielding Qiao Chuchu. "Chuchu, go."
Qiao Chuchu was stunned. "Sister Lin Qing?"
Lin Qing stood barefoot on the icy ground, her body steady and her voice unwavering. "I'll hold them off. You go."
Qiao Chuchu shook her head without hesitation. "No, we’ll leave together!"
"I can’t run anymore," Lin Qing said calmly, gripping her hand. "At least one of us has to survive."
Qiao Chuchu was speechless, tears welling up in her eyes.
Lin Qing’s makeup was smudged, but it didn’t diminish her beauty. She smiled at Qiao Chuchu with a look of resignation.
"You’re better than me, so if one of us has to die, it should be me."
Tears streamed down Qiao Chuchu’s face as she grasped Lin Qing’s hand. "No, I won’t leave you behind."
She glanced at the real-time location-sharing interface. "We can survive this."
Lin Qing was taken aback.
Six bodyguards were closing in on them.
Qiao Chuchu took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Brother!!! Save me!!!"
Pei Buxian roared onto the scene in his G-Class like a madman. "I’m here!!"
He slammed on the brakes and flung the door open. "Sic them!!!"
A pack of ferocious dogs leaped out of the car, charging at the black-clad men with snarls!
The men paled, reaching for their weapons, but the dogs pounced on them, pinning them to the ground!
Pei Che, who had pulled over nearby, adjusted his tie and stepped out of his car, a scalpel twirling in his hand. With a swift motion, he plunged it into a bodyguard’s shoulder!
Pei Yuan, still in his hospital gown, was full of energy as he grabbed three sticks and tossed them to his brothers. He swung one at a bodyguard with practiced ease!
Pei Buxian charged forward with his stick, yelling, "Who the hell dares to mess with our little sister!!!!"
Pei Fengnong arrived late, his sharp eyes narrowing as he drove straight at a bodyguard trying to flee!
The bodyguard rolled out of the way!
Pei Fengnong stepped out of the car, picked up a baseball bat, and delivered a crushing blow to the man!
Lin Dahai, standing in the weeds, was utterly dumbfounded.
Where did all these people come from?!
Where did all these people come from!!!
Panicking, he turned to run but collided with Lin Shen’s icy gaze.
Lin Dahai stumbled, forcing an awkward smile. "Son? What are you doing here?"
Lin Shen punched him square in the face!
Lin Dahai crashed to the ground, clutching his face in shock. "What are you doing?! I’m your father!!!"
"You hurt my sister and the person I love," Lin Shen said, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "You’re no father of mine."
Qiao Chuchu stood surrounded by her brothers, watching the men writhing on the ground and the dogs standing guard. Her heart finally settled.
She felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. "We’re safe…"
Lin Qing, tears in her eyes, looked at her with overwhelming emotion. "Yes, Chuchu, we’re safe! You saved me!!"
Qiao Chuchu smiled weakly, her body collapsing.
Lin Qing instinctively caught her. "Chuchu!"
The other brothers shouted in unison, "Chuchu!"
Qiao Chuchu felt her consciousness drifting, as if being lured away by something.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in the system’s world.
The world was a blank, white expanse. She sat up, exhausted, and rubbed her forehead. "Did I die again?"
"Not dead," the system said, circling her. "It was just an emergency recall. I knew you had a lot of questions, so I brought you back here. Now that you’re safe, we have plenty of time to talk. Ask away."
Qiao Chuchu sighed in relief. "Why didn’t you talk to me earlier?"
The system chirped, "Your emotions were at their peak earlier—your adrenaline was through the roof, and your anger and hatred for the enemy were at their max. If we’d chatted, it would’ve disrupted your focus, and your adrenaline would’ve dropped. How would you have handled that emergency then, huh?"
Qiao Chuchu thought it made sense and got straight to the point. "Even though this world is real, can we still treat it like a novel?"
The system nodded. "Of course."
She pressed on, "The novel you gave me earlier—as a reader, I should have a god’s-eye view, right? So why didn’t I know who the real culprit behind Lin Qing’s suffering was?"
The system didn’t hesitate. "Readers enter the novel through the protagonist’s perspective. Blame Xia Xuechun for being so love-struck that she didn’t bother to investigate the dark forces targeting Lin Qing."
Qiao Chuchu fell silent for a moment, then sat cross-legged, feeling uneasy. "So, there aren’t any really bad people around me now, right?"
The system sighed. "Host, get a grip. You’re one of the villainesses. Everyone around you is a villain. Do you know what that means? It means you’re all part of a crew of morally bankrupt, utterly wicked people. No one’s worse than you lot."
"The ones attacking you are the ‘good guys,’ and they’re all on Xia Xuechun’s side!"
Qiao Chuchu was baffled. "Wait, so Lin Dahai is a good guy?"
The system nodded.
She laughed in disbelief. "That guy tried to kill Lin Qing or have her assaulted to drive her to suicide!"
The system replied, "Yes, but he did it to protect his new family. He knew that Lin Qing, though his daughter, was ruthless and would never allow anyone but Lin Shen to share the family fortune. Once she found out he had a wife and son, she’d act. So he struck first."
Qiao Chuchu was speechless. "How the hell is that being a good guy?!"
The world had truly gone mad beyond her comprehension!
The system shrugged. "Host, don’t forget, Xia Xuechun is the chosen one, the ‘heroine.’ To her, love is everything."
"From Xia Xuechun’s perspective, Lin Dahai was just protecting his new family. Lin Qing and Lin Shen were children from a loveless marriage. What’s wrong with him protecting his true love?"
Qiao Chuchu stayed silent, then grabbed a random brick that appeared out of nowhere and threw it to the ground. "Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!!"
The system chuckled. "Don’t get so worked up, host. Relax. I think you’ll win in the end."
Qiao Chuchu snapped, "Win with what? My remaining four lives?"
The system shook its head. "No, five."
Qiao Chuchu was confused. "What?"
The system presented her with a crystal-clear orb. "This time, you performed exceptionally well. You saved a poor girl from being assaulted, and you risked your life to protect your companion with pure sincerity. The system council unanimously decided to reward you with an extra life. You’re back up to five lives!~"
Her eyes widened in shock. "Really?!"
The system placed the orb into her body.
The number in front of Qiao Chuchu’s eyes changed from 4 to 5.
She covered her mouth in excitement. "Oh my God, I’m a proper system pawn now. I actually feel happy that the system gave me an extra life!"
The system deadpanned, "If you don’t know how to speak, maybe just don’t."
