HBWMA -Chapter 233 Why Be Kind?

Early the next morning.

Jiang Huashan stretched lazily as she walked out into the courtyard. “Auntie Zhang! Auntie Zhang!”

“Ah! Miss Jiang, what’s wrong?” Aunt Zhang was in the kitchen stewing soup. Hearing the call, she rushed out without even putting down the ladle.

Jiang Huashan pointed at her right eyelid. “This is so strange. Ever since I woke up, my right eyelid has been twitching nonstop.”

“Really?” Aunt Zhang leaned in to take a closer look. “It does seem a little. Wait here a moment, Miss Jiang~”

With that, she hurried back into the bedroom carrying the ladle, and after a while came out holding a red envelope. “Miss Jiang, take this—to ward off disaster and bring in good fortune.”

Jiang Huashan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Zhang Ru stuffed the red envelope into her hands. “Take it. Better to believe it than not.”

“Thank you, Auntie Zhang.”

Zhang Ru was already used to the way she was addressed and waved it off. “I just finished stewing some white fungus and lotus seed soup. Want a bowl before heading to school?”

Jiang Huashan nodded. Zhang Ru turned back toward the kitchen, while Jiang Huashan stared at the red envelope in her hand, lost in thought.

Shen Qingyu’s punishment hadn’t ended yet, so the responsibility of picking up and dropping off had fallen to Shen Lanxi during this period.

Because of the delay in the morning, Jiang Huashan left later than usual.

The moment Gao Zhi saw her, he immediately got out of the car and obediently opened the door. “Your Highness, please get in.”

Ever since the turtle incident, Jiang Huashan had been looking for a chance to pick on him. But Gao Zhi was as slippery as an eel—she couldn’t catch a single fault. Pouting, she quietly got into the car.

Shen Lanxi glanced at her indifferently, his gaze lingering on the pink backpack with diamond-studded straps on her shoulder.

She changed her backpack.

Noticing his gaze, Jiang Huashan lifted the bag and showed it off to him. “Nice, right? My godmother custom-made this for me. It’s no cheaper than your car.”

Shen Lanxi frowned. His aunt was fine in other aspects, but her lifestyle was far too extravagant—so much so that both Jiang Huashan and Fu Sui’er had picked up the habit of spending lavishly.

“Average.”

He gave an honest evaluation, especially since he couldn’t appreciate the color pink at all.

Jiang Huashan’s expression changed instantly. “What do you know?”

No taste—she didn’t even feel like sharing anymore.

Hugging her backpack, she turned her back to the “Crown Prince.” “From now on, whoever speaks is a dog.”

“…”

Shen Lanxi was completely speechless. In the entire Jinggang circle, there probably wasn’t another girl with such a terrible temper.

The cold war lasted all the way until they got out of the car.

Gao Zhi had been secretly observing Jiang Huashan’s expression the whole time. As soon as the car stopped, he jumped out and opened the door. “Your Highness, please step out.”

Jiang Huashan’s lips moved—she wanted to pick a fight but couldn’t find anything to say. In the end, she simply gave Gao Zhi a thumbs-up.

After she left, Shen Lanxi slowly got out of the car. Gao Zhi thoughtfully handed him his backpack.

“Young Master, want me to teach you a few tricks?”

“?” Shen Lanxi raised his eyes to look at him.

Gao Zhi pointed at Jiang Huashan’s retreating figure. “Young Master, you have too many openings. If Miss Jiang wants to pick on you, it’s ridiculously easy.”

Shen Lanxi said nothing and took the bag.

Gao Zhi, full of enthusiasm, continued, “Young Master, as the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Next time Miss Jiang tries to pick on you, just compliment her—guaranteed she’ll go quiet after one praise.”

Shen Lanxi slung the bag over his shoulder and adjusted his cuffs.

Afraid he didn’t understand, Gao Zhi broke it down point by point. “For example, just now Miss Jiang asked if the bag looked good. You said ‘average’—isn’t that just asking for trouble? The correct answer should be—”

“Gao Zhi.” Shen Lanxi cut him off calmly. “Have you finished investigating the Nanwan Wharf incident?”

Gao Zhi’s eyes flickered.

“If you’re really that bored, I can send you back to Qingxu Temple to catch up with the monkeys there.”

Gao Zhi took out his glasses, instantly switching to a cold and composed expression. “No need, Young Master.”

Shen Lanxi gave a faint “Mm” and walked toward the private passage.

Gao Zhi silently put on his glasses and, facing Shen Lanxi’s back, made a finger-gun gesture.

“Cold and heartless young master—take this!”

The entire morning passed without incident. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, students poured out in a rush.

Jiang Huashan and Fu Sui’er waited until most people had left before they started packing up.

“Shanshan, what are we eating for lunch?”

“Whatever.”

Jiang Huashan looked uninterested. Her right eyelid had been twitching all morning—it had practically gone numb from it.

“Still going to the fifth floor? I’ll order first.”

After placing the order, Fu Sui’er saw Jiang Huashan getting ready to sling her bag over her shoulder and paused. “We’re just going to eat—why are you bringing your bag? Isn’t it heavy?”

Jiang Huashan pointed at the twenty-carat pink diamond. “I’m afraid it’ll get stolen.”

Fu Sui’er laughed. “Now you’re scared? You knew it would attract attention, and you still carry it around?”

Jiang Huashan replied with a mystical air, “Heavy wealth wards off disaster. I just have a feeling today won’t be peaceful.”

Fu Sui’er, half-believing, half-doubting, shrugged. “Alright then, carry it.”

The two chatted and laughed as they walked out of the teaching building.

Just as they reached the sports field, Fu Sui’er grabbed Jiang Huashan’s arm and pointed toward a group of people in the distance. “Isn’t that Xiao Lanlan? What’s she doing pulling Shen Mianzhi along?”

Jiang Huashan was about to say they should go take a look, but Fu Sui’er had already dragged her toward the crowd.

A filming crew was setting up on the field. To create an authentic extracurricular atmosphere, they needed some students as background extras. However, Yucai was a special case, and it wasn’t easy to recruit extras. The production team had originally planned to have staff members wear school uniforms and shoot distant scenes, but Xiao Lanlan thought that wouldn’t look good, so she had Zhou Yanheng call some students over to help.

After Shen E left yesterday, Xiao Lanlan felt increasingly uneasy. She secretly went back to the sixth floor of the arts building.

At the time, Zhou Yanheng was playing games and barely paid attention to her. Xiao Lanlan steeled herself and took the initiative to remove her clothes before sitting in his lap.

With her being so compliant, Zhou Yanheng found it entertaining and didn’t mind helping her with small matters.

Most of the students on the field were from the second-year elite class. Since Zhou Yanheng had called them over just to “soak up the sun,” none of them complained. They stood wherever the director told them to.

As for why Shen Mianzhi was there—it was also Xiao Lanlan’s doing.

She knew that Shen Mianzhi left early every Wednesday afternoon, so she deliberately sent her a message, asking her to come at this time.

“Mianzhi, I’m thirsty. Could you go buy me a bottle of iced water?”

Shen Mianzhi glanced at the three assistants standing behind her and replied coldly, “You called me here just to buy water?”

Xiao Lanlan stepped forward with a smile and whispered, “Of course. I just like trampling on you. Who told you you’re nothing but a bastard?”

Shen Mianzhi turned to look at her, her eyes dim and murky.

Xiao Lanlan looked pleased with herself. “Don’t look at me like that. Your father killed your mother with his own hands to atone, didn’t he? He’s been working like a beast in the Shen family just so you could live. You and your father will never wash away the betrayal of the family in your entire lives. Don’t really think of yourself as the legitimate young miss of the Shen family—you think you’re worthy?”

Shen Mianzhi lowered her head.

She had been hearing those words since she was eight years old.

That New Year when she was eight, Shen E brought Xiao Lanlan back to the Shen residence to celebrate. The two of them had taken a liking to the same palace lantern, and Shen Zhuang gave it to the younger Shen Mianzhi.

Xiao Lanlan held a grudge over it. Taking advantage of the adults’ inattention, she dragged Shen Mianzhi into the snow—not only snatching the lantern but also “breaking her spine.”

She used the most vicious words to describe her mother’s “betrayal,” twisted Shen Rang’s control over the Dark Hall into “atonement,” and told Shen Mianzhi that her life existed only because of the Shen family’s mercy.

Shen Mianzhi, of course, didn’t believe it. She cried and demanded to find Shen Rang to ask the truth. Unfortunately, before she could escape the snowy ground, she ran into Shen E, who had come looking for them.

Shen E hadn’t expected Xiao Lanlan to reveal the secret. To protect her daughter, she had no choice but to threaten an eight-year-old child.

“If the old master finds out that you already know the truth, your father will be expelled from the family. By then, you won’t even have the chance to atone.”

Shen Mianzhi had always been clever. She knew her father would often cry late at night, sometimes holding an unnamed memorial tablet until dawn.

She had already guessed that the tablet belonged to her mother, but she never asked. She had always believed that her mother had abandoned them, which was why the Shen family never mentioned her. To avoid hurting her father, she never brought up her mother either.

But Shen E’s words woke her completely.

The Dark Hall was a place of extreme danger, where survival was slim. Yet she had always complained that her grandfather was unfair—why could her uncles live openly and gloriously, while only her father had to remain hidden in the shadows?

So it was all to keep her alive.

She felt guilty.

After that, she told herself to be obedient. Not to rebel. Not to make things harder for her father.

If her father stained his hands with blood to atone, then she would do a good deed every day to accumulate blessings for him.

She knew it sounded absurd, but…

Aside from that, it seemed there was nothing else she could do.