HBWMA -Chapter 26 System? Binding!

Inside the side hall.

Jiang Huashan sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

Fu Sui’er and Jiang Wanyi were gathered in front of Shen Guiling, watching as Doctor Meng applied medicine to him.

Shen Guiling’s expression was gentle and refined, without the slightest trace of resentment or displeasure. Even when faced with Fu Sui’er’s rude scrutiny, he endured it with good temper.

Fu Sui’er examined Shen Guiling with an overtly provocative gaze, but in the end realized there was nothing about this face that could be provoked at all—just like that annoying guy. She turned back and glared at Jiang Huashan, then said arrogantly, “Hey! Are you really my big uncle’s illegitimate son? Why don’t you look anything like him?”

Shen Guiling paused slightly, looking at Fu Sui’er, as if he hadn’t expected such a rude question.

Jiang Wanyi frowned slightly in disapproval. “Sui’er, Grandpa has already drunk the tea. It’s very rude to ask that.”

Fu Sui’er had always disliked Jiang Wanyi’s pretentious act. She put her hands on her hips and shot back, “This is our Shen family business, what does it have to do with you? What, you feel sorry for him? Do you even have the right to? Don’t think changing your surname to Jiang is as easy as changing it to Shen.”

Jiang Wanyi was born to Fang Mei and another man. That man had later run off, and Fang Mei, in order to register Jiang Wanyi’s household status, had listed her under Jiang Huashan’s father’s name. It was not something honorable. Fu Sui’er exposing it in public made Jiang Wanyi’s eyes instantly turn red. She turned to look at Jiang Huashan, expecting her usual foolish sister to rush over and defend her.

Fu Sui’er became alert and deliberately lifted her chin.

Shen Guiling sensed the atmosphere between the two and naturally shifted his gaze to the girl holding a big gray wolf plush toy. In fact, even earlier, he had already noticed her—among all the Shen family members in the main hall, she was the only one who seemed to pay none of them any attention.

Feeling that ambiguous gaze, Jiang Huashan quickly snapped back to reality and looked at Fu Sui’er in confusion. “What is it? Why are you staring like a fighting cock?”

“……”

Fu Sui’er refused to back down. “Didn’t you see it? I bullied your sister.”

Jiang Huashan glanced at Jiang Wanyi. “Oh. Didn’t see it. How did you bully her? Do it again, let me see.”

“You…” Jiang Wanyi was so angry she was almost crying. In her heart, she cursed Jiang Huashan a thousand times over. She would definitely go back and tell her mother and have her properly punish this idiot.

Hm? Previously, this little beggar used to protect that green-tea-like sister no matter what. What’s going on today?

Fu Sui’er looked between the two of them suspiciously, then suddenly clapped in delight. “Ohhh~ I get it! You two had a fight! Hahaha, how fresh—dogs biting each other!”

Jiang Huashan rested her chin in her hands and studied Fu Sui’er carefully. Looking at her lively, foolish expression, she felt as if she were seeing her past self.

In the previous storyline, Jiang Wanyi had also revolved around Shen Guiling like that. Fu Sui’er had mocked her a few times out of displeasure, Jiang Wanyi had cried pitifully, and “she” had rushed forward and gotten into a fight with Fu Sui’er. By the time Old Master Shen finished dealing with matters in the main hall and came back to the side hall, he saw them fighting again—and in a rage, he sent both “her” and Fu Sui’er to the Xiaying old residence to learn proper manners.

That trip lasted two months, until school started, and only then were they brought back to the Shen family.

During that time, Shen Lanxi had just returned from Lingxu Temple after completing his merit cultivation. Because Fu Sui’er missed Shen Lanxi’s homecoming banquet, she completely held a grudge against her afterward. As for Shen Jiao, it didn’t even need mentioning—after this incident, she constantly targeted Fang Mei.

Thinking it over like this, Jiang Huashan finally understood what “supporting character” meant.

Characters like them never appear in important plotlines involving the protagonists. They’re only pulled out when needed, just to be used as tools to push the plot forward.

After finishing her rant, Fu Sui’er waited for Jiang Huashan to explode in anger—but unexpectedly, she not only didn’t get angry, she just stared at her again in a daze.

Fu Sui’er felt bored and walked forward. “Jiang Huashan, are you deaf? I’m insulting you—didn’t you hear me?”

Looking at Fu Sui’er again, Jiang Huashan suddenly felt that she was just as pitiful as she was. At least she had now awakened, but Fu Sui’er still understood nothing. She didn’t even know if she, too, had been defined by some “label.”

The thought had just formed when suddenly, above Fu Sui’er’s head, a green halo lit up. Floating light particles gathered little by little, slowly condensing into a line of small text.

【Character Tags: foolish, impulsive, naive, arrogant, **】

These five tags were arranged from larger to smaller. By the last two words, they were almost the size of sesame seeds—so tiny that from a step away, they were completely unreadable.

【Ding—】

【Congratulations, you have triggered a hidden plotline of the drama world: the “Jinlan Arc,” titled “Mountains and Rivers Are Not Worth Mentioning, Only Meeting a Kindred Spirit Matters.”】

【Completion condition: willingly dying once for the other person.】

【Do you wish to bind the current character—Fu Sui’er?”】

Jiang Huashan suddenly shot to her feet and pounced on Fu Sui’er. Fu Sui’er was stunned. By the time she reacted, Jiang Huashan had already straddled her and was yanking her hair.

Damn it!

Fu Sui’er exploded in rage, convinced Jiang Huashan was deliberately provoking her, and swung her limbs wildly, kicking and punching in fury.

Jiang Huashan pinned her head down and ripped out a tuft of green hair. Only then did she finally make out the faint, firefly-sized words clearly.

【Kindness】

Jiang Huashan’s gaze froze.

In her mind, she suddenly recalled the scene from her previous life—Fu Sui’er rushing into the small Shen residence, pointing at her and shouting through tears:

“Grandfather treated you so well, so why did you still hurt him? Jiang Huashan, do you even have a heart? Grandfather loved you the most—how could you do that to him?!”

Almost instantly, Jiang Huashan made her decision without hesitation and softly said two words:

“Bind.”

She didn’t care if she had gone mad—even if she had, she would go mad this one time.

【Ding—】

【Binding successful.】

【Hidden plot unlocked for free exploration. Objective completion will end the mission. Reward distribution: unknown.】

Jiang Wanyi had originally been seething with hatred toward Jiang Huashan, but in the next moment she saw her and Fu Sui’er tangled up in a brawl. A flicker of delight rose in her heart, though she quickly forced herself to look panicked as she turned to Shen Guiling.

“What do we do? They’re fighting!”

Shen Guiling was also stunned. It was rare to see girls suddenly start fighting without warning. After a brief hesitation, he quickly moved forward with Dr. Meng to break them apart.

Dr. Meng had worked in the Shen family for years and instinctively went to protect Fu Sui’er first. Shen Guiling had no choice but to pull Jiang Huashan away instead.

Fu Sui’er, seeing Jiang Huashan still gripping her green hair, nearly lost her mind in rage.

“Let go of me! I’m going to kill you! You two-faced, scheming bastard!!!”

Jiang Huashan observed her expression and, in the next second, mimicked it perfectly without hesitation.

“Come on then! If you can’t beat me to death, you’re my grandson for life!”

Shen Guiling lifted his eyelids and glanced at her.

Picking up insults on the fly?

“Waaah… Sui’er! Sister, stop fighting, stop fighting!”

Old Master Shen had just entered the side hall with his cane when he was met with this chaotic, dog-eat-dog scene. His blood pressure instantly surged. He slammed his cane hard against the ground.

“What is this—are you trying to rebel?!”