Volume 1, Chapter 22: Why Can't She Like Me?

What the hell!?

Reciting such over-the-top lines while sneaking water over a sleeping girl? Is this really something I did? Am I even a little bit of a pervert?

Fang Mo swallowed hard as the elders burst into laughter.

“That sleeping girl—could it be...?”

“Of course! Didn’t I say I found you in my bedroom? Who else could it be in my room?”

Ning Yuelan’s delicate face flushed with anger. Her slender hand pressed down a little harder, and Fang Mo immediately felt a sharp pain in his thigh.

Ouch!

It was painful!

Seemingly venting the humiliation she suffered back then, Ning Yuelan showed no sign of pity for Fang Mo.

At that moment, Fang Mo fully understood why the elders had such strange and ambiguous expressions. It turned out that when he first came to the Ning family as a child, he had actually done something so embarrassing.

No wonder every time he saw Sister Yuelan afterward, beyond a nod or a greeting, she basically ignored him.

Even the occasional words were just polite small talk as if with a stranger.

At seven or eight years old, he had no memory of it, but by fourteen or fifteen, Ning Yuelan was already a young lady.

Fang Mo’s behavior was nothing short of lewd.

Fang’s mother rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know where Fang Mo heard that urine from a child could save a life. He misunderstood Yuelan’s state at the time as being near death, so he...”

A few elders coughed awkwardly.

Fang Mo and Ning Yuelan, the main parties involved, both blushed deeply.

“Sister Yuelan, off-topic question: when you were little... you didn’t usually sleep with your mouth open, right?”

Fang Mo wasn’t sure if his brain short-circuited or what, but the thought suddenly popped into his mind, and he asked without hesitation.

Silence!

The entire dining hall fell into a deathly quiet stillness.

“Fang Mo!”

Before Ning Yuelan could recover from her daze, Fang’s father, furious, grabbed a wooden stool.

From the look of it, no matter what was said today, this grown-up brat was going to get a severe beating.

“If I don’t make you understand why the flowers are so red today, I’ll disown you!”

...

About half an hour later, exhausted from hitting, Fang’s father was panting and glaring at his son. If it weren’t for Ning Yuelan and Fang’s mother intervening, Fang Mo would have ended up in the ICU today.

Fang Mo grimaced and hid behind Ning Yuelan, who glanced at him with a sour look, silently vowing to deal with him again later.

Just then, Old Master Ning came over laughing heartily.

“Alright, young Fang, Fang Mo is still a child. Sometimes he speaks without thinking. Don’t be so nitpicky with a kid.”

“Come, play chess with me.”

Hearing this, Fang’s father put down the stool, turned around, and instantly donned a friendly smile, perfectly embodying the art of Sichuan opera’s face-changing.

“You’re an old chess fan. I haven’t played Chinese chess for a long time. Please go easy on me.”

The two elders then went out to the courtyard, pulled out chairs, and prepared for a long match.

Seeing this, Fang Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No beating for now!

Having escaped today’s ordeal, his father had no chance to settle scores for the time being.

After all, Fang Mo had been living at Ning Yuelan’s house recently.

“Suddenly, living with Sister Yuelan doesn’t seem so bad after all!” Fang Mo sighed.

Knock, knock, knock—

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared outside the villa’s courtyard.

“Grandpa, has Sister Yuelan gone? Didn’t you say Sister Yuelan’s fiancé would come to visit today? Let me see my brother-in-law!”

The petite figure barely reached Fang Mo’s shoulder. Her face bore a seven-point resemblance to Ning Yuelan’s but with softer features, lacking Ning Yuelan’s cold sharpness.

Her twin ponytails bounced as she wore a white pleated skirt, looking like a little princess straight out of a comic.

Fang Mo was momentarily stunned.

Huh, this little girl is...?

“Ning Shiyu?”

Meanwhile, Old Master Ning pointed toward the room.

“Your brother-in-law and your sister are in the living room. Go find them yourself; don’t bother me. Can’t you see grandpa’s busy?”

“Oh!”

Ning Shiyu pouted in dissatisfaction, glanced at the chess opponent sitting across from grandpa, and saw Uncle Fang, whom she hadn’t seen for years.

She sweetly greeted, “Uncle Fang, long time no see! You’re even more handsome now!”

Fang’s father smiled and nodded.

“Shiyu, it really has been a while. I didn’t expect you to grow into such a graceful young lady.”

Not wanting to disturb grandpa, Ning Shiyu deliberately lingered to tease Fang’s father.

“Uncle, tell me quietly, who is my brother-in-law? How come my sister suddenly eloped? Grandpa told me, and I was really surprised.”

Hearing this, Fang’s father looked a bit embarrassed.

Among the Ning family, the one closest in age to Fang Mo was this little girl. Ning Shiyu had always been the darling princess of the family. Fang’s father had noticed her, but the Ning family’s complex relations led him to give up the idea of betrothing Fang Mo to her.

“Annoying! Stop bothering me and Uncle Fang while we’re playing chess. Your brother-in-law is Uncle Fang’s son, Fang Mo, who’s inside. Go find them yourself.”

Old Master Ning waved his hand as if shooing flies, clearly not fond of his mischievous granddaughter.

Seeing this, Ning Shiyu muttered, “Who are you trying to fool? Brother-in-law? Fang Mo and Sister Yuelan aren’t even in the same league. I bet you arranged a family alliance marriage, right?”

But she knew grandpa wouldn’t bother with her, so she went straight into the living room.

She hadn’t fully realized yet that today wasn’t a special day. Now that Fang Mo’s whole family was at the old Ning residence, could it be that grandpa wasn’t just teasing her?

“Phew!”

Once inside the living room, Ning Shiyu saw Fang Mo and Ning Yuelan standing side by side. Puzzled, she wandered around, then couldn’t help but ask,

“Sister Yuelan, where’s my brother-in-law? You have to bring him out so I, your little sister-in-law, can meet him!”

Ning Shiyu teased her sister with a playful grin.

Ning Yuelan casually nodded toward Fang Mo.

“Here.”

“Sis, are you joking? How come you and grandpa are teasing me like this?”

Ning Shiyu rolled her eyes, still not believing what grandpa and her sister said.

Ning Yuelan ignored her and, greeting Fang Mo with a nod, picked up a watering can and went to the backyard to water her plants.

Fang Mo had seen the lively potted plants in Ning Yuelan’s house and knew this was one of her hobbies.

Since Ning Yuelan didn’t invite him, Fang Mo had no choice but to sit in the living room, bored, scrolling through his social feed on his phone.

Ning Shiyu was persistent. Seeing her sister ignore her, she came over to pester Fang Mo.

“Hey, Brother Fang Mo, who is my brother-in-law, really?”

Fang Mo twitched his eyelids. Could it be that the person she was talking about was actually me?

Right under her nose, suddenly turning around, her brother-in-law was right there in the dim light...

Fang Mo cleared his throat.

“Why do you think it can’t be me?”

Ning Shiyu rolled her eyes even harder.

“My sister would never like a puppy-type like you, Fang Mo. Even if it’s a family alliance, don’t you think by age, it should be me? Besides, my sister’s fearless. I think even if it’s an arranged marriage, she wouldn’t marry someone she doesn’t like.”

“Unless she agrees, she definitely won’t marry.”

She pouted, thinking deeply.

“So her husband must be someone stronger, more powerful, someone who can completely conquer her. Fang Mo, look at yourself—just skin and bones. How can you be considered strong?”

Fang Mo...

Thank you for that.

Speaking of Ning Shiyu and Ning Yuelan’s relationship, it’s worth explaining.

Ning Yuelan’s mother divorced her father when she was very young, and her parents lived apart. Ning’s father quickly found a new partner.

Ning Shiyu was the child of Ning’s father and his second wife.

Therefore, neither side—father or mother—had much time to care for young Ning Yuelan.

This caused Ning Yuelan to become withdrawn and introverted as a child.

Fortunately, grandpa still cared deeply for his biological granddaughter and raised Ning Yuelan.

Ning Shiyu smiled warmly at Fang Mo.

“Brother Fang Mo, tell me, who is my sister’s husband?”

Fang Mo saw that his little sister-in-law was unwilling to believe him. He reluctantly pulled out the marriage certificate.

“Here, look. See if that’s your sister’s name on it!”

Ning Shiyu quickly opened the red booklet and froze after one glance.

The photo showed two people smiling brightly—standing beside Ning Yuelan was indeed Fang Mo.

Wow!

The little sister-in-law was shocked.

“You actually married my sister!?”

“Why? It would make sense if you liked my sister—after all, Sister Yuelan is beloved by all, admired like a blooming flower, mature and elegant. Nearly every man can’t resist her. But my sister would definitely marry someone she loves. How could she like you?”

Upon hearing this, Fang Mo’s anger was stirred.

“Why couldn’t Sister Yuelan like me?”

“Couldn’t we love each other and marry for love?”

“Brother Shen!”

“Hmm!”

Shen Changqing walked down the street, greeting familiar faces with a nod or a greeting.

But no matter who it was, everyone wore an expressionless face, seemingly indifferent to everything.

To this, Shen Changqing was used.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Division, an institution maintaining the stability of the Great Qin dynasty. Its primary duty was to slay demons and monsters, though it had some side businesses.

In short, everyone in the division was stained with much blood.

When one grows accustomed to life and death, many things lose their significance.

When Shen Changqing first came to this world, he found it hard to adapt, but over time, he grew used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who stayed there were either powerful masters or those with potential to become masters.

Shen Changqing was among the latter.

The division was divided into two roles: Demon Suppressors and Demon Exterminators.

Everyone entering the division started as a low-level Demon Exterminator,

The website is about to close; download the AiYue app to read the latest content for free.

Then, step by step, they could be promoted with hopes of becoming a Demon Suppressor.

Shen Changqing’s previous identity was a trainee Demon Exterminator, the lowest rank among exterminators.

With memories of his past life, he was very familiar with the division’s environment.

After a short walk, Shen Changqing stopped in front of an attic.

Unlike other grim places in the division, this attic stood out like a crane among chickens, presenting an unusual tranquility amid the bloodiness.

The attic’s door was wide open, with people occasionally coming and going.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Changqing stepped inside.

Upon entering, the atmosphere changed abruptly.

A scent of ink mixed faintly with blood hit his nose, making his brow instinctively furrow, then quickly relax.

The bloodstained aura on everyone in the division was almost impossible to wash away.

Pen Qi Department