Chapter 288: A Bountiful Harvest
Lin Chen stared at the reddening welt along his arm, left by the blow of the broom, his thoughts momentarily drifting into a heavy silence. But just as he began to sort through the storm in his heart, another broom came sweeping toward him with no mercy.
He cried out, startled by the sharp pain, and whatever train of thought he managed to piece together was shattered all over again. Bian Suwen gritted her teeth, her expression unreadable as she wielded the broom and struck him again and again—ten, no, more than a dozen times. Only then did her anger subside.
Before Lin Chen could catch his breath, Qiu Qianwei stepped forward, her gaze glinting coldly as she took the broom from her elder sister. Her movements were seamless, a relay of fury, and she, too, began to rain strikes on him without holding back.
This time, Lin Chen couldn’t bear it any longer. His eyes turned red as tears welled up uncontrollably. He truly began to cry.
These two older sisters—he hadn’t expected them to be so ruthless. They weren’t just venting—they were using real force, and their blows had weight.
Sniffling, Lin Chen looked up miserably, his voice trembling as he pleaded for mercy. “Enough… please… it hurts…”
But Qiu Qianwei showed no intention of stopping. Her brows were furrowed, lips pressed into a stern line, and she raised her hand again to strike him a few more times—when suddenly, noise stirred from beyond the door.
She paused mid-motion, her body stiffening as she turned to glance toward the entrance.
There, standing in the doorway with uneven steps and an absent gaze, was their second sister—Luo Qingqian. Her entire demeanor was scattered, her soul seemingly adrift.
“Second Sister, what did you do to him?!” Qiu Qianwei’s voice snapped out, tinged with fury as she rushed up to confront her. Bian Suwen followed close behind, standing shoulder to shoulder with her younger sister, both of them glaring at Luo Qingqian with visible displeasure.
Luo Qingqian’s face twisted into a complex expression. In her eyes, shame flickered—thick and raw.
After she parted from him, she asked again—his name, his identity.
He told her calmly, “Wang Haoran. Freshman, Finance Department, Qingling University.”
And just like that, Luo Qingqian realized the horrifying truth: the man she had just forced herself upon… was none other than her own Seventh Sister’s boyfriend.
The revelation struck her like a bolt from the heavens. At first, disbelief. Then came the searing guilt. It gnawed at her mercilessly.
She was ashamed—for her sister, Qiu Qianwei, and for Wang Haoran.
Because in this situation… he was the victim.
She used force; there was no other way to frame it.
“Seventh Sister, I… I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, choked by the weight of remorse. After saying that, she couldn’t bear to remain any longer.
She handed the confiscated phone back to her sisters, then stumbled away in silence, locking herself inside a nearby bedroom.
Qiu Qianwei felt the sincerity in Luo Qingqian’s apology, but even with all her imagination, she couldn’t guess the true depth of what had happened.
She tried to piece it together from the fragments—the lost expression on Luo Qingqian’s face, the tremor in her voice—and a wild speculation surfaced: did her Second Sister go too far while disciplining Wang Haoran? Did she… perhaps cripple him?
A terrible image leapt to her mind. “What if she… cut him?”
Panicked, she quickly dialed Wang Haoran’s number.
Bian Suwen, Bu Feiyan, Liu Yue, Ji Shuiyao—all gathered close, crowding around her as they held their breath in tense silence, waiting for the line to connect.
“What’s up?” Wang Haoran’s voice came through the receiver, energetic and composed.
The sisters exhaled in unison.
“You’re… okay?” Qiu Qianwei asked, still hesitant despite the lively tone.
“Of course I am. Feeling great,” he replied.
Her brows creased slightly. “My Second Sister went to see you. You didn’t run into her?”
Wang Haoran paused for a moment. “I did.”
“Did she hurt you?” Her voice rose with worry.
“She was friendly. Just came by for a chat and left,” he said, calm as still water.
That didn’t sit right with Qiu Qianwei. If they’d only talked, why did her sister Luo Qingqian look so shattered? Why the strange apology?
Something was definitely off.
“I want to come see you,” she said firmly.
“I’m not feeling well. Maybe tomorrow,” Wang Haoran declined without hesitation.
Truthfully, he was drained. Even with the strength of a hundred years’ worth of true Qi coursing through him, the day’s events left him aching. He needed time to recover.
“What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?” she pressed gently.
“My back… kind of sore,” he said casually.
“How’d that happen?” she asked, brows furrowed in concern.
“Classmates dragged me into some photo shoot for the ancient-style culture club. We were at it from morning until night. Tiring stuff,” he explained, nonchalant.
“I should come and check on you. I’m a doctor—I can help,” Bian Suwen’s voice rang from beside Qiu Qianwei, loud and clear into the phone.
Wang Haoran winced inwardly as he did not realized she was there.
“Weiwei… there are others with you?” he asked cautiously.
“My Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Sisters are all here,” Qiu Qianwei replied.
Wang Haoran’s head throbbed. So… everything between him and Qiu Qianwei was now out in the open. Still, that wasn’t so bad—just talking about the matter of their second sister.
“Third Sister, it’s late. Isn’t it a bit… inconvenient?” he hedged, trying to maintain distance.
“You’re my Seventh Sister’s boyfriend. That makes you half a brother-in-law already. No need for formality,” Bian Suwen replied with a lightness he didn’t trust.
“It’s nothing serious. A night’s rest will fix it. Really, no need,” he deflected again, worried that if she came over, she might not leave. He wasn’t exactly in peak form right now, and if she expected… performance, it could end in disappointment.
Besides, he still had things to do tonight.
“Alright then. Rest well,” Bian Suwen conceded.
“Goodnight, Haoran,” Qiu Qianwei said sweetly.
“Goodnight, Weiwei,” he replied softly.
“And… you’re not saying goodnight to us?” Bian Suwen asked, her tone tinged with playful jealousy. She caught herself mid-sentence and rephrased.
“Goodnight, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Sisters,” Wang Haoran sighed, finally ending the call.
He leaned back, gathering himself as he tallied his rewards.
It had been a rough day. He played the part of a victim… but what a fruitful role it turned out to be.
Villain Points: +10,000. Halo Points: +500.
And over on Lin Chen’s side? A heavy loss. He’d lost 500 Villain Points, dragging his Protagonist Halo down below 1,000. Worse—he lost the Undying and Invincible Halo.
Without that unreasonable protection, Lin Chen was now nothing more than a fragile eight-year-old protagonist.
Wang Haoran could snuff him out at any time, with minimal effort.
But he wouldn’t—not yet.
There was still value to be squeezed from Lin Chen, like wool from a sheep. Killing him now would be a waste.
More importantly, there was still the unknown variable—Lin Chen’s mysterious eldest sister, who hadn’t shown herself yet. She was a wildcard, dangerous and unpredictable.
If she caught wind of Lin Chen’s downfall and traced it back to him, it could bring complications. After all, that woman’s halo score was over 3,000.
A true powerhouse of a female lead.
With that, Wang Haoran pushed aside the idle thoughts and slipped into the night.
Earlier, he deliberately held back from striking at Jiang Gaoxuan, not wanting to reveal his strength.
But now, under the cover of darkness, it was time to settle accounts.
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