Chapter 042: Senior Brother! Senior Brother, Save Me!

By now, the sky was nearly bright. Upon entering the study, Jiner saw the white fragments scattered across the floor, and scenes from the previous night resurfaced vividly in her mind. That pain, that despair, that helplessness, and the profound hatred all surged up from the depths of her heart once more.

Qiner, I remember everything you’ve done to me! It’s not that I can’t take your life—it’s just that I don’t want it for now. You’d better not push me any further!

Gritting her teeth, Jiner drew a deep breath. Her gaze shifted, and she knelt down, groping under the desk and the bookcase for the scattered pills. If she remembered correctly, Qiner had only destroyed five antidote pills last night, which meant there should still be three or four left.

After searching for a while, she indeed found four antidote pills. Carefully brushing away the dust, Jiner cradled her precious find with delight and left the study, heading for her own room.

Thank heavens—at least she could survive for another four months. Four months was enough time to accomplish many things.

Once she had safely stored the antidote, Jiner returned to the study to clean up the porcelain shards. When she finished tidying up and was about to leave, she nearly collided with someone at the doorway.

"Ah—!" Before Jiner could utter a sound, the other person had already screamed, as if she’d seen a ghost. There was no need to guess who it was.

Qiner, pale with fright, raised a trembling finger at Jiner, unable to utter a word for a long while. Her hand shook uncontrollably. How could this be? Was Jiner a ghost or a living person?

Seeing Qiner’s terror, a cunning idea flashed through Jiner’s mind. She suddenly rolled her eyes upward, thrust out her hands as if to strangle Qiner, and shouted menacingly, "Give me back my life!"

"Ah—! Ghost!" Qiner shrieked, spinning around to flee, but tripped over the threshold and fell flat on her face. Yet she didn’t dare pause for a second, scrambling frantically forward while howling in fear.

Jiner straightened up, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe, watching Qiner’s wretched state with a cold smile. At last, a sliver of satisfaction warmed her heart.

"Qiner, what’s wrong with you?" Xiao Jiu came running at the noise, only to find Qiner crawling desperately on the ground, weeping and panic-stricken. He was utterly astonished.

"Senior Brother! Senior Brother, save me!" Upon hearing Xiao Jiu’s voice, Qiner seemed to have found her savior. Most of her fear dissipated in an instant. She struggled up and threw herself into his arms.

"Qiner, what happened? Why are you trembling so badly?" Xiao Jiu steadied the shivering Qiner and asked, concern etched on his face.

At that moment, Jiner emerged from the room.

"Jiner? What’s going on here…?" Xiao Jiu looked from her to the shaken Qiner, bewildered.

Jiner let out a cold laugh, glanced at Qiner, and said, "Ask her yourself." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Xiao Jiu thoroughly confused.

By now, Qiner had recovered from her earlier fright and realized that Jiner was very much alive, not some ghost. What filled her now was only rage and frustration.

Damn it, how could she still be alive and well? Last night, she had looked like she was on the verge of death!

"Qiner, what exactly happened?" Xiao Jiu asked, frowning.

Qiner snapped back to her senses, forcing an awkward smile. "Oh, haha, it’s nothing. Jiner and I were just playing around." With that, she stepped out of his embrace and headed upstairs.

As soon as she turned away, the smile vanished from her face, replaced entirely by burning hatred and unwillingness.