Still Have This Side – Chapter 2

Aunt Baiyu is so cool!!!

Qiu Baiyu doesn’t know what will happen if the mission succeeds, but she knows what will happen if the mission fails.

At this moment, the system is diligently making sounds and shining lights in her brain and in front of her eyes.

【Detected that the host’s response does not match the mission content. The mission status will be refreshed in three seconds. The host has one more chance to complete the mission. The host must follow the system’s instructions to complete the mission. The host must follow the system’s instructions to complete the mission——】

【Vicious Supporting Female Character Mission Released: Please respond, “Yes, you cannot hit people, it’s your problem if you are bullied.”】

Qiu Baiyu: “…”

What an artificial fool, the context is different but it’s still the same sentence.

Out of sight, out of mind, she chose to close her eyes directly.

The sudden act of closing her eyes made the young Jiang Zimin even more puzzled.

She opened her mouth to ask, but got stuck on how to address her.

Calling her “Mom” was probably not acceptable, Qiu Baiyu had never allowed her to call her that.

Dad also never said that she was her new mom…

So, it’s better to call her Auntie.

“Aunt Baiyu, why did you… suddenly close your eyes?”

As a result, Qiu Baiyu raised her hand without changing her expression to indicate that she should not speak for now.

Jiang Zimin was even more puzzled but obediently kept silent.

Qiu Baiyu just closed her eyes, ignoring the flashing and chaotic panel, until that little Minion-like voice sounded again: 【This mission has failed, very unfortunate. Please do not be discouraged, host, keep trying, and continue to collect points.】

Qiu Baiyu opened her eyes.

The transparent panel disappeared, and the world suddenly became clear.

No punishment, nothing at all, it seems that failing wasn’t a big deal.

Qiu Baiyu calmly closed the bottle of medicine, packed up the medical kit, and was as composed as if nothing had happened.

She calmly looked at Jiang Zimin and continued their conversation: “In any case, remember what I told you today. Learn to fight back; you need to let them know you are not someone to be bullied.”

Jiang Zimin looked at the band-aid in her palm and remained silent.

Qiu Baiyu thought of her younger self and couldn’t help but lower her body, her tone softening: “Can you promise me that?”

Jiang Zimin raised her eyes, thought for a long time, and finally nodded lightly.

Qiu Baiyu nodded in satisfaction.

Jiang Zimin having the awareness to fight back is more important than anything else.

She nodded at Jiang Zimin: “Alright, go wash your hands and eat.”

Jiang Zimin nodded and obediently got up to wash her hands.

Qiu Baiyu watched her small back, believing that she had surely taken her words to heart.

Learning to fight back and not endure silently is a good start.

And Qiu Baiyu needed to research whether there really is an underworld in this world.

In the evening, out of curiosity, Qiu Baiyu stayed in her room to study the system.

She had just recently died in a car accident, so there was no rush to leave.

As a person with a strong sense of curiosity, she was very willing to study this mysterious system before moving on.

She asked the system, “Is there an underworld in this world?”

The system replied: 【Please enter the correct command.】

Qiu Baiyu: “? Search for the underworld.”

Then the system brought her an explanation from Baidu about the underworld.

Qiu Baiyu: “…”

Qiu Baiyu: “Where will I go now that I’m dead?”

【The question exceeds the scope of response, the system cannot answer.】

“…I can’t go back, can I?”

【The host has already died. This is your new life, your new beginning. Please cherish it.】

The somewhat stiff response clearly wasn’t a one-on-one human interaction.

Qiu Baiyu shook her head, regrettably lay down, and hugged her pillow, thinking about many things.

She never thought she would leave so early, nor did she expect to come to a world like this after death, with all her ties to the real world now buried in the dust.

She didn’t have much attachment to her family, but her friends would surely be sad for her. They had just planned to have barbecue this week.

Ah, fate is truly unpredictable.

But if they knew she was living in another world, they would probably be happy for her, right? Too bad they have no way of knowing…

The door was locked, so no one would come in casually. The air conditioning temperature was just right, and the bed was soft and comfortable. As Qiu Baiyu thought, her eyelids became heavier and heavier.

In the two days before the car accident, she had been running around for work and hadn’t had a good night’s sleep.

Just sleep first, she told herself.

She could research the underworld tomorrow; for now, she should just sleep…

With this thought, she peacefully closed her eyes.

……

The next day, Jiang Zimin came back with another injury.

This time it was on her knee. The gym teacher had already treated the wound, and it wasn’t serious.

Jiang Zimin sat on the sofa, motionless, enduring Qiu Baiyu’s scrutinizing gaze.

Qiu Baiyu stood in front of her, saying nothing.

When she was silent now, she had an added air of authority that made Jiang Zimin afraid to look directly at her.

She first looked at the band-aid on Jiang Zimin’s knee, then at the band-aid in her palm, and finally at her timid, downcast appearance.

It was as if she was the one who had done something wrong.

“Was it the same boy who pushed you yesterday?”

Jiang Zimin nodded.

“Did he do it on purpose this time too?”

Jiang Zimin continued to nod.

“Did you fight back this time?”

Jiang Zimin finally stopped nodding and shook her head.

“Why not?”

Jiang Zimin held onto her school uniform shorts with both hands, staring at Qiu Baiyu’s shoes, and after a long struggle, she timidly said, “If I hit him, his parents will come to school. My dad won’t come to school…”

Other kids’ parents would support them, but her dad was always busy with work, so busy that he rarely took care of her.

So busy that he couldn’t even support her once.

“Even if your dad doesn’t come, don’t you still have me?”

“…I’m afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Afraid that you won’t come either…”

Qiu Baiyu was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

This family had never given this child any confidence.

She could understand and empathize with this feeling because her dad wouldn’t go to school, and neither would her mom.

“I will go to your school tomorrow morning.”

The calm words fell on her ears, and Jiang Zimin instinctively looked up. She saw her stepmother, who never spoke to her before, standing in front of her with a serious and earnest expression.

“His not the only one with adults in his family.”

Qiu Baiyu was determined to see what was bullying people at school!

Jiang Zimin didn’t say anything, but her eyes lit up.

At this moment, she felt a sense of security from Qiu Baiyu, making her unconsciously start to believe: Aunt Baiyu will definitely come to school tomorrow to help me!

……

1st Grade Office.

This was the first time Jiang Zimin’s homeroom teacher had seen Qiu Baiyu.

At this moment, Qiu Baiyu was sitting calmly to her left. She was remarkably good-looking, very beautiful, and appeared somewhat delicate, but her gaze was firm and calm. The calmness was so profound that it made her hard to read, and inexplicably gave her an imposing aura that suggested she was not easy to mess with.

To her right was Liu Jianhui’s mother, the mother of the boy who bullied Jiang Zimin.

The parents of both children were finally meeting.

The two children were also present.

Jiang Zimin stood beside Qiu Baiyu, saying nothing.

Liu Jianhui sat on his mother’s lap, his expression showing not a hint of fear.

Liu Jianhui’s mother first scrutinized Qiu Baiyu from head to toe, her gaze far from friendly, and then spoke, “So, you’re her stepmother.”

Her tone was rather sarcastic, heavily emphasizing the words “stepmother.”

So this was the woman who married into the Jiang family’s wealthy household. She did have some looks, but it was said that she still couldn’t win Mr. Jiang’s favor, which made her quite useless.

Marrying into a wealthy family without any backing was not impressive in her eyes.

As she was thinking this with contempt, she heard the beautiful woman opposite her slowly speak, her expression unchanged: “What’s the matter? Are you interested in the role of ‘stepmother’?”

Liu Jianhui’s mother’s face changed: “What nonsense are you talking about? Do you have any manners?”

“No,” Qiu Baiyu said.

“?” Liu Jianhui’s mother was momentarily stunned.

Qiu Baiyu quietly looked at her: “My manners depend on the person. I match strength with strength and can say anything. So, watch yourself and don’t force me to say unpleasant things. It won’t be good for anyone.”

Liu Jianhui’s mother: “…?”

Now it seemed like it was her fault!

The homeroom teacher, sitting on the side, was stunned by the exchange. After regaining her composure, she hurriedly tried to mediate: “Ladies, please don’t get angry. Let’s get back to the main topic, back to the main topic… The reason we invited both mothers here today is to resolve the conflict between the two children.”

“Jianhui has always been bullying Zimin in the class. Look, Jianhui’s mother, the wounds on Zimin’s hand and knee were caused by your child pushing her. We have surveillance footage as evidence, which Zimin’s mother has already seen.

“Moreover, Jianhui’s mother, to be honest, I’ve mentioned these issues to you before.”

Liu Jianhui’s mother didn’t care much: “Oh, come on, what serious conflict can there be between two kids?”

Qiu Baiyu nodded: “Right, it’s not a conflict.”

Liu Jianhui’s mother: “I told you—”

Qiu Baiyu interrupted her: “Our Xiaomin has no grudges with your child. This is purely your child misbehaving on his own.”

Liu Jianhui’s mother’s expression changed instantly: “What are you talking about? Kids are just playing around!”

After she finished speaking, a task panel suddenly appeared before Qiu Baiyu’s eyes:【Vicious Stepmother Mission Released: Agree with Liu Jianhui’s mother’s viewpoint and characterize this incident as ‘kids playing around’ in front of Jiang Zimin.】

Qiu Baiyu didn’t say anything. She looked at Liu Jianhui’s mother calmly.

After a moment, she suddenly smiled: “Kids playing around? Oh, that makes sense. Maybe I misunderstood.”

Jiang Zimin couldn’t help but look at her upon hearing this.

Wasn’t Auntie here today to seek justice for her?

Liu Jianhui’s mother also showed a satisfied smile.

It’s good that this woman understands. Kids playing around is no big deal. Was it really necessary to call her over for such a small matter?

But the next second, she saw Qiu Baiyu suddenly stand up.

“Jianhui’s mother, wait a moment.”

As Qiu Baiyu spoke, she turned around and began moving the surrounding tables and chairs aside.

Liu Jianhui’s mother: “?”

Homeroom teacher: “?”

Jiang Zimin: “?”

Even Liu Jianhui became curious, and the surrounding teachers couldn’t help but look over.

What was she doing…

While busying herself, Qiu Baiyu listened to the system’s voice in her ear.

Surprisingly, this time it wasn’t a noisy failure warning: 【Task completed, host earns 5 points.】

【[No changes detected in Jiang Zimin’s blackening progress bar, no additional points awarded.】

【Settlement complete, please continue to work hard.】

Qiu Baiyu raised an eyebrow but kept her hands moving.

Unexpectedly, this worked.

This system really isn’t very smart.

The system’s voice continued: 【To encourage the host, after successful task completion, we will give the host a hint. The hint is as follows: The world is not static. Besides the script for playing a vicious supporting role, the system also has a script for the vicious female villain to rise to a higher position. Once the host accumulates enough points, it can be exchanged. The system will tailor a new script for you, helping you to more quickly join hands with the male lead and reach the pinnacle of life.】

【Hint complete.】

Qiu Baiyu listened to the gist of it and then put it aside without delving into the details.

She had more important things to do right now, and she could study the system’s matters later.

Qiu Baiyu cleared a space and raised her hand to signal Jiang Zimin to come to her side.

The moment Jiang Zimin saw her wave, she ran over without a second thought.

Qiu Baiyu then beckoned to Liu Jianhui: “Come on, little one, you come over too.”

Liu Jianhui was puzzled and looked up at his mother.

His mother thought Qiu Baiyu couldn’t cause any major trouble and, without any defense, let him go: “Go see what Auntie wants you to do. Our Jianhui is a brave little man!”

Liu Jianhui, still confused, walked up to Qiu Baiyu.

Then he was arranged to stand face to face with Jiang Zimin.

Qiu Baiyu returned to her original position, moved a chair next to Liu Jianhui’s mother, and sat down firmly in front of her without changing her expression.

“I’m a bit unsure now, so I need the parties involved to demonstrate it once for me, to confirm whether it was just kids playing around.”

“Xiaomin, right here in front of all the teachers, in front of me and Jianhui’s mother, demonstrate exactly how this classmate pushed you.”

Jiang Zimin turned her head to look at Qiu Baiyu.

She saw Qiu Baiyu calmly looking at her, her voice crystal clear: “Remember, demonstrate it completely, just as he did to you, understand?”

—If he pushes you, you push him. If he hits you, you hit him. If he slaps you, you give him two hard slaps back, let him know you’re not to be messed with.

Jiang Zimin suddenly recalled this part and turned to look at Liu Jianhui.

Liu Jianhui’s mother had already started shouting: “What are you trying to do!”

Qiu Baiyu quickly blocked her: “Don’t be in a rush, teachers, don’t be in a rush. It’s just kids playing around.”

Seeing Liu Jianhui’s mother still looking very upset, she suddenly realized: “Oh, oh, are you worried the children might get hurt?”

Then she pulled out two band-aids from her bag and smiled slightly: “Don’t worry, I came prepared. Two band-aids, enough.”

After hearing her words, Liu Jianhui looked at Jiang Zimin and also shouted: “You dare to hit me!”

“Don’t be afraid of him!” Qiu Baiyu’s voice immediately overpowered his, “Even if the sky falls, I’ll be here to hold it up for you!”

As soon as these words landed, courage instantly sprouted, and Jiang Zimin finally acted without hesitation for once.

She reached out and shoved Liu Jianhui hard to the ground!

Qiu Baiyu’s voice sounded from the side: “And then, what did he say?”

She then bent down, using all her strength, and screamed at Liu Jianhui: “You don’t have a mother, your father doesn’t care about you, you are an unwanted child!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent, and even the teachers who were about to intervene paused for a moment.

Even though Liu Jianhui’s mother had a thick skin, her face turned utterly red with embarrassment.

Finally, Jiang Zimin gave Liu Jianhui a hard kick.

“He kicked me like this during gym class yesterday,” she explained as she ran back to Qiu Baiyu’s side.

Qiu Baiyu nodded and protected her by her side: “I know, I watched the surveillance footage.”

Liu Jianhui suddenly felt wronged and immediately burst into loud sobs.

His mother, unable to care about anything else, quickly got up to hold her child.

Liu Jianhui cried even harder in his mother’s arms, with snot and tears streaming down his face.

Liu Jianhui’s mother looked even more upset: “Is this really necessary! They’re just kids!”

The homeroom teacher had intended for the parents to resolve the issue themselves, never expecting Qiu Baiyu to handle it in this manner.

Now the office was filled with the cries of children, the situation spiraling out of control. As the homeroom teacher, she felt she should step in to mediate, but as soon as she made a sound, Qiu Baiyu calmly stopped her.

Qiu Baiyu stood up, shielding Jiang Zimin behind her, looking down at the mother and son crouched on the ground, with a cold, piercing light in her eyes.

“It’s necessary. If you have children, you must raise and educate them, otherwise don’t have them.”

“If you and your husband don’t teach him properly and let him bully our child again, I will take even more drastic actions in the future.”

She bent down slightly, looking at Liu Jianhui’s terrified face: “When you pushed our Xiaomin, she didn’t cry. So much for being a brave little man.”

“Little boy, listen carefully. If you bully someone again, if you bully our Xiaomin again…”

She smiled, a smile as radiant as a flower but chillingly frightening: “Auntie will make you cry even harder than you did today.”

She straightened up, meeting Liu Jianhui’s mother’s angry eyes, eyes that seemed to question why she would threaten a small child.

She shrugged indifferently: “After all, I’m an unrefined person.”

Liu Jianhui immediately cried even louder.

—This auntie is so scary!!!

Jiang Zimin tightly held Qiu Baiyu’s hand, looking up at her with eyes that shone brightly, never shifting her gaze.

At this moment, Qiu Baiyu’s image in her heart was incredibly grand.

—Auntie Baiyu is so cool!!!

The entire office was focused on them, and no one noticed a woman in a red dress standing at the doorway.

She wore a beautiful, fiery red dress, with long hair draped over her shoulders, and her appearance was exceptionally beautiful. Her peach blossom eyes were watching Qiu Baiyu’s back with great interest.

She had just happened to pass by the office door and unintentionally witnessed the whole scene, suddenly finding this parent very interesting.

The method of disciplining a child was interesting, and the person was interesting too.

At this moment, she suddenly heard someone calling her from not far away: “Wanyue!”

Yi Wanyue turned her head to see a kind-faced middle-aged woman waving at her.

It was the principal of Fengyi Elementary School, her former teacher.

She had come to Fengyi Elementary School today to have a look around and to discuss some donation matters.

Seeing her teacher coming down to meet her, Yi Wanyue immediately stepped forward and walked towards her, a bright smile appearing on her face.

“Teacher, long time no see. I’m back.”

The second young lady of the Yi family, Yi Wanyue, had finally returned to the country.

---

---