Chapter 75: Chapter 75: I Will Not Forgive You
Shen Ningning was smart. She guessed that Qin Fangmei’s presence at the private school must have been arranged by Landlord Du.
She had heard that after Aunt Qin died, Qin Fangmei was taken to live at Landlord Du’s estate.
As for Uncle Qin, after being driven away by Grandma Qin, his whereabouts were unknown.
The little girl had thought that after the Qin Family received such a severe punishment, they would have learned their lesson and wouldn’t bother her again!
But she never, ever expected Qin Fangmei to follow her all the way to the private school.
Knowing full well how vicious Qin Fangmei was, the little girl also guessed that she must be here for revenge!
Memories of her past bullying resurfaced, and the little girl’s face turned cold and pale.
Mr. Huang gave a brief introduction and told Qin Fangmei to find a seat.
After class ended, Shen Ningning had already steadied her nerves.
She told herself, ’Don’t be afraid!’
’I have Langlang, the Immortal Realm, and my brother to protect me now.’
’Qin Fangmei can’t bully me like she used to!’
"Ningning." Qin Fangmei took the initiative to walk over to Shen Ningning’s desk.
The moment she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.
Shen Ningning raised her cool, watery eyes and watched her performance, completely unmoved.
Qin Fangmei said tearfully, "Ningning, you’re still mad at me, aren’t you?"
The other students, who had been laughing and joking around, heard the commotion and all turned to look.
Apparently, they knew each other.
Wiping her tears, Qin Fangmei said, "Ningning, we should have been as close as sisters. It was all my mother’s fault; she was too harsh on you."
"She kept provoking me to go against you, saying you would steal Grandma’s love from me. That’s why I was angry and treated you so badly."
"My mother led me astray. My uncle has already scolded me harshly, and now I’ve seen the error of my ways. I never should have bullied you like that."
As she spoke, she viciously slapped herself twice across the face.
The slaps cracked sharply.
It stunned all the classmates present.
Only Lu Shaoyuan, sensing something was off, furrowed his brow.
Qin Fangmei’s cheeks swelled up instantly from the blows.
She looked at Shen Ningning and asked through her sobs, "This is my apology to you. Ningning, you’ll forgive me, won’t you?"
Shen Ningning looked at her, and two words fell from her rosy lips: "I won’t."
Qin Fangmei froze, and tears streamed down her face as if she’d suffered a terrible blow.
The little girl’s voice rose. "You once put a poisonous snake in my bed, threw a dead rat in my bowl, and even tried to shave my head for fun while I was sleeping. I remember all of it!"
Her voice, though soft and sweet, held no trace of tears as she recounted the past abuses.
But her words were enough to send the classmates into a shocked uproar.
They began to whisper among themselves.
"Can this Qin Fangmei really be so vicious?"
"I never would have guessed if Ningning hadn’t said something!"
"I heard the Qin Family are relatives of Landlord Du. If Ningning was living with them, I can only imagine what kind of life she must have had. It sounds like hell!"
Qin Fangmei wiped her tears. "Ningning, you..."
But the little girl cut her off.
"When your mother locked Grandma up without food or water, if you really cared about her, you should have pleaded for her instead of just watching with a grin."
At this, the classmates were even more astonished.
They couldn’t believe such a thing had happened.
If that was true, what was the difference between Qin Fangmei and her mother and a couple of animals?
Qin Fangmei’s feigned expression was about to crumble.
Beneath her sleeves, she dug her nails tightly into her palm.
"Ningning, that’s all in the past. My mother is already dead, isn’t she?"
"But the people you bullied still have to live with the shadows you cast over them."
That one short sentence left Qin Fangmei utterly speechless.
Lu Shaoyuan walked over and shoved Qin Fangmei aside with his shoulder.
"Get lost," he said, then looked at Shen Ningning. "Want to go eat?"
The little girl nodded. She had no desire to watch Qin Fangmei’s act any longer.
Lu Shaoyuan helped her pick up her two food containers, and as they left, the other classmates shot Qin Fangmei strange looks before walking away as well.
Only when she was alone did Qin Fangmei’s true face emerge.
Her expression, twisted with hatred, turned ferocious.
"Shen Ningning, just you wait!" she cursed under her breath.
If her uncle hadn’t ordered her to swallow her pride and get along with Shen Ningning, she would have beaten that little orphan girl to tears right then and there!
Her uncle’s instructions still rang in her ears.
Shen Ningning was now protected from all sides.
The villagers protected her, a pack of wolves followed her, the County Magistrate doted on her, and even the Crown Prince shared a profound connection with her.
The little orphan who could only cry when Qin Fangmei beat and scolded her had somehow become someone she couldn’t dare to touch.
Her uncle had said that if she tried to confront Shen Ningning head-on now—if she so much as laid a finger on her—someone would come for her life.
That’s why he wanted Qin Fangmei to feign an apology, reconcile with Shen Ningning, and then wait for an opportunity to take revenge.
When Qin Fangmei thought of her mother being burned alive, she couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face.
The Crown Prince had cruelly killed Aunt Qin for Shen Ningning’s sake.
How could she not avenge this debt!
Qin Fangmei could only bide her time.
That afternoon, Mr. Huang came to make an announcement.
"The County Magistrate has noted the hot weather and has specially arranged for the students of our private school to go to Jingshan Manor for a two-day summer retreat."
Upon hearing this, the students burst into cheers.
Ren Yu was thrilled. She leaned close to Shen Ningning and said, "Jingshan! That place is gorgeous! I hear only high-ranking officials and nobles get to go. I’ve never been!"
"Ningning, the County Magistrate must be doing this for you, giving us such special treatment."
Shen Ningning generously handed her a Red Fruit.
"Grandpa Fu definitely isn’t doing this just for me. He sees how hot it is and knows everyone has been working hard at their studies."
Ren Yu’s eyes lit up at the sight of the fruit. "Ningning, you’re the best!"
Everyone quickly packed their things and followed Mr. Huang to the school’s entrance.
Shen Ningning didn’t forget to bring her food containers.
She had shared the contents of one with everyone at lunch, emptying it, but she still had another one full to the brim to eat at the manor.
Six tall horse-drawn carriages sent by the County Magistrate were parked outside, waiting.
Mr. Huang handled the arrangements: six students to a carriage, a perfect fit.
「An hour later.」
The carriages arrived at Jingshan.
The path up the mountain crossed a long, sturdy wooden bridge that the carriages couldn’t pass, so everyone had to continue on foot.
Likely due to the lack of water, the once-dense forest on the mountain was left with only sparse, withered yellow leaves.
Shen Ningning was used to the lush, vibrant greenery of Wolf Mountain.
Seeing Jingshan in this state was a little jarring.
And yet, even this scenery was enough to make the other students exclaim in admiration.
The manor’s housekeeper was already waiting at the gate to welcome them.
Inside the estate, small bridges arched over flowing streams, creating an exceptionally elegant scene.
The trees here had clearly received special care, appearing far more verdant than those on the mountain outside.
The vast manor had everything one could ask for: a Library, a Go pavilion, swings decorated with flowers, a stargazing observatory, and more. All the facilities were comprehensive.
However, with so many students, there weren’t enough rooms to go around, so they had to be assigned two to a room.
Taking into account the County Magistrate’s special consideration for Shen Ningning, Mr. Huang assigned her to the best-located, two-story pavilion.
Seeing this, Ren Yu quickly linked her arm with Shen Ningning’s.
"Ningning, can I stay with you?"
The little girl thought for a moment. ’It wouldn’t be right for me to take such a big place all to myself.’
She nodded and said in her soft voice, "I’ll take the room upstairs."
’That will make it easier to bring out the ice from the Immortal Realm.’
"Okay!" Ren Yu agreed instantly.
Everyone was in high spirits. Despite the sweltering heat of the journey and how drenched in sweat they were now, they were completely captivated by their new surroundings.
They broke off into groups to wander around and explore.
Shen Ningning took her things upstairs.
The window on the second floor was long and wide. Lying on the soft daybed beneath it at night, one could see a sky full of stars.
The little girl was quite pleased.
Just then, however, she heard someone run up downstairs, shouting in a panic—
"Mr. Huang, it’s terrible! The long bridge we crossed to get here collapsed!"
