Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 28

“Mine! Give it back!” A childish voice rang in Hu Li’s ear.

Hu Li blinked groggily, opening her eyes to find herself sitting on the porch, cradling a handful of plump, juicy lychees.

Her brow furrowed slightly, still trying to make sense of the situation, when a chubby hand snatched the lychees from her grasp.

“I told you, everything yours is mine now. If you don’t hand it over obediently next time, I’ll hit you!” The childish voice repeated, its words sending a chill down her spine.

Hu Li looked up, meeting the speaker’s gaze, and finally realized where she was.

She was at the orphanage, the place where she had grown up.

The one who had stolen her lychees was the orphanage bully, a coward who preyed on the weak.

Hu Li didn’t know why she was here, but one thing was certain: she was no longer the pushover she used to be.

“Who said these are yours?” Hu Li stood up. “They’re mine!”

She snatched the lychees back from the bully’s hand, her eyes wide and fierce. As she did, she pinched his chubby cheek.

The bully yelped in pain, clutching his face and staring at Hu Li in shock. (When did this quiet girl get so bold?!)

He couldn’t figure it out, nor did he have the brains to try.

After a moment of stunned silence, Bully quickly reached out to snatch the lychees Hu Li was clutching protectively in her arms.

But before his hand could touch her, Hu Li deftly sidestepped him, evading his grasp completely.

His first attempt failing miserably, Bully, who fancied himself a future gang leader, felt deeply humiliated. After a brief pause, he raised his fist, hoping to intimidate her with a show of force.

To his surprise, Hu Li showed no fear, not even of his fist.

Her gaze flicked from his clenched hand to his face, and with a scornful snort, she struck first, catching him off guard.

Once timid and easily frightened, Hu Li now threw caution to the wind. (If he dares bully me, I’ll make him pay!)

The lychees tumbled from her hands, rolling onto the dusty ground.

After taking a few punches, Bully realized he couldn’t get the lychees. He shoved Hu Li aside and stomped on the fruit, crushing them beyond recognition. (Now neither of us can have them!)

“Nyah ha ha! You can’t have them either!” He stuck his tongue out at Hu Li, who lay sprawled on the ground, and scampered away.

Hu Li lowered her gaze to the mangled lychees, her small hands clenching into fists. She scrambled to her feet, determined to settle the score with Bully.

But as she leaped off the veranda, she tripped over something unseen and crashed face-first into the ground.

She instinctively closed her eyes, but the expected pain never came.

Instead, a familiar, gentle female voice spoke: “Good girl, Li Li. Get up off the ground.”

The voice sounded distant, as if coaxing a child.

Hu Li cautiously opened one eye, then widened the other as she took in her surroundings.

(Where am I?) Hu Li found herself in an endless darkness, standing on a narrow path paved with what looked like glowing stones, emitting a faint blue light.

She slowly climbed to her feet, pivoting her toes to turn in a full circle, surveying the area. (It felt like she had fallen into a black hole.)

“Li Li,” the female voice echoed again.

Immediately, tiny specks of golden light, like countless fireflies, began swirling around Hu Li.

“Who are you?” Hu Li glanced at the golden light flowing between her fingers, then demanded, “And where is this? Did you have something to do with the orphanage?”

When she had first fallen into the orphanage, she had secretly pinched her arm, only to find it didn’t hurt at all.

She quickly realized she had likely stumbled into some kind of dream world.

“Do you know me?” Hu Li pressed, when the voice remained silent for too long.

Suddenly, the scattered golden light coalesced, transforming into a slender, graceful woman.

The woman stood far across from Hu Li, her features blurred and indistinct, making it impossible to discern her face.

Hu Li tried to approach, but the woman remained just out of reach, no matter how hard she tried.

“Li Li, you’ve grown up,” the woman said abruptly, her words hanging in the air without context.

Hu Li’s mind raced with questions. She was about to ask, “How can you tell?” when a circular, silvery-white halo suddenly descended from above, enveloping her entire body.

As the dazzling light faded, Hu Li rubbed her eyes and blinked. The next moment, an elderly man unexpectedly passed right through her chest.

(Shocked, Hu Li quickly looked down at herself.) She discovered she had become transparent—a ghost, perhaps?

Unsure, Hu Li turned her thoughts to the elder who had just passed through her.

The man seemed to be a medical cultivator. Hunched over, carrying a medicine chest, he looked frantic, as if some great figure were on the verge of death.

Driven by curiosity, Hu Li followed in the elder’s footsteps.

He was headed to Tingfeng Cliff.

Hu Li stopped before the familiar bamboo house, her gaze falling on a small girl squatting outside the door. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

(A miniature Gu Sheng?!)

No, it was more accurate to say a younger version of Gu Sheng.

Hu Li crouched down, gazing at the little face that was nearly identical to the adult Gu Sheng’s. Her fingers twitched with the urge to poke that tiny cheek.

The next moment, Little Gu Sheng abruptly looked up, her eyes locking onto Hu Li.

The sudden gaze made Hu Li’s heart stop. She collapsed onto the ground, waving her hand in front of Little Gu Sheng’s eyes to confirm the child couldn’t see her. Only then did she exhale in relief.

Sitting beside Little Gu Sheng, Hu Li rested her head in her hands, staring blankly at the courtyard. She still couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

At first, she’d assumed it was an ordinary dream and tried to wake herself by jumping off Tingfeng Cliff.

But instead of waking up, she nearly gave herself a heart attack with that extreme bungee jump.

She’d also tried contacting the System for help, but as usual, it malfunctioned at the crucial moment, freezing completely.

So, she was left with no choice but to take things one step at a time, observing how this absurd and bizarre dream would unfold.

After a long silence, the door of the hut creaked open from the inside. The Medical Cultivator Elder emerged, his shoulders hunched, and shuffled out of the courtyard.

The door stood ajar, and Hu Li craned her neck, peering into the room to see what was happening inside.

But the light filtering through the crack was dim, making it impossible to see clearly. She could only make out a vaguely humanoid silhouette that seemed to be growing larger and larger.

(Growing larger?) Hu Li’s heart jolted.

(Someone was coming out!) She stood up and instinctively moved in front of Little Gu Sheng, a sudden sense of unease settling over her.

“Ningning, come inside,” the figure called out.

(Ningning? Again with Ningning? Who exactly is Ningning?”)

Hu Li fired off three questions in her mind. Then she watched as Little Gu Sheng rose from the ground, passed right through her, and squeezed through the half-open door.

Hu Li’s eyes widened, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

(Oh, so Gu Sheng is Ningning?!)

Slightly stunned, she muttered to herself, “This is worth investigating,” and followed Little Gu Sheng into the room.

Inside, a screen Hu Li had never seen before stood between the bed and the desk, its presence both elegant and striking. Embroidered with orchids and butterflies in vibrant colors, it exuded a unique and refined charm.

The figure who had called out to Little Gu Sheng had vanished. Little Gu Sheng stood before the screen, calmly gazing at the two blurred shadows behind it, making no move to approach.

Hu Li stood beside Little Gu Sheng, pressing herself against the screen with restless energy, wishing she could poke a hole through it.

After a moment, the shadow behind the screen stirred. It slowly rose, circled around the screen, and stepped before Little Gu Sheng.

It was Shen Yijun. Hu Li was somewhat surprised.

Shen Yijun bent down, took Little Gu Sheng’s hand, and led her behind the screen.

Behind the screen lay a frail woman, propped against the headboard of her bed. Her face was deathly pale, clearly indicating she was gravely ill.

This must have been the patient the Medical Cultivator Elder had been treating earlier.

“Ningning, come closer,” the woman whispered, her voice barely audible.

Little Gu Sheng lowered her head, clutching the hems of her skirt, looking terrified of the woman.

Despite her fear, she allowed Shen Yijun to lead her to the bedside. Shen Yijun then lifted her onto the bed, seating her at the woman’s feet.

“Mother,” Little Gu Sheng murmured timidly.

Hearing this, Hu Li glanced at the Sick Beauty. Upon closer inspection, she realized the woman’s features were indeed strikingly similar to Little Gu Sheng’s.

Gu Sheng’s mother had never been mentioned in the original novel, and this was Hu Li’s first time seeing her in person.

“Ningning, come closer to your mother,” Shen Yijun urged, trying to pull Little Gu Sheng closer to the Sick Beauty.

Little Gu Sheng stiffened, frozen in place.

The Sick Beauty coughed softly and waved her hand. “Yijun, it’s alright.”

Hearing this, Shen Yijun withdrew her hand from Little Gu Sheng and sighed as she moved to the side. Picking up the medicine the Medical Cultivator Elder had left behind, she excused herself, “Shiyi, I’ll go brew your medicine.”

“Thank you for your trouble,” Qi Shiyi nodded.

The corners of Shen Yijun’s eyes reddened slightly. “It’s no trouble at all.”

With that, she turned her back to Qi Shiyi, quickly wiped the corner of her eye, and hurried out of the bamboo hut.

Once Shen Yijun had left, only the mother and daughter remained, along with Hu Li, who might as well have been invisible.

Qi Shiyi cradled the hand warmer in her lap, her gaze slowly drifting down to Little Gu Sheng. After a long pause, she spoke softly, “Ningning, I’ve failed you these past years.”

She slowly straightened her posture and leaned closer to Little Gu Sheng.

“I shouldn’t have taken out my hatred for your father on you.” Her voice trembled slightly, her entire being radiating a sense of fragility.

Hu Li watched Qi Shiyi, momentarily superimposing her image onto that of the adult Gu Sheng. (A sudden wave of nameless sorrow washed over her.)

This sorrow surged like a river bursting its banks, erupting violently before flooding her entire being in mere moments, leaving her struggling to adapt.

Forced to look away, Hu Li turned her gaze to Little Gu Sheng.

Little Gu Sheng sat with her head bowed, completely unresponsive, as if she hadn’t heard Qi Shiyi’s words.

Qi Shiyi, accustomed to this, leaned back against the headboard, her gaze fixed on the bed curtains. Her voice was flat as she said, “Ningning, I used to tell you that you were named Ningning because I would rather have died than given birth to you.”

Little Gu Sheng’s shoulders twitched almost imperceptibly.

Hu Li’s breath caught in her throat.

Qi Shiyi continued, “But that was a lie. What I truly wanted was for my Ningning to have peace in this life.”

Little Gu Sheng remained unmoved.

Hu Li cautiously placed a hand on Little Gu Sheng’s shoulder and gently patted it.

The atmosphere grew cold again. After a long silence, Qi Shiyi suddenly erupted into a violent coughing fit. She then desperately pushed Little Gu Sheng away, shouting, “Gu Sheng, go! Get out of here!”

Little Gu Sheng was knocked to the ground, but she didn’t obey Qi Shiyi’s command. She simply stared quietly at Qi Shiyi until the older woman no longer had the strength to push her away, until Qi Shiyi slowly closed her eyes.

Hu Li sat cross-legged beside Little Gu Sheng, wanting to offer comfort, but before she could utter a word, Gu Sheng abruptly turned to her and asked, “Have you watched enough?”

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