Malice of the Beneficiary

Others might not know what her senior brother had sacrificed, but she, Ning Qingcheng, was very clear about it.

So she couldn't help but say:

"Sister Jiang Yunlu? I think she must already know about the Situ family's matters. In that case, she should also know about the many things Senior Brother did for her."

"Then why would she be angry? Is it because Senior Brother didn't tell her anything?"

This sentence was like a key, instantly unlocking a closed-off corner in Xie Yuling's heart.

Right, Jiang Yunlu should know everything now.

She knew that Lin Mo, for the sake of her mother, didn't hesitate to offend the entire Situ family.

"So you mean, she might be angry because Lin Mo kept it from her?" Xie Yuling followed this train of thought.

But as soon as this idea arose, an inexplicable emotion surged into her heart.

Lin Mo didn't seem to have hidden many things from her. He was willing to accompany her to see ghosts and helped her cultivate.

He even let Ning Qingcheng stay at her house, which should be considered trust, right?

He had always trusted her so much. Thinking of this, Xie Yuling felt that she was being a bit unreasonable.

For a moment, Xie Yuling's cheeks felt slightly hot, feeling both a bit ashamed and a trace of hidden sweetness.

She felt that in Lin Mo's heart, she seemed to be a bit more special.

Just then, Ning Qingcheng shook her head, her clear eyes full of certainty.

"I don't think so."

She looked at Xie Yuling seriously: "Sister Yuling, let me ask you, if it were you in this situation, and Senior Brother took on everything alone to protect you, would you be angry because he hid it from you?"

Would she be angry?

Xie Yuling was stunned by the question.

She carefully imagined that scenario, and instead of the slightest anger, her heart was enveloped by a huge wave of warmth.

A man, for the reunion of your family, to keep you from harm, was willing to face a behemoth of a family all by himself.

How is this concealment? This is clearly protection.

Let alone being angry, if it were her, she probably wouldn't know how to repay him other than giving herself to him.

Xie Yuling shook her head decisively.

"No, I would only be... very moved."

"That settles it then."

Ning Qingcheng spread her hands, summarizing like an adult, "Sister Jiang Yunlu is so smart, she definitely understands this too. So, she is absolutely not angry because of this."

Xie Yuling was completely confused.

Then what else could it be?

She racked her brains but couldn't figure it out.

"Then... what exactly is she mad about?"

Ning Qingcheng blinked, suddenly leaning in like a little kitten, mysteriously lowering her voice.

"I took a psychology class before, and the teacher talked about a concept called beneficiary's resentment."

Her voice was very light, but it was like a small pebble tossed into the lake of Xie Yuling's heart.

"People, in their bones, pursue equality, even superiority. Being helped, especially when one is in their most wretched state, is equivalent to admitting that they are weak and incompetent.

This feeling will severely strike a person's self-esteem, producing a sense of shame of being inferior."

Ning Qingcheng spoke with clear logic, not at all like a teenage girl.

"Sister Jiang Yunlu comes from such a good background, always surrounded by people like stars around the moon since she was young, and her pride is very high. She definitely wants to stand together with Senior Brother and interact as equals.

But now, Senior Brother has become her savior. This favor is too heavy, pressing down on her so much that she can't breathe. She doesn't know how to face Senior Brother, so she simply hides."

Listening to this, Xie Yuling couldn't help but slightly open her mouth. This clearly teenage girl actually knew so much.

"Are these the kinds of classes you used to take?"

Mentioning this, Ning Qingcheng's demeanor of a little teacher instantly deflated, her small face falling, full of frustration.

"Yeah, specifically studying these. I never really properly attended math, Chinese, or English classes."

She scratched her hair in annoyance, "So even now I don't understand, in reading comprehension, when the author hangs a black curtain, why must they ask what deep meaning it has? Isn't a black curtain very common? My house has one!"

"Pfft!"

Xie Yuling couldn't hold it back and laughed out loud.

There were too many contradictions in this girl, which instead made her seem exceptionally real and cute.

Her smile hadn't faded as she followed the topic and asked: "Then in your opinion, what should we do to help Jiang Yunlu figure this out?"

Hearing this, Ning Qingcheng looked at Xie Yuling with a strange expression.

As soon as the words fell, Ning Qingcheng cast an extremely weird look, looking her up and down.

"Sister Yuling, are you mistaken? That's your rival in love! If you help her untie the knot in her heart now, she'll probably be tied to that scumbag Senior Brother for the rest of her life. Are you... actively conceding defeat and planning to quit?"

Meeting her gaze, Xie Yuling frankly let out a long breath, her eyes clear and firm.

"I just can't stand seeing the two of them so awkward, it's uncomfortable to watch. Besides..."

She paused, the corners of her lips curling into a confident arc, "I don't think I will lose."

In this competition, she wanted to win fairly and squarely. A victory gained through the opponent's internal friction was something she disdained.

Seeing her determined look, Ning Qingcheng curled her lips and said no more.

But she kept muttering in her heart.

She probably wouldn't lose.

But she couldn't win either.

It could only be said that Senior Brother was still too overpowered.

As for the other side, they were seriously eating.

Situ Yunshu just found a high-end restaurant nearby and took the two to eat.

Because Chu Miaomiao was there, the mother and daughter didn't talk much.

Instead, Situ Yunshu asked Chu Miaomiao: "Miaomiao, what do you think of Lin Mo?"

Chu Miaomiao looked at Jiang Yunlu, and then her gaze fell back on Situ Yunshu.

"I think Lin Mo is very good, a very, very good person."

Then Situ Yunshu smiled and asked again: "Then do you like Lin Mo?"

This question was a bit problematic, so Situ Yunshu added another sentence.

"I mean liking him as a friend."

However, Chu Miaomiao said seriously: "I like him, but it's the kind of liking between a man and a woman."

It could only be said that she was very strong and very straightforward.

Instead, Jiang Yunlu had a feeling of having known it all along.

Even Xie Yuling was very clear about this matter, it was just that they never treated Chu Miaomiao as a rival.

At this time, Jiang Yunlu suddenly spoke.

"Actually, Lin Mo is not as simple as you think, he..."

The words stopped at the tip of her tongue. Jiang Yunlu thought for a moment and didn't finish the second half of the sentence.

However, Chu Miaomiao suddenly spoke.

"If you want to say how special Lin Mo is, then I know better than any of you how special he is."

For some reason, upon hearing these words, Jiang Yunlu and Situ Yunshu suddenly felt that Chu Miaomiao's expression changed in an instant, but then returned to its original state in the next second.