True Solution of the Sword Dao

"So where is she usually around this time?"

"Not sure," Lin You said helplessly. "Actually, my parents and I have tried to talk to her, but she just won’t listen to anything. It’s better now that you’re back, you have the best relationship with her; she should listen to you."

"Yeah," Lin Fei nodded.

"I even told her today that you’d be coming back, thinking she would come to pick you up, but she didn’t show. After all you’ve done for her..." Lin You was clearly indignant.

"Is that so?" Lin Fei’s expression was calm. "I’ll go find her later."

****************

Seventh City High School Senior Section

The empty classroom had all the desks and chairs stacked at the very back, leaving a large empty space.

A high school girl sat quietly in the corner, her knees folded together, shoulder-length hair casually falling and covering her face, dressed in an army yellow camouflage jacket with intentionally ripped white jeans at the knees and thighs, revealing perfect leg curves.

She seemed careless about the dust on the floor, sitting there seemingly lost in thought.

Doo-doo-doo-doo...

The sound of a text message suddenly emanated from the girl’s body.

She pulled out a pink, cute cell phone and pressed it.

The colorful screen displayed the content of the message.

"Sister Nan, they say we should go to Dongsi Bridge. They’ve even brought in more than ten people from outside. What do we do now?"

The girl fell silent for a moment.

"I know. I’ll figure something out," she replied.

Then immediately after, she made a call with her cell phone.

"Hello, Nannan? What’s up?" The voice of a girl came through the phone, a bit hoarse but with an undertone of strength.

"Sister Honghong, Liang Yu and the others are planning to intercept me at Dongsi Bridge," the girl said softly.

"Liang Yu? She’s quite bold. Don’t worry, I’ll send someone there right away." On the phone, Sister Honghong became serious.

"Thank you, Sister Honghong, for always looking out for me..."

"What are you talking about? It’s not your fault her boyfriend chased you; what’s it got to do with her! This school’s got plenty of girls prettier than her! Why doesn’t she go after Fang Yanyan? Don’t worry, if I promised to help you, I’ll get it sorted for sure!"

"Yeah, thank you, Sister Honghong," the girl said in a low voice.

The phone call ended.

Jiang Nan put down her phone and replied to the previous text message, telling them to wait.

She couldn’t remember how she had become like this.

Jiang Nan looked calmly at her attire: the image of a tough little sister. In this school, to not be bullied, you had to be fiercer than the others, and looking all sweet and innocent was arguably the least threatening and most bullyable. Here, she needed to show her toughness to others, making them think twice before messing with her, so as not to become part of the weak group.

Jiang Nan remembered, at first she seemed to have made several good friends and sisters; they were all nice to her, but then they got bullied and she had no choice but to help. And then she started fighting, time and time again, making quite a few enemies.

Latter, a handsome boy in her class took a liking to her and wanted to pursue her, but his girlfriend Liang Yu found out. Liang Yu was the fiercest girl in the class, feared by everyone. She was rumored to have slashed a girl’s face in junior high, disfiguring her for life, and that’s how the conflict started.

This was the second time Liang Yu had sought her out.

Jiang Nan pushed herself up, trying to stand, but her feet tingled slightly. Perhaps it was from sitting on the ground for too long, with her legs pressed together, blood circulation was not smooth.

Suddenly, she missed her cousin Lin Fei terribly, his familiar figure flickering before her eyes.

"Today is the day he comes back, right?" Jiang Nan murmured. She really wanted to see him, but with the way she looked now, she felt anxious and scared inside. She didn’t want him to see her like this.

She suddenly felt as if the distance between herself and Lin Fei was growing further and further apart.

Studying was something she had lost track of a long time ago. Yan Capital University was just a lofty, unreachable legend.

The classroom door was suddenly pushed open.

A girl with short hair walked in.

"Sister Nan, what are you doing here all by yourself? Are you not feeling well?"

Jiang Nan managed a weak smile.

"It’s nothing, I’m just not in a good mood."

"Are you going out drinking tonight? Yinzi is treating us, saying it’s a way to thank us for helping her last time. I and Qiu Yun are all set to go," the girl with short hair asked, "If you’re feeling down, you should drink. Once you’re drunk, you’ll forget everything and sleep till the next day."

"Is that so?" Jiang Nan chuckled, to be honest, she didn’t like drinking, not one bit.

But since her friends drank, she felt obliged to join them. She had already lost friends once; she didn’t want to lose them a second time. To her, these girls from worse schools, compared to those from elite schools, seemed much more genuine.

She didn’t want to dampen everyone’s spirits.

"Let’s go! With Sister Honghong stepping in, Liang Yu definitely won’t be a problem!" the girl with short hair took Jiang Nan’s hand and led her on.

"Alright, alright, I’ll go!" Jiang Nan knew the girl was like that, persistently naggy.

For some reason, Jiang Nan deliberately tried not to think about Lin Fei. It seemed that by doing so she could feel a bit better.

*****************

Lin Fei sat in the kitchen, ready to help, but Jiang Feng immediately pushed her down.

"Who asked you to help? Just sit tight! Today, I’m going to prepare a delicious meal for you," Jiang Feng said with a smile.

"I can help too," Lin Fei said helplessly.

"It’s alright," Jiang Feng replied with a smile, then turned back to continue chopping vegetables.

"Mom, what’s going on with Jiang Nan?" Lin Fei suddenly asked. "I overheard Lin You mentioning that her situation is quite bad."

Jiang Feng paused in her movements.

"Nannan, that child, won’t tell us anything. Your father and I are so busy all the time; we don’t have the time to look after her. Lin You also has her own social circle and doesn’t interact much with her. I’m not very clear about the specifics either. Ah... it’s all our fault..."

"Mom, how can you blame yourself?" Lin Fei consoled her. "I’m back this time, I’ll talk to her properly. It should be fine."

"Yes, we were thinking the same thing. Nannan is just too stubborn. The only person she might listen to is you," Jiang Feng said, also seeming a bit helpless.

"Has her cell phone number changed?"

"Yes, she switched to a Little Smart. It’s a lot cheaper. However, sometimes the service is spotty, and you might not be able to reach her."

"Mom, give me her number," Lin Fei said.

Lin Fei took out her phone and noted down the number from Jiang Feng.

After eating lunch, Lin You ran straight back into her room, doing something secretive.

Lin Fei chatted with her mother, Jiang Feng, for a while, and then her father, Lin Jianguo, also came home.

"Dad, you finally decided to come home, huh?" Lin Fei said with a smile.

Lin Jianguo was dressed in a designer black suit, wearing a burgundy tie, and his hair was neatly slicked back, shining black. He looked vibrant and youthful, as if he had shed many years.

"You kid, when you went off to school, you hardly ever called home. A bird out of the cage forgets everything, doesn’t it?" Lin Jianguo said as he took off his coat and sat down opposite Lin Fei.

"Not at all. These are the gifts I brought for you," Lin Fei said, handing out the small gifts she brought for her parents.

After opening the gifts, her parents also expressed heartwarming sentiments about how Lin Fei had grown up and learned to take care of her parents. Following a casual chat,

"There’s a serious matter now that needs your intervention, the issue with your cousin, Jiang Nan. You know about it, don’t you?" Lin Jianguo became serious.

"Yes," Lin Fei nodded.

"She only listens to you. Go and talk to her. She’s grown up now; she deserves her own space. We respect her independence and freedom, but it doesn’t mean we just watch her stray off the path. This is our responsibility as her family members," Lin Jianguo said, his voice full of confidence, clearly bolstered by his success in his career.

"I understand," Lin Fei nodded.

"There’s a big contract to sign at the company tomorrow, and both your mother and I need to be there. You and Lin You should really talk to Nannan."

"No problem."

But Lin You raised her hand.

"I’ve got something to do tomorrow as well," she said helplessly. "Besides, what I say doesn’t really matter to Nannan. It might be better to let them talk alone."

"That’s true. If you’re there, she might not be willing to let down her guard," Jiang Feng said as she walked over from the kitchen.

So the family decided, Lin Fei would have a one-on-one talk with Jiang Nan the next day.

**********************

After freshening up, Lin Fei lay half-reclined on his bed, silently reflecting on the two battles he had experienced.

Suddenly, the living room’s security door made a soft sound as if it were being opened.

Lin Fei slowly closed his eyes, and True Force instantly radiated out, sensing a familiar aura. This was Jiang Nan’s aura.

The living room door closed quietly. At this time, everyone else was asleep; Lin Fei could hear Lin You’s faint breathing from the next room, as well as the soft snoring of his father, Lin Jianguo, from the parents’ bedroom.

Jiang Nan tiptoed into the hallway next to the living room, which led directly to both Lin Fei’s and Lin You’s bedrooms. Jiang Nan stood in the hallway, silent for a while. Then, she slowly moved towards their bedrooms.

Lin Fei’s gaze shifted to the window in his bedroom, where the curtains were drawn but still allowed a sliver of light to seep through. As faint footsteps drew closer, a shadow blocked out the light shining through the gap in the curtains.

Jiang Nan stood in front of the window, seemingly peering inside. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Amidst the darkness, Lin Fei calmly watched Jiang Nan—he could see her, but she couldn’t see him.

After a while at the window, Jiang Nan slowly walked to Lin Fei’s bedroom door.

She reached out to knock but then suddenly stopped.

After a moment of silence,

she gently grasped the doorknob.

Hints of alcohol seeped in from the doorway.

Lin Fei frowned, propped himself up, and the sliver of moonlight coming through the gap in the curtain struck his side face. His thin silk blanket slipped down from his chest carelessly. His whole body emitted a faint silvery glow, resembling a deity.

"Nannan?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a Recommendation Ticket or Monthly Ticket on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)