Chapter 2438: Another Self 07

Li Fendou indeed agreed.

His mind was filled with the embarrassment and fury of being stabbed outside while looking for women; he had no thought to ask Li Chi to do anything.

Seeing Li Chi's usual downcast, obedient look, Li Fendou irritably waved his hand, "Go, go, go! Go buy your books!"

Remember to film a video and send it to me, don't run around!

Li Fendou kept a close watch on Li Chi's outings, after all his short-lived brother's inheritance would run out, and if he needed money he'd have to get it from Li Chi's mother.

He hadn't noticed whether Li Chi was acting strange, but that didn't mean Li Donglai, who always paid attention to Li Chi, hadn't noticed.

Li Donglai was also somewhat annoyed by Qiu Juan's crying, yet seeing Li Chi's calm face still felt strange.

These days, Li Chi seemed to have lost a bit of his former timidity in whatever he did, as if... he had gained some confidence.

That today's matter...

Li Donglai glanced again at the head-down Li Qiang, but he didn't think that, given his brother's temperament, if he found such a report slip, even slipping it into a book as a hint—not causing an uproar in the family would already count as Li Qiang being in a bad mood today.

His father, even more so, wouldn't hide such a thing in Li Qiang's books, no matter how careless.

Li Donglai thought it over, still feeling that Li Chi had done this.

He followed Li Chi's steps as he tried to return to his room, trailing him into the hallway, and the Living Room's clamor gradually grew muffled.

Li Donglai, a few steps away, regarded Li Chi with a complex gaze.

"Li Chi," Li Donglai said, probing and doubtful.

"That thing just now... really wasn't you who did it?"

He fixed his gaze on Li Chi's eyes, trying to find a flaw in those eyes that are always downcast.

The recent strange events at home, and Li Chi's split-like change, all made him feel uneasy.

Li Chi turned, met Li Donglai's gaze, raised his hand to gesture, his face expressionless.

"No matter who did it, what you should worry about now is whether your family will fall apart."

Li Donglai's pupils contracted sharply, and he stared at Li Chi in disbelief.

Li Chi has always been meek and accepting; how could he say such things.

Recalling Li Chi's outburst at the restaurant that day, Li Donglai felt even more alarmed.

This completely exceeded his understanding.

Li Chi ignored the frozen Li Donglai at the door and returned to his room.

The door was shut, shutting out Li Donglai's probing gaze.

A few seconds later, the footsteps in the hallway hesitated before departing.

Li Chi sat on the bedside, lowered his eyes and pressed his fingertips.

The Living Room's noise rose again, faintly hearing Li Fendou's furious roar and Li Qiang's frightened cries.

Probably Li Fendou vented his anger on Li Qiang, the one who stabbed the basket.

Li Chi listened quietly, his chest rising and falling slightly, exhaling a long, silent breath.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -5, total 76!】

Just as he relaxed, Li Chi heard a voice in his mind.

"Little Chi," Jin Chen asked softly, "How long will the medicine in Li Fendou's soup take to work?"

Li Chi startled, subconsciously glanced at the mirror.

The mirror reflected his suddenly pale face and his uncertain, startled gaze.

"... What?" he replied in his mind.

Jin Chen said again, his tone gentle, afraid to frighten Li Chi, "You added conflicting medicine to his tonic soup."

"The dosage isn't large, but over time it will make him unable to benefit from tonics, eventually causing a serious illness, right?"

Li Chi's heart sank sharply, like falling into an ice cellar.

But the next second, a strange sense of relief surged up—yeah, what could be hidden from another self?

He lowered his head, not daring to look at his own eyes in the mirror, his fingers unconsciously clenching, joints whitening from the pressure.

"Hn..."

Li Chi replied in a low voice, "Maybe two months, or one month."

He said it uncertainly, yet with a deep sense of bewilderment.

"Brother, am I... bad?"

The hatred suppressed for too long finally found an outlet, but now only heavy panic remains.

He hates Li Fendou, hates the man who took everything from his father.

This hatred has long seeped into his marrow, sustaining him in making such a dark plan.

But when the plan was calmly exposed, he became afraid again.

"I hate him..." Li Chi murmured softly, his voice like sleep-talking yet with bone-deep cold.

"I hate him... I hate him..."

He pressed too hard, the redness on his fingertips faded, leaving icy pallor.

"Little Chi." Jin Chen shouted him in time, calling several times, before pulling back Li Chi's consciousness that was almost scattering.

Li Chi raised his head, timidly looking at the mirror.

The boy in the mirror had red eye sockets, wetness at the corners, too fragile, yet deep in his eyes surged irrepressible hatred and bewilderment.

So contradictory, so... heartbreaking.

Jin Chen's heart clenched instantly, "No, Little Chi, you're not bad. You're amazing, you did great."

Li Chi heard the voice in his mind, and tears instead fell, rolling down his cheeks.

He thought he would hear blame, but didn't expect it to be... approval.

"Really?" Li Chi asked with a heavy nasal tone, full of trust, like a lost child finally finding direction, eagerly wanting Jin Chen's approval.

He had never revealed this dark secret to anyone.

He thought his nature had already been worn away, leaving only thoughts of revenge, and that he was destined to have no future.

But he also desperately wanted to escape, to start his life anew, no matter how long the suffering, he wanted to escape.

These two thoughts made him painful and torn, constantly in a state of self-loathing.

At this moment, being affirmed by his brother like this, his grievance and fright surged like a tidal wave.

"Really." Jin Chen's voice softened a little, "Little Chi is scared, isn't he?"

Li Chi sniffled hard, nodded, and his Tears fell even harder.

"If you're scared, go under the blanket first, and brother will keep talking to you, okay?"

Li Chi immediately complied, kicked off his shoes, lifted the blanket, curled himself inside, and tightly hugged the Cushion.

He turned off the room's light.

The darkness and soft wrapping brought a sense of security, as if his brother were beside him, speaking softly.

"Li Fendou did many wrong things; he treats you badly, very badly."

Jin Chen said, "Little Chi is protecting himself, seeking a little justice for himself; you are not at fault."

Li Chi buried his face in the pillow, silently shedding tears, his body slightly rising and falling with sobs.

"Leave the rest to brother; Little Chi just needs to rest well and heal his body."

"When the college entrance exam scores come out, we'll take the money and leave here, go to university, go to a better city, start a brand‑new life, okay?"

A brand‑new life.

Go to university.

Leave this cage.

Li Chi listened to these words, and his tears gradually stopped.

These thoughts, even when he knew his college entrance exam might go well, he only dared to secretly imagine them in the dead of night.

But now, hearing them from Jin Chen's mouth, they carried an irresistible allure.

It felt like a future within reach, truly… very much to be longed for.

"Okay." Li Chi softly replied in his consciousness, closing his eyes.

"Brother."

Before sleep, he called out again.

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +5, total 13!】

"I'm here." Jin Chen's voice gently enveloped him, "Go to sleep, Little Chi. Good night."

Li Chi curled up in the warm blanket, for the first time feeling anticipation and happiness, he sank into sleep.