Long Ling was known as “the only conscience among the Atavist families.” She wasn’t a public figure, yet she was treated like one. After being sent to the hospital in such a miserable state last night, there was no way the internet would stay quiet. So a lot of people online, not knowing what had happened, were worried about her.

Tang Qiaoqiao didn’t dare let her family see the injuries on her body, or they would start digging and trace things back to Wen Yuxian. So she had Chen Mo help her make up an excuse that they had gone out together and stayed elsewhere, and she didn’t go home.

Long Ling had made her so angry that she stewed over it all night. The moment she saw she was in the hospital that morning, she rushed straight there.

“Hey!” Chen Mo had just been about to call out to her when he saw her charge off like the wind. He could only sigh and run after her.

……

Inside the hospital.

An Yao was taking care of Long Ling. When she turned and saw Tang Qiaoqiao rushing in with sunglasses on, she immediately smiled out of habit. “Tang—”

Tang Qiaoqiao shoved her aside, lunged at Long Ling, and grabbed her by the throat as if she were grabbing a duck by the neck, yanking her off the hospital bed. “You bitch, how dare you try to trick me!”

Long Ling’s legs had already been broken and were wrapped in thick casts. When Tang Qiaqiao yanked her like that, she fell straight off the bed and crashed onto the floor. Combined with the pain from her other injuries, tears immediately streamed down Long Ling’s face.

“Ah!” An Yao screamed in horror and rushed over to intervene, only to be sent flying by a blow from Tang Qiaoqiao’s arm, slamming into the wall.

Tang Qiaoqiao was furious. She had seen everything in the video and now knew exactly what kind of person this woman was. At first, she had only wanted to show the video to everyone, but now she needed to beat her or her anger wouldn’t go away. In her whole life, she had never seen anyone so disgusting.

Tang Qiaqiao raised her hand and slapped Long Ling several times. Just as Chen Mo reached the doorway, he witnessed the scene and immediately winced, as if he were feeling the pain for Long Ling. Suddenly, a force swept past from the side, and Tang Qiaqiao was shoved hard against the wall.

Tang Qiaoqiao turned in anger and saw Zhou Qian. “Senior!”

Zhou Qian carefully lifted Long Ling back onto the bed. Seeing the tears of pain in her eyes, he looked full of pity. But when he turned to Tang Qiaoqiao, his eyes were full of anger and warning. “Qiaoqiao, don’t go too far. I already know what happened. It was just a misunderstanding. Long Ling didn’t do it on purpose. You’re an Atavist. Don’t be so petty toward an ordinary person.”

Tang Qiaoqiao’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

Chen Mo frowned too, but he had no idea what had really happened, so he couldn’t cut in yet.

Since childhood, Tang Qiaoqiao had always been the pampered little bunny in their circle. Everyone gave in to her. Zhou Qian was two or three years older than them and was also one of those older-brother figures from another family who doted on her. That was why, when he asked them to accept Long Ling, she had given him face.

But what was he saying now? Long Ling had deliberately lured her there to get her killed, and he was telling her not to be petty about it?

Tang Qiaoqiao was about to explode on the spot.

“You know? What exactly did she tell you?” Tang Qiaoqiao demanded sharply.

Long Ling was in pain, full of hate, and secretly pleased. It had been the right move to call Zhou Qian over first yesterday. Zhou Qian had some standing in their circle, while Tang Qiaoqiao was still only seen as a spoiled child. Naturally, Zhou Qian’s words carried more weight than hers. With him in the middle, Tang Qiaoqiao might not be able to do anything to her without proof.

“Even if it looks like it was her fault, in the end, if it weren’t for you, would she have gone to look for Wen Yuxian? Would she have run into those criminal organization people? She’s only an ordinary person. Even after both her legs were broken, she still didn’t betray you. It was that woman who took her phone and copied her voice to lure you out. Her mouth was covered. What could she do?” Zhou Qian said.

When Tang Qiaoqiao heard that, her face twisted with anger. “You believed that just because she said it? Huh? That was clearly her voice! And I never told her to help me follow Teacher Wen in the first place. What the hell does that have to do with me? She got caught herself and then lured me over to trade my life for hers! We grew up together, and you believe her instead of me?”

“Enough. Stop talking.” Zhou Qian frowned. “Long Ling already did everything she could as an ordinary person. And thanks to her calling the Tribunal Division in time, they got there in time to save you. Let’s just let this go, okay?”

Yesterday, when Zhou Qian heard Long Ling say that, in order to call for help and save Tang Qiaoqiao, she had dragged herself down the mountain on her elbows despite her broken legs, scraping them raw, his respect and pity for her had risen to the highest point. Even Atavists might not have that kind of willpower, yet it appeared in someone like her.

As expected of the woman he liked.

Fuck that—it was Long Jin who saved me. If Long Ling had wanted me dead, she wouldn’t have called the Tribunal Division to save me!

At that point, Tang Qiaoqiao understood everything. Long Ling really was good at twisting black and white. In that video, she herself had clearly said that she took it upon herself to follow Wen Yuxian because she wanted to please and control Tang Qiaoqiao, then use that to get the Tang family’s treasure so she could kill Long Jin and dig out her dragon pearl.

And now she had somehow spun it into “I went to find Wen Yuxian for your sake.” Wasn’t that the same as hinting that Tang Qiaoqiao had made some shameless demand because of Wen Yuxian? And then she pushed all the blame for luring Tang Qiaoqiao there after being captured onto those four people. Right—Long Ling was pure and innocent, she had done nothing, everything was Tang Qiaoqiao’s fault, and even Tang Qiaoqiao getting into danger was her own doing!

At that moment, Tang Qiaoqiao felt as if her head had become a volcano and lava had burst out of it. At the same time, a chill crawled up her back. She looked at Long Ling and saw that the only thing exposed now—her eyes—seemed to hold a malicious smile.

Then Tang Qiaoqiao realized something.

Zhou Qian didn’t believe her.

The helpless, annoyed look on his face as he spoke seemed to say: Aren’t these exactly the kind of things you would do? You’re spoiled, selfish, and used to getting your way. Look how far you pushed things while chasing Wen Yuxian. He rejected you so many times, and you still clung to him. So why wouldn’t it be possible that you demanded Long Ling help you follow him? Long Ling is just more trustworthy than you, both in character and in credibility.

“Long Ling is miserable enough already. This time, I can’t let you be this willful,” Zhou Qian added, stabbing her again with his words. “And don’t even think about using the school bullying routine. Chen Mo, don’t keep indulging her either. She really needs to grow up.”

“I don’t think Senior gets to decide that,” Chen Mo said coldly. He grabbed Tang Qiaoqiao’s hand. “Let’s go first.”

He had to figure out what really happened first. Otherwise there was nowhere to start, and it was driving him insane.

Tang Qiaoqiao was so angry she started to cry from sheer frustration. She glared at Zhou Qian viciously. “You’re going to regret this. Your eyesight isn’t much better than mine!”

After cursing Zhou Qian out, she turned an even harsher glare on Long Ling, trembling all over. “Long Ling, just wait. I’ll see how long you can keep smiling.”

Tang Qiaoqiao and Chen Mo left, and Zhou Qian went to get the doctor.

An Yao was furious. “What an ill-bred little bitch. When you’re useful, she treats you like a friend. When you’re not, she throws you aside. Tch. How is her life so tough that she still didn’t die?”

Long Ling was in too much pain to speak, then heard An Yao ask worriedly, “Will the Tang family stand up for her?”

“Don’t worry.” Long Ling didn’t take Tang Qiaoqiao seriously at all. The Long family was no longer what it used to be. With Jing Pei there, the Long family now counted as a great Atavist family. So what if Tang Qiaoqiao was favored? She wasn’t the heir of the Tang family. Without proof, did she really think her family could touch someone from the Long family?

Not to mention Zhou Qian would speak for her. He could even help spread her version of the “truth.” And what kind of personality did Tang Qiaoqiao have? It was obvious whose “truth” people would believe. Long Ling’s credibility had been built up carefully over many years.

“What about all the comments online? Are we going to do anything about that?” An Yao asked again.

“No need.” Long Ling said that, though when she first found out she was trending, it had irritated her a little. After all, she had felt guilty. There were weak spots in the logic of the story she made up, and she didn’t want things to become too big, so in her heart she cursed those nosy fans a few times.

But it wasn’t a big problem.

Tang Qiaoqiao was doomed to swallow this in silence. All she could do was throw out some threats. What else could she do?

This friendship was finished anyway. Since that was the case, Long Ling decided, she might as well call it a breakup gift—a painful lesson in growing up.

Long Ling sneered inwardly.

……

The moment Tang Qiaoqiao got into the car, she burst into loud, miserable sobs. She beat on the driver’s seat so hard that she nearly wrecked it, frightening the driver so badly that, under Chen Mo’s order, he quickly got out and ran off.

“Alright, alright. Are you going to tell me or not? What exactly happened?”

“Long Ling is not a good person, waaah, why won’t anyone believe me?!” Tang Qiaoqiao cried, big tears rolling down her face. She looked truly hurt. Then she looked at Chen Mo for confirmation. “Am I really that annoying?”

Chen Mo nodded. “Yes.”

“Waaahhhhhh—!”

“But the annoying parts of you are annoying, and the likable parts of you are pretty likable too,” Chen Mo said honestly.

Who in the world was perfect from every angle? That would only be a people-pleaser, someone who shaped themselves in every possible way to fit what others liked. And even then, they still wouldn’t be loved by everyone.

Tang Qiaoqiao kept crying and pounding the seat. “Really? I have likable parts?”

“Of course. Otherwise why would we be friends with you?”

“Then do you believe me or Long Ling?”

“I obviously believe you. Long Ling must have done something bad or you wouldn’t have hit her. You usually only beat up boys. You don’t just go around hitting girls for no reason. Zhou Qian is already a lovestruck idiot now, just like you used to be. Don’t listen to him.”

Comparing Zhou Qian to her old self only made Tang Qiaoqiao understand more clearly how annoying she had been. Crying, she pulled the red phone from her pocket and opened the video for Chen Mo. “Look, she really deserved to be hit. Zhou Qian is an idiot, waaah, just like I used to be, waaah… I’m so mad, my head hurts, waaah…”

Chen Mo watched the video. The longer he watched, the more his expression changed.

……

Jing Pei had only gone back to her room to change clothes when she suddenly noticed unrest spreading through the Long family estate. The servants were whispering among themselves. Several members of the Long family looked deeply angry, and the moment they saw her come out, they surrounded her.

“Ajin, look, look! The Tang family has gone too far!”

Someone shoved a phone in front of her. Jing Pei looked and saw that it was a surveillance video posted online, probably from the hospital room. There was no sound, but the footage was very clear.

It showed the moment An Yao was taking care of Long Ling when Tang Qiaoqiao suddenly charged in, shoved An Yao aside, grabbed Long Ling, and slapped her several times.

It looked brutal enough that anyone who watched would feel the pain for Long Ling.

“Is the Tang family trying to grind the Long family’s face into the dirt?”

“Ajin, even if you don’t like Long Ling, if the Tang family bullies us like this, where does that leave our dignity?”

The Long family members were not necessarily angry on Long Ling’s behalf. At this moment, what angered them more was that their family’s dignity had been trampled.

The video had been posted by a nurse at the hospital who was one of Long Ling’s fans. Long Ling was already drawing attention because she was injured, and the moment that video went up, it exploded online. Everyone was condemning Tang Qiaoqiao and getting emotional about it.

【Are Atavists really this arrogant? Even among Atavist families, people without an awakening get grabbed by the throat and beaten by those who did awaken. Then what about ordinary people like us?】

【This is so sad. I cried. I don’t even want to go to work anymore.】

【Too miserable, way too miserable.】

【Where’s Long Jin? Isn’t she going to do anything about this?】

【Long Jin is probably happy seeing Long Ling get beaten. You expect her to step in?】

【No matter what, they’re still family. Can’t she put aside her bias and stand with her own people? And she’s a young master too, a future head of the family. Shouldn’t she step up for her family like a bigger person?】

【Is she scared of the Tang family? If she is, she should just say so.】

Naturally, more and more people started bringing up Jing Pei too. Before long, even fans were turning their anger on her, and strangers were criticizing her. No matter how people looked at it, Jing Pei was supposed to step in. After all, the Long family only had one Atavist, and she was the one in charge.

Jing Pei calmly scrolled through the comments and only said, “Let the bullets fly for a while.”

Then she turned and left, leaving the Long family members confused.

But they didn’t stay confused for long.

Another video was uploaded to the internet, and a lot of money was spent to push it straight to the top.

#ThisIsTheOnlyConscienceAmongTheAtavistFamilies

Everyone knew “the only conscience among the Atavist families” meant Long Ling. The topic was already hot, so people rushed in and clicked the video.

Then everyone froze.

In the video, Long Ling was staring straight at the camera. Her face was pale, her clothes were soaked through, and she wore a vicious expression and look no one had ever seen from her before.

“Come on, if you want to join our organization, then introduce yourself first,” came a woman’s voice from the background.

“Hello, Boss. My name is Long Ling. I’m the daughter of the eldest branch of the Long family. My half-sister is called Long Jin, and she is a Dragon Atavist. As you can see, I was caught by your men today because I was following Wen Yuxian, but this is not a bad thing. I believe this is fate guiding us. It is good for both sides, because I deeply long to become an Atavist, and you are the great inventors of the Atavist Serum.

“Please don’t really mistake me for a good person just because of that ‘conscience’ title floating around online. You definitely won’t be fooled by my surface the way those brainless idiots are.”

After first flattering the hidden big boss who controlled whether she lived or died, Long Ling began listing all the dark and ugly things she had done since she was young. She believed any villain would like someone like her and would want a subordinate like her.

“Since I was little, I’ve been deeply jealous of the Atavists from other families. Why could they awaken while I was just a dud? But there was nothing I could do, so I had to find another path, use other ways to draw attention and gain things. So I kept pretending to be kind. I gave water and bread to those poor people outside the Twelve Zodiac Academy, pretended to listen to them, and promised to help them.

“Actually, I forgot them the moment I turned around. Did they never stop to think—how the hell was I, an ordinary person, supposed to help them? If I really had the power to help them, would I still be outside putting on a show for them? If I were really an Atavist, I wouldn’t even glance at them. They sit there all day hoping luck will fall from the sky. Why did their family die instead of someone else’s? Wasn’t it just because they had thin luck? And if their luck is thin, why would luck ever fall from the sky for them?

“But those idiots are easy to satisfy. A little water, a little bread, and a few comforting words are enough to make them give me their whole hearts. It also makes those brainless ordinary people like me and become my fans, which gives my words more weight. Even as a dud, I wanted to be the brightest one, the one with the most voice!

“Then heaven finally rewarded me. I found a way to become an Atavist. And at the same time, Long Jin appeared…”