Chapter 260: Sense of Superiority

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Sense of Superiority

After venting her frustrations, Gu Nuan Nuan remained resentful, but she had finally made a decision. If Luo Hongyi truly wasn’t afraid of her showing no mercy to his precious family, then she would see this through to the bitter end.

Cao Cao was right. It was better to rip the bandage off now than to prolong the pain. There was no reason to keep dwelling on this, giving herself nightmares every day and robbing herself of all happiness. She hadn’t felt any excitement when starting school and had even been in a daze during her mom and Uncle Song’s wedding. Just as Cao Cao had said, she had likely fallen prey to a Heart Demon. But since she couldn’t currently advance her Cultivation, let alone break through to the next stage, the Heart Demon’s influence hadn’t reached the terrifying level known in the cultivation world—the kind that made Cultivators pale at the mere mention of it, a power so great it could cost one their life or, at best, cause their cultivation to regress and stagnate...

’Hah. When it comes down to it, there’s no reason for me to work myself into such a state over those people. It’s not even clear which of us should be afraid of the other.’

A flash of determination crossed Gu Nuan Nuan’s eyes.

With her decision made, Gu Nuan Nuan truly felt a difference in the days that followed. The most obvious change was that she was finally free from those dreadful nightmares. She felt a weight lift from her heart, certain she had made the right choice. It was true that running away never solved anything. It was like falling down—if you don’t get back up on your own, you could lie there and cry your eyes out and still not earn any sympathy, let alone expect someone to pull you up out of pity. If you don’t stand up for yourself, all you’ll attract is gawkers, judgment, and mockery.

Through this ordeal, Gu Nuan Nuan felt another shift in her mindset. Unconsciously, her mental state had taken a huge leap forward.

She herself didn’t notice much of a difference, but Cao Cao was beside itself with a mix of joy and sorrow for her. It was joyful because, for a Cultivator, a breakthrough in one’s mental state is just as difficult as a breakthrough in one’s cultivation. Its master had truly found a blessing in disguise. But it was also sorrowful because, ultimately, the Spiritual Energy on Blue Water Star was far too scarce. Its poor master lacked neither a Spirit Root nor innate talent. With Cao Cao by her side, she wouldn’t have had to worry about finding Cultivation Resources even on a resource-poor Cultivation Planet. But now, they were stuck on this mortal planet. In such a barren land, even with its myriad skills, it could only display one ten-thousandth of its true power. This meant that its master and itself would be unable to advance their Cultivation any further in this lifetime—

’Truly, you can’t make bricks without straw.’

Gu Nuan Nuan was unaware of Cao Cao’s inner lament. She only sensed its mood had suddenly soured. She didn’t think much of it, simply assuming it was still upset on her behalf. This prompted Gu Nuan Nuan to turn the tables and console Cao Cao, which moved the little creature and made it feel grateful all over again for having chosen the right master.

That day, it was Friday afternoon again, time to head home for the weekend. Gu Nuan Nuan had just finished packing her things in the dorm room and was about to leave when someone called out to her.

"Nuannuan, wait up. We can walk together."

The person who stopped Gu Nuan Nuan was one of her roommates, a girl named Lin Qiao. Her family also lived in the suburbs, in the same direction as the villa complex where Gu Nuan Nuan’s family lived, so the two of them could take the same bus together. But aside from being roommates and having run into each other on the bus a few times, Gu Nuan Nuan and Lin Qiao weren’t close. In fact, it wasn’t just Lin Qiao; ever since she started at City No. 1 Middle School, her interactions with all of her classmates had been rather lukewarm.

Gu Nuan Nuan had always been passive when it came to making friends, and the number of people she truly connected with was even smaller. Back in her hometown, she’d only ever had one best friend, Dong Xinran, but unfortunately, Dong Xinran hadn’t come to the city for middle school.

Hearing Lin Qiao call out, Gu Nuan Nuan stopped nonchalantly to wait for her.

"How come you’re only carrying a schoolbag? Even if you don’t take your bedding home, you should at least bring a change of clothes to wash, right?"

Seeing Gu Nuan Nuan looking so unburdened as usual with just her schoolbag, Lin Qiao felt a sting of resentment mixed with envy. She, on the other hand, had a bundled-up quilt and pillowcase strapped to her back and was carrying a bag with a change of clothes, a lunchbox, and an empty pickle jar. She grumbled, "I’m so jealous you’re an only child. You only children have it so good. Sigh, I’ve got two other siblings. I don’t want to lug all this stuff back and forth every week either, but what choice do I have? If I don’t bring it all back one week, I won’t even have a blanket to sleep under at night."

Lin Qiao said dejectedly, "It’s not so bad in the summer; I can just toss a shirt over myself. But it’s freezing in the winter. I can’t even squeeze in with my two little sisters, since they already have to share one set of bedding at home."

Gu Nuan Nuan simply smiled upon hearing this. She had no idea how to reply, mainly because Lin Qiao muttered the same complaints to her almost every single week. This was exactly why she could never bring herself to see Lin Qiao as a close friend; she felt the girl was too small-minded and not someone suitable for a deep friendship.

Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t a fool. She knew very well there was a reason Lin Qiao always tried to get close to her and insisted they go home together every weekend.

It wasn’t because Lin Qiao had discovered that Gu Nuan Nuan’s family was well-off. It was the exact opposite. She had mistakenly assumed that Gu Nuan Nuan’s family circumstances were no different from her own—that she was one of the poorer, more ostracized students in their class. The reason was simple: every week, Gu Nuan Nuan also took the long-haul suburban bus by herself. Other than the first day of school when a woman came with her, no one had ever been seen picking her up or dropping her off.

City No. 1 Middle School was the premier school in the city, and it wasn’t easy to get in. Aside from students from the local school district or those who tested in on their own merit, the parents of most other students held significant status. As a result, the school was very strict with its rules; every student, no matter how close they lived, was required to board on campus.

So, every Friday afternoon, it was easy to tell a family’s financial status by the fleet of cars, big and small, parked outside. In their dorm, they were the only two who had to cram onto a bus to get home. Because of this, their other four roommates generally ignored them, deliberately keeping their distance.

Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t care less about such things. Besides, she had been so entangled with her Heart Demon lately that she had no spare energy to think about it. But Lin Qiao was different. She had been a top student since she was little; otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it into City No. 1 Middle School with her good grades and a bit of string-pulling. As such, her pride was naturally a little higher than average. How could she bear being looked down on?

Luckily, Lin Qiao discovered she wasn’t the only one being looked down on. Having company in her misery helped her feel a bit more at ease. When it came to her roommate, Gu Nuan Nuan, Lin Qiao even felt a small sense of superiority, to be honest. After all, her own home was just in the inner suburbs, not too far from the city center—only about a ten-minute bus ride. But Gu Nuan Nuan was different. Her home was much farther away; Lin Qiao would get off the bus, and Nuannuan would still have to keep riding. So, while Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t have to haul her bedding home every week, in Lin Qiao’s eyes, this was simply an advantage Gu Nuan Nuan had as an only child.

’If only I were an only child,’ she thought. ’Our family would definitely be much better off, and I’m sure I wouldn’t have to go through the weekly humiliation of lugging my bedding around, just like Gu Nuan Nuan.’ But that was impossible. Lin Qiao pursed her lips at the thought of her mother being pregnant again and her father vowing not to stop trying until he had a son.