6
A month later, Cố Cẩm Hoài and Hà Tiêu Tiêu had become regulars, coming by every Friday.
Kỷ Vũ Lạc still worked hard helping me, doing her homework in her “secret hideout.”
Sometimes, their laughter made her cover her ears in annoyance.
But today, Hà Tiêu Tiêu didn't show up.
Her driver asked around everywhere.
Cố Cẩm Hoài was anxious. “If she's left school, Tiêu Tiêu will definitely come here! We agreed to meet!”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc suddenly dashed into the school. “You all search outside. I'll go check inside!”
I locked up the cart and ran after her.
She checked the classrooms one by one, then headed toward the woods behind the school.
A scream from Hà Tiêu Tiêu suddenly rang out in the dense bamboo grove.
Just as I was about to rush in, the System stopped me:
“Want to make a bet?”
“What's the bet?”
“Whether Kỷ Vũ Lạc will save Hà Tiêu Tiêu. I bet she won't! If I lose, I'll stop interfering with her fate.”
“And if I lose?”
“You'll have to abandon Kỷ Vũ Lạc again and let the male lead save her.”
Would a child betrayed twice still be able to trust anyone?
“Fine, but let's raise the stakes. If I win, I'll officially adopt Kỷ Vũ Lạc as my daughter.”
“Deal!”
I quietly followed Kỷ Vũ Lạc.
In the clearing ahead, five female students had Hà Tiêu Tiêu surrounded.
The girls wore earrings and garish makeup, and glared at Hà Tiêu Tiêu provocatively.
“Hà Tiêu Tiêu, who said you could get so close to Cố Cẩm Hoài? Don't you know Chị Đóa has her eye on him?”
Hà Tiêu Tiêu's voice trembled, but she still tried to defend herself:
“Why did you trick me into coming here? If anything happens to me, my family won't let you get away with it!”
The one they called Chị Đóa led the group. Without hesitation, she slapped the girl hard across the face:
“You think I'm scared? Everybody's family is rich. Don't act like some pampered little princess!”
“Last warning: stay away from Cố Cẩm Hoài!”
She waved a hand. “Hold her down. I'll take a few pictures for posterity.”
My palms were slick with sweat. I knew Hà Tiêu Tiêu was the female lead and would surely come through this safely, but seeing Kỷ Vũ Lạc stay silent behind the bamboo made my heart clench.
Actually, it would've been understandable if she chose not to intervene. How could she possibly fight five big girls?
The System cut in:
“If Kỷ Vũ Lạc doesn't act in five seconds, you'll have to do the NPC mission. And you'll lose.”
I sighed and prepared to rush in.
Just as the System counted down to “3,” someone shot out from the bamboo even faster than I could.
Kỷ Vũ Lạc.
She had a pair of chopsticks she'd just stolen from the food stall in her hand.
Quick as a squirrel, she used the chopsticks to knock Chị Đóa's phone out of her hand, then slammed into the two girls holding Hà Tiêu Tiêu.
Hà Tiêu Tiêu's eyes were red-rimmed, but when she saw Kỷ Vũ Lạc, her face immediately lit up:
“It's you? Be careful, there are so many of them…”
Chị Đóa rubbed her aching arm and pointed straight at Kỷ Vũ Lạc:
“You're the hot-pot seller's kid? You reek of poverty! Get lost or I'll deal with you too!”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc didn't flinch. She rolled up her sleeves and showed off her muscles:
“So what if we sell hot pot? My aunt's hot pot is the best in school! And I work all day—there's no guarantee you'd beat me in a fight!”
She and Hà Tiêu Tiêu backed away, but the others had already blocked their way.
The System fell silent.
“You lost. Now it's my turn to save the two girls.”
I shouted from behind the bamboo.
Hearing an adult's voice, Chị Đóa had no choice but to leave.
When Kỷ Vũ Lạc saw me, she sprang up joyfully like a little squirrel:
“I'm fine, and she's okay too!”
She whispered in my ear, “I saved Hà Tiêu Tiêu today, so can I have extra chicken wings tonight?”
I smiled and nodded, then turned her around to check her over.
Embarrassed, Kỷ Vũ Lạc pushed my hand away. “I told you I'm fine… Go check on Hà Tiêu Tiêu…”
7
By the time we left school, it was dark. Hà Tiêu Tiêu's family's driver had called the police.
Only after seeing that she was safe and sound did Cố Cẩm Hoài finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Hà Tiêu Tiêu told the teacher what had happened, making sure to mention Kỷ Vũ Lạc's part in it.
The adults took care of the rest.
Cố Cẩm Hoài's eyes were bloodshot as he repeatedly checked Hà Tiêu Tiêu for scratches.
Kỷ Vũ Lạc stood behind me, her eyes fixed on Cố Cẩm Hoài.
In the sunset light, she tugged at my sleeve:
“Auntie, I'm hungry. Let's go home.”
We'd only taken a few steps when Hà Tiêu Tiêu called after us:
“Kỷ Vũ Lạc! Come over to my house this weekend!”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc kept a straight face, but her voice couldn't hide her happiness:
“Sure, it's a date!”
8
After that incident, Kỷ Vũ Lạc's classmates stopped making fun of her.
Thanks to Hà Tiêu Tiêu, the school even gave her a “Heroism” award.
Chị Đóa was forced to apologize publicly.
On Wednesday night, Kỷ Vũ Lạc was still working hard to help me at the stall, doing her homework in her “secret hideout.”
When we got home at nine, I suddenly covered her eyes.
“What are you doing, Auntie?” Kỷ Vũ Lạc asked in alarm.
“Count to three before you open your eyes!”
When she opened her eyes, a birthday cake and a gift box wrapped with a pretty bow appeared before her.
Candlelight reflected in Kỷ Vũ Lạc's tear-filled eyes:
“Auntie… you remembered my birthday?”
I gently nudged her forward. “Go open your present!”
Her little hands trembled as she untied the ribbon.
Inside was a denim pinafore embroidered with stars.
Kỷ Vũ Lạc suddenly burst into tears:
“You've been so good to me! I'm sorry… I lied to you…”
“That lunchbox… I ate everything inside and then lied about it… I'm a bad kid…”
I took a tissue and wiped her tears:
“Actually, I lied too. I left that lunchbox for you on purpose.”
“So we're even now, okay?”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc looked up, her eyes still red-rimmed. “Really?”
“Of course! Hurry and try it on!”
She ran into the room and, in her excitement, put the dress on backward.
The dress suited her in a way that was both playfully mischievous and charming.
At first, I'd planned to buy her a white dress like Hà Tiêu Tiêu's.
But then I thought, “Why make her into someone else's copy? She needs to try different styles to find herself.”
The System crackled, cutting in: “Don't you think you're being too nice to the ‘future villainess’? Don't waste your feelings on her! Even if the plot changes a little, the ending will still be the same!”
I didn't rush to argue back. “Everything has its cause and effect. Change the cause, and the effect will change too.”
“Besides, I'm tired of wandering around as an NPC. What's wrong with raising a child for a little fun?”
10
That weekend, I braided Kỷ Vũ Lạc's hair, dressed her in her new pinafore, and took her to Hà Tiêu Tiêu's house.
Before we left, she asked anxiously, “Hà Tiêu Tiêu's family must be really rich, right? What if her parents don't like me? What if they think I'm a country bumpkin?”
I patted the little girl on the head. “Why do you think Hà Tiêu Tiêu wants to be your friend?”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc thought for a moment. “Because I saved her. Because I was brave.”
“Exactly! Whether her parents like you or not is just one of those things. You don’t have to please everyone. Just think of it as a new experience.”
“Auntie, wait for me to come back and tell you all about it!”
As dusk fell, when Hà Tiêu Tiêu’s family car pulled up at the end of the alley, I knew Kỷ Vũ Lạc was back.
“Auntie! Auntie! I have so much to tell you!”
The little girl flopped onto the sofa. “Hà Tiêu Tiêu’s house was like a palace! Her parents even said I was the first friend she’d ever brought home!”
“And… I accidentally told Hà Tiêu Tiêu about my family. Even that you’re not my real aunt…”
My heart clenched, afraid the female lead would look down on the little girl.
“So… what did Hà Tiêu Tiêu say?”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc took a big gulp of water and let out a sigh of relief:
“She hugged me and cried her eyes out, saying she felt so sorry for me! She even promised to share all the good food with me from now on!”
The System cut in: “See? That’s the female lead’s angelic nature!”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc’s eyes sparkled. “If only I’d been born into a family like hers…”
I asked gently, “Are you jealous?”
The little girl thought it over. “A tiny bit, but not much.”
“You said she likes me because I have something she admires but doesn’t have. So we make up for what the other one lacks!”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc’s radiant smile warmed my heart.
That’s right. You’re resilient and brave, like a little blade of grass that refuses to bend.
And I hope that little blade of grass will stay green forever.
I took the little girl’s hand. “This weekend, I’ll take you to find your parents.”
Kỷ Vũ Lạc startled. “A-Auntie, you’re not going to take care of me anymore? Did I do something wrong…?”
I patted her head. “No, that’s not it. I want to go through the adoption process, so you can officially be my daughter.”
Tears streamed down the little girl’s cheeks.
“You mean it? I can really… be your daughter?”
“I mean it.” I lifted her little face.
Her face had filled out, but had that once-wounded heart healed?
11
On the way to Kỷ Vũ Lạc’s parents’ house, I couldn’t help feeling anxious.
The adoption process was complicated: the little girl’s birth mother had died, and her birth father would have to prove that he was in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
I called on the System. “Is there any way to get Kỷ Vũ Lạc’s father classified as poor?”
The System was taken aback. “Do you think I can do anything? In theory, it’s impossible!”
“Just say I owe you one, okay?”
In the end, the System had no choice but to admit:
“All right! I don’t even have to interfere! Her father was in a car accident! He’s disabled now!”
I asked suspiciously, “Is he alive?”
“Alive! But he’s in terrible shape!”
Talk about luck!
Kỷ Vũ Lạc had overheard the address of her new home that sleepless night.
At the door of the unfamiliar house, the little girl clutched my hand:
“Auntie, I’m scared. Scared I won’t get to be your daughter and they’ll make me come back here…”
“I’m right here.” I squeezed her little hand.
Her stepmother opened the door, her face looking haggard. The moment she saw Kỷ Vũ Lạc, she immediately chased her away:
“Who’s this? We don’t know you. Why are you here?”