Chapter 160
Chapter 160: Who Are You Trying to Guilt-Trip? We’re Not Idiots—We’ll Drown You in Spit
Sui Xuan Chu jolted at the triplets’ sudden movement, but he still threw an arm in front of Jiang Tea Tea, shielding her on instinct.
Jiang Tea Tea stood behind him, eyes cold, watching Lang Xin Rui and the other two scramble without saying a word.
Lang Xin Ping rushed to soothe Lang Xin Chong. “Xin Chong, it’s fine. It’s fine. Don’t be scared. Tea Tea is our sister. She won’t be able to stand seeing you in pain. She’ll help you stabilize your backlash and smooth your mental power.”
Lang Xin Chong clutched Lang Xin Ping’s arm like a lifeline, crying out as if he were being torn apart. “It hurts! It hurts so bad! My mental sea feels like it’s exploding! My ability feels like it’s ripping me apart!”
“I can’t take it anymore—I can’t take it anymore… Tea Tea, good sister, save me! Hurry, save me! It hurts, it hurts!”
When Lang Xin Rui saw Jiang Tea Tea still hadn’t moved, she stomped and raised her voice. “Jiang Tea Tea, he’s your brother! His ability is in backlash and he’s in unbearable pain! You’re a 3S-rank mutant plant-type healer—how can you just stand there so cold and indifferent?”
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t budge. The way she looked at the three of them was like she was staring at three dead things—empty, unmoved, without the slightest ripple.
Lang Xin Ping couldn’t calm Lang Xin Chong down at all. Lang Xin Chong grabbed his head and started rolling on the floor again, kicking wildly. A cleaning robot was knocked aside. Chairs and tables toppled.
More and more people came into the cafeteria for breakfast. They gathered around, pity flickering in their eyes as they watched Lang Xin Chong writhe and howl.
With the crowd growing, Lang Xin Rui’s voice only got louder. “Jiang Tea Tea, you’re a 3S-rank mutant plant-type healer. There’s a male beastfolk right in front of you having a mental power surge, and you won’t lift a finger? You’re just going to watch him suffer and watch his mental sea tear apart?”
“As a healer, before you ever study treatment, you’re required to memorize the healer’s oath. One of its rules is that you can’t stand by and watch someone die. My brother is in so much pain right now, and you still won’t act—are you betraying the healer’s oath?”
Lang Xin Ping pressed urgently, turning it into a public trial. “Jiang Tea Tea, if you saw some random beastfolk’s backlash on the road, you’d help without thinking. And he’s your own brother. How can you watch your own brother die?”
He swung toward the crowd, voice sharp as a gavel. “Everyone, come look! Come look! Jiang Tea Tea is the White Wolf Clan’s lost daughter—our lost sister. We recognize her, but she won’t recognize us. She won’t even help!”
A voice cut in from the crowd, sharp and unimpressed. “Lang Xin Rui, Lang Xin Ping, Lang Xin Chong—are you seriously pretending this isn’t a guilt trip?”
Sui Xuan Chu had been about to snap back—maybe even throw a punch—but the onlookers, despite their sympathy, stayed clearheaded. They shot the triplets down without hesitation.
“Stop acting righteous. This is moral blackmail.”
“Anyone with abilities—beastfolk or human—doesn’t carry an emergency stabilizer shot in their storage button or bag? Even if you didn’t, it’s obvious you came here for Jiang Tea Tea.”
“Yeah. Every word out of your mouths is trying to force her to stabilize your backlash and smooth your mental power.”
“She’s a 3S-rank mutant plant-type healer, sure, but she has every right to refuse. Especially you three—didn’t you knock her out so you could kill her bugs and steal her credit? Your character is rotten.”
“If she treats you and your ranks go up, you’ll smile and say nothing. If something goes wrong and they don’t, you’ll cry and make trouble for her.”
“She’d have to have water on the brain to invite that mess.”
“And don’t pretend you’re family now. Jiang Tea Tea’s life story has never been a secret in the empire. She spent those miserable years being crushed by the Jiang family. Where were you? You were even in the same school. Why didn’t you help her even once?”
“Now you show up after she’s useful, trying to pick the peaches and steal the harvest. I’m disgusted.”
“They didn’t look early. They didn’t look late. They only came after her 3S identity was exposed. What do they want? You don’t need your brain—use your toes.”
Jiang Tea Tea still didn’t speak. She watched with icy calm while the crowd peeled back the triplets’ motives and tore their act apart.
Lang Xin Rui and the others had thought they were performing brilliantly. They’d believed that as long as they staged an ability backlash, they could force her to stabilize them, smooth their mental power, and push their ranks higher.
What a joke.
One of them was still “writhing in agony.” The other two exchanged a look. Even after being seen through, they refused to admit anything, stubborn to the bitter end.
“Classmates,” Lang Xin Rui said loudly, forcing her voice steady, “what are you talking about? Our brother’s ability backlash is real. His pain is real. We’re only asking her to help. How does that become ‘bleeding her dry’?”
“Our dad and mom have been searching for her this whole time. The Jiang family altered her genetic profile so we couldn’t find her. We didn’t even know she was at this school at first. If we’d known, we would’ve acknowledged her long ago. Why would we wait until now?”
“And you’re saying we only acknowledged her because she has value—impossible. She’s our sister. Blood is thicker than water. Even if she never awakened an ability, she’d still be our sister.”
“As for the five bugs before… we admitted we were wrong. We already wrote apology statements.”
“We’re all around the same age. Can any of you swear you’ve never been stupid—never made a mistake?”
“Tea Tea,” she added, softening her voice, “don’t listen to them talking nonsense. Dad and Mom, and us, and all our other siblings—we all want you to come home. We want to give you love.”
“And if you don’t want to treat Xin Chong today, that’s fine. We’ll send him to the treatment room. He can be treated there.”
Jiang Tea Tea finally spoke—slow and lazy, light as a feather. “Go on, then.”
Lang Xin Rui froze. “What?”
Jiang Tea Tea patted the arm Sui Xuan Chu had kept in front of her.
Sui Xuan Chu stepped aside and planted himself at her shoulder, eyes sharp, ready for the triplets to lunge.
When Lang Xin Rui saw Jiang Tea Tea walking toward them, joy flashed in her eyes. She blurted, eager and breathless, “Tea Tea, sister—”
“Don’t call me that.” Jiang Tea Tea cut her off without hesitation. “Don’t try to claim kin. I’m not your sister. I have nothing to do with you.”
“I’m a healer,” she continued evenly, “but I have the right to refuse anyone I don’t want to treat. And even if Lang Xin Chong is putting on a show… or even if he truly dies of backlash right in front of me… it has nothing to do with me.”
Lang Xin Rui snapped, “Who says he’s putting on a show?”
“I do.”
The words hadn’t even settled before Jiang Tea Tea moved—fast as a blink. She kicked the “agonized” Lang Xin Chong.
Lang Xin Chong rolled once, jolted like someone had poured ice water down his spine, and scrambled to his feet with all four limbs. He glared at her, furious. “Jiang Tea Tea! How can you be so vicious? Fine, you won’t treat me—but you kicked me, too?”
Jiang Tea Tea set her foot down and laughed in his face. “If I’d really kicked you, you wouldn’t be standing.”
“But you are. Look at you—so energetic.” She turned to the crowd, voice clear and mocking. “Seniors, did you see? This healer didn’t even have to use her hands. One kick, and Lang Xin Chong’s backlash is cured.”
A beat of stunned silence—then the cafeteria erupted.
“Ha ha ha! That junior is vicious. Too vicious!”
The students didn’t spare them an ounce of face. Laughter rolled through the room like a wave.
“Lang Xin Chong, now that the junior healed you, remember to settle the bill. A 3S-rank mutant plant-type healer—one treatment is at least 100,000 star credits. Don’t forget to pay.”
“Yeah! We’re all witnesses. If you don’t pay, we’ll go on the school intranet forum and drag you.”
Lang Xin Chong’s face twisted with rage. He looked like he wanted to roar at the crowd, but Lang Xin Ping forced him down.
Lang Xin Ping stared at Jiang Tea Tea. His voice came out strained, forced. “Sister really is incredible…”
Smack!
Jiang Tea Tea couldn’t take it anymore. The irritation inside her boiled over—like a leftover rage that didn’t belong to her body and still burned there anyway. She swung her hand up and slapped Lang Xin Ping hard enough to cut him off mid-breath.
The cafeteria went dead quiet.
Every eye snapped to Lang Xin Ping’s face. Five finger marks bloomed in perfect clarity, swelling red in seconds.
Blood seeped slowly from the corner of his mouth. His eyes sharpened as he stared at her. “Jiang Tea Tea—what right do you have to hit me?”
Jiang Tea Tea shook out her stinging hand and answered with ice-cold indifference. “The same right you have to call me your sister.”
Her gaze didn’t waver. “If you’re unhappy, I’ll allow you to hit back. Challenge me.”