Chapter 108
Chapter 108: Don’t Worry, We Won’t Sell You Off~
Qian Qi was the kind of person who held grudges with professional dedication. Even a seven-year-old’s “offense” went on the list.
And she always collected double.
She bared a chilly little smile. “At your age, shouldn’t you be in school? Doing homework every day?”
Child A blinked. “?”
“I’m going to mail you eight workbooks every month.”
She made finger guns and grinned like a cartoon villain. “Study hard, okay~”
Child A’s soul left his body. “!”
“Are you a devil?! What kind of kid has to do that many problems?!”
“Qian Qi, are you rich or something?” Child A looked personally offended. “I don’t need you worrying about me! Just make sure you can take care of yourself out there!”
“Of course I’m rich.” Qian Qi snorted and laughed like she’d already won. “I’m nineteen. Making big money is easy.”
She leaned in with a syrupy, poisonous smile. “And when you’re nineteen, if you can’t beat me, I’m going to look down on you so hard~”
A gentleman could wait twelve years for revenge. In twelve years, she’d come back and laugh in his face.
Child A stared at her for a long moment.
Was she really nineteen?
She was unbelievably childish.
He turned away, determined his future self would never be this embarrassing.
He lowered his head and kept repairing the old toys in his hands.
They were things the older kids had carried for years—stand-ins for parents who weren’t there, scraps of comfort that mattered more than they looked. Time had worn them down, and many were broken beyond use. Child A didn’t want the others to be sad, so he fixed what he could.
Qian Qi plopped down beside him, swaying like an anxious pendulum and tossing out advice every few seconds. “Hey, not like that. You’ll short it. And that stitching is wrong—your seam’s way too obvious.”
Child A finally snapped and shoved a teddy bear into her arms. “If you’re so good, you do it!”
“I will!” Qian Qi shot back, offended on principle.
She grabbed a needle and thread and tried to stitch the teddy bear’s loose seam.
The moment she threaded it—
Crack.
The needle snapped in half.
Qian Qi: “?”
Child A: “?”
Qian Qi cleared her throat. The problem was, she’d stacked too many strength buffs. Fine motor control and superhuman power did not mix.
“This needle’s trash,” she declared. “You sure it’s not a fake?”
“It… shouldn’t be.” Child A picked up the broken needle, genuinely confused. It had felt solid.
He scratched the back of his head and pulled out a new one from the needle case.
Qian Qi tried again, careful this time. She threaded it gently, positioned the teddy bear, and began to sew.
The needle bent in the middle like soft wire.
Qian Qi: “…”
Child A: “…”
Child A exhaled a long, haunted sigh. “What are you even good for.”
“I can still—” Qian Qi started, then pivoted. “Where’d you buy these needles? They’re way too flimsy. I’ll get sturdier ones later.”
Child A looked at her with the calm pity of someone twice her age. “You don’t need to explain. Don’t worry—even if you become a strength awakener, we and the director still won’t sell you off.”
Qian Qi stared.
Well. Thanks?
“This stays secret,” Qian Qi said, surrendering with dignity. “Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know.”
“Okay.” Child A nodded, then looked up with sudden hope. “Then can you not make shepherd’s purse buns tonight? I saw you order shepherd’s purse on your light-brain.”
Qian Qi clenched her teeth, cursed under her breath, refunded the order, and bought peaches instead—his favorite.
She shook out her hands, bent the needle back into shape with the gentlest touch she’d used all day, and tried again.
In her past life, she’d sewn clothes for the kids all the time. The director taught those skills once they were old enough, and Qian Qi—half adopted, half extra burden—had been taught even more.
This time, the stitches went in clean and hidden.
When she finished, she held the teddy bear up like a trophy. “Well? Tell me you can see the stitches.”
Child A’s eyes lit up. “How did you do that?”
Qian Qi showed him, step by step. Then she started fixing other toys too.
Time slipped by.
At some point, she looked up—and found a whole ring of small children gathered around her.
Some hugged repaired toys as they dozed off. Some leaned close to watch her hands. Some stood farther back, peeking at her like she might vanish if they blinked. When she met their eyes, they offered shy, hesitant smiles.
They weren’t afraid of her anymore.
Maybe because she’d saved the orphanage. Maybe because she wrapped dumplings with her own hands. Maybe because she fixed their toys and sat there quietly, her face no longer frightening—almost reassuring, in a way.
“Thank you, Qian Qi,” Little Min and Little An said, the siblings clutching a pretty doll and grinning wide. “You’re a good person~ You’re nothing like the magic beast the brothers talk about.”
Qian Qi froze. “?”
Child A covered his mouth. “Pfft.”
*
Once Qian Qi stopped being scary, she stopped being the “big sister” in charge.
The kids climbed all over her like she was a playground. They clambered onto her shoulders and treated her like a helicopter, squealing for her to “fly.”
When they finally wore themselves out and went for naps, Qian Qi sat alone in the yard and stared into the middle distance.
“I knew it,” she muttered. “You can’t be too nice to them. My intimidating image is gone. Totally wiped out.”
System replied immediately, smug as ever. “Correct. I can’t be too nice to you either, or my intimidating image will be wiped out too.”
Qian Qi rubbed her hands together. “What are you saying? The nicer you are, the taller and more invincible your image becomes in my heart!”
System: “Heh.”
It had seen her con people too many times. It did not believe a word that came out of her mouth.
With nothing else to do, Qian Qi opened Li Hai Sheng’s light-brain to check whether Chen Tong had transferred money.
Instead, she found Chen Tong in full meltdown mode—spamming message after message to “Li Hai Sheng.”
Chen Tong – Not Somber: Why aren’t you replying?
Chen Tong – Not Somber: Where did you go?
Chen Tong – Not Somber: Can the price be lower?
Hello?!
Where are you?!
Don’t tell me you died?!
“What’s wrong with Chen Brat?” Qian Qi scrolled, frowning. “He’s actually haggling now. He used to be generous!”
System: “…”
As if she hadn’t personally trained him into a miser.
“The recipe was already half price,” Qian Qi said firmly. “The horns aren’t getting cheaper.”
She decided to add a little spice.
Sea King Great Sage: If you can’t afford it, buy fewer. Are you a dumbass?
Chen Tong – Not Somber: ?
?
?
Chen Tong – Not Somber: The fuck?
You dare call me a dumbass?
You’re getting cocky, huh?
I’m telling you, you’d better not push me—
Chen Tong unleashed a wall of furious typing. Qian Qi didn’t bother reading it.
She replied with a smile.
Sea King Great Sage: Fine. I’ll sell you three first. I’ll keep the rest for you. When you have money, you can buy more. Sound good?