NOVPUB
Chapter 152: Chapter 152: The Truth Behind the Rumors
The dream she had at fifteen, she only shared with one person, Su Xue.
Putting aside the fact that all of these events were merely a dream, what’s more, her brother hadn’t accomplished anything in that dream.
Although her brother liked her, aside from that one time in a dream, he always kept his distance from her in daily life. Before her rebirth, there was not the slightest ambiguous behavior between them as siblings!
Han Jiaojiao really couldn’t understand why Su Xue would go out of her way to bring up things from her dream. What was she trying to do? What did she want to accomplish by painting her and her brother in such a disreputable light, and how would it benefit her?
If one would say that in her past life, it was because she had outshone Su Xue in the Special Training Team despite lacking an Ability and frequently won the deputy team leader’s favor, causing Su Xue’s jealousy and relentless targeting — what about this life? She had already cut ties with Su Xue, so why was she still haunted by her relentless presence?
Tian Xinyue asked solemnly, "Do you know who it is?"
Han Jiaojiao nodded and said with a rather heavy tone, "We’ve only been at the base for these two months. Anyone who could know that my foster parents died when I was fourteen... must be someone who knows us and very likely comes from Qingjiang City. In Beicheng Base, there are only a few from Qingjiang, and some of them are eagerly trying to win over my brother, so they definitely wouldn’t spread such slanderous rumors to offend him. As for the others, a little investigation would make it clear."
Han Jiaojiao of course couldn’t directly tell Tian Xinyue about the dream. She simply said, "And as you mentioned, the rumor has already spread throughout the Special Training Team... In the team, from Qingjiang City, and very familiar with my past, there’s only Su Xue."
Tian Xinyue’s eyes widened in shock, "Her?!... Why would she do such a thing? Is she not afraid of you and your brother seeking revenge?!"
"Who knows..." Han Jiaojiao said with a cold expression, "Maybe she didn’t think too much when she told the tale."
Tian Xinyue was furious and declared emphatically, "No way! I’m going to find her and demand an explanation!"
"If she knows the rumor has spread this far, she’s unlikely to admit it," Han Jiaojiao said coldly.
"Then what do we do? We can’t just let it go! I’m going to tell Sister Hong—" 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
"Su Xue is no longer a member of the Special Training Team; Sister Hong has no authority over her."
Tian Xinyue couldn’t contain her outcry, "Are we really going to just let this slide?!"
Han Jiaojiao patted Tian Xinyue’s shoulder and said calmly, "Of course we can’t let it go. But right now, without evidence, confronting her would be futile. Don’t worry, I’ll figure out a way to deal with her."
Tian Xinyue gritted her teeth and said, "Alright then, if you need help, come find me! Me, Xiaojie, and Mengyi, we’re all on your side!"
Han Jiaojiao felt a touch of warmth in her heart and smiled, "You don’t think I’m being defiant?"
"Defiant? This is nothing of the sort!" Tian Xinyue said with widened eyes, "I think your brother is doing the right thing! You’re so beautiful, it’s only right for him to step in early, so the water doesn’t flow into someone else’s field! Besides, you’re not blood-related siblings. Don’t take it to heart, those who spread rumors are just jealous! Jealous that you have such a good brother! The more they are jealous, the better you must live your life, understand?"
Han Jiaojiao was deeply moved, "Thank you, Xinyue."
Tian Xinyue, feeling a bit embarrassed, touched her face and spoke in a softer voice, "...I’ll head back first, if I’m late, the cafeteria will only have leftovers. I’ll let you know once there’s any news."
"You might as well stay and eat; there’s no need to run back and forth."
"No, no, Sister Yu is already working hard enough cooking for seven or eight people every day. I shouldn’t add to the chaos. I’ve got to go; there’s training in the afternoon."
Having said that, Tian Xinyue seemed afraid that Han Jiaojiao would insist on her staying for lunch, and she hurriedly ran off. Watching her leaving figure, Han Jiaojiao was a bit amused and exasperated. She stood there for a while, but as she thought of the rumors spreading outside, her expression slowly turned cold again.
Other than Su Xue, she could not think of anyone else who might have started those rumors.
In fact, her brother should have asked her about the incident when she was fifteen. Had she told anyone else? But he didn’t ask.
Was he afraid of stirring up her unpleasant memories, or was he worried that she couldn’t withstand such malicious slander?
Being reborn, for her, the most important thing was to be with him. She had long since cast aside social norms and morals; how could a few filthy words from the outside world possibly harm her? Even that dream... that nightmare had been an unspeakable pain for her, yet he didn’t know that after he had left her, she had recalled the dream of when she was fifteen more than once...
Because the memories shared with her brother were far too few.
Apart from cold wars and arguments, the words they had exchanged were few and far between. That nightmare could be considered their most intimate shared experience... When tormented by longing, she would think of that dream, and as she thought of it more, the details became clearer and richer. Her own conjectures mixed in, embellishing or mending it, gradually turning the nightmare into a beautiful memory.
The kindness her brother had shown her was unearthed from the deep corners of her memory, replayed again and again as if she was addicted, to the point where later on, her brother became a sort of emotional sustenance for her, a pillar of spiritual support.
——No one could understand the feelings she had for her brother. Her love for him was an ecstatic joy of regaining what was lost, a zealous pursuit as if it was her life’s mission. These feelings had penetrated deep into her bones, into her soul. Even as time went on and she was no longer as blindly in love as when she was first reborn, loving him had become a part of her identity.
No matter how the outside world changed, her love for her brother would never change. Nothing could stop her from loving him!
Thinking this way, Han Jiaojiao felt as if an endless strength surged within her, making her incredibly resolute. She took a deep breath and went back inside.
When dinner time approached, the men who were practicing their abilities began to emerge one by one from the building. Han Yi also came out, drenched in sweat, it was unclear what attempts he had made using his spiritual power.
Now that there were more people in the house, just Zhu Changfu’s side accounted for seven people, plus the six Lu Changyuan had brought back from outside in the past few days, nearly twenty people were staying in the courtyard.
Thankfully, they ate separately; otherwise, if Yu Wanxi had to cook for more than twenty people by herself, it would indeed be quite overwhelming.
During dinner, Han Jiaojiao wanted to bring up the issue with Su Xue to Han Yi. She was almost entirely sure that Su Xue was behind the rumors. Before she could speak up, Yang Qi and Zhou Xiaoliang returned from outside, and the news they brought back was similar to what Han Jiaojiao had thought, but with some additional details.
"Su Xue talked about it a few times with her roommates from the Special Training Team, and later, the rumor reached other members. Initially, the rumor didn’t spread widely, but somehow Han Rui found out, and he sent people to the busiest labor center to disseminate the rumors, exaggerating and adding more to it."
It was supposed to be an upsetting matter, yet somehow, upon hearing this process, everyone felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Yan Xiao couldn’t help but say, "Could Han Rui get any stupider? Does he really think that we can’t trace it back to him, and that we’ll only look at that woman named Su Xue, thinking he can stay out of it? Would anyone believe that a woman with no background or influence could spread a rumor like wildfire in a few days without someone manipulating things behind the scenes? Huh?"
