Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

”Ah, it hurts, you big liar!!!” Luo Qianqian nearly cried as she watched Jimo Cheng forcefully knead her knee while gripping her calf—that’s his idea of being gentle.

Jimo Cheng said with a smile, ”I’m trying to make this quick, better a short pain than a long one.”

So your ’trying’ is nothing but lies!!!

Luo Qianqian yelled with a sobbing tone, ”You cried to me, saying everything in fairy tales is a lie!!! It really is all lies!!!”

In the midst of Luo Qianqian’s wailing, Jimo Cheng had already quickly applied the medicine and touched her knee, which he had rubbed until it was hot, then helplessly looked at her, ”It’s done now, go home and rub it more yourself so it won’t hurt so much tomorrow,” he said, letting go of her pant leg.

Luo Qianqian instantly felt awkward and didn’t know what to do, only to hear Jimo Cheng continue, ”None of the elders from the family came today, perhaps in a few days, Grandpa will have you go to our house to meet those elders.”

Luo Qianqian’s face fell immediately, what? She had to meet the elders? Kneel for a whole day?

Seeing Luo Qianqian’s look, Jimo Cheng smiled helplessly, ”But it’s not certain. After all, those old people are of an age where they might not have the energy to pay attention to these matters.”

Luo Qianqian heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but then Jimo Cheng added, ”However, Grandpa is currently the face of the Jimo Family to the outside world, and given your other identities, it’s possible he will want to meet you.”

Luo Qianqian almost spat blood on him in frustration. Could he not just stop after half a sentence and wait for her to relax before continuing???

”Alright, I’m just kidding. The elders only show up during the New Year, so even if you want to meet them, you’d have to wait until then,” Jimo Cheng said as he pulled Luo Qianqian to her feet, ”Let’s go, we shouldn’t disappear for too long.”

Luo Qianqian nodded, unsure whether to feel relieved or nervous, while Jimo Cheng’s expression changed slightly as he looked at his own fingers.

”The senior disciple recently went back to school to participate in his graduation project, so he hasn’t come back, but he said he’d rush back as soon as he can,” Jimo Cheng said as he opened the door and then asked, ”Do you want to stay with Master Luo or Grandpa Luo?”

”With my grandpa,” Luo Qianqian said without thinking.

Jimo Cheng nodded with a smile, led Luo Qianqian to Old Master Luo’s table, had her sit down, then after a few words of conversation and a promise to find her after the meal, he finally left.

Jimo Cheng’s attentiveness was unanimously praised by the two elders of the Luo Family and the others at the table.

”So young, yet quite thoughtful. No wonder Old Master Luo is willing to betroth his precious granddaughter, who he dotes on like a treasure.”

”With a guy like this, who wouldn’t be willing?”

”That’s also Old Master Luo’s good luck...”

Without a doubt, this whole table was here for the Chengxin Tang paper that Old Master Luo held in his hands.

Luo Qianqian was at a loss for words; this flattery was obviously not what Grandpa loved to hear. Until now, she hadn’t seen a genuine smile from Grandpa.

Old Master Luo looked at his granddaughter, ”Did you apply the medicine?”

The air was filled with the aroma of food, certainly not the scent of medicinal liquor, so Luo Qianqian nodded.

Old Master Luo nodded in satisfaction, ”It seems I wasn’t wrong about him.” As a family member, he had guessed from the tears brimming in Luo Qianqian’s eyes.

Although her granddaughter had endured far more severe pain before, little girls are always afraid of it, and even a needle prick would make her hold back her lips, feeling wronged for a while.

Seeing his granddaughter’s tearful eyes, how could he not understand? Moreover, since Jimo Cheng had taken her away and could face everyone calmly, it was clear he hadn’t done anything bad. And since Qianqian didn’t show any shyness, the truth was obvious.

...

”What’s going on here?” Jimo Kong asked, looking at the cut-open cushion with anger on his face.

Jimo Cheng also lowered his head. The smile that had always been on his face had disappeared at some point. Looking at the nail standing upright in the cushion, if Qianqian had knelt down squarely, even if her legs hadn’t become crippled, she would still be in pain, right?

When he had slapped it, he had felt that it hit something hard, but he hadn’t expected it to be a nail, thinking it might be some wood or something of the sort. Thinking back, he was glad he had patted it and sensed something was wrong, which made him ask Qianqian to change her cushion.

”Grandpa, there’s no need to ask, just check for fingerprints. No matter how careful, traces will be left on the nail,” he said, his eyes shifting toward the service staff below—from the preparatory staff to today’s receptionists, all were bowing their heads there, none showing any unusual expression, looking as if Jimo Kong was falsely accusing them.

But they understood if the girl had been injured today, the matter wouldn’t be as simple as it now appeared. They were also aware that amongst them, someone must have done this.

Faces lowered with resentment—why do such a thing?

In their minds, they were all trying to recall if there was any clue that could point to who among them could be cleared of suspicion.

Then suddenly someone raised their head. After receiving a gesture from Jimo Kong, they said, ”I remember, during the preparation yesterday, it seemed like someone in a yellow Tang suit appeared here, but they disappeared afterward, so I didn’t pay attention.”

Jimo Cheng frowned—Tang suit? That is the attire for recording members of Mo Studio, and the colors are chosen according to personal preference; there are no strict requirements.

”Jin Nian, go find Jin Yuee. I’ll handle this,” said Jimo Kong, rubbing his forehead as if he had thought of something.

Jimo Cheng paused for a moment then nodded in agreement and stepped back.

When Jimo Cheng came over, he saw Qianqian quietly eating, while Old Master Luo was listening to the conversations of the elderly around him with a stern face.

He recognized those elders—they were all well-known old collectors, famous calligraphers, famous painters... It seemed they were here for the Chengxin Tang paper Old Master Luo held.

”Jin Yuee,” Jimo Cheng sat down next to the empty seat beside Qianqian, looking at the elders who had gotten up and gathered around Old Master Luo, feeling a sense of helplessness, yet powerless to change anything, after all, these elders were his grandpa’s peers, ”Does it taste good?”

Qianqian blinked, ”They’re all your favorites.” The vegetarian feast was delicious and suited most of the Mo Studio members who were elderly.

Jimo Cheng chuckled—her words weren’t wrong. He usually ate what his grandpa ate, so his tastes did tend to be on the healthier side, mostly vegetarian.

”Have you eaten?” Qianqian had not eaten for long after sitting down, and Jimo Cheng needed time to walk back and forth. He didn’t seem to have eaten yet either.

Jimo Cheng shook his head, looked around at the setting, and frowned, ”Let’s go eat in grandpa’s conference room. Let’s go, this environment isn’t suitable for eating.”

Looking at the spit flying around, he marveled how Qianqian could eat with such disdain for half a day.

Qianqian glanced around, as if understanding Jimo Cheng’s thoughts, put down her chopsticks, greeted her grandpa and grandma, and followed Jimo Cheng. He was right, in such a gathering, she really couldn’t cope.