From Sidekick to Bigshot Chapter 4: Reflect Upon Yourself

This particular lunchbox was a gift to Jian Yunnao from Mo Shiyun. Since he lacked any appetite, he had barely touched the meal, leaving the majority of the contents untouched in the container.

His movements were so sudden that the other three individuals present were unable to intervene in time.

The plastic box collided directly with Jian Yiling’s head, sending the remnants of the food cascading down from her hair to her shoes.

“Yiling!” Wen Nuan shrieked, rushing toward her in a panic.

Had this occurred with the previous version of Jian Yiling, she surely would have erupted in a hysterical tantrum, filling the room with her cries.

However, the present Jian Yiling simply absorbed the impact without uttering a single syllable.

“I am fine,” Jian Yiling stated, using the back of her hand to wipe the grime from her face.

She offered no complaints, assigned no blame, and showed no sign of feeling aggrieved.

She endured the ordeal in complete silence.

“Why the act? Are you feeling wronged? I hit you once, and you can’t handle even that much?”

Jian Yunnao’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he observed his mother’s concern for Jian Yiling. Watching the display only deepened his irritation.

Wen Nuan’s hands faltered in mid-air.

Caught between two wounded children, she was paralyzed by uncertainty.

The atmosphere inside the ward grew heavy and oppressive.

“I—I am going to the restroom,” Jian Yiling muttered.

With that, she turned and made her way out, desperate to avoid causing further tension for her parents.

As Wen Nuan watched her daughter’s bedraggled figure disappear, her heart ached, yet she hardened her resolve.

After briefly rinsing off in the lavatory, Jian Yiling returned to stand outside the room.

Wen Nuan had been waiting for her, and upon seeing her daughter, she struggled with how to approach her.

“I will stay out here and wait for you,” Jian Yiling promised.

Wen Nuan peered down at her, hesitating for a moment before replying, “Fine then. Mommy will head back inside. Stay right here and don’t wander off.”

Once Wen Nuan re-entered the room, the family shifted their conversation, and the mood mellowed into harmony.

Although Jian Yunnao’s expression remained bleak, he no longer pushed back against the affection and care his parents showered upon him.

Through the sliver of the doorway, Jian Yiling observed the family scene.

She understood that if she were to intrude now, she would shatter this fragile sense of peace entirely.

An hour later, Wen Nuan requested that her husband take their daughter home while she remained to tend to Jian Yunnao.

With her son’s hand injured, he needed her presence more than ever right then.

Consequently, Jian Shuxing departed to bring both Jian Yuncheng and Jian Yiling home.

On the journey back, Jian Yuncheng occupied the passenger seat, while Jian Yiling shared the back with her father.

“I am going to arrange a week of leave for you from school. Use this time to reflect on your behavior.”

These words came sharply from the front seat, Jian Yuncheng’s hostility toward his sister palpable.

Witnessing his son’s harsh demeanor, Jian Shuxing interjected, “Yuncheng, Yiling is only in her first year of high school. I am not sure taking a week off is the right move.”

“Before she worries about her studies, she needs to learn how to behave like a decent human being! Dad, don’t ignore what you and Mom promised me!” Jian Yuncheng retorted.

Jian Shuxing had indeed agreed to hold his daughter more accountable, but he hadn't realized how naturally he would fall back into protecting her before they even pulled into the driveway.

Jian Shuxing felt trapped; having indulged his daughter for fifteen years, flipping that switch was proving difficult.

Nevertheless, summoning the image of his third son in the hospital bed, he forced himself to adopt a stern mask.