The police record was completed quickly, and the officers even mentioned they would help Jiang Ning apply for a Good Samaritan award.
As she was preparing to leave, Jiang Ning overheard the police calling Wang Qiang's wife.
After hearing from the police about Wang Qiang attacking an officer in the street, Wang Qiang's wife said bitterly, "I've already filed for divorce, I have nothing to do with him! He's been abusing me for over twenty years, accusing me of cheating every time he sees me talking to a man, then dragging me home to beat me! He even threatened to kill me! Such scum, you might as well just shoot him!"
...
Jiang Ning walked out of the police station, and her phone, which had been silent in her pocket, suddenly began to vibrate.
She took out her phone and saw the name "Mu Mingxuan" displayed on the screen.
Jiang Ning's expression turned cold instantly. Mu Mingxuan, the main culprit who put her in the hospital for a month!
As for his other role, just thinking about it made Jiang Ning feel sick.
Years ago, the Huo Family and the Mu Family's ladies were pregnant at the same time, and the families arranged a marriage for their unborn children.
After Huo Miao was exposed as a false heiress, Mu Mingxuan scorned Jiang Ning, the true heiress who joined the Huo Family midway, saying that he and Huo Miao were truly in love and that Jiang Ning should roll away as far as possible and not disturb him and Huo Miao.
But in truth, Jiang Ning looked down on such a freeloader who grew up relying on his family's name just as much.
Yet, for reasons unknown, Mu Mingxuan was convinced that Jiang Ning was like a toad lusting after a swan, and from time to time, would bounce around Jiang Ning like a buffoon to make his presence felt.
Her slender, fair fingers swiped across the screen, and she answered the call.
Before Jiang Ning could speak, Mu Mingxuan's angry voice was already transmitting from the phone, "Jiang Ning! Have you lost your mind? I heard you just beat up Miaomiao at the villa and pushed her into the swimming pool! How can you be so vicious? Miaomiao can't swim, pushing her into the pool is tantamount to murder!"
Jiang Ning: "..."
Like an angry dinosaur, Mu Mingxuan continued to roar, "Let me tell you, even if you kill Miaomiao, I won't spare you a second glance!"
Jiang Ning held the phone away from her ear and asked seriously, "Are you sick? If you're sick, go see a doctor, okay? Huo Miao didn't tell you that not only did I kick her into the water, I also kicked her beloved father, mother, and brother in too? I never target her alone, I clearly target her entire family as well. As for murder... can that four-foot deep pool instantly drown four adults?"
Mu Mingxuan was momentarily choked up.
He was on a business trip out of town today, so he did not attend the Huo Family's gathering.
Just now, Huo Miao suddenly called him crying, saying Jiang Ning appeared at the gathering, beat her up, and pushed her into the pool. If it weren't for someone pulling her out, she almost drowned… Despite being treated so harshly, Huo Miao felt no resentment towards Jiang Ning, but rather blamed herself, wondering if she should leave the Huo Family. Only her departure might appease Jiang Ning.
After hearing this, Mu Mingxuan was furiously incensed, which led him to immediately call Jiang Ning to confront her.
But he hadn't expected that Jiang Ning would not only kick Huo Miao into the water but also drag the other Huo family members in with her!
Surely, she was a crude and uneducated country bumpkin.
Mu Mingxuan spoke up, "Mother Huo and Aunt Chen truly brought misfortune on themselves by giving birth to you."
Jiang Ning's eyes darkened, her tone icy, "Mu Mingxuan, where are you right now?"
"I'm on a business trip in Q city," Mu Mingxuan said angrily. "What else do you think is the reason I didn't attend the gathering today? If I had been there, I would never have allowed you to lay a finger on Miaomiao!"
"Alright," Jiang Ning nodded. "I'll remember what you just said. And about the time you caused my hospitalization, you just wait. The next time we meet, if I don't beat you into a caterpillar, my last name isn't Jiang."
Without waiting for Mu Mingxuan to react, Jiang Ning hung up the phone.
She moved her finger and blocked Mu Mingxuan's number.
With that parasite's contact removed from her phone, Jiang Ning felt the air become much fresher.
Deciding to go all the way, she promptly blocked the Huo family members' contact information as well.
The Huo family was large, and when Father Huo and Mother Huo were young, they seemed to have focused only on one particular activity. Above Jiang Ning, they had altogether three sons. After Jiang Ning was switched at birth, another set of twins was born within two years.
However, bad bamboo does not produce good shoots, and the sons that were born were nothing good in Jiang Ning's eyes.
The eldest brother Huo Li might have been a business elite, but once he was home, it was as if he left his brain in the office and ignored his biological sister completely. He was very attentive to Huo Miao, the impostor, always only buying gifts for her when he was on business trips. He also often took Huo Miao's one-sided words for truth, and sternly warned Jiang Ning not to bully Huo Miao with a cold face.
The second brother, Huo Ziheng, whom she had kicked into the water that afternoon, was another advocate of Huo Miao.
As for the third brother, Huo Minghui, his personality was relatively milder and he didn't ostracize Jiang Ning as much as the others. But if he had to choose between Jiang Ning and Huo Miao, he would definitely side with Huo Miao.
Not to mention the twins, the fourth and fifth brothers.
These two high schoolers had already been PUA'd by Huo Miao into who knows what. They had not an ounce of respect for their biological sister, Jiang Ning, and would often tell her to roll out of the Huo family without batting an eye.
In the past, she had been mindful of the ties of kinship and swallowed any grievance no matter how big when facing these people.
In the future, if these people dared to mock or ridicule her without seeing clearly, she would punch one if they came, and punch a pair if two came!
The new skill that Jiang Ning unlocked after being discharged this time: Beating up trash!
But, Jiang Ning had not forgotten the existence of the system within her.
Looking at her remaining three days of life value, Jiang Ning poked her mind's system, "Just now after completing the mission, in addition to life value, there was also a Merit Points value, what is that?"
[Host, I'm here.]
[The full name of this system is the Merit System. As the name suggests, its purpose is to promote positive energy and build a beautiful and harmonious society.]
[If the host had not appeared today, in the original trajectory, Wang Qiang and the police would have been at a standoff for three to four hours, after which, due to physical exhaustion and knowing he couldn't escape, he would have cold-heartedly slashed the hostage's neck and ultimately been shot on the spot by the police. The hostage would have also died due to excessive blood loss on the ambulance.]
[The host's appearance changed the outcome of this event, saving two lives and altering the fate of the hostage's family members. Therefore, all things considered, Merit Points +3.]
Jiang Ning was more concerned with, "What are Merit Points good for?"
[Merit Points can also be called Fate. A person with a high number of Merit Points is bound to be deeply blessed and have a smooth life. The host is currently suffering from a terminal illness, and you can use Merit Points to recover and heal your body.]
[Once the host's Rank rises, you can also exchange for items you want in the System Mall using Merit Points.]
As the system spoke, a screen suddenly appeared in front of Jiang Ning with her personal information.
Host: Jiang Ning
Merit Rank: 0[1/10]
Jiang Ning, who had played games before, roughly understood, "So I completed one mission, and I have to catch ten criminals, complete ten missions to be upgraded, right?"
[Yes.]
Jiang Ning sharpened her knives, "Are there any missions available now?"
[Yes, there are.] The system, seeing its own host so proactive, immediately brought up the mission page for Jiang Ning to see.
[As of now, Xinguo has over three million fugitives on the run. The missions I've brought up here are the ones close to you, in the same district, same city, or in the same province.]
[If a situation arises like the one this afternoon where a criminal suddenly commits a crime, or there is a criminal near you, I will immediately issue a new mission relevant to it.]
Where the light does not reach, shadows linger, and malice flourishes unchecked in the shadows.
Even in a country like Xinguo, where the legal system is well-established and the public security is good, there will still be individuals who, driven by personal greed, take dangerous risks and endanger society.
It was getting late, not a good time for arresting people.
Jiang Ning returned to the Huo Family Villa, ready to sever her biological blood ties with the Huo family.
The Huo Family Villa was brightly lit.
The four members of the Huo family, who were previously indiscriminately thrown into the pool by Jiang Ning, apparently had cleaned up and were back to their usual humanlike (strike-through), sleek and composed appearances.
Huo Miao sat on the sofa, wearing another green skirt and her freshly washed and dried hair fluffy and emitting a pleasant fragrance.
Glancing out at the gradually darkening sky, Huo Miao's delicate and fair melon seed face showed a touch of anxiousness, "Dad, Mom, what should we do? Sister has not come back since she went out, could something have happened to her?"
Huo Song sat on the sofa with a flash of disgust in his eyes, "Don't mention her to me!"
Recalling this afternoon's event of being thrown into the pool by Jiang Ning, Huo Song was boiling with rage.
He, as the head of the family, had never suffered such humiliation!
They should have never brought Jiang Ning back in the first place. It would have been better to let her fend for herself outside rather than bring her back to cause chaos!
With a gloomy aura around him, Mother Huo sitting beside him felt equally distraught. She believed that she had been good enough to Jiang Ning, not only taking her from that shabby, low-rent housing to their current grand villa but also giving Jiang Ning pocket money every month.
She considered herself a competent mother, yet this was how Jiang Ning repaid her?
The Huo family twins, Huo Kaiping and Huo Kaian, came back from school only to hear about Jiang Ning's sudden act of throwing everyone into the pool. They, too, were indignant.
Huo Kaiping said, "We should never have brought her back in the first place. She's already an adult, and the bad habits she picked up outside can't be changed. Bringing her back now just makes everyone unhappy and embarrasses us all."
Huo Kaian quickly agreed, "She was already distressed and jealous in her heart because we treated Sister Miao well, and now she's even starting to hit people! She doesn't consider us as family at all in her heart."
Exchanging a glance that spoke volumes, they proposed in unison, "Dad, why not give her some money and let her move out to live on her own!"
They really didn't want to see Jiang Ning, this annoying woman, anymore.
"Look at the month she was in the hospital, unconscious. Our family was so happy during that time. But the moment she woke up, she caused the whole family to be upset."
As soon as Jiang Ning returned to the villa, she heard the twins speak, her clear, unwavering eyes showing no emotion.
The twins liked to play games and detested doing homework.
She remembered when she first returned to the Huo family during summer vacation, she had specially bought them the limited-edition gaming console they had longed for and even set them a target: finish their homework, and the console would be theirs.
During that period, the twins were the nicest to Jiang Ning they'd ever been because she helped them with their homework and was exceptionally skilled at gaming!
Later on... later, Huo Miao feigned tears in front of the brothers, lamenting why they only wanted to play with Jiang Ning and not include her. Was it because they did not acknowledge her as a sister?
It wasn't long before Jiang Ning saw the limited-edition gaming console she had given them thrown in the garbage, and the twins' attitude toward her gradually worsened, afraid of Huo Miao's misunderstanding.
At this moment, the words of the twins made Jiang Ning silently sneer.
If Huo Miao had been the one unconscious in the hospital for a month, would they still have been so happy?
During her month in the hospital, the Huo family's indifference and lack of concern were the ultimate coldness.
Jiang Ning stood outside the door, holding a half-drunk bottle of water. Seeing that no one had noticed her, she was not in a rush to enter the house.
She was curious to see how these people usually plotted against her behind her back.
The twins' words clearly tempted Madam Huo, yet she hesitated, "This is probably not a good idea. After we brought her back, she has always lived in the villa. Even during college, despite crossing half the city, she insisted on not staying in the dorm and returning home every day. After she graduated and started working, she spent even more time cooped up in the villa... Kicking her out suddenly might cause her to harbor resentment towards us."
Huo Ziheng, sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed, couldn't hold back any longer and scoffed, "Is that what you call working? She claims it's live streaming, but it's just an attempt to leech off Miaomiao's popularity. Out of her hundred thousand followers, ninety-nine thousand are haters. Every time she starts a stream, it's flooded with insults, completely embarrassing us, the Huo family Members! How is someone like her supposed to make money? She's just using the guise of being a freelancer to mooch off the villa, expecting to live here for free."
"She probably can't wait for you and father to die early so she can get a share of the Huo Family's inheritance and be nothing but a social parasite!"
Huo Ziheng's heart still held a grudge against Jiang Ning for kicking him into the pool earlier in the afternoon, and his words were filled with unkind implications as he interpreted her actions in the darkest light.
Both Huo Song and Madam Huo's expressions darkened.
Jiang Ning shook the water bottle in her hand.
The reason she didn't stay in the dorms, braving the wind and rain to return to the villa every day, was merely to foster a relationship with them, to close the distance between them.
But it seemed everyone thought ill of her.
"Second brother, that's too much!" Huo Miao bit her lip and stood up to say, "Sister Jiang Ning is not like that. She grew up in the mountains and had never lived in a nice villa like this. It's normal for her to be attached to this villa. It's my fault. If I hadn't taken Sister Jiang Ning's identity, she would have been the one to grow up in luxury. Then she would've been used to all the lavishness here and wouldn't have had these bad thoughts."
Although she seemed to refute Huo Ziheng outwardly, in reality, Huo Miao's words solidified what he had said, only serving to add fuel to the fire.
Seeing her pitiful, pretentious demeanor, Jiang Ning felt an itch in her hand.
She couldn't tolerate it anymore, nor did she need to.
Jiang Ning tightened her grip slightly, and the water bottle flew out of her hand, striking Huo Miao accurately on the head.
"Ah!"
"Who! Who attacked me!?"
"Damn!"
Three cries of pain rang out at once.
The first voice belonged to Huo Miao; the second and third came from the twins.
That's because, after hitting Huo Miao, the water bottle bounced off and subsequently hit the twins, who were sitting together.
Jiang Ning clapped her hands and walked in from outside, "Sorry, my hand slipped, and it flew towards those who deserved it."
Seeing her, the Huo family Members were all startled.
Huo Ziheng couldn't help but point at Jiang Ning and ask, "Why are you back? When did you show up here?"
"I came back when I wanted to. What, do I have to report to you?" Jiang Ning lifted her eyelids and glanced at him indifferently.
Huo Ziheng was taken aback, and the twins, recalling what they had just said upon seeing Jiang Ning, couldn't help feeling a flicker of guilt. But then, seeing the water bottle on the floor, they felt justified again.
Huo Kaiping glared, "Are you sick? Why do you hit people as soon as you get home?"
"Do you think I'm hitting people? Even animals know to stick together for warmth, but you're thinking of how to drive me out," Jiang Ning stepped forward, bent down to pick up the water bottle from the floor, and coldly retorted, "Who just said they wanted to kick me out?"
Huo Kaiping and Huo Kaian were furious. It was they who had proposed kicking Jiang Ning out of the Huo Family. Her words implied that they were worse than beasts?
Huo Kaiping took a step forward with his fists clenched, angrily said, "Jiang Ning, don't think I won't hit you just because you've just been discharged from the hospital."
Jiang Ning raised her eyelids, "Oh, so now you're planning to have a one-on-one fight with me?"
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