Chapter 33: Dual Personality

Chen Mo was well aware of his younger sister’s temperament. On the surface, she seemed like an innocent, cheerful princess—optimistic and endearing. But once her anger was truly provoked, her emotions would spiral out of control, becoming more terrifying than the end of the world itself.

He hurriedly stepped in front of Ning Xuan, gripping her shoulders and speaking earnestly, “Ning Xuan! Look into my eyes! Do you trust your brother?”

Ning Xuan clutched her magic staff tightly, her knuckles white. “I trust you!”

“Then that’s all that matters! Don’t worry, your brother can handle this kind of trash.”

Chen Mo lifted his head, facing the crew-cut boy with a cold, expressionless face. “I accept your challenge.”

A murmur of astonishment swept through the crowd.

Was this kid insane? The bottom-ranked student of Class F, actually daring to accept a challenge from Class C? These fair duels might forbid killing, but crippling or injuring someone was still allowed. Was Chen Mo courting death?

“Mo! Don’t do it!” Ding Yan tried desperately to intervene.

Ning Xuan wrenched free from Chen Mo’s grasp, roaring like a wild beast, “Brother! You can’t—I won’t let you! Damn bastard, go to hell! Roar! Roar!”

The air around them dropped several degrees in an instant, a wave of frost and biting cold surging from Ning Xuan’s magic staff, barreling straight toward the crew-cut boy.

His face contorted with fear—he couldn’t dodge in time, and was about to be frozen solid when suddenly a spinning sheet of paper flew in front of him, shielding him just in time.

The paper fan was instantly coated in ice and fell to the ground with a dull thud, saving the boy’s life by a hair’s breadth.

Zhang Shengmo shook his head. “Young Master Wei, you just can’t help meddling, can you?”

Young Master Wei smiled faintly. “Such an interesting opponent—I’d hate to see her locked up for violating school rules. That would be such a bore.”

Zhang Shengmo burst out laughing. “Young Master Wei, you really do live as you please.”

Young Master Wei frantically waved his hands. “No, no, don’t misunderstand. I like women, don’t you go falling for me!”

Chen Mo, his acute senses already having identified the owner of the paper fan, nodded to Young Master Wei in gratitude. If not for this classmate’s timely intervention, Ning Xuan would likely have already been taken away for solitary confinement.

They said it was a tiny, pitch-black room—utterly terrifying. If it really came to that, Chen Mo would never allow his sister to be taken, even if it meant exposing his own secret. He’d rather flee with her than let that happen.

Young Master Wei offered a modest smile, as if to say it was nothing.

Zhang Shengmo chuckled. “You really do have an eye for people, Young Master Wei. This Chen Mo is something else—he managed to pick you out from the crowd as the one who intervened. Impressive!”

Chen Mo wrapped his arms around his still-frenzied sister, gently soothing her. “Take a deep breath, calm down, don’t be angry. Remember that year when you got mad and offended that restaurant where we worked? We got fined two hundred yuan and had to share a single bun between us for a whole week. Control yourself, control your emotions!”

In truth, when Chen Mo first met Ning Xuan in the orphanage, she was only five. Her temper was so odd—anyone who approached her would be attacked like prey by a wild animal, and she wouldn’t let go until she’d actually bitten off a chunk of flesh.

After that, no one dared go near her again—until Chen Mo came along. Ning Xuan lunged at him and bit his arm hard, but instead of fear, Chen Mo simply stroked her head and soothed her, and surprisingly, Ning Xuan gradually became docile. Over time and with Chen Mo’s care, she transformed, her personality the polar opposite of before—carefree, always smiling. But one must never make her angry, for if she lost her temper, she would become uncontrollable, like a wild beast. Chen Mo suspected she had a split personality—the wild beast persona formed as a defense after she became an orphan, perhaps her true self, the reason she was abandoned. The innocent princess, on the other hand, was a second personality, born of Chen Mo’s influence. Whatever the truth, it was undeniable that Ning Xuan had two personalities.

“Look! Look at this!” Chen Mo rolled up his sleeve, revealing the deep bite mark on his arm.

At the sight of that scar, Ning Xuan gradually ceased her animalistic howls, her voice turning back to a sweet, girlish tone. “Brother, aren’t you embarrassed? Hugging me in front of all these people.”

Eh?

Ding Yan was dumbfounded. No one else might know, but he was all too familiar with Ning Xuan—and he had never seen her like that, so wild and out of control. The transformation was beyond words—how could such a cute, optimistic girl turn into something so feral?

“Ding Yan! Look after my sister!” Chen Mo’s anger flared. These trash had actually forced out her other personality. If this weren’t school, he’d have made them pay dearly—but as it was, he’d make sure there was a reckoning.

Ding Yan nodded woodenly, completely baffled by the sibling pair.

Chen Mo fixed his gaze on the crew-cut boy, his tone calm. “Didn’t you want a challenge? There’s too many people here. Let’s take this outside.”

Still trembling from Ning Xuan’s earlier spell, the crew-cut boy took a moment to recover.

Zhu Mao egged him on, “Cousin, this guy is absolute trash. Beat him to a pulp!”

That’s right, the crew-cut boy thought—why should I be afraid of a loser from Class F? He sneered, “Very well, loser. Looks like you’ve got some guts. Let’s take this outside!”

With that, he and Chen Mo walked out of the cafeteria, trailed by a throng of onlookers who abandoned their food for the spectacle.

Outside, in the open space, hundreds formed a huge circle, many clutching handfuls of sunflower seeds as they watched.

Ding Yan and Ning Xuan stood among them, though Ding Yan clung tightly to Ning Xuan, wary of another outburst.

Qin Wei, the physical education monitor of Star City No. 14 High School and a devoted suitor of Ye Zhiyan, was among the crowd. Despite the dangers of evolution, he’d risked it all for Ye Zhiyan, choosing to evolve for her sake.

He hurried over to Ye Zhiyan, realizing force wouldn’t work, so he tried persuasion. “Class leader, you’ve seen it for yourself—Chen Mo isn’t suitable for you. He’s the lowest-ranked student in the school. If you two were together, your lives would be anything but peaceful. He’d be challenged again and again—his legs broken today, his arms tomorrow. Even if he survives, with his abilities, he’s bound to die in future dungeons. Those dungeons come with a real death penalty. Do you really want to spend your life with a dead man?”

For a fleeting moment, Ye Zhiyan was shaken. Maybe Qin Wei was right. If she stayed with Chen Mo, he couldn’t even guarantee his own safety—how could he promise happiness for the two of them?

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Qin Wei pressed his advantage, reaching to take her hand. “Class leader, look at me—I made it three thousand meters on my first dungeon run. My future is limitless. Why not—”

Growing bolder, his hand slid to her waist.

Suddenly, Ye Zhiyan shoved him away.

“Get lost! You disgusting creep! You’ll never shake my feelings for Chen Mo. I trust him to become stronger through adversity. Right now, he needs the support of friends more than ever. Even if it’s not about romance, as class leader, I will stand by Chen Mo!”

“You—you bitch! You’ll regret this—just wait!” Qin Wei finally dropped his mask, cursing in a rage.

Ye Zhiyan paid him no heed, her fists clenched, all her attention on Chen Mo.

Chen Mo and the crew-cut boy faced each other, ready for battle.

Ye Zhiyan’s palms were slick with sweat. She couldn’t help whispering to herself, “Chen Mo, you have to win! I believe in you! You will win!”