I'm The Protagonist?! 16.3
Feng Shi looked coldly at the old lady in front of her with a frown.
Upon seeing her and recognizing who exactly she was, the old lady also seemed to have aged by ten years knowing what she could possibly be here for.
“Master, please be careful with your image. They may not have been relevant people in the previous host’s life to you, but the world’s consciousness has eyes everywhere. The fact that you have not been discovered yet is because no one who knows the previous host originally did not suspect anything” Xiao Wang tried to explain through their mind link.
As if coming back to her senses and finally remembering it, she softened her expression turning it into one of tiredness and pain to create the illusion that their first impression of her was because of grief.
Don’t think that she had spent her previous task world leisurely after finishing her missions there. She had tried understanding psychology in depth so that she can understand the human mind something she knew she needed greatly to survive.
Smiling wryly, Feng Shi greeted the old lady. “Hello, Grandma Gu. Can I come in?”
Hearing the tender voice speaking at her softly but with the deep sadness clear in her eyes, the old lady, Grandma Gu, had to use the beam of the door to support herself due to her limbs shaking as weakness crept in, be it due to fear or grief, Feng Shi could not properly tell but maybe both.
“Grandma!” The young grandson exclaimed by the side immediately went to support his grandmother.
“Xiao Shi” Grandma Gu breathed letting her precious grandson support him. “You’ve come this far to visit these old bones of mine; how can I drive you away?”
“Come in, Xiao Shi. Oh, how tall you’ve gotten. Xiao Jun, serve our guest properly.” Grandma Gu requested as Gu Jun supported her on the chair.
Feng Shi glanced at the tattered and faded giant bags in the corner for a second sneering in her heart but did not say anything else. Karma has come to collect, who dares to say that they can outrun what fate had design? No, what she had set her mind?
“You’ve become such a beautiful young lady now. Grandma Gu is so glad to see you so well. How have you been Little Shi? Come, come tell this grandma everything. Seeing you so grown now, far from the tiny little sapling I used to take care of as my own” Grandma Gu tried to play it calm, as if she was just an elderly woman who had caried affection for a young charge.
Her action however, betrayed her inner thoughts. Grabbing the water that her grandson gave her, the glass shakes in her hold but still, she gulped and gulped the liquid trying to calm her nerves.
Feng Shi stayed silent letting her sweat as she observed them.
The fat man, about near thirties, perhaps 25-30 now that she is observing well. Looking back between her and his grandmother appearing confuse and not knowing who she is, cautious, no nervous. It appeared that the lesson yesterday is still clear in his mind.
The grandmother, nerves shaking, old and battered with time but still healthy. Hair rarely showing the small streak of silver. Hands trying to cover herself unconsciously, defensive. Eyes averting her gaze, finger tapping, a nervous tick perhaps.
She did not need to ask farther, her conclusion clear. It appeared that there is no longer a reason for her to search for the last one but still, she could not help but feel pity for the old grandmother, her heart wavering slightly not knowing if she should continue.
The person in front of her can be seen to have been through countless storms already. Even she is not sure if its because of the previous host’s memory or perhaps because of her own empathy but her heart softened slightly.
No one knows his master more than Xiao Wang himself. How can he remain oblivious to the turmoil of his master’s heart? He knew from the very beginning that despite how hardened se present herself on the outside, her heart was once the one of the purest her universe had ever seen.
Unlike the usual naïve and innocent expression Xiao Wang always have, hatred flashed in his eyes. It was because of this heart of hers that brought her demise. He can’t allow his master to follow that path again!
Xiao Wang who was peacefully sitting by the side of her chair jump into Feng Shi’s lap growling slightly at the old woman before rubbing his head on his master.
If turning his master into a cruel villainess, they all slandered her to be is the greatest crime to be committed to the sake of their future mission worlds then he will shoulder this crime without hesitation than to see her suffer the fate she once had to bear.
Strengthening his resolve, he looked at his master devotedly before removing the barrier hiding his thoughts.
Licking the side of her face and looking at her with puppy eyes, Xiao Wang woofed and wagged his tail trying to distract his master enough for her initial pity to be ignored before striking.
Feng Shi smiled fondly at her wolf not knowing about his cunning as a fox mindset. “Xiao Wang what has gotten into you?” She scolded lightly but still petted his fluffy head.
“Master, you were beginning to be misled by your own emotion. Remember that the grandma before you are not as innocent as she looks. She is the catalyst to the suffering of the host and the killer of an innocent woman. You can’t just let your emotion take control. You need to be rational if you don’t want to fail” Xiao Wang righteously reminded her through their mind link doing his best to persuade her not to be too soft hearted lest she herself suffers instead of the perpetrators.
Feng Shi clearly knew that Xiao Wang was being logical but still, she is not that ruthless as to not show mercy to a poor old woman she tried to reason using age as an excuse but Xiao Wang himself know that she was just deceiving herself to avoid facing a possible weakness.
He had seen how firm she can be in the first world and knows that there is a possibility to fully harden her heart. He just had to make sure that he hardens all of it to the point that no one will be able to penetrate or even leave a scratch to it again.
Thinking about the shameless man that stole his master in the first world he simply rolled his eyes. Out of sight out of mind he thought.
Feng Shi maybe cold but she is not heartless, if this was just an ordinary old grandmother in front of her, perhaps she would have shown a little bit of mercy or compassion, but she cannot allow herself to be soft hearted to this woman because just by the fact that she is trying to run away already confirms her doubts. This clear show of compassion she can see as a possible weapon that can be used against her but…
“Master snap out of it” Xiao Wang reminded her. So, what if the one before them is old? It does not excuse the suffering and death she had caused.
“You need to remember master. A momentary show of mercy to your enemy can and will be used against you. If you let a possible threat leave, it does not diminish the danger they posses but leave potential for a fatal mistake.” Xiao Wang firmly scolded before showing to her the suffering the previous host had suffered again, reminding her of the cruel fate she was dealt with that became possible because of this old lady in front of them.
Of course, even without this grandma it would not change much since her current stepmother would still find a way. If Xiao Wang can see that and pointedly choose to ignore it, how can Feng Shi not realize it as well.
However, Xiao Wang may have a point but…
“Xiao Wang, there is being cautious and defensive but there is also being paranoid and cruel. We must learn to see and be mindful to where the line between the two is and when it needs to be blurred but never overstepped. If we ignore and pass it, what makes us different to the people that we are trying to fight against?” Feng Shi explained patiently.
Perhaps she had underestimated the brain of this little friend of hers but that just made her feel more at ease that she does not need to worry much about him than think of how and what it would benefit her. She is clear that there is no need to be cautious and guard against him because he earned her trust and gained her friendship through more than one lifetime.
She may have claimed herself a villainess but that does not necessarily make her cruel. She simply refused to go with the norms and is more than willing to do or use any means necessary to achieve her goal be it orthodox or not.
Feng Shi can see that the Grandma Gu have guilt that means that she still has a conscience, but Xiao Wang seems to have misunderstood her. She may have momentarily felt pity but that does not mean she had forgotten her goal, she simply thought of ignoring harsher means to reach her goal.
“Grandma Gu seems to have guessed the reason why I have come here already” Feng Shi started looking at the old woman with a hurt expression.
“I- I’m sorry Xiao Shi, I had no choice” Grandma Gu was about to start the water work and trying to justify her decision, but Feng Shi simply shook her head.
“Grandma, Mommy treated you well and I have always tried to not make trouble and be a sensible girl. We always thought of grandma as part of our family. Also, Grandma you always had a choice, mommy would have listened, would have understood but you made your choice.” She cut in waving off her silly excuse. Everyone always has a choice, they either go through their so-called last alternative or create a path of their own.
Feng Shi looked at the Grandma Gu’s eyes with firmness and harsh coldness but was layered with innocent and naivety, reminding one of a rabbit and not seeing the beast in its shadow.
“Grandma, it’s been so long. Don’t you think its time to help mommy rest in peace? Have you forgotten how much favor mommy had done you? The kindness she gave you. Mommy truly treated you wholeheartedly and never mistreated you. Never mistreated anyone else. Mommy does deserve justice grandma; she deserves her peace in the afterlife too” Teary eyed looked straight into the Grandma Gu’s eyes piercing her battered heart with guilt.
Feng Shi smirked inwardly, sometimes to defeat an enemy doesn’t necessarily need force but softness.
Her heart was softened not her mind. Of course, she can still differentiate what needs to be done and what can simply be ignored.
Grandma Gu looked at Feng Shi with guilt and regret before her eyes drifted to her failure of a grandson, but blood is thicker than water. She knows what Feng Shi is asking of her but how can she simply let this foolish grandson of her be caught in the turmoil. The mistress is long dead, but the living still has to find a way to survive. She made sure that there was no evidence then so of course she is assured that as long as she doesn’t confess, no one will know.