The bad value system is measuring values.

Chapter 174 Sister

After they left, Qiao Xiao asked, "Zhong Huanli, will they cause you any trouble?"

Zhong Huanli: "They wouldn't dare."

Qiao Xiao: "I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."

Zhong Huanli looked at her and said, "You're not the trouble, they are."

Qiao Xiao felt a lump in her throat; she was truly grateful to Zhong Huanli.

The final exams are just around the corner. These are the entrance exams for junior high school, and students will be divided into elite classes. Qiao Xiao knows very well that Zhong Huanli will definitely be in the elite class, but she can only be considered an average student right now.

She was somewhat afraid of not being able to keep up with Zhong Huanli's pace.

After school, Zhong Huanli waited for her as always. They were used to waiting for the crowd to leave before walking together. There was no rush, and he didn't need to urge her. At most, he would get a scolding from his father.

Before all the other students had left, Qiao Xiao looked at Zhong Huanli and said, "Zhong Huanli, you can walk alone today."

Zhong Huanli resolutely refused: "No."

Qiao Xiao: "But I want to stay at school."

Zhong Huanli: "What time? I'll ask my father to pick me up later."

Qiao Xiao: "No, Zhong Huanli, I need to stay overnight."

Zhong Huanli: "Where are you sleeping? Did the teacher arrange accommodation for you?"

Qiao Xiao tapped the table with her finger and said, "Right here, sleep on the table."

Zhong Huanli: "What?! No way!" He immediately jumped up. "How can you be safe sleeping here? What's wrong? Has someone threatened you?"

Qiao Xiao looked at the anxious Zhong Huanli and said slowly, "I want to be with you, Zhong Huanli."

Zhong Huanli was stunned, her eyes wide open, hardly believing her ears.

Qiao Xiao continued, "I want to be in the same class as you in the third year of junior high. Not just in the third year of junior high, I also want to be with you in high school."

After hearing this, Zhong Huanli slumped weakly into her chair and gave a bitter smile: "What you said is really easy to misunderstand."

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, his flushed cheeks gradually returned to normal, and the slight disappointment in his heart vanished in an instant.

He then added, "Don't worry, I believe in you and me, we will definitely succeed, and I want to be with you forever."

"it is good."

Zhong Huanli's face immediately turned serious again: "But you can't sleep here, it's too unsafe here. I'm really worried about you."

Qiao Xiao looked at Zhong Huanli and asked, "Zhong Huanli, can you tell me something?"

Zhong Huanli: "What is it?"

Qiao Xiao moved closer to Zhong Huanli, gently placed her hand on his face, and asked, "My father has been touching my face a lot lately, saying I'm looking more and more like my mother. Is that normal?"

Zhong Huanli was taken aback by Qiao Xiao's sudden action, but she quickly came to her senses.

He answered sincerely and without any ulterior motives, "I'm a boy, and my father has never done anything like this to me. So I'm really not sure if this is normal. I'll ask my father when I have the chance and see what he has to say."

Qiao Xiao's hand slowly moved down and stopped at her chest: "What about here? He too..."

Zhong Huanli suddenly grabbed her hand, a flash of surprise and anger in his eyes, his voice low and powerful: "You mean... your father also touched this place?"

Despite the turmoil in his heart, he tried his best to remain calm and not let his emotions affect Qiao Xiao.

Qiao Xiao gently shook her head: "He tried to do that, but I refused. My father often drinks too much and is not in his right mind."

Zhong Huanli held Qiao Xiao's hand tightly and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, this behavior is wrong. You must protect yourself." After thinking for a moment, she added, "I'll have my father contact the education bureau. Don't go home tonight, come to my house."

Qiao Xiao's eyes were red, but she said, "But Zhong Huanli is my father, my only family. I can't keep hiding from him."

Zhong Huanli told her urgently, "Even family members cannot be a reason to persecute you."

Qiao Xiao: "I will try my best to express my thoughts and ask him to stop doing this."

Zhong Huanli: "I'll follow you."

Qiao Xiao: "But my father won't let me have contact with other boys. He won't let me have a boyfriend, saying that if I have a boyfriend, I'll be abandoning him."

Zhong Huanli looked at Qiao Xiao with a helpless expression, and Qiao Xiao immediately understood, "I know, he's wrong."

Zhong Huanli smiled faintly: "It's good that you know. I'll follow you all the way to your door tonight. I'll be relieved if you don't run out screaming for help."

He was wary, but subconsciously he still hoped that Qiao Xiao's father was a good person, and that more people would love and care for her.

Zhong Huanli left school too late this time, and as expected, Zhong Yan lost his temper.

He suppressed his worry and anger, and said in a loud voice, "Why are you only coming out now?"

Zhong Huanli: "Father, she might be...we need to follow her."

Upon hearing these words, Zhong Yan felt a chill run down his spine. He thought of his deceased wife and the cause of her death…

Zhong Yan took a deep breath and said, "Then let's hurry up." The father and son quietly followed behind Qiao Xiao.

When she arrived at Qiao Xiao's house, Qiao Xiao glanced back at Zhong Huanli in the shadows, then mustered her courage and walked into her residential compound.

Her home was on the fourth floor. Stepping inside, the air was thick with the smell of alcohol. Qiao Xiao's father was lying drunk on the sofa. When he saw Qiao Xiao return, he staggered to his feet.

Qiao Xiao nervously said, "Dad, let's talk."

Her father's eyes widened: "What are you talking about? Are you having an affair?"

Qiao Xiao retorted loudly, taking a few steps back to make sure she had a way out: "Dad, you can't treat me like this, what you're doing is wrong."

"What mistake? You were born of me, you were born for me!"

Qiao Xiao: "Why should I? That's my life!"

"Do you have a boyfriend? You've betrayed me too!"

Her father's face was flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and he kept cursing, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Suddenly, as if possessed by a demon, he grabbed the wine bottle beside him and charged menacingly towards Qiao Xiao.

Sitting in the car, Zhong Huanli was extremely anxious and filled with remorse: "It was my oversight! No matter what happened, I should have let her come out and tell me."

He muttered to himself, looking anxiously at Zhong Yan beside him, and asked, "Father, what if she can't escape from inside? Will she be in danger?"

Zhong Yan's expression also became very serious. He frowned and, upon hearing his son's question, he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt without hesitation and reassured him, "You stay in the car and don't move around. I'll go check on the situation."

How could Zhong Huanli sit comfortably in the car? Without a second thought, he pushed open the door and shouted, "No! Father! I want to go with you!"

Seeing this, Zhong Yan hurriedly reached out to stop his impulsive son, but it was too late. Helpless, he could only instruct him, "Alright, then you must stay close behind me, understand?"

After receiving permission, Zhong Huanli nodded in agreement and followed closely behind her father as they ran toward the building. Zhong Huanli learned from Qiao Xiao that they lived on the fourth floor.

Soon, they took the elevator to the fourth floor. There were four households on this floor, one of which had its door open.

Zhong Yan walked cautiously ahead, the father and son slowly approaching the open door. Before even stepping inside, a strong, pungent smell of alcohol assaulted their senses, making them want to vomit.

"Open the door for me!" A furious roar suddenly came from inside, and at the same time, a series of cracking sounds came as empty bottles rained down on the fragile door.

Just as the drunken man was about to force his way in, Zhong Yan, who was standing not far away, made a quick decision and rushed to the door like a ghost.

He swiftly kicked the man, striking him squarely in the chest. The man flew backward like a cannonball, landing heavily on the ground.

Immediately afterward, Zhong Yan gave the man no chance to catch his breath, and delivered another powerful punch to the man's head. With a muffled thud, the man passed out without even uttering a sound.

After resolving this trouble, Zhong Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Zhong Huanli, who had been anxiously waiting to the side, quickly stepped forward, gently knocked on the door, and softly called out, "Qiao Xiao, it's me. It's safe outside now, you can open the door without worry."

The room was silent for a while before a soft footstep approached.

Finally, the door lock clicked softly, and the door was slowly pushed open a crack. Through this narrow gap, a pale, tear-streaked face could be seen timidly peering out.

After confirming that Zhong Huanli was indeed the only person outside the door, Qiao Xiao carefully opened the door completely.

The moment the door swung open completely, Zhong Huanli burst into tears. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks.

The sight of Qiao Xiao was appalling. Her skin was covered with wounds of all sizes, especially a large bruise under her eyes, and there were several clearly visible footprints on her clothes.

“Qiao…Xiao…” Zhong Huanli’s lips trembled slightly. He reached out to touch Qiao Xiao, but was afraid of hurting her, so he hesitated and withdrew his hand.

Seeing Qiao Xiao's body covered in wounds, Zhong Huanli felt as if a thousand steel needles were piercing her heart at the same time, and she couldn't bear the pain. "How did you get so badly injured?"

The moment Qiao Xiao saw Zhong Huanli, all the fear and grievances in her heart surged up at once. She could no longer control her emotions and threw herself into Zhong Huanli's arms, bursting into tears, crying and shouting, "You're finally here! Waaah..."

Zhong Huanli hugged Qiao Xiao tightly, feeling her body trembling from crying, and his heart ached. He blamed himself, saying, "I'm sorry, Qiao Xiao, it's all my fault. I should have come sooner, making you suffer so much..."

Zhong Huanli, who was not yet fully developed, was about the same height as the other girls in the class, but Qiao Xiao was much thinner than her peers due to long-term malnutrition, so he could easily hug her slender body without any effort.

Shortly after, Zhong Yan quickly brought the two children to his car and called the police. Instead of waiting for the police at the scene, he personally drove the children home, leaving the rest of the matter to be handled by himself.

Ultimately, Zhong Yan, through unknown means, successfully stripped Qiao Xiao's father of his custody rights. Not only that, he also completed the necessary procedures to officially adopt Qiao Xiao.

From that moment on, Qiao Xiao had a new identity—Zhong Huanli's younger sister.