Too Merciful

Valentina didn't deny it. "Since they wanted to teach me a lesson, I couldn't just sit there and wait." "So you're the one who told them to go back and ask Eudora for medical expenses?" Augus gripped his backpack strap with agitation, his voice raising notably. "Do you also think I'm too merciful?" Valentina raised her eyebrows at him. Augus was stunned on the spot, too taken aback to respond. His sister, who used to be bullied by others, had suddenly become so formidable. He simply couldn't come to terms with it. Valentina saw through his thoughts and said nonchalantly, "As I said, I didn't mind before because I couldn't be bothered to fight back." "But... how could you possibly beat all those thugs by yourself?" Augus looked at her incredulously. The girl in front of him had the same face he remembered. She was only slimmer and had more defined facial features. When she spoke, there was an indomitable pride in her eyes that the previous Valentina would never have had! Was this really the useless sister he had lived with for over a decade? Valentina didn't answer his question and turned to look around. "Is there a bank nearby?" Augus was startled. "What do you need to go to the bank for?" Could she possibly be planning on robbing the bank? "I have some things to do." Valentina glanced at the bank around the corner, and took a step forward. "You can go home first. I'll be back later." Without waiting for Augus's response, she headed straight to the other side. Arriving at the bank, she found the ATM, inserted her card, and checked her balance. The screen switched. The account balance was a million dollars. Valentina raised her eyebrows in surprise. Just a million dollars? Since when did the Felton Family become so stingy? Wasn't Lewis ashamed to only give her a million dollars? Forget it. She was broke right now. For an ordinary person, one million dollars was already a considerable sum, so she wouldn't nitpick too much. After removing the card, Valentina turned around and headed towards the mobile phone shop. ... Augus was sitting in the room, staring blankly at the broken phone on the table. He had saved money for two years to buy this second-hand phone. He used it specifically for browsing the Internet and studying. Money was already tight at home; now with the broken phone, there was absolutely no chance they could afford to buy him a new one, even if it were the cheapest secondhand one. Maybe, he could get it repaired? With the phone broken like this, the repair costs might be even more expensive than a secondhand one. As Augus was racking his brains, someone knocked on his bedroom door. Valentina entered the room and promptly placed a gift bag on his table. "See if you like it." Augus was confused. He peered into the bag. "What's this?" After opening it, he was stunned to see the latest iPhone! Augus was flabbergasted. "Where... where did you get this?" "I bought it." "What?" Augus exclaimed in shock, "This phone costs over one thousand dollars. Where did you get so much money?" Valentina took out her cool black iPhone from her pocket and reassured him, "Don't worry. I earned the money honestly. You can use it comfortably. If it breaks, I'll buy you a new one." Looking into her indifferent eyes, Augus, for some reason, suddenly felt that she was so unfamiliar at that moment. Perhaps, her previous timidity was all an act. The Valentina he's seeing now might be the real her. "That's fine. Activate your phone and see if there's any problem. Get some rest earlier. It's a day off tomorrow, and I'll take you out for shopping." Valentina did not tell him that she still had more than 900 thousand dollars in her account, fearing it might scare him. After all, a thousand-dollar phone could startle him that much. Concerned about his health, she chose not to mention it. The next day. When Augus woke up, he found it surreal as he saw the brand-new phone by his pillow. After all, it was the first expensive item in his life, and it was given to him by Valentina. It did feel like a dream. Rat-a-tat! At this moment, the door was knocked. Valentina's voice came in from outside. "Are you ready? Let's go." Augus hurriedly responded, "Wait a moment. Coming!" He changed his clothes and stepped out the door with dark eye circles. Seeing him, Valentina couldn't help but laugh. "Did someone beat you up last night? How come you have panda eyes?" Augus was too embarrassed to say that his excitement kept him awake last night; he lied and said he stayed up too late studying. Valentina didn't expose his lie and said, "Let's go. We have shopping to do." Augus was astonished, "You bought two expensive phones. Do you still have money for other things?" Just then, Diana came out of her room and heard this. She immediately screamed, "Money? Where did you guys get money from? Did mom secretly give you money?" Valentina didn't respond to her and directly left the courtyard. Afraid that Diana would tattle, Augus replied to her, "No, you heard wrong." Diana instantly rolled her eyes. But that made sense. How could their mom possibly secretly give money to Valentina? Valentina and Augus left the urban village, went nearby to have breakfast, and then went to the biggest mall in Mapleville. This was the first time Augus had ever been in such a luxurious mall. Entering, he looked at the dazzling array of famous brands and then looked down at the cheap clothes he was wearing, lowering his head awkwardly. Several times he wanted to stop Valentina and leave. But Valentina pulled him into a trendy men's fashion store. "Please help him match a couple of suitable outfits," Valentina sat down on the sofa and said to the salesperson. Augus was stunned for a second. Looking at the very luxurious interior, he panicked immediately. "Val, should we go somewhere else?" Why was she suddenly buying clothes for him? The clothes here looked expensive at first glance, far beyond what they could afford. Ignoring her, Valentina turned to the salesperson and said, "Thanks." The salesperson didn't look down on them because of their outfits, but politely replied, "You're welcome. Please come this way." Just like that, Augus tried on several sets of clothes. There was a reason why some things were expensive. As the saying went, "People are judged by their attire and horses by their saddles." After Augus changed into his new clothes, his whole persona had transformed. He looked like a handsome rich heir, instantly grabbing attention. The girls passing by couldn't help but steal a few more glances at him. Augus sneakily peeked at the price and was left dumbfounded. Just as he was about to call Valentina to leave, he saw her standing at the sales counter, elegantly holding a bank card between two fingers, and coolly lifting her chin. "I'll take everything he tried on." Augus was utterly astonished and stood there stupefied. He had never expected Valentina to say something so assertive and domineering. The salesperson grinned from ear to ear. "Certainly, madam, it's twenty-three thousand dollars altogether. Please verify the amount and input your password." Valentina didn't even blink, nor did she look at the bill. She just swiped her card. Turning around, she looked at the flabbergasted Augus and raised an eyebrow. "This outfit looks good on you. Let's go with this one." Afterward, she stepped forward and removed the price tag from the clothing with one hand, stuffing the remaining bags of clothes into Augus's hands. "Let's move on to the next store." Augus, with a bewildered expression on his face, was led by her to the shoes and hats section. The shoes were an internationally known sports brand, where even the cheapest pair costs several hundred dollars and the collaborative models rise to thousands. Augus glanced at them and shook his head. "I don't like this brand. Let's go." Valentina quickly made him sit down. "Alright, I have money. Don't think about saving for me. This amount of money is nothing to me." This ostentatious display of wealth was like that of a nouveau riche However, these words coming from Valentina's mouth didn't cause any discomfort at all. On the contrary, it made one feel like she was indeed born rich. The sales assistant was quite observant and immediately brought a pair of the latest sneakers. "Why don't you try these? What size does he wear?" Valentina raised an eyebrow. "She's asking you." Augus, blushing and looking down at the worn-out canvas shoes on his feet, sheepishly told his size. When it came time to try on the shoes, he insisted on doing it himself and intentionally hid his left foot. Valentina noticed it but didn't speak. After he tried on the shoes, she immediately drew her card and bought two pairs of limited-edition sneakers. Nearly thirty thousand dollars was spent. Augus's heart ached so much, but Valentina didn't even bat an eyelid. Having bought clothes for Augus, Valentina proceeded to the women's section and bought some sets of clothes and shoes for herself. This spree cost her nearly a hundred thousand dollars. Augus was so shocked that he couldn't even utter a word. Several times, he wanted to ask if Valentina had secretly been robbing banks behind his back. Before leaving, Valentina made a detour to the computer shop and bought a notebook computer worth twenty thousand dollars. Finally satisfied, she carried a load of bags and took a taxi with Augus. Augus initially thought that Valentina would take him home. To his surprise, after getting in the car, she reported the address of a five-star hotel. Augus was stunned again. "Val, why are we going there?" "To eat," Valentina replied calmly, gazing out the window. Augus was stunned. Alright, his sister was rich now. Even a simple meal had to be at a five-star hotel. Wow! She was totally extravagant! Upon arriving at the hotel, Valentina booked the most luxurious private room. "Order anything you want." Valentina handed the menu to Augus and comfortably sat down on the sofa. Since she was born, she had been living a poor life for almost a month. Today she finally returned to her old lavish lifestyle. It felt so good! Augus opened the menu, looked at the prices printed after each dish, and swallowed hard. The menu was all in French, which he couldn't understand. But he saw the prices clearly. Each dish cost thousands of dollars. Wasn't this like having gold, not just food? He truly experienced the rich life portrayed in TV dramas for the first time, but he just felt uneasy. He couldn't understand how Valentina managed to make herself at home even in a five-star hotel. "I... I don't know what to order. You decide," he stammered, embarrassment making him hand the menu back to her. The corner of Valentina's mouth quirked upward when she accepted the menu, quickly and confidently picking out dishes. She would slip into French every now and then, which left him bewildered. After the waiter had taken their orders and left, he immediately asked, "Val, when did you learn to speak French?" Valentina, cross-legged on the couch with her new laptop balanced on her thighs and not even looking up, simply replied, "I learned it from watching French movies." Her slender fingers typed on the keyboard as she spoke. Augus nodded, accepting her explanation as the truth. Then he asked another question, "Val, have you eaten here before?"