I Am Really The Best Anti Hero In Another World!-System Of Anti Hero! novel Chapter 33

Chapter 33 - 33 - Miss Black Eyes

On a bustling street filled with people coming and going at all times, Sophia stole a sideways glance into a dark alley and saw her cousin, Guang Ai, kissing Chen Shiao—the infamous young master of the Chen family.

Sophia was surprised by the sight—not so much by the kiss itself, but because it hadn't been long since she had seen Ai kissing Heng Tai, the young master of the Heng family.

Sophia couldn't understand why her cousin behaved that way, but she didn't really mind either; after all, little more than just blood ties connected them. Without paying much attention to the incident, she continued on her way home.

What Sophia didn't know, however, was that there was a reason for that behavior. Since she was little, Ai had always been compared to her cousin Sophia by their parents—especially by their father. Ai didn't understand why her looks had to be constantly measured against Sophia's, why her intelligence was always set side by side with her cousin's, and even in cultivation, why this comparison kept coming up.

Ai hated it all. She detested being constantly compared to someone else, feeling that nothing she did was enough to please their parents. Yet, at the moment when Sophia suffered a sudden setback—a significant drop in the efficiency of her cultivation—Ai saw a chance to steal the spotlight and, for the first time, put herself ahead of her cousin.

At the age of 12, Ai was already known by practically everyone in the city. Even though she wasn't as beautiful as Sophia, her beauty was striking enough to stand out among the other girls. Unlike her cousin, her hair was ordinary and completely black, but what truly caught people's attention were her eyes—pitch black, and when they fixed on someone, it was as if she could see straight into their soul.

And that wasn't all. Like Sophia, Ai displayed her talent by reaching the first stage of Body Refinement at the age of 9. Everyone was impressed, but it didn't seem to matter to anyone; her father still reprimanded her for not having reached that level sooner—even though she had worked relentlessly for two long years to achieve it.

Time passed, and just under two years later, hardly anyone remembered her anymore—especially since Sophia, the so-called genius girl, had just reached the second stage of Body Refinement, and all attention had shifted to her.

Seeing that she was more irate than ever, Ai thought sadly,

'I reached that level days ago, yet no one mentioned it... So why is it that when it's her, everyone comments and cares?'

From that day on, Ai resolved that if she couldn't steal the attention, she would steal the happiness. With that in mind, at 12 years old she began "stealing" any boy who showed even a hint of interest in Sophia.

But her plan didn't seem to be working very well. With Sophia appearing happier by the day, it seemed as if she didn't even care about those boys. And so far, that was true.

Meanwhile, a 20-year-old young woman—with jet-black hair falling just above her waist and wearing a white shenyi adorned with purple floral details—walked near the place where Sophia slept. She strolled through the courtyard, smiling and chatting kindly with all the servants and guards she encountered along the way; her warm smile prompted everyone to respond to her in a friendly and sincere manner.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you," she said, stopping one of the maids along the way, "but can you tell me if Soph is in her room?"

"Miss Ai, I'm not sure... I think she's in the central hall right now, having breakfast with the master and madam."

"Oh, I see, thank you..." the maid bowed, ready to move on—but then Guang Ai continued:

"But I heard that something strange happened to her a while back... Soph is really okay, isn't she?"