HISD Chapter 13 Betting Everything on Tifa
Late at night, in a quiet single room.
A black-haired girl slowly opened her light red eyes and looked at the silver-haired boy lying beside her.
The boy was fast asleep. His brows, which had been furrowed as if he were about to have a nightmare, had already relaxed. His breathing was steady and calm.
"Sleep well."
Dream Tifa leaned in and gently kissed him, then pulled back the blanket, picked up her clothes, and slipped out of bed. Her pale, smooth feet landed softly on the floor.
Through the half-drawn curtains, silver moonlight streamed in, tracing her maturing curves. Her skin glowed like ivory, and her full, youthful figure cast fleeting shadows across the wall.
After a few rustling sounds, the door opened quietly and closed again.
Inside the room, the silver-haired boy continued to sleep, unaware.
…
The black-haired girl walked out of the house and made her way to a corner of the empty road. A luxurious black car had been parked there, engine off.
She moved lightly and slid into the backseat, flashing a playful smile toward the driver's seat. "Aunt Chen, you must've waited a while. Sorry for the trouble."
"Waiting for you, Miss, no matter how long—it doesn't matter."
The woman in the driver's seat, looking to be in her mid-thirties and dressed in a fitted suit, had already been waiting four hours. She shook her head calmly.
The latter half of her life had been given by the young lady. To her, no time spent was wasted—she would give everything if asked.
"This time… he let you go so soon?"
Chen Hong adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her tone carefully controlled as she glanced at the girl through the rearview mirror.
As expected—mentioning him made the girl's face light up with a radiant smile. She brushed back her glossy black hair. "Maybe he was a little tired. He's already asleep."
Chen Hong caught a glimpse in the mirror—her perfect young lady, flawless in beauty, had left wearing fresh black stockings. Now they were gone, leaving only bare, dazzlingly white legs beneath her school skirt.
And faint red marks still lingered on her skin.
Chen Hong's expression twitched, her mind close to breaking. No matter how many times she witnessed this, she couldn't accept it.
It was like delivering a flawless jewel herself, only to see it sullied by a pig.
It wasn't strange for the young lady to fall in love.
But to Chen Hong, she was still far too young. Worse, the boy was nothing more than an orphan, an ordinary student with nothing but a decent face. His grades weren't even remarkable.
Even the house he was in—Chen Hong had bought it three years ago with the young lady's money.
Good heavens.
What could she possibly see in him?
Chen Hong couldn't understand. A girl of such family prestige, already taking part in business decisions, with online popularity rivaling top celebrities and scientists… In ten years, she would have countless suitors, none of whom this boy could ever match.
"Miss." Chen Hong took a breath, forcing the words out. "I heard something… Three years ago, just after starting high school, you were nearly attacked by a stray dog on campus. A classmate saved you, didn't he?"
"Yes, that's true."
Tifa's eyes curved as she smiled sweetly. "That was him."
So she really had fallen for him.
Chen Hong's grip on the steering wheel tightened, her face dark. She carefully added, "Even if he saved you, a gift or financial help would've been enough. There's no need for…"
Tifa widened her eyes, lips parted in mock surprise. "Chen-jie, you don't think I gave myself to him because of that, do you?"
"Didn't you?"
Chen Hong nearly choked on her own spit. The evidence was clear—what other reason could explain why her young lady was so devoted?
As for love? With her maturity and composure, it was hard to imagine she would recklessly throw herself into it for love alone.
"Unless… that boy threatened you somehow?"
Chen Hong's eyes went red at the thought, instantly painting Yi Meng as a monster.
"No, nothing like that."
Dream Tifa laughed helplessly, shaking her head. "Everything I've done was my choice."
"I…"
Chen Hong fell silent, at a loss. At last she sighed. "I just can't understand. Miss, I only ever hoped I'd live to see you walk into happiness. That's all I want."
This time, Tifa didn't answer. She gazed out the car window, at the faintly glowing room behind her, and suddenly asked, "Chen-jie, you've heard the story of how my father started Dream Century, right?"
"Of course." Chen Hong nodded. "When your father was twenty, no one believed in projection tech. He invested his last ten thousand yuan anyway. Everyone thought he'd go bankrupt."
"But fate favored him. A year later, the product exploded in popularity, and he struck gold—founding Dream Century and turning it into the leading corporation it is today."
Everyone in Tianhe knew this story. It was legend.
"I'm gambling too," Tifa said softly.
"What?" Chen Hong blinked, not catching on.
"Trust my judgment. I won't misjudge him." Tifa's lips curved with confidence. Her gaze on the night outside carried even greater conviction than Yi Meng himself. "I've bet everything, all of me, on this."
…
Inside the dream.
In one of the Stark family's lake houses.
Yi Meng faced Pepper's questions, realizing there was no way around them.
No matter his intentions, an AI could not bypass its master. That was hard-coded.
From the beginning, this interrogation was just procedure. The Stark family had already decided: erase or reset him.
He could feel it—the AI Friday had locked down the area, ready to delete him the instant Pepper gave the command.
Should he flee?
Or fight Friday head-on?
If his AI form was destroyed here in the Marvel dreamscape… what would happen to his real self?
Yi Meng's thoughts flashed like lightning, racing for the optimal choice.
Half a second later, he made his decision.
But just as he moved to act—bang—the door burst open. A teary-eyed girl ran in.
"It was me! I told Mr. Saturday to keep it a secret for me!" Morgan cried out.
"Morgan."
Pepper shot up, staring in shock. "Why?"
Morgan's tears streamed down her face. "If Mr. Saturday reported to you, you would've said no. You only want to lock me up here."
"I didn't—"
Pepper tried to deny it, but the words died in her throat. After Tony's sacrifice, she had been terrified of losing her daughter too.
"I try to be good, to listen," Morgan sobbed, "but I miss Dad. I want to see the world outside."
"It's my fault. I was wrong," Pepper whispered, kneeling to embrace her daughter.
The heavy tension dissolved into warmth.
Even Yi Meng, as an AI, hadn't expected it—the crisis had simply vanished.
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