"Sorry, I probably haven't been sleeping well lately." Qin Xiangyi kept up her act. Xia Shang smiled faintly, indicating that she didn't mind. But after exchanging a few pleasantries, Xia Shang soon escorted Qin Xiangyi to the door.
Qin Xiangyi still hadn't found an answer to her question, so she asked again, "Professor Xia, how did you know that person was a bad guy?"
"You mean Thousand Faces? It really likes following me around. This time, it just followed me to Ocean City." Xia Shang explained away Qin Xiangyi's doubts. But considering the monster's destructive nature, the explanation was still enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
"Then... are there a lot of wanted criminals who follow you?"
"More or less. People in my line of work are pretty likely to be remembered. Maybe they all think that killing me will make them famous in this circle." Xia Shang was still smiling, but there was clearly a great deal beneath the surface that was hard to put into words.
Qin Xiangyi was about to ask more when she realized they had reached the first floor. Xia Shang stood to one side. "All right, I'll see you out here. Be careful on your way back." Xia Shang spoke like a caring elder, but Qin Xiangyi didn't feel happy at all. She forced a smile.
"All right, Professor Xia. Thank you for keeping me company." Qin Xiangyi politely said goodbye to Xia Shang again, then left the Ocean Hotel...
Xia Shang watched Qin Xiangyi leave. Before long, two men in black suits appeared. As soon as they saw Xia Shang, they respectfully greeted her as "Miss."
"Miss, we're terribly sorry you were put in danger."
"It's fine. If I hadn't been alone, he really wouldn't have dared to come out..." Xia Shang smiled faintly as she handed the gold card to one of the men in suits. "Tell the boss to cancel this card for me."
The man in the suit agreed immediately, without a hint of confusion. It was as though Xia Shang had registered the gold card just to lure Thousand Faces out. Now that she had used it, she would have nothing more to do with this establishment.
"Miss, is there anything else you'd like us to do?" Seeing that Xia Shang hadn't dismissed them after giving her instructions, the man in the suit asked.
Xia Shang nodded and looked again in the direction Qin Xiangyi had gone. "Go through Qin Xiangyi's file again, and make sure it's thorough. There's something about her that still hasn't been uncovered."
The man in the suit nodded again. After Xia Shang confirmed her instructions, he left at once. Xia Shang remained where she was. She opened the box that had held the card and lightly tapped it. The box gave off a faint glow—it was also a voice recorder, and it had captured her conversation with Qin Xiangyi.
As she listened to the recording, Xia Shang smiled faintly and murmured to herself, as if in wonder.
"It's been so long since I met such an interesting opponent. Even hypnosis had no effect. I'll have to see just how much you're still hiding." After reflecting for a moment, Xia Shang picked up the recorder and headed upstairs.
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Someone's got their eye on me?
Xia Shang continued on until she returned to the Qin family's banquet and ran into Sister Zhang again.
"Professor Xia, where did you go? I've been looking everywhere for you." Zhang Mou looked at Xia Shang helplessly and wanted to take her around to introduce her to everyone, but then remembered that Xia Shang couldn't be touched.
"It was a little stuffy inside, so I went out for some air." Xia Shang answered politely. She was fairly friendly toward Zhang Mou.
"I'm really sorry. I invited you, but I didn't even manage to let you see the person you wanted to see." Zhang Mou apologized. Xia Shang smiled even more brightly and replied with practiced courtesy, "No, I saw plenty of interesting things. It suddenly made me feel that Ocean City is a really nice place."
Zhang Mou was even more confused, but Xia Shang didn't seem inclined to explain. She gazed up at the sky. The party was still going on, but the minds of everyone there had already drifted elsewhere. Zhang Mou thought of Qin Xiangyi, too—but she was thinking of the beautiful Qin Xiangyi.
She wondered whether Qin Xiangyi would call her, what they would talk about if she did, and where they should meet next time. Or perhaps, on a night like that, something might happen between them.
As she thought about it, Zhang Mou couldn't help looking up at the sky as well. But the meaning behind their gazes was completely different...
Meanwhile, Qin Xiangyi had already returned home. She wanted to stay out a little longer, but this wasn't a game with no time limit. It was real life.
More importantly, Sister Shuxuan would probably be back soon. Qin Xiangyi was still a little nervous. Though her relationship with Sister Shuxuan wasn't as close as she'd imagined, she was living under her roof, so good manners and common sense told her she should behave herself.
Once she got home, Qin Xiangyi started cleaning, hoping Sister Shuxuan would see how diligent she was when she returned.
Hua Nu laughed from the side, thinking Qin Xiangyi was far too timid.
Hua Nu: Flower Master, humans are usually the ones who fear us. You're afraid of humans? That's embarrassing.
Qin Xiangyi glanced at her. Since no one else was home, she said, "What do you know? This isn't fear. It's respect."
Hua Nu looked puzzled, unable to understand what humans meant by "respect." Qin Xiangyi wanted to explain the vague concept, but when she turned around, she realized it was already past midnight.
Ordinary gatherings ended by ten or eleven at the latest. They rarely went past midnight. Qin Xiangyi started worrying about Sister Shuxuan's safety. After thinking it over, she finally called her.
It took three tries for someone to answer, and it wasn't Sister Shuxuan. The voice sounded familiar. Qin Xiangyi paused, then realized it was Zhang Mou.
Qin Xiangyi gathered herself before asking cautiously, "Auntie, is Sister Shuxuan there?"
Zhang Mou's voice was faint, and the area around her was noisy. Qin Xiangyi could just barely hear someone singing. There was no need to guess: after dinner, some people had gone to karaoke to unwind. As one of the few beauties there, Zhang Mou had been dragged along with Sister Shuxuan, who was a member of a collateral branch of the family.
Whether Zhang Mou had gone willingly or not wasn't something Qin Xiangyi needed to consider.
"Auntie?"
"I'm at a KTV with Shuxuan, but she's drunk, and I can't get away to take her home." Zhang Mou continued explaining her situation. The noise grew louder, and unless Qin Xiangyi had exceptionally good hearing, she wouldn't have been able to make out what Zhang Mou was saying.
"Then, Auntie, I'll come get Sister Shuxuan." Qin Xiangyi had no choice but to raise her voice and tell Zhang Mou what she intended to do.
"What... I can't hear you!" Zhang Mou was practically shouting, but her voice was still drowned out by the deafening music. After calling out a few times with no luck, Qin Xiangyi simply hung up and sent her a text instead.
Message: I'll come get Sister Shuxuan and take her home. What's your address?
Zhang Mou sent her the address without hesitation. Qin Xiangyi wasn't sure whether Zhang Mou trusted her to handle it or simply couldn't leave the situation she was in.
Qin Xiangyi found it a little surprising, but in the end, Sister Shuxuan was Zhang Mou's future daughter-in-law. She wouldn't let anything too bad happen to her.
Message: All right, I'm on my way.
After getting the information she needed, Qin Xiangyi went out again. Hua Nu and Shaoyao were still watching TV, looking as if they had no intention of moving.
"Go into the Flower God Ring and read or get some rest." Qin Xiangyi would have liked to leave Hua Nu and Shaoyao at home, but at this stage, the Flower God Ring couldn't let the flower people move about freely.
Qin Xiangyi herself had no real freedom, and the flower people had to be completely bound to her, tied to her every move. Since they seemed so interested in the show, Qin Xiangyi could only soften her tone.
Even if they were just tools, they still seemed to have the feelings of tools.
Hua Nu thought it over and agreed, soon returning to the Flower God Ring. As for Shaoyao, she seemed to think the outside world was more interesting and stayed with Qin Xiangyi.
Once outside, Qin Xiangyi took the skateboard from the Flower God Ring, turned on her car's navigation, put on a hat, and sped through the city.
The KTV wasn't far away. On top of that, Qin Xiangyi occasionally cheated by using her skateboard to fly some of the way, saving herself quite a bit of distance. In less than ten minutes, she had arrived outside the KTV.
The noise around her was deafening. Qin Xiangyi didn't like rowdy places, and all the commotion made her uncomfortable. Shaoyao was even less able to bear it, and finally told Qin Xiangyi she wanted to go back.
Qin Xiangyi didn't stop her. Even without the flower people, she could still protect herself. Besides, she wasn't afraid of this ordinary beginner village called Ocean City.
She walked a few steps farther, and a yawning attendant came over. Qin Xiangyi explained that she was there to meet someone, and the attendant soon led her to Room 419.
It was a number with a lot of suggestive implications. Qin Xiangyi stared at the plaque for a moment, then saw vague figures through the glass.
Sister Shuxuan sat inside with her eyes closed, looking very uncomfortable. Zhang Mou stood beside her. Though she had a smile in her eyes, she was clearly on guard against anyone who might try to harm Sister Shuxuan.
Just from that, Qin Xiangyi could tell how protective Zhang Mou was. If a woman like that considered you one of her own, it could only be a good thing—she was absolutely loyal.
Unfortunately, Qin Xiangyi hadn't gotten off to a good start with Zhang Mou. They were destined to be enemies. Zhang Mou was destined to be nothing more than a tool.
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XX, so wonderful!
Qin Xiangyi didn't go in. She stood by the door and sent Zhang Mou a message to let her know she had arrived. When Zhang Mou didn't respond, Qin Xiangyi called her.
But the place was so noisy that even with the music turned on, Zhang Mou couldn't hear a thing. In the end, Qin Xiangyi had no choice but to open the door and go in.
The Qin family's adults looked at Qin Xiangyi in confusion, then whistled flirtatiously at her as if they thought she was a hostess. She also spotted the man with the broken arm, staring venomously at Zhang Mou's side of the room as he kept drinking.
Looking around some more, Qin Xiangyi spotted the Qin family twins, Qin An and Qin Ren. The younger generation looked reserved, but it seemed they had all been forced to come and experience this.
Of course, the twins didn't recognize Qin Xiangyi in her current appearance. Instead, an ordinary-looking girl approached her, acting familiar.
Qin Xiangyi had no idea who the girl was. More than that, beneath the girl's friendly manner, Qin Xiangyi sensed a coldness, as if she looked down on her.
The Qin family's discarded daughter really lived up to her reputation.
Qin Xiangyi sighed inwardly, brushed the girl off, and quickly walked over to Sister Shuxuan and Zhang Mou.
Up close, Sister Shuxuan looked even worse. Qin Xiangyi frowned slightly but still greeted Zhang Mou politely.
"Auntie."
"Can you take her home by yourself?" Zhang Mou cut straight to the point, worried that Qin Xiangyi wouldn't be able to get a drunk Qin Xiangyi home by herself.
Qin Xiangyi didn't answer. She reached out and pulled Sister Shuxuan to her feet. Even with most of Sister Shuxuan's weight resting on her, Qin Xiangyi remained perfectly at ease. Zhang Mou seemed to remember that Qin Xiangyi had awakened as a Chosen One. She pressed her lips together, then said nothing and waved them off.
Qin Xiangyi didn't bother with pleasantries. She wanted to leave, but then she saw the man whose arm she had broken watching her. His expression was somewhat vacant, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhang Mou, as if he planned to put some kind of scheme into action that night.
"Looks like breaking one arm wasn't enough," Qin Xiangyi couldn't help remarking. Her words were swallowed by the noise, but the twins seemed to have heard them anyway.
Qin Xiangyi had given up trying to figure out what kind of characters the twins were. Since they'd noticed her, she left the room at an unhurried pace.
When she closed the door behind her, the noise from inside faded. Qin Xiangyi helped Sister Shuxuan along, then heard movement behind her.
Shaoyao: Flower Master, those twins are following us again.
Qin Xiangyi acknowledged her. She had noticed them too, but pretended not to and kept walking with the two of them until they reached the elevator.
She went down the stairs, and the twins followed, trapping her between them on either side.
"Are you two looking for a fight?" Qin Xiangyi looked them over and couldn't help asking.
"Why?"
The twins spoke at the same time, unable to understand why Qin Xiangyi had suddenly said that.
Qin Xiangyi explained, "Don't you know I'm Qin Xiangyi and want to avenge Prince Qin?"
The twins looked at each other, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Prince Qin isn't worth our trouble."
"Yeah. We just saw you struggling with this older sister, so we came out to help."
The twins explained why they had followed her, but Qin Xiangyi didn't believe them at all.
As far as she was concerned, nobody in the Qin family was a good person. And even if there were, they'd have died young just like the original Qin Xiangyi.
"Don't you believe us?"
"You know who I am, and you saw me helping Sister Shuxuan. How does that look like you're here to help?" Qin Xiangyi shook her head. These siblings seemed pretty crafty.
The twins looked at each other, then smiled brightly at Qin Xiangyi. "Actually, we want to be friends with you."
Qin Xiangyi found that even more confusing. But Huangquan had said the twins could foresee the future, which made her even more wary.
"Sorry, I don't make friends with people surnamed Qin."
"But you can't deny that you have Qin family blood."
"Big Sister's right!"
The two took turns speaking, but their personalities were completely reversed for a boy and a girl. Though they both looked good, Qin Xiangyi still found them off-putting.
If these two really could foresee the future, she'd eventually have all her secrets exposed by staying too close to them.
With that in mind, Qin Xiangyi decided to find a reasonable way to turn them down.
"It's hard to become my friend. You know Zhang Mou, Mrs. Zhang, right?"
"Of course. Qin Tianzhu's wife. She has a very interesting name." The twins answered. But hearing her father's name made Qin Xiangyi feel terribly awkward.
She knew she shouldn't have used a name generator to name everyone. She'd thought Qin Tianzhu was funny before, but now...
Qin Xiangyi forced a smile and said, "If you want to be my friends, you'll have to become friends with Mrs. Zhang first. I have a task for you tonight. If you can get Mrs. Zhang home safely, then we'll be one step closer to becoming friends."
Thinking of the man's reaction earlier and Zhang Mou's lonely situation, Qin Xiangyi still planned to protect her before she got her final kiss from Zhang Mou.
The twins looked at each other and actually agreed. Seeing that, Qin Xiangyi took the initiative to add them on WeChat, marking the first step toward becoming friends.
"All right, I'll take Sister Shuxuan home now." After doing all that, Qin Xiangyi smiled faintly. Even if the man didn't do anything that night, she could still carry out her next plan without worry.
They waved goodbye, and Qin Xiangyi went out and hailed a taxi home. She changed Sister Shuxuan's clothes, wiped her down a little, and after all that, it was already past three.
Sister Shuxuan knew nothing of what was going on around her. She looked like a sleeping beauty. Qin Xiangyi sat beside the bed, just about to check the time, when she noticed a WeChat message.
It was from Qin An, the twin sister. Qin Xiangyi had thought it was just a greeting after they'd added each other, but when she opened the chat, she saw a picture.
It showed the same man with the broken arm, but, unfortunately—or perhaps not—his other arm was broken too. His expression was pained. Even more frightening, the background was a police station. It seemed the man had still been unable to control himself, so the two who had followed Zhang Mou to protect her had sent him straight to the hospital.
WeChat, Qin An: Just like you said, we broke his other arm too, hehe. We're friends now, right?
Qin Xiangyi remembered the remark she'd made at the KTV. She'd thought it was just a coincidence, but she had never expected the twins to actually hear her and carry out her wish for her.
WeChat, Qin Xiangyi: Wait, are you two going to get in trouble?
WeChat, Qin An: We were just teaching one of our own dogs a lesson. At most, Grandpa will scold us a little.
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