“Who’s looking for me now?” Gu Xiqiao shot Xu Jing at glance.
Her friend chuckled cheekily. “A very veryyyy handsome man. Says you know him. Um, I think you’ll know when you go down and meet him!”
Xu Jing was acting weird but Gu Xiqiao couldn’t bother with squeezing information out from her. She blinked a few times before deciding it was best for her to find out personally what was going on.
“Fine. I’ll be going down then.” Gu Xiqiao locked up her own cabinet before grabbing her phone and heading downstairs.
Bai Xinran minimized her game interface as soon as Gu Xiqiao left. Pulling her drawer open, she revealed a fancy-looking set of cosmetics. “These are repair serums I got from overseas. They’re really effective against sunburns. Here, see if you two need any of it.”
Sunscreen was completely useless against the blistering sun during their military drills; Bai Xinran as well as her friends were now heavily tanned. A glint appeared in Sun Jiajia’s eyes as soon as her ears picked up on the word “overseas”. She had a keen interest in all things foreign, especially if they were luxury goods.
Xu Jing smiled at her offer but did not walk over to pick one of her gifts up. This prompted Bai Xinran to open her mouth. “Xu Jing, would you like to try this out? Here, have a bottle. It’s really effective. I’ve been using it for three days now and see, my skin’s noticeably fairer now.”
Born into an upper-class family, Bai Xinran always treated others with arrogance. Still, that attitude of hers had paid off as it had not even been a week but she had completely won over Sun Jiajia’s heart. However, the attitudes of her other roommates were lukewarm at best. Leaving Gu Xiqiao aside, she felt that it was imperative to win over Xu Jing’s heart too.
“Oh, you’re right! Xinran, your skin’s much fairer now!” Sun Jiajia picked two bottles of Bai Xinran’s repair serum for herself.
“Thanks but no thanks. My skin’s naturally tanned. It would all end up in vain no matter what I apply on my skin.” Xu Jing politely turned down Bai Xinran’s generous offer.
‘How much difference can there be after just 3 days?’
Xu Jing’s rejection definitely surprised Bai Xinran but she had always the premonition that she would be a tough nut to crack. In an instant, she tried to change the topic. “Hey, you said someone was looking for Gu Xiqiao right? I presume it’s a guy?”
“Guy?” Sun Jiajia asked while patting the repair serum onto her face. “I thought Gu Xiqiao already had a boyfriend.”
The way she said it irritated Xu Jing. “He’s an ordinary friend. Also, having a boyfriend doesn’t mean losing her own freedom, you know? Nowadays, it’s not weird for girls to have a few good male friends around them.”
“Jiajia’s just joking, no need to be so serious.” Bai Xinran forced a smile on her delicate face. During the military drill phase, she didn’t have the things to win them over with. Still, she wanted to get Xu Jing on her side. Surprisingly, she had actually grown closer with Gu Xiqiao who had done nothing for her, than herself.
Did Xu Jing have a problem with her eyes? Bai Xinran was really frustrated about this. What did Gu Xiqiao have that she didn’t apart from better looks and a high-status boyfriend?
Bai Xinran continued smiling at Xu Jing sweetly.
‘You will regret this b*tch!’ she thought to herself.
Xu Jing mumbled a half-hearted response before grabbing her clothes and going into the bathroom. She had just become a member of the student council and subsequently, has been standing under the hot sun throughout the entire afternoon. Her shirt was soaked with sweat so taking a shower was her number one priority. Who cares about Bai Xinran and Sun Jiajia~
***
It was now evening. There were lots of people outside the female dormitory but all of their gazes were fixated on one thing—the man standing underneath the sycamore tree. He was sporting a minimal casual outfit but paired with his good looks, he seemed classy and cool. His head was lowered so both of his eyes were hidden behind thin strands of hair hanging off the edge of his hairline. Still, his facial features alone told the tale—this was an extremely attractive man.
Not many were able to turn casual clothes into an evening dress, especially for regular university students. Though, the Patek Philippe on his wrist confirmed that he was no snot-nosed university boy. He was a refined gentleman, a winner in society.
Some women looked at him with pitiful eyes but that was his own fault. They wondered who was the lucky girl that he was so patiently waiting for outside their dormitory. If this was their boyfriend, never in a thousand years would they never let him wait like that!
In the next second, as if by telekinesis, the man lifted his head to peer at the main entrance. As he did so, his pretty face was finally revealed to the onlooking women.
No matter from which angle you looked at him, he seemed dashing and mature, completely unlike the boys in A University who were still years away from graduation.
Instantaneously, they knew that the person he was waiting for had arrived. Following his gaze, they traced it to the main entrance of their dormitory. There were lots of girls crowded there but they all figured out in a second which one he was truly waiting for.
The girl dressed in blue stood out the most from the crowd. She had a pale, poreless face and a pair of bright eyes, as clear as a puddle of still water. Her eyebrows were so perfect that it looked like it was drawn on by a master painter.
These girls never felt so much envy in their life. This girl was miles ahead of them in terms of looks. Ugh, this superficial, looks-based world is disgusting.
Gu Xiqiao’s mental strength was godly, as evidenced by how she was able to figure out who was waiting for her based on Xu Jing’s vague description alone.
“So, why have you come here?” She asked Tang Qinghong with slightly narrowed eyes.
It took Tang Qinghong a while to regain his senses after which he quickly responded to her question. “I heard from my aunt that you were here, so I’ve come to pay you a visit.”
Of course, his aunt was none other than Tang Yanling. He had met her just yesterday. This was the aunt that proclaimed how she would never return to the Tang family after marrying her husband years ago. Thus, throughout his lifetime, the number of times he had seen her could be counted with five fingers alone. In fact, of the times he had met her, some were done in secrecy alongside his father.
Back then, the old man of the Tang family had looked down on Yin Jinian. No matter how hard they persuaded him, he was stubbornly against Tang Yanling’s marriage with him. If she did so however, he vowed to never let her back into their home. Tang Yanling, having inherited her father’s stubbornness, went ahead with her own plans. It was like the clash between two unbreakable boulders—none of them were willing to compromise. Tang Yanling, who had moved to N City after the marriage then swore to never return to the capital!
Though, after the bloodbath that ensued, the Tang family has finally changed their stance on this issue.
Speaking of the Tang family, although they were once considered hermits among the nobility, they had finally started opening up to the world around them recently. His brother had started an entertainment company that spelled the end of their hermitdom. And since this happened, the old man has been so busy with a bunch of stuff that he had forgotten about the ongoing grudge with his daughter.
“So, it’s just a visit then? No strings attached?” Gu Xiqiao eyed Tang Qinghong suspiciously. She thought to herself, if he answered “yes”, she would immediately send her fist straight into his jaw.
“Not exactly. I have something to discuss with you about.” Tang Qinghong replied with a smile. Seeing how they were gathering more and more attention by the minute, he frowned slightly. “Let’s find a more quiet place to sit down at.”
Gu Xiqiao too, hated crowds. Acting as if Tang Qinghong had something important to tell her, she scouted the place before finally choosing a more deserted pavilion to sit down at.
The girls around the dorm entrance started gossiping among themselves as soon as the two left.
“Oh. My. God. I know who that girl is! It’s that popular girl on the school forum! The one whom they say is as smart as she was pretty!”
“Ohh, no wonder her face seemed so familiar. So it’s her after all.”
“I didn’t think that she’d be much prettier in real life. Oh no, you feel that? Something’s happening with my sexuality! I must remind myself, I am a woman and I am straight!”
“Wow, the freshmen this year are really impressive. They’re a much more lively bunch than their seniors. I think there’s already a handful of really attractive ones in their batch.”
“Speaking of this, I can’t help but bring up my new idol, Wu Hongwen. He’s that new kid in the student council. He’s so handsome and I tell ya what, his personality really is made up of sunshine and flowers! Crap, I gotta stop my lustful desires from overflowing!”
“…”
***
Gu Xiqiao rested her butt on the railing that surrounded the pavilion. “Go on, what are you hoping to discuss with me today?”
“It’s hard for me to explain in one shot but I’ll try my best.” Tang Qinghong looked at this pitiful excuse of a place to talk at. What he originally had in mind was for them to sit down at a nice, cozy cafe, where the ambiance was just right to hold a conversation. He totally did not expect her to pick this spot out of all the spots she could have picked. “I think you already know by now that I am a member of the ancient martial arts world. As a matter of fact, we, the Tang family, are one of the three existing families that are still practicing the art.”
He stared at her face waiting for a response that never came. What he said, she had already figured out long ago and she made no attempts to hide that fact.
His story started with Yin Shaoyuan. He had told Tang Yanling about the incident that had occurred at the base he was overseeing. In a fit of rage, she discovered that the elders of the Tang family were behind this incident. Without delay, she rushed straight back to the Tang family home and caused a huge ruckus. After the dust had settled though, old man Tang no longer felt the need to keep up his act. Ordering his men, they captured Yin Shaoyuan and brought him over from N City before locking him behind the Tang family’s door.
After all, half of the blood flowing through Yin Shaoyuan’s body belonged to the Tang family. Before he could react, Tang Wenbo had him sealed inside the Tang family’s legacy chamber to receive the legacy of the Tang family. Every member of their family would come out with two-thirds of the seal on their body removed and would for the most part, function as a normal human being. And yet, the seal on Yin Shaoyuan’s body was unbreakable no matter what. Tang Qinghong then remembered Gu Xiqiao and the pill she fed him earlier on to loosen up the seal on his body.
Only she possessed such a powerful tool. And so, upon catching wind that Gu Xiqiao was at the Imperial Capital, he came looking for her as soon as the opportunity arose.
Gu Xiqiao’s brows knitted up slightly. She didn’t really understand much about this legacy thing but she had her friends list. A clear board appeared right in front of her eyes, on which Yin Shaoyuan’s details were displayed.
Though, from Tang Qinghong’s point of view, Gu Xiqiao was staring blankly into empty air.
[Beauty Qiao, Yin Shaoyuan is full of vitality and his mental strength appears to be at its peak. All functions are normal. But why isn’t he conscious?]
‘I don’t know, but give me those pills that I used from the last time, a large amount of them. Also, have you wilted recently?’ She had rarely heard from it recently, let alone see it appear in her vision. Something was definitely wrong, she felt.
The system’s voice echoed from a void. [I did not wilt. It’s just that the capital is too terrifying.] There was danger lurking around every corner here and so did bad omens. As soon as it left its usual form, it would feel an indescribable pressure closing in on it, just like what it felt in front of Jiang Shuxuan. Estimation suggested that it might need to level up one more time before it could maintain its physical form.
Gu Xiqiao was already thinking about something else. “Let’s complete a couple more tasks to help you level up, alright?”
[Chirp, chirp, chirp. Beauty Qiao, I love you so much!]
‘How disgusting. I don’t even think we should be friends anymore!’
System: I’m sorry.
“This is for you.” Gu Xiqiao continued chatting with the system before tossing something to Tang Qinghong. “If this doesn’t work, you’ll know where to find me.”
She’d come up with another plan if it didn’t work.
Tang Qinghong instinctively reached out to grab a large bag of pills that did not spill despite her tossing it so carelessly at him. His handsome face was awestruck. He thought that it would be hard for him to get even a single pill from Gu Xiqiao; he never expected her to give him such a huge bag of them. He had personally ingested one of these pills and experienced how powerful its effects were. It must be an arduous process, trying to create these pills, he thought.
So why was she so willing to give him such a large bag of them?
“You should head on back and give these to Brother Yin. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try something else.” Her expression was subtle when she spoke.
Tang Qinghong realized that she was doing this for Yin Shaoyuan. Seems like they’re pretty close friends. If not, there was no way a sane person would willingly offer so many of these magnificent pills which were near impossible to procure even with a vast amount of cash.
“Well then, I’ll be heading back now.” Tang Qinghong said with his head lowered.
Gu Xiqiao watched him leave hastily before turning back towards her dormitory. She hoped that the pills would work as intended on Yin Shaoyuan. If not, she would have to go personally to the Tang’s residence. Being affiliated with the ancient martial arts world was the last thing she wanted to do having just arrived here in the Imperial Capital.
***
Back at her dorm room, it was pleasantly quiet. Bai Xinran and Sun Jiajia were busy playing with Nine Heavens’ newly-launched Virtual Helmet.
“Oh, I see you’ve returned. Are you really friends with that man?” Xu Jing really was left speechless by how handsome that man waiting outside the dorm entrance was.
Gu Xiqiao mumbled a response before pulling out her laptop to check her class schedule. Then, she glanced at Xu Jing’s dead tired face.
“What happened to you?”
Xu Jing sighed as she rested her jaw on Gu Xiqiao’s table. With a sad expression, she explained, “As you know, I became a member of the student council’s news department, in an attempt to follow my senior’s footsteps. She’s the second-in-command in her department and everything was coming along oh so smoothly. But for some reason, we were ordered to do some promotional bullcrap this afternoon! Isn’t this supposed to be the PR’s job?! I had to stand outside the hall the entire frickin’ afternoon! Ah, I guess my stars are misaligned today.”
It’s not surprising for one to have friends and relatives in the student council. Xu Jing herself was also quite the capable worker; the new recruits there loved her too so it was hard to explain why she received such a tough job so suddenly.
[Ding! Daily Mission activated: Help target character, Xu Jing complete her promotional project. 20 points will be awarded upon mission completion!]
It had been such a long time since she had received a mission like this. Gu Xiqiao raised her brow. She had successfully downloaded her class schedule. There were four subjects they had to study this semester, which were basic chemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy and histo-embryology. After that came the weekly laboratory sessions. It wasn’t as packed as it was back in her last year at senior high.
“What sort of promotional thingy are you trying to do? I’ll help with drawing and painting.” She downloaded the class schedule on her phone.
Xu Jing who was in the middle of groaning about her new task went quiet immediately. While rubbing her chin, she scanned Gu Xiqiao from head to toe. “You’re good at art?”
Gu Xiqiao turned around with a smug look. “I’m fairly good at copying techniques.”
Xu Jing did not take what she said seriously. What matters now is that she complete the task that has been handed down to her, and not how pretty it looks. “Wait up. I’m gonna wrap up this report then we’ll do this thing together!”
Gu Xiqiao nodded. Then, she climbed onto her bed and sat down cross-legged. She picked up one of the textbooks that had been sent to her and flipped through them one page at a time. It didn’t take long for her to complete one whole book, after which she moved on to the next book.
Bai Xinran was still playing her game but she just couldn’t get into the mood because of something that was bugging her mind. Looking over to Gu Xiqiao, who was flipping through her textbook, she couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”
No way was she reading books. No one in this world could read at such a speed, right?
Gu Xiqiao thought to herself, ‘I can’t tell her I’m reading books can I?’
And so, she looked up from her book and replied, “I’m bored so I’m counting the pages in my textbook.”
‘Girl, are you mentally ill or something? They call you a talent but you look more like a retard than anything!’
Sun Jiajia also decided to end their gaming session. Her in-game equipment was inferior to what Bai Xinran had so she was basically being carried the entire time. Now that Bai Xinran wasn’t playing, there was no point in her continuing the game.
“If that’s the case then why don’t you join us? Xinran’s a god at this game! In fact, she’s a mod at the top guild in the game, and she can bring you into it too!” Players in the top guild was composed of the best players in the game who were equipped with the finest equipment available in the market. Sun Jiajia who came from an average family on the other hand, could not afford to pay cold hard cash in exchange for some virtual weapons, so she could only join the guild because of Bai Xinran’s recommendation.
“I’m not really interested at the moment.” Gu Xiqiao declined politely.
Gu Xiqiao’s rejection made Sun Jiajia’s mouth curl downwards. Though, upon seeing her rival burying her head in a book, she too, climbed onto her bed and started studying basic chemistry.
Right around then, Xu Jing finished typing her lengthy report. She stretched her torso before laying out the art materials she brought back from the student council. She was about to start a sketch of the poster when Bai Xinran spoke out. “Jiajia, how’s life at the student council? Would you like me to speak to your department leader? I’m pretty close with him so I could ask him to cut you some slack.”
Xu Jing’s eyes narrowed as soon as she heard Bai Xinran’s words. After careful deliberation, she turned her offer down. “Um, no thanks. I don’t think it’s a good idea to engage in such a slimy conduct. I, Xu Jing, have yet to hit the bottom of the barrel.”
Bai Xinran’s smile stiffened the moment her mind processed Xu Jing’s rejection. However, she was quick to defuse the situation that was growing ever tenser. “Well, if you ever need anything, you could just speak to me.”
Picking up her clothes, Bai Xinran waltzed into the bathroom. The moment its door clicked shut though, her gentle expression changed completely. She and that girl were like oil and water.
‘You’ll regret this!’
“Heyy, come over, time to start drawing now!” Xu Jing set the paper down onto the table before producing yet another smaller piece of paper for a rough sketch. With her teeth gritted, she said, “You know what? I think you just need to write the words. Leave the drawing to me.”
Gu Xiqiao had just finished flipping through the fourth book. She tossed the book aside and proceeded to grab the paintbrush from Xu Jing’s hand. “Good girl, but let me do the drawing. I’m better at it than you think.”
Xu Jing, who was initially skeptical about Gu Xiqiao’s artistic skill was stunned when the painting began taking shape. She recalled Gu Xiqiao’s words from before. “Copying? Fairly good? No, no, no, this is exactly the type of painting you’d get from a grandmaster of painting! Bob Ross level sh*t!”
Gu Xiqiao’s head was slightly lowered as she worked the paintbrush in her hand with precision. In a jiffy, the overall structure of the painting had been completed. This poster was about a news broadcast competition held by the Ministry of Information so she made sure to paint a couple of microphones and some cute, by surprisingly realistic chibi characters.
What’s left to be completed was the information on said competition. She placed the paintbrush down and picked up a calligraphy brush. Dipping its tip in ink, she began swiping away swiftly, stroke by stroke, just like a professional caligrapher.
“F*ck me!” This was the first time Xu Jing cussed so loudly. “Beauty Gu, what you’re doing here is like a whole another level to us filthy peasants. This isn’t a poster! This is a work of art! And a damn fine one at that!”
The brush stopped moving. Gu Xiqiao then took a step backward. “Is this alright?”
“If that isn’t alright, then I should just off myself right here, right now!” Xu Jing started laughing like a madman. Once that painting dried up, she made a vow to protect it as if it was her own baby.
Someone was trying to bite her ass out there. ‘Just you wait’, she thought. ‘When I find out who you are, I’m gonna punch your face so hard, it’s gonna swell up like a balloon!’
Xu Jing slept like a baby that night.
***
The next morning, Gu Xiqiao went out for her routine morning run. Everyone was still asleep when she came back from the run. She placed the bag of breakfast she bought for Xu Jing on the table before heading into the bathroom for a shower. Halfway through scrubbing herself down though, she could hear her roommate outside professing her love for Gu Xiqiao.
According to the schedule, there was a long class on basic chemistry in the morning. Gu Xiqiao had already flipped through the whole book last night and every bit of information had been burned into her mind. Still, she found it hard to fully understand what those words meant. The professor giving the lecture was an older gentleman, surname Jiang. His classes were strict and so was his face, on which a smile never seemed to appear. The thing he most hated was the sight of a bunch of lazy, demotivated students.
“That student over there! I see you fiddling on your damn device! You must be real good at this subject for you to do that! Now, tell me, you all have studied the subject of chemistry back at middle school and high school, have you not? So why are you studying the same subject all over again in university?” Seeing the girl who couldn’t leave her phone alone for even a minute, Professor Jiang chucked a piece of chalk at her.
The white chalk landed smack right in the middle of Gu Xiqiao’s desk. It momentarily stunned her before she shot up from her seat. Slightly narrowing her eyes, she thought of an answer to the professor’s question.
Her fellow coursemates started panicking upon realizing that the feared professor has finally set his sights on their lovable class pet. Everyone sitting in her vicinity tried to help her by giving her their own answers to the professor’s question. Some whispered the answer to her directly while some wrote them down on a piece of napkin which they folded and passed over to her.
“Sir, I know the answer to this question,” said Sun Jiajia with her hand raised. Pumping her chest forwards confidently, she started explaining, “I have read through the textbook yesterday. To my surprise, while the concepts we learn here and back then are fundamentally the same, the things we learn here are much more in-depth and involve the use of more complex terms. Apart from this, the symbols we use are slightly different as well.”
Professor Jiang nodded toward her and gestured for her to sit down before returning to Gu Xiqiao.
“Do you have anything you would like to add on?”
Gu Xiqiao’s brows twitched. Looking straight into the professor’s eyes, she opened her mouth when everyone else did not expect her to do so. “We use the ‘hands-on’ approach while learning.”
The professor’s knitted brows loosened up. He was waiting for her to continue but what followed was dead silence. “And?”
“Professor, you should know that…” Gu Xiqiao made sure to put up a smile. “…class is over.”
“…what’s your name?”
“Gu Xiqiao.” Before she could open her mouth, someone else had already answered the professor in her stead. A glow appeared in the professor’s eyes. Before the start of his class, someone had already told him that the current year’s national top ranker was among this batch of med students. He, who originally thought nothing of it, and was thoroughly surprised by Gu Xiqiao.
Sun Jiajia’s expression was bitter. She had the perfect answer and yet the professor did not even spare her a glance. Why? Why did Gu Xiqiao’s half-assed answer get so much of his attention?
Gu Xiqiao walked out of her lecture hall. She had received a text message from Wu Hongwen, saying that he was waiting for her outside the entrance of her faculty building. It was this message that got her into trouble with the professor.
Coincidentally, Bai Xinran’s class had ended at the same time. She was majoring in acting so she had more freedom than say, a med student. She was about to head on over to the student council’s office when her eyes picked up on a sunshine boy. His back was leaned against a tree and he was presumably waiting for someone. Rays of sunlight that managed to penetrate the dense leaves above his head created bright spots all over his body, making his well-toned silhouette even more pronounced. Such a handsome guy, she thought. She’d believe it if someone told her that he was a well-known actor.
Lots of pairs of eyes were on this guy. Bai Xinran stopped abruptly in her tracks. She knew this guy. He’s that new recruit from the student council’s PR division, Wu Hongwen.
Not only did this rookie have good-looks, he was also a sweet-talker. His proficiency in talking was so much so that he managed to land a sponsorship of five thousand yuan for the student council, which also earned him the president’s praise and respect.
Apparently, he was studying financial management and shortly after enrollment into said course, he was nominated as their most attractive student by his fellow peers. According to hearsay, his personality was cold and distant. They said he was hard to approach. She personally had approached him too and just like what she heard, his reaction was lukewarm at best. She figured that he bore no ill-will toward herself and that it was just his personality.
This was the first time Bai Xinran had been shot down by a member of the opposite side. She, who had conquered Xia Zijun, felt her ego take a critical hit after being given the cold shoulder by Wu Hongwen.
“What’s up Xinran? Is Prince Charming waiting for you?” asked the curious girl standing beside her.
Bai Xinran shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s from the student council so we’re only acquaintances. We’re not as close as you think.”
“Hey, look!” The girl interrupted her. “That girl, isn’t she the one who they say was the national top ranker?! Um, Gu Xiqiao, right?!”
Bai Xinran’s brows furrowed upon hearing that name. Peering up, she saw Wu Hongwen’s ice-cold expression turn into a warm smile. From time to time, he would even chuckle when talking to that girl. He was the complete opposite from who he was back at the student council.
And that girl! Her face was so familiar! That’s because she was none other than Gu Xiqiao!
“Oh man, she looks much prettier in real life. Thank goodness she isn’t our coursemate. Else, we’d be in deep trouble, don’t you think?” exclaimed the girl beside Gu Xiqiao.
Bai Xinran was sick of hearing these words. Her hand reached up to her face. She wasn’t too far below Gu Xiqiao right? So why did everyone stop talking about her right after Gu Xiqiao’s arrival?
“I bet you don’t know this but…” Bai Xinran smiled at the girl. “…I’m roommates with Gu Xiqiao. She has a boyfriend already.”
“A boyfriend?” The girl instinctively looked over to Wu Hongwen.
Bai Xinran opened her mouth once more. “You’re looking at the wrong guy. He’s another rich man’s son.”
The girl’s brows became knitted upon hearing Bai Xinran’s words.
***
While talking to Gu Xiqiao, Wu Hongwen noticed that her mind had already wandered off elsewhere. He scratched his head at what her mind was currently preoccupied with. “Did you hear what I said? I said, Yao Jiamu has somehow befriended the senior manager at a nightclub recently!”
“I heard you.” Gu Xiqiao stretched her body. Yao Jiamu’s unique set of abilities meant that there would be demand for his service no matter where he went.
She was more interested in the conversation that was happening between the two standing behind her. ‘Bai Xinran? The Bai family? Guess I’ll have to do some research when I get home.’
Xiao Yun was waiting for them both at the university entrance. She had a tall stature and her default facial expression was joyless, which made quite a number of heads turn in the short time that she stood there waiting.
Finally, they could meet up again after settling their respective tasks. There were no classes for the rest of the afternoon so Wu Hongwen suggested that they should pay Yao Jiamu a visit. Xiao Yun was surprised upon learning of their destination. She had never been to a nightclub before.
“Well then, let’s wait until it’s dark. Their doors are closed right now anyways.” Gu Xiqiao looked at the sky. She felt like going to Nine Heavens to check on the current situation there.
And so, Gu Xiqiao left after having lunch together with Wu Hongwen and Xiao Yun.
“Have you realized something?” Wu Hongwen whispered to Xiao Yun.
“What?” Xiao Yun looked up.
Wu Hongwen made a sad face. “Ever since coming to the capital.”
Xiao Yun then urged him to continue speaking.
Wu Hongwen peered up at the sky, like a great philosopher who had attained enlightenment.
“Er Qiao has stopped loving us.”
“I swear to God, you’re retarded!”
“Forget it, I have just bought the deluxe version of the virtual helmet two days ago. How about we play a match or two together? Maybe we can get Er Qiao to join us too!”
It was as if Wu Hongwen’s soul had returned to his body when talking about games.
Xiao Yun agreed to his proposition immediately. She had been so busy with military drills that she did not even get the chance to play on her phone. What more to say of a gaming platform?
***
Gu Xiqiao had by now, arrived at Nine Heavens. It was rare for her to see Luo Wenlang here but he was currently in a meeting with the employees. From the window, she could see his dead serious face that did not change throughout the entire meeting.
Gu Xiqiao plopped down on her office chair and eavesdropped on said meeting. She now knew why Luo Wenlang had arranged for this meeting to be held. The Chen family, who had gone silent over the past few days have now struck again.
As the saying goes, even the strongest dragon cannot defeat a snake in its burrow. Not only was Nine Heavens not a native company to the Imperial Capital, it had only started operating here just days ago. In an instant, a handful of powerful companies had come saying that they wanted to pull out of the joint-project with Nine Heavens.
They have just started a large-scale network construction project and this divestment would deal a massive blow against the progress of this project. It would be a matter of time before their company would be reduced to dust and then, disappear as it gets blown into the wind.
At least, this was what Chen Feng had thought would play out. Her lips curled up into a malicious smile as she looked through the report her assistant handed her. “Luo Wenlang! I will make you kneel before me!”
Her dream would soon become reality! Or so she thought. Things could not turn out any further from her imagination.
Beads of sweat dotted the forehead of the financial giant who had just learned about this situation. He thought to himself, ‘What are they thinking!? Is something wrong with their heads to suddenly pull out of this project?! This is the golden opportunity! How could they be so oblivious to such a great project!? Fools! That’s right, what massive fools they are!’
He had just received a phone call from Chen Feng. With a smile, he said firmly, “President Chen, I will not be divesting my funds from this project. If I end up losing money then so be it. It’s not like I’m short on dough anyways.”
Like oil and water they were! Chen Feng took on a more displeased tone. “I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I am a phone call away from making this place a hellhole for you.”
“Of course I believe you!” The financial giant didn’t seem fazed by her threat. “But as a businessman, I must be a man of my word! How would I continue conducting business deals here if I just abandon agreements? Please, you have to understand where I’m coming from, President Chen.”
Chen Feng furiously hung up the call. Still, the man didn’t mind angering her. Life still went on without her. In fact, he had recently bought a fortune cat to help boost his luck in business.
Those who pulled out of the project looked at the financial giant with pitiful eyes. One even asked him, “Aren’t you afraid that the Chens would take revenge on you?”
Although the Chens weren’t the most powerful family in the capital, they were still a well-established family. Their founder was apparently a prominent figure during the days when triads ruled the streets. The current leader of their family had the face of a cruel dictator, and he certainly acted like one, hence why no one dared to stand in his way.
Still, the financial giant was firm in his decision. “What is there to be afraid of? I believe that Nine Heavens will continue soaring ever higher.”
“Where’s that confidence from?” Had he lost his mind? His “comrades” chattered among themselves, about how he had potentially gone insane. In the end, they did not warn him. Instead, they decided to look at him like how you would at a horrible car crash.
The man’s words were still repeating in Chen Feng’s ears. She laughed maniacally as she looked forward to hearing news about Nine Heavens’ collapse from her assistant.
That news did not come. What came instead was something that would shock her for the rest of her life.
The Wang family, who was cooperating with the Chen family in real estate development in the north of the Imperial Capital, had suddenly decided to pull out of the project. The Chen family had already invested more than one billion in this project and construction had already started. Despite this, the Wangs suddenly announced their withdrawal without providing an explanation whatsoever. They did however, pay ten million in liquidated damages as specified in their contract.
Chen Feng, who had invested most of her family’s assets into this project saw nothing but darkness in front of her eyes. “Call the Wang family! I demand to know the reason for their divestment!”
“President Chen, we didn’t want to divest our funds either but… we are interested in cooperating with Nine Heavens. As you know, the expected returns from investing in tech is much higher than real estate.” He then hung up immediately after.
Chen Feng angrily slammed her phone down upon hearing the line go dead.
She could not simply let billions go to waste like this!
How could Nine Heavens, who had the most robust investment plan possibly run out of funds? On paper, they may be labeled as a network company but unbeknownst to the citizens of the Imperial Capital, they were involved in investments too. In fact, Gu Xiqiao had just devised a risk-free investment method that guaranteed a return of 15% per annum.
Upon uploading the plan onto the internet, a tidal wave of investors from all over the world swept over them, offering their investments and yet none of them were accepted by Nine Heavens.
At the same time, the financial giant who had not terminated his contract with Nine Heavens began to enjoy the fruits of his decision. Nine Heavens had recently been on the offensive, releasing a great deal of ground-breaking softwares and as the icing on the cake, they even released a short clip of what to expect from their virtual world, which took the nation by storm.
The United States had already declared that it would take at least a decade before a fully-functional virtual world could be rolled out and yet, China would come to disprove their statement.
In the end, articles related to Nine Heavens dominated the headlines on the internet.
***
At the same time, in the Chen family home.
Face drained of color, Chen Feng knelt before the patriarch of the family. In a fit of rage, the old man flipped the coffee table over. “Chen Feng! Remember your promise?! You said you would handle the company well! That you would not meddle in others’ affairs! So why?! Why have you stirred up so much trouble for us?! Will you only be satisfied when our family is utterly destroyed?!”
“Father!” Teary-eyed, Chen Feng looked up at the old man. “I just wanted to teach Luo Wenlang a lesson! I never thought that it would turn out like this!”
“You never thought?” The old man was frustrated at how little his daughter had learned from her past experience. “How can you be so short-sighted? He’s just a boy. We have already gotten over him so why can’t you!? Now that your plan has blown up in your face, you come here to beg for my help!?”
“Father please, I have made a mistake. Your daughter has wronged you. Please tell me what to do next, please…”
The man couldn’t bear to see his daughter crying like this. “Luo Wenlang will be representing his company at a charity party tonight. Follow me there. We’ll try to clear up our misunderstanding with him.”
“Okay.” Chen Feng wasn’t going to do that. Clear up a misunderstanding? With the son of her husband’s ex-wife? To hell with that! To her, doing such a thing was on the same level as eating dog feces.
That evening, Chen Feng went with her father as well as with Luo Jiajun, who was never allowed to take part in such occasions, to the charity party.
Luo Jiajun was surprised when he was told that he could participate in tonight’s event. Then, from her remarks, he figured out that this must’ve been because of the son that he had abandoned years ago. From then on, an ominous feeling lingered in his heart.
He had never once taken his own son seriously. Throughout the years, never once had he spoken to that boy. However, this silence was broken when he warned the boy against coming to the Imperial Capital. It never crossed his mind that this boy had grown up to become a man of significant social standing, such that even the Chen family had to bow down to him.
It took Luo Jiajun a matter of seconds to locate his son from the crowd at the party. This was because of the striking similarity between son and father.
This was the son who he had looked down upon up until recently. Surrounding him were a couple of successful people, who seemed honored to be speaking with him.
When had he become such a capable man?
Upon recognizing Luo Wenlang’s face, the leader of the Chen family stepped forward and greeted, “Brother Luo, I see you have achieved quite a lot for a man your age.”
Chen Feng, who trailed behind her father forced a smile.
Luo Wenlang’s gaze glided over Luo Jiajun lightly before his mouth curled into a smile. “Oh, it’s nothing to talk about. We have to thank our boss for that!”
What he said was true. Thank God for Gu Xiqiao. She was the one pulling the strings behind this show. It was all a part of her plan, which started the day she arrived at the Imperial Capital. He then remembered something she said to him yesterday. “Sweet revenge will be taken. Rest assured, Nine Heavens will have your back till the very end.”
Luo Wenlang was putting up a pretty convincing act. The corner of Chen Feng’s mouth twitched in anger.
‘A fool’s luck he has!’
“But, for a young man like you, it’s better to have passion in what you do,” said the old man with a friendly smile. “But don’t look down on us old men! We’re pretty tough fighters too.”
What he actually meant was “Don’t mess with the Chen family. Should you stand in our way, I will take you down, even if it means imminent death.”
If it was any other day, Luo Wenlang would have backed down upon hearing this. However, Gu Xiqiao’s words emboldened him. She had given him the opportunity and courage. The entire company was supporting him so what was there to be scared of?
“I’ll be waiting then.” Luo Wenlang raised his glass, his expression, as cool as ice.
Tensions were high during such an exchange. The old man’s warm expression turned cold in the blink of an eye. “I certainly don’t hope to see you collapse under your own weight in the future!”
“Well, I wonder what that feels like. I presume you’ve learned firsthand what that’s like from yesterday’s incident?” Luo Wenlang had not the time to open his mouth before a woman’s voice came from behind. A young woman slowly walked up to his side. One of the hall’s spotlights were shining from behind her back, so it was hard to make out her face clearly. Still, Chen Feng was able to catch a glimpse of a pair of crystal clear eyes.
She was smiling, and yet they could feel the pressure ramping up.
The old man was wide-eyed when she walked up in front of him. “You!”
He was pissed off, but he had nothing to use against her. And so, he turned to leave as he said, “Don’t you dare regret this later on.”
“I’ll be waiting right here,” replied Gu Xiqiao with a smile.
Luo Jiajun stole a glance at Luo Wenlang. In the end, he decided to place his chips on the Chen family. While he had not the slightest clue about the current situation in the Imperial Capital, he knew that the Chens were quite powerful and no matter how capable Luo Wenlang was, there was no way he could topple their entire family, right?
“If I crush the Chens, your cheap father may drown with them too. Would you object to my decision?” asked Gu Xiqiao.
“No. No objections,” replied Luo Wenlang with an unchanging expression. He had nothing but disdain for Luo Jiajun. If not for him, his mother would not have been murdered by Chen Feng. He felt that he would not feel even an ounce of guilt if every single member of the Chen family was to die in front of him.
“Very well. Enjoy the show.” Gu Xiqiao said with a smile on her face. The reason why she had held back her punches against the Gu family was because they were her own flesh and blood. To date, she had not done anything drastic towards them; she still had her trump card that could destroy them at her will.
As for the Chens, who were not related to her, nor did Luo Wenlang care for them, the chance has finally come for her to declare an all-out war.
The Chen family had its roots in organized crime, from smuggling, to money laundering and a couple of other disgraceful activities. Recently, their country has been cracking down hard on smugglers. If proven in court, they would all be sent behind bars with no prospect of returning to their former glory.
***
One day later, Chen Feng was in the middle of a meeting with her employees when men in blue busted into the office and took her away.
In the afternoon, news of the Chen family’s destruction spread like wildfire around the Imperial Capital. Amidst the chaos, they realized that the time has come for Nine Heavens to rise up.
The men who once sneered at the financial giant for not pulling out of the agreement with Nine Heavens were now dumbfounded. No matter how much regret they felt, they were barred from entering Nine Heavens’ door, what more to say of discussing new business deals with them. A couple of them, after being turned down so coldly, went back home while cursing the already fallen Chen family.
When did the situation here become so volatile?
Damn that company! They knew that they had a trump card against the Chen family so why hadn’t they revealed it earlier? Why had they chosen to wait for them to pull out before bringing down the Chens! What a bunch of cunning bastards!
Regardless, fear of Nine Heavens had already been sowed in many of the peoples’ hearts. They even started speculating about who the puppetmaster was behind this operation. He must be a horrifying person to be able to topple the mighty Chen family!
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“Who’s looking for me now?” Gu Xiqiao shot Xu Jing at glance.
Her friend chuckled cheekily. “A very veryyyy handsome man. Says you know him. Um, I think you’ll know when you go down and meet him!”
Xu Jing was acting weird but Gu Xiqiao couldn’t bother with squeezing information out from her. She blinked a few times before deciding it was best for her to find out personally what was going on.
“Fine. I’ll be going down then.” Gu Xiqiao locked up her own cabinet before grabbing her phone and heading downstairs.
Bai Xinran minimized her game interface as soon as Gu Xiqiao left. Pulling her drawer open, she revealed a fancy-looking set of cosmetics. “These are repair serums I got from overseas. They’re really effective against sunburns. Here, see if you two need any of it.”
Sunscreen was completely useless against the blistering sun during their military drills; Bai Xinran as well as her friends were now heavily tanned. A glint appeared in Sun Jiajia’s eyes as soon as her ears picked up on the word “overseas”. She had a keen interest in all things foreign, especially if they were luxury goods.
Xu Jing smiled at her offer but did not walk over to pick one of her gifts up. This prompted Bai Xinran to open her mouth. “Xu Jing, would you like to try this out? Here, have a bottle. It’s really effective. I’ve been using it for three days now and see, my skin’s noticeably fairer now.”
Born into an upper-class family, Bai Xinran always treated others with arrogance. Still, that attitude of hers had paid off as it had not even been a week but she had completely won over Sun Jiajia’s heart. However, the attitudes of her other roommates were lukewarm at best. Leaving Gu Xiqiao aside, she felt that it was imperative to win over Xu Jing’s heart too.
“Oh, you’re right! Xinran, your skin’s much fairer now!” Sun Jiajia picked two bottles of Bai Xinran’s repair serum for herself.
“Thanks but no thanks. My skin’s naturally tanned. It would all end up in vain no matter what I apply on my skin.” Xu Jing politely turned down Bai Xinran’s generous offer.
‘How much difference can there be after just 3 days?’
Xu Jing’s rejection definitely surprised Bai Xinran but she had always the premonition that she would be a tough nut to crack. In an instant, she tried to change the topic. “Hey, you said someone was looking for Gu Xiqiao right? I presume it’s a guy?”
“Guy?” Sun Jiajia asked while patting the repair serum onto her face. “I thought Gu Xiqiao already had a boyfriend.”
The way she said it irritated Xu Jing. “He’s an ordinary friend. Also, having a boyfriend doesn’t mean losing her own freedom, you know? Nowadays, it’s not weird for girls to have a few good male friends around them.”
“Jiajia’s just joking, no need to be so serious.” Bai Xinran forced a smile on her delicate face. During the military drill phase, she didn’t have the things to win them over with. Still, she wanted to get Xu Jing on her side. Surprisingly, she had actually grown closer with Gu Xiqiao who had done nothing for her, than herself.
Did Xu Jing have a problem with her eyes? Bai Xinran was really frustrated about this. What did Gu Xiqiao have that she didn’t apart from better looks and a high-status boyfriend?
Bai Xinran continued smiling at Xu Jing sweetly.
‘You will regret this b*tch!’ she thought to herself.
Xu Jing mumbled a half-hearted response before grabbing her clothes and going into the bathroom. She had just become a member of the student council and subsequently, has been standing under the hot sun throughout the entire afternoon. Her shirt was soaked with sweat so taking a shower was her number one priority. Who cares about Bai Xinran and Sun Jiajia~
***
It was now evening. There were lots of people outside the female dormitory but all of their gazes were fixated on one thing—the man standing underneath the sycamore tree. He was sporting a minimal casual outfit but paired with his good looks, he seemed classy and cool. His head was lowered so both of his eyes were hidden behind thin strands of hair hanging off the edge of his hairline. Still, his facial features alone told the tale—this was an extremely attractive man.
Not many were able to turn casual clothes into an evening dress, especially for regular university students. Though, the Patek Philippe on his wrist confirmed that he was no snot-nosed university boy. He was a refined gentleman, a winner in society.
Some women looked at him with pitiful eyes but that was his own fault. They wondered who was the lucky girl that he was so patiently waiting for outside their dormitory. If this was their boyfriend, never in a thousand years would they never let him wait like that!
In the next second, as if by telekinesis, the man lifted his head to peer at the main entrance. As he did so, his pretty face was finally revealed to the onlooking women.
No matter from which angle you looked at him, he seemed dashing and mature, completely unlike the boys in A University who were still years away from graduation.
Instantaneously, they knew that the person he was waiting for had arrived. Following his gaze, they traced it to the main entrance of their dormitory. There were lots of girls crowded there but they all figured out in a second which one he was truly waiting for.
The girl dressed in blue stood out the most from the crowd. She had a pale, poreless face and a pair of bright eyes, as clear as a puddle of still water. Her eyebrows were so perfect that it looked like it was drawn on by a master painter.
These girls never felt so much envy in their life. This girl was miles ahead of them in terms of looks. Ugh, this superficial, looks-based world is disgusting.
Gu Xiqiao’s mental strength was godly, as evidenced by how she was able to figure out who was waiting for her based on Xu Jing’s vague description alone.
“So, why have you come here?” She asked Tang Qinghong with slightly narrowed eyes.
It took Tang Qinghong a while to regain his senses after which he quickly responded to her question. “I heard from my aunt that you were here, so I’ve come to pay you a visit.”
Of course, his aunt was none other than Tang Yanling. He had met her just yesterday. This was the aunt that proclaimed how she would never return to the Tang family after marrying her husband years ago. Thus, throughout his lifetime, the number of times he had seen her could be counted with five fingers alone. In fact, of the times he had met her, some were done in secrecy alongside his father.
Back then, the old man of the Tang family had looked down on Yin Jinian. No matter how hard they persuaded him, he was stubbornly against Tang Yanling’s marriage with him. If she did so however, he vowed to never let her back into their home. Tang Yanling, having inherited her father’s stubbornness, went ahead with her own plans. It was like the clash between two unbreakable boulders—none of them were willing to compromise. Tang Yanling, who had moved to N City after the marriage then swore to never return to the capital!
Though, after the bloodbath that ensued, the Tang family has finally changed their stance on this issue.
Speaking of the Tang family, although they were once considered hermits among the nobility, they had finally started opening up to the world around them recently. His brother had started an entertainment company that spelled the end of their hermitdom. And since this happened, the old man has been so busy with a bunch of stuff that he had forgotten about the ongoing grudge with his daughter.
“So, it’s just a visit then? No strings attached?” Gu Xiqiao eyed Tang Qinghong suspiciously. She thought to herself, if he answered “yes”, she would immediately send her fist straight into his jaw.
“Not exactly. I have something to discuss with you about.” Tang Qinghong replied with a smile. Seeing how they were gathering more and more attention by the minute, he frowned slightly. “Let’s find a more quiet place to sit down at.”
Gu Xiqiao too, hated crowds. Acting as if Tang Qinghong had something important to tell her, she scouted the place before finally choosing a more deserted pavilion to sit down at.
The girls around the dorm entrance started gossiping among themselves as soon as the two left.
“Oh. My. God. I know who that girl is! It’s that popular girl on the school forum! The one whom they say is as smart as she was pretty!”
“Ohh, no wonder her face seemed so familiar. So it’s her after all.”
“I didn’t think that she’d be much prettier in real life. Oh no, you feel that? Something’s happening with my sexuality! I must remind myself, I am a woman and I am straight!”
“Wow, the freshmen this year are really impressive. They’re a much more lively bunch than their seniors. I think there’s already a handful of really attractive ones in their batch.”
“Speaking of this, I can’t help but bring up my new idol, Wu Hongwen. He’s that new kid in the student council. He’s so handsome and I tell ya what, his personality really is made up of sunshine and flowers! Crap, I gotta stop my lustful desires from overflowing!”
“…”
***
Gu Xiqiao rested her butt on the railing that surrounded the pavilion. “Go on, what are you hoping to discuss with me today?”
“It’s hard for me to explain in one shot but I’ll try my best.” Tang Qinghong looked at this pitiful excuse of a place to talk at. What he originally had in mind was for them to sit down at a nice, cozy cafe, where the ambiance was just right to hold a conversation. He totally did not expect her to pick this spot out of all the spots she could have picked. “I think you already know by now that I am a member of the ancient martial arts world. As a matter of fact, we, the Tang family, are one of the three existing families that are still practicing the art.”
He stared at her face waiting for a response that never came. What he said, she had already figured out long ago and she made no attempts to hide that fact.
His story started with Yin Shaoyuan. He had told Tang Yanling about the incident that had occurred at the base he was overseeing. In a fit of rage, she discovered that the elders of the Tang family were behind this incident. Without delay, she rushed straight back to the Tang family home and caused a huge ruckus. After the dust had settled though, old man Tang no longer felt the need to keep up his act. Ordering his men, they captured Yin Shaoyuan and brought him over from N City before locking him behind the Tang family’s door.
After all, half of the blood flowing through Yin Shaoyuan’s body belonged to the Tang family. Before he could react, Tang Wenbo had him sealed inside the Tang family’s legacy chamber to receive the legacy of the Tang family. Every member of their family would come out with two-thirds of the seal on their body removed and would for the most part, function as a normal human being. And yet, the seal on Yin Shaoyuan’s body was unbreakable no matter what. Tang Qinghong then remembered Gu Xiqiao and the pill she fed him earlier on to loosen up the seal on his body.
Only she possessed such a powerful tool. And so, upon catching wind that Gu Xiqiao was at the Imperial Capital, he came looking for her as soon as the opportunity arose.
Gu Xiqiao’s brows knitted up slightly. She didn’t really understand much about this legacy thing but she had her friends list. A clear board appeared right in front of her eyes, on which Yin Shaoyuan’s details were displayed.
Though, from Tang Qinghong’s point of view, Gu Xiqiao was staring blankly into empty air.
[Beauty Qiao, Yin Shaoyuan is full of vitality and his mental strength appears to be at its peak. All functions are normal. But why isn’t he conscious?]
‘I don’t know, but give me those pills that I used from the last time, a large amount of them. Also, have you wilted recently?’ She had rarely heard from it recently, let alone see it appear in her vision. Something was definitely wrong, she felt.
The system’s voice echoed from a void. [I did not wilt. It’s just that the capital is too terrifying.] There was danger lurking around every corner here and so did bad omens. As soon as it left its usual form, it would feel an indescribable pressure closing in on it, just like what it felt in front of Jiang Shuxuan. Estimation suggested that it might need to level up one more time before it could maintain its physical form.
Gu Xiqiao was already thinking about something else. “Let’s complete a couple more tasks to help you level up, alright?”
[Chirp, chirp, chirp. Beauty Qiao, I love you so much!]
‘How disgusting. I don’t even think we should be friends anymore!’
System: I’m sorry.
“This is for you.” Gu Xiqiao continued chatting with the system before tossing something to Tang Qinghong. “If this doesn’t work, you’ll know where to find me.”
She’d come up with another plan if it didn’t work.
Tang Qinghong instinctively reached out to grab a large bag of pills that did not spill despite her tossing it so carelessly at him. His handsome face was awestruck. He thought that it would be hard for him to get even a single pill from Gu Xiqiao; he never expected her to give him such a huge bag of them. He had personally ingested one of these pills and experienced how powerful its effects were. It must be an arduous process, trying to create these pills, he thought.
So why was she so willing to give him such a large bag of them?
“You should head on back and give these to Brother Yin. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try something else.” Her expression was subtle when she spoke.
Tang Qinghong realized that she was doing this for Yin Shaoyuan. Seems like they’re pretty close friends. If not, there was no way a sane person would willingly offer so many of these magnificent pills which were near impossible to procure even with a vast amount of cash.
“Well then, I’ll be heading back now.” Tang Qinghong said with his head lowered.
Gu Xiqiao watched him leave hastily before turning back towards her dormitory. She hoped that the pills would work as intended on Yin Shaoyuan. If not, she would have to go personally to the Tang’s residence. Being affiliated with the ancient martial arts world was the last thing she wanted to do having just arrived here in the Imperial Capital.
***
Back at her dorm room, it was pleasantly quiet. Bai Xinran and Sun Jiajia were busy playing with Nine Heavens’ newly-launched Virtual Helmet.
“Oh, I see you’ve returned. Are you really friends with that man?” Xu Jing really was left speechless by how handsome that man waiting outside the dorm entrance was.
Gu Xiqiao mumbled a response before pulling out her laptop to check her class schedule. Then, she glanced at Xu Jing’s dead tired face.
“What happened to you?”
Xu Jing sighed as she rested her jaw on Gu Xiqiao’s table. With a sad expression, she explained, “As you know, I became a member of the student council’s news department, in an attempt to follow my senior’s footsteps. She’s the second-in-command in her department and everything was coming along oh so smoothly. But for some reason, we were ordered to do some promotional bullcrap this afternoon! Isn’t this supposed to be the PR’s job?! I had to stand outside the hall the entire frickin’ afternoon! Ah, I guess my stars are misaligned today.”
It’s not surprising for one to have friends and relatives in the student council. Xu Jing herself was also quite the capable worker; the new recruits there loved her too so it was hard to explain why she received such a tough job so suddenly.
[Ding! Daily Mission activated: Help target character, Xu Jing complete her promotional project. 20 points will be awarded upon mission completion!]
It had been such a long time since she had received a mission like this. Gu Xiqiao raised her brow. She had successfully downloaded her class schedule. There were four subjects they had to study this semester, which were basic chemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy and histo-embryology. After that came the weekly laboratory sessions. It wasn’t as packed as it was back in her last year at senior high.
“What sort of promotional thingy are you trying to do? I’ll help with drawing and painting.” She downloaded the class schedule on her phone.
Xu Jing who was in the middle of groaning about her new task went quiet immediately. While rubbing her chin, she scanned Gu Xiqiao from head to toe. “You’re good at art?”
Gu Xiqiao turned around with a smug look. “I’m fairly good at copying techniques.”
Xu Jing did not take what she said seriously. What matters now is that she complete the task that has been handed down to her, and not how pretty it looks. “Wait up. I’m gonna wrap up this report then we’ll do this thing together!”
Gu Xiqiao nodded. Then, she climbed onto her bed and sat down cross-legged. She picked up one of the textbooks that had been sent to her and flipped through them one page at a time. It didn’t take long for her to complete one whole book, after which she moved on to the next book.
Bai Xinran was still playing her game but she just couldn’t get into the mood because of something that was bugging her mind. Looking over to Gu Xiqiao, who was flipping through her textbook, she couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”
No way was she reading books. No one in this world could read at such a speed, right?
Gu Xiqiao thought to herself, ‘I can’t tell her I’m reading books can I?’
And so, she looked up from her book and replied, “I’m bored so I’m counting the pages in my textbook.”
‘Girl, are you mentally ill or something? They call you a talent but you look more like a retard than anything!’
Sun Jiajia also decided to end their gaming session. Her in-game equipment was inferior to what Bai Xinran had so she was basically being carried the entire time. Now that Bai Xinran wasn’t playing, there was no point in her continuing the game.
“If that’s the case then why don’t you join us? Xinran’s a god at this game! In fact, she’s a mod at the top guild in the game, and she can bring you into it too!” Players in the top guild was composed of the best players in the game who were equipped with the finest equipment available in the market. Sun Jiajia who came from an average family on the other hand, could not afford to pay cold hard cash in exchange for some virtual weapons, so she could only join the guild because of Bai Xinran’s recommendation.
“I’m not really interested at the moment.” Gu Xiqiao declined politely.
Gu Xiqiao’s rejection made Sun Jiajia’s mouth curl downwards. Though, upon seeing her rival burying her head in a book, she too, climbed onto her bed and started studying basic chemistry.
Right around then, Xu Jing finished typing her lengthy report. She stretched her torso before laying out the art materials she brought back from the student council. She was about to start a sketch of the poster when Bai Xinran spoke out. “Jiajia, how’s life at the student council? Would you like me to speak to your department leader? I’m pretty close with him so I could ask him to cut you some slack.”
Xu Jing’s eyes narrowed as soon as she heard Bai Xinran’s words. After careful deliberation, she turned her offer down. “Um, no thanks. I don’t think it’s a good idea to engage in such a slimy conduct. I, Xu Jing, have yet to hit the bottom of the barrel.”
Bai Xinran’s smile stiffened the moment her mind processed Xu Jing’s rejection. However, she was quick to defuse the situation that was growing ever tenser. “Well, if you ever need anything, you could just speak to me.”
Picking up her clothes, Bai Xinran waltzed into the bathroom. The moment its door clicked shut though, her gentle expression changed completely. She and that girl were like oil and water.
‘You’ll regret this!’
“Heyy, come over, time to start drawing now!” Xu Jing set the paper down onto the table before producing yet another smaller piece of paper for a rough sketch. With her teeth gritted, she said, “You know what? I think you just need to write the words. Leave the drawing to me.”
Gu Xiqiao had just finished flipping through the fourth book. She tossed the book aside and proceeded to grab the paintbrush from Xu Jing’s hand. “Good girl, but let me do the drawing. I’m better at it than you think.”
Xu Jing, who was initially skeptical about Gu Xiqiao’s artistic skill was stunned when the painting began taking shape. She recalled Gu Xiqiao’s words from before. “Copying? Fairly good? No, no, no, this is exactly the type of painting you’d get from a grandmaster of painting! Bob Ross level sh*t!”
Gu Xiqiao’s head was slightly lowered as she worked the paintbrush in her hand with precision. In a jiffy, the overall structure of the painting had been completed. This poster was about a news broadcast competition held by the Ministry of Information so she made sure to paint a couple of microphones and some cute, by surprisingly realistic chibi characters.
What’s left to be completed was the information on said competition. She placed the paintbrush down and picked up a calligraphy brush. Dipping its tip in ink, she began swiping away swiftly, stroke by stroke, just like a professional caligrapher.
“F*ck me!” This was the first time Xu Jing cussed so loudly. “Beauty Gu, what you’re doing here is like a whole another level to us filthy peasants. This isn’t a poster! This is a work of art! And a damn fine one at that!”
The brush stopped moving. Gu Xiqiao then took a step backward. “Is this alright?”
“If that isn’t alright, then I should just off myself right here, right now!” Xu Jing started laughing like a madman. Once that painting dried up, she made a vow to protect it as if it was her own baby.
Someone was trying to bite her ass out there. ‘Just you wait’, she thought. ‘When I find out who you are, I’m gonna punch your face so hard, it’s gonna swell up like a balloon!’
Xu Jing slept like a baby that night.
***
The next morning, Gu Xiqiao went out for her routine morning run. Everyone was still asleep when she came back from the run. She placed the bag of breakfast she bought for Xu Jing on the table before heading into the bathroom for a shower. Halfway through scrubbing herself down though, she could hear her roommate outside professing her love for Gu Xiqiao.
According to the schedule, there was a long class on basic chemistry in the morning. Gu Xiqiao had already flipped through the whole book last night and every bit of information had been burned into her mind. Still, she found it hard to fully understand what those words meant. The professor giving the lecture was an older gentleman, surname Jiang. His classes were strict and so was his face, on which a smile never seemed to appear. The thing he most hated was the sight of a bunch of lazy, demotivated students.
“That student over there! I see you fiddling on your damn device! You must be real good at this subject for you to do that! Now, tell me, you all have studied the subject of chemistry back at middle school and high school, have you not? So why are you studying the same subject all over again in university?” Seeing the girl who couldn’t leave her phone alone for even a minute, Professor Jiang chucked a piece of chalk at her.
The white chalk landed smack right in the middle of Gu Xiqiao’s desk. It momentarily stunned her before she shot up from her seat. Slightly narrowing her eyes, she thought of an answer to the professor’s question.
Her fellow coursemates started panicking upon realizing that the feared professor has finally set his sights on their lovable class pet. Everyone sitting in her vicinity tried to help her by giving her their own answers to the professor’s question. Some whispered the answer to her directly while some wrote them down on a piece of napkin which they folded and passed over to her.
“Sir, I know the answer to this question,” said Sun Jiajia with her hand raised. Pumping her chest forwards confidently, she started explaining, “I have read through the textbook yesterday. To my surprise, while the concepts we learn here and back then are fundamentally the same, the things we learn here are much more in-depth and involve the use of more complex terms. Apart from this, the symbols we use are slightly different as well.”
Professor Jiang nodded toward her and gestured for her to sit down before returning to Gu Xiqiao.
“Do you have anything you would like to add on?”
Gu Xiqiao’s brows twitched. Looking straight into the professor’s eyes, she opened her mouth when everyone else did not expect her to do so. “We use the ‘hands-on’ approach while learning.”
The professor’s knitted brows loosened up. He was waiting for her to continue but what followed was dead silence. “And?”
“Professor, you should know that…” Gu Xiqiao made sure to put up a smile. “…class is over.”
“…what’s your name?”
“Gu Xiqiao.” Before she could open her mouth, someone else had already answered the professor in her stead. A glow appeared in the professor’s eyes. Before the start of his class, someone had already told him that the current year’s national top ranker was among this batch of med students. He, who originally thought nothing of it, and was thoroughly surprised by Gu Xiqiao.
Sun Jiajia’s expression was bitter. She had the perfect answer and yet the professor did not even spare her a glance. Why? Why did Gu Xiqiao’s half-assed answer get so much of his attention?
Gu Xiqiao walked out of her lecture hall. She had received a text message from Wu Hongwen, saying that he was waiting for her outside the entrance of her faculty building. It was this message that got her into trouble with the professor.
Coincidentally, Bai Xinran’s class had ended at the same time. She was majoring in acting so she had more freedom than say, a med student. She was about to head on over to the student council’s office when her eyes picked up on a sunshine boy. His back was leaned against a tree and he was presumably waiting for someone. Rays of sunlight that managed to penetrate the dense leaves above his head created bright spots all over his body, making his well-toned silhouette even more pronounced. Such a handsome guy, she thought. She’d believe it if someone told her that he was a well-known actor.
Lots of pairs of eyes were on this guy. Bai Xinran stopped abruptly in her tracks. She knew this guy. He’s that new recruit from the student council’s PR division, Wu Hongwen.
Not only did this rookie have good-looks, he was also a sweet-talker. His proficiency in talking was so much so that he managed to land a sponsorship of five thousand yuan for the student council, which also earned him the president’s praise and respect.
Apparently, he was studying financial management and shortly after enrollment into said course, he was nominated as their most attractive student by his fellow peers. According to hearsay, his personality was cold and distant. They said he was hard to approach. She personally had approached him too and just like what she heard, his reaction was lukewarm at best. She figured that he bore no ill-will toward herself and that it was just his personality.
This was the first time Bai Xinran had been shot down by a member of the opposite side. She, who had conquered Xia Zijun, felt her ego take a critical hit after being given the cold shoulder by Wu Hongwen.
“What’s up Xinran? Is Prince Charming waiting for you?” asked the curious girl standing beside her.
Bai Xinran shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s from the student council so we’re only acquaintances. We’re not as close as you think.”
“Hey, look!” The girl interrupted her. “That girl, isn’t she the one who they say was the national top ranker?! Um, Gu Xiqiao, right?!”
Bai Xinran’s brows furrowed upon hearing that name. Peering up, she saw Wu Hongwen’s ice-cold expression turn into a warm smile. From time to time, he would even chuckle when talking to that girl. He was the complete opposite from who he was back at the student council.
And that girl! Her face was so familiar! That’s because she was none other than Gu Xiqiao!
“Oh man, she looks much prettier in real life. Thank goodness she isn’t our coursemate. Else, we’d be in deep trouble, don’t you think?” exclaimed the girl beside Gu Xiqiao.
Bai Xinran was sick of hearing these words. Her hand reached up to her face. She wasn’t too far below Gu Xiqiao right? So why did everyone stop talking about her right after Gu Xiqiao’s arrival?
“I bet you don’t know this but…” Bai Xinran smiled at the girl. “…I’m roommates with Gu Xiqiao. She has a boyfriend already.”
“A boyfriend?” The girl instinctively looked over to Wu Hongwen.
Bai Xinran opened her mouth once more. “You’re looking at the wrong guy. He’s another rich man’s son.”
The girl’s brows became knitted upon hearing Bai Xinran’s words.
***
While talking to Gu Xiqiao, Wu Hongwen noticed that her mind had already wandered off elsewhere. He scratched his head at what her mind was currently preoccupied with. “Did you hear what I said? I said, Yao Jiamu has somehow befriended the senior manager at a nightclub recently!”
“I heard you.” Gu Xiqiao stretched her body. Yao Jiamu’s unique set of abilities meant that there would be demand for his service no matter where he went.
She was more interested in the conversation that was happening between the two standing behind her. ‘Bai Xinran? The Bai family? Guess I’ll have to do some research when I get home.’
Xiao Yun was waiting for them both at the university entrance. She had a tall stature and her default facial expression was joyless, which made quite a number of heads turn in the short time that she stood there waiting.
Finally, they could meet up again after settling their respective tasks. There were no classes for the rest of the afternoon so Wu Hongwen suggested that they should pay Yao Jiamu a visit. Xiao Yun was surprised upon learning of their destination. She had never been to a nightclub before.
“Well then, let’s wait until it’s dark. Their doors are closed right now anyways.” Gu Xiqiao looked at the sky. She felt like going to Nine Heavens to check on the current situation there.
And so, Gu Xiqiao left after having lunch together with Wu Hongwen and Xiao Yun.
“Have you realized something?” Wu Hongwen whispered to Xiao Yun.
“What?” Xiao Yun looked up.
Wu Hongwen made a sad face. “Ever since coming to the capital.”
Xiao Yun then urged him to continue speaking.
Wu Hongwen peered up at the sky, like a great philosopher who had attained enlightenment.
“Er Qiao has stopped loving us.”
“I swear to God, you’re retarded!”
“Forget it, I have just bought the deluxe version of the virtual helmet two days ago. How about we play a match or two together? Maybe we can get Er Qiao to join us too!”
It was as if Wu Hongwen’s soul had returned to his body when talking about games.
Xiao Yun agreed to his proposition immediately. She had been so busy with military drills that she did not even get the chance to play on her phone. What more to say of a gaming platform?
***
Gu Xiqiao had by now, arrived at Nine Heavens. It was rare for her to see Luo Wenlang here but he was currently in a meeting with the employees. From the window, she could see his dead serious face that did not change throughout the entire meeting.
Gu Xiqiao plopped down on her office chair and eavesdropped on said meeting. She now knew why Luo Wenlang had arranged for this meeting to be held. The Chen family, who had gone silent over the past few days have now struck again.
As the saying goes, even the strongest dragon cannot defeat a snake in its burrow. Not only was Nine Heavens not a native company to the Imperial Capital, it had only started operating here just days ago. In an instant, a handful of powerful companies had come saying that they wanted to pull out of the joint-project with Nine Heavens.
They have just started a large-scale network construction project and this divestment would deal a massive blow against the progress of this project. It would be a matter of time before their company would be reduced to dust and then, disappear as it gets blown into the wind.
At least, this was what Chen Feng had thought would play out. Her lips curled up into a malicious smile as she looked through the report her assistant handed her. “Luo Wenlang! I will make you kneel before me!”
Her dream would soon become reality! Or so she thought. Things could not turn out any further from her imagination.
Beads of sweat dotted the forehead of the financial giant who had just learned about this situation. He thought to himself, ‘What are they thinking!? Is something wrong with their heads to suddenly pull out of this project?! This is the golden opportunity! How could they be so oblivious to such a great project!? Fools! That’s right, what massive fools they are!’
He had just received a phone call from Chen Feng. With a smile, he said firmly, “President Chen, I will not be divesting my funds from this project. If I end up losing money then so be it. It’s not like I’m short on dough anyways.”
Like oil and water they were! Chen Feng took on a more displeased tone. “I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I am a phone call away from making this place a hellhole for you.”
“Of course I believe you!” The financial giant didn’t seem fazed by her threat. “But as a businessman, I must be a man of my word! How would I continue conducting business deals here if I just abandon agreements? Please, you have to understand where I’m coming from, President Chen.”
Chen Feng furiously hung up the call. Still, the man didn’t mind angering her. Life still went on without her. In fact, he had recently bought a fortune cat to help boost his luck in business.
Those who pulled out of the project looked at the financial giant with pitiful eyes. One even asked him, “Aren’t you afraid that the Chens would take revenge on you?”
Although the Chens weren’t the most powerful family in the capital, they were still a well-established family. Their founder was apparently a prominent figure during the days when triads ruled the streets. The current leader of their family had the face of a cruel dictator, and he certainly acted like one, hence why no one dared to stand in his way.
Still, the financial giant was firm in his decision. “What is there to be afraid of? I believe that Nine Heavens will continue soaring ever higher.”
“Where’s that confidence from?” Had he lost his mind? His “comrades” chattered among themselves, about how he had potentially gone insane. In the end, they did not warn him. Instead, they decided to look at him like how you would at a horrible car crash.
The man’s words were still repeating in Chen Feng’s ears. She laughed maniacally as she looked forward to hearing news about Nine Heavens’ collapse from her assistant.
That news did not come. What came instead was something that would shock her for the rest of her life.
The Wang family, who was cooperating with the Chen family in real estate development in the north of the Imperial Capital, had suddenly decided to pull out of the project. The Chen family had already invested more than one billion in this project and construction had already started. Despite this, the Wangs suddenly announced their withdrawal without providing an explanation whatsoever. They did however, pay ten million in liquidated damages as specified in their contract.
Chen Feng, who had invested most of her family’s assets into this project saw nothing but darkness in front of her eyes. “Call the Wang family! I demand to know the reason for their divestment!”
“President Chen, we didn’t want to divest our funds either but… we are interested in cooperating with Nine Heavens. As you know, the expected returns from investing in tech is much higher than real estate.” He then hung up immediately after.
Chen Feng angrily slammed her phone down upon hearing the line go dead.
She could not simply let billions go to waste like this!
How could Nine Heavens, who had the most robust investment plan possibly run out of funds? On paper, they may be labeled as a network company but unbeknownst to the citizens of the Imperial Capital, they were involved in investments too. In fact, Gu Xiqiao had just devised a risk-free investment method that guaranteed a return of 15% per annum.
Upon uploading the plan onto the internet, a tidal wave of investors from all over the world swept over them, offering their investments and yet none of them were accepted by Nine Heavens.
At the same time, the financial giant who had not terminated his contract with Nine Heavens began to enjoy the fruits of his decision. Nine Heavens had recently been on the offensive, releasing a great deal of ground-breaking softwares and as the icing on the cake, they even released a short clip of what to expect from their virtual world, which took the nation by storm.
The United States had already declared that it would take at least a decade before a fully-functional virtual world could be rolled out and yet, China would come to disprove their statement.
In the end, articles related to Nine Heavens dominated the headlines on the internet.
***
At the same time, in the Chen family home.
Face drained of color, Chen Feng knelt before the patriarch of the family. In a fit of rage, the old man flipped the coffee table over. “Chen Feng! Remember your promise?! You said you would handle the company well! That you would not meddle in others’ affairs! So why?! Why have you stirred up so much trouble for us?! Will you only be satisfied when our family is utterly destroyed?!”
“Father!” Teary-eyed, Chen Feng looked up at the old man. “I just wanted to teach Luo Wenlang a lesson! I never thought that it would turn out like this!”
“You never thought?” The old man was frustrated at how little his daughter had learned from her past experience. “How can you be so short-sighted? He’s just a boy. We have already gotten over him so why can’t you!? Now that your plan has blown up in your face, you come here to beg for my help!?”
“Father please, I have made a mistake. Your daughter has wronged you. Please tell me what to do next, please…”
The man couldn’t bear to see his daughter crying like this. “Luo Wenlang will be representing his company at a charity party tonight. Follow me there. We’ll try to clear up our misunderstanding with him.”
“Okay.” Chen Feng wasn’t going to do that. Clear up a misunderstanding? With the son of her husband’s ex-wife? To hell with that! To her, doing such a thing was on the same level as eating dog feces.
That evening, Chen Feng went with her father as well as with Luo Jiajun, who was never allowed to take part in such occasions, to the charity party.
Luo Jiajun was surprised when he was told that he could participate in tonight’s event. Then, from her remarks, he figured out that this must’ve been because of the son that he had abandoned years ago. From then on, an ominous feeling lingered in his heart.
He had never once taken his own son seriously. Throughout the years, never once had he spoken to that boy. However, this silence was broken when he warned the boy against coming to the Imperial Capital. It never crossed his mind that this boy had grown up to become a man of significant social standing, such that even the Chen family had to bow down to him.
It took Luo Jiajun a matter of seconds to locate his son from the crowd at the party. This was because of the striking similarity between son and father.
This was the son who he had looked down upon up until recently. Surrounding him were a couple of successful people, who seemed honored to be speaking with him.
When had he become such a capable man?
Upon recognizing Luo Wenlang’s face, the leader of the Chen family stepped forward and greeted, “Brother Luo, I see you have achieved quite a lot for a man your age.”
Chen Feng, who trailed behind her father forced a smile.
Luo Wenlang’s gaze glided over Luo Jiajun lightly before his mouth curled into a smile. “Oh, it’s nothing to talk about. We have to thank our boss for that!”
What he said was true. Thank God for Gu Xiqiao. She was the one pulling the strings behind this show. It was all a part of her plan, which started the day she arrived at the Imperial Capital. He then remembered something she said to him yesterday. “Sweet revenge will be taken. Rest assured, Nine Heavens will have your back till the very end.”
Luo Wenlang was putting up a pretty convincing act. The corner of Chen Feng’s mouth twitched in anger.
‘A fool’s luck he has!’
“But, for a young man like you, it’s better to have passion in what you do,” said the old man with a friendly smile. “But don’t look down on us old men! We’re pretty tough fighters too.”
What he actually meant was “Don’t mess with the Chen family. Should you stand in our way, I will take you down, even if it means imminent death.”
If it was any other day, Luo Wenlang would have backed down upon hearing this. However, Gu Xiqiao’s words emboldened him. She had given him the opportunity and courage. The entire company was supporting him so what was there to be scared of?
“I’ll be waiting then.” Luo Wenlang raised his glass, his expression, as cool as ice.
Tensions were high during such an exchange. The old man’s warm expression turned cold in the blink of an eye. “I certainly don’t hope to see you collapse under your own weight in the future!”
“Well, I wonder what that feels like. I presume you’ve learned firsthand what that’s like from yesterday’s incident?” Luo Wenlang had not the time to open his mouth before a woman’s voice came from behind. A young woman slowly walked up to his side. One of the hall’s spotlights were shining from behind her back, so it was hard to make out her face clearly. Still, Chen Feng was able to catch a glimpse of a pair of crystal clear eyes.
She was smiling, and yet they could feel the pressure ramping up.
The old man was wide-eyed when she walked up in front of him. “You!”
He was pissed off, but he had nothing to use against her. And so, he turned to leave as he said, “Don’t you dare regret this later on.”
“I’ll be waiting right here,” replied Gu Xiqiao with a smile.
Luo Jiajun stole a glance at Luo Wenlang. In the end, he decided to place his chips on the Chen family. While he had not the slightest clue about the current situation in the Imperial Capital, he knew that the Chens were quite powerful and no matter how capable Luo Wenlang was, there was no way he could topple their entire family, right?
“If I crush the Chens, your cheap father may drown with them too. Would you object to my decision?” asked Gu Xiqiao.
“No. No objections,” replied Luo Wenlang with an unchanging expression. He had nothing but disdain for Luo Jiajun. If not for him, his mother would not have been murdered by Chen Feng. He felt that he would not feel even an ounce of guilt if every single member of the Chen family was to die in front of him.
“Very well. Enjoy the show.” Gu Xiqiao said with a smile on her face. The reason why she had held back her punches against the Gu family was because they were her own flesh and blood. To date, she had not done anything drastic towards them; she still had her trump card that could destroy them at her will.
As for the Chens, who were not related to her, nor did Luo Wenlang care for them, the chance has finally come for her to declare an all-out war.
The Chen family had its roots in organized crime, from smuggling, to money laundering and a couple of other disgraceful activities. Recently, their country has been cracking down hard on smugglers. If proven in court, they would all be sent behind bars with no prospect of returning to their former glory.
***
One day later, Chen Feng was in the middle of a meeting with her employees when men in blue busted into the office and took her away.
In the afternoon, news of the Chen family’s destruction spread like wildfire around the Imperial Capital. Amidst the chaos, they realized that the time has come for Nine Heavens to rise up.
The men who once sneered at the financial giant for not pulling out of the agreement with Nine Heavens were now dumbfounded. No matter how much regret they felt, they were barred from entering Nine Heavens’ door, what more to say of discussing new business deals with them. A couple of them, after being turned down so coldly, went back home while cursing the already fallen Chen family.
When did the situation here become so volatile?
Damn that company! They knew that they had a trump card against the Chen family so why hadn’t they revealed it earlier? Why had they chosen to wait for them to pull out before bringing down the Chens! What a bunch of cunning bastards!
Regardless, fear of Nine Heavens had already been sowed in many of the peoples’ hearts. They even started speculating about who the puppetmaster was behind this operation. He must be a horrifying person to be able to topple the mighty Chen family!
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