Chapter 51: She Never Lies to Children!
Huaxie Yu is not only a master of tea art who understands the psychology of most men very well, but she also adopts many homeless children, gaining profound insights into their thoughts.
Therefore, her plan to persuade the chubby boy to sneak into the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau to help her investigate was very successful.
In less than ten minutes, Huaxie Yu had the chubby boy completely wrapped around her fingers, with the little fish she caught for him in hand, eagerly awaiting the snacks she promised to buy him and the costume for a children’s game, as he dashed into the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau.
However, because her plan was so successful, she ended up getting caught.
As soon as the chubby boy slipped into the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau, over a dozen pairs of eyes locked onto him from the shadows.
However, the brothers of the Special Action Team, led by Qi Dong, did not rush out at once to drive the chubby boy away.
Not only did they not chase him away, but they also watched as he strolled around the small garden for a few laps, successfully trading the little fish Huaxie Yu had caught for half a packet of corn crisps from the girl.
Then, just as he was leaving, Qi Dong found a member of the Special Action Team with a relatively gentle face and voice, handed him a Gray Owl Badge, and instructed him to give it to the big sister who let him in.
Thus, the chubby boy happily concluded his one-hour tour of the Huacheng Siye Society and handed over the “entry ticket for the Huacheng Siye Society’s Special Action Team detention room” to Huaxie Yu.
“Sister, sister, inside is just an ordinary little garden! There’s also a very strange sister who squats in the grass with an umbrella, pretending to be a mushroom, haha!”
“Oh, right, there’s also a very gentle brother who told me to give this to you!”
The chubby boy boasted as he handed the Gray Owl Badge to Huaxie Yu, then eagerly looked at her, waiting for his future mother-in-law to fulfill her promise.
A gentle brother? Could it be referring to Luxianbei? How is he gentle? Huaxie Yu thought with amusement, carelessly extending her hand and opening her palm in front of the chubby boy.
The item handed over by the chubby boy felt slightly cool to the touch, seemingly made of some metal. As Huaxie Yu brought it before her, her fingers slowly spread open.
Upon seeing a silver duck-like badge resting in her palm, she froze entirely, her pupils trembling and her mouth twitching violently.
Although she was just a petty thief with a low spirit energy fluctuation level from Fragrant Lady Cave in Dawn City, and had not heard much about large spirit ability organizations, she was still clear on what the Siye Society was.
In fact, in Dawn City, aside from worrying about being blackmailed, the only thing one needed to worry about was getting caught by the Siye Society.
Although the urban legend events and spirit ability attacks that occurred every day in Dawn City were dozens of times greater than those in an ordinary city, and the Siye Society operatives in Dawn City were somewhat negligent in their duties, being caught was still a low-probability event.
After all, they too were powerless. They wanted to ensure they could survive in Dawn City without being consumed and corrupted by the local environment, which alone was quite an effort, commendable even.
But because of this, once someone committed an offense and fell into the hands of the Siye Society, they would almost certainly face severe punishment, serving a long sentence.
Thus, those spiritual ability users who have lived around Dawn City for a long time had a better understanding of the various characteristics of Siye Society operatives and Special Action Team members than in any other city.
Upon recognizing that the little trinket in her palm was the Siye Society’s unique Gray Owl Badge, Huaxie Yu suddenly felt an impulse to cry.
She had thought this was just a pig slaughtering business, but who knew it would be connected to the Siye Society?
This feeling was akin to those mules used for smuggling narcotics who are often tricked until they find themselves caught, only then realizing what kind of devilish things they were carrying.
It was simply like being fooled by that dead corporate slave!
Why didn’t Luxianbei tell her about the important background of the Siye Society?
Isn’t this plainly setting her up for failure?
Huaxie Yu cursed in her heart and glanced around, discreetly placing a hand on the chubby boy’s head, her eyes flashing with a cold light.
Meanwhile, in the monitoring center of the Huacheng Siye Society.
The brothers of the Special Action Team, seeing Huaxie Yu’s actions through the surveillance screen, almost simultaneously stood up from their chairs, their breathing slightly halted.
“Boss! She’s going to abduct that child and escape!” a member of the Special Action Team couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Shut up!” Qi Dong glared at the member and said in a deep voice, “Which eye of yours saw her trying to abduct that child?”
The member looked at Qi Dong and then at Huaxie Yu on the surveillance screen, wanting to say something but hesitating.
“She won’t abduct that child,” Qi Dong said, staring intently at the surveillance screen, “How many times have I told you? Don’t treat every spiritual ability user as a potential criminal.”
Just as Qi Dong finished speaking, the surveillance screen displayed something that left all the Special Action Team members slightly surprised.
d*mn it, not only did she have to be invited for tea by the Siye Society, but she also had to buy things for this chubby boy. This deal was truly draining her to the bone!
With a gloomy expression, Huaxie Yu thought, while kneading the chubby boy’s head like a ball, as she led him towards a nearby convenience store.
Arriving at the entrance of the convenience store, Huaxie Yu gently patted the chubby boy’s head and said, “Stinky boy, wait for your sister here for a moment, I’ll go in and get you some snacks.”
“Mm-mm, remember to buy potato chips and yogurt!”
“I know, I know, you’re so annoying!” Huaxie Yu complained, strolling into the convenience store, and shortly after, she emerged with bags of snacks.
She truly fulfilled her promise to the chubby boy.
Upon exiting the store, Huaxie Yu patted the chubby boy’s shoulder and said, “I’ve bought snacks and the game costume for you. Your sister has things to do today, so I have to leave first. I won’t play with you!”
Alright, let’s go home early? Next time I have a chance, I’ll play with you again!
“Quit it with the excuses!” Huaxie Yu pouted, placing her hands on her hips, pretending to be angry, “Greedy! Your sister can get angry too!”
“Don’t be angry, I’m leaving now!” the chubby boy waved his hands, “But before I go, I have a small request.”
“A request? What else do you want to buy?” Huaxie Yu asked with a frown.
“No, no!” the chubby boy quickly explained, “I meant to ask, can I call you my mother-in-law from now on?”
Huaxie Yu, “???”
She had a feeling that the boy’s gaze had been off ever since earlier, and was thinking, was he infatuated with her beauty?
Unexpectedly, he was plotting this kind of trick?
Stinky boy, I don’t even know if I’ll have a son or a daughter in the future, and you’re already thinking about this?
At the monitoring center of the Huacheng Siye Society.
Qi Dong and the other members of the Special Action Team, “What the heck? This chubby boy has a bright future!
Everyone fell into a brief silence.
After a moment, they saw Huaxie Yu seeing off the chubby boy and sitting alone on a stone stool by the street. Qi Dong raised an eyebrow and turned to a member of the Special Action Team, “Go! Bring her in and ask her what’s going on, be friendly about it.”
“Got it, boss. We’re on it.”
On Mudan Street.
Having firmly refused the chubby boy’s unreasonable request and sent him away, Huaxie Yu watched his chubby figure recede into the distance and silently sighed, “I guess the Siye Society’s people will be coming soon, right?”
Upon seeing the Gray Owl Badge, she had already given up on running.
Run? Who do you think you are? If the Siye Society has targeted you, can you escape!?
Acknowledge your mistakes, never correct them, that’s just Huaxie Yu’s style of doing things.
In times like these, the more frantic you appear and the more you resist, the worse the outcome becomes. Only by staying calm can there be a chance to negotiate a lenient treatment.
It’s just like when I was caught with those guys and could get away, while those “who won’t submit to anyone” would be locked up for an entire night.
I hope that the false identity created by that dead corporate slave won’t be exposed; otherwise, things will get even messier.
But, is it really possible to get through the Siye Society? Huaxie Yu thought restlessly.
However, even though she had given up on escaping, she hadn’t given up on venting her frustrations. While waiting for the Siye Society people to come and take her away, she took out her phone, found her contact person and that man’s number, and unleashed a storm of curses.
An average of several hundred words of filthy language directed toward each person.
Putting down her phone, she looked at the empty street and sighed again, “This time, I really drew the short straw. It would have been better to just kidnap that little fatty as a hostage.”
She said this, but never truly held that thought.
In fact, in a place like Dawn City, if Huaxie Yu didn’t act as a scammer or thief but instead went into human trafficking to get rich, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
However, as a petty thief, she also had her own bottom line.
That kind of immoral deed that could destroy a whole family, she would absolutely never do, and she hadn’t even planned to deceive the chubby boy.
As someone who had been deceived countless times since childhood, Huaxie Yu clearly understood the harm lies could cause a child.
She truly intended to buy the boy snacks and costumes after he successfully completed his mission.
She never lies to children!
As for the rest…
All deceiving is allowed!
A few minutes later.
A few burly men dressed in black began to walk in from the dark, blocking Huaxie Yu’s way from four directions.
“Miss Yu Jianqiu, please come with us? Don’t worry, we mean no harm, and we won’t hurt you. We just hope you can cooperate with our work.”
Hearing this, Huaxie Yu felt her body go soft, her face pale, and she slumped onto the stone stool by the road.
She looked as if an ignorant girl had suddenly been surrounded by mysterious burly men, terrified.
Thus, she was taken into the Special Action Team’s small black room, handled by a few of their brothers as if they were picking up a sick little chick.
Inside the Special Action Team’s small black room.
It was a square room of about fifteen square meters, with walls adorned with solid spells to suppress spirit energy fluctuations.
The room had no windows, nor were any lights on. The lighting was dim.
As Huaxie Yu stood in it, she didn’t even notice what had been opened beside her and when the fully armed burly man had come to her side until that familiar voice echoed in her ears.
“Miss Hua, you truly live up to being a resident of Fragrant Lady Cave; your level of insult is truly exceptional.”
Miss Hua, Fragrant Lady Cave…
Hearing these two keywords, Huaxie Yu’s pupils shook, and her delicate fingers gripped the edge of the chair fiercely until her joints turned white.
Wait, there’s no interrogation segment, and my identity is exposed right away?
The Siye Society hasn’t…
Wait! Something seems off!
After a brief moment of shock, Huaxie Yu suddenly thought; even if the Siye Society was formidable, they shouldn’t be able to find out so quickly about her earlier “little essay” of cursing someone, unless…
The person talking to me isn’t one from the Siye Society!
Huaxie Yu pondered, glancing aside, and then she caught sight of a “familiar” face.
She was certain she had never seen the burly man kneeling beside her before.
However, that man’s face, while unfamiliar to her, exuded a sense of familiarity.
Heavy dark circles, a lethargic spirit, a pale complexion, and a numbness between his brows as if he had lost interest in everything in this world.
There’s a term called resemblance, which speaks to the similarity in demeanor, expression, or spiritual essence.
And the burly man in front of her bore a striking resemblance to that dead corporate slave who had caused her to be locked in the small black room.
Seemingly sensing the astonishment in Huaxie Yu’s heart, the burly man spoke, “That’s right, it’s me—the one you referred to as more disgusting than malicious advertisements popping up in the middle of a movie.”
In an instant, Huaxie Yu’s eyes widened, her mouth agape as if she could fit half a raw egg from Zhenwu Mountain, “How did you…”
“Shh—!” the man interrupted, “Don’t speak. Just listen to me.”
“First, I’m sorry for not informing you beforehand about Luxianbei’s connection to the Siye Society, which led to your capture, but please understand that this is part of the plan.”
“Secondly, please make sure to trust the information I gave you, and act as if you are Yu Jianqiu. This way, you can safely leave here.”
“Alright, you can ask questions now. You have about a minute.”
That fabricated identity could fool the Siye Society? Huaxie Yu felt a wave of shock, pondering for a few seconds before asking seriously, “One question, does that guy Luxianbei have any hidden identities other than his connection to the Siye Society?”
The man paused for two seconds and replied, “No, he doesn’t.”
That’s good! It’s fine even if he does; after all, just the connection to the Siye Society is already something I can’t afford to provoke. Huaxie Yu nodded doubtfully, then opened her mouth, preparing to inquire how the man had infiltrated the Siye Society.
Just then, the light in the small black room suddenly turned on.
“Click!”
Accompanied by a soft sound, a strong beam of light shone on Huaxie Yu’s face, nearly blinding her.
In her daze, she caught a glimpse to the side and was stunned to find that the burly man who had just spoken to her had seemingly vanished without a trace.
Following that, before Huaxie Yu could regain her senses, a cold voice suddenly came from the direction of the bright light.
“Name?”
Chapter 52: Luxianbei, I Can’t Forget You!
In the dimly lit small black room, a beam of strong light struck Huaxie Yu’s face, making it almost impossible for her to open her eyes.
There were no windows in the room, only metal tables and chairs, and walls embedded with one-way mirrors.
The air was permeated with a faint musty smell, and dust danced under the glaring beam, with a lean figure standing behind the strong light, making it hard to discern its appearance; all she could see was a dark silhouette.
Huaxie Yu had seen such scenes numerous times, especially when she first started hustling alone around Fragrant Lady Cave and the night market in Dawn City, during the time her experience and skills were still immature.
As she stared at the slim figure in front, she found herself lost in thought, still processing the shock of the man’s sudden appearance in the Siye Society when she heard a familiar voice coldly asking.
“Name?”
In an instant, Huaxie Yu recognized that the one questioning her was Luxianbei.
“……”
She hesitated for two seconds, lightly bit her silver teeth, and decided to trust that man, weakly responding, “Yu, Yu Jianqiu.”
Seeing “Yu Jianqiu” comply so readily, Luxianbei felt a swell of joy internally.
A year has passed! Do you know how I’ve survived this year?
Now, it’s finally my turn to stand here and interrogate you!
Luxianbei secretly thought to himself, and before he could ask his intended questions due to the process, Huaxie Yu, seeing that he didn’t question her name, hurriedly cut in, her voice starting to tremble as she spoke.
“I’ll tell you everything! I promise to cooperate and be completely honest about everything!”
“I’m Yu Jianqiu, nineteen years old, a student at Huacheng University…”
“……”
“Yu Jianqiu” seemed alarmed, sharing her background like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, while the members of the Special Action Team who came with Luxianbei noticed Luxianbei’s facial expression darkening and couldn’t help but quietly ask, “Officer Luxi, is there something wrong with her statement?”
Luxianbei cast a sidelong glance at the Special Action Team member and shook his head gently, “Nothing major…”
The only issue is you stole my lines!
Luxianbei thought inwardly, looking at the girl in front of him, and interrupted, “Stop! Did I ask you about these?”
“Uh…” Huaxie Yu was momentarily speechless.
“Tell me, what are spirit patterns? Where do they come from? Oh, and what is your spirit energy fluctuation level?” Luxianbei demanded.
Even though he already knew from an online source that Yu Jianqiu was a spirit ability user and the information obtained by the Siye Society aligned closely with the details from that source, perhaps due to Yu Jianqiu’s low spirit energy fluctuation level and her nearly nonexistent use of spirit pattern powers, neither the online source nor the Siye Society’s data recorded her spirit patterns in detail, only mentioning that she was a spirit ability user.
Thus, Luxianbei still asked for confirmation.
After all, from an outsider’s perspective, he shouldn’t know that information, so omitting that scrutiny might raise some suspicion.
“Spirit patterns are known to bring fortune; they were a birthday gift from my grandfather when I was fourteen. My spirit energy fluctuation level is D, D+…”
Oh good heavens! A fortune-bringing demon? Has my financial luck been bad these years because of you behind the scenes? Luxianbei frowned slightly, then thought again, realizing that the poor luck might genuinely just be his misfortune.
If Yu Jianqiu had indeed stolen his luck, he would have noticed some clues by now.
The【Fortune Demon】is a very common urban legend, and nearly all urban legends regarding spirit ability users who can steal fortune can be named as such. Their spirit energy fluctuation levels usually do not exceed level C.
And many spirit ability users who draw spirit patterns based on this kind of urban legend are common among financial workers and gamblers.
The officers under the God of Wealth, independent of each city’s Siye Society, specialize in protecting public property and catch several spirit ability users each year possessing【Fortune Demon】spirit patterns.
At Dream Come True Entertainment City, Luxianbei had even encountered several individuals with such spirit patterns, but…
In the mixed crowd of Dream Come True Entertainment City, spirit ability users from every corner showed their talents, and merely possessing a【Fortune Demon】spirit pattern was already quite remarkable in being able to preserve capital.
In simple terms, Yu Jianqiu’s spirit pattern was of “average quality.”
Her grandfather probably only wanted her to have good luck throughout her life. Luxianbei thought.
According to the information in The Book of Siye and the memories of the Great Serpent God, possessing a【Fortune Demon】spirit pattern, even without exerting its powers, should bring better luck than the average person.
It’s akin to a passive skill that slightly increases luck attributes.
After contemplating for a moment, Luxianbei continued to question “Yu Jianqiu,” “Now you explain your situation.”
“I…” Huaxie Yu hesitated, silencing for a few seconds before weakly saying, “Can I not say?”
The information from the man seemed too melodramatic for her to express.
“Do you think you have room to bargain with me? Do you know what situation you’re in now? If you don’t cooperate well, do you know what consequences await you?” Luxianbei raised his voice slightly, threatening.
If the information from the online source was accurate, “Yu Jianqiu’s” situation was seen as intentional revenge against Luxianbei and was a personal vendetta. As long as it did not trigger a spirit energy attack event, the Siye Society would only document it and not overly intervene, so it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t cooperate well.
Of course, Huaxie Yu didn’t know that, nor would Luxianbei tell her.
“I…” Huaxie Yu opened her mouth, then, like a deflated balloon, slumped in her chair, conceding.
“Alright, I’ll speak… but before I do, I have one question for you guys.”
Hearing this, a member of Luxianbei’s Special Action Team couldn’t resist interjecting, “Goodness, are you being interrogated or are we being interrogated?”
She was turning the tables on them.
Upon hearing, Luxianbei made a gesture to the Special Action Team member, signaling him to be patient, and then looked at “Yu Jianqiu,” nodding, “You can go ahead, but we may not answer your question.”
“Mm.” Huaxie Yu lightly agreed and asked, “Do you believe in fate?”
“Don’t.” Luxianbei replied.
“I do!” a discordant voice came from beside Luxianbei.
He and the Special Action Team member exchanged a look, sharing an awkward silence.
Seemingly indifferent to their responses, Huaxie Yu fell into a reminiscent mood, her brows knitting as she spoke to herself.
“No matter if you believe or not, I believe it because since elementary school, I’ve encountered the person destined for me…”
Luxianbei, “…” Actually, it began in kindergarten, but you wouldn’t know.
“That person will always pop up in my life, bringing a series of troubles. From elementary to high school… whenever I meet him, there’s definitely no good fortune!”
“Originally, after graduating high school, he hadn’t appeared for quite some time… You might not believe it, but in those one or two years he was missing, I occasionally thought of him, even looking forward to how he’d appear next time.”
Luxianbei, “…” You might not believe this, but I spent a year in the hospital and nearly another year trying to survive various urban legend events.
“I thought he wouldn’t show up in front of me again, but recently, when my grandmother returned from visiting relatives in Shizhou City, I unexpectedly ran into him on the plane, and on my way to pick her up, I had a car accident.”
Luxianbei, “…” Can this be blamed on me? Shouldn’t a car accident be attributed to the driver at fault?
While pondering, he interrupted “Yu Jianqiu,” “I understand; that guy you are talking about is Luxianbei, right? So you followed him? Planning to take revenge on him, aren’t you?”
Upon hearing this, a member of the Special Action Team secretly glanced at Luxianbei, an odd expression flashing in his eyes.
“I didn’t!” Huaxie Yu sat up straight, defending herself, “I followed him because, because…”
“Because what?” Luxianbei cut in again, “You clearly wrote on social media【This grudge can wait to be remembered, never giving up after seventy or eighty years】, can it be that easy to forget?”
Huaxie Yu, “???” Good heavens! How does he know about that? Did he do a background check on “Yu Jianqiu” before coming to see me?
Realizing this, her previously anxious feelings relaxed considerably.
While she marveled at the Siye Society’s abilities—being capable of digging up even a post she wrote years ago about encountering Luxianbei—this also indicated that the dead corporate slave was more skilled, allowing the Siye Society to not discover her true identity.
If they had really found out she was just a little thief from Fragrant Lady Cave and was hired to harm a Siye Society operative, there would be no need for so much small talk.
So…
Luxianbei, let me have some fun with you!
Thinking this, Huaxie Yu opened her mouth, as if she were preparing for a grand performance, bowing her head in thought for a moment, then suddenly lifted her head, her cheeks flushed as she softly murmured, “Because I’ve fallen in love with you…”
Luxianbei, “???”
Wait, miss, are you alright?
Every time we meet, it’s nothing good. Why would you like me? Is it Stockholm Syndrome? Luxianbei thought.
He had always believed that it was only in cliché romantic stories where a girl was bullied by a boy and then inexplicably liked him one day.
After all, typically, girls prefer gentle and considerate boys who are incredibly attractive, not someone who simply imposes pressure.
It can only be said that reality is often more outrageous than stories!
However, perhaps there is some of that fateful red thread causing this? Luxianbei reasoned.
“Yu Jianqiu’s” answer left the members of the Special Action Team beside Luxianbei bewildered; they were momentarily speechless and looked at Luxianbei, seeking answers.
“Officer Luxianbei, do you have any insights on this situation?”
“Not at all…” Luxianbei replied quietly.
As Luxianbei finished speaking, “Yu Jianqiu” suddenly began to talk again.
“I know this sounds a bit unbelievable, and to be honest, I feel it’s quite abnormal too, but what can I do?”
“He keeps barging into my life, leaving me with memories that aren’t so pleasant, making his figure frequently flicker across my mind…”
“I don’t even know when I started developing some different feelings for him, maybe in the taxi at the airport intersection or perhaps in the milk tea shop on the pedestrian street. Not to mention…”
At this point, she paused, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears as she glared at Luxianbei, raising her voice with some anger, “Luxianbei, you stirred me up first! If you didn’t like me, why did you do that?”
“Luxianbei, you b*stard! I can’t forget you, do you know that?!”
Before this outburst of heartfelt emotion, Huaxie Yu had considered the character of “Yu Jianqiu.”
However, after a careful analysis, she had concluded that when a simple-minded girl falls in love with someone, oftentimes, she would impulsively disregard the consequences, fervently and passionately.
It’s like a comet crashing into Earth.
With her emotional outburst, the members of the Special Action Team turned their gazes away from “Yu Jianqiu” and exchanged glances with Luxianbei, as if to say, “Isn’t this what you meant by having no problems?”
Sensing the weight of their gaze, Luxianbei found himself momentarily speechless, “…”
d*mn it, I can’t clear the air even if I jump into the Yellow River.
There’s no way I can showcase the paper cicada immortal to prove my innocence, right? That would be the same as confessing on the spot!
The red notice from the Siye Society clearly states that one of the characteristics of Calamity is the ability to control groups of paper cicadas! Luxianbei thought.
He felt like he was caught up in a drama he didn’t want to be part of.
Ha! Is that all you can do, kid? Come on, let’s go head-to-head! Seeing Luxianbei remain silent for a long time, Huaxie Yu couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh and raised her voice again, pressing, “Luxianbei, say something?!”
Luxianbei, “…”
At that moment, he suddenly felt that hiring Jumeng as an emotional consultant was indeed very necessary.
In this situation, he really didn’t know how to handle it.
The member of the Special Action Team beside him twitched his face and looked at Luxianbei, quietly asking, “Officer Luxianbei… should I step out for a moment?”
As he spoke, he began to move away from this troublesome spot.
It’s hard for a fair official to settle family matters, how could an outsider involve himself in this?
In short, Officer Luxianbei, good luck to you!
Fortunately, Officer Jiang is training at headquarters, or today you would probably d*e here.
“Wait, don’t go!” Luxianbei shot a glance at “Yu Jianqiu,” grabbing the Special Action Team member’s arm, he lowered his voice and said, “I’m scared…”
The Special Action Team member, “…”
