Qinglong Bar
Near the bridge at Qingshui Street. Very spacious premises.
Scorpion was Qinglong Bar’s top fighter. Because he didn’t fear death, he had a big reputation on this street. Most feared him so there was rarely any trouble at the bar.
He was currently sitting in the rest area inside the bar, a freshly lit cigarette between his lips.
Bang–!
The door was shoved open.
Scorpion casually lifted his head. He saw White Tank Top.
Behind him was a young girl.
“Yo, Little Mao*.” Clearly he recognized White Tank Top, though the way he addressed him as Little Mao wasn’t very respectful. Scorpion stared straight at the girl behind him. “This your gift to butter me up? Haha, don’t worry Little Mao. I’ll definitely big you up in front of your godfather!”
To White Tank Top he was like his past self.
Bai Lian slowly walked closer.
Scorpion froze for a second before laughing heartily. He reached towards Bai Lian. “Little Mao, nice pick you got he–”
Bang!
He crashed to the floor along with his chair, a rib bone fracturing in his chest.
Scorpion’s expression hardened from the pain. He climbed to his feet and threw a punch fiercely at Bai Lian’s face!
Bai Lian didn’t move an inch. She just calmly raised a hand under Scorpion’s shocked stare to catch his fist.
Her light colored skirt gently swayed.
Ka-crack–
The sound of finger bones snapping rang out.
“You wanna die–”
Bang! He was slammed heavily to the ground by Bai Lian again!
Scorpion had never seen such a freakish scene before. He stared at Bai Lian in fright.
In the complicated border territories, you needed real skills to get by.
His own skills were pretty decent. In fact very few people knew that when he was active internationally even the FBI couldn’t handle him. That was why the bar owner took notice of him.
As Qinglong Bar’s top fighter, even the undefeated champion at the fight club would have some trouble against him!
Scorpion was panting heavily. He couldn’t get up from the floor. “Did I offend you before?”
He was clever enough. To survive so arrogantly for this long, it was precisely because the ones he offended were all insignificant characters. This young miss could twist him like dough. She definitely wasn’t some no name.
He wasn’t clear on just how he had provoked her!
Bai Lian still held her long cigarette. Blurry smoke wreaths wrapped around her face.
Unhurried, she walked to Scorpion’s side. On her feet were grey embroidered shoes. There was a not very obvious footprint on them. Layer upon layer of embroidered pink peonies looked dignified and elegant.
She used the shoe with the footprint to step on Scorpion’s right hand. Eyelids lowered, she gently asked, “Nicely embroidered?”
So civilized.
Just earlier still high and mighty, now Scorpion was sprawled at Bai Lian’s feet. Even if his chest hurt with every breath, he still carefully wiped at the dust on Bai Lian’s shoes.
He looked up at her fawningly with an ingratiating smile. “Good, good. Very nicely embroidered…”
Bai Lian looked down. Her lowered lashes cast shadows, veiling the gloom in her eyes.
She raised her foot. “It really is nice…”
Bang!
Another kick.
Viciously aimed at Scorpion’s chest.
Scorpion smashed into the wall.
Bai Lian slowly fixed her sleeves.
She withdrew her gaze. Icy cold, “But it got dirty.”
White Tank Top squatted by Scorpion’s side. Helpfully reminding him, “I told you not to provoke her. Had to go and kick grandpa’s wares. You even dared to ask if he dared? Huh? Did he dare?”
“Remember to respect your elders.”
The sounds in the bar were deafening.
A group of men in black waited at the door. Their leader took one look at Scorpion gasping shallowly against the wall and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Expecting an evilly vicious man to respect elders? Ridiculous.
They shot circumspect glances towards Bai Lian, then said to White Tank Top, “Little Mao, Boss wants you at the conference room.”
“I’ll tell godfather,” White Tank Top casually nodded.
Bai Lian leaned against the bar counter. Her fingers lazily tapped the surface. “Little Bai.”
White Tank Top immediately went over and poured her a drink. “…Sis, my surname is Mao.”
“Oh, Little Mao,” Bai Lian nodded languidly. “Thanks for today. But I don’t drink. I’m leaving.”
“Sister, aren’t you going to stay and have some fun?”
Bai Lian took out a wooden hairpin to leisurely put up her hair. Hooded eyes were filled with leisure, “It’s fine. Class is at 8 tomorrow morning.”
Mao Kun: “…?”
One of the lackeys seeing Bai Lian for the first time couldn’t help blushing.
Little Mao instantly got anxious. He fiercely smacked the lackey’s head. “The hell you looking at?! Got any funny thoughts, keep ’em stuffed back into your mom’s womb!”
**
Qingshui Street
Late windswept night. Bai Lian put on earbuds to recite English vocabulary.
By now it was almost 1 am. Faint sounds of fighting drifted from the narrow dark alley ahead. Ordinary people would’ve taken a detour already.
Wearing earbuds, halfway through reciting a word, Bai Lian’s phone rang.
It was Mao Kun. She picked up and calmly walked past.
Inside were three blond and blue-eyed men.
Because the girl was so calm, they clearly froze for a second. Then one reacted by reaching to grab Bai Lian’s neck.
Bai Lian tilted her head slightly to grab his hand!
“Sis–” Mao Kun’s voice sounded.
Bai Lian regarded the blue-eyed man, then glanced down at the figure lying in the corner.
“One moment.” She told Mao Kun before stuffing her phone back into her pocket.
Then she suddenly yanked the blue-eyed man forward!
Her punching wind blew aside the strands of hair falling around her face, revealing her chilling eyes. Bai Lian didn’t retreat. Her other fist drew back and smashed fiercely towards another man trying to make a move on her!
In less than 3 minutes.
The three men were sprawled at her feet.
Only then did Bai Lian take her phone out again from her pocket. Lazily leaning against the wall, “Speak.”
“Ah? Oh,” Mao Kun on the other end wiped at his face. “There’s an auction in a couple days. Wanna come play?”
“No thanks.” Bai Lian hung up. Eyelashes drooped.
She put her earbuds back in to look for her English vocabulary list.
“Hey…”
The bloodied figure lying in the corner called out hoarsely to her. Shaking, he took out a cigarette pack from his pants pocket, wanting to pull one out and light it. “Thanks. Can I get your number?”
Bai Lian glanced down at him indifferently.
His leg wouldn’t stop bleeding.
Her gaze landed on the framed calligraphy* lying by his hand.
Seeing her look, the man moved his right hand before realizing it aggravated some wound. He hissed in pain, “You want this? Liang Zewen’s* authentic piece. Valuable, though not as precious as you are. Take it if you want. Any other request, as long as you don’t want the moon, I can make it happen for you.”
He didn’t know which character had triggered Bai Lian. She squatted down and took out her phone’s flashlight to shine on the framed calligraphy by the man.
After half a beat.
Bai Lian’s gaze lazily moved to the man’s continuously bleeding leg.
She lowered her head slightly and reached to poke at his injured leg.
“What are you doing?” The man froze before hurriedly adding, “I was shot. My private doctor will be here any moment. Don’t touch it randomly. I don’t wanna become crippled just yet…”
Mid-sentence, his leg inexplicably stopped bleeding.
Even the pain lessened by more than half.
Only then did Bai Lian stand up again. She opened her English vocab page and started walking back the way she had come.
“Hey–”
The man’s mind spun. Seeing she didn’t take the calligraphy, he couldn’t help calling out to her, “You don’t want Liang Zewen’s authentic work?”
The departing girl who pretty much ignored him stopped. Moonlight gently spilled over her. After reciting another word, she finally turned her head. “Who told you this piece is authentic?”
The man froze. “It’s been appraised by experts…”
The girl had looked away again. Her fading figure disappeared around the corner.
Her drifting voice in the dark night sounded obscure and desolate. “Get it appraised again. That’s his student’s writing.”
**
6 AM
Ji Heng’s room
He had just opened his eyes and found himself staring straight at the figure before him holding an electric fan.
Ji Heng: “…”
Bai Lian: “…”
After a 10 second stare down, one of them was using a perfectly justified gaze as if asking “Why did you have to wake up so early?”
…Very good.
Ji Heng expressionlessly closed his eyes again.
Only then did Bai Lian set down the electric fan properly after plugging it in.
As if afraid others wouldn’t know it had been fixed by someone, the previously broken mini fan now went “fwoosh, fwoosh” loudly after being turned on.
Thoughtfully, she closed the door on her way out.
Ji Heng opened his eyes again and looked outside at the early, cool, likely 22 degrees morning–
Calmly, he reached to pull the previously half sprawled blanket up to his neck.
Xiangcheng High started class at 8 AM. Most boarding students arrived by 7.
Bai Lian wasn’t considered late at 7:30.
Her deskmate had likely arrived very early too and sat in the front seat holding an English textbook reciting.
And her seat–
Bai Lian walked lazily to her spot, yawning. She reached to tap the desk. “Classmate, scoot over please.”
The girl currently occupying her spot instantly soured.
Whoosh–!
The previously noisy class instantly quieted.
Zhang Shize who had been napping face down on his desk also lifted his head blurrily. Seeing this scene shocked him awake.
The curly haired girl didn’t even glance at Bai Lian. Seeing Zhang Shize was awake, her eyes lit up. She held out the bag in her hand to him. “Zhang Shize, brought you breakfast.”
At the same time, Yang Ling lightly tugged Bai Lian’s clothes. Warning her with her eyes.
Zhang Shize never accepted anything from girls.
Yet now he reached to take the breakfast. “Thanks, thanks Chen Wei*. You can go now. Class is starting soon.”
Chen Wei’s previously drooping face lifted into a smile again. “Then I’ll watch you play basketball tonight.”
Perhaps she was in a good mood today. Chen Wei hummed as she left Class 15.
Wherever she passed, the other male and female students unconsciously hunched their shoulders.
“New classmate, since you just transferred to our school let me explain some things,” the girl in front said as she turned. Greatly relieved, she told Bai Lian, “The one just now is Chen Wei from Grade 11. Of course saying this you might not understand. You know of our school’s male god right, aside from this fool Zhang Shize there’s also someone called Chen Zhu*. Chen Wei is Chen Zhu’s younger sister. Chen Zhu is in Class 8 of Grade 12. The Imperial Class*. Understand? She often plays together with people like him and Ren Wanxuan.”
Bai Lian: “…Thanks.”
So annoying. Wanna shred them.
“In short, us commoners better not provoke the Imperial Class if we can help it. Eggs hitting rocks*,” the girl said. Then looked towards Yang Ling and Zhang Shize again, “Right you two?”
“Most important is Chen Zhu and Ren Wanxuan are the hottest candidates this year for the North City first rank scholarship,” Yang Ling sat at her own spot. She thought for a bit before lightly adding, “Best not to offend them if possible.”
“That’s reasonable,” Zhang Shize objected. “But why describe me, a 19 year old pure and innocent male teen, as an idiot?”
No one paid him any attention.
“…” Zhang Shize draped his arm over his deskmate’s shoulder again. “Top scorer, what do you say?”
Ning Xiao raised his head to give him a “Quiet” look.
Bai Lian propped her chin lazily as she took out her English textbook.
Zhang Shize scratched his nose and added her on WeChat.
**
After school, Friday
Yang Ling and Bai Lian walked out the school gate together. Bai Lian had on earbuds reciting vocabulary while following Yang Ling to the florist shop at the end of the street.
The middle aged woman inside was enthusiastically wrapping flower bouquets for customers. Seeing Yang Ling, she smiled gently with squinted eyes. “Your flowers are on the table. I put them aside nicely for you.”
Reciting vocab, Bai Lian looked over. On the table was a beautiful white lily.
Yang Ling took the flowers after setting money down on the table.
Having just finished packaging the bouquet for another customer, the middle aged woman helplessly shook her head upon seeing this. Then asked, “Where’s that brat Zhang Shize?”
“Playing basketball again.”
“Playing basketball again. Why can’t he be more like you and Ning Xiao?” Zhang Ma* grumbled while also looking curiously at Bai Lian. “Oh, you must be the class’s new transfer right? What a pretty girl.”
She picked out a red rose and gave it to Bai Lian. “Much better behaved than my brat from the looks of it.”
Bai Lian accepted it. “Thank you auntie.”
“Ah!” Zhang Ma clutched her chest. “I knew it, I just knew I should’ve had a daughter! That damned Zhang Shize only knows how to drown my orchids!”
“Don’t get angry, don’t get angry,” the middle aged man who had just returned from outside quickly placated. “Let’s pretend to fight and stop talking to each other tonight. Make him do housework alone for 7 days!”
“…”
Holding a rose, Bai Lian parted with Yang Ling at the intersection.
Following the address Jiang He had given, she arrived at the affluent Xiangcheng district.
The public bus only went to the outskirts.
Ren Wanxuan didn’t have elite training today. Her father had notified her beforehand they had an esteemed guest visiting home today.
As she passed the perimeter of the wealthy district, her gaze spotted someone in the distance–
“Stop the car!”
The male student in front glanced at the rearview mirror calmly. “What’s wrong?”
Ren Wanxuan shook her head. She didn’t say anything else.
“Shua–”
The car stopped right in front of Bai Lian.
The window rolled down revealing Ren Wanxuan’s poorly concealed irritation. She looked at Bai Lian. Her eyes held a sort of disdain, as if she had long seen through her. “What are you waiting here for?”
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