“Going to the hospital?” asked Jiang Shuxuan while retrieving his car keys after having breakfast.

Gu Xiqiao swallowed the mouthful of eggs she was chewing.

“Yeah, wait for a sec. I’d like to hitch a ride.”

Before leaving, she climbed upstairs to get the notes which she had prepared for Li Yanmei.

“You’re a pretty busy woman aren’t you?” asked Jiang Shuxuan with a raised brow as he drove onto the freeway.

“I gotta make sure that everything here’s dealt with. I mean, I am leaving for the capital soon you know?” Still, it did feel to her like everything was happening all at once. Mu Jiatong and Luo Wenlin’s surgery, Nine Heaves’ plan to expand into Imperial Capital’s market, the merger and acquisition of the Gu family’s assets, and last but not least, her going off to university at the capital…

Jiang Shuxuan too, had been relatively busy as of late. Handing over of the base was largely Yin Shaoyuan’s responsibility but apart from the remaining tasks, he had taken up all the missions posted on the forum which no one dared to accept for the past two months.

“Alright, we’re here. You can just leave me here.” Gu Xiqiao exited the car at the main entrance of the hospital. She didn’t forget to wave Jiang Shuxuan goodbye. “Oh right, before I forget, remember to be careful on the road. I heard that the number of road accidents in N City has actually increased recently.”

Although it sounded like she was concerned about his safety, Jiang Shuxuan felt something off about her reminder.

Something weird was certainly going on with their city recently. In the short amount of time Gu Xiqiao spent standing in front of the hospital entrance, there were already a handful of blaring ambulances that sped straight into the hospital. Even more surprising was that nearly all the people lying on the stretchers were covered in blood from head to toe.

Something’s definitely going on, thought Gu Xiqiao as she nervously dug her nails into the flesh of her palm. She stood there at the entrance for quite a while before proceeding upstairs where Mu Jiatong’s ward was located.

Unlike Luo Wenlin, Mu Jiatong was not sent straight to the ICU after the surgery. Even the doctor was surprised by her recovery progress, saying that this was a miracle in the world of medicine. During yesterday’s operation, they witnessed Mu Jiatong’s white blood cell count reduce dramatically. They initially thought she could not be saved, even by the best doctor in the world. Still, this brave little girl clung stubbornly to her life and her surgery could not have ended more smoothly.

Mu Zong’s eyes were red and swollen. He had struggled for so long against the idea that he would lose his daughter sooner or later. To think that fate would stand on his side for once. It was all thanks to Gu Xiqiao. For some reason, luck seemed to favor him right after he had met this young woman.

“Thank goodness she’s alright,” said Gu Xiqiao with a smile. “Uncle Mu, you should be happier about this.”

“That’s right. I really am though.” Mu Zong laughed to himself. How could he not? His career had finally taken a turn for the better and so did the health of his previous daughter.

If Mu Jiatong’s recovery progress continued at its current rate, she would be discharged in less than seven days. Mu Zong, whose shoulders had finally been freed of an overbearing weight, picked up the document which Gu Xiqiao had given him. It was time to pay Gu Enterprise a visit. The mere thought of it made him incredibly excited.

Flipping open the first page, it appeared to contain the Gu Enterprise’s current financial situation. That book funds, level of liquidity, as well as solvency… quite obviously confidential data. The second page was recorded activities, which included proof of smuggling and bribery. The third page listed down the weak points of Gu Enterprise for him to take note of. Lastly, the fourth page contained details of the merger and acquisition plan’s initial phase.

All in all, it appeared to be a flawless plan, with provisions for every kind of situation they might end up in. Though, there wasn’t a solid solution for most of these circumstances. ‘Gu Xiqiao must’ve deliberately left this part blank,’ thought Mu Zong. Perhaps it was a test to gauge how much he had learned from Gu Xiqiao after working under her for such a considerable period.

Mu Zong knew just how forgiving Gu Xiqiao was; in the off chance that this plan blew up in his face, he was confident that she would step in and bail him out. Still, he couldn’t disappoint her like this. In any case, he vowed to put all his effort into his job, so as to prove to Gu Xiqiao and more importantly, himself, that he was a capable man.

To be frank, the pressure was already surmounting with Luo Wenlang’s presence in the company. What more to say of Yu Ning, who was a world-class talent through and through. Yes, that’s the word. Only the word “talent” could fit them so well. In comparison to the two, Mu Zong felt that he was way too ordinary, in the sense that you could lose him straight after throwing him into a crowd. This however, only motivated him to work harder.

After coming up with a handful of hacker friends of his, Yu Ning had been making incredible progress in their virtual world project. Luo Wenlang, after dealing with his brother’s issue, was also in the middle of drawing up his grand plan of expanding their business into the Imperial Capital. Only he had nothing to work towards. There was a growing gap between them, he felt. If he did not strive forwards, he was sure that he would lag far, far behind them in ten years’ time.

“Big Sister, hear me out.” Seeing that her daddy was so occupied with reading the document Gu Xiqiao had handed him, Mu Jiatong sat up from her bed and whispered into her ears. “After eating the candy you gave me yesterday, I feel really warm inside.”

Gu Xiqiao was gently caressing Mu Jiatong’s head. With an equally gentle voice, she replied, “That’s because Tong Tong’s full of courage.”

“Mhmm!” Mu Jiatong nodded enthusiastically. “I wonder if I’ll become as cool as you when I grow up, Sister!”

“Of course!” Gu Xiqiao’s eyes glowed when she smiled so brightly.

Mu Jiatong had her tiny little breath taken away by Gu Xiqiao’s beauty. At that moment, she remembered a line she heard from a romance drama.

“Sister Gu, promise me you’ll wait for me.”

“…what?” Gu Xiqiao’s smile became awkwardly stiff.

‘Hold up, something about this doesn’t feel right.’

“I mean, you’re so pretty. Of course I’m gonna marry you when I grow up. Imagine how much respect I’d get when I bring you out on a date.” Mu Jiatong’s face was dead serious when she said this.

‘She must’ve watched the wrong film or something, right? What the hell has Mu Jiatong been watching on TV for the past few days?’

“See ya later, Tong Tong.” It was time to leave. Upon bidding farewell to Mu Zong and his daughter, Gu Xiqiao left their room.

With a pair of innocent eyes, Mu Jiatong peered up at her father. “Daddy, why’s Sister Gu leaving so early?”

“Daddy’s not at the company, so that means Sister Gu has to handle more jobs than usual.”

What Mu Zong actually thought was, ‘It’s because of your frightening words, no?’

Remembering what she said earlier, Mu Zong asked his daughter, “Tong Tong, tell Daddy what you have been watching these days.”

“The Tyrannical Boss Has Fallen In Love With Me!” she replied.

‘It’s gone. My innocent little daughter is gone! Here comes her chuuni 1phase!’ Mu Zong thought to himself.

***

Tucking Li Yanmei’s notes into her bag, Gu Xiqiao turned around upon closing the door to Tong Tong’s room. In an instant, Xixi appeared on her shoulder. Good thing it was able to control the energy within itself now, and was not consistently chatting her ears off.

Walking out the front entrance of the hospital, the familiar petite figure entered her vision. Gu Xiqiao squinted her eyes to get a better view of the girl. Upon recognizing her weak-ass face, she felt a bit nauseous about bumping into her so early in the morning.

Miko’s feet stopped moving as she looked over to the girl that stood near the hospital entrance. She was wearing a light blue dress decorated with floral patterns. Her skin was delicate, like porcelain and her face, bright. That woman peered back at her with a pair of expressionless, almost tranquil eyes.

Miko shuddered upon seeing the look in Gu Xiqiao’s eyes. Remembering the painful experience she was put through by that woman, a look of fear slowly took over her face.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Yunfan asked upon seeing Miko stop so abruptly.

It was a few days ago that this girl fell in front of the car that he was driving. Although it didn’t seem like he was at fault, Mu Yunfan had to send her to the hospital upon seeing the condition she was in. Despite her bodily functions being in a state of decline, the doctor was unable to diagnose anything specifically wrong with her, hence no actual medicine could be prescribed. Still, he remembered the doctor saying that she might have experienced pain greater than ordinary humans ever go through in their lifetime.

Mu Yunfan, who was about to leave after sending her here stopped in his tracks after hearing the doctor’s words. Something about her being in pain appealed to him. In the few days he spent with her, Miko’s personality totally changed the way he thought about Japanese people as a whole.

Although he didn’t particularly like her, he didn’t despise her either. From what Miko said, he was fairly sure that she was a victim.

Noticing the fear in her eyes, Mu Yunfan followed the direction she was looking at. Then, his expression changed the moment he recognized the person she was looking at, who, presumably was the one responsible for the unexplainable pain she was experiencing at the moment.

‘Her again!’

Gu Xiqiao looked away upon seeing the both of them. Wow. The people she hated most were now working together. She better look away, or she’d risk having her mood destroyed for the rest of the day.

What a coincidence. She bumped into Shen Nianzi, who had also come to the hospital. Taking the opportunity to cleanse her eyes, Gu Xiqiao chatted with her for a while before leaving. As for the duo who stared at her the whole time, who cares?

“You seem pretty familiar with her,” Mu Yunfan said to Shen Nianzi in a respectful tone.

This shocked Shen Nianzi. The man in front of her was well known for his arrogance. She rarely saw him in the time she spent in Nanjing. Even the academy dean found it hard to schedule a meeting with him. And yet, this was the second time he had initiated a conversation with her. Though, Gu Xiqiao was mentioned in both the times they exchanged words.

“I am friends with Miss Gu. She’s a pretty friendly person, I think.” Shen Nianzi had been helped countless times by Gu Xiqiao. From what Luo Wenlang told her, she had also done a lot for his brother, Luo Wenlin. So, her character’s pretty respectable, at least from her point of view. As for their relationship, they should be close acquaintances at worst, right?

Luo Wenlang was, to her knowledge, friends with Gu Xiqiao and she was friends with Luo Wenlang. To her, a friend of a friend can be called “her friend” too.

Mu Yunfan’s gaze turned cold upon processing Shen Nianzi’s words. He had a pretty good impression on the woman though. Given a few years’ time and a good teacher, he was sure that she could make it as a world-class master painter.

Friends? More like animals of the same species. His eyes had now turned hostile. “Friends? How close are you two actually? Are you so close that you would give up the chance to get into an international art academy just to remain her friend?”

International art academy? Shen Nianzi was surprised. This was pretty much the end goal of every aspiring artist. Though…

“Sir, perhaps a misunderstanding has arisen between you and Miss Gu?”

“Tell me, did you choose this friend over the chance of entering an international art academy?” Mu Yunfan’s expression softened but his eyes remained fixated on Shen Nianzi. Unbeknownst to her, he was deeply impressed by Shen Nianzi’s attitude.

Shen Nianzi’s face turned serious in an instant. She knew that Mu Yunfan had always been on the prowl for For A Millenium but she’d always escape his grip at the last moment. Naturally, this earned her his contempt. What would happen if he were to find out that Gu Xiqiao was this For A Millenium? Would he regret doing what he did?

“Mr. Mu, I think you’ve really misunderstood Miss Gu’s intentions. If you don’t clear things up with her, I’m afraid you’d regret not doing so in the future.”

“I’ll have you know that I have never regretted my decisions,” said Mu Yunfan while staring straight into Shen Nianzi’s eyes. “How about you tell me why exactly I would regret this?”

Communication with this man was seemingly impossible. Although Shen Nianzi had always admired Sima Jun and his protege, Mu Yunfan who had reached the international stage all on his own, she felt put off by his current attitude. Gu Xiqiao was also a person who had earned her respect. Seeing the two of her “idols” clash naturally made her feel conflicted.

“I…” Shen Nianzi struggled to speak. She just wanted to yell out, “Gu Xiqiao’s that painter you’ve been searching high and low for!”

Mu Yunfan waved her goodbye before she could start speaking. “I’m leaving to participate in the Biennale in the America. I hope to hear more news about this For A Millenium from you the next time we meet.”

Mu Yunfan left before she could break the truth to him. Frozen in spot, she stared at the two as they disappeared into the distance. Then, she stomped angrily on the ground.

“Don’t come looking for me when regret finally hits!”

And so, there was one less name in her list of admired people.

***

Gu Xiqiao had no idea about their interaction. Even if she knew, her only reaction would be a cunning smirk. Mu Yunfan? Maybe in her next life!

It was conveniently break time when she reached First City High. Remembering Li Yanmei’s warning, she did not barge right into the school. Instead, she stood outside the school gate after calling Li Yanmei up.

“I can’t believe you managed to prepare this so quickly Xiao Gu.” Li Yanmei’s eyes lit up upon seeing the top scholar’s secret weapon in Gu Xiqiao’s hands. Wait, no, they were only notes. Surprisingly, she had blended pretty well into her class, which allowed her to hear even more rumors, about how Gu Xiqiao was the primary reason why the previous batch of students had obtained such godly scores on their final exam. This only ramped up her excitement at getting Gu Xiqiao’s notes.

Gu Xiqiao handed the package over to Li Yanmei. “They’re all here. Oh also, I’m leaving for the Imperial Capital tomorrow. From now on, if you’re facing any issues, feel free to call up Uncle Mu.”

“Yep, got it.”

Li Yanmei almost toppled over upon receiving the bag containing her precious notes. She totally did not expect it to be so heavy.

Fortunately, Gu Xiqiao was able to grab the bag before it fell onto the ground. “Careful.” At that moment, Gu Xiqiao almost facepalmed. It had been only a day or two since they met and how on earth did Li Yanmei regress to such a clumsy state?

“No, it’s because I saw you holding onto it so effortlessly. I would never have thought that this would be so darn heavy!” The corner of Li Yanmei’s mouth twitched. In actuality, it wasn’t her that had gone clumsy. It was this bag that weighed approximately twenty full kilograms. How could a frail young woman hold onto such a thing as if it was at most, 2-3 kilograms?

“Fine, fine, It’s my fault.” Gu Xiqiao chuckled. She had forgotten that Li Yanmei had never been engaged in any sort of training before. “There are two types of notes for each subject. One is for your day-to-day reading while the other contains the most essential parts of each topic. Use the former one for now and as for the latter, leave that for two months prior to the main exam. They’re pretty much the same but there are some additional problems I’ve created in the essential one.”

No wonder this bag was so heavy. Li Yanmei was thoroughly moved. Still, she wasn’t used to saying cheesy sh*t, so she ended up saying a simple, “Thank you, Little Gu.”

“C’mon, what’s there to thank me for? You’re my big sis after all. Quick! Get back to class!”

She then climbed onto a nearby cab and left after waving Li Yanmei goodbye.

Li Yanmei would turn back for every three steps she took. Clutching the notes tightly, she sincerely felt gratitude for what Gu Xiqiao had done for her. Everything felt like a dream to her.

***

Standing underneath the 67 story-tall commercial building, Gu Xiqiao peered upwards so that she could see the entire megastructure. Nine Heavens had grown so large that it used up ten stories of this very building. If not for Luo Wenlang bringing with him their employees to the Imperial Capital, ten stories would obviously be not enough to house their entire company.

The hustling atmosphere in Nine Heavens was really heavy too. Upon stepping through the front door, the receptionist, knowing that Gu Xiqiao was a respected guest of their general manager’s, let her in right away without question.

“I’m telling you, I absolutely must go to the Imperial Capital,” said Yu Ning, who stared unbudgingly at Luo Wenlang.

Luo Wenlang massaged his temples as he placed the document he was holding, down onto his desk. For some reason, his entire body felt like crap. “Weren’t you against that idea in the very beginning?”

“Well you did say the very beginning. Can’t I change my mind?” The reason why he was initially against the idea of going to the Imperial Capital was because he feared the people that were typically found there. He found that that place offered him little to no feeling of security.

But now, the situation has changed. The company was going to shift its base over to the Imperial Capital. Gu Xiqiao was moving to the Imperial Capital. There was no reason for him to continue staying here.

Gu Xiqiao moving to the Imperial Capital meant that there was the possibility that he would be starved of new softwares for a very long time. It meant that they would have no one to consult whenever ideas clashed. Also, her state-of-the-art lazy man’s ideas would obviously be removed from their operation.

Though, the most compelling argument is that Gu Xiqiao must remain in their quest for creating a virtual world.

Oh, and that virtual helmet. He was unable to go to the unveiling event for their ground-breaking product. No matter what, he vowed to be there for their next event. After all, he had led the team in producing this very helmet for their company.

Luo Wenlang flipped through a bunch of documents. He had started out with this plan under the assumption that Yu Ning was not going to the capital. It would be a hard time for them with the sudden addition of a member to their Imperial Capital team. Also, the abrupt removal of Yu Ning from N City’s laboratory was a huge fuss to deal with.

“You can go there if you’d like,” said Gu Xiqiao as she waltzed into the room. “Didn’t you say that you have a bunch of hacker friends there? If you’re really set on moving there, you’ll need to assign your responsibilities here by the end of today.”

“Yes boss!” yelled Yu Ning who was already outside the door. Every second mattered as handling the remaining jobs he would leave behind was a pretty difficult task. If he failed to do that, there was no way he could go to Imperial Capital tomorrow. If he missed out on this opportunity, there was no telling when the next one would come.

“Prepare to leave tomorrow.” Gu Xiqiao spun around in the office before looking straight at Luo Wenlang. “Oh and before I forget, I need you to be extra careful while you’re at the Imperial Capital. The Chen family has yet to get over their feud with you.”

“The Chen family?” Luo Wenlang raised his brow. “That father of mine. Called me up yesterday. He said he’s offering fifty grand in exchange for me not going to the Imperial Capital. Said he wants me to find another place to spend the rest of my life in.”

“…and how did you respond?” Gu Xiqiao asked anxiously.

“Then I said, who are you?” replied Luo Wenlang with a triumphant look.

Gu Xiqiao could imagine how disturbed his father felt after hearing his son utter such words in response. “Look, all I’m saying is, it won’t hurt you for being more cautious while you’re there. You already know that the Chens have spread word about you here. No matter how crazy talented you are, no Mister Money Bags is willing to invest in your plans precisely because of that.”

Although he had not heard of the Chen family, Luo Wenlang had more or less deduced what was going on in the dark. The phone call from yesterday only confirmed his suspicion. Still, something about it bothered him. “If the Chens are so influential, and if I’m moving to Imperial Capital, they wouldn’t resort to sabotaging our company would they?”

“The Chen family?” Gu Xiqiao chuckled. “Yeah sure, they’re pretty powerful in N City but in the Imperial Capital? They’re a bunch of nobodies! Stop being such a worrywart! Remember my words, the Chen family will come groveling at your feet for forgiveness. There’s nothing about them you should fear about!”

She would not allow anyone to bully her employees!

Now that Nine Heavens was slowly marching towards the global stage, and that the virtual helmet has garnered the attention of their higher-ups, their launch event in Imperial Capital would surely attract a great deal of publicity. If they could turn their little company into an unstoppable beast in N City, so could they in the Imperial Capital!”

Luo Wenlang was a little fanatical when it came to his trust in Gu Xiqiao. Since she said there was nothing to worry about, he just took it at face value. In fact, he was looking forward to see the man who had abandoned his own family in the capital.

Gu Xiqiao flipped through the documents lying on Luo Wenlang’s desk. These were the proposals she had him prepare for her.

“Pretty good projects you have here. But I need you to take note of these parts.” After scanning through the entire file, she picked up a black pen and circled certain parts which she deemed unsatisfactory. “Please make some amendments to the parts that I’ve pointed out.”

“Understood” replied Luo Wenlang with a nod. Then, a thought popped up in his mind. “About our company’s arbitrage portfolio. Someone from International Finance called today. They’re inviting you to their financial center to give a speech. Of course, its content’s gonna be about that portfolio.”

“Did you accept?” asked Gu Xiqiao with a raised brow.

“Of course not. Just because they invited us doesn’t mean we have to accept.” Luo Wenlang furrowed his brows. He recalled how pompous the person from the financial center was when they spoke over the phone. Without double-checking from which part of the globe that person was from, he grilled the person in pure mandarin.

“Great. So, what do you think about the lessons you’re getting from your financial guru?” She had never had the chance to ask him about the financial analyst Mu Zong had invited to teach Luo Wenlang.

Luo Wenlang, being the number freak that he was, intimidated the analyst so much after receiving just the fundamentals of finances that he ran away without even requesting for the tuition fees to be paid.

Luo Wenlang’s outstanding abilities was one reason for this. Though, the bigger part of the reason was because of said analyst’s sheer incompetence. In fact, because of this unfruitful lesson, he had been looking forward to the classes he would attend in the Imperial Capital.

He had been dissecting Gu Xiqiao’s arbitrage portfolio. Not just him, but most of the financial analysts who were working for Nine Heavens too. However, there were simply too many complex formulas, some of which he had never even seen before. The more he studied them, the more it looked like pure sorcery.

This made Luo Wenlang doubt his own intelligence. Perhaps he was nothing but a stupid caveman?

“It’s alright. But I hope to learn much more when I get to the Imperial Capital.” Luo Wenlang felt that it was best to keep his complaints to himself, or he would risk hearing something from her mouth that might just shatter his pride into a thousand pieces. Having known her for quite a while now, it’s not like he’s unaware of how nasty Gu Xiqiao could get sometimes.

Nine Heavens has been recruiting prodigies in every department, or people who were fairly responsible when it came to work. This meant that the company had more or less been turned into a well-oiled machine that could function on its own. Gu Xiqiao patrolled around the workspace once before deciding to leave for home in order to pack up her things before leaving for the Imperial Capital.

***

In the outskirts of N City, Jiang Shuxuan was staring up at a cyan-colored cloud formation suspended in the sky. Slowly, his thin lips curled into a smirk. An intimidating expression made itself present on his face and a second later, both of his hands started moving. Following the motion of his fingertips, a dull white strobe moved around, forming into a bunch of strange symbols that floated in the air in front of him. The weird symbols fluctuated at a frequency that was visible to the naked eye.

Then, its speed started increasing sharply. Not long after, a vortex was formed, which was the time when he stopped moving his hands. Jiang Shuxuan stepped back two steps.

Thud!

Thud!

Two figures descended from the sky. They looked around frantically at the blinding lights surrounding them before looking over, wide-eyed at Jiang Shuxuan.

“Master Jiang? What is the meaning of this!?” Yamamoto tried to calm himself down. He was placing all his bets on Jiang Shuxuan being unaware of that matter.

Jiang Shuxuan glanced at the two. “Anyone in the field that violates the international agreement will have his meridian abolished on site!”

“You!” Yamamoto was horrified. He couldn’t understand why Jiang Shuxuan knew about this. He himself had made sure to stay as discreet as possible. “Master Jiang, I had no other choice! I can’t watch my sister lose her life in a place like this!”

After all, unlike Gu Xiqiao who possessed an antidote herself, there was none for Miko’s green mist. It was upon consulting the elders in his family did Yamamoto learn that this was a black magic spell that had its origins rooted in China. Thus, he had to come here to deal with it once and for all!

Still, the Chinese were ahead of the game in this art. Through a spell he had casted at an intersection, he was able to transfer his luck and health onto Miko’s body. A few days later, Miko was discharged from the hospital without further complications.

“The first rule of the ancient martial arts world, whoever that attempts to harm an innocent man shall be taken down without mercy!” Jiang Shuxuan’s voice boomed.

Standing before the two, he remained unyielding.

Feeling wronged, Miko stared back at him. “But Master Jiang, it was that girl who started the fight. You know this!”

“So what?” Like a sledgehammer, his low voice slammed against her heart.

“How can you be so heartless!” Tears were pouring out from her big, bright eyes.

Jiang Shuxuan was not interested in talking. As soon as he raised his arm, Yamamoto started screaming in pain while all four of his limbs twitched uncontrollably.

Miko too, started panicking. “Master Jiang, Master Jiang please spare my brother. I swear I won’t do this again! My brother did this for me. If not for that girl, my brother would not have done what he did! Master Jiang, please!”

Everything was gone. The outcome could not have been further from what she had initially imagined. Back then, she thought that even the sky would become rose-colored upon meeting Jiang Shuxuan. She would smile, and then he’d walk toward her…

This was all gone. Brother had been crushed, his body laid lifelessly on the ground. “I really, really really liked you. How could you do this to me!?”

Only a kid would utter such nonsense. Jiang Shuxuan responded with an even colder look in his eyes. “You like me? And just because you saw a girl that I liked, you were hellbent on making her suffer?”

Feelings aren’t always reciprocal. What more to say of her feelings?

“Your actions alone have led to your own destruction. Do not blame others for that.” Jiang Shuxuan waved his hand effortlessly. He didn’t have such a voracious appetite so there was no way he could ever accept a second lover in his life.

Seeing how little he was moved, Miko felt fear and regret. It seems that this was the first and the last time she would ever step on Chinese soil. He really was going all out against her! But, why did it turn out like this? She had been so infatuated with him and despite that, the only responses she ever got from him was brutal, merciless.

If she knew what would happen today, she would not have committed such sins against humanity. But, what has happened, has happened. Even if he were to show mercy, someone else would come to serve justice in his stead.

As a blinding white light flashed, her figure disappeared into thin air, as if she had been nothing but a phantom.

***

Gu Xiqiao was packing up her things. Tang Yanling had sent her lots of goodies and without second thought, she stuffed them all into her suitcase. There were only a handful of clothes in the other compartment so her luggage was surprisingly light for someone moving to another city.

This was her second chance to go to university. Gu Xiqiao was not as excited as the last time. In fact, she was a little bit reluctant to leave this place.

Xixi was perched on Haha’s snout.

“Chirp chirp!” (Haha, what’s she doing? Look at her, walking here and there!)

“Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof woof woof!” (Maybe she’s contemplating about life.)

“Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!” (Ahhhhh she’s looking back! Oh! She’s looking at me! Looking at me!)

“Woof! Woof woof! Woof woof!” (I don’t think I need to say a word more.)

Gu Xiqiao slowly walked over and hugged Haha tightly in her arms as she gently brushed its fur with her fingers.

‘Haha you damned slut!’ thought Xixi.

Haha smiled smugly at the bird.

‘Boy, you weren’t even born when she and I were struggling through life together!’ thought Haha to itself.

Jiang Shuxuan had nothing but books in his study room. Though, when Gu Xiqiao went in to have a look yesterday, half of its shelves had already been emptied out. Next morning, they set off for the Imperial Capital. Tang Yanling insisted on coming with them and since Jiang Shuxuan had no other choice, he had to allow her on board.

Wu Hongwen too, went with them. At the front of his house, he argued with his father for what seemed like an eternity before he finally clambered onboard Jiang Shuxuan’s car. “Relax old man, I know myself more than you do! I’ll give you a call when I reach there, I promise!”

Wu Feiyang smiled half-heartedly at his son. This was the first time in over twenty something years that his boy would leave for such a faraway place. It would be months before the next time he returns.

It’s just that the situation at the Wu family that did not allow for him to be away from home for such an extended period of time. Ever since he took the reins of his family business, Wu Hongwen had to remain here to oversee their entire operation. Now that he was leaving, god knows what he would come up with the next time he came back.

Unlike Wu Hongwen, Xiao Yun did not want her brother to send her off at all. Apparently, she told him, “Er Qiao’s going by herself, Wu Hongwen’s going by himself, so if you send me off like this, I’d be embarrassed! Also, you should be more worried about that bunch at home! Aren’t you afraid that Grandpa will be bullied or something!?”

To think that the day had finally come when Xiao Yun’s words made sense.

Grandpa Xiao stood beside them, his mouth twitching.

‘You, even if you don’t want your brother to send you off to school, don’t use me like a tool! Ever since taking the medicine that friend of yours gave me, I feel as strong as an ox! Ain’t no way someone’s gonna push me around like you said!’

Xiao Sheng went silent for a moment. He looked at the extra-long limousine, thinking about reminding the driver to pay extra attention to Xiao Yun.

Stopping by the driver’s window, he soon found out that it was none other than Jiang Shuxuan behind the wheel. This man was so intimidating that he dared not look him straight in the eyes. Looking over to the backseat, Tang Yanling smiled gently at him. Forget it. No way he was gonna let that woman take care of Xiao Yun!

The remaining two were Gu Xiqiao and Wu Hongwen. Hopeless fellas, thought Xiao Sheng. He turned to speak to Xiao Yun a little more before letting her go.

Xiao Yun sighed as soon as she got onto the car. Looking at Wu Hongwen beside her, she explained, “I almost got nagged to death by that brother of mine.” She had never seen him drone on like that before!

Wu Hongwen understood the ordeal that she had gone through. In fact, he had spent half a day being lectured continuously by his own father

Tang Yanling chuckled at the two. “You may say this but once you arrive at the university, you’ll know how great a place home actually is.”

Speaking about home, they started thinking about it as soon as the wheels started turning. Rubbing his chin, Wu Hongwen asked, “Right, I forgot to ask you guys, what are you two studying? I’m amazed that we still haven’t talked about this yet!”

“I’m majoring in film and television.” Xiao Yun glared at him coldly. “Didn’t you know about this?”

“Fine. What about you, Er Qiao?” Wu Hongweng guessed that she was going to say economics or something similar, like business administration. Though, there is the possibility that she was going to pick art too. Though, he would soon find out that none of his guesses were even remotely close to Gu Xiqiao’s answer.

She was hunched over, playing a mobile game when she replied, “I’m studying medicine.”

“What the f*ck?” Wu Hongwen was wide-eyed. “Can you repeat what you just said? You’re telling me that instead of art, you’re going to become a med student?!”

Someone, who had been awarded a special prize for her painting, was going to study medicine? Perhaps holding a brush was similar to holding a scalpel? Wu Hongwen wanted to pry open Gu Xiqiao’s head to see what was going on inside.

Even a layman like him recognised just how talented she was when it came to painting. But why did she choose to study medicine instead?

This baffled him!

Xiao Yun on the other hand, wasn’t even remotely surprised by her answer. She was confident that like painting, Gu Xiqiao would dominate the world of medicine with her superior intellect. Though, she was concerned about which university she would pick to pursue her education in medicine at.

It would definitely be bad news if Xiao Yun was studying at B University while Gu Xiqiao was going to choose A University.

Gu Xiqiao smiled at Wu Hongwen. “C’mon, why are you saying this? I’m pretty good at medicine you know?”

Tang Yanling peered at Jiang Shuxuan, who didn’t seem like he was going to speak about this. Thus, she opened her mouth, “Qiao Qiao, have you really decided to take this course?”

“Yes, and no regrets too,” swore Gu Xiqiao while raising her right hand.

‘That should be fine’, thought Tang Yanling. No matter what she studied, it’s not like the Yin family couldn’t afford it.

“Ah right!” Another thought popped into Wu Hongwen’s mind. “Er Qiao, remember the gigantic amusement park you told us about? I’ve forgotten all about it now!”

It had been so long since they talked about this. Originally, he and Xiao Yun were supposed to visit her but they totally did not expect her to return on the second day. In fact, she had sent them an email, containing an agreement which they signed without further questions. Following her instructions, they sent a ton of items to the address as specified by her.

And then… because they were too busy, they had forgotten completely about this.

“That’s alright, there’s nothing much you two could do anyway,” Gu Xiqiao replied. The truth of the matter was, they were going to start on the first of October. Much of the required preparations had already been completed and it was only a matter of time before Nine Heavens made an announcement on their official website.

In unison, Wu Hongwen and Xiao Yun thought to themselves, ‘She’s looking down on us!’

On the other side, Luo Wenlang had departed with his men. His group appeared much stronger than Gu Xiqiao’s. Together with Yu Ning and a couple of other technicians, the entire carriage was livelier than ever.

Yu Ning was the craziest of them all. Even in the car, he was busy trying to crack codes, which in turn, has created a heated discussion. “Holy sh*t Mr. Yu, your way of cracking this code seems pretty rad!”

“Yeah man, you make it look like it’s child’s play or something!”

“Man, I’m looking forward to the day when our virtual paradise finally arrives!”

“…”

Using the deadly combination of an eye mask and a pair of noise-canceling earbuds, Luo Wenlin was put to sleep by Luo Wenlang. After that was done, he began dissecting the arbitrage portfolio Gu Xiqiao had left him.

It was a ten-hour journey from N City to the Imperial Capital. By the time they reached their destination, it was already six in the evening. It was only three days ago that someone from Nine Heavens was dispatched here to buy real estate and a building to house their main operation. The lorry was driven straight to the city center, where they stopped in front of a small opening.

News reached the suburban villa as soon as Luo Wenlang stepped out from the vehicle. Chen Feng was sipping red wine when her mouth curled into a devious grin. “Oh, I can’t wait to see your face Luo Wenlang. Don’t think that I, Chen Feng, have run out of ways to make you pay, you little mongrel!”

She picked up her phone and dialled for someone. Her mood improved greatly immediately after hanging up.

***

Luo Jiajun calmly walked upstairs before he dialled Luo Wenlang’s phone number. Immediately after the call got through, he started cursing at his son, saying how he was going to die if he did not leave the Imperial Capital right this instant.

Gu Xiqiao took the phone out of Luo Wenlang’s hands and spoke into the mouthpiece lazily, “Mister, don’t you think that you’d be the one to die first?”

Her voice was crisp and loud, but her tone was irritated. Upon hearing the voice of a woman, Luo Jiajun thought he had called the wrong person. Still, a pressuring aura emanated from the earpiece which made him choke on his own words.

Gu Xiqiao hung up the phone before his senses returned to him. Knowing that he would continue contacting Luo Wenlang, she had the system change Luo Wenlang’s phone number over to her own phone. Looking out the window, she narrowed her eyes. Thus, their expansion in the Imperial Capital would start with the Chen family!

1 Chuunibyou–a phase in which a child either acts like a know-it-all adult and looks down on real ones, or believes they have special powers unlike others