《Reincarnation Businesswoman: Miraculous Hand Space Hunting the Major》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Choo-choo¡­ choo-choo¡­ The train passed through the tunnel as the howling wind whirled past. Suddenly, Song Ye opened her eyes; and the blinding light hit her eyes. The train shook as it passed the train tracks, causing her to feel uneasy. She was clearly at the bottom of the sea before she fainted, but why did she end up here after the huge explosion? ¡°Hiss¡­¡± She raised her hand and rubbed her aching head. Then, she was taken aback again. She did not care that her head was giddy¡­ as she looked at her pair of hands shockingly. During the explosion underwater, she clearly remembered that her hands had been blown off. Right now, the hands in front of her were as good as before and were quite small. That was right. To someone close to thirty and had been a murderer that had encountered countless bloodshed and torture, this pair of hands in front of her was vastly different from the one in her memory. Facing this pair of hands, it looked like she was fifteen or sixteen years old. Suddenly, she felt that there was something amiss so she raised her hand to touch her face. The petite bone structure and her young and bouncy skin made her heart skip a beat. This was not her! Song Ye¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and her cold gaze surveyed her surroundings. Initially, she thought that the organization had sent her to the train, but upon closer inspection, she realized her surroundings were very different. This train structure was old, and all the chairs were made out of wood like the past. The passengers looked rustic, and there were cartoons about praising the country on the walls of the train. The date was¡­ Song Ye¡¯s eyes widened in shock and suddenly stood up, staring straight at the date on the poster. XX date, XX month, XX year; was this not fifteen years ago? As things happened too quickly, her head whirred again. She could only stand stably when she leaned against the train carriage. She looked down and locked her vision on an army green bag. The contents of the bag were thrown all over the floor in a mess, but the printing on the school badge was very visible to the eye. Third Grade, Class Five; Song Ye. At this moment, Song Ye was completely stunned. ¡°Hey, Song Ye! Who allowed you to stand up? Squat back down!¡± In her shock, there was suddenly a sickening voice that sounded at her ear. Moreover, the tone used was very arrogant. Song Ye looked towards the direction of the voice and saw three girls who had walked over some time ago. They were wearing a cotton flowery skirt, and they looked rustic until the point they were ugly. These few people¡¯s presences directly confirmed Song Ye¡¯s guesses. Tang Meiling, Zhu Shan, and Zheng Feng were known as the beauty trio in the third grade. In Song Ye¡¯s limited schooling journey, they played a vital role in it. Of course, they were a negative influence. Song Ye remembered that she had not seen or heard the trio for a whole fifteen years. It also meant that at this point in time, her current location was on the train of the graduation trip fifteen years ago, which was also the turning point of her life. Heaven threw a huge joke on her, making her suffer endlessly for thirty years. After she died at the bottom of the ocean, He made time go back to fifteen years ago. Was this to let her reminisce about the past or make another choice? She squinted her eyes slightly, and there was coldness in her gaze. No matter if this was a dream or reality¡ªredoing this, she would no longer be the previous cowardly Song Ye. ¡°Oi, Song Ye! Are you deaf? I told you to squat. Don¡¯t get in our way. Do you hear me?¡± When she saw Song Ye standing there and not moving, Tang Meiling¡¯s face darkened, and her sharp voice pierced through the air in the train carriage. The surrounding passengers ignored the children¡¯s bickering and were sleeping haphazardly. Occasionally, a few of them would open their eyes, but they were all just watching a show. Song Ye recovered her senses, and her cold eyes landed on the trio¡¯s faces. If she did not remember wrongly, Tang Meiling and the other two had long planned to mess with her during this third-grade graduation trip. They had scolded and beaten her up for the whole trip; when they got in the car, they directly chased her to the back to squat down and get mocked by other people. This then caused her to get off the car late, break off from the group, and be captured by criminals; disappearing completely from school. When Song Ye thought about how these fifteen- and sixteen-year-old children caused her life to turn upside down because of their small antics, her gaze became even colder. Tang Meiling felt a chill down her spine from her stare and could not help but to be frightened. However, Tang Meiling was arrogant by birth, which allowed her to calm down and continue to raise her nose and holler. ¡°Retract your disgusting gaze. Song Ye, if you don¡¯t listen to us obediently, you¡¯ll get it from us back in school.¡± There was still a school term leading up to the examinations so she could guarantee that Song Ye would die a few times over. If it were Song Ye fifteen years ago, she would long be frightened until her legs went jelly and listen to her without dignity. However, it was a pity that the person standing in front of them was Song Ye who had been a murderer for fifteen years and would kill people without blinking. This threat meant nothing to her. If they wanted to play, then she would play with them. There was a flash in her eyes. Song Ye turned around and hid into the toilet beside her as if she ran away in fear. The trio opposite her was taken aback and started giggling. Tang Meiling broke into a smile and sashayed over. ¡°You still dare to run? Today, I¡¯ll let you see what it means to call for help but to no avail. Go, get her out of there.¡± All the students at this age would think of themselves as the big boss, and only by bullying weak children like Song Ye could satisfy their materialistic desires. Tang Meiling was overflowing with confidence. However, at the next second, as she stood in front of the toilet door; the train traveled through the tunnel. It was pitch black in front of her. She extended her hand to pull open the door, but her hand could not hold onto anything, taking her by surprise. Suddenly, there was a mysterious strength in the dark that pulled her in; not only her, but even Zhu Shan and Zheng Feng were dragged into the toilet. Before the three of them could react¡ªPiak! Piak! Something kept hitting their heads, making them call out in agony. ¡°Ah, it hurts! What¡¯s that? Please stop. Ah¡­¡± However, no matter how much they screamed, the tunnel noise still covered this commotion; and their head swelled up. In the narrow toilet, the three of them were hurling around in pain; they either stepped on one another¡¯s legs or hit one another¡¯s heads. When they were about to leave the tunnel, the three of them were hit unconscious. Song Ye came out of the toilet and conveniently rolled a book up and squeezed it at the door handle before turning around calmly and casually throwing the wooden ladle in her hand. This was something used to scoop water in the toilet, and yet it could be used so efficiently. She only exercised for a while, but she felt the ache in her wrist and was thinking about going back to strengthening her body. These strength and fighting skills she had were worlds apart from her previous life. Even though she did not want to continue being a puppet murderer, Song Ye knew that this world was dark and she could only count on herself. Looking at the view passing by outside, Song Ye¡¯s cold voice broke out into a smile. Since she could control her fate once again¡ªthis time, she would never give in. Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After teaching the Tang-Meiling trio a lesson, Song Ye did not return to the third-grade-class-five group. One, because she wanted Tang Meiling to enjoy a little while longer in the toilet; and two, because she realized that someone was spying on her. Ever since she experienced this ridiculous revival experience, Song Ye noticed that there was a pair of eyes in the dark. In her previous life, she was taken away once she got off the train. She believed that she was noticed since she left the group on the train. After some thinking, she suddenly made a decision and walked towards the middle carriage. Three people were sitting there while talking softly. When they heard the footsteps approaching, they stopped talking and looked over at the same time. ¡°Hello, Uncles, could I sit here for a while?¡± Song Ye looked down, and her middle-length fringe covered her entire thin face. Her voice was soft as if she was a frightened small animal. The man sitting near the walkway looked up and sized up the girl before putting on a friendly smile. ¡°Take a seat. You¡¯re still a student, right?¡± ¡°Yep, thank you,¡± Song Ye answered softly as she held her bag and sat on the only empty spot in the four-people seat. The three people seated casually pretended to look at the view, but in reality, they were judging Song Ye from time to time. Finally, some calculations flashed in the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Little girl, you look a little pale. Do you want to drink some water? I¡¯m going to get some for myself.¡± After he finished talking, the man waved the plastic cup in his hands. Song Ye lowered her head and hesitated for a while as if she was scared before she nodded. ¡°Then, thank you, Uncle.¡± ¡°No problem. We should all help one another outside. Then, can I trouble you to look after many things? I¡¯ll come back as soon as possible.¡± As he was speaking, the man walked away with a smile and had generously passed the black bag on the table for Song Ye to take care of. If it was another child ostracized by other people and was cold and hungry who met a nice person to help her, she would have been thanking the gods. However, the person in front of them was Song Ye. Fifteen years ago, she was sold by this man and suffered two years of brutal beatings in the mountains. Even if she turned to ashes, she would remember this man. Looking at the black bag used to gain Song Ye¡¯s trust, there was a flash in her eyes. She decided to go with the flow by hugging the bag closely and pretended to look after it. In reality, her pair of hands was already feeling around to guess the contents of the bag. In her previous life, she had received many strict and cruel forms of training so her pair of hands was as agile and sensitive as ever. Things hidden with a thin cloth were easy for her to guess. However, when she placed her hand on the bag, a weird image flashed in her mind: tens of wallets and spare items were shown in her head, one by one, as clear as ever as if she saw it on her own. ¡°Little girl, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The neighboring man saw that Song Ye¡¯s body tense up so he asked her curiously, and there was an investigative look in his eyes. At that moment, Song Ye recovered swiftly and hugged the bag in front of her tighter as she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± While handling the man¡¯s questioning, Song Ye¡¯s hands swiftly moved across the surface of the bag and confirmed that there were valuables like wallets and accessories inside it. Then, there was a pang in her heart. Previously, she merely touched the bag¡¯s surface and not any substantial items, but she could clearly see the wallets and accessories¡­ even their model and color could be seen as if she had gone through the bag and saw the inside. Thinking about this, Song Ye¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her fingers could not help but to touch her own bag. Once she focused on it, all the messy books, the red scarf, and the school badge¡¯s position were presented in her head, one by one. She could confirm that this was not a dream or her hallucination. She could indeed see the contents of the bag by just merely touching the surface of it. This knowledge shocked her, and she could not stop the wild beating in her heart. At the same time, she was elated. She could experience revival, and she did not expect God to also give her a cheat. The novelty of having a special power made her happy beyond words, and she wanted to try to test her powers on something else. However, when she thought about the situation that she was in, she became calm again. There were indeed stolen goods inside the bag. These people were not only human traffickers; they were also thieves. Song Ye lowered her head and investigated the contents of the bag and accidentally found a round stone at the bottom of it. Judging by the shape and the material of it, it was a gemstone. When she wanted to take it out to see without anyone looking, footsteps sounded from the other end. The middle-aged man passed the water to Song Ye, making her let go of her hands. ¡°Hehe, thank you for being so nice and helping me take care of my things.¡± The man smiled and took his things back. His gaze met with the two people beside him. When he got a satisfying answer, his gaze towards Song Ye glowed. In the past, they tricked middle-aged women who could not be sold for much. They did not expect to pick up a gem this time as it was the most valuable to sell a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old to the mountain areas as they were silly and cowardly enough to not cause trouble. Song Ye used her fringe to cover her face, and she smiled coldly in her heart as she remembered these people¡¯s calculating smiles. She thanked him and took the initiative to return the bag to the other party. Her gaze swept across the gemstone¡¯s location, and she felt pity in her heart. If she could just see it again. Just as this thought flashed across her mind¡ªthe next second, something weird happened. She saw the gemstone fly towards her palm from the bag and¡­ disappeared! Song Ye was taken aback and kept flipping her palm, but she could not see anything. Even if she was very anxious and could not figure out what was going on, the situation before her did not allow her to think much. She took the man¡¯s cup and pretended to lower her head to drink the water, bit by bit, but in actual fact, the water flowed into her sleeves down her palm. There were sleeping pills in the water and was a common trick used by human traffickers. Song Ye would not be silly enough to really drink it. When the people opposite her saw that Song Ye was obedient, the smile in their eyes became deeper. The stations passed one by one. Half an hour later, Song Ye estimated that they were reaching the terminal soon so she pretended that the sleeping pills had worked and lay on the table. ¡°Little girl, little girl¡­¡± The middle-aged man opposite her called out. After he confirmed that she was knocked out, he made a sign and rapidly brought Song Ye to the toilet while the other passengers were all asleep. Then, he turned around to find other prey. Song Ye¡¯s eyes opened wide and realized that there was another girl in the toilet. She was seventeen or eighteen years old and was also given sleeping pills. As the train toilets had a pungent smell and the journey was unstable, very little people would use this toilet on the train, which gave the human traffickers this convenience. When Song Ye noticed that it was quiet outside, she ripped her sleeve off and made her hair unkempt before she ran out of the door and towards the head of the train. Then, she grabbed one of the train attendants as anxiety filled her face. ¡°Help! There¡¯s someone who wants to kidnap us! I have another friend; she¡¯s trapped in the toilet by the human traffickers.¡± Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios This sudden scene on the train alerted the passengers, and the train attendant was shocked beyond words. Instantly, he believed the child, who was not very old, and took out a plastic stick from his bag as he called his colleagues sternly. ¡°Where¡¯s your friend?¡± ¡°In the toilet at the tenth carriage. There are three people on the other side, and they are all middle-aged. One of them has a goatee, the other has a scar, and the last one is left-handed and carries a black bag. There are tools and stolen goods inside.¡± Song Ye quickly reported the features and positions of the men clearly and precisely, allowing people to recognize them instantly. After instructing Song Ye to stay at her spot to wait, the train attendants left anxiously and completely did not notice that a country girl could stay so alert and clear after the shock she had met with. The safety at this day and age was compromised so there would usually be two or three people good at fighting that became train attendants to prevent fighting or robbery events from occurring. As she watched the train attendants walk further away with their plastic sticks, Song Ye stood up and walked towards the soft room channel while the other people in her surroundings were watching the commotion. Now, she had ample time to test her abilities. The soft room carriage was not like the hard room ones, where there was no privacy at all. This superior carriage had two people sharing a room and a door to close it. Inside the room, it was very spacious; of course, the price was a few folds of the hard room. Song Ye acted as if she was walking around casually, and her finger stroked across one of the room. Inside the first room, there was a couple and a child; she could see the grandpa and grandma¡¯s figures very clearly. In the second room, two elegantly-dressed ladies were facing the mirror and applying their foundation; they were using the most expensive brand in the market. Until the fourth carriage, Song Ye believed her ridiculous powers in her hands undoubtedly and had even found a space in her palm. As long as she focused, taking items across the wall was as easy as ABC. The gemstone that disappeared previously was also in this space. When she thought that there would be a commotion at the human traffickers¡¯ side, Song Ye wanted to find a space to hide herself. However, the situation in the fourth carriage made her slightly stunned. Inside, there were two men around the age of twenty-six or twenty-seven. One of them was sitting by the table and facing the view outside, with the sunlight landing on his side view. His features were obvious, and his lips were tightly pressed against each other. His pair of eyes was as stable as the mountain and filled with murderous intent. This was a handsome man and was different from the pretty-boy looks all over the streets. This intense look filled with murderous intent could make someone¡¯s blood curdle, but what attracted Song Ye¡¯s attention was not his appearance¡­ but the intense murderous aura around him. Just one look, Song Ye could confirm that this man had killed someone before and his hands were dripping with blood. The fact that the train in a small place like Cloud City would actually have this type of person was enough to gather her curiosity. When the man opposite talked to him in his low voice, his title made Song Ye shocked. As she knew how to lip-read, she could understand the man even with the thick metal wall in between. He said, ¡°Major, do you want to go out to take a look?¡± Major. This was a military title. According to what Song Ye knew, one needed to be at least thirty years old to be promoted to that status, but the man inside had raised to that position at such a young age. It was either because he was very capable or someone was looking after him. Even though they were behind the wall, the two people inside could hear the commotion outside really clearly. The subordinate was clearly making a request, but the man at the table did not move an inch and said lightly, ¡°No need.¡± Perhaps it was his natural expression or that he was in a bad mood, but Song Ye felt that his face was so cold until it could become ice. As there was such an amazing figure not easy to handle, Song Ye decided not to loiter around and expose herself. At this time, the train attendant had quickly saved the unconscious girl from the toilet and had caught two of the human traffickers. Through the girl¡¯s recognition, they confirmed their crimes. ¡°Hm? Where did the girl that made the report go? Did anyone see her?¡± When the train attendant came back and did not see Song Ye, he began to look for her. However, all the passengers just shook their heads to express that they did not see her, and no one noticed the girl¡¯s figure amongst the crowd. As they did not find the mastermind, the girl victim and the human traffickers were being watched by the train attendant. They only brought them down to handle when the train reached its destination. Song Ye¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she watched the commotion at the train station; everyone was surrounding the human traffickers and watching the scene of the victims crying in pain. When she was about to leave the train station, she suddenly heard rapid footsteps coming towards her. It was obvious compared to the rhythm of the other footsteps around her. Song Ye¡¯s brows furrowed together. When the sharp knife came over, she moved her body slightly and barely escaped it. She turned around and met with the goatee man¡¯s sinister look. The other party was taken aback as he clearly did not expect Song Ye was agile enough to escape his attack. When he thought about his captured brothers, hatred in his heart became even more intense. ¡°Stupid girl, you spoiled my fortune. I won¡¯t spare you.¡± As he finished talking, the knife¡ªas sharp as ever¡ªattacked over. At first, Song Ye wanted to teach him a lesson, but she realized that her fifteen-year-old body¡¯s reaction time and strength were too weak so she could not help but escape cowardly. She took a deep breath in and hollered, ¡°Help! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± ¡°Stupid girl!¡± When he noticed that this noise alerted his surroundings, the anger in the man¡¯s heart grew. He could not help but to turn around and escape. As he had not left the train station, the man followed the platform and knocked into the crowd, without noticing there was another train approaching from afar. He did not notice it, but Song Ye did. As she watched the approaching train and the cold train track below the platform, her gaze went cold as she took out the gemstone from the space. From this distance and angle, she could cause the man to die without a complete corpse. However, when the gemstone was about to leave her hand, the man suddenly hit into a wall of muscles. Suddenly, there was a pain in his wrist, and his elbow was twisted behind his back, causing him to yell out in pain. The commotion in the crowd made the staff at the train station rapidly surrounded the man. After confirming the man¡¯s identity, they thanked the brave soul. After handing the man over, Qin Zhan rejected reporting his name to receive an award from the train station as he looked at the crowd not far away. If he did not remember wrongly, the girl who yelled for help was there and had even struggled with the criminal for some time. However, that place was empty; the girl had disappeared. ¡°Major¡­¡± the man behind bellowed and reminded him of his time. Qin Zhan kept his gaze and walked towards the train station in big steps. At this time, Song Ye¡ªwho managed to escape¡ªboarded a public vehicle to go home. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios On the public transport on the way home, watching the dirt and dust fly on the road in the village and the short houses here, for the first time; Song Ye felt something real about her fifteen-year-old revival incident. She really came back. She came back to this familiar town, changed her fate, and achieved a new life. Even the cold-hearted Song Ye felt emotional at this familiar sight and feeling. However, her emotional feeling was only maintained until she reached the door. Even though she had not met her family members in fifteen years, Song Ye could still remember how lowly and bitter her life was at the Song family. Screech¡­ she pushed open the old door, and the laughter in the house immediately stopped when the sound of the door opening resounded in the space. Lu Lan, the mistress of the Song family, was sitting on the couch. Once she looked at the door and saw Song Ye standing on the spot, hatred grew in her eyes. Before she could open her mouth, second daughter Song Tingting and third daughter Song Meimei had already opened their mouths. Their sharp voice grumbled impolitely, ¡°Song Ye, won¡¯t you close the door now? It¡¯s such a cold day; do you want to freeze me to death?¡± Once Lu Lan heard that, she immediately furrowed her eyebrows. Her gaze then landed on Song Ye¡¯s dirty clothes. ¡°Did you play crazily when you went on the trip? Your clothes are so dirty, and you don¡¯t look like a girl at all. Get in now.¡± At this moment, the only male on the couch, the household owner¡ªSong Yuanzhi¡ªdid not speak up. He was holding a tray and did not even spare a look to this girl who no one doted on. Song Ye¡¯s eyes turned cold when it was hidden behind the fringe. Her heart that was beating rapidly due to happiness¡­ dropped to the bottom. Even after fifteen years, the Song family¡¯s face was still as annoying as ever. She pressed her lips tightly and swallowed back her ¡®Dad¡¯ and ¡®Mom¡¯ at her lips. She closed the door and walked back to the bedroom alone. Without a surprise, she heard Lu Lan¡¯s mean voice from behind. ¡°You didn¡¯t even greet us. Do you treat this place as a hotel or a hostel? You clearly know that our family conditions are difficult, but you still went on a trip. What a spendthrift.¡± Her two daughters chimed in with her words, and with the door separating them, she could clearly hear their mockery. Song Ye sat by the bed and looked at the small bed filled with clothes and socks, without even glancing at the other bed. The Song family had a prudent lifestyle, and the house only had two rooms and one living room. Hence, three daughters had to squeeze in one room, and the mattress was the kind that was separated upstairs and downstairs. Song Tingting and Song Meimei occupied the bottom bed, and Song Ye could only sleep on the upper bunk, taking the risk to hit her head against the ceiling when she got up. All the while, Song Ye was in charge of cleaning the house and washing the clothes. After going out for three days, the small room was already very messy, especially her own bed that was filled with Song Tingting and Song Meimei¡¯s dirty clothes and socks. If it were her previous life, Song Ye would continue working hard without a single complaint. However, now that she got to relive again, she knew some causes and consequences here so she did not let anyone bully her. With much difficulty, she found a quiet place. Song Ye took out the gemstone from the space and observed it under the dim light. The black gemstone was an old one, and its material was thin and hard. In her previous life, Song Ye had encountered jades in her business so she knew that this gemstone could produce jades. That goatee man carefully hid the gemstone in the bag as he must have known that it was something very valuable. Everyone said that even the gods could not differentiate jades. In the gemstone world, someone could turn wealthy within a day with a stone, and others could become bankrupt due to one as even the latest gadgets could not accurately differentiate the stones. Song Ye played with the stone in her hand, and when she thought of her special powers, she decided to give it a shot. Her heart and mind focused, and instantly, the black stone formed in her mind. As she inspected more deeply, she saw a sparkling green. It was green! Song Ye¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she seriously inspected the color of the jade. She initially confirmed that this jade was an old, glass one and very valuable, just inferior to emerald. 2She did not expect herself to casually take such a valuable gem with her. Song Ye¡¯s eyes swept across the narrow upper mattress and decided to find some time to make money. When she was trying hard to think if there were any wool markets near Cloud City, she heard a voice from outside. ¡°Sigh, she really thinks that she¡¯s the princess of the family. She doesn¡¯t even bother stepping out of the door and is just waiting for other people to serve her.¡± Song Tingting¡¯s words were as harsh as Lu Lan¡¯s, a vast difference from her beautiful looks. ¡°Second Sister, she¡¯s probably cleaning the room.¡± Song Meimei smiled with her eyes. She was only fourteen, but she was already pretty and cute; just that, there were calculations in her eyes. When she thought that someone would clean up the dirty room, she was in a good mood and shouted towards the room. ¡°Song Ye, come out and eat.¡± The entire family treated Song Ye like a servant, and the two younger sisters never called her ¡®sister¡¯ once. Hence, when Song Ye went out and saw the leftovers on the table, she was already used to it. The Song family had always been like this: they loved to order Song Ye to do chores when they were eating. When Song Ye finished the chores, the other people would be done eating so Song Ye could only eat the leftovers and was responsible for washing the dishes. Since the day she could remember things, this was already the norm. Today, when Song Ye saw the two to three plates of leftovers, Song Ye had no appetite at all. Perhaps she was too scared of being hungry so after she became a killer, she had very high demands about food. When she saw these foods again, it was hard for her to swallow. After looking at the table for three seconds, she decisively turned around. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± She left this sentence, and she was already walking towards the door. Right before she stepped out of the house door, the people in the house finally recovered their senses. ¡°Stop there!¡± Lu Lan¡¯s sharp voice sounded, and the decibel was so high it made people¡¯s ears hurt. She was clearly furious. Song Ye stopped in her tracks but did not turn around. This uncooperative look made Lu Lan¡¯s face darken. ¡°Song Ye, you¡¯ve grown wings after you came home from outside, didn¡¯t you? Our family¡¯s dishes aren¡¯t enough to live up to such a distinguished person. Whether you want to eat or not, you must wash the dishes before you go.¡± She could not eat, but she must do the chores. Song Ye had never heard Lu Lan¡¯s bias so clearly. She silently turned around and looked at Lu Lan straight in the eye as she said nonchalantly. ¡°I have something on; I need to go out. There are so many pairs of hands at home, there¡¯s no difference if I¡¯m here.¡± Once her voice ended¡ªpiak! Lu Lan slammed the table. ¡°Song Ye, can¡¯t my words affect you anymore? I told you to do your chores, but yet you talked back at me? As the eldest in the family, you didn¡¯t put on a good behavior. I think you¡¯re just waiting to be punished.¡± When she finished saying, Lu Lan picked up the broom from the toilet and rushed forward to hit Song Ye. This broom was especially used by Song Ye as she used it to clean the house. However, Lu Lan used it to beat and scold Song Ye without a reason; she would just throw her temper at Song Ye once something did not go her way. In the past, Song Ye would endure it all and get beaten up obediently. Today, it was different. Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios A family storm was about to occur, and everyone in the family¡ªincluding Song Yuanzhi¡ªviewed this norm as an entertainment show. They waited to see Song Ye get beaten up and watch her as she cried and went to wash the dishes. Lu Lan raised the broom in her hands high up. Her gaze was cruel, and she heartlessly moved towards Song Ye. However, in mid-air, her wrist was stopped by a cold hand. The surrounding air stopped, and the atmosphere became weirdly quiet. Everyone in the Song family opened their eyes wide and could not believe Song Ye in front of their eyes. She actually retaliated. ¡°I¡¯m not weak and easily bullied; I just value you as my family. If you think we aren¡¯t family, you don¡¯t need to chase me out. I can go out by myself,¡± Song Ye said it calmly without any raise in her voice. However, her words made everyone¡¯s heart panic. Lu Lan¡¯s face changed, and the anger rising up on her chest was halted by Song Ye¡¯s calm and close-to-cold gaze. Until the door closed with a bang, Song Yuanzhi stood up and hollered, ¡°She really thinks that she¡¯s big. If you dare, don¡¯t come back. If you die, just die outside.¡± The houses far away could also hear his curses. Song Ye, who had walked in between, broke into a cold smile. It was not because Song Yuanzhi was high up in the air that he was not violent towards her; on the contrary, he was the first person who could not tolerate Song Ye¡¯s existence. All these years, he did not even blink as he saw Lu Lan being harsh on her. Now, this punching bag was disobedient, and he almost burst out. However, after so many years, she had no more hopes for these familial ties. Now, to her, the Song family was no different from strangers. The first thing she had to solve was filling her stomach and her pocket. The town was desolated and behind times; not to mention a wool market, it did not even have a high-class accessory shop. In her memory, there was only a jewelry shop near the secondary school in the city. The town was a few miles away from the secondary school so, normally, all the students would take public transport to school. However, Lu Lan was harsh towards her and let her walk to school in the name of exercising; when in reality, she just wanted to save money. Currently, Song Ye was penniless so she could only count on her two bare feet to walk. After walking for three hours on an empty stomach and arriving in the city, her face was pale. She was merely counting on her willpower to carry on and not faint. When she found the jewelry shop in her memory, she found out that the shop was closed. It was already close to evening, and the shop was closed earlier. As Song Ye watched the hues of the sky, she did not have the strength to continue walking so she huddled at the stairs to rest. She held the gemstone and sighed gently. This road of revival was not that easy to walk. When she was feeling emotional, a black car suddenly drove over and stopped right in front of Song Ye. The car window rolled down, revealing a man¡¯s square face. ¡°Little girl, what are you doing in front of my shop?¡± Song Ye was stunned. She raised her head and saw the man¡¯s warm face. Then, she immediately stood up and walked to the car, placing the gemstone in her palm and said gently, ¡°I want to sell this jade gemstone. My family is poor, and we¡¯re only left with this gemstone.¡± A girl bringing out a gemstone to sell alone was very suspicious so Song Ye found a reason. Together with her pale face, she did give off the vibes of being too poor and having nowhere to go. That man did not take much notice of her, but when he saw the gemstone that she was holding, his eyes lit up. He took the initiative to open the door and went down to talk to Song Ye. ¡°Little girl, did your family ask you to sell this?¡± ¡°Mm, my Dad and Mom told me to bring this over. They said that if I cut out the thing inside, it can be sold.¡± Song Ye acted as if she did not know anything and answered him as she protected the stone with much fear. Without much thinking, the man opened the shop and called Song Ye to enter. ¡°My name is Zhao Zhen. If you don¡¯t mind, you can call me Uncle. This thing is very valuable. Hold on it tightly. I¡¯ll prepare the equipment to take out the thing inside.¡± ¡°Hello, Uncle Zhao; I¡¯m Song Ye.¡± Song Ye also reported her name and sat on a chair to wait. In the meantime, Zhao Zhen poured tea and brought snacks for her. ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, eat this first. Opening the gem requires some effort so you have to wait for a while.¡± Zhao Zhen did not despise Song Ye because of her torn clothes, and his caring moves made Song Ye have a good first impression of this man. Of course, the eventual result would have to depend on the contents of the stone. Zhao Zhen was wearing a suit and was sitting in front of the gem opener, operating it personally. Carefully, he opened the black sand exterior of the gem. It took twenty minutes to open the window of the gemstone as big as the palm; one could just tell how much effort and meticulous the process was. Zhao Zhen¡¯s jewelry shop was not famous in Cloud City, and the less famous it was, the harder it was to find good resources. Besides, he did not have much money and his shop was small; the shop could only maintain itself based on word-of-mouth. He had tried countless times to change to another industry, but every time he looked at these beautiful gems, he could not help but have the desire to explore them. Just like now, he was extra meticulous to the black sand gem that was not of good material. However, in the next instant, when he saw the shade of green on the inside; he was surprised beyond words. ¡°Uncle Zhao, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Song Ye sat not far away and asked him while pretending to be curious. After some time, Zhao Zhen then opened his eyes wide and broke into a smile. He eagerly said, ¡°It¡¯s green! Green! Also, its head looks pretty good!¡± He did not care if Song Ye understood what he said. Right after Zhao Zhen said that, he hurriedly used his handkerchief and dipped it in water before carefully using it to open the window until a complete jade was in front of him. The glistening jade was too beautiful for someone to turn their eyes away. Even if Song Ye was an outsider, she could tell how valuable the item was. She sat aside and did not say anything until Zhao Zhen was done inspecting and calmed back down. Then, he took the initiative to talk to her. ¡°Xiao Ye, did your family say how much they wanted to sell this thing for?¡± Song Ye shook her head. ¡°My parents didn¡¯t say anything. They just needed some money to get on with life. I don¡¯t really know much about this so Uncle Zhao should state the price.¡± When she said this, she was acting innocent. No matter how much she did not know about such things, Song Ye was not stupid enough to let the other party state the price. She only did this to test the other party. Zhao Zhen was stunned for a moment. He held the item and broke out into a smile. ¡°This jade is a type of Grade A glass jade so it is extremely valuable. However, the surface was a bit small, and Uncle Zhao¡¯s shop is small too; I can¡¯t produce so much money. I¡¯ll give you three hundred thousand dollars for this. How does it sound?¡± When he said this, Zhao Zhen was very guilty as a jade of this type would cost at least seven or eight hundred thousand, but he did not have that much money with him. When Song Ye saw his dodgy eyes, she knew that he was guilty. Based on his personality that she observed, she could go along with it. After she thought about this, she stood up and walked to Zhao Zhen. ¡°Okay. Three hundred thousand, but I still want a part of the shares in the jewelry shop.¡± Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ever since Song Ye entered the shop, he only treated her as an immature young child. However, when she finished her sentence, there was a pang in his heart. He unwittingly sized up the girl in front of him again. She was clearly still wearing the same torn clothes, and her fringe was so thick until he could not see her face properly. However, the curve on her lips looked like she was smiling, but it gave people a very cold feeling. Her entire person was changed by this cold aura. ¡°What¡­ do you want?¡± Zhao Zhen furrowed his eyebrows and said alertly. If this jade was like a delicious cake the second before, then the next, it became a burning yam. He was not sure if it was something that his business rivals used to trick him. No matter how small the jade industry was, there were still profits to be earned so the internal conflicts between competitors were very hidden and scary. Facing the questioning look of the other party, Song Ye still put on a nonchalant look and merely raised her arm to take back the jade. Her moves were fast which made Zhao Zhen stunned beyond. ¡°Uncle Zhao also knows that three hundred thousand is too little. You want a jade to support your brand, and I want a way to start my own business. This deal is simple and logical.¡± Since she entered the shop, she noticed that the color of the jewelry here was not good. Zhao Zhen¡¯s anxiety to buy the jade proved his current situation. Song Ye thought that it was beneficial for both parties and was not something out of character. However, to think that this sentence came out from a fifteen-year-old teenager¡¯s mouth, it was unbelievable. Zhao Zhen had even thought that she did not hear her properly. ¡°Start your own business?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m interested in gem speculation so I hope to work with Uncle Zhao.¡± Song Ye sat back beside the table and played with the jade in her hand. She did not think that the words she said would bring so much shock to others. No matter how good of a temper Zhao Zhen had, he was starting to become angry. He maintained a straight face and pulled the corner of his lips. ¡°Hehe, if Little Girl wants to play house, then don¡¯t blame me for not playing along. This shop is small; I won¡¯t entertain you any longer.¡± Recently, he was troubled by the lack of a good jade source, but this did not mean that he would mess around with a child. After being rejected, Song Ye did not show any signs of anxiety. Instead, she stood up and threw the jade up and down, which made Zhao Zhen¡¯s heart follow its movements. He thought that this small girl must have gone crazy from being too poor; she must not drop this gem by mistake. When Song Ye saw Zhao Zhen¡¯s pained look, she opened her mouth lightly. ¡°Since Uncle Zhao has no intention of working with me, then let¡¯s close the deal at three hundred thousand dollars.¡± Once she said finish, the green light shook in her hands and landed in Zhao Zhen¡¯s palm precisely. The heaviness in his hands made Zhao Zhen widen his eyes, and he could not help but hold the jade tightly. ¡°Won¡¯t you regret closing the deal at three hundred thousand?¡± ¡°Nope. Pay with cash. I don¡¯t have a card.¡± Song Ye shook her head nonchalantly and clearly had abandoned the idea of becoming a shareholder. However, the more relaxed she looked, the more conflicted Zhao Zhen was. It was clear that the price differed by a few hundred thousand, and she knew that she was at a disadvantage. Then, why would she still want to carry on with this deal? Did she not care about money? Or¡­ As if Song Ye saw right through him, she walked to the glass window and casually said, ¡°Uncle Zhao, you don¡¯t need to suspect me. The thing is already in your hands. When I have a way to get more goods, I¡¯ll come by and sell it again.¡± What? She had a way? Zhao Zhen really was shocked many times today; he had opened a rare jade and was shocked by Song Ye¡­ the little imp¡¯s sudden change in attitude. However, judging by her clothing, Zhao Zhen believed that the gemstone was not a family heirloom. Moreover, she indeed had a way to find good jades. When he thought of this, the palm that was holding the jade started to burn up. He settled his heart and made a decision. ¡°I will use thirty percent of the store¡¯s shares to give you the remaining four hundred thousand dollars.¡± This meant that Zhao Zhen agreed to the duo¡¯s cooperation. However, he did not realize that there was a flash in Song Ye¡¯s eyes who was back-facing him to appreciate the accessories. Of course, she did not have a jade source. No matter if it was a family heirloom or the later business dealings, they were all methods used to lie to Zhao Zhen. To Song Ye who was familiar with humans¡¯ mindset, dealing with honest businessmen like Zhao Zhen was as easy as ABC. Of course, she was not worried that the other party would go back on his words. If he really did, then she would let him know what a terrible world it was. The three hundred thousand was given, but the contract could only be made the next day. Song Ye waved her hands and said she would come back to handle it the next day before turning around to leave the jewelry shop. Zhao Zhen stood in front of the door as he watched the young girl carrying three hundred thousand in cash and walking away. Then, he looked at the jade in his hands and felt that in the lure of the night, everything seemed unreal. The sky had already darkened. With the turning of the lights, the north winter days became even colder. After turning into a corner, Song Ye conveniently threw the three hundred thousand dollars into the space before rubbing her stomach. She decided to go eat a full meal to satisfy her small hunger. She remembered that in her previous life, the organization arranged a body check for her. She had missed the prime puberty period, causing her height to stop at 165 centimeters. Now that she got to relive again, she did not want to be shorter than others. Since God gave her a second chance at life, then she would eat well, drink well, and live well. Finally, she was attracted by the aroma of Lin Jiang Street Stall. As they had just held a feast for catching fish, there was a lot of seafood in front of the stall. Song Ye stood in front of the stall in her ragged clothes, which caused the lady boss to furrow her eyebrows so tightly until it could swat a fly. As this was the prime time for eating, her stall was bustling with people. Without hesitation, she chased people out. ¡°Go away! If you don¡¯t have money, don¡¯t affect my business. I don¡¯t have leftover food for you.¡± Her words were not polite at all, and her volume did not lower. The customers near the door looked over, and the smiles were all filled with mockery. Song Ye lowered her head to look at her dressing. Mm¡­ she indeed looked terrible, but she did not even open her mouth to ask for food, this lady boss was too harsh. ¡°Stir-fried fresh prawn, hotplate squid, steamed fish, crab vermicelli¡­¡± She raised her head and looked at the menu. Her voice was neither high nor low but clear in the bustle. Before she finished talking, the lady boss¡¯ face darkened and shouted at her in frustration. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m talking about you. What are you trying to play? Get out¡­¡± Before she could finish talking, a light old man¡¯s head* landed on her hand. The number ¡®100¡¯ effectively shut her mouth. Because the other party took money out so quickly, she could not even recover her senses. (TL note: the hundred dollar bill is printed with an old man¡¯s head) ¡°Give me another sour clam soup. I¡¯ll pay first, and then you¡¯ll serve the food. Is there any other problem?¡± When Song Ye was done talking, she sat at an empty corner table. The few tables near the entrance hushed as none of them expected the poor girl to take out the old man¡¯s head in one shot. After quite some time, the lady boss¡¯s hand shook. She swallowed some saliva as she felt that the gaze the little girl gave her was so cold that it was scary. Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After the table was filled with all kinds of seafood, the lady boss still gave her a change of sixty dollars. Compared to the disdainful attitude from before, she was much more polite. Song Ye casually stuffed the sixty dollars back into her pocket and did not care much about the stall¡¯s unscrupulous behavior. Right now, she was just reminiscing about how cheap the food was; if it was fifteen years later, every single dish would be ten times more expensive. Ignoring the shocked and envious gazes from her surroundings, Song Ye attacked left and right, moving her chopsticks wildly and quickly on the table. From the start till the end, she moved systematically; it gave people an elegant feeling. No matter which decade they were in, being outstanding would always garner attention. Pulling out the old man¡¯s head straight up and eating the five dishes of seafood alone had long gathered judging stares from the crowd. A few ruffians walked into the stall. Once they opened their mouth, it was filled with curses. ¡°F*ck, did you not see my boss here? You don¡¯t want to come out to greet us¡­ are you not giving my boss face?¡± While he was talking, the ruffian kicked a customer¡¯s chair nearby, but the person fell to the floor and did not dare make a sound. The lady boss had long hidden behind the countertop as she was afraid they would cause trouble. Then, she came out with a bitter laugh, bowing to them in apology. ¡°Aiyo, Brother Dagger, I was just busy at the back so I didn¡¯t see you. Come, don¡¯t be angry. I just paid my protection fee a few days ago; why would you come today¡­?¡± She did not finish her sentence, but everyone knew what was going on. At this day and age, the safety was close to non-existent as every town had local ruffians and gangs coming out to collect protection fees. They claimed that they would protect the businesses and ensure that they would not be disturbed. However, in reality, they were trying to make a name for themselves and were snatching territories. Just nice, Lin Jiang was under their control. When they saw the lady boss bowing and bending her knee, the ruffians burst out into laughter as Dagger waved his hand and was in a good mood. ¡°I remember that I took the money. This Sir came to eat food today. Don¡¯t need to pay me any attention.¡± ¡°Uh, sigh¡­¡± The lady boss was taken aback and then sighed when she thought that they would cheat her of her money again. However, when they finished talking, they did not order any food but sashayed over to the corner table. The spectators¡¯ line of sight followed them and saw Song Ye who was eating her feast, feeling a little worried about this poor girl there. However, when faced with bad people, no one dared to stand up for her. Piak! Song Ye felt the table shake, and a few figures sat opposite her. Without looking up, she knew who they were. Normally, when girls meet ruffians, they would cry and beg for mercy. The slamming of the table had also made the entire crowd hush. However, after waiting for a long time, Dagger realized that the ordinary girl in front continued eating her food and even had an expression of enjoyment on her face. When they did not get the response they expected, the people opposite her were a little awkward. Dagger grinned. ¡°Little girl, you have some guts. Come play with Brother later.¡± After he was done, he still whistled at Song Ye in a way he assumed was very manly. Then, he and the other people left with much laughter. At this time, all the young girls in the shop had already stood up and left together, petrified that they would become the next target. However, Song Ye was still sitting there calmly and eating slowly, with no anxiety at all¡­ as if she was separated from the rest of the world. ¡°Boss, is this woman deaf?¡± This time, even the ruffian beside him was bummed. It was their first time being completely ignored after they scared her. Dagger raised his eyebrows. ¡°No matter if she¡¯s deaf or blind, she needs to follow me obediently today.¡± After he was done talking, Dagger stood up and extended his hand to grab Song Ye opposite him. Before the fingers touched him, Song Ye moved her body and directly hid from his attack. At the same time, she raised her hand and threw the chopsticks towards Dagger. Dagger felt the pain and immediately retracted his hand to holler. ¡°Hey! B*tch, who do¡­?¡± ¡°If you want me to play with you, wait until I¡¯m done eating.¡± Before he could finish, the young girl opposite him opened her mouth. Her voice was cold and clear like a cold breeze that blew across Dagger¡¯s heart, sending a chill down his spine. Dagger felt a pang in his heart, but after some thinking, what could a fifteen-year-old girl do? She was probably just pretending to be strong. When he thought of the face he lost previously, he slammed the table and stopped you. ¡°B*tch, I gave you face, but you didn¡¯t want it. If I ask you to leave, then jolly well do it. If not, I¡¯ll scratch your face.¡± When Song Ye heard this, she looked up and saw the pocket knife in the other party¡¯s hand. Her gaze darkened and stood up obediently before wiping her mouth and walking out of the stall. ¡°Hmph, what f*ck are you acting? I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡± After getting back his face, Dagger sneered and raised his leg to leave. Just now, he saw this young girl take out a hundred dollars straight away. In this age where working in a factory would only get them a few hundred dollars a month, this young girl immediately gained their attention. After loitering for about ten minutes, they confirmed that the girl did not have any partners before going up to her. As the gang left, the lady boss patted her chest and was still traumatized. When she thought about the girl being surrounded by the ruffians, she sighed deeply. Sigh, this lady was doomed. Song Ye, who took the initiative to cooperate with the robbery, followed the ruffians to a small village house deep in the alley. Once she stepped into the narrow door¡ªka! The door was closed. Song Ye looked at the humble house under the dim light and accidentally found an unconscious man filled with blood at the corner. ¡°Haha, how is it? Are you satisfied with our place?¡± Dagger turned around and looked at the weird girl. However, when he thought of the quiet atmosphere, he stared at Song Ye¡¯s figure and was getting a bit horny. ¡°Take out your money and let us search you.¡± Search her? Song Ye did not expect that they would have evil intentions on a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl. When she thought that her meal was disturbed previously, she casually took out the sixty dollars from her pocket and pressed her lips tightly together. She said lightly, ¡°if you have what it takes, come take it from me.¡± Perhaps her cold gaze was a bit too terrifying; at the moment, the few men did not dare to move even when they saw the sixty dollars. In the end, Dagger still spat at her. ¡°What are you pretending at? Hand it over!¡± Just as he finished talking, he suddenly went towards the money. However, he grabbed nothing. His wrist was held by a small hand, and the cold feeling made his hair stand. At this shocking moment, the girl twisted his wrist. Kacha! Dagger¡¯s wrist was twisted in a weird shape, just like a toy. ¡°Ah!¡± His painful scream broke through the roof and resounded in the entire house. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios No one saw Song Ye¡¯s weird technique properly; they only knew that the small and weak hand squeezed Dagger¡¯s bulky elbow and twisted it until one could hear the sound of his bones breaking. Together with Dagger¡¯s uncontrolled scream, the scene looked extra painful under the dim light. The few people opposite her were stunned at the moment and did not care to save the victim. This carried on until Dagger was paralyzed on the floor, and the few people slowly went forward to catch him. When they saw his twisted elbow, they felt a chill down their spine. ¡°Ah! Stupid girl! I won¡¯t spare you! Kill her for me! KILL HER!¡± Dagger¡¯s face was pale as he held his elbow; his gaze was terrifying, and he clenched his teeth to order his subordinates to attack. The few people then reacted and put on a ferocious face as they jumped towards her. ¡°B*tch, are you looking for death?¡± That made Song Ye walk backward. After eating so much, she flicked her wrist and wanted to exercise and practice her skills. She lifted her defined chin; with a bit of arrogance, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± She did not need to take them on one by one based on their fighting skills. After their dignity was challenged, the few men were no longer thinking about robbing her. Clenching their fists tightly, they only wanted to teach the girl in front of them a lesson. However, at the moment they got close to her, Song Ye¡¯s thin figure was just like a soul that could avoid all their incoming punches. The few people only felt that everything went blur. In the next second, their ribs, abs, pits, and noses all took a great hit. ¡°Wu¡­¡± The few men moaned as they walked backward. They all held different parts of their injured body and looked up, but there was no one in front of them. ¡°Here.¡± The voice sounded as sinister and calm as a ghost¡¯s. The few men were shocked; when they realized the sound came from behind, they wanted to run their heads. At that moment, they felt a pain in their neck and had lost their consciousness altogether. Until the moment before they fainted, all of them widened their eyes in disbelief as they could not even see the other party¡¯s moves clearly. There were four people initially. After dealing with three, only their boss¡ªDagger¡ªwas left sitting on the floor. At this moment as he watched the young girl slowly walk towards him, he felt a chill down his spine. ¡°You, you, don¡¯t come over. This¡­ this is my territory. If you hurt me, you won¡¯t have good days in the future.¡± He was clearly petrified until he was stuttering, but he still wanted to scare her. Song Ye really did not know if he was fearless or that his brain had a problem. ¡°Just now, you said you wanted to cut my face.¡± She squatted in front of Dagger and held the pocket knife in her hands as she opened and closed it, spinning it randomly and causing one¡¯s eyes to be confused. Then¡­ he fainted. Song Ye was stunned; she then frowned as she felt bored. At first, she wanted to find someone to practice on after she was done eating. She did not expect them to be so weak and were not even worthy of her warm-up. As a killer, Song Ye¡¯s main training method was of course during actual battles. Only harsh, precise, and fast battles could improve her fighting skills. Losing her after-meal entertainment, she walked around the house. Before she left, she saw the unconscious man at a corner. After much thought, she turned back and carried the man out into the alley to find a clinic. ¡­ ¡°Sigh, why did he get beaten up like this? You kids only know how to get into trouble and not study. If something happens one day, just see who you¡¯ll cry to.¡± The barefooted physician was scolding angrily as he checked his wound and hurriedly brought antiseptic and cotton wool to clean the victim¡¯s wound. Song Ye sat at a corner and did not speak. While waiting for the physician to clean the wound, she realized that the person lying there was not a man, but a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy. As he looked like a ruffian and was tall, she could not recognize him. After the physician was done cleaning his wound, he prescribed some anti-inflammatory medicine to him before going off to rest. Before he left, he reminded her. ¡°His family needs to observe him carefully. If he has a fever at night, call me again.¡± Being viewed as his family due to her caring act, Song Ye looked at the patient on the bed and the medicine in her hands. She felt that she was doing too much for no return. The other party¡¯s head injury was not too big so Song Ye did not want to linger around and do nothing. She stood up and went to the boy, pinching him everywhere until he woke up. ¡°Wu¡­¡± The boy¡¯s head was whirring as he moaned. Once he opened his eyes, he saw a gray shirt and a pretty fresh face. ¡°You are¡­¡± ¡°Song Ye, the one who saved you.¡± She simply reported her name and made the other party remember her good deed. Song Ye was definitely not someone who would do a good deed and expect no returns. As expected, the boy¡¯s pale face became curious. ¡°If you saved me, then what about Dagger and the rest?¡± ¡°The one who hit you was called Dagger? What gang is he from? How many members does the gang have? How big is their territory?¡± Song Ye asked more questions instead of answering, throwing all of her questions to the boy in front of her, who had not even understood the current situation. ¡°Hey¡­¡± By the time the boy reacted, Song Ye already disappeared from his sight. Appearing for no reason, then asking random questions, and now leaving on her own¡­ even the boy¡ªwho liked to act cool normally¡ªwas frustrated. However, Song Ye did not care about her frustrations. Her fifteen-year-old body was tired beyond words after running around the whole day so she found a hostel to rest in. When she lay on the bed, she drifted off to dreamland very quickly. In the endless nightmare, it was the bottomless ocean and explosion which swallowed her entire body and mind. As she felt the pain from within, she remembered how indignant she was. For the organization, she worked her ass off for thirteen years and was the top killer in the world. However, in her last mission¡ªbefore she retired, she was betrayed by the organization and was buried in the deep sea. She was too naive. No matter if it was the organization or that person, none of them would let her leave the dark world. The sunlight shone on the big bed through the curtains. Song Ye slowly opened her eyes and found that her body was drenched in sweat; her limbs felt heavy. It was as if they remembered the pain from the explosion. She walked into the bathroom to take a hot shower, allowing her pale face to regain some color. Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at her delicate face and let out a cold smile. Even in the dream, she was very indignant. It seemed like reliving again would let her take her revenge for both old and new hatreds. Just that now¡ªas she looked at her torn clothes, she decided that the first thing she needed to do was to fix her terrible image. There was still time before she had to meet Zhao Zhen. Song Ye drank a bowl of soy milk by the streets before going to the nearby shopping center to get some clothes. Of course, as she entered with her kind of old dressing, none of the salespersons were willing to serve her. Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Song Ye was wearing a gray cotton shirt and tattered pants. She caught a lot of attention as she roamed the biggest mall in Cloud City with her long hair let down. Even if she was not bothered by the looks from others, some people took advantage of her silence to mock her. Immediately after she walked into a female apparel store, there was a laugh. ¡°Hey, since when did your service standards become so low? Even a beggar can come in now. Make sure she doesn¡¯t get the clothes dirty.¡± It was a young lady in a ponytail. She was wearing bell pants, and it was clear that she was from a rather well-to-do family. However, she clearly had no respect for others. The attendant at the door frowned at Song Ye. Her boss was not around so she took the liberty of stopping Song Ye. ¡°Miss, the store is not serving anyone; please go somewhere else,¡± she said with a fake smile. ¡°Oh? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a business turning customers away.¡± Song Ye¡¯s tone was even, but she did not stop. She walked past the attendant and into the store. She scanned through the clothes on the racks and picked out three sets within a minute. Before the attendant could chase her out, Song Ye had tossed the clothes to another attendant. ¡°Bill please.¡± What? Both the attendant and the young lady from earlier were stunned. They could not believe that the bumpkin had the means to pay for that. Besides, this store was the most high-end and expensive one in the mall. Any set of clothes was over a hundred dollars. Even the young lady was here to look at the sale section. The young lady stood awkwardly at the door, embarrassed. ¡°Cough, cough. Miss, please enter, please enter.¡± The attendant hurried forward. She had missed out on one commission; she had no intention of missing out on another. The new attendant was still stunned as she brought the clothes to the cashier. She could not believe that the girl was spending several hundred dollars. She was excited at the thought of commission that she could earn from this. ¡°I see the standards here are only this high,¡± Song Ye said as she walked past the girl. The girl widened her eyes in anger when she heard it. ¡°You¡­¡± Song Ye paused and looked at the girl evenly as if waiting for a response. The girl gritted her teeth in anger. Her face felt like it was on fire from the embarrassment, but she did not have a comeback until she laid her eyes on the clothes at the cashier. ¡°I¡¯ll take those three sets of clothes.¡± Everyone else in the shops turned to watch the commotion. As they looked at the fashionably dressed young lady and the hillbilly, they felt that the hillbilly was bound to lose. Even the attendant came up and swooped the clothes over. ¡°Miss, you have such good taste. This is our new collection. There¡¯s only one of each, and it fits your size best.¡± She beamed as she spoke, thinking about her commission. ¡°But, Sister Liu, this customer had her eye on them first¡­¡± The new attendant tried to stand up for Song Ye. However, she was reprimanded the moment she spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the rules? Can¡¯t you see who has a higher purchasing power? Now, stand aside.¡± Her words were targeted not just at her colleague but also at Song Ye. Having found her pride again, the girl walked over to the cashier proudly. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Hello, it¡¯s five hundred and sixty-eight in total,¡± the cashier said politely. ¡°Wh-what?¡± The girl, which was in the midst of getting her wallet out, froze. As she eyed the three outfits, she could not believe that the clothes were that expensive. With everyone watching her, the girl had no choice but to pay. Her wallet was basically empty then; that was a month¡¯s worth of allowance for her. To get her pride back, she gritted her teeth and prepared to make payment. Just then, a voice came from behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll pay 50 dollars more for these three sets of clothes.¡± The calm but familiar voice made the girl turn and glare at the other person. Song Ye walked towards the young lady and bent down to look her in the eye. ¡°If you have six hundred and eighteen dollars, it¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The girl was upset and emptied out her wallet, but she did not have enough. Feeling the stares from around her, the girl¡¯s face was bloodshot. Song Ye reached into her pockets, took out a small stack of bills, and handed it to the cashier. The fashionably dressed girl was unable to produce six hundred dollars while Song Ye, the bumpkin, could afford it. It was embarrassing for her. Song Ye did not look at the girl anymore. She usually did not bother with people, unless they messed with her. If they do, they should be prepared for the consequences of messing with her. This was just a small hiccup. She was not bothered by it. Changing into her new clothes, she left the building with a bag. When she passed by a salon, she thought of her messy hair. She thought of her messy hair and walked directly over. There were a few other customers in the salon. The hairdresser paused when he saw Song Ye. He had never seen a young girl that covered her face with her fringe like this. It made her look listless. ¡°Hi, Miss, how would you like your hair done? Would you like a dye or perm?¡± The hairdresser adjusted his tools casually, assuming that girls who covered their faces with their fringe were usually more conservative and did not make major changes to their hair. Song Ye¡¯s words made him pause. ¡°Short hair.¡± Short hair? The hairdresser looked up at the girl in the mirror. ¡°How short are we talking about?¡± ¡°Like yours.¡± The two words stunned the hairdresser, making his jaw drop. He did have short hair. With hair like his, the girl would look like a guy. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Song Ye frowned impatiently. She had wasted time while shopping for clothes earlier. She wanted to get to the jeweler¡¯s earlier. The hairdresser shook his head instinctively. Seeing that Song Ye was not kidding, he took the scissors and reached straight for her fringe. In the next instance, he was stunned by the face underneath the hair. Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Song Ye did not have low self-esteem; neither was she ugly. Conversely, she had delicate features that were chiseled and refined. She did not look like a child from the countryside. She had rosy cheeks and doe eyes. Tang Meiling and the rest hated and picked on her mostly because they had seen her looks unintentionally in middle school. Women¡¯s jealousy could be rather scary. Standing under the sun with her short hair, Song Ye looked towards the sky and shook her head, tossing her troubles aside. Because of the need for disguises in her previous life as a spy, she kept short hair for the most part. The clean hairstyle, coupled with the white jacket and black jeans that she picked up earlier, gave her a delicate but dashing look that gave her an androgynous vibe. Zhao Zhen got up early in the morning and printed the contract before dawn. He prepared his seal and sat there waiting alone in his shop with a craned neck. Even when all his employees arrived for work, the person from yesterday did not appear. If not for the rare jade sitting in the bag, he would have thought that it was all a dream. Just as the employees were busying themselves while trying to figure out who their boss was waiting for, a slim figure walked into the shop. The white jacket accentuated the person¡¯s figure, and her hair framed her features. She was picturesque. ¡°Ah, what a good-looking face.¡± ¡°Yeah, after so many young masters and ladies, this one looks the best.¡± ¡°But, is this male or female?¡± Song Ye¡¯s looks were not very androgynous by itself, but her short hair and neutral clothes were deceiving. In a few years¡ªafter her growth spurt, she would truly be a pretty boy. Naturally, the face that caused a commotion caught Zhao Zhen¡¯s attention, but he paid no heed to it. He looked down at his watch. It¡¯s almost nine-thirty, but she¡¯s still not here yet¡­ Just then, there was a shadow looming over him. He looked up to see a handsome child standing before him. He paused when their eyes met. ¡°Can I help you?¡± He clearly did not recognize Song Ye. ¡°Uncle Zhao, I¡¯m Song Ye.¡± Song Ye went straight to the point without delay because of her cold nature. While the attendants marveled at the beautiful voice, they saw their boss stand up in shock and tipped the chair over. ¡°Yo-you are Song Ye? Yesterday¡­¡± He was tongue-tied. Song Ye curled her lips into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± It was not like she went for plastic surgery; was there a need for such a strong reaction? Her laugh brought the man back to his senses. He coughed lightly. ¡°I just didn¡¯t recognize you since you look a little different from yesterday. I¡¯ve prepared the item already. Please head inside.¡± ¡°En.¡± Song Ye headed in the direction that Zhao Zhen pointed at, unbothered by the whole situation. The employees were stunned by what they saw. It was weird that a thirty-plus-year-old man was acting that respectfully towards a teenager, not to mention that this was the well-known owner of Yu Fu Jewelry in Cloud City. Song Ye actually did not know anything about Zhao Zhen other than his straightforward nature. However, looking at the terms of the document in her hand, she was quite satisfied with his ability. Scanning through the information, she signed on papers, adding on a thumbprint because she was under-aged. Zhao Zhen had suspected that the child did not understand any of these terms. After signing the documents, Song Ye was officially a shareholder of Yu Fu Jewelry. Zhao Zhen was about to introduce the business to her when Song Ye spoke, ¡°Uncle Zhao, you bought this piece of jade at the expense of the shop¡¯s cash flow. Do you need it urgently for something?¡± Three hundred thousand and thirty percent of the shop¡¯s shares. In this day and age to a small jeweler, that was a rather large sum. Even though Zhao Zhen loved his jades, he was a businessman, too. There was no way he took such a risk. Zhao Zhen paused when he heard it and sighed as he sat down on the couch with a gloomy expression. ¡°Cloud City is not short of rich people, but our location¡¯s a little off. We¡¯re too far from the jade markets, and even if we went, there aren¡¯t many good pieces for us. So the jewelers in Cloud City are on the decline. There are regular auctions at the jade markets. Jewelers that can produce good pieces of gems will leave a good impression and have better resources after that.¡± The resources were distributed outwards from the epicenter so the peripheral cities had fewer resources. Cloud City was in a rather awkward position so Zhao Zhen was trying really hard to capture some attention with the jade. However, Song Ye was a part of the jewelers now so she would never sit back and watch the jade lose money. ¡°When is the auction?¡± ¡°Just tonight.¡± Zhao Zhen had prepared to leave after signing the document. Song Ye nodded and tossed the document aside. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll come along with Uncle Zhao tonight to bring in some new goods as well.¡± New goods? Zhao Zhen paused. It took him a while to figure out what that meant. The stones were tough to get, but they seemed like nothing to her. Having thought that Song Ye was the one who brought the jade, Zhao Zhen did not have any objections. ¡°Sure, then we¡¯ll leave in a while. The journey¡¯s a little far so we might have to spend the night there. Do you need to talk to your family first?¡± Even though Song Ye behaved like an adult, she was still a minor. Song Ye was unbothered. ¡°We can leave immediately.¡± She shook her head and got up to leave with Zhao Zhen. The Song family might curse and swear at her while she was gone, but they would never look for her. She was sure of that. Zhao Zhen opened his mouth but did not say anything. His instincts told him that Song Ye did not like him butting into her business. The jade market was on the edge of the city. The journey was about three hours, and it was already two in the afternoon when Zhao Zhen parked his car at the hotel. The two had a simple meal and decided to go back to rest first. Before they left, Song Ye paused; and her gaze landed on a prominent sign on the shop diagonally across from them. Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Internet cafes were common later in time, but in this day and age, the one at the corner stood out. If it were not for the coincidence, Song Ye did not expect to get in touch with her old partner. Computers were Song Ye¡¯s only and most loyal companions. As a globally wanted assassin, she had never been afraid of getting caught. She was a world-class hacker. No matter how many databases the countries had, she could easily wipe out any information on her. Even though one could surf the net in this day and age, most people did not know how it worked. Software was not complete, and all the machines were dedicated to playing desktop games. Because the internet cafes then did not have an age limit, Song Ye used a dollar to buy an hour of access. She picked a quiet corner and logged onto the Internet. When her fingers touched the keyboard, there was only the endless clicking sound. The blue screen brought up countless pages with strings of words. Anyone who did not know better would have assumed that the computer had been infected. Within three minutes, Song Ye had made her way into the database of the Cloud City government. She created a new identity for herself and set her age as eighteen and her gender as a male. She used the webcam to put in a photo of herself on file, and just like that, she had a new identity. She then thought about it and changed the sex on her current identity as well. Even though her young face made people let their guard down when dealing with matters on the street, that was an inconvenience in some areas, such as opening a bank account. Having realized that she was undiscovered after all that, she decided to look up some information on the organization. To no surprise, she came up with nothing. Then again, how would an elite organization like that one leave any traces? Revenge would be taken¡­ in time to come. Just as Song Ye was about to leave the webpage, she saw a new notification. ¡®Cloud City¡¯s human traffickers on the run, wanted nationally.¡± The face next to the headline was the man with the goatee who had been scammed by Song Ye on the train. There were so many people there, and he still managed to escape. Song Ye had her doubts about the ability of the civil servants. Looking at the face on the screen, her memories drifted to someone who had helped her in a time of difficulty. Making a decision to herself silently, she closed all the pages and wiped out all her traces. She then left the internet cafe and went to open a bank account. What she did not know was that as she sauntered out, a military base in the mountains of Cloud City received an alert on their computers. The soldier working on the system paused. ¡°Someone hacked into Cloud City¡¯s system.¡± Immediately after his report, he found that the alert had promptly disappeared. Just as Qin Zhan¡¯s sharp eyes swept over from the window, he saw the alert disappear. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s weird. Why did it disappear? I can¡¯t even find the source of the signal, and the person even managed to evade the tracing!¡± The soldier was in disbelief from what he saw. Qin Zhan stood up from the window. He gave off an authoritative aura, and his camo uniform accentuated his figure. His bony fingers rapped on the screen. ¡°It¡¯s a hacker. Check if anything big has happened in Cloud City recently,¡± he said coldly. ¡°Yes.¡± The soldier¡¯s expression became more serious when he heard that it was a hacker, and he quickly got to work. They had their hands on the latest computer defense technology in the country. If the other party was able to break into their defense system, they might be from another country. ¡°Major, other than a few pieces of news on social visits, the only news was on the trafficker wanted for trafficking young girls. All the traces have been covered up. The person who did this is experienced.¡± The soldier reported as the data floated on the screen. Qin Zhan did not say anything as he stood at the door, covering all the light. ¡°Get on the case about the trafficker and continue to watch the internet systems of Cloud City.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the soldier replied. Qin Zhan walked away and the soldier felt a pressure lift off his shoulders. A layer of cold sweat had formed on his forehead. As a member of the country¡¯s elite operations team, Qin Zhan had accumulated countless amounts of medals. He would also take all sorts of operations all-year-round. He came to Cloud City this time to crack down on a firearms trafficking case. In this process, anyone found to be suspicious would be listed down as persons of interest in the investigation. Unlucky Song Ye had just collected her identification card. She was in a good mood, unaware that someone had their eye on her. ¡­ The auction was held in the main hall of the jade market. There were small sellers of stones on the periphery. Even though it was not of the best quality, it was inexpensive. Many laymen would try their luck there. It was Song Ye¡¯s first time at a jade market of this size. There were a few pieces of big pieces of stones here and there, and small stalls were selling jade art and stones. Zhao Zhen was not interested in the laypeople¡¯s products. He agreed on a time to meet Song Ye and went to register for the auction. ¡°Hey, young chap, wanna get a stone? I¡¯m telling you, these stones all have top-quality jade. Those are really precious stones.¡± The owner tried to explain things to Song Ye since she seemed a little young. However, he kept quiet after a while when he realized that Song Ye was not paying attention to him. Song Ye knew that he was intentionally trying to raise the prices so she squatted down and began examining the stones without saying anything. Every stone in her hand turned transparent, and she could see if there was jade in them. Such a skill allowed her to go through them fairly quickly, and she had a small pile of rocks after a while. ¡°Hey, bumpkin, go home if you wanna play with dirt. Don¡¯t disgrace yourself here.¡± A mocking voice and a few figures appeared behind Song Ye. Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Song Ye reached her fingers out, only to see a stone underneath a pair of sneakers. She looked up to see three teenage boys looking at her, and the leader was the one mocking her. The trio paused when they saw Song Ye¡¯s face. They did not expect the bumpkin to look so good. Even though the three of them were dressed in branded apparel, they paled in comparison. That upset the boys, and they scoffed. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re talking about you. Can¡¯t you tell what kind of event this is? If you¡¯re a layman, don¡¯t stand around here and embarrass yourself. Go back to wherever you came from.¡± Song Ye could not ignore trouble since it had come knocking at her door. She stood up suddenly, stunning the teenage boy. He stumbled backward and stepped on the foot of his friends. ¡°Sh*t, what are you trying to do?¡± the boy swore angrily. ¡°Good dogs will not get in other people¡¯s way,¡± Song Ye said coldly. Of course, she was referring to the trio as dogs. ¡°What?¡± The teenager was too angry to speak. His two lackeys immediately stood up for him. ¡°How dare you speak to Young Master Sun like this? Are you tired of living?¡± Young Master Sun? Song Ye¡¯s eyes glazed across the teenager. His branded apparel did show off his elite status, but he was nothing but a spoiled brat to her. Even though Song Ye did not react, Sun Shao felt like he was being belittled from the way he was being sized up. He had been looking for somewhere to vent his frustration, but little did he expect his target to be a tough nut to crack. Not only did he not get to vent his frustration, but it only added to his frustration. ¡°Beat him up; don¡¯t worry about the consequences. I¡¯ll take care of that.¡± The lackeys rubbed their palms in excitement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master Sun, we¡¯ll make sure no one can recognize him after we¡¯re done.¡± It was finally their chance to show their loyalty, and the two promptly threw their fists towards Song Ye. We¡¯ll make sure you cry! The few of them were standing close to another, and they moved fast. The people surrounding them cried out, and several girls covered their eyes, afraid to look. After a while, they did not hear the commotion as expected. Even the two boys were stunned, and they stared at their fists that were stuck in the slender finger¡¯s grasp. ¡°Let go!¡± The boy cried out in anger as he raised his leg and kicked upward, the force separating them. Based on that, Song Ye was sure that the boy was trained in martial arts. Her eyes moved, and she got interested. ¡°Since you want to play, I¡¯ll play with you.¡± Song Ye said as she rolled her sleeves up. Her arms were fair and slender, but they moved much faster than the boys when she struck. The teenager did not expect Song Ye to be trained in martial arts and tried to deflect easily. There was a crunch when she first made contact with his arm. Pain assaulted him, and he could not hold his voice in. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The shrill cries elicited goosebumps in the people watching them. She broke the boy¡¯s arm in a single punch. Needless to say, Song Ye¡¯s arm strength was terrifying. Song Ye only realized something was wrong when she retracted her fist. When she twisted their arms off in the room the last time, she thought that it was because they were weak, on top of her technique. She did not expect to have the same effect this time. As she touched her palm, she came to the sudden realization that her ability had changed her body. ¡°You brat. How dare you hurt someone. I¡¯ll get you.¡± The other boy was red with rage when he saw what had happened to his friend, and he charged towards Song Ye. Song Ye retracted her arm in time and kicked backward. She then grabbed his shoulder and threw him over her shoulder. The white jacket moved along her movements, accentuating her actions. Most girls were stunned, and their eyes were glued to Song Ye¡¯s face as they blushed. Sun Shao only realized that something was off when both of his lackeys had been taken down. He stepped back in fear. ¡°Just you wait; don¡¯t you dare leave.¡± He threatened. With that, he turned and ran. It was clear to everyone watching that he had fled out of fear. Song Ye retracted her gaze without looking at the two howling boys on the floor. She continued to look at the raw gems and actually found a few nice ones. The stall owner panicked on her behalf when he saw that she was still in the mood to shop. ¡°Aiyo, my dear customer, the person you beat up was the young master of the person in charge. Hurry up and leave before anyone comes. My tiny stall can¡¯t take the hit.¡± ¡°En, bill first.¡± Song Ye was unbothered and placed a few pieces of the raw gems on the table. The owner was afraid of getting into trouble so he just eyed it quickly. ¡°A hundred per piece. Three hundred dollars, take it and go.¡± Song Ye paused. She did not expect the stones, which was about half the size of a watermelon, to be so cheap. She quickly paid for it and bagged her purchases. Just as she was about to leave, there was a commotion in the crowd. There were rushed footsteps, and a middle-aged man arrived. His expression changed when he saw the teenagers on the floor and rushed over. ¡°Yuming, Yucheng.¡± ¡°Hehe. You¡¯ve still got the guts to stand here. Dad, he¡¯s the one who hurt me. You can¡¯t let him go.¡± Sun Shao tagged behind the man all high and mighty, a polar opposite of his fluster and panic earlier. Sun Ze frowned deeply when he saw the mess at the scene. He stared grimly at Song Ye. ¡°Which family are you from? Where are the adults?¡± He held his anger in before he confirmed the other party¡¯s identity. He did not want to offend anyone. ¡°I¡¯m here alone.¡± Song Ye saw right through the other person¡¯s snobbishness. Alone? Sun Ze¡¯s eyes turned dark when he heard that. He then motioned towards the bodyguards behind him. ¡°Since you broke someone else¡¯s arm, then you¡¯ll be leaving an arm behind as punishment.¡± With that, five or six bodyguards closed in and surrounded Song Ye. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Sun Ze was clearly attempting to avenge his son with sheer numbers. There were a lot of discussions as the people watched the slim and frail Song Ye be surrounded. They were worried, but Sun Ze had ties to the local gangs. No one dared to stand up for Song Ye for fear of offending him. ¡°Just do it. I¡¯ll take responsibility if anything happens,¡± Sun Ze said casually. It was as if human lives meant nothing to him. Song Ye laughed cold. Like father, like son. Both father and son were just as arrogant. The moves from earlier were just for warming up. Song Ye moved and made a pose, preparing to continue the fight. ¡°Stop!¡± There was a shout, and Zhao Zhen ran over and shielded Song Ye with his body. ¡°CEO Sun, what are you doing? What did my nephew do to offend you?¡± On the way here, Song Ye arranged with Zhao Zhen to be uncle and nephews before others since a male identity would make things easier for her outside. Sun Ze paused when he saw the familiar face and then frowned. ¡°CEO Zhao from Cloud City. This is your family member?¡± Everything thought both called each other CEO, but it was clear from Sun Ze¡¯s behavior that he had zero respect for Zhao Zhen. Cloud City was a small city, and Yu Fu Jewelry was not even a big name in the business so Sun Ze did not give two hoots about Zhao Zhen. Zhao Zhen¡¯s face turned gloomy and knew that he was not in a precarious position but continued to defend Song Ye. ¡°If my nephew has offended you in any way, can CEO Sun please have mercy and give him a chance.¡± ¡°Chance?¡± Sun Ze scoffed as he pointed on the two boys on the floor. ¡°CEO Zhao¡¯s nephew did not give CEO Li¡¯s sons any chance. His arm is broken, and I¡¯ve decided that your nephew shall leave an arm behind. That¡¯s not a lot to ask for, is it?¡± ¡°What?¡± Zhao Zhen was stunned. He turned to look at Song Ye¡¯s frail figure. How could she have possibly broken someone¡¯s hand? From Song Ye¡¯s open expression, cold sweat dribbled down his face. He pursed his lips but did not say anything. ¡°Since he hurt someone, I¡¯ll make sure to apologize and make it up to CEO Li. As for your suggestion, it¡¯s a little harsh,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Hehe, CEO Zhao must not know the rush since you don¡¯t come here often. If one has the guts to make trouble on my turf, they must be able to suffer the consequences. Sorry, CEO Zhao.¡± Sun Ze waved, and the bodyguards closed in. Song Ye, who had been eager to fight earlier, did not move. Instead, she stood behind Zhao Zhen and watched the commotion. Zhao Zhen gritted his teeth, having been disrespected. ¡°Sun Ze, don¡¯t push it.¡± Sun Ze smiled. ¡°You have no power or influence while I do. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± There was chaos as the bodyguards closed in. However, another commotion came from outside the crowd. It was organized but rapid. In seconds, another group of bodyguards had surrounded everyone. They had their hands in their pockets as if preparing to get something out. Sun Ze was stunned by what he saw. Before he could ask anything, the crowd parted; and a man dressed in a suit walked through. He was good-looking and had the aura of a person in power. ¡°Ma-Master Qu!¡± Sun Ze was stunned and immediately changed his expression into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s such an honor to have you here with us. Do you have your eye on anything of the stones? If not, I can make a few recommendations for you.¡± This was probably what snobbishness looked like. The man curled his lips slightly as if mocking Sun Ze. ¡°I won¡¯t trouble CEO Sun. I¡¯m not lacking anything that¡¯s sold out here. However, I did run into something wonderful today, and I¡¯m waiting for the auction to begin. It¡¯s going to be a little tough for me if you¡¯ve offended the seller.¡± Even though Song Ye was standing behind Zhao Zhen, she could feel the man¡¯s gaze on her as he spoke. Sun Ze, who was in the midst of buttering up to Master Qu, froze. His eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Hehe, I didn¡¯t know what CEO Zhao has brought to have caught Master Qu¡¯s attention?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the clearest about this kind of thing as the person in charge? If there¡¯s nothing else, hurry up and begin the auction. I¡¯m looking forward to working together with you.¡± With that, the man left the crowd, without any regard for Sun Ze. The latter was already breaking out in cold sweat. He turned around stiffly and pieced together a stiff smile. ¡°CEO Zhao, sorry about earlier. If there¡¯s nothing, let¡¯s head inside.¡± Song Ye raised her eyebrows. Money did make the world go round. Zhao Zhen tidied himself up, all calm and collected. CEO Sun was stuck with the two boys as the center of attention. He was upset but could not lose his temper. After all, he could not afford to offend the Qu family. After entering the venue, Zhao Zhen led Song Ye into the lounge without reprimanding her. ¡°How are you? Did you get hurt from earlier?¡± From his point of view, Song Ye was not only his partner but also a young girl. Even if she did break someone¡¯s arm, it must have been the two obnoxious boys making trouble. For some unexplained reason, he trusted Song Ye. The unconditional trust and protection made Song Ye happy. She curled her lips into a rare, gentle smile that dazzled Zhao Zhen. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She shook her head and passed the bag to him. ¡°Since the item has attracted some attention, why don¡¯t we take the chance to make a name for ourselves? Sell these two pieces later.¡± Zhao Zhen was still starstruck by her smile. He looked down at the two black pieces of rock and also came to his senses after a while. ¡°You bought these at that stall earlier?¡± ¡°En, open it while we have time.¡± Song Ye sat down on a cutting machine and motioned for Zhao Zhen to sit down on the other. He paused and looked at the ordinary-looking stone. This was from a roadside stall; what can it produce? He could not bear to attack the child¡¯s eagerness, seeing how confident Song Ye was. He then chose to cut the stone open. Song Ye watched and learned. She was a fast learner, on top of help from her abilities. She was able to get through the stone faster than Zhao Zhen did. When he turned, he saw two fist-sized jades before his eyes. There was a cold sensation on his hand, and it had jade, too! Even though it was not the top-tier jade, it was rather precious as well. As Zhao Zhen watched the two pieces of stone, he did believe that Song Ye had talent in this area. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Old glass green apple type, flawless ice type, and purple jade ice type¡­ Just based on these three jades alone, Yu Fu Jewelry undoubtedly became the biggest winner in this auction. In the end, all three jades were bought by the Qu family. Before leaving, the extravagant Master Qu even asked someone to pass his name card over and was clearly expressing his support, making spectators envious and jealous. This also started off an even larger butterfly effect. That night, Zhao Zhen was invited by a few jewelers to a banquet while Song Ye went to the Internet bar again, looking for the map for entering the mountain. When she came out, a black Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of her. The car window rolled down, revealing the face of an extravagant and handsome man. Song Ye knew that even though the man looked like a profligate, he was actually not easy to handle. He had purposely bought Yu Fu Jewelry¡¯s items at the auction and passed his name card over. Now that he was standing here, it further proved that his target was herself. In the darkness of the night, the colorful street lights above her head shone on the man¡¯s face, giving him special charisma. He smiled lightly and gave Song Ye an invitation. ¡°You fight really well. Are you interested in staying by my side?¡± Staying by my side? This sentence sounded discriminatory, but based on the fact that the other party did not know that Song Ye was a girl, it was clearly a fair deal. At this moment, the man saw a smile on the especially delicate face. The smiling intention could be seen in her eyes, and it was clearly very pretty. However, it sent a chill down his spine. ¡°There are many people who want to buy me in the world, but all of them died in my hands¡­¡± Even after many years, Qu Bai would keep recalling this sentence and would be thankful that he did not offend a murderous killer because of his arrogant dumbness. Of course, Song Ye would not kill someone because of mere disagreement. Before developing her wings properly, remaining dormant was her best option. Then again, when she remembered some people and incidents, she would do what she had to do fearlessly. On the second day of the auction, Song Ye picked five or six gemstones at the venue and passed them to Zhao Zhen. ¡°This time, everything that I buy will go under Yu Fu Jewelry, but the price is the sixty percent shares in your hands. You have one week to think about this.¡± As Zhao Zhen watched the small figure fade into the distance, he was as conflicted as ever. If he really gave the shares up, it would mean that Yu Fu Jewelry would change its owner. However, when he thought of Song Ye¡¯s miraculous ways, perhaps Yu Fu Jewelry would really become big in her hands. After leaving an enormous problem behind, Song Ye took off and sat on a bus to the remote mountainous area in her memory, without care. At this time, there were many undeveloped lands in her country. There was no electricity in the mountainous areas so education could not be elevated, causing the villagers in the mountains to commit to the life of farming and physical chores. Following the jolting of the bus along the way, the big mountain gradually appeared bigger and bigger in front of Song Ye¡¯s eyes, forming a dark shadow in her eyes. As the roads in the mountain were bumpy, the big bus could only stop at the entrance, and everyone had to get off the bus and walk. ¡°Everyone pays fifty cents. Pay first before you go down. Do you hear me?¡± The bus driver shouted towards the passengers as his eyes were filled with disdain towards the mountain people. When it was Song Ye¡¯s turn¡ªafter she handed in the money, someone pulled her elbow from the back. Then, there was an old and shaky voice. ¡°Missy, I don¡¯t have enough money. Please, can you do a good deed and help me pay first? I¡¯ll return you the money when I go back to the village.¡± Song Ye turned around and saw an old face filled with wrinkles. She had to endure for some time to stop herself from strangling her neck. ¡°Mm, don¡¯t need to pay me back. I¡¯ll help you give the money.¡± After giving another fifty cents, the old grandma followed Song Ye down the bus. Following her was a man around twenty-five years old, and his gaze kept following Song Ye¡¯s face. That old grandma pinched him in secret before greeting Song Ye. ¡°Thank you, Missy. Why did you come out alone to the mountains?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a student. I came to the mountains to collect some plant samples for investigation. May I know if Granny can lead the way and bring me in?¡± Song Ye was wearing a black dress, and she spoke with a gentle voice. When she pushed her hair behind her ears, she looked especially cute, mesmerizing the muscular man standing aside. When the old grandma saw her son¡¯s look, she agreed relaxingly and happily brought Song Ye into the mountains. After walking for about three hours and climbing a mountain, the three of them reached a village in the mountains. There were a hundred over families living in straw houses; the village was very behind in times. On the way there, someone saw Grandma Wang bring back a stranger and showed an understanding face as she openly teased. ¡°Aiyo, muscle man, what to do? Your Mom found such a pretty daughter-in-law! Then, what¡¯s going to happen to Xiao Yun from the previous time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Xiao Yun is also pretty! Does your child want to take two at once?¡± Everyone was chattering randomly. When Grandma Wang heard it, she immediately glared and revealed a fierce look. ¡°What are you yapping about? All of you, shut your smelly mouths.¡± As she said, she looked back and checked Song Ye¡¯s reaction. When she saw that there was nothing weird about her, she hurriedly called Song Ye into the house. ¡°The mountain people are coarse and are not cultured. Ms. Song, please don¡¯t be offended.¡± Song Ye shook her head and surveyed the surroundings before she asked, ¡°I heard them say that there¡¯s a sister at Granny¡¯s house. Where is she?¡± Grandma Wang¡¯s face tensed up for a while before she randomly found an excuse. ¡°Oh, Xiao Yun is a distant relative who came here to stay for a few days. She should be resting now. Ms. Song, you should be tired on your way here. Get some rest first, and I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s dinner time.¡± When she finished her sentence, Grandma Wang chased her son out as she closed the door and locked it. Song Ye could hear them clearly from the room, but she did not say anything. Her face darkened as she stood in the house. She placed her hand on the door. Using her superpowers, she saw the mother and son fiddling by the stove and finally throwing a bag of powder into the pot. When she saw this, there was a murderous intent in her eyes. At first, she thought she had to spend a lot of effort before she could find this place. She did not expect to see her two enemies¡¯ faces right as she got on the bus. Initially, when she was sold to the mountains by the human traffickers, this mother and son watched her. Here, other than working every day, she had to avoid the muscle man¡¯s harassment. If she was not obedient, she would be scolded and beaten up; her days were spent terribly. As the village was isolated from the rest of the world, the human traffickers set this place as their base and specifically used it as the transfer station to take care of the victims. Grandma Wang and her son had their eyes on Song Ye while on the bus and had even used returning money as an excuse to lure her into the village. However, they did not know that they were luring a wolf into the house, bringing disaster upon the entire village. Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After Grandma Wang and her son finished cooking, they pretended to knock on Song Ye¡¯s room door and enthusiastically called her to sit down and eat. ¡°Come, come, there are only these foods in our mountain. I hope Ms. Song doesn¡¯t mind them.¡± Grandma Wang¡¯s old and kind face looked especially approachable when she smiled. Song Ye broke into a cute smile and continued to eat her food as if she turned a blind eye to muscle man¡¯s fixated stares. After eating the entire bowl of porridge¡ªnot even half an hour later, she claimed that she was sleepy and wanted to rest. Upon going to the room, she lay down on the pillow and did not make a sound. Grandma Wang estimated that it was about time so she called her son in to check. ¡°Bring her to the basement. Don¡¯t let anyone see her.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Muscle man answered hastily and entered the house. In no time, his eyes were glued to the pair of legs in stockings. His eyes turned green and could not even inch forward. Coincidentally, Grandma Wang worriedly came over to take a look at him and stopped him on time. ¡°You can¡¯t touch this girl. Judging by her clothes, she¡¯s not from an average family. If something happens, we¡¯ll be in big trouble.¡± ¡°Mother, what are you afraid of? She¡¯s unconscious. After I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll just help her wear clothes; it¡¯ll be over.¡± Muscle man did not give up and wanted to reach over. Hurriedly, Grandma Wang stopped him and glared at him. ¡°That man will come tonight. This girl will definitely be suited for him. After we sell her for a good price, Mother can then send you to the city to live. Don¡¯t be immature and bring her to the basement right away.¡± Muscle man held his frustrations in and did not dare go against Grandma Wang as he carried Song Ye and walked towards the basement. Screech! After the basement door closed, Song Ye suddenly opened her eyes, took out a metal stick from the space, and put it at the door. When she heard that muscle man¡¯s footsteps sounded softer and softer, Song Ye let go of the metal stick in her hands. She turned around and met with a pair of eyes in the dark. Inside the basement, one would not normally see daylight; a humid and sour smell was everywhere. The floor was filled with hay, and on one piece of withering grass lay a woman with torn clothes. The woman¡¯s clothes were ripped apart by someone, and there were bruises and cuts all over her skin. Her messy hair covered her face, and even the eyes that looked over were so empty until it was terrifying. Song Ye walked to her side and took off her down jacket to wrap her with it before hugging her lightly and calling out the name stuck in her heart for a very long time. ¡°Sister Yun.¡± Sister Yun. It had been thirteen years, a whole thirteen years had passed, but she still remembered the times she spent depending on this woman in the mountains. Back then, she was as helpless as now; after being outraged, she wanted to die. It was Yun Hua who saved her and took the initiative to marry Muscle Man. She got beaten up and scolded for her, and this sister gave her food to eat. However, during the escape two years later, Yun Hua died midway while she was captured back and sold to another place. As time played back, she would not let the tragedy happen again. Just that, watching Yun Hua¡ªwho was like a ragged doll¡ªmade Song Ye feel that there was a stone in her heart. After some time, she said lightly, ¡°Sorry, I came late.¡± Perhaps this sentence triggered her; Yun Hua¡¯s empty and numb gaze slowly landed on Song Ye¡¯s face. After focusing on her for some time, she hoarsely said three words. ¡°Who are you?¡± Song Ye lowered her eyes as she helped her tidy her hair, revealing a good-looking smile. ¡°Song Ye. You can call me Ah Ye. I came here to save you. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡®Let¡¯s go together.¡¯ This was the sentence that Yun Hua said to her back then. Now, it was her turn to say it, and it was filled with emotions and sadness. Perhaps Song Ye¡¯s expression was too cold or this sentence was too alluring. The original numb nerves in the person in her arms were triggered as her empty eyes reflected light. Yun Hua reached her skeleton hands out. Slowly and forcefully, she grabbed onto her shoulders. ¡°Save me¡­¡± Song Ye felt her heart tear as she pressed her against her chest. She felt that her chest was drenched by tears, and her tightly pressed lips exuded a cruel aura. As darkness slowly approached, the fragrance of food wafted in from the outside. No one seemed to be watching the surroundings. Song Ye used the metal stick to pry open the door, and she helped Yun Hua to crawl out. Previously, she had walked a whole round around the village to confirm her escape route. Evening was cooking time so there was no one moving on the outside. After circling half the village, no one noticed them. ¡°Ah Ye, there are still many girls here. Should we¡­?¡± Even if she had been tormented so much, Yun Hua was still kind at heart and wanted to save more people. However, before she could finish her sentence, Song Ye interrupted her lightly. ¡°Take care of yourself first. I¡¯ll save them when there¡¯s a chance.¡± Even if she had superpowers¡ªif she alerted the village at this point, she could not guarantee that they could escape in one piece. Of course, she had her space to cheat. However, she was not that noble to expose her superpowers for unrelated people. No matter how kind Yun Hua was, she knew her priorities. Upon seeing Song Ye¡¯s determination, she did not speak again. In the dusk, both of them carefully leaned against the wall and moved towards the exit. The wind hustled sadly and painfully slapped their faces. When they were about to exit the village¡ªding-dang! The sound scared both of them, making their hairs stand on end. Song Ye was the fastest to react and immediately looked at the direction of the sound. She met with a pair of circular eyes. It was a girl. Her hands were tied up, and her entire body was dirty as she hid under the stove to eat. The pair of circular eyes was as smart as her person. After sizing Yun Hua up, she grabbed two items and came over at lightning speed. She smartly grabbed onto Yun Hua¡¯s elbow. ¡°Sister, please take me with you. I¡¯m begging you.¡± Yun Hua¡¯s arms hurt from her clutch, and she furrowed her brows. However, she felt that the child was too pitiful. When she was about to turn around and ask Song Ye, she was interrupted by her coldly. ¡°Not now. Go back first. I¡¯ll come for you later.¡± The girl met with Song Ye¡¯s cold eyes and shivered in fear. Yun Hua did not dare to speak. No matter how kind she was, she did not forget her helpless situation. After Song Ye separated the girl¡¯s arm from her, she instinctively took a step back and was about to leave. However, before they could go far, there was a sinister voice from behind. ¡°If you don¡¯t take me with you, I¡¯ll yell.¡± ¡°No!¡± Yun Hua instinctively turned back to grab her hand; her voice was filled with anxiety and bitterness. When Song Ye turned back to look at her, her cute face was filled with naivety. After looking at Yun Hua¡¯s difficult gaze, Song Ye did not have much of an expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Thus, the duo action became a trio escape. After exiting the village, the trio rapidly went into the forest. In the dark, they moved like shadows in the forest. After running for some time, they heard a loud gunshot from the mountains. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The gunshot sound made the trio panic, tugging at their heartstrings even more than ever. Song Ye turned back and looked at the direction of the village in the dusk. Her lips pressed tightly against each other in a line. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± When Grandma Wang and her son talked about that person, she could guess that there would be gunshots in the middle of their escape. This was also the reason why she did not immediately kill people and exacted her revenge. In the trio, Song Ye was the youngest; but in their escape, she was the leader and was calm. Even if she did not understand the mountain conditions well, she would not panic when met with danger. After walking for four hours or so, it was clear that Yun Hua¡¯s body was weak. Even if she was holding it in, Song Ye could tell from her cold palm. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here.¡± Song Ye stopped in her tracks and helped Yun Hua move to a hidden spot below the tree. At this time, she met with the obstinate young girl¡¯s objections. Her voice was filled with frustrations and anxiety in the night. ¡°No! They have guns and are very familiar with the mountains. If we stop here, we¡¯ll be recaptured.¡± She escaped with much difficulty and did not want to go back to the place that felt like hell. Yun Hua shook her head and held Song Ye¡¯s shakily. ¡°Ah Ye, she¡¯s right. We can¡¯t rest here.¡± Even though she was already very tired, she could not be the burden of the team. The whole way out, Song Ye had already slowed down a lot to take care of her. ¡°Listen to me.¡± Song Ye held her back, and her voice was cold and determined. She raised her eyes and looked at the girl standing aside as she spoke casually. ¡°If you want to go, go yourself.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The young girl was angered and wanted to fight back. However, when she thought of needing to depend on Song Ye to escape, she held herself back and sat below the tree furiously. Her back faced the duo as if she was throwing a tantrum at them. Looking at the two who were at odds, Yun Hua sighed in frustration. After resting under the tree for a while, she silently persuaded Song Ye. ¡°Ah Ye, she¡¯s innocent, too. We should save as many as we can.¡± Song Ye knew her character so she nodded without objections. She took out bread and water from the space to pass them to Yun Hua. ¡°Eat something first.¡± Yun Hua was taken aback as she looked at the things in her hands and unwittingly at the bag behind her. She asked curiously, ¡°Why do I feel that there¡¯s everything in your bag?¡± She had everything she needed like food and the clothes and shoes she was wearing. If not, they really could not run far. Of course, Song Ye would not tell her that the bag was just a decoration; and everything was saved in the space. ¡°Eat quickly. We still have a long way to go.¡± ¡°Mm, thank you, Ah Ye.¡± Yun Hua nodded, and her trampled face broke into a smile that she had not seen in a long time. Even though it was their first time meeting, the feeling that Song Ye gave was very familiar as if they had lived together before. She could clearly feel the other party¡¯s care and concern for her. While eating, Yun Hua surveyed her surroundings. When she saw the huddled figure under the tree, her heart was filled with sympathy. She walked over with the remaining bread and water. When she was about to open her mouth and speak, she suddenly saw the young girl raise her head. Her mouth was brimming with food, and she was protecting a bunch of others in her arms. ¡°You¡­¡± Yun Hua looked at her in shock and could not say anything for a long time. However, Song Ye¡ªwho was sitting on the floor¡ªhad seen through everything. Her voice was cold. ¡°She won¡¯t be hungry. She escaped herself and stole all her partners¡¯ food. This kind of person won¡¯t let herself starve.¡± This sentence made the young girl¡¯s body tense up. Her eyes glared ferociously at Song Ye. That was right. The sisters who were trapped with her had covered for her, so that she could secretly come out and steal items back to eat. However, when she chanced upon the opportunity to escape, she took all the food with her and left without turning back. She thought she had hidden it very well back in the village, but she was still seen through by Song Ye. Suddenly, Song Ye stood up and did not want to spend more time on this topic. ¡°Keep your gaze. If not, I¡¯ll dig your eyeballs out.¡± She still used the cold tone, but this time, the young girl did not dare look at Song Ye. The trio stood up and continued on their way. When they were about to reach the top of the mountain, there were sparks in front. ¡°Oh, no! We¡¯ve been discovered.¡± The young girl turned back anxiously, and she was scared until her face lost its color. Song Ye also furrowed her eyebrows but looked in front without panicking. She was confident in her escape route. This place was not a mile or two away from the village so it was impossible that the villagers had taken a step forward and surrounded them. Then, there was only one possibility left. The other party was the human traffickers¡¯ ringleader, and they had agreed to catch people who escaped from jail. ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± ¡°Here, they¡¯re here!¡± The two voices spoke at once. Before Song Ye could find a solution, the young girl had already raised her voice and exposed their location. ¡°Goddamn.¡± Song Ye cursed under her breath. It was too late to deal with the young girl. She held Yun Hua¡¯s arm and directly ran in the opposite direction to hide. In the second that they left¡ªbang! Bang! Bang! The continuous gunshots hurt their ears and caused uneasiness all over the mountains. The young girl¡¯s screams at the mountain top were long covered. In the darkness of the night, the wind blew the mountains noisily, and it was chilling to the bones. Yun Hua felt that she did not even use much strength on her feet as the strength on her arm was astonishing. Song Ye, who was walking in front, had a small figure; but she made her feel unusually secure. After much difficulty, Song Ye found a cave and was already filled with wounds. The moment they hid inside, she took her bag down and filled it with clothes and food before passing it to Yun Hua. ¡°Wait here for me. I¡¯ll definitely be back to fetch you.¡± Yun Hua was shocked and instinctively grabbed onto her arm. ¡°Where are you going?¡± It was so dangerous outside, where else could she go? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Song Ye¡¯s voice was low and had a rare gentleness in it. This gentleness had the power to calm people¡¯s hearts and made Yun Hua let go. She held the bag tightly and nodded wordlessly. She believed Song Ye. For no reason, she just wanted to believe her. Song Ye patted the back of her hand and turned around to leave the cave. Outside the cave, she covered the entrance well. After ensuring there was no danger in the surroundings, her shadow was as fast as a ghost and disappeared into the darkness. Of course, she did not come to purely save someone. Back then, her poor days and then getting adopted by the organization. All the cracks and breaking points in her life were all given by this criminal group. Tonight¡­ was the time for her to get justice back for herself. Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios That night in the mountains, it was clearly not peaceful. In the dark and creepy night, one could vaguely see sparks moving everywhere; and frequent gunshot sounds would wake people up in the mountains. No one would have expected a village with a few hundred people to have firearms and that a few weaponless women could escape from there. Standing at the village entrance, Chen Four¡¯s face was as dark as the night; and he took out a black gun and directly pointed it at Grandma Wang¡¯s head. ¡°Say. How many escaped, and how did they do it?¡± The touch of the cold gun made her entire body turn numb. Grandma Wang knelt on the floor, and her voice kept trembling. ¡°Three. I caught one of them today and gave her knockout drops. Logically speaking, she would not wake up so quickly. I¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened either. I beg of you, please don¡¯t kill us. If it was not for a villager that said someone escaped and wanted everyone to check their basements, she would not have known that they escaped. When she thought of Chen Four¡¯s harsh methods, she bent her body lower. She did not know what kind of jinx that girl was. If she knew of this earlier, she would not have invited her back. Chen Four squinted his eyes and immersed himself in deep thoughts after he heard what Grandma Wang said. After a while, he said, ¡°Bring the person up.¡± Once his voice sounded, someone pushed a young girl with shackles onto the floor. The fire shone on the girl¡¯s pale face, and her circular eyes were filled with panic. ¡°Where¡¯s the other two?¡± Chen Four¡¯s voice was sharp; his eyes, along with his goatee, made his entire self seem sinister and cruel. The young girl¡¯s body trembled, and she whimpered, ¡°Just now, just now¡­ after we were discovered at the mountain top, we went separate ways. I really don¡¯t know¡­ don¡¯t know where they went. I only know that one of them is called Ah Ye, and she¡¯s very skinny and has a good voice. Her fighting skills are pretty good¡­¡± ¡°Yes, yes. She said her name was Song Ye.¡± Once Grandma Wang heard that, she hurriedly added in. ¡°Song Ye¡­¡± Chen Four muttered to himself and felt that he had seen this name and fighting skills before. Amidst the sparks of the fire and stone, he suddenly thought of the shadow back at the fire station; but he shook his head. ¡°How can it be her¡­?¡± He said the sentence very softly like he was murmuring to himself; but amidst the crowd, there came weird laughter. ¡°Haha, why can¡¯t it be me?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± The laughter followed by the voice shocked everyone and made them look around. Under the dark night sky, there were only tree shadows moving around in the mountains, other than the straw houses. Rapidly, Chen Four raised his gun. When he wanted to load it, he heard a loud sound, followed by a pain in his palm and the dropping of his gun. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He moaned as he held his bloody wrist, and there was a blood puddle on the floor. While everyone was still stunned, the gun sounded again. Bang! Bang! Bang! Then, it was followed by cries of pain. All the villagers holding guns in their hands were shot in their wrists, and they all knelt down on the floor in agony. Amidst the chaos, a pair of black boots slowly but surely walked towards Chen Four who was in the middle of the crowd. Enduring the pain, Chen Four looked up; and the short-haired girl he saw was too foreign, causing him to be unable to think properly at that moment. ¡°Who are you? I have no conflict with you. Why do you want to spoil my territory?¡± Song Ye looked down, and the fire made her delicate and pretty face look especially cold and heartless. Slowly, she pointed the nozzle towards Chen Four¡¯s forehead. Her lips curved up, revealing a cold angle. ¡°Think again. Do you really not remember me? Uncle on the train.¡± Uncle on the train. Once the last few words left her mouth, Chen Four instantly widened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy that you can remember me so quickly.¡± Song Ye looked satisfied as she slowly pulled the trigger, saying her final goodbye towards the other party¡¯s anxious gaze. ¡°Remember: in this life, I killed you.¡± Bang! The gun sounded, and Chen Four¡ªwho did not even have time to beg for mercy¡ªdropped onto the blood puddle, with his eyes wide open. The night wind blew over, spreading the blood smell; it was so metallic and rusty that it made people want to puke. The villagers who had lived in the deep mountains for an extended period had not seen a real gun killing someone and were all frightened out of their wits in no time. All of them knelt on the floor and begged for mercy. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you. Don¡¯t kill me. Don¡¯t kill us.¡± Grandma Wang knelt on the floor, and her entire body was so fragile as if she was at the end of her years. She even looked extremely weak. However, no one would have expected that such an elderly had tricked hundreds of innocent young women in the span of ten over years, selling them and torturing them¡­ and even causing some of them to die in the mountains out of hunger. Watching the old pair of hands clutching her pants, Song Ye kicked her away and raised the gun in her hands to let her personally witness death. Under the other party¡¯s horrific gaze, the nozzle moved¡ªbang! The gun killed her son right beside her. Grandma Wang turned back and immediately let out a bitter cry as she pounced forward. ¡°Ah! My son!¡± She had committed all sorts of sins in this life just so she could give her son a better life. Killing Muscle Man was more painful than killing her. However, her shooting skills did not have any deviation. The image of Muscle Man dying without his eyes closed made her lose control of her feelings as she yelled at Song Ye with a broken heart. ¡°You will die a horrible death! Why do you want to kill my son? I¡¯ll fight with you! I won¡¯t let you off even as a ghost!¡± As Song Ye had already changed into a new set of clothes when they were interrogating the person, she was now in black boots, long pants, and had short hair. She purposely lowered her voice to sound like a young man so Grandma Wang naturally did not realize that this was the girl she tricked over. Song Ye watched the furious expression on her face but did not show any hesitation in her eyes as her fingers pulled the trigger once again. Bang! After the sound, the old skeleton finally dropped on the floor. Then, she slightly opened her mouth and said, ¡°People like you don¡¯t deserve to reincarnate.¡± If she did not remember wrongly¡ªeven though muscle man was only past his twenties, he had harmed more than ten women already. After the victims were duped to the mountains, Grandma Wang watched as her son sexually assaulted them and had even helped him kill them and bury their bodies. Unlike how she looked, she really had a heart of stone. After dealing with two lives in a row, the entire village fell into a deadly silence; everyone did not even breathe strongly. However, amongst them, someone was preserving her strength in secret and waiting for the chance to hit this sudden grim reaper. When she heard a weird rustling behind her and a glass bottle piercing through the air and flying towards her, Song Ye immediately turned around and held the other party¡¯s wrist with one hand, meeting with the pair of circular eyes and seeing the coldness in each other¡¯s eyes. The young girl recognized Song Ye long ago. When she killed Chen Four, she knew that it was hard for her to escape death after betraying them in the mountains. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios If one was forced to a dead end, one would fight back for survival. The glass bottle mouth in the young girl¡¯s arms did not point at Grandma Wang or Chen Four, but at Song Ye in the end. It pointed towards her benefactor that tried to save her from this hell hole. Just that, before the glass bottle could get near her, it was stopped in midair. Song Ye¡¯s voice was cold and clear in the night, with no emotions at all. ¡°Do you think you can hurt me like this?¡± Her questioning tone was sarcastic, and the coldness in her voice was like the aura of a grim reaper wrapping the young lady rapidly. The young lady¡¯s body tensed up, and she could just imagine the feeling of a bullet running across her head the next second. Under her intense anxiety, she suddenly flung her hands and walked backward in fear as she screamed, ¡°It¡¯s her! This is the woman that brought troubles to the village! You can¡¯t let her go out alive! If she exposes the village¡¯s secret, everyone will die together!¡± This was the base for human trafficking, and every household was a part of this, earning money to provide for themselves by lying and tricking these young women. If this thing failed and the abandoned corpses at the back of the mountain were discovered, none of them could walk out of the place alive. People, who often walk by the river, would always have the fear of dying in their hearts. ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t let her expose us¡­¡± Someone muttered and stood up first. Then, there was a second¡­ then, a third¡­ The few hundred villagers¡­ no matter if they were injured men or weak elderly, they all surrounded her and stared deadly at Song Ye. Under the fire, their faces looked like they were devils who just climbed out of hell. ¡°We can¡¯t let her go out; she¡¯ll expose us!¡± ¡°Yes, we must kill her¡­¡± ¡°Kill her! Kill her!¡± ¡­ The rising voice reverberated throughout the mountain valley as if it was a chant. When everyone was busy protecting their own lives, committing a crime was just a means for survival. Song Ye looked at the disgusting faces of the people in front, and her eyebrows were filled with ice. She frowned and exhaled loudly. ¡°Ha, I wasn¡¯t thinking of letting you off.¡± If she could forgive these scumbags, then the young women trapped in the basements all day long would be too pitiful. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be scared of her. She only has one gun and can only shoot ten bullets. We have so many people; she can¡¯t walk out alive! Everyone, let¡¯s charge!¡± People said many hands would make light work, and there was strength in unity. When this kind of strength was used in committing bad deeds, it would be effective. What a pity, they found the wrong experimental target. Bang! Bang! Bang! The long finger spun in the air as if she had carelessly pulled the trigger thrice. The three people closest to her did not even see her actions properly; their heart went cold, and their entire selves had lost consciousness. She took away three lives just by raising her hand; her killing methods were harsh and precise and were of a true killer who killed without blinking. This harsh and precise method made the villagers, who had gone crazy, start to panic and retreat. Song Ye held the gun in her hands as if it was her favorite toy. Even if her body was not fit enough and the recoil of the gun made her arms numb, her decade-long gun experience allowed her to shoot with her eyes close. Besides, she was facing a group of villagers. Bang! Bang! Bang! Facing all their petrified eyes, she did not pause unnecessarily and had shot all ten bullets. As fast as lightning, she reloaded the gun. All the weapons were found in the straw houses. She had kept all the boxes of firearms into her space and was even counted to have taken too little. The villagers completely could not see where her bullets came from, and at this time, they had no heart to investigate. As the gun sounded, everyone was scared beyond their wits and was petrified that they would be the next corpse. All of them fought to retreat and were all shot down in the next second. In the end, the entire place was only left with old people and weak women. Song Ye had no interest in dealing with them. As she stepped on the bloodbath and corpses, she calmly walked to the young lady. The young lady¡¯s hands were filled with blood, and she looked horrified. When she saw the black boots approaching, her shaky voice started begging for mercy. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you. Don¡¯t kill me. I know I¡¯m wrong¡­ I¡¯m wrong¡­ please don¡¯t kill me.¡± When she said this, the tears on her face dropped uncontrollably. The weak young lady crept to her feet and begged painfully. Anyone would pity her when they saw the scene, but to a ruthless killer, pity was the first thing a killer had to learn to get rid of. Hence, Song Ye did not show any mercy. ¡°Too late.¡± Bang! She ended a flower¡¯s life. Song Ye lowered her eyes and did not look at the corpses all over the village. This was her habit of many years; she would not look back at the bloody scene. Zoom! Someone released a signal bomb from far away, and the white smoke left its mark in the dark sky. Song Ye raised her head to identify it. Her heart sank as she hurriedly ran towards the forest. The village was hidden deep in the mountains. Who sent the signal and called the military over? Song Ye ran madly in the forest as she kept thinking of the reason behind it and finally locked it on Chen Four. In the end¡ªjust like what she expected, Chen Four had escaped from prison and was chased by the police all the way into the mountains, allowing them to discover the gun battle. Just that, Song Ye did not know the person who followed her and stepped into the purgatory was Qin Zhan. The reason why Qin Zhan would hear the news and check until this place was because Song Ye had left traces behind after she hacked into the official system to make a fake identity. After he received the news about a human traffickers¡¯ base with many people and firearms, the police had invited them to help; but he did not expect to see this scene. ¡°Major, a total of eighty-nine people died, and they are all male with weapons. They were shot by one deadly bullet, right in the center of their brows. Judging from the technique, it¡¯s a professional killer.¡± After counting the scene, the soldier reported to his superiors. Even the trained and qualified soldier felt uncomfortable at this bloodbath. ¡°Mm.¡± Qin Zhan wore his military suit and buttoned his last button meticulously; even the material of the clothes was like his straight face, which did not have any changes or emotions. He stood in the middle of the corpses coldly like a frozen statue in the middle of the night. After some time, he walked towards a middle-aged woman and asked, ¡°Did you see the person¡¯s face?¡± The woman was frightened until her body kept shaking and could not seem to recover her senses. ¡°Yes, yes I did. He was wearing black pants and boots and was holding¡­ a gun in his hands. He killed everyone. Bang, bang. Killed people. He¡¯s very young, good-looking. He¡¯s a¡­ a¡­ chi¡­ child¡­¡± Child? Qin Zhan¡¯s statue-like face revealed a bit of emotion as his eyebrows knitted tightly together. This marksmen technique of shooting bullseye and method of killing a hundred people¡­ she actually said that the other party was a child? Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Child. Following the witness¡¯s report, the mortal hell village suddenly seemed much weirder in the night. As the wind blew the bloody smell all over, it wrapped and tangled around the audience¡¯s hearts. Qin Zhan¡¯s deep gaze swept past every corpse on the floor as he was in deep thought. This continued until soldiers came to report about the basement. After tens of basements were open, bawling and painful cries sounded as many young women in ragged clothes were brought out of the basement. ¡°Major, we found fifty-six young women trapped. They have all sorts of bruises and wounds on their body. More than ten of them are pregnant for a few months now.¡± Once again, the soldier came forward to report the number of people as he looked at the villagers in dismal. Qin Zhan was also watching these pitiful old people and weak women. No matter how much their head was lowered¡ªfrom the moment the young women were discovered from the soldiers coming to report to him, none of the nervousness and anxiety their body showed had escaped his eyes. More than ten basements had hidden young women who were kidnapped in them, and they were also sexually assaulted. It was impossible to say that all these women did not know anything about that. When he thought about this, there was a flash of coldness in Qin Zhan¡¯s eyes. His voice was low and magnetic. ¡°Bring everyone back for interrogation. Clean the scene and let the police charge them accordingly.¡± After he finished his sentence, he turned around and walked towards the outside of the village; the slight wrinkles in his military suit could be seen vaguely under the fire. The soldier was stunned for a while before he asked, ¡°About the villagers being killed¡­¡± How should he write a report about a professional killer lingering in the area? When he reached the village exit, Qin Zhan stopped in his tracks as his big back view mixed with the darkness. Just like his person, his tough voice spoke calmly. ¡°These villagers were killed by the military when they rebelled.¡± The soldier was taken aback but hurriedly lowered his head and answered solemnly. ¡°Yes, Major.¡± Even though Qin Zhan arrived at the Cloud City base not long ago, he had gained the respect of many and was a superior that did not like anyone rebutting him; his words were final. The method he mentioned today was to cover up about the killer incident. No matter what the reason was, he could only choose to obey his words. The cold military boot stepped on the floor and made crackling noises when it stepped on stones. Qin Zhan conveniently took out a lighter from his pocket and lit up a cigarette, puffing smoke out in the night sky. The smoke smell overwhelmed the blood smell. He exhaled the white smoke in his chest, and his eyes were as dark as the sky. The killer¡¯s identity became a mystery as she was very meticulous in her actions. The massacre that seemed to be done on impulse¡­ actually did not leave any clue or traces behind. The current unclear circumstance was not any easier than alerting the enemy early. Besides, if the killer only attacked the men, it could be because she was exacting revenge for the victims and was upholding justice for them. ¡°Upholding justice¡­¡± he murmured these two words. There was a spark in Qin Zhan¡¯s unclear eyes. Interesting¡­ The village hidden in the mountains for centuries was uncovered within a night, exposing the human traffickers¡¯ base and had thus caused a huge uproar in the entire Lan Province. All media outlets were fighting to report on the incident, and the headlines for the whole week were all on the matter. However, the cause of the incident¡ªSong Ye¡ªhad already brought Yu Fu Jewelry back to Cloud City. After settling in Yu Fu Jewelry, she took a long nap in the hostel as she had not closed her eyes in three days. Her sleep continued until there was knocking on her door that woke her up. Looking at the darkening sky outside, she rubbed her swollen head and arm before getting up to open the door. Zhao Zhen was waiting outside and looked extremely anxious. When he saw Song Ye¡¯s sleepy look, he did not feel any sense of embarrassment as he hurriedly entered and the room and spoke agitatedly, ¡°Song Ye, the stones you brought back two days ago, I uncovered all of them.¡± Once she heard this, Song Ye could guess what he was about to say. As expected¡ªin the next second, Zhao Zhen held his two hands tightly as his face blushed, and his voice shook uncontrollably. ¡°The five stones you brought back all turned green, and their qualities are quite good. The two hundred thousand you threw out could be flipped at least a hundred times.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Song Ye took the cup and drank it. As compared to Zhao Zhen¡¯s agitation, her reaction was so calm until it sent chills down one¡¯s spine. In the end, she lightly asked. ¡°So?¡± Being agitated by her coldness, Zhao Zhen¡¯s passion and enthusiasm were splashed on, and he hesitated. ¡°Song Ye, that¡­ I don¡¯t know how you look at stones, but I know that you have the capabilities. The thing you told me about previously, I thought about it for some time. Instead of Yu Fu Jewelry failing in my hands, I should just hand it to you. You¡¯re the person that can develop it into a success.¡± Song Ye put down her cup and was not as happy as she predicted. Her lips only curved up slightly as she extended her thin, white hand. ¡°Then, it¡¯s a deal. Happy cooperation.¡± ¡°Happy¡­ cooperation?¡± Zhao Zhen touched her hand and was stunned. He asked confusedly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you chasing me away? I already handed the shop to you.¡± Since ancient times, one mountain could never hold two tigers. Zhao Zhen thought that Song Ye would definitely not keep him after buying over Yu Fu Jewelry, but¡­ ¡°Uncle Zhao, you¡¯re mistaken. Me buying Yu Fu Jewelry and letting you be the shopkeeper has no conflicts. I¡¯m still young and haven¡¯t finished studying. You¡¯re also more familiar with the shop than I am. We can work together and make the shop successful. What do you say?¡± What did he say? What else could he say when given this invitation? Zhao Zhen nodded repeatedly emotionally. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be your employee, and we can make Yu Fu Jewelry successful together. With your foresight, we can definitely do this.¡± He loved jades, and he opened a shop to research jades. Now that he could follow Song Ye and see all kinds of legendary jades, he was definitely more than willing. When Song Ye saw his enthusiastic reaction¡ªjust like a child who was given a sweet, she broke into a smile. ¡°Do more work on the jades that we had uncovered already. Put them in the market, and let¡¯s earn more investments and expand the shop and its reputation. If there are any other suitable stone sources, let me know. Also, Sister Yun is there so please help me take care of her. School is about to start soon. I¡¯ll go over and see her after a while.¡± ¡°Okay, no problem. I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± Zhao Zhen nodded and recorded down everything. He came in a hurry and left in a hurry as he was filled with enthusiasm and drive. However, before he left, he left a phone especially for Song Ye. He said if she did not have a communication device, it was hard for him to find her. Song Ye took it over and went to the lake to run after packing her items. Her body was still not fit enough; even though she had her superpowers to protect her, it was still not enough to protect her from enemies like the organization. Before she had actual strength, she needed an identity to disguise herself. Being a secondary school student was not enough. Yu Fu Jewelry was the actual shell that she wanted to hide in. A week after the graduation trip was the day that school started. Being a grade three student who was facing her examinations, learning¡ªto them¡ªwas a race against time so they had to start school earlier than the rest. Wearing the school uniform once again after fifteen years made Song Ye¡¯s calm and collected heart¡­ stir with emotions. Chapter 20 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wearing the blue and white school uniform together with a bright red scarf, carrying a school bag, and walking on the wide street while hearing the ringing of the bicycle bells¡­ as schoolmates greeted each other and made joyful noises. Song Ye had reminisced about these things and desired to go back more than once in her killer prison. However, as time passed and her feelings became numb, all these unnecessary feelings were abandoned. Song Ye never thought that she could have a chance to relive her life. Walking on the long street in winter and stepping on the crackling leaves, Song Ye carried her bag and walked into the big blue door. The white porcelain building with black stripes that entered her view looked a little old, but it gave people a familiar feeling. ¡°Hey, look! What class is that student from? He¡¯s so good-looking.¡± ¡°I have never seen him before. Is he a transfer student?¡± The moment Song Ye entered the door, the groups of girls behind her began gathering around looking on and discussing. The white, good-looking face shown to the world after she cut her hair was bound to receive all sorts of compliments and rumors. It did not even take a period for the entire third grade to know that a very handsome boy had entered the third grade in San Zhong. No matter how complicated and stressful their circumstances were, youthful boys and girls would never stop going after beautiful things. In her previous life, Song Ye was a cowardly person with low-esteem and was invisible wherever she went. This was the first time she had received so much attention at school, but this still could not stir her feelings. To her, fifteen years old was still a child. Receiving children¡¯s admiration was really not something to be excited about. Recalling the map in her memory, she arrived at the door to third grade, class five. Her appearance immediately made the girls gasp. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s that guy! Why is he here?¡± When Tang Meiling heard the commotion, she felt excited herself too as she specifically used her fingers to push back her hair. She revealed a sweet smile and believed herself that she was the flower girl of San Zhong so none of the boys could escape from her charisma. However, once she raised her head and saw the figure at the door, the face made her entire self freeze in position. Her smile was frozen, and her eyes were in shocking disbelief. Then, everyone in class had their mouths agape. This was because the handsome young boy, who had walked into the class, sat at the very last seat at the back. That was the seat for Song Ye, who the entire class despised. When everyone was still recovering from the shock, Tang Meiling had already stood up and walked towards the seat in big steps. Song Ye had already received her evil stare but did not take it to heart. When they were on the train, she had already taught her the lesson she deserved. What a pity, as it seemed like some people did not have a good memory. She came over ferociously and wanted to mess around. Just when Song Ye wanted to place her books on the table, the scene at the corner of her eye made her stop her actions. Tang Meiling had already walked in front of her and commanded arrogantly. ¡°Follow me out.¡± Song Ye raised her head and looked at the chubby face with red cheeks. She really did not understand why the standards for flower girl in San Zhong were so low and why Song Ye was so afraid of her in the past. When the mindset changed, everything she looked at was different. Tang Meiling¡¯s command was ignored completely by Song Ye in the eyes of everyone else. She watched on as the other party packed her stuff relaxingly and did not have any intention of talking to her. Her face immediately turned as red as a pig¡¯s liver, and her voice rose. ¡°I told you to stand up. Are you deaf? Song Ye!¡± When Song Ye¡¯s name was called, the entire class fell into a shocking silence. Was the handsome person in the corner really that silent, dirty, smelly, and invisible Song Ye? The difference between the two was really too big as quite a few of them rubbed their eyes in disbelief. However, if they looked closely, it was not hard to tell that the child-like features on the face belonged to a girl¡¯s demureness. Just that Song Ye¡¯s aura was too cold, thus it covered that demureness. Tang Meiling¡¯s holler of her full name finally got a reaction from Song Ye. ¡°What right do you have to command me?¡± Her voice was extremely cold and was like a drop of water in a pot of oil, exploding in the entire class. The boy trouble-maker blew his whistle. ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe the punching bag has a temper. Now, there¡¯s a drama to watch. Monitor, we are all students. What right do you have to command Song Ye?¡± ¡°Wang Tiechuan, shut your mouth. How dare you speak up when you¡¯re the last in class?¡± Tang Meiling retorted back loudly. There would always be polar differences between the best student and the worst student in class. Tang Meiling, being the first in the cohort, naturally had the guts to teach weak students, like Wang Tiechuan, a lesson. ¡°Pft. Everyone¡¯s equal and has freedom of speech. How can you control us?¡± Wang Tiechuan was sharp-tongued, and he made Tang Meiling¡¯s face turn as red as a beetroot. Thinking for a while, this was the trouble that Song Ye caused. Seeing her face at this point made Tang Meiling¡¯s blood boil as she raised her hand and slammed the table. ¡°Song¡­¡± Before she could say the ¡®Ye¡¯, Tang Meiling¡¯s face froze. She looked down and saw the place that her palm went down was exactly the center of the table. The sticky feeling was caused by the superglue that they had stuck on this morning to mess with Song Ye. ¡°Ah!¡± The pain of tearing her hand off by force made Tang Meiling yell out in agony, even alerting the teacher in the office. Once in contact with human skin, the superglue would dry really fast. Hence, once the teacher came in, she saw that the hand was inseparable from the table. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The form teacher was an unmarried woman at the age of thirty and always had a bad temper all-year-long. After seeing that the monitor had caused trouble on the first day of school, her face became as black as coal. Tang Meiling was on the brink of tears as she was afraid that her good image in the teachers¡¯ hearts would be ruined. When she looked back at Song Ye¡¯s annoying face, there was a ring in her heart as she fought to speak. ¡°Teacher, Song Ye put superglue on her table and made me stick to it.¡± ¡°What?¡± It was the first time that the teacher saw Song Ye¡¯s intricate face, causing her to be stunned before she walked over in big steps. When she saw that the hand was stuck tightly to the table and that the glue had made her hand red, she was shocked as she angrily pointed at Song Ye to holler. ¡°Song Ye! Why did you cause trouble on the first day of school? Did you know that you can¡¯t play with these things so casually? If anything happened to Meiling¡¯s hand, can you be responsible for it?¡± Song Ye understood what the form teacher planned to do as she pushed the responsibility to her solving the problem. However, she was not easily bullied. She pointed at the table before her. ¡°Teacher, please take a closer look. Who does this table belong to? Even if my brain is hurt and I play with superglue, Monitor Tang didn¡¯t need to stick her hand to it.¡± Chapter 21 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When Song Ye finished talking, the entire class fell into a deep silence as they watched the girl¡ªwho suddenly became courageous¡ªand wondered if they were hallucinating. The form teacher could not help but re-evaluate this girl who had changed greatly. After cutting away the long hair that covered her face, she looked much better; and her personality had changed¡ªeven daring to speak up in class. However, as a teacher, she had to protect her dignity and her job so she had to give an explanation for this. Without hesitation, she furrowed her brows and looked at Song Ye. ¡°No matter what it is, the super glue on your table is an undeniable fact. You, get out immediately and stand outside. I¡¯ll come back and deal with you after I take care of Tang Meiling¡¯s hand.¡± From an adult¡¯s point of view, she knew how to protect herself. At the very most, these children would call their parents; but it would not hurt anything. Others might not be able to see through her intentions, but the one in front of her had to be Song Ye. ¡°Teacher, you punish students without getting your facts right; aren¡¯t you afraid that people will say that you ruined the reputation all teachers have?¡± Song Ye¡¯s face reflected the sunlight in winter as if she was breathing cold air, and the words she said made people shiver from the cold. ¡°What?¡± The form teacher was taken aback. Not getting facts right? Ruined the reputation all teachers have? Upon seeing the volcano about to explode, Song Ye was still as calm as ever. ¡°I have never touched my own table since I entered the classroom. Everyone in class can be my witness. I didn¡¯t put this super glue on the table.¡± Her voice was clear as her every word and sentence resounded in the classroom, allowing everyone to hear her clearly. However, when the form teacher swept across the room and asked, everyone lowered their head in silence. ¡°It seems like no one wants to be Song Ye¡¯s witness.¡± The form teacher raised her eyebrows, and she sounded as if she was regretful. Actually, her gaze was laughing at her misery. ¡°Song Ye, you should reflect on your own actions. It¡¯s fine that you can¡¯t get along with your classmates, but you¡¯re still bullying them now and lying. If this goes on, what future would you have?¡± Song Ye laughed coldly in her heart as she did not take this type of warning to heart. Her gaze swept past everyone in class and was calm with no emotions, but it made people feel embarrassed. ¡°Me!¡± When everyone was silent, a figure suddenly popped out, followed by his answer and the sound of a chair falling. Song Ye looked over, and it was Wang Tiechuan who was reprimanded by Tang Meiling previously. Even though Wang Tiechuan¡¯s grades were not good, he was tall and very athletic. He represented the class in sports. However, when he stood there, his face was very red. ¡°I can be Song Ye¡¯s witness. Song Ye didn¡¯t put the super glue on her table. It was Zheng Feng who did it in the morning to mess with Song Ye.¡± When he finished talking, another figure stood up as the short and chubby Zheng Feng pointed at Wang Tiechuan as he scolded. ¡°Gangster, don¡¯t talk nonsense. I didn¡¯t do it. You¡¯re accusing me.¡± Once he heard the word ¡®gangster¡¯, Wang Tiechuan was angered and ran towards Zheng Feng to push her against the table. His voice was harsh. ¡°Heck, I dare you to say it again.¡± Wang Tiechuan¡¯s father was a gangster so, since young, he was labeled as one and was discriminated against. Zheng Feng was shocked by his look and walked backward, hitting the table. ¡°Ah! Teacher, he wants to beat me up.¡± ¡°Stop right there!¡± The form teacher was so angry until her voice and eyes were about to spark. They caused such a commotion on the first day; she really wanted to chase all of these troublemakers out of class. When Wang Tiechuan raised his hand, his wrist was held; and the cold and soft feeling made his body tense up. He turned around and saw Song Ye who was suddenly next to him. ¡°Let me handle this.¡± The cold four words without any force had somehow made him appeased. Wang Tiechuan pressed his lips tightly against each other as he unwittingly nodded and went to the side. Zheng Feng was in front of the table as she saw Song Ye¡¯s face. The jealousy in her heart grew like weeds, and she could not help but sneer. ¡°Why? The teacher is here. How dare you lay your hand on me? Ah¡­¡± Before she could finish, Song Ye had already grabbed her elbow. The force on her arm was very big, sending pain signals all over her body as she screamed in agony. When she was about to hide in the corner, Song Ye extended her hand and reached into her bag. In a blink of an eye, she retrieved a bottle. It was super glue. ¡°Teacher, can this rid me of all suspicions?¡± Song Ye raised her hand and threw the bottle to the teacher. As a normal student, super glue was not a necessary item. Now that she was caught red-handed, the teacher had no choice but to point the gun at Zheng Feng¡ªno matter how unhappy she was with Song Ye. Her face darkened as she said, ¡°Zheng Feng, go to the office and inform your parents to make a trip to school. You don¡¯t have to attend this lesson anymore.¡± ¡°Teacher, I¡­¡± Zheng Feng wanted to say something else but was silenced by Tang Meiling¡¯s glare. The form teacher called a few boys to move the table away with the person. When Tang Meiling saw the sarcasm on Song Ye¡¯s lips, she confirmed that Song Ye purposely agitated her to make herself a laughingstock. As the pretentious school belle, she became a joke today as she was dragged out with her hand stuck to the table. She was so ashamed and could not lift her head. As she thought of her failed trick and humiliation, her hatred for Song Ye grew. The first lesson became self-study, and everyone in class was like a bunch of bees. They murmured and muttered while their eyes flicked to Song Ye in the corner from time to time. No matter if it was her appearance or her cold presence, Song Ye¡¯s appearance today had shocked the whole world and left a deep mark in these young children¡¯s memories. Song Ye did not have a table anymore so she just folded her arms and watched the sunlight outside the window. The winter¡¯s light shone on her face, and it was very thin and white until her transparent skin was exuding light. She had long eyelashes and amber eyes; even her chin¡¯s angle was very distinct and mesmerizing. Her presence in such a small class in the county was as if sparkling and glowing. Suddenly, she noticed someone approaching her. Song Ye kept her gaze and saw Wang Tiechuan hold a table in one hand and a table in another, putting them beside her and even pushing his table against hers. Facing Song Ye¡¯s calm gaze, Wang Tiechuan scratched his head in embarrassment for some reason. He smiled sheepishly. ¡°Thank you for stopping me just now. From now on, I¡¯ll sit with you; and no one will dare to bully you again.¡± Song Ye thought it seemed like no one could bully her but did not reject him. ¡°Mm, thank you.¡± This boy clearly knew Song Ye¡¯s circumstance in class. When he stepped up to be her witness, he isolated himself from the class; she really admired this type of courageous person. Flipping the textbook in her hand and looking at the familiar words, there was an unusual calmness and warmth in Song Ye¡¯s heart. Chapter 22 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Song Ye became famous after her battle with Tang Meiling in third grade, class five. Nearing the examinations, the nervous atmosphere in the school was as if added with seasoning. The air seemed to be vaguely moving with chaos. Once school ended, some people specifically came around to see this legendary good-looking student. It was a pity that Song Ye packed her items and left once the bell rang as if she had something on. Actually, she just returned to the hostel and tidied her stuff to prepare for a run and exercise. After leaving the Song family, she could control her life¡¯s schedule on her own. She had to hurriedly strengthen up when she did not need to worry about eating or living. From afternoon to evening, she jogged around the lake; the evening light shone on the lake surface and reflected on Song Ye¡¯s face, adding some sort of glimmer to her face. In the end, she stopped running near the school. She wiped the sweat on her forehead and wanted to go to the stall at the back to eat dumplings. When she reached the slope, she saw fighting not far away. No, it was majority bullying the minority¡ªsingle-sided bullying. The person¡ªgetting beaten up¡ªcurled his entire big build on the ground and was kicked and punched everywhere, but he refused to beg for mercy. The other party was older and was clearly someone outside school. At this point, he was done beating him up and used words to mock and attack him. ¡°Hmph, are you afraid yet? If you are, then you should call us ¡®Master¡¯ and crawl under our legs. Then, I¡¯ll let you off today. Haha¡­¡± Men could not take the humiliation of going under someone¡¯s legs, but this group of people purposely used this to humiliate him. No matter how dim the light was, and the person on the floor was hugging his head until one could not see his looks. However, Song Ye¡ªwho had a good memory¡ªrecognized him. The person was Wang Tiechuan. Without any hesitation, she raised her legs and walked over. Just when the other party was going to spit on Wang Tiechuan, a punch landed on his arrogant face. ¡°Ah!¡± The other party screamed in pain and flew a few meters back before landing on the floor and rolling around in agony. When the other people saw the situation, they immediately hollered in anger. ¡°F*ck! How dare you touch my brother? I¡¯ll kill you.¡± After declaring the war, they started the battle without hesitation. Song Ye treated the entire thing as her exercise: she practiced her body¡¯s agility by dodging left and right and then using her strength to attack the other party¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heels. It seemed like she did not use too much strength, but the punch was deadly. The other party became more and more fearful as the battle continued. At first, they thought Song Ye was small and thin and must be easier to bully than Wang Tiechuan. When they started fighting, something seemed amiss. Everywhere the person hit was painful as if someone ripped their hearts apart, taking their life away from them. Did this person know black magic? It was five against one, but Song Ye only practiced for five minutes before the other party turned pale and ran away in fear. Wang Tiechuan, who was beaten up at first, was dumbfounded. Others might not know, but he knew clearly that the person in front was Song Ye¡­ and was a girl. In the past, she would cry when someone scolded her. Right now, she could pull punches and chase away five muscle men. ¡°Can you stand up?¡± Song Ye turned around to look at Wang Tiechuan, who was stunned, but her face was still cold. However, Wang Tiechuan was still frozen and could not recover his senses. After a long while, he stuttered and swallowed his saliva. ¡°Song¡­ Song Ye?¡± Was this person possessed by something dirty? ¡°Mm.¡± Song Ye answered and extended her white palm, meaning she wanted to pull him up. Wang Tiechuan then recovered his senses and crawled up from the floor on his own. The body¡ªmeasuring 1.75 meters¡ªwas slightly bent as he sheepishly thanked Song Ye. ¡°Thanks for stepping up for me. Your moves are really, really pretty.¡± Yes, it was pretty. Her every move was clean and precise. Along with her good-looking face, it was mesmerizing for some reason. Song Ye did not reject his comment but remembered what he told her this morning in class. She said lightly, ¡°Be my table mate, and no one can bully you.¡± Wang Tiechuan was taken aback as he broke into a smile. He wanted to say something else but saw someone behind Song Ye. He then happily waved and shouted, ¡°Brother Xu!¡± The footsteps behind came closer, but Song Ye did not turn around. When she was fighting just now, she already felt that people were looking on. Following the nearing of the breaths, low laughter came over. ¡°Chuanzi, looks like you didn¡¯t need me to save you. Where did you meet such a cool brother?¡± When he was talking, the person already raised his hand as if he wanted to put his hand on Song Ye¡¯s shoulders like they were brothers. Wang Tiechuan¡¯s face then changed. Before he could say anything, Song Ye had already grabbed his wrist and twisted it; her accurate force made him moan in pain. It was also because of this position that made Song Ye see Brother Xu¡¯s appearance. She was slightly taken aback; it was actually a familiar face. Xu Zihang was shocked too and instinctively wanted to fling his arm away, but he found that he could not use any strength. The fingers holding onto his wrist were very cold, and it sent chills down his spine. Wang Tiechuan was also flustered and hurriedly explained, ¡°Song Ye, don¡¯t misunderstand. This is my boss, Xu Zihang, from class one. He didn¡¯t have any ill intentions.¡± Song Ye did not want to put him in a difficult position so she let go of her metallic grip. She was still very calm¡­ even if the other party was upset. The people behind Xu Zihang were also a little angry. ¡°Chuanzi, what¡¯s the matter? Brother Xu only came over to say hi. Is there a need to be so harsh on him?¡± ¡°No, no, you don¡¯t understand.¡± Wang Tiechuan scratched his head before introducing her. ¡°This is Song Ye, my tablemate. She¡¯s a girl.¡± Uh¡­ At that moment, everyone was silenced; and even Xu Zihang was dumbfounded. They saw Song Ye attack from the back. Her short hair and charismatic moves¡ªother than the fact that she was a little short, she was handsome beyond words. Everyone instinctively thought that she was a boy. Xu Zihang turned his head to size Song Ye up and found out that she was especially good-looking. His gaze lowered and landed on¡­ mm, there was a bump. Hence, the famous Big Brother Xu in Third Middle School was awkward: he thought a girl was a brother and made a big mistake on the streets. In the end, the few of them said that from an exchange of blows, friendship would grow. They wanted to treat the heroine, Song Ye, to food; and they were just about to visit the dumpling stall. ¡°Um, if you¡¯re not used to this, we can change places.¡± The group of people sat down, and everyone else was coarsely rushing for food to be served. Only Xu Zihang looked at Song Ye sitting there quietly and thought that she did not like to eat here so he asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine here.¡± Song Ye¡¯s gaze was light, and one could not see her feelings, making him confused. Xu Zihang frowned slightly and sat down while Wang Tiechuan was more meticulous. ¡°Aiya, Brother Xu, Song Ye has this temper. She¡¯s not a bad person; you¡¯ll find out when you know her for a while more.¡± Xu Zihang did not care about her anymore. The few of them bought food and started eating on their own. Boys ate food faster and were coarser in their movements; only Xu Zihang had a similar speed to Song Ye. Song Ye could tell from his movements and eating mannerism that his background was quite extravagant. Just that she did not understand why he was hanging out with a bunch of gangsters. After eating, it was time to say goodbye; but the few boys were all curious about Song Ye and invited her to play basketball. After thinking for a while, Song Ye nodded. ¡°If there¡¯s a fight, then there would be winners and losers. If there¡¯s winning and losing, then there must be rewards and punishments. Let¡¯s have a bet.¡± Chapter 23 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When compared to girls, boys were competitive animals. When they heard that there was going to be a competition, they agreed without hesitation. ¡°Okay, what do you want to compete in?¡± Xu Zihang was gentlemanly and insisted on his principle of ¡®ladies first¡¯. Song Ye did not hesitate and was waiting for him to jump into the trap that she set. Her gaze looked straight into Xu Zihang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Simple. Whoever wins will be the boss.¡± What? The row of people suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Xu Zihang furrowed his brows. His gaze was especially strange. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I hate joking the most.¡± Song Ye admitted generously and had a courageous appearance when coming to kick their butts. Wang Tiechuan was scared until he did not know what to say, but the rest could not hold in their laughter. ¡°Interesting, interesting¡­ Brother Xu, it¡¯s the first time a girl came up to you but not to confess. It seems like Song Ye really doesn¡¯t know your nickname in Third Middle School.¡± Xu Zihang was the boss in Third Middle School¡¯s area. He was not only handsome but was also great at basketball. Even though he fought a lot outside, his grades were still the top of the class so the teachers could only turn a blind eye to his actions. The girls were all charmed by him. He himself had quite a lot of self-confidence. That was why his expression was so strange when he heard Song Ye¡¯s challenge. Where did this fellow pop up from? She was not only cold but also extremely gutsy. Facing their confusion and mockery, Song Ye only looked at Xu Zihang silently. ¡°Do you dare?¡± The nonchalant three words made all of them shut their mouths for no reason as the atmosphere went stiff. Did he dare? Xu Zihang raised his eyebrows as if he heard a joke. His lips curved upwards. ¡°Okay. If you lose¡­ you have to promise me something.¡± After all, he was already the boss so¡ªto make it fair¡ªhe should have something else in exchange. Song Ye did not notice the flirtatious feelings between a boy and a girl so she nodded in agreement. The other people made faces at each other and did not take it to heart as all of them were wondering what kind of conditions their boss would come up with. After all, they were a hundred percent confident that Xu Zihang would win. There was a basketball court near Third Middle School that was not too big. Usually, it was used by people in and outside of school; the facilities looked a little old. When they entered the court, there were a few people playing ball. All came up to greet Xu Zihang politely once they saw him, taking the initiative to let him use the place. It was obvious that the reputation of Third Middle School¡¯s boss was pretty famous outside. The boys prepared to go on the court as they each took off their thick sweaters and started doing warm-up exercises, but Song Ye only turned her wrists and ankles at a side. Her sweater was wrapped tightly until her skin could not breathe. Others who did not know would think that they brought a young punk to watch the match. When they were about to go on court, the audience gasped in surprise. ¡°Hey, look at this atmosphere. Is that punk going against Brother Xu? Both of them are standing in the center.¡± After splitting groups, it was a four-versus-four match on court. Just that the scene of Xu Zihang, who was above 1.7 meters, going against Song Ye, who was 1.65 meters, looked a little comical. In everyone¡¯s eyes, this was a match where the outcome was obvious. ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± The moment the ball was thrown into the air, two shadows rose on the floor. Both of them raised their hands towards the sky, shocking everyone with their speed. Based on his height advantage, Xu Zihang took the ball first; and his big build was very agile in midair. He turned to Song Ye¡¯s side and directly went for the basketball board. Everyone knew this common sense when playing basketball in Third Middle School, and that was when the basketball landed in Xu Zihang¡¯s hands, there was no logic of it going out. Dang! The ball hit the board and directly went through the net. Xu Zihang was standing on the three-pointer line, and his raised hands had not come down. The confident smile on his face made his handsome face look even more mesmerizing. ¡°Wow! Brother Xu¡¯s three-pointer is really accurate!¡± All the brothers on- and off-court could not help but gasp. However, at this time, the moment the basketball landed; a white figure rapidly sped up and used one hand to control the ball, moving speedily towards the opposite side. The smile on Xu Zihang¡¯s lips froze as he hurriedly turned around and ran back. ¡°Defense! Defense!¡± No one expected that Song Ye¡¯s small body would steal the ball when it landed below the board. Xu Zihang¡¯s swift thinking made him understand that she did it on purpose. She clearly knew that she could not snatch the ball when the game started so she purposely went to snatch the ball. What great skills she had! However, his realization came too late. Even though Song Ye was short, her moves were very agile and had gone past three people on the opposing team when they had gone back on defense. In the end¡ªunder the board, she raised her hand and relaxingly sent her ball through the hoop. Though her positioning was a bit stiff, the rapidness of her chasing the score made the whole court smell like explosives. Xu Zihang realized that he really underestimated this girl, Song Ye. If he did not focus, he would lose very badly. His pride did not allow him to fail. Hence, in the next fight, both teams put in their best effort. However, the more they played, the stronger the weird feeling in his heart. At first, Song Ye looked like a newbie; and all her moves and actions were very stiff. However, after running a few rounds, her movements became smoother. In the end¡ªoutside a three-pointer line, he raised his hand to stop the other party¡¯s ball, but she moved back and raised her wrist to directly shoot the ball in. Looking down from his height, he could clearly see the sweat droplets reflecting colorful light under the sun on the drenched face. Even the cold lips had a curve and were much warmer as she looked more confident and arrogant. Boom! When the ball went through the hoop, Xu Zihang could somehow hear that his heart had skipped a beat. Following this three-pointer shot, the competition officially ended; and the results were very unexpected. Seventy-eight to thirty-four; the scores were two times apart, and the winning team was Song Ye who was looked down on from the start. ¡°I lost.¡± Xu Zihang wiped his sweat, and under the dim light, his handsome face looked very tired. He did not expect this result, but he accepted his defeat as the other party did not cheat and play tricks. Both teams were competing on the court and had equal strength and competence. He understood that his loss only proved that his skills were not as good as others. Song Ye grabbed a towel and was also wiping her sweat. She raised her eyebrows and actually had some admiration for Xu Zihang. ¡°Then, according to the bet, I¡¯m your boss now. You should listen to me.¡± At this time, everyone then remembered about this incident, wiping away the smiles on their face rapidly; and they all furrowed their eyebrows in disagreement. It was childish to decide the boss through a basketball match, and now, they even had to follow a girl as their boss. What kind of joke was this? Xu Zihang also felt that he had lost his face. Song Ye did not give in, and her gaze in the dusk became darker. ¡°Xu Zihang, don¡¯t forget. You owe me your life. In the clinic.¡± Chapter 24 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Clinic, life owed. These words made Xu Zihang recall how he was tricked by Dagger a week ago and had miraculously escaped. Looking at Song Ye with a cold face in front of him, he was rather unsure. ¡°Song Ye, you¡¯re that Song Ye?¡± As the difference between the two images was too big, he did not draw a connection between them until the person in front nodded. Then, it was like he just woke up from his dream and revealed a beautiful smile as he raised his hand towards her. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere. Thank you for saving me last time.¡± Even though he was not too sure about how he escaped, he was very thankful and was filled with admiration towards Song Ye for saving him. However, the next second, his gratitude and admiration were beaten until it disappeared. ¡°Saving you comes at a price. This bet is not a joke.¡± Song Ye did not even look at the friendly handshake in front of her as she tactlessly mentioned her mindset of seeking returns for her good deed. This might be common in the adult world, but to a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old student, it meant being unscrupulous and snobbish, which children would not accept. The enthusiastic atmosphere in the basketball court went cold, and the hearts of the teammates working hard together¡­ all turned cold and had frostbites; they could not even smile. ¡°Song Ye¡­¡± Wang Tiechuan wanted to say something, but he felt that he did not have the position to say anything. However, he really did like Song Ye genuinely and did not believe that she approached Xu Zihang with a motive. Right now, he was only the person who thought this way. After keeping quiet for some time, he suddenly smiled coldly and reached into his pocket to take out a few old men¡¯s heads and threw them on the floor. ¡°This is to thank you for saving my life. Sorry, but we have no interest in following you.¡± After he was done, Xu Zihang turned around to leave; and his brothers followed him as well, clearly expressing that they despised materialistic people like Song Ye. Wang Tiechuan was stuck in the middle but left with the crowd in the end. All of a sudden, Song Ye was the only one left on the court. All the spectators were all gesturing towards her and lost the admiration look they had for her basketball skills. Song Ye looked at the crowd¡¯s leaving figures, and her gaze was calm. Then, she lifted her foot and left as her white sports shoes stepped on the few old men, leaving clear footprints. She believed she would meet Xu Zihang again. After exercising so much, Song Ye still felt that it was not enough; and she went to a gym in town to make a gym membership. Then, she practiced until it was late at night before she went back to the hostel to sleep, not having any dreams the whole night. Fifteen years ago, Song Ye might be very upset and feel lonely about being alone; fifteen years later, she became a lone killer with no hesitations or hampers in her life. Once she had a target, she would go straight for it courageously. However, she still forgot that she was only fifteen now and was an underage person that needed a guardian. This special independent lifestyle had broken free from societal norms. In the morning, when she carried her bag to go to school as per normal, she could hear the lady boss mutter as she walked past the front desk. ¡°What a nice girl; why did she do something so shameless? She¡¯s even going to school.¡± Actually, the meaning behind these comments could be easily figured out in a short while. Ever since Zhao Zhen came to look for her to discuss things that day, rumors began to spread like wildfire. Besides, she lived alone in the hostel, which made everyone else think weirdly. However, it did not bring any real harm so Song Ye did not mind. She just thought of using the money she earned from the shop to buy a house outside. In the future, property prices would rise greatly so investing in properties was a good option. When she entered the school, she still garnered much attention the whole way over. Once she stepped into the classroom, it was as silent as ever, clearly showing that the topic of the commotion was Song Ye. Just that, now, her classmates no longer looked at her with mockery but looked at her with curiosity and envy. Song Ye did not even care about what others thought, but once she sat down, she received a note from her neighbor. ¡®Table partner, you¡¯re famous. Yesterday, Tang Meiling had to remove a layer of skin because of the super glue, and she cried loudly about looking for you to exact revenge. However, she didn¡¯t have any evidence so she got scolded by the teacher. Now in class, you¡¯re the hero that dares to fight with the evil powers!¡¯ Looking at the exclamation marks at the end of the note, Song Ye wanted to laugh. Her cold lips broke into a slight smile because of this childish writing as she picked up a pen and hurriedly scribbled down a few words. ¡®If you have time to talk rubbish, why don¡¯t you do your homework?¡¯ As expected, this sentence killed him; and she had not received a reply in a long time. Wang Tiechuan bit on the pencil tip and wrote with rhythm. Within five minutes, another note came over. ¡®Table partner, are you done with your work? Can you let me look at it?¡¯ Song Ye slowly turned the ballpoint pen in her hand as she took out an exercise book and replied with three words. ¡®Doing it now.¡¯ Wang Tiechuan¡¯s heart was as chaotic as thousands of horses running across it as he stared at Song Ye¡¯s empty exercise book. He thought to himself: You did even lesser than me and yet you¡¯re still so calm. What are you pretending for? When he decided to continue fighting hard and do it himself, the white ballpoint pen beside him kept swaying and moving without a pause, making him slightly shocked. They had been in the same class for three years, and although Song Ye had a very low presence in class, he was very clear about her academic results. She was only a few places above his last one, and they were all the weak students in class. At this moment, he saw her pen fly; and Wang Tiechuan thought that she was giving up on herself and randomly scribbling stuff. He stretched his neck over to peek, and his eyeballs almost dropped out. Song Ye was doing the functions question that Wang Tiechuan was stuck on for a very long time. He racked his brains but still could not think of what to write, and yet Song Ye solved it beautifully with a three-step analysis as if she was photocopying the answer key. Solving the question as fast as lightning, the ballpoint pen went to the next question. Wang Tiechuan¡¯s gaze followed the movement of the pen, and his expression was dumbfounded. He only recovered his senses and closed his mouth when the page was done and a cold gaze looked over, but his gaze was still shocked. Afterward, Song Ye pushed with one hand and pushed the exercise book in front of Wang Tiechuan, showing that she was done and he could copy all he wanted. During one¡¯s education, what could strengthen a friendship more than copying homework? The conclusion was obviously nothing. At this moment, Wang Tiechuan was burying his head to copy the work as fast as he could until his cheeks were vibrating. Even though he did not know why Song Ye would suddenly open up, finishing homework was his priority. Even though Song Ye never read the secondary school textbook¡ªas a top killer, memory, understanding skills, and absorption abilities were must-haves. Yesterday, she had flipped through the entire textbook and mental sums so these practice questions were a piece of cake for her. Chapter 25 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With Song Ye, this legendary-tutor-turned table partner, it was the first time Wang Tiechuan finished his homework so early and had the excitement of picking his life up after an ordeal. When he returned the exercise book, he conveniently expressed his admiration. ¡®Table partner, you wrote this homework very beautifully. Your words looked like they were printed. Thank you!¡± Song Ye took a look at it and instinctively changed her previous cursive font to a regular script. In the past¡ªto forge letters, she had learned all sorts of fonts to be used on different occasions. Just now, she forgot about it and almost revealed her tracks. After some time¡ªwhen he saw that Song Ye did not reply, her neighbor brought another note over. ¡®Table partner, um, about yesterday afternoon, I¡¯ll help you explain to Brother Xu, don¡¯t worry.¡¯ Song Ye looked at it and thought that it was most likely because Wang Tiechuan was afraid Xu Zihang would cause trouble for her so he specifically comforted her. Feeling a warmth in her heart, Song Ye replied to the third note and suddenly felt that this childish play was kind of fun to play around with. In this day and age¡ªeven if boys and girls became tablemates, most of them would draw a clear line between each other and ignore each other. It was not because they hated each other, they were too shy and afraid of being laughed at. So the small notes became the most trendy communication tool and were widely accepted by students. Just as Song Ye was reliving her experience of being young and note-passing, the school bell rang. Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps outside class. One could tell that the people were anxious. Immediately, under everyone¡¯s gaze, Song Tingting and Song Meimei brought Lu Lan into the class. As everyone was watching in confusion, Song Tingting pointed to the corner. ¡°Mom, there. Song Ye is over there!¡± Lu Lan squeezed to the center and looked over at the direction she pointed at. When she saw Song Ye¡¯s intricate face, she was taken aback for a moment. As her eyebrows furrowed, there was hatred in her eyes. The mother-daughter trio came fiercely, and the students¡ªwho did not know anything¡ªthought that Song Ye offended someone again until the form teacher came. She pushed the spectacles on her nose and said, ¡°Song Ye, if your mother didn¡¯t come to school, we wouldn¡¯t even know that you have left home for a week. As this issue is severe, you don¡¯t need to attend class today. Follow your mother home first.¡± Bang! There was an explosion in class as everyone gasped and started muttering to themselves as if sending missiles over to the corner seat. Song Ye also knew that she would not be spared of worry today. Lu Lan was wearing a purple dress just like a walking purple potato. She walked forward while shaking her butt and cleared her throat before shouting, ¡°You piece of sh*t. Get out right now!¡± There was another mine explosion on the floor, causing everyone to burst into small talks. No one expected Lu Lan to wear like a person, but she spoke like a gangster, ruining her image. Even after fifteen years, Song Ye knew her mother very well. Lu Lan was born in the countryside and did not study much. After she married Song Yuanzhi and moved to the city, she tried very hard to become a city person and would dress up nicely when she left the house¡ªshe even wanted to throw on a gold necklace. What a pity, after so many years, her mouth was still rude. ¡°Ahem, Song Ye¡¯s parent, if you have an issue; you can go home to talk about it. We still have class now.¡± The form teacher coughed dryly and clearly despised country people like Lu Lan. However, after being retorted by Song Ye the previous day, she could get her revenge now so she was more or less tolerant towards Lu Lan. ¡°Hehe, teacher is right. I will go home, teach this sh*t a lesson, and won¡¯t embarrass ourselves in public. Don¡¯t worry, teacher.¡± Lu Lan hurriedly nodded and unwittingly showed an attitude of being inferior to others. She rarely appeared in school, and her daughters would not even let her attend the parent-teacher conference. Now that she got to see a proper teacher, she instinctively became slightly inferior. While she was still being polite, all the students were already judging Song Ye. Many of them mocked her and were laughing at her misery. The most obvious one was¡­ Song Ye surveyed her surroundings and stopped at Song Tingting. She raised her neck and stood there proudly with a smile on her face as she met with Tang Meiling¡¯s gaze. The interaction between the two landed in Song Ye¡¯s eyes, and anyone with a brain could guess that this show was put up by both of them. ¡°Table partner¡­¡± In the entire class, only Wang Tiechuan cared about Song Ye¡¯s predicament. However, he was still a child and did not even know how to comfort her. Song Ye did not have much feeling towards this issue as she stood up empty-handed and walked outside slowly. Before she left, she did not forget to remind her table partner, ¡°Look after my school bag for a while.¡± Wang Tiechuan was stunned, and by the time he recovered his senses, he could only see a cool back view. The form teacher sneered and was very unsatisfied with Song Ye¡¯s disrespectful attitude. When Lu Lan brought Song Tingting and Song Meimei out to chase her, they could only see Song Ye¡¯s figure far away. Her leather dress was very tight so she could not take big steps, making her waddle like a purple potato. She angrily hollered towards the back view. ¡°Heck, why are you walking so fast? Song Ye, stop right there!¡± Song Ye did not care and continued to walk until she went out of school and stopped by the road, waiting for Lu Lan to catch up with her. ¡°You sh*t, I told you to stop just now; why are you walking so quickly? Are you in a hurry to reincarnate?¡± Lu Lan caught up with her with much difficulty but was still cursing under her breath. ¡°If you have anything to say, say it here.¡± Even though Song Ye was a loner and did not care about what other people thought, she had no interest in being a national treasure to be admired. When Lu Lan was about to speak, she added, ¡°I won¡¯t go back to the Song family. Let¡¯s find a time to do the procedures for the change in guardians. In the future, don¡¯t look for me unnecessarily.¡± ¡°Wha, what?¡± Lu Lan, who had run until she was short of oxygen, just recovered her body and felt giddy again because of Song Ye¡¯s sentence. The next second, she erupted like a volcano. ¡°You sh*t! Do you know what you¡¯re saying? Have your wings grown out? You think you can fly now, don¡¯t you? Let me tell you, you¡¯re nothing if you leave the Song family.¡± Song Ye watched her face flare up and thought that she would say she was not even worthy of a dog. Upon seeing that she was going to continue scolding, Song Tingting hurriedly pulled her away. ¡°Mom, Mom. Calm down. Don¡¯t forget, we still have other things to do today. Time¡¯s running out.¡± ¡°Yes, Mom, let¡¯s not quarrel anymore. We¡¯ll become a laughingstock. Let¡¯s go, Auntie is still waiting for us.¡± Song Meimei was standing a little far away as Lu Lan¡ªthis shrew¡ªhad caused her to lose face so it was better to chase her away. As expected, Lu Lan calmed down and furrowed her brows. Even though she was unhappy, much of her anger had dissipated. Without caring if Song Ye agreed or not, she directly said, ¡°Today, your Auntie had reserved a table in the restaurant, and our entire family has to go. If there are any problems, just don¡¯t show them outside and make me lose face. Song Ye, do you understand?¡± Song Ye looked at the three of them in front of her, and when Song Tingting lowered her head in slight guilt, she lightly replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 26 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Song Ye had left the Song family for a week, and when Lu Lan angrily barged into school, her first reaction was not to bring her back home to teach her a lesson but to bring her to a restaurant. In her previous life in the Song family, Song Ye was a model example of Cinderella: she had to do all the dirty work but had no part in playing and relaxing. They would even throw her at home when they went to the restaurant during New Years¡¯. It must be something bad when they wanted to bring her to the restaurant. However, since everyone was going to be there, it would be more convenient to announce certain things. The banquet was set in a high-class restaurant in Cloud City. When they entered, receptionists were wearing Cheongsams and bowing to greet customers. The interior design was also topped with chandeliers and red carpets, and so the guests coming in were also very elegant. A factory worker like Song Yuanzhi naturally could not afford such places, and it was the first time that Lu Lan came to such a place. When the receptionist bowed to her, she almost bowed back, humiliating Song Tingting and Song Meimei. Song Ye was used to this scene and walked into the place in her school uniform as if she did not see her surroundings. ¡°Pft, why are you acting so upright? You¡¯ve clearly never stepped into such a place. You must be dying out of curiosity, but you don¡¯t want to look around. What a joke.¡± Song Meimei, who had been following behind Lu Lan the whole way, suddenly appeared beside Song Ye. Her face still had a sweet smile, but the words she spoke were filled with ill intentions. Since young, Song Ye knew that her youngest sister was actually the most calculative one and would always use Song Tingting to trick people from behind. Now, she was also mocking her sarcastically behind everybody¡¯s back. ¡°Are you finding fault with me because I look pretty?¡± This was not a real question but a statement. At that moment, the smile on Song Meimei¡¯s face was like a building that collapsed and disintegrated into pieces. Her watery eyes stared straight at Song Ye as if she was a strange beast. ¡°Song Ye, what are you happy about? No matter how pretty you are, you¡¯re just¡­¡± ¡°Just what?¡± Song Ye stared at her as she suddenly paused, with her eyes looking as dark as ever. Under this sort of gaze, Song Meimei felt that her thoughts had disappeared; and she did not even dare look at her straight in the eye. It was only until Song Ye walked far away before she angrily bit on her lower lip and muttered, ¡°We¡¯ll just see how long you can be happy for, bastard¡­¡± When the four of them reached the place, the room on the second floor was bursting with people as the four brothers in the Song family brought along their own families. This caused more than ten people to squeeze together, and there was already no more space at the table. When they saw Lu Lan enter, the wives of the other three brothers started pressing their lips tightly together to stop themselves from laughing. Song Yuanzhi also felt humiliated as his face darkened, and he scolded. ¡°Why are you so slow? Find a place to sit.¡± ¡°Hi, hello, everyone.¡± Lu Lan bent her back and smiled to greet everyone, but she was rather dumb and could only say this one sentence. When Song Ye entered, she attracted everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Aiyo, where is this child from? He looks so handsome, almost as handsome as Chengen.¡± ¡°Right! He¡¯s just a little short, but his looks are one-in-a-million! Fourth Brother and Sister-in-Law, where did you get this child from?¡± ¡­ Other than Big Auntie, the other two families chimed in and praised Song Ye like she was an angel. The Chengen they were talking about was Big Auntie Jiao Yue¡¯s son. He was tall, good in his studies, and was the pride of Jiao Yue. This comparison made Jiao Yue, who was smiling happily initially, become cold as she turned her head towards Song Yuanzhi. ¡°Fourth Brother, today is a family gathering. Why didn¡¯t you say earlier if you were bringing someone else? I should have added one more seat.¡± The hidden meaning was that she was blaming Song Yuanzhi for bringing an outsider. Song Yuanzhi had already lost his ability to speak; when he saw Song Ye¡¯s intricate face, all his thoughts went back to the past. On that snowy night, the look of that beautiful but pitiful lady was just like yesterday as she stood in front of him daintily. After some time, he heard Jiao Yue¡¯s voice and was kind of awkward. ¡°Sister-in-law, this is my eldest daughter, Song Ye.¡± ¡°Song Ye?¡± The table was shocked as their gazes landed on the calm and intricate face. No matter how hard they tried, they could not connect the dots between her and the cowardly girl, who had a fringe that covered half her face, together. After interacting for so many years, their own family members could not recognize themselves and became a laughingstock. Jiao Yue thought that she was smooth and slick, but at this time, she was also extremely awkward and could only laugh dryly to conclude. ¡°Hehe, girls really change a lot when they grow older. After not seeing her for so many years, she really became an elegant lady and is so beautiful. Just that, her hair is a bit short. I thought she was a boy when I first looked at her.¡± When she finished talking, everyone laughed and agreed respectively, sweeping the incident under the carpet in no time. No one noticed that there was a spark in Jiao Yue¡¯s eyes, and Song Ye in the corner showed a sarcastic smile. After the small commotion, the dining table continued with its liveliness; but no one wanted to give a seat to Lu Lan who was late. In the end, the four of them were pushed to the side, and even Song Yuanzhi did not dare to open his mouth. At the table, every brother brought their son and another chair to sit together. Jiao Yue had even allowed her son and her daughter to occupy the two seats beside the main seat. Even the younger ones had a seat, and Lu Lan¡ªwho was given the cold shoulder¡ªfelt inferior as anger grew in her heart. Song Tingting and Song Meimei also felt humiliated as they took the chance to add oil to the flames by Lu Lan¡¯s ear. ¡°Mom, they¡¯re too much. Even Chengmei has a place to sit, how can you just stand here? They¡¯re bullies.¡± Lu Lan thought likewise in her heart, but Song Chengmei was Jiao Yue¡¯s daughter. How could she compare with this powerful and wealthy lady? When she thought of this, she could not help but to tug on Song Yuanzhi¡¯s clothes, hoping he would speak up for her. Song Yuanzhi was a man who loved his pride and would normally stand up for Lu Lan, but today, he was clearly not in the zone. After his clothes were tugged at several times, the temper grew in his heart; and he turned around to scold her. ¡°Are you done? If you have things to eat, then just eat. What are you making noise about?¡± His voice was a little loud, which made everyone stop their chopsticks. Lu Lan was so indignant until tears welled up in her eyes, but she did not dare to rebut. On the other hand, Song Tingting had a sudden thought and cried along with her. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t blame Mom. Song Ye had left home for a week. Mom went to school and found her with much difficulty, but Song Ye actually said that she wanted to sever ties with our family. How can Mom eat at a time like this?¡± Her indignant voice resounded throughout the entire room and sounded especially touching, but the contents shocked others. Song Yuanzhi had not recovered his senses from Song Ye¡¯s face and was stunned right there and then. The first person that started the trouble was Big Auntie Jiao Yue. Piak! The chopsticks landed heavily on the table as Jiao Yue¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Sever ties? Wow, the Song family had raised you for years for nothing. They brought up an ungrateful person.¡± Chapter 27 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Jiao Yue was the daughter of a factory worker and later on married into the Song family who had a business at sea. In terms of business, she was even better than her husband and could get whatever she wanted, causing her husband to be under her fingertips. Even the poor relatives of the Song family were trampled on by her. Hence, when she openly scolded Song Ye, Song Yuanzhi¡ªas her father¡ªdid not dare say a word. Song Tingting knew how to chime in perfectly. When she saw the most powerful Big Auntie speak up, she immediately wanted to smear Song Ye even more. ¡°Big Auntie, Song Ye disappeared within the past week, and no one knows where she went and who she begged food from. Dad and Mom are worried that she met a bad person.¡± When the crowd heard this sentence, there was no worry in her heart but an enormous hatred. A fifteen-year-old young girl, who had decent looks, had disappeared for a week for no reason. She must have done something out-of-character outside if she did not starve to death. Song Tingting¡¯s one sentence successfully made everyone present label Song Ye as a naughty child. Jiao Yue was even more direct as she gave a cold face and tactlessly said, ¡°Hmph, shameless.¡± Song Yuanzhi could not hold onto his pride anymore. Shua! He stood up and immediately hollered towards the corner. ¡°Heck! You better explain yourself properly. Where have you been to the past week, and what did you do? You didn¡¯t come home for a week; did you even take me as your father?¡± Normally, he would rarely discipline the children; but when faced with a big problem, he had to speak up and show off his right as a parent. Even Song Tingting and Song Meimei were frightened until they shivered. In the past, Song Ye was very afraid of this father of hers, and his one sentence could make her cry. However, when she was older and she thought back about how this man allowed Lu Lan to be harsh on her, the little bit of gratitude in Song Ye¡¯s heart turned into nothingness. Facing Song Yuanzhi again after fifteen years, there was only peace in Song Ye¡¯s heart. Her clear and cold voice sounded nonchalantly in the room. ¡°I came here to notify you that I am going to sever ties with the Song family. In the future, whatever I do has nothing to do with the Song family.¡± At first, she wanted to see what Lu Lan¡¯s motives were; after coming here and seeing the faces of all the Song family members, she decided not to drag on with them. However, outsiders did not know that in Song Ye¡¯s heart, there was a thirty-year-old soul. As they heard the fifteen-year-old young girl announce that she wanted to sever ties, they had an indescribable shock in their hearts. As the head of the household, Song Yuanzhi was so agitated by her unfilial words. His entire body shook, and he raised his hand up. ¡°If you talk nonsense like this again, I¡¯ll beat you to death.¡± ¡°You can try.¡± Song Ye directly rebutted and did not even move an inch. The whole room was filled with the smell of explosives and would erupt once it was touched. A good family meal suddenly became family violence. In everybody¡¯s eyes, Song Ye was just forcing herself to be tough without any backing; once she went home, she would be beaten to death. At this very second, before everything turned haywire, the person who spoke up was still Jiao Yue. ¡°Okay, we came here to celebrate Chengen going to university. Look at what we¡¯ve become. Fourth Brother, talk nicely, okay? Put down your hand first.¡± No one thought that Jiao Yue, who was angry previously, would come out to be the peacemaker. Everyone waiting to watch a good show immediately changed their face and looked slightly awkward. Song Ye¡¯s gaze landed on the main seat, and her gaze was very dark. Jiao Yue pretended that everything was going well and laughed loudly while gesturing to Song Yuanzhi for him to sit down and generously let Song Ye have a seat. ¡°Since we¡¯re all family, we should talk about our misunderstandings. There¡¯s no need to quarrel this intensely. If I could say something, she must have learned all of this from school. Third Middle School¡¯s standard is low. What can she possibly learn? She should enter society earlier and see the world.¡± Song Ye leaned on her left hand and sat down. When she heard this, she still kept quiet. Jiao Yue furrowed her eyebrows and thought that she was so dumb; how could she not understand what she was trying to say? ¡°Sigh, Sister-in-Law is right. Only certain people can study, like Chengen; he¡¯s a rare sight.¡± The other sisters-in-law took the opportunity to curry favor. Jiao Yue smiled and nodded as she pretended to go on with them. A while later, she brought the topic back. ¡°Fourth Brother, you have three dolls at home. If they were to all go to school together, you must be under a lot of stress. It¡¯s not that Sister-in-Law favors boys over girls, but this child didn¡¯t learn anything good from going to school. Why don¡¯t we do this? Sister-in-Law¡¯s factory was just built, and I need someone to help me with it. I think Song Ye is not bad; why not let her come over to help me and so I can discipline her?¡± This time, no matter how much Jiao Yue beat around the bush, everyone knew what she was trying to say. Song Ye leaned against her chair with her arms folded as she watched Jiao Yue¡¯s hypocrite face and finally understood what she wanted. As long as she moved her mouth, she could get free labor; why not? ¡°Yes! Sister-in-Law is right. This sh*t is not good at studying. She should just come out earlier to work and help share the family¡¯s burden. It¡¯ll be best if she can follow Sister-in-Law.¡± Before Song Yuanzhi said anything, Lu Lan hurriedly expressed her stance and was super elated in her heart. If Song Ye could work, then she did not need to worry about Song Tingting and Song Meimei¡¯s living expenses. Song Yuanzhi was originally not very happy about someone stealing his chance to speak. However, when he thought about Song Ye¡¯s rebuttal, he could not contain the anger in his heart and decisively nodded. ¡°Mm, you spend all your time at school learning rubbish. You should just not go.¡± When she saw that her biological parents had allowed her to do it, Jiao Yue was appeased as she raised her cups for a toast. She smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t suffer at my place.¡± ¡°Then, then, sorry for the trouble, Sister-in-Law.¡± Song Yuanzhi raised his cup in surprise, but his gaze moved around and did not dare to land on Song Ye¡¯s. Even though this toast was held during a family banquet, it actually meant happy cooperation in business as he happily sold his own daughter. ¡°Haha, how dumb.¡± During the harmonious atmosphere, a sneer broke the silence. When everyone looked at her, Song Ye stood up lightly; and her gaze swept across the entire table, before landing on Jiao Yue. ¡°I know your brain isn¡¯t functioning well. I¡¯ll repeat again. The Song family has nothing to do with me anymore. If you want to sell or buy, at your own pleasure.¡± Piak! Jiao Yue slammed the table and glared at the young girl in front of her harshly. ¡°I think you¡¯ve really learned bad stuff and don¡¯t have elders in your eyes. Today, I¡¯ll help your parents teach you a lesson.¡± Following her angry scream, Jiao Yue raised her hand and went straight for the young, intricate face. Piak! The sound of the clear slap resounded in the room, silencing everything around it. Jiao Yue¡¯s hair was a mess, and her face was turned sideways. The burning feeling on her face was very clear, but she could not recover her senses for a very long time. She was hit in public, by a junior who had slapped her in front of all her family members. ¡°Song Ye, are you crazy?¡± Lu Lan immediately stood up and pounced forward. If Song Ye offended Jiao Yue, she would really regret it. Chapter 28 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The banquet today was actually set by Lu Lan who secretly met with Jiao Yue, her objective was to suck up to Jiao Yue and mess with Song Ye. However, no one expected the cowardly invisible person¡ªSong Ye¡ªwould suddenly go against her parents¡¯ wishes and hit Jiao Yue first. After the slap echoed in the air, everything lost control. Lu Lan wanted to pounce forward and grab onto Song Ye¡¯s hair, but the latter moved quickly and avoided her, causing her to land straight on Jiao Yue. ¡°Aiyo.¡± The impact of the flying purple potato was huge and almost broke Jiao Yue¡¯s spine as she was flattened by the table of dishes. All the plates and cutlery dropped all over the floor, causing the scene to be chaotic and embarrassing. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°Mommy.¡± Children from both sides gasped and hurriedly helped the people up. Song Chengen and Song Chengmei angrily hollered, ¡°What are you? How dare you hit my mother? Let me tell you: our side will never let this slide.¡± As he exclaimed harshly, Song Chengen¡¯s gaze landed ruthlessly on Song Ye¡¯s face. When everyone started comparing her and him when she entered, he was already upset in his heart. Even if they were relatives, she had no right to be brought up in the same sentence as him. From his pair of eyes filled with hatred, Song Ye understood what he was thinking. She smiled coldly as she turned around to leave the scene while stepping on the leftovers on the floor. She did not want to quarrel with a bunch of crazy dogs, but someone impervious to the situation tried to vent his anger on her. ¡°Song Ye, you can¡¯t leave.¡± Song Yuanzhi raised his hands to stop Song Ye, and his gaze was as angry as the crowd. ¡°You¡¯ve caused a disaster here, and yet you still have that attitude of yours. Let me tell you: if you don¡¯t apologize to Big Auntie, you will never get to leave this door.¡± Compared to the others, Song Yuanzhi was the most annoyed. Song Ye was just a child so all the faults she committed would most likely implicate him. Paying for all the food and other compensation in the restaurant would burn a huge hole in his pocket. So, Song Ye could not leave. She had to finish this deal, so that Jiao Yue would not find trouble with him. ¡°Go away. Don¡¯t make me say it twice.¡± Song Ye¡¯s eyebrows furrowed more than ever, and her voice was so cold until it could freeze someone. If it were her partners from her previous life that saw her expression, they would have run away in fright. All of them knew that it was very scary when Song Ye was angry. However, Song Yuanzhi did not know, had even acted like a father, and extended his hand to hold her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself as well. Go and apologize to Big Auntie right now, ah!¡± Before he finished his sentence, Song Yuanzhi felt a pain in his wrist. At that moment, his entire person was thrown up and flipped 180 degrees in the air before slamming onto the floor heavily, causing him to yell out in pain. Song Ye single-handedly threw the person and under everyone¡¯s stares, the pair of white sports shoes stepped on the man¡¯s chest. Looking down from high up, she could clearly see the confusion and pain in his face. Coldly, she opened her mouth. ¡°Are you shocked? The blood circulating inside me isn¡¯t even the Song family¡¯s so it¡¯s not surprising if I¡¯m naturally cold-blooded and harsh.¡± Before she finished her sentence, Song Yuanzhi¡ªwho was on the floor¡ªwidened his eyes and forgot his struggle. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to ask me why I know.¡± Song Ye moved her gaze and swept past Lu Lan, Song Tingting, and Song Meimei one by one as her tone became even colder. ¡°I should be grateful for you saving my life back then, but since I was three, I started doing all the chores in the Song family and served Song Tingting and Song Meimei at home. During the winter and summer breaks, I¡¯ll go out to work and give household money; but I eat your leftovers and wear whatever you don¡¯t want. ¡°Whenever Lu Lan is unhappy with me, she would hit me, kick me like a punching bag, and scold me as and when she liked. You¡¯ve seen all of these happening, but you¡¯ve never stopped it. I have already returned all that I owed you for raising me up the past fifteen years. From now on, none of us owe each other anything.¡± Her calm and clear words resonated within the room for a very long time. From the initial shock, everyone became silent and speechless. Even though Song Ye was not part of the Song family and they were biased against her all these years, they never expected Song Yuanzhi¡¯s family to mistreat Song Ye in this manner. Lu Lan and her two daughters were as guilty as ever. In their silence, only Song Yuanzhi¡¯s thinking was different from the rest. He could not move on the floor, but he still had a very anxious look on his face. ¡°Song Ye, you know where she is, don¡¯t you? Tell me, tell me¡­¡± The ¡®she¡¯ that he was referring to was Song Ye¡¯s biological mother. Back then, she carried Song Ye and ended up in Cloud City, where she met Song Yuanzhi by chance and had even entrusted him with her daughter. Song Yuanzhi fell in love with the beautiful woman at first sight and had even reached the stage of not marrying anyone else but her, angering Old Master Song until he had heart diseases and said that he wanted to burn the jinx, Song Ye. In the end, Song Yuanzhi waited bitterly but to no avail so he had to marry the old and uncultured, Lu Lan. However, after so many years, there was still that woman in his heart. The hated person must have areas where one would pity him about. At this very moment, Song Yuanzhi was just a devoted man that went crazy for love. However¡­ ¡°I will never tell you her whereabouts.¡± Being a person for two lives, she had never experienced love. Even if she did not know what it was, she did not think that Song Yuanzhi¡¯s devotion was a type of love. If not, when Lu Lan purposely hid her appearance back then, Song Yuanzhi would never have distanced himself and become cold to her. As for that woman¡ªher biological mother, she would find her. However, now was not the time. Ignoring the hypocrite faces in the entire room, Song Ye turned around and left the room. The moment the door slammed shut, Lu Lan recovered from her senses. ¡°Don¡¯t go! We can¡¯t let her go. Song Yuanzhi, if she leaves, what are we going to do?¡± This holler pulled everyone back from their memories to reality. When Song Yuanzhi saw the pathetic sight of all the cutlery and food on the floor and thought of needing to compensate for them, he hurriedly crawled up from the floor. ¡°Song Ye!¡± He opened the door, and the battered Song Yuanzhi bumped into someone¡­ but it was not Song Ye. Outside the room, there were two men dressed in formal suits and shiny shoes. Even if he did not know the brand of their clothes¡ªjust by looking at the watch on his wrist, Song Yuanzhi started feeling inferior and wanted to lower his head to apologize. However, he suddenly saw a familiar figure from the corner of his eyes. ¡°Song¡ªSong Ye.¡± The bump from Song Yuanzhi made Zhao Zhen¡¯s chest hurt¡ªand just as he was about to furrow his eyebrows and scold him, the man unexpectedly called Song Ye¡¯s name. He could not help but to turn and look at the young girl in front. ¡°Song Ye, you know him?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Song Ye did not deny it, but she did not want to elaborate on the topic as she turned to look at the man next to Zhao Zhen. ¡°CEO Wang, if you trust me, you can leave me a seat in the next activity.¡± Wang Yutang laughed out loud. ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that there was someone capable helping CEO Zhao, but I didn¡¯t think that I would have the honors of meeting her today. Ms. Song, don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll personally hand you the invite at that time. I love the previous green apple, but what a pity the Qu family was there. Haha, if you have quality goods the next time around, don¡¯t forget to leave some for me, Wang Yutang.¡± ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry CEO Wang.¡± CEO Wang? CEO Zhao? Green apple? Song Yuanzhi listened on with confusion at the side. Since when did his daughter, Song Ye, know all these people? Chapter 29 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In his entire life, Song Yuanzhi never achieved his ambitions: he did not marry the woman he wanted, did not make the money he wanted, and could not bear a son. Hence, he was cold to Lu Lan and did not care about his daughters. However, no matter how much he did not care about them, he was not naive enough to think that an average third-grader could meet these people of the upper class. His first instinctive reaction was to guess that they had a disgraceful relationship. ¡°Who are you?¡± Song Yuanzhi furrowed his brows as he looked at the two men in front of him and turned around to size Song Ye up from head to toe harshly. ¡°You didn¡¯t return home for a whole week so you spent time with these people? Did they buy this outfit for you?¡± His tone was not soft, and the disdain in his tone was as clear as day as if Song Ye really did something shameful. At first, Zhao Zhen was still curious as Song Ye was always alone and was very strange and different when handling things. Even though he did vaguely feel that she did not have a good relationship with her family, he never expected it to be so bad until her parents would make baseless accusations. The bit of good impression he had of Song Ye¡¯s parents disappeared into thin air as he furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Mister, no matter who you are, we can sue you for ruining CEO Wang¡¯s and my reputation in public.¡± ¡°What? Sue?¡± Song Yuanzhi was taken aback and then remembered that the other party was wealthy and powerful, causing him to get nervous. ¡°I¡¯m Song Ye¡¯s father. What¡¯s wrong about a father being worried that his daughter got tricked outside?¡± ¡°Yes, Song Ye is our daughter. What relation do you have with her, friend?¡± Lu Lan, who managed to squeeze to the door, chimed in. She was always sensitive towards the smell of the wealthy, and her eyes were long glued onto Zhao Zhen. Zhao Zhen¡¯s face darkened and secretly judged the battered, ugly woman in front of him and could not believe that she was Song Ye¡¯s mother. He squeezed a slight smile. ¡°Madam Song, we¡¯re Song Ye¡¯s friends. My last name is Zhao.¡± Upon hearing the greeting ¡®Madam Song¡¯, Lu Lan¡¯s eyes lit up as she broke into an awkward smile. ¡°I¡¯m Song Ye¡¯s mother. Since you¡¯re friends, then it¡¯s easier to solve things.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Zhao Zhen was confused as it did not sound like it was something good. On the other hand, Song Ye stood at the side relaxingly and was prepared to watch a show when Lu Lan came out. As expected¡ªunder Song Ye¡¯s cold gaze, Lu Lan smiled. ¡°Mr. Zhao, Song Ye this stupid child is immature and had broken a few items. Since you¡¯re all friends and you look pretty rich, why don¡¯t you help her pay?¡± When she finished her sentence, let alone Zhao Zhen, even Wang Yutang¡ªwho was standing aside¡ªalso widened his eyes in shock. It was the first time he saw such an uncouth person. After a while, Zhao Zhen then turned his head with much difficulty and looked at Song Ye who was relaxed. ¡°Did you not tell them how much assets you have?¡± Logically speaking, children of this age loved to brag and be in the limelight; they would love to let everyone in the world know about what they did. Besides, Song Ye bought over a jewelry company; it was such a shocking thing, did she really not tell her family members? ¡°Mm, we severed our ties. There¡¯s no need to tell them unnecessary things.¡± Song Ye nodded and directly addressed the elephant in the room. She looked calm and had even added a sentence cruelly. ¡°My assets of more than ten million dollars have nothing to do with them.¡± Zhao Zhen was stunned as he knew that she did not like to joke, but he felt that there was nothing to persuade her anyway. He directly laughed, ¡°Since everything is settled here, let¡¯s go eat. This time, CEO Wang had given our shop a business deal worth a few million, hehe¡­¡± ¡°Okay, CEO Wang, this way, please.¡± Song Ye smiled and directed him, without even caring about the people beside her. At first, Wang Yutang did not care much about a child and had even thought that Song Ye was just a smokescreen that Zhao Zhen found. However, he saw that she was so calm and nonchalant. She did not even hide her family¡¯s dirty laundry and knew when to advance and retreat when talking. Even though she was slightly cold, she knew how to treat people politely; and this point made him have a good impression of her and admire her slightly. Based on the trio¡¯s talking abilities, they had walked far away; but the Song family was still standing at the same place and grew giddy by the words ¡®assets of more than ten million¡¯ and ¡®few million¡¯. Commoners like them in their societal class would never save hundreds of thousand dollars even after working their whole life, so what was the concept of tens of millions? Just now, Song Ye said that she had tens of millions! Song Yuanzhi watched the thin figure grow smaller and suddenly had an idea in his head, as he opened his mouth and shouted. ¡°Song Ye! Pay up!¡± At this time, he did not bother if she had money; the table of food was the most important. Song Ye, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and turned back to look. Her pair of clear eyes under the sunlight looked as cold as ice. ¡°If I remembered correctly, the one who pushed the table down was your wife standing beside you. The surveillance cameras in the room must have captured it. Also, please don¡¯t address me by my name; it¡¯s very rude.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Song Yuanzhi choked on her two sentences until his face turned completely red and could no longer uphold his status. ¡°What kind of attitude is that? I¡¯m your father. Even if I¡¯m not your biological father, I¡¯m still your father by law. Everything you own is mine!¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Song Ye laughed lightly but did not show any expression on her face. ¡°Very quickly, I wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with the Song family under the law.¡± After she finished her sentence, she turned and left, leaving this set of confusing words for the others. The remaining Song family members glared at each other and were all in a bad shape. Since the few jades Song Ye bought back the previous time, Yu Fu Jewelry¡¯s profits and movable assets have grown rapidly; and the reputation of the shop having quality jades had spread all across the industry. Having more than ten million in assets was not just a number, but it also represented the chance for Yu Fu Jewelry to be listed. Song Ye ate with Wang Yutang and talked about the Material Selection Exhibition that Wang Yutang would be holding. He had eventually decided that Yu Fu Jewelry would fork out five million dollars of investment. Of course, this price was only initiated by Zhao Zhen under Song Ye¡¯s instruction. The method of using almost all the movable assets in the shop made Zhao Zhen break out in cold sweat. However, the shop was Song Ye¡¯s so he could only act on her orders. Exiting the hotel, Song Ye wanted to go to Yu Fu Jewelry and take a look at Yun Hua. The whole way there, she casually started talking about her situation. ¡°Yun Hua is a mature girl and very sensitive when completing tasks, but she doesn¡¯t talk much and looks difficult to get close to.¡± Yun Hua was working as a service staff in Yu Fu Jewelry so Zhao Zhen knew her the best. Hearing that, Song Ye nodded. ¡°Mm, she experienced some things earlier so she would need some time to come out of her shell.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Regarding this, Zhao Zhen had guessed it vaguely but did not dare ask. However, he thought of something which made his eyebrows knit tightly together. ¡°There¡¯s something a little weird. My wife had made all sorts of food to boost her blood circulation during this period, but Yun Hua¡¯s face is still very pale. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s not feeling well, and I tried to ask her but to no avail.¡± Chapter 30 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios By the time the two of them returned to Yu Fu Jewelry, it was already afternoon. The winter sunlight that shone on the glass panes reflected all sorts of colors on the various jades in the shop, causing the world inside to look differently. The service staff at the door crisply greeted, ¡°Hello, Boss!¡± Her gaze landed on Song Ye who had outstanding looks. She was still curious about Zhao Zhen¡¯s attitude towards Song Ye at the shop previously. ¡°Where¡¯s Yun Hua?¡± Song Ye took a look around the store but did not see the familiar face so she turned around and asked the service staff. The service staff was taken aback before she answered, ¡°She¡¯s resting in the lounge. She doesn¡¯t look too well.¡± ¡°Mm, thanks.¡± Song Ye thanked her and directly walked towards the shop¡¯s lounge. When the service staff saw that Zhao Zhen did not have any reaction, a realization hit her. She could confirm that Yun Hua was not Zhao Zhen¡¯s lover; she was related to this child instead. Dun! Dun! Dun! The whole way to the lounge, Song Ye¡¯s footsteps were kind of anxious. In her previous life, Yun Hua lost her life in the mountains and did not even come to Cloud City to live with her. She was used to being alone, but she should not have left Yun Hua alone at Yu Fu Jewelry without caring about her. The last room in the corridor of the second floor was the lounge. At this time, the door was closed tightly. At one glance, the room was quiet; but Song Ye¡¯s extremely sensitive ear could hear some noises in the room. Secretly, she crept towards the room and placed her palm on the door. In no time, she could see everything within the lounge clearly. However, the scene that Song Ye saw caused her heart to skip a beat, and there were cracks on her cold face. Without hesitation, she raised her leg and kicked down the door to rush inside, immediately holding Yun Hua¡¯s wrist tightly in her palm. She used a lot of strength, which made her wrist make a cracking sound, before it hurt until her hand had to let loose; and the fruit knife dropped on the floor. ¡°Song¡­ Ye¡­¡± Yun Hua¡¯s face was as white as a sheet, and there were tears in her shaky eyes. She looked at the young girl in front of her deeply, and as she thought of her, she suddenly went back in time and remembered the night that they escaped. Song Ye ignored her very pale face, and her tone was filled with ice. ¡°You want to die?¡± The bloodstains on the fruit knife had not hardened, and the wounds on the woman¡¯s thin arms were still seeping with blood. Seeing Yun Hua¡¯s self-harming scene personally caused a pang in her heart, and uncontrollably, the anger rushed up her head. ¡°Die¡­¡± Yun Hua muttered as the tears in her eyes dropped, and she stubbornly shook her head while her entire self was huddled in Song Ye¡¯s arms. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die; I don¡¯t want to live that life again. Song Ye, I¡¯m very dirty. I lived so dirtily for those few years. Even if I lie on a clean bed now, I can still smell the stink on my body. I really hate it. I hate that I couldn¡¯t kill them myself. Those jerks, scoundrels!¡± The feelings hidden deep in Song Ye¡¯s heart had used all the strength in Yun Hua¡¯s body, following the tears that broke out; all the feelings and memories she did not want to remember exploded. The two bloody arms stuck close to her side and had stained the both of them. Song Ye¡¯s body tensed up, and her usually cold face was stained by tears. After the age of fifteen, there was no such thing as weakness and tears in her life. Harming oneself was just like insulting oneself. She rather bit on people¡¯s meat to survive so she did not know how to comfort the woman who was hurt so badly mentally. In the end, she could only stiffen her body and gently place her hand behind her back to pat her, mimicking how adults took care of children. Perhaps it was because she and Song Ye had similar experiences and that she was also the one who pulled her out of the hellhole so Yun Hua was dependent on Song Ye. After she broke down, she could finally sleep in peace. When Song Ye walked out of the room, Zhao Zhen was standing near the window and looked at her with a complicated gaze. He was hesitant with his words. ¡°Yun Hua, is she¡­ okay?¡± Song Ye¡¯s face was a bit dark, but she nodded and did not say much. ¡°Uncle Zhao, is there a computer in the shop?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Zhao Zhen was taken aback, and he opened the door to the neighboring room. ¡°I bought this computer two years ago, but I didn¡¯t have time to learn it so I left it here and didn¡¯t use it.¡± Song Ye walked over to turn on the computer as expectedly saw that the computer was downloading some software. While it was installing, she turned to Zhao Zhen. ¡°Uncle Zhao, I¡¯m still underage and require a new guardian after I leave the Song family. Temporarily, I can only think of you. What do you think?¡± She had just started the reliving of her life so it was not easy to use her old connections. The only one she could rely on would be Zhao Zhen, her business partner. ¡°Be your guardian?!¡± Zhao Zhen was really taken aback. One, because he had neglected Song Ye¡¯s age; and two, because he never expected Song Ye to trust him so much. Right now, Song Ye was a millionaire, and whoever became her guardian would have a certain right to her fortune. Even though many teenagers had said that they wanted to sever ties with their family as a result of their rebellious phase and Zhao Zhen had always despised that¡ªafter meeting the Song family in the afternoon, Zhao Zhen really wanted to give Song Ye a like for her decisiveness. ¡°Okay, as long as you trust me, I have no problem.¡± ¡°Mm, then I need to trouble you to take care of Sister Yun.¡± Song Ye opened the webpage, and after Zhao Zhen left the room, her ten fingers zoomed across the keyboard as numerous websites opened on her desktop. The tiny words dazzled people¡¯s eyes, but Song Ye did not even look at it. She directly changed one of the codes in between and removed her traces. She hacked into Cloud City¡¯s accounts, and in three minutes, she moved her account under Zhao Zhen¡¯s name and conveniently put Yun Hua¡¯s identity as her sister. After completing the procedures, she moved her fingertips again and hacked into the official records of Lin City. She found the group of people that were caught in the big mountain and confirmed where they were jailed. When she was about to log out, she suddenly noticed a warning sign on the menu page. That¡­ she was being tracked. Piak! Piak! Song Ye¡¯s fingertips did not stop at all and hurriedly used all the IP addresses in Cloud City to hide her tracks. After attacking with all sorts of data¡ªin ten seconds, the other party¡¯s tracking stopped, leaving a single message on the webpage. ¡®Who are you¡¯ Song Ye swept across the webpage and looked at the message that was so stiff until it did not have a question mark. For some reason, a person¡¯s cold face appeared in her brain. Didi¡­ At the base deep in the mountains of Cloud City, Qin Zhan was standing beside the computer and had a cigarette in his hands. Watching the black screen, he instructed the soldiers using the computer after a while. ¡°Tell Lin City¡¯s prison that someone wants to break out of prison.¡± Chapter 31 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡®Who are you¡¯ Song Ye kept thinking about this sentence over and over. She then realized that on the other end of the Internet, a big hand was coming after her. Based on her current technical skills, the other party must have enormous strength to be able to track and find her. If it was not the military, then it might be that person from the organization. However, whichever stage the loophole appeared in, Song Ye felt that she had to use her own laptop when she wanted to do things in the future and needed to install a firewall on it. From the very start, she was never a person who would shrink away in the face of danger. On the contrary, this body needed to face a harder challenge to stimulate its growth so the trip to the prison in Lin City must happen. Until dinner time, Yun Hua had not woken up. Before Song Ye left, she instructed Zhao Zhen: ¡°If she wakes up and holds the knife again, tie her up.¡± Tie her? Zhao Zhen was very confused and did not agree with such violent methods. ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring her to the hospital? I know some people there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Song Ye rejected him. She stood in front of Yu Fu Jewelry and watched the dark sky without a speck of light, hiding her expression. ¡°There are some things that can¡¯t be solved with a few words or a few pills of medicine.¡± She knew that the problems of the heart needed a psychologist. On the way to Lin City, Song Ye borrowed Zhao Zhen¡¯s car and covered his car plate. The black car flew in the night as if a beast that was hiding in the wild. The blurred night sky was the battlefield she was most familiar with. After hiding the car in the field behind the jail, Song Ye could clearly hear the sirens in the jail and the police light that kept shining around alertly. The security system she was seeing had somehow made her lips curved up. It turned out that the person spying on her from the other end was someone from the military. Only people from the military would inform the prison to enhance their security system. Even if she could not complete the mission tonight, at least she could confirm the identity of the person in the dark. Song Ye changed into a black water-tight suit and wore a black hat, blocking the light that shone down from time to time. Her thin body quickly zoomed past the dry field, and as she was standing under a wall at least ten meters, she used her hand to see the situation on the other end. After estimating the positions of the patrol team, she used her rope to attach to the wall. With a cat-like figure, she climbed up with agility. When she reached the top, she took out an electric dissolver and connected it to the grid. The electric current was disrupted. At that moment, all the circuits were absorbed by the electric dissolver, causing the entire prison to be submerged in darkness. ¡°Enhance security! Enhance security! Inform the guards to watch the criminals tightly!¡± All teams patrolling on the field lifted the safety siren and held up their guns in alertness; only the sounds of the criminals¡¯ commotion in the prison could be heard. People needed time to adjust to their sudden dark environment, and these few seconds were the best time for Song Ye to take action. In the darkness, a black figure shuttled in between the guns and accurately avoided the eyes of all the prison guards. Even if some of them felt something weird occasionally, they could only feel a wind blowing past their ears. Song Ye ran and avoided at the same time. In the midst of the raining bullets and anxious atmosphere, she could feel her body¡¯s agility increasing slightly. Even though she had not reached her peak condition, the improvement was very obvious. ¡°All guards, don¡¯t need to worry, the power would resume in ten minutes. Everyone is not allowed to leave their positions.¡± When she managed to avoid everyone and enter the internal building and heard the broadcast, her eyes squinted in the dark, revealing a tiny speck of light. Ten minutes was enough. In her previous life, the prison was the most familiar place to her. As her mission target was here, she had to disguise herself and enter the building sometimes. She knew everything like the back of her hand such as the locations of the surveillance cameras and cells of the severe criminals. Besides, Lin City was just a small place. With much ease, Song Ye knocked out five guards. When she arrived at her target¡¯s door, only five minutes had passed. Right now, the room was buzzing with commotion as everyone tried to stir trouble and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to escape. It was the same even in the female cells. In the dark, they kept knocking on their pots and yelled sharply. ¡°Ah¡­¡± However, when they were acting smart, no one noticed that there was one less person around them. When the lights went back on and everything gradually went back to normal, they suddenly realized that somebody went missing. No, not missing, she just disappeared without a single trace. Wuwuwu¡­ From afar, in the tall, dry field; Song Ye could hear the sirens ringing behind her¡­ just that the rhythm was much faster this time. This was an announcement that someone had broken out of prison. The prisoner that disappeared was currently lying down at the back seat of Song Ye¡¯s car. She looked at her empty palm and could not believe it. At first, she wanted to get close to the door and go inside to break the person out. When she was observing the situation in the cell, she suddenly wondered if the space could hold a person. When this thought flashed in her mind, the person in the room was sucked into the space, which frightened Song Ye. She had to hurriedly get her out and knock her out before putting her back in. The torturous obstacles that Heaven gave her formed her fighting skills and had even used death to give her a new life. With such a strong superpower, it was hard to not go against God¡¯s will. The car drove back to Cloud City over the night, and when she turned on the radio at dawn, she heard the news of someone breaking out of the prison in Lin City. Song Ye could not help but terribly think about the expression the person, who tried to catch her, would have when he heard the news. Early in the morning, Zhao Zhen reached Yu Fu Jewelry. When he saw the superbly dirty car parked by the road and dusty Song Ye who was drinking soya milk, he knitted her eyebrows tightly. ¡°Song Ye, did you drive the car the entire night?¡± Song Ye nodded and finished the last bit of soya milk. Her entire body exuded coldness as she raised her eyes to look into the shop. ¡°Is Sister Yun awake?¡± ¡°Yes, sort of.¡± When she mentioned Yun Hua, Zhao Zhen was worried and frustrated. ¡°She woke up after you left yesterday and did not throw a tantrum, but she just stared into open space and didn¡¯t want to eat. Song Ye, I know that you¡¯re capable and have your own thoughts, but this illness isn¡¯t easy to cure. We should just go to the hospital.¡± No matter how much of a business brain Song Ye had and how calm she was, she was only a fifteen-year-old child. However, Song Ye was downright stubborn and cold-hearted, and yet she had some unexplainable feelings towards Yun Hua. ¡°I¡¯ll bring her out for a while.¡± ¡°Song Ye¡­ sigh, okay.¡± Zhao Zhen was helpless as he watched the young girl¡¯s thin figure and sighed deeply. Chapter 32 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Yun Hua felt that she had finished journeying her life. Those years living in the basement with no sun or day had exhausted her life and turned her into a walking zombie. Even after she left the place, she could still remember those dirty memories, the rotting smell, and the conflict between pain and the bloody smell. Just that, when Song Ye discovered her, she found out that she was wrong. She should not have wasted the chance to live again when she escaped the bullet rain, but living was too painful for her. After she woke up, she kept thinking where she should go and what she should do¡­ until there were footsteps outside the room. Someone opened the door, bringing a whole body of coldness beside her. ¡°¡­Song Ye¡­¡± She opened her mouth, and the lips that had not ingested food in a while yelled out her name coarsely. ¡°Stand up, come with me.¡± Song Ye did not even take a look at her weak face. She just grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the bed, walking out of the room in big steps. In the early morning, there were no customers and only the service staff tidying the place up. When she heard some noise from upstairs, she looked up and saw Song Ye wearing a cold face and dragging Yun Hua¡ªwho had unkempt hair¡ªdown the stairs. She did not care if the other party was barefooted and directly dragged her up the car. As the car drove away rapidly, Zhao Zhen¡ªwho was standing at the corner¡ªfurrowed his eyebrows and waved his hand towards the curious service staff. ¡°We¡¯ll give Yun Hua a day-off today. Let¡¯s work.¡± Actually, he was pretty worried in his heart as Yun Hua¡¯s mental health obviously could not allow any more agitations. Moreover, Song Ye liked to do things her own way and was impulsive at the age of fifteen. If something happened, it would spell disaster. However, Song Ye was very stubborn, and no one could persuade her. He was also at the end of his wits. ¡­ The car drove from the city center into the remote countryside and stopped outside an abandoned warehouse. There was nothing around it, and it looked extra desolate. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Song Ye opened the car door first and walked into the warehouse with her black jacket. Yun Hua stared at the open black door and the disappearing shadow¡­ as if she had returned to the deep warehouse. She was afraid that Song Ye would abandon her so she clumsily opened the door and chased after her. When the thin back view entered her view once again, she heaved a sigh of relief and broke into a light smile. ¡°Song¡­¡± Before she said the other word, her voice was stuck in her throat. She looked past Song Ye and saw the woman kneeling there. The woman was wearing coarse linen clothes and looked simple, just like how a local living in the mountains would look. However, Yun Hua would never forget her face. The woman was called Wang Feng and was the first human trafficker the women went to before they changed hands. She would remember her even if she was burned to ashes. ¡°But, isn¡¯t she in jail?¡± Yun Hua remembered that the news report said that the entire village was captured. ¡°Mm.¡± Song Ye answered, and she was very calm; there was no rise in her voice. The next second, she took out a black fellow and tossed it to Yun Hua. ¡°Now, you can do what you want.¡± Yun Hua looked down. Once she saw the thing by her leg, she was instantly frightened and backed away in fear. Her voice started trembling, ¡°Gun¡­¡± Deep in the mountains, she had seen this thing countless times but never touched it. The most profound memory she had of this gun was when a girl snatched it and blasted her own head off. Remembering the image of the blood and brain juice spurting out made her gag. Now, Song Ye wanted her to take the gun and kill someone? Yun Hua¡¯s stunned gaze landed on the young girl¡¯s calm face and suddenly shook her head crazily. ¡°No, no, I can¡¯t¡­¡± In the past, she could not even kill a fish; how could she kill a person? However, when she wanted to move back even more, Song Ye extended her hand and threw her onto the floor. Before she could yell out in pain, Song Ye¡¯s cold voice sounded from above. ¡°Yun Hua, didn¡¯t you say that you regretted not killing your enemy personally?¡± Yun Hua¡¯s body trembled as she obviously remembered what she said when she self-harmed. ¡°But¡­¡± She was not even allowed to finish her sentence as she felt a pain in her head and was forced to look up and meet with the eyes of the woman kneeling in front of her. ¡°Look at her carefully. Who is this? At the start, who duped you into the mountains? Who let her own son had s*x with you? How dirty and smelly was the first basement you lived in? If you still remember all these things, you should know who the person in front of you is.¡± As the cold words entered her brain, all the nightmares buried deep in her heart were dug out and cruelly played in her mind, over and over again. All the pain was as if etched into her bones; it hurt until the woman yelled out in heart-shattering pain. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± That cry seemed to come from within and at the brink of one¡¯s death. She burst into tears, and they fell down like a waterfall, drenching the pale face. However, Song Ye did not stop and did not allow the life she saved to walk back to death again. She forced Song Ye to face her and to hate. ¡°I saved your life. You have no right to face the knife towards yourself. Before you punish yourself, you need to pay back ten times or even a hundred times to people who have inflicted harm onto you.¡± The person she should murder¡­ should not be herself. As her tears blurred her vision, Yun Hua stared at the woman in front of her; and the memories that kept flashing in her mind made her remember this woman¡¯s ugly face. At one point in time, she had experienced inhumane torture and was stuck in the basement without light or day. At one point in time, she had hated and could not wait to bite off these people¡¯s flesh and drink their blood, setting fire to kill that demon and push all of them to hell. Yes, all her misfortunes were caused by the woman in front of her. If it was not for her, why would she become like this? Finally, her trembling hand grabbed the end of the gun, and the cold metal sent a chill down her spine. When she saw the woman in front of her with her mouth taped and tears falling all over her face, her gaze suddenly turned harsh. Bang¡­ bang¡­ bang¡­ A shot after another. This shocking noise, following the sound of the bullet entering the bones, was made as the tied-up woman lay haphazardly on the floor. The body that had stopped its motion would still tremble slightly after getting hit by the bullet. Those empty eyes looked at the sky and were filled with endless hatred and hopelessness. When all the bullets were used up, Yun Hua fell back onto the floor and dumbly looked at the woman in the pool of blood. After a while, her lips suddenly separated; and she let out a giggle. ¡°Hah, hahahahah¡­¡± The giggling sound became increasingly louder, and it turned into a big laugh. Amidst the laughter, there were tears as if cleaning every stain on her body. Song Ye silently walked forward and pressed Yun Hua¡¯s head against her chest, giving her some warmth. She knew that after experiencing this death, Yun Hua would become even stronger. Chapter 33 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In this world, if there was a poll for being the most cold-hearted person, if Song Ye was second; no one would dare to be first. When Yun Hua was still immersed in the horror of killing someone and could not get herself out of it, Song Ye drove the car and brought her to a shopping mall. As she had not returned to city life in a while, the brightness of the mall made her feel uneasy. However, Song Ye acted as if nothing happened; and she twirled around before handing some clothes to her. ¡°Go in and try them.¡± Yun Hua looked at her dumbly. With their close contact, she could smell the gun smoke on both of them, reminding her that they had just killed someone half an hour ago. The previous second, her hands were filled with fresh blood; in the next, she could happily shop at a shopping mall. This could only be done by a weird person like Song Ye. From the first time she met her, Yun Hua knew that she was different from the rest. When the car stably stopped in front of the jewelry shop, Yun Hua was holding a bag of clothes but still could not recover her senses. Song Ye leaned in to help her undo her seatbelt and advised her gently. ¡°There are many things one can do in the world so don¡¯t always be hung up in the past.¡± Yun Hua lifted her head and looked at the young girl in front of her. She clearly looked like fifteen or sixteen, and her voice sounded child-like. However, her eyes looked as if she had been through a lot. When the other party moved back, she unwittingly extended her hand and grabbed onto the young girl¡¯s arm as she asked softly, ¡°Song Ye, can I follow you?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Song Ye was taken aback for a moment and hurriedly recovered her senses. She looked at her deeply and asked back, ¡°Do you know what it means to follow me?¡± This low tone shocked Yun Hua as she could not help but shiver and started feeling scared for some reason. However, she still nodded strongly. ¡°Song Ye, I know that you aren¡¯t an average person and people might be appalled by whatever you did, but I still want to follow you. I want to be just like you and become even stronger.¡± From the moment she pulled the trigger, she knew what she wanted. She was not afraid of the fire ocean or the knife-filled mountain in front of her, but she was afraid that she would be stuck in the mud and would never come out of it for her entire life. Song Ye was her only hope. Looking at her hopeful gaze, Song Ye did not nod her head immediately, but she silently looked out at the streets. ¡°If you follow me, your future would not be smooth-sailing.¡± Back then when she was forced onto this road filled with bloodshed, she had spent many nights hoping that she could go back. ¡°Think it through before you tell me. I¡¯ll give you three days.¡± She saved Yun Hua as she hoped that she could spend the rest of her life peacefully; she did not want her to follow her footsteps and go down a path of bloodshed. When she finished her sentence, there was no way to continue the topic. Song Ye got down and sent her back to the store before she turned around and headed for the gym. After leaving school for two days, it was coincidentally on Friday. Song Ye felt that if she did not show her face anymore, Tang Meiling and the rest would talk about her behind her back so when the bell for the first period rang, she walked in with her white sports shoes under the shocked eyes of many. After a collective silence, the classroom burst into chattering and discussions. ¡°How dare she still come to school after all that? She¡¯s really thick-skinned.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t come at all. I¡¯ll just be a laughingstock.¡± ¡°Hey, I heard that she quit school. Yesterday, I heard the monitor asking the teacher if she should remove her table.¡± No matter how soft they were, Song Ye¡¯s ears were very sharp and could hear most news. When she heard that Tang Meiling wanted to remove her table, her brows knitted tightly together and could confirm that the other party was in cahoots with Song Tingting. If not, she would not know what ill intentions the Song family had in secret. At this time, Tang Meiling¡¯s face was very dark. The rare good mood she had in the morning was ruined when she saw Song Ye¡¯s face. However, other than her, there was someone else who did not welcome Song Ye. ¡°Song Ye, take your books and stand outside the class. In the future, you don¡¯t have to attend my lessons.¡± When the form teacher came in and saw the figure in the corner, she was stunned. These two days, she heard that Song Ye wanted to quit school and was still secretly happy that she lost someone that would pull her back and was even thinking of removing Song Ye¡¯s desk after class. However, before she could carry out her plan, the person had already walked in and appeared right in front of her. When she thought of Lu Lan¡¯s coarse words and Song Ye¡¯s disrespectful attitude from two days ago, the form teacher did not want to be nice to her at all; and the first thing she did was to chase her out. It was a brand-new day, but the atmosphere in third grade, class five was very suppressed. Everyone held their breaths in to watch a good show, and they were all waiting for the female character to take her books and wail as she ran out of the classroom. Children at this age would never dare to disobey the teacher¡¯s commands, and a girl would not be able to endure such harsh words without crying. Just like what everyone expected, Song Ye stood up. However, she did not cry, and her gaze was even braver¡­ as she stood there and talked back to the teacher. ¡°May I know what wrong did Teacher think I did? Why wouldn¡¯t Teacher let me listen to class right before the examinations?¡± Even though she was not particular about listening to class or studying, she did not want to be bullied like a soft toy. The form teacher felt indignant by her retort, and her face turned even blacker. ¡°You left your house and even played truancy. I don¡¯t want to teach a student who has no morals.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Song Ye¡¯s voice went up and revealed a cold smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that teachers could stop teaching as and when they liked in school. I¡¯ve got to ask the principal about this. If the teacher doesn¡¯t want to teach, then can I be directly promoted?¡± She said her sentence as if it was a rap as she repeated ¡®teach¡¯ several times, agitating the form teacher until her face turned red. Piak! She slammed the podium. ¡°Song Ye, don¡¯t talk nonsense here. Just based on your qualifications and morals, no one would object to you being sent out of class.¡± ¡°Qualification and morals?¡± Song Ye calmly caught the misuse of words in her sentence and started to fight back nonchalantly. ¡°I only heard of having no social distinctions in education. Besides, about morals, my conflicts with my family members are my privacy. I didn¡¯t come to school these two days because Teacher allowed me to take leave and settle my family issues. Did Teacher forget the words she said?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The form teacher clenched her teeth tightly and was furious until she could not breathe properly, but she could not find a way to rebut her. She hated Song Ye who was sharp-tongued, wary of showing her weakness, and fond of agitating her. Now, she did not even let her off easily. During the confrontation, a figure stood up slowly; and her sharp voice resonated in class. ¡°Teacher, don¡¯t be angry, it¡¯ll ruin your body. Examinations are coming up; if Song Ye wants to listen, then so be it. If not, she will blame you if she doesn¡¯t get into high school. Everyone knows her results. Even if she doesn¡¯t sleep for twenty-four hours, she wouldn¡¯t get into Shi Yi High. Now, she¡¯s just throwing a tantrum, so Teacher, please don¡¯t be mad.¡± Chapter 34 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After she finished her few sentences, everyone in class nodded in agreement. From the corner of Song Ye¡¯s eyes, she could see Tang Meiling standing upright and having a delighted smile on her face. Her words that seemed like advice were actually used to trample on Song Ye¡¯s face to butter up to the teacher. It was Song Ye¡¯s fault as her grades were at the bottom of the class; weak students had no right of speech, and this had become a habit. However, now that her soul was mature, she looked at things differently. Song Ye suddenly thought of something, and she stared at Tang Meiling¡¯s side view as she spoke, ¡°Monitor spoke up for me in goodwill, but I don¡¯t quite agree with the contents. My ambition for this examination is indeed to get into Shi Yi High. I heard that there¡¯s a space in class one so to get a better learning environment with better teachers, I will get into that class using my grades for this term¡¯s examinations.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tang Meiling looked back in shock and stared at Song Ye as if she saw a ghost. The sentence that came out of her mouth was, ¡°Even you want to get into class one, too?¡± Song Ye looked back, and her lips curved up slightly. ¡°I heard that monitor had this plan, too.¡± No, she did not hear it from someone else; it was something that Tang Meiling had said to insult her when she was being all arrogant. She said that she would be part of the elites soon, and she wanted to be the belle of class one. After being interrupted by her just now, she suddenly thought of this. Now, as Tang Meiling looked at the smile on Song Ye¡¯s face, for some reason; she felt that she was purposely putting herself against her. However, class one¡¯s grades were at the top of the school. With her grades at the bottom of the class, Song Ye must be daydreaming to think that she had a chance to get into the class. Not even Tang Meiling looked down on her, but even the others and the teacher on the podium felt that Song Ye was being ridiculous. ¡°Okay, since you want to take it, then I¡¯ll let you sign up for it. If you get it, then Teacher will stand at the classroom door and welcome you out.¡± The form teacher clenched her teeth and smiled viciously. If Song Ye could not get into the class, then her poor teacher¡¯s qualifications would definitely not allow her to stay in her class either. As a result¡ªon the name list for the make-up examination into class one, class five had people that signed up. Everyone could tell that Song Ye was fighting with Tang Meiling, but they were all waiting for Song Ye to be the laughingstock of class five. Even Song Ye¡¯s loyal protector and table partner, Wang Tiechuan, also did not believe it as the grades were obvious to him after all. He could not help but comfort her: ¡°Song Ye, I know you want to go class one because of Brother Xu, but you can¡¯t get this kind of thing just by working hard at the last minute.¡± After successfully shutting the mouths of two people that she did not like, Song Ye was in a very good mood; and her lips had rarely maintained its curve. When she suddenly heard Wang Tiechuan¡¯s words, she could not react on time. ¡°You said Xu Zihang is in class one?¡± ¡°Yeah, Big Brother has the best grades amongst all of us and has good grades in class one. Hey, don¡¯t you know?¡± Wang Tiechuan suddenly realized after explaining. When he saw Song Ye shaking her head decisively, he awkwardly touched his nose. ¡°I thought¡­ ahem. If you want to get into class one, why not I ask Big Brother for help and let him tutor you?¡± Song Ye shook her head to show that there was no need for it and ignored Wang Tiechuan¡¯s strange reaction as she picked up her exercise book and started to do the questions. Wang Tiechuan thought for a while. Since he could not find out anything from Song Ye but was still very curious about the incident, he could not hold it in and brought up the matter in front of Xu Zihang after class. ¡°Big Brother, is there¡­ really nothing between you and Song Ye?¡± At that time, Xu Zihang was throwing a few love letters into the dustbin. When he heard that, he raised his eyebrows and had a playful look on his face. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll like her?¡± Wang Tiechuan thought for a while before shaking his head. It was not that Song Ye was not pretty, but his Big Brother had not much feelings for any girl. Xu Zihang picked up his bag and walked to the entrance. When he saw that Wang Tiechuan was still scratching his head in deep thoughts, he purposely extended his voice. ¡°As for whether she likes me or not¡­ I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Of course, he felt that Song Ye was more interested in his position as the ¡®Big Brother¡¯. No matter how many rumors flew around outside, Song Ye would focus on doing practice questions and read textbooks without a fail. An entire week had passed. Other than receiving Yun Hua¡¯s call, she did not have the Song family¡ªthat caused trouble¡ªappear in front of her. This allowed her to spend her days in comfort. A week later, the examination was done in an individual classroom; and a total of ten students came to do the test. The questions were set by the teacher from class one, and the marking and scoring of the paper would also be done by class one. After Song Ye was done answering the paper and wanted to hand it up, she saw Tang Meiling sitting in the first row being so nervous until big beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m done answering and handing in my paper now.¡± She handed in her paper and purposely raised her voice. As expected, Tang Meiling raised up her face in shock as Song Ye nonchalantly walked out of class, leaving all the stunned faces behind. The examination was done during the weekends so the school was very quiet. She took out a book and sat under a tree to enjoy the peaceful time. After reading for less than half an hour, she heard hurried footsteps coming from behind and saw a shadow sitting beside her heavily. Song Ye moved her body in time but saw Wang Tiechuan very anxious. ¡°Song Ye, Big Brother, Big Brother is being surrounded. All our people have been brought away.¡± At this time, Wang Tiechuan was in a very sorry state. Other than the bruises and swells on his face, there were also bloodstains on his clothes; one could tell that they were beaten up badly. ¡°What happened?¡± Song Ye closed her book, and her face was still calm with no intentions of standing up. Wang Tiechuan held his ribs and told the whole story with pauses in between. ¡°It¡¯s the Low Tiger Gang. Previously, Big Brother offended¡­ offended them. Their men were injured so they specifically came up to find us. Big Brother took a stab for me so I ran out, but I¡­ I don¡¯t know who I should find.¡± He also did not know what happened to him, but when he recalled the scene of Song Ye stepping up to save him at the slope, he suddenly ran all the way to school. When he was finished and calmed down, he lowered his head in disappointment. No matter how good Song Ye was, the other party was a gang. How could students like them handle this? This was the first time Wang Tiechuan felt that there was still a huge distance between him and an actual gang. When he was still lost, there were movements beside him. After much rustling, a clear voice came from above. ¡°Let¡¯s go, lead the way.¡± Wang Tiechuan suddenly lifted his head and squinted his eyes due to the dizzying sunlight. Vaguely, he saw Song Ye¡¯s good-looking chin and the deep gaze when she looked down. That look caused a whir in his brain as he hurriedly crawled up. ¡°This direction. They went to the river.¡± Song Ye followed behind him the entire way. When they were nearing the river, they could vaguely hear fighting and scolding sounds. She looked over and saw a bunch of teenagers with colorful hair surrounding Xu Zihang and beating him up. ¡°Haha, Xu Zihang, Young Master Xu, I can¡¯t believe you have a day like this, too. You got away previously, but this time, let¡¯s see who else will save you.¡± Chapter 35 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In any era, the strong would always bully the weak; and the venue of bullying was always consistent: the small forest behind school, by the river or in the countryside. This was because these places had a geographical advantage; people would scream their lungs out, but no one would hear them. Moreover, they could also teach the people a lesson as and however they liked. At this moment, one of Xu Zihang¡¯s brothers was kicked in the ass and landed in the river. The youngsters were having the time of their life and laughing out loud. Amidst the few people that were laughing, Song Ye saw a familiar person straight away. When she heard what Wang Tiechuan said, she guessed that it was the people who caused trouble in the desolate house. However, those few punks became her sandbag, and she guessed that they had blamed this score on Xu Zihang. It seemed like she had some relation to it so when Wang Tiechuan knocked on the door, she had the right to train her body. Dagger still had his arm in his cast as he bragged. ¡°Xu Zihang, when I¡¯m done playing with you, I¡¯ll hand you to Brother Zheng. He said if I handed you in, he¡¯ll give the brothers twenty thousand dollars. If I knew that a kid like you was worth so much money, I would have kidnapped you a long time ago.¡± When they heard twenty thousand dollars, the few youngsters¡¯ eyes turned green. At this decade, it was a large sum of money. Xu Zihang held his stomach and fell on the floor, but his pale face did not have any signs of weakness. ¡°If you dare, just kill me right now. If not¡­¡± He squinted his eyes, and when no one was looking, he suddenly pounced forward. He picked up a rock from the floor and smashed it on Dagger¡¯s chest. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dagger was hurt. Then, the surrounding brothers reacted and pressed him down again before punching and kicking him. After a very long time, Dagger held his chest and slowly recovered. He glared at Xu Zihang stiffly and was so angry until his eyes turned red. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really crazy. Hold his hand down. I¡¯ll cripple him today, and we¡¯ll see how crazy he can still be.¡± After his hand was fractured that day, he was still in a cast. When he thought about it, his blood would boil; and yet he could not find the stupid woman that caused it. Since Xu Zihang had coincidentally hit his arm, then he should not blame him for being harsh. ¡°Oh f*ck, Brother Xu¡­¡± When he saw that Xu Zihang¡¯s hand was pressed against the rock, Wang Tiechuan was so anxious until he broke out in cold sweat and rolled his sleeves up to rush over. However, when he took a step, a cloth flew to his face. ¡°Take this.¡± A cold command was heard. When Wang Tiechuan took it, he saw that Song Ye¡¯s thin figure was already far away. Xu Zihang was suppressed the whole way, and now that he was going to lose his hand, it would be a lie to say that he was not scared. However, his pride did not allow him to beg for mercy. It was just a hand; it would be over if he just endured for a little while. ¡°Hehe, I do want to see how long your pride lasts!¡± Dagger held the rock and sneered as he was prepared to take action. Suddenly, his shoulder was hit; and he instinctively turned around to see an intricate, good-looking face. ¡°Who¡­?¡± Before he could finish his question, the person in front took action and grabbed his wrist with one hand and quickly flipped him over. Kacha! Kacha! The clear and familiar sound sounded. When he recovered his senses, the excruciating pain had already extended into his bones. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Hey, long time, no see.¡± Song Ye squatted and calmly greeted him. As she felt that explaining would be too troublesome, taking action might help him trigger his memory. As expected, Dagger collapsed on the floor and could not exert any strength in his two arms as he stared at Song Ye with familiar fright. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Other than the stupid woman from the desolate house, there would not be a second person who knew this pervertic yet familiar torture method. Song Ye nodded and generously admitted to it. When she stood up, she casually stepped on his wrist with one foot. Kacha! The person¡¯s curses suddenly became a bitter cry. Perhaps the sound was too pitiful or the wind blowing by the river was too cold. At this moment, a chill was sent down everyone¡¯s spines. ¡°Who are you?¡± The other punks collectively took three steps back and vigilantly looked at the handsome face that suddenly appeared. When Dagger fainted due to the pain, Song Ye walked to Xu Zihang¡¯s side and stood there. He pointed at him and said, ¡°Are you going to let us go like this, or do you want to fight first?¡± Her tone was so calm until it was arrogant as if she was just asking if the weather was fine today. This made Xu Zihang, who was sitting down, look up and size her up and her surroundings. After a while, he clenched his teeth and asked softly, ¡°Where¡¯s the rest?¡± He asked it meticulously, but Song Ye replied magnanimously. ¡°I came here alone.¡± Instantly, Xu Zihang¡¯s entire gang of brothers was taken aback, along with the few punks opposite her. Afterward, they surveyed the surroundings and laughed loudly. ¡°You dare to cause trouble alone, toy boy? Hahaha, Brothers, let¡¯s slowly play with him today.¡± When she heard the words ¡®toy boy¡¯1, Song Ye unhappily furrowed her brows. Even though her skin was white and she was wearing a white shirt, they could not call her names as they liked. However, this knitting of her eyebrows was misunderstood as being scared, especially Xu Zihang¡ªwho knew that she was a girl¡ªhad a huge headache. He forcefully stood up. ¡°Why did you come alone? Get lost!¡± At first, he thought that Song Ye dared to come because she was prepared, but in the end, she was just a burden. If they found out that Song Ye was a girl, it would spell trouble. Song Ye looked at the young man covered in dirt in front of her; he looked like he would be blown away by the wind, but he was still acting strong. In her heart, she admired his guts. She walked around him and stood in front of the crowd. As Song Ye was rolling up her sleeve, she answered his earlier question ¡°Me alone is enough.¡± What? Xu Zihang was stunned and did not quite understand what she meant, but the woman next to her had already acted like a lightning strike. Before the punks opposite them could see clearly, they had already taken a blow. ¡°Ah!¡± The poor sound came one after another, followed by crisps sounds of the bones breaking. In the end, more than ten punks had collapsed into a pile amidst the chaos. Xu Zihang watched on by the side until his mouth went agape as he finally understood what she meant. When he was still deeply impressed by her, he saw that a punk behind Song Ye had taken out a dagger. His heart sank as he yelled with all his might. ¡°Song Ye, be careful.¡± Before he finished his sentence, Song Ye in front had already turned around and held the other party¡¯s wrist. With the twists of some fingers, the dagger had beautifully landed in her hands. Her thin arm raised and landed, followed by blood spurting out, as the dagger was deeply stabbed into the other party¡¯s shoulder blade. When the wind blew the blood smell, everyone¡¯s actions slowed down. When the punks saw that Song Ye was so harsh in her moves, they were all scared until they shivered and later ran off in their separate ways. ¡°Ah¡­ don¡¯t¡ªdon¡¯t kill me. I¡¯m begging you¡­ ah, I¡¯m begging you¡­¡± The punk, who was stabbed by the dagger, collapsed on the floor in agony. When he saw that Song Ye was squatting in front of him, his face turned as white as a sheet. ¡°I heard that you guys are from the Low Tiger Gang.¡± Song Ye asked nonchalantly, but when she was talking, her fingers touched the dagger, threatening him clearly. Chapter 36 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The previous time in the desolate house¡ªbefore Song Ye could interrogate them, the few punks were scared until they fainted. Now that she bumped into them again, she naturally could not miss the good opportunity. The punk was only around twenty years old and looked pretty muscular. When he heard Song Ye say Low Tiger Gang¡¯s name, there was some confidence in his fearful heart. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re from the Low Tiger Gang. If you¡¯re smart, you better let us off. If not, Brother Zheng, Brother Zheng, ah¡­¡± Before he could finish saying his harsh words, Song Ye¡¯s thin fingers moved and pulled out the dagger instantly, hurting the punk until he cried in excruciating pain. The few people behind Xu Zihang shivered in fear as they were frightened by the scene of fresh blood spouting out. However, the culprit was still as calm as ever. ¡°I don¡¯t like to listen to nonsense. You¡¯ll answer whatever I ask. Do you understand?¡± When the dagger reached his other shoulder blade, the punk was already looking at the girl in front of him like she was a weird animal as he held his breath in and did not dare wail loudly. This woman¡­ was too f*cking cruel. When it was entirely silent, Song Ye continued to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s the hideout for Low Tiger Gang?¡± ¡°At¡­ at Number 131 Cloud Street.¡± ¡°What time does your Big Brother appear there?¡± ¡°Every night. Brother Zheng has a woman there so he¡¯ll be there every night.¡± ¡°Is there a bigger mastermind behind Low Tiger Gang?¡± ¡°No, no. Low Tiger Gang was set up by Brother Zheng all on his own. Brother Zheng used his own fists to fight for all our territories in Cloud City.¡± The interrogation was rather smooth, but Song Ye still raised her head to ask Xu Zihang if the answers were true. Xu Zihang nodded. ¡°Mm, his answers are typically correct, but their boss, Zhou Zheng, can control the territories because of the ketamine he got from the black market and not his fists. Many girls have become victims because of this in the club that they control.¡± When he said this, Xu Zihang¡¯s eyes were red; and his gaze was quite emotional. Someone close to him must have become a victim of this. Ketamine¡­ Song Ye¡¯s eyelids moved as her gaze calmly landed on the punk again. ¡°Lying¡­ comes with a price.¡± A chill ran down the punk¡¯s spine and was almost frightened until he cried. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, please don¡¯t kill me. I¡ªwe don¡¯t have a choice. I can¡¯t talk about this. If I did, Brother Zheng won¡¯t let us off.¡± ¡°But if you lie, I won¡¯t let you off either.¡± Song Ye flipped the dagger and did not have any intention of being merciful. ¡°I remember some gangs have an initiation ceremony of the participant getting two holes and three knives. Today, I¡¯ll show you what you need to experience to join a gang.¡± Once she finished her sentence, the punk¡¯s eyes were filled with fear as the shiny dagger entered his other shoulder. When the punk was crying out in pain, Song Ye used a rock to shut his mouth. The last three knives were stabbed into the other party¡¯s thighs and had caused him to pass out due to the excruciating pain. When a bloody person was placed in front of them, even Xu Zihang¡ªwho proclaimed himself as the leader¡ªwas frightened until his face was white as he never saw someone so cruel before. When the torturer Song Ye let go of the knives, she took a tissue to wipe the bloodstains on her fingers. Her white shirt and pants were stainless, and her intricate, white face was as calm as ever. She took the jacket from Wang Tiechuan to wear and walked off on her own. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Unexpectedly, Xu Zihang opened his mouth. Song Ye stopped in her tracks but did not turn back. Right now, both of them were barely two meters apart. In the past, Xu Zihang felt that Song Ye was not good enough for their circle, but now, he realized that he was nothing. He was the one that was not good enough for Song Ye. When he thought about the past, Xu Zihang opened his mouth again. ¡°Song Ye, are you going to cause trouble for Low Tiger Gang?¡± ¡°None of your business.¡± Song Ye spat those words out coldly. Xu Zihang was taken aback as he never expected that he would face a closed door. Last time, he ditched Song Ye; now that he was ditched by her, it was even. Thinking in this manner, he stepped forward again. ¡°I have beef with Low Tiger Gang. If you have the ability to remove them, I¡¯ll bring along my brothers and follow you in the future.¡± This time, Song Ye moved and turned her head back to look at him with her deep eyes. After a while, she said lightly, ¡°You might not be qualified enough to follow me.¡± Since the Low Tiger Gang had a source for ketamine, then they must have power in the underworld. Xu Zihang, this punk, was too green. Xu Zihang was angered until his face flashed green and white and was stumped for a long time. Until Song Ye raised her legs and wanted to leave, he clenched his teeth and continued to ask. ¡°My sister died because of Zhou Zheng¡¯s ketamine. If you give me this chance, I¡¯ll kill him personally to prove my worth.¡± At this point, Song Ye finally knew what conflict Xu Zihang had with the Low Tiger Gang. Seeing the hatred overflowing in his eyes, she decided to give him this chance. ¡°Throw him back to Cloud Street and add a note to say that I¡¯ll go trash the Low Tiger Gang tonight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xu Zihang¡¯s face darkened as he watched Song Ye leave. Amidst the winter wind, the thin figure looked very weak as if it was a flower that could not withstand the wind. However, at that moment, this back view became Xu Zihang¡¯s belief and support in his heart. ¡­ The night was looming above their heads, and the Chinese lanterns were put up. Tonight, Cloud City¡¯s temperature was a bit lower than usual as every street was lined with snow. There were very little pedestrians, and there was only one row of shophouses that had lights on which cast a shadow. Tonight, the most crowded place was No. 131 Cloud Street. Normally, Zhou Zheng would gather a few brothers and call them over to fool around until daylight, but this time, there was nervousness amidst the commotion. In the garden of the mansion, more than ten injured brothers were sitting on chairs; and they did not even dare to breathe loudly. Piak! They heard glass shattering from the resting chair. ¡°In Cloud City, who dares to go against me¡ªZhou Zheng¡ªand injure so many of my men? If they really dare to come today, I¡¯ll make sure they never return!¡± The one sitting on the resting chair was the leader of the Low Tiger Gang, Zhou Zheng. Even though his name sounded very upright, his face showed otherwise and had a villainy look. In the early years, he counted on ruining innocent women to start his business with his cruel methods, causing many people on the streets to avoid him. This time, someone had secretly instructed him to kidnap Xu Zihang. However, he did not expect someone to throw a wrench in the works, and his Low Tiger Gang was kicked in the ass by some child. ¡°Dagger, is that girl that you talked about¡­ really that powerful?¡± Up till now, Zhou Zheng still could not believe it, especially when his subordinates reported that the one who injured his men was a girl. Dagger¡¯s two arms were in a cast, but his body was still fighting a war. ¡°Brother Zheng, it¡¯s her. That woman is too harsh and very perverted. One move from her, and my hand was crippled.¡± Looking at his face, Zhou Zheng sneered. ¡°Useless. I really want to see what she has up in her sleeves.¡± Once he finished talking, suddenly, the fire alarm from the mansion rang, shocking everyone. Zhou Zheng turned his head back instantly and saw a fire starting in the master bedroom. He boomed, ¡°F*ck, go put out the fire.¡± Chapter 37 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When Song Ye sneaked out of the mansion, she was still holding a fuel bottle in her hand. She turned to the main entrance to meet Xu Zihang and saw that they were staring dumbly at the mansion. ¡°¡­Did you do this?¡± When Xu Zihang saw Song Ye walking over, he swallowed his saliva and asked with much difficulty. ¡°Mm.¡± Song Ye nodded and passed something to Yun Hua standing at the side. ¡°Zhou Zheng went to put on the fire, and some people have been dispersed. Now, we can go in. Oh right, take this. Zhou Zheng might have a gun.¡± When Xu Zihang heard the word ¡®gun¡¯, he suddenly had a black thing in his hands and was frightened until his hands shook and almost dropped the gun. He had never fired a gun before. Song Ye never expected him to know how to shoot so she walked in front and led them. ¡°Familiarize yourself with it, I¡¯ll teach you later.¡± ¡°Song Ye.¡± Yun Hua followed behind her and looked very uneasy. She never expected after the decision that day and giving her a call, the next time they met was to participate in a fire match. Song Ye, who was walking in front, stopped in her tracks. Her character of doing whatever she liked almost left Yun Hua behind. She turned around to look at harmless Yun Hua and lightly advised. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of keeping watch. Inform me if anything happens.¡± Yun Hua held the fuel bottle tightly in her hands and nodded strongly. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Xu Zihang and the rest also turned around to look at Yun Hua. Even though they were all very curious¡ªsince Song Ye did not do any introductions and the battle was about to start, they had no interest in greetings. Bang! The door was kicked open, and Song Ye led the way as she rushed in with a knife, followed by more than ten brothers behind her bravely. Under the fire burning gradually, this scene looked like the gangster scenes from Hong Kong movies. Now was also the time when Hong Kong movies were trendy, and every teenager had a burning passion to be a hero. When Song Ye hacked the first blood, she opened up a bloody world for the youngsters. It was not that Xu Zihang never used a knife to hack people, and fighting was as common as his home meals. However, it was the first time he had met with such bloodshed and killed people relentlessly. At first, he was still afraid that he could not do it, but after hacking the first person, he remembered what Song Ye said before they went off. ¡°For enemies¡ªif they don¡¯t die, you will.¡± After that, the blood in his eyes became fearless. Amidst the killing, the other youngsters also understood a certain sliver of logic: if they had fear in their hearts, their brothers might take the stab for them the next time. Luckily for their first mission, they had Song Ye¡ªthis killer god¡ªto help them. More than ten people against tens of people, but they still had the upper hand. When Zhou Zheng brought the safe down in the mansion, he realized that he had fallen for the trick of luring the opponent out from the hideout. He wanted to rush in and save his brothers, but Song Ye suddenly threw a fuel bottle from nowhere. Bang! It shattered at the entrance, and the fire tongue grew to more than a meter, blocking the people in the mansion. ¡°Quick! Call the police, call the fire brigade!¡± Zhou Zheng saw the smoke coming down from upstairs, but he could not go out so he hollered anxiously. Now, he did not care about his face; if he really ended up being burned alive in the mansion, there would be no turning back. Separated by a fire wall, a cold voice sounded. ¡°I pulled out the telephone line.¡± What? Zhou Zheng was shocked and raised his head to meet with a pair of deep eyes. As the fire burned brightly, the original intricate face looked unrealistically beautiful. ¡°Who are you?¡± Song Ye did not answer him as greetings in this type of situation were a bit unnecessary. She stood in front of the door, and her face was expressionless. ¡°You have two options. You either beg for mercy or you die.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Zhou Zheng clenched his teeth and wanted to scold out loud, but when he looked around, he saw that the people lying haphazardly behind the girl were all brothers from the Low Tiger Gang, and he could even smell the stink of the blood from far away. Suddenly, he thought of Dagger¡¯s horrified face and finally understood why he used ¡®cruel¡¯ to describe her methods¡ªit was not for nothing. ¡°Big Brother, ahem, ahem, what should we do?¡± The smoke got thicker and thicker, and many brothers could not help but cough as they hurriedly ran up and asked for his opinion. Zhou Zheng clenched his teeth and did not answer. How could he beg mercy from a child? What a joke. Upon seeing his indignance, Song Ye nonchalantly took out another fuel bottle. ¡°The fire brigade would come in fifteen minutes, maximum. If you listen to me, you won¡¯t have to die with him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it!¡± The crowd was petrified when they saw the fuel bottle in her hands, and their hearts almost jumped out of their throat. Without any hesitation, someone immediately agreed to surrender. ¡°I¡¯m begging you; I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡­ If there was one, there would be another; the law would not blame the majority. Once there was an opening, all the betrayal for survival actions would quickly ensue and leave Zhou Zheng in a helpless situation. He angrily kicked the brothers around him as he reached into his hand and took out a gun. He ferociously screamed, ¡°Since you dare to betray me, I¡¯ll kill you in one shot.¡± The black gun mouth shocked everyone until they did not dare to move; even Xu Zihang and the others who were outside the firewall all hid in vigilance. When Song Ye saw Zhou Zheng take out his gun, she squinted his eyes and continued. ¡°Wait for a while; I¡¯ll get all of you out.¡± Zhou Zheng raised his eyebrows and spat on the floor. ¡°You punk. You want to fight with Old Man? You¡¯re too green. Let me out of here!¡± As he was being arrogant, a few buckets of water splashed over to extinguish the fire. The smoke filled the air, and there was a burnt smell in the atmosphere. Zhou Zheng¡¯s face became sooty. Once he saw that he could escape, he raised the gun and rushed out without hesitation. Using the dim light, he tried to look for something; but before he could move much, there was something cold pointing at his temple. A cold and calm voice sounded by his ear. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Zhou Zheng¡¯s body trembled as he shakily used the corner of his eye to look. The thing at his head¡­ was a gun, and the face of the woman holding it was as calm as ever, with eyes that were so cold until it could freeze someone. ¡°Let¡¯s, let¡¯s talk nicely.¡± As his life was in the hands of someone else, how could Zhou Zheng continue being arrogant? ¡°I have no conflict with you. You just want my territory, right? We can split it evenly; you don¡¯t have to use your gun.¡± However, Song Ye did not want to listen to his nonsense. She moved the gun forward and said, ¡°Where did you get this gun from?¡± ¡°I¡­ I bought it from the black market recently.¡± Seeing Song Ye¡¯s relentless attitude, Zhou Zheng could not hold his temper and hurriedly added. ¡°I heard that a bunch of foreigners brought it in. They didn¡¯t have money so they sold their gun.¡± Song Ye sneered in her heart; she had an additional reward from this trip. She raised her hand and removed Zhou Zheng¡¯s gun before kicking him to Xu Zihang. ¡°Handle the rest yourself.¡± When Xu Zihang witnessed the gun confrontation and suddenly saw his enemy in front of him, he kicked Zhou Zheng to death without hesitation. Chapter 38 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of the fist hitting the muscle resounded in the empty yard. Xu Zihang threw the knife on the floor and used his fists to vent the hatred in his heart. In the dark night sky, the earlier cool and handsome appearance disappeared; but from Song Ye¡¯s view, she could still see the tears falling on his face. Towards the end, Zhou Zheng was lifted by the collar and had basically turned to a cripple. Xu Zihang¡¯s eyes reddened as he asked him word by word. ¡°Do you remember Xu Ziying who died in your club?¡± Even though Zhou Zheng¡¯s face was swollen until one could not see his expression carefully, the moment that his body tensed up had revealed his emotions. He lifted his head and looked up at Xu Zihang weirdly. Then, he realized that the young man¡¯s facial features were very similar to the girl who had died previously. ¡°You¡¯re her relative?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xu Zihang clenched his teeth tightly and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s been three years. I can finally take revenge for her.¡± Once he said the word ¡®revenge¡¯, it was as if it burned the rational side of Xu Zihang¡¯s mind. He picked up the knife on the floor and as Zhou Zheng watched on horrifyingly, the knife went down. The smell of fresh blood perforated the air, which smelled like rust. The blood spurted out profusely and soon made a huge blood puddle on the floor. The remaining members of Low Tiger Gang saw their Big Brother¡¯s body in another place and were all petrified. Song Ye kept the gun into her pocket as she stood up and walked to the door. When she passed by the corpse, she made the first command after taking over the Low Tiger Gang. ¡°To express your sincerity, you will handle everything here. One week later, I want all the brothers in the Low Tiger Gang to know that Cloud City is under my Night Gang¡¯s control.¡± Night Gang. Ye Gang1. When Xu Zihang killed Zhou Zheng, Song Ye suddenly had a realization. Since all the people under her were useful, she should just expand it and make it big. Living again, there was no such thing as normal in her bones. In these long and dry months, she would be responsible for disrupting the order in the world. From the moment that Zhou Zheng died, the Night Gang was officially established. In the night of freezing winter, no one expected that a small gang with only ten-odd members would eventually become the entire Country Z. Even the world could not comprehend its existence. Afterward, Xu Zihang kept silent for quite a few days and gradually stepped out of the horrors of killing someone. When he heard from Chuanzi and the rest about how they had claimed the Low Tiger Gang¡¯s territory, he became even more impressed with Song Ye. Four days later, the results for the substitution examination for the spot in third grade, class one was announced. The first on the list was not the elites in class two or the confident Tang Meiling, but a hardly-known small character. In a short time, everyone started talking about it. When the form teacher for third grade, class five heard about this, she thought that she was hallucinating. ¡°What? Did you say that the person who got into class one was Song Ye? That¡¯s impossible, absolutely impossible.¡± Being familiar with Song Ye¡¯s previous grades, the form teacher immediately rejected the authenticity of the results and had even gone to find the supervising teacher. ¡°I know Song Ye¡¯s capabilities very well. She definitely copied someone else¡¯s work.¡± The supervising teacher from class one was also a very proud person. When she was accused in front of everyone else that she did not supervise the examination properly, the anger grew in her heart as she took out Song Ye¡¯s paper and slammed it on the table. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, look at this yourself. ¡°More than ten people took the examination together. Back then, Song Ye was the first one who handed in the paper, and her scores were fifty marks above the rest. If you said she copied other people¡¯s work, why don¡¯t you say that she knew the answer in advance?¡± A few teachers picked up the paper and looked at it seriously and had all kinds of compliments for Song Ye¡¯s answers. Even one of them started criticizing. ¡°With her type of qualifications, why wasn¡¯t she in class one from the very start? The examinations are looming; her capabilities can¡¯t be hidden just like that.¡± At that moment, the form teacher of class five was stumped and almost fainted. In the end, as logic was not on her side, she grabbed her books and went to class. When she passed by the entrance, she saw Tang Meiling coming straight at her. ¡°Monitor Tang, why are you so anxious?¡± The form teacher knitted her eyebrows as her anger from the office had not subsided. Tang Meiling¡¯s pair of eyes had already become as red as a rabbit¡¯s and did not even look at the form teacher¡¯s facial expression properly. The moment she opened her mouth, she started complaining. ¡°Teacher, we all know what Song Ye is like. How can she get into class one? Did she use connections? That day, I saw that she didn¡¯t even do the questions seriously.¡± Use connections¡­ Once she said that, the form teacher was frightened until she broke out in cold sweat and immediately scolded. ¡°Monitor Tang, what nonsense are you saying?¡± She did not even care about what situation she was in and let her mouth shoot. At this time, it was coincidentally time for lessons so all the teachers were packing their items and going for class. Tang Meiling¡¯s words were heard by a few teachers, and all of their faces became as black as a pot as they smiled insincerely. ¡°Oh, so this is how class five teaches their students. We¡¯ve finally seen it for ourselves. ¡°Last time, Monitor Tang of class five looked really obedient, but I didn¡¯t expect her to have such a calculative mind. Tang Meiling, we have no relations with Song Ye at all. Since all of you don¡¯t believe her test paper scores, then I¡¯ll put it up at the notice board later for all of you to learn from her.¡± All the literature people knew how to use their words wisely and precisely, and they did not even need to curse to scold people. In a short time, she had stumped both the form teacher of class five and Tang Meiling brilliantly. On that day, the teacher from class one really pinned Song Ye¡¯s test papers up. When the numerous students saw the answers that were as perfect as if it was printed on the paper, all of them gave a thumbs-up. Her accidental words made Song Ye famous overnight, and she was even titled the ¡®Top Student of Third Middle School¡¯. The next morning, Wang Tiechuan had purposely told Xu Zihang earlier and pulled him over to watch a good show. He even said that he had to watch Song Ye avenge her insults. On the whole way there, Xu Zihang had heard about how worthless they viewed her and how much anger she had to put up with. When he arrived at the classroom door, he saw Song Ye walking out with her bag; and the form teacher and Tang Meiling were just standing at the door. Wang Tiechuan thought that the main characters were there, and he was prepared for a good show. Cluelessly, he said suddenly. ¡°Oh! Song Ye, are you leaving just like that? Just nice, I¡¯ll send you off with Teacher.¡± Sigh¡­ At that time, everyone gasped loudly. The form teacher, who was still forcing a smile and protecting herself, was instantly stunned. Everyone in class had heard about their bet that day. Now that Song Ye had successfully got into class one, the form teacher had already lost a lot of her face; and standing at the classroom door to see her off with her eyes was the most she could endure. She did not expect Wang Tiechuan would suddenly say that sentence brainlessly. Song Ye was very impressed with Wang Tiechuan¡¯s courage. When she looked in front, she saw Xu Zihang and the rest standing there. She nodded, and her gaze landed deeply on the form teacher. Politely, she said, ¡°Thank you for seeing me off. Goodbye.¡± Chapter 39 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Actually, Song Ye was a very pragmatic person. Things that could be solved with fists, she would never quarrel; and things that could be solved by talking, she would never curse. Hence, after she generously and magnanimously greeted them and with the sinister look of the form teacher and Tang Meiling who were about to spit blood from anger, she walked forward very happily. After not seeing Xu Zihang for a few days, he had slimmed down quite a bit and had regained the image of being the school¡¯s prince. The whole way to class, Song Ye had also conveniently gained some popularity because of him. Before they even entered the class, the entire class knew that this underdog smart kid had an unusual relationship with the school hunk, Xu Zihang. Song Ye was not someone afraid of everything so she generously allowed Xu Zihang to carry her bag and also call the other brothers down for training. ¡°Every day after school, I will train your fighting skills alone. Help me inform the rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xu Zihang knew Song Ye¡¯s fighting skills very well. Once he heard this, his eyes lit up. When he nodded, he unknowingly broke into a smile. When they were talking, both of them arrived at the classroom door. When the girls watching in secret saw Xu Zihang¡¯s unwitting smile, their heart shattered into pieces. They looked at Song Ye; even though her face was intricate and pretty, she looked like a boy and did not have the cuteness of girls. The jealousy atmosphere caused Song Ye to be isolated in class one once again. The first person that came up to cause trouble was Xu Zihang¡¯s rumored girlfriend, Wang Han. After finishing the exercise when the second period ended, Song Ye washed her hands in the toilet. When she was about to leave, a bunch of girls barged in from outside. Wang Han, who was at the front, stuck her chin up in the air and judged Song Ye. Then, she mocked her: ¡°Song Ye, right? Just based on your appearance that looks neither like a boy or a girl, you want to get Young Master Xu to like you? Do you really think that this method will give him a feeling of novelty?¡± Song Ye raised her eyes and looked straight at the other party¡¯s soft face. Suddenly, she felt that she looked very familiar. Upon deeper thinking, she recognized her. ¡°What are you looking at? Keep your disgusting eyes away.¡± Wang Han knitted her brows harshly as her eyes were hurt by the too intricate face in front of her, causing her feelings to be very awful. In the past, she dared say that she was the belle of Third Middle School with no doubts. Now that there was Song Ye, it was like a rock weighing on her heart. It would be good if she was a boy, but she had to be a girl and was very close to Xu Zihang. Song Ye saw the jealousy clearly in the other party¡¯s eyes and never expected her to become cannon fodder because of Xu Zihang. Her gaze became cold as she explained, ¡°I have nothing to do with Xu Zihang.¡± ¡°Hah, nothing to do? Do you think that I¡¯m a fool? You told Young Master Xu to bring you to class one and even made him hold your school bag. Even the blind can tell that you¡¯re intentionally trying to get close to Young Master Xu.¡± Wang Han said every word with gusto, and her anger almost spilled over to Song Ye¡¯s side. Song Ye did not think that she did anything wrong. It was not against her conscience to ask her subordinate to take her things. Since she did not understand her explanation, she was too lazy to say anything more and wanted to walk out. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Wang Han was stunned and was directly bumped by Song Ye and almost fell down. In the fit of anger, she suddenly extended her hand to grab Song Ye¡¯s hair. ¡°B*tch, stop right there!¡± When Wang Han¡¯s fingers were only a palm away from the short hair, she was so harsh until she was going to tear her entire scalp down. However, it seemed like Song Ye had eyes at the back of her head. Her head moved to the side, and she directly grabbed onto her hand, squeezing her long fingernails in her palm. With a light break, the pain in the ten fingers; and her heart made her cry out in pain, almost crying on the spot. ¡°Wang Han, are you okay?¡± ¡°Wang Han, how can Song Ye do this to you? She¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Wang Han, your nails are broken.¡± The surrounding girls helped Wang Han up, and all their faces were filled with anxiety. Even though they were all scolding Song Ye on their mouths, none of them actually went up and fought with her. This would then be the aspect where small cliques in school were not even able to take a blow. They wanted to show off on one hand; but on the other, they were afraid of getting punished by the school rules. They were following the trend but were still smart enough to protect themselves. Song Ye never cared about these child plays as she turned her head to look at Wang Han¡¯s watery eyes. She lightly threw a sentence down. ¡°Your hand is equally as bad as your taste in clothes.¡± That was right. Wang Han was the unreasonable girl that Song Ye met when she first went shopping. She did not expect the world to be so small, allowing enemies to meet so easily. After triggering her, Song Ye went on her own way, leaving Wang Han with a shocked face in exasperation. Song Ye, I will never let you off. After school in the afternoon, Yun Hua called and said that the winding up of the Low Tiger Gang was very successful and asked Song Ye if she wanted to hold a celebration party. Song Ye thought for a while and told Yun Hua to reserve the table as she brought the whole group of them to the restaurant that the Song family held their banquet at. In the lavish room, all the youngsters were filled with curiosity. Wang Tiechuan and the rest were all from small families so they had never been to such a high-class restaurant. They looked left and right, gasping from time to time. The calmest amongst them would be Song Ye and Xu Zihang. Song Ye was a person from fifteen years later and was used to seeing such scenes. As for Xu Zihang¡­ she looked at the way the other party gently poured the tea and asked as if unintentional. ¡°Last time, Zhou Zheng put out a reward of twenty thousand to catch you. Do you know who wants to mess with you?¡± Xu Zihang was taken aback, and his brows knitted slightly together as if he was hesitating. After some time, he nodded lightly. ¡°I have a bit of a clue. I think it¡¯s the enemies from my father¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Song Ye raised her tone and was kind of interested. Since the first time she saw Xu Zihang, she knew that this person was not from an ordinary background; and the previous kidnap had further proved this. ¡°Since you¡¯re part of the Night Gang¡ªif you have any difficulties, you can tell me.¡± Xu Zihang was stunned again and slowly gave a smile after some time. ¡°Okay.¡± After killing Zhou Zheng, he owed Song Ye a favor so if she asked for the reason, he had no intention of hiding it. However, he did not expect that Song Ye would stop there and not ask further. Xu Zihang was touched once again. This was the first time he felt that Song Ye was not as cold-blooded as what she seemed on her outside and was also thankful that he could be close to her. After the whole table of dishes was served, Song Ye used tea to substitute for wine, as she raised it and said, ¡°Today, we¡¯re celebrating the start of the Night Gang. After today, everyone is a part of the Night Gang.¡± Everyone thought that it was just a simple meal today. When they heard this, their hearts were filled with pride. Xu Zihang was the first to stand up, and sincerity was written all over his face. ¡°From today onwards, we¡¯ll live and die by the Night Gang.¡± ¡°Yes, live and die by the Night Gang.¡± ¡°Live and die by the Night Gang.¡± Over a dozen teacups were raised and hit into one another, making a crisp clank sound. When Song Ye saw the delighted faces of the youngsters, there was warmth in her heart. Compared to directly hiring top people into an organization, this process of starting everything from scratch and slowly moving towards the top was much more interesting. Chapter 40 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios It was finally during the feast when Song Ye officially introduced Yun Hua to Xu Zihang and company. ¡°Sister Yun, both you and Xu Zihang will manage the daily operations of the organization on my behalf when I¡¯m not around in the future.¡± Song Ye presumed she would be so busy traveling around the world that she wouldn¡¯t stay in one place for long. It was crucial for her to groom her trusted aides. Both parties exchanged greetings and a handshake. Xu Zihang barely hid his curiosity for the woman. Song Ye might have brought Yun Hua in. However, the latter had no skills at all. Recently, the way she handled internal matters had shown how rigid her methods were. Most likely, she was a layman with no prior experience. He wondered how she could have followed Song Ye to start the organization. He remained doubtful until they arrived at the training ground. Yun Hua¡¯s ruthlessness and decisiveness put all his doubts to rest. It was at that moment when he finally believed the blood flowing inside Yun Hua was the same as the one in Song Ye. ¡°Those dozens of men are working faster now that Zhou Zheng is dead. Currently, we already have five cabarets and bars under our control. No one has come forward to object, too. Everything went very smoothly.¡± Yun Hua updated the present situation to Song Ye while they were having their meals. Song Ye responded in indifference as she continued to eat. One wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if she was happy from her facial expression. Xu Zihang, on the other hand, was surprised. He slanted his head towards the expressionless Song Ye and asked, ¡°Have you already predicted this outcome? The Land Tiger may not have many men, but this is a big place with a mix of good people and scumbags. Not one of them had retaliated since Zhou Zheng¡¯s death. Can things possibly be any easier?¡± As a matter of fact¡ªif they were to include the men guarding the turf, the Land Tiger had closed to one thousand men. Xu Zihang dared not make a move for the past three years because of this. However, he never thought that Song Ye would be able to lay her hands on the turf in just a few days. ¡°That¡¯s right, Song¡ªI¡¯m sorry¡­ Boss, this is too good to be true. We took over the Land Tiger with only a dozen men; it¡¯s incredible.¡± Wang Tiechuan changed his tone and chipped in from the side. He, too, wished to know Song Ye¡¯s secret. Very patiently, Song Ye began explaining when she saw everybody¡¯s curiosity. ¡°They were afraid. Zhou Zheng had so many things around him, but overnight, he still lost his life. Cloud City is merely a small city; one can own it simply by owning a weapon. A veil of mystery surrounds us as long as we don¡¯t show ourselves. It allows us to run things smoothly.¡± This was also why she didn¡¯t reveal her weapon that day or asked her own men to complete the takeover of the turf. With half the effort, the effect she reaped was twice by waiting for the dust to set before she showed her face to take stock of the situation. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but show Song Ye their thumbs-up after they listened to her analysis. ¡°One needs to depend on one¡¯s brain even when it comes to fighting or killing.¡± Everyone was amazed. Once again, they were totally convinced and conceded to Song Ye, their boss. After their meal, Song Ye led them to a deserted housing area located on the outskirts. She planned to use the dilapidated area as a temporary training ground. Song Ye opened the schoolbag which she had been dragging along the floor in one swift action while the rest were taking in the poverty-stricken environment. The dozen of weapons fell out with a loud crackling sound. Their eyeballs bulge, shocked by what they were seeing. ¡°Wh-where¡­ did you get all these from?¡± Wang Tiechuan gulped as he asked. Fortunately, he did not bite his own tongue off. Song Ye picked one of the weapons up and passed it to him as she replied nonchalantly, ¡°From Zhou Zheng¡¯s safe.¡± She set the fire the other day because she felt these things and thought they were important to Zhou Zheng. It was a ruse meant to distract him. Till his death, he was absolutely clueless that he had spent all the effort to protect an empty box. The group was in admiration of her treacherous action. One by one, they started to pick their preferred weapon. The youths were going to try their skills, exhilarated to see real weapons for the first time. Song Ye turned around unexpectedly and ordered them to hit the sandbags. The dilapidated housing estate was fully equipped with all sorts of sports and battlefield facilities. Song Ye removed her jacket. She was wearing a cool vest underneath. There was an irresistible look of authority on her calm face. ¡°You will keep practicing as long as I am. I don¡¯t stop; you don¡¯t stop. You are not allowed to touch those things unless you meet your monthly target.¡± The youths were full of energy even though it was a command issued by their boss. After all, Song Ye was a slender woman. It would really hurt their pride if they couldn¡¯t win in terms of stamina, no matter how strong she was or how mighty her martial art skills were. The dozens of them mustered their spirits and willfulness as they gave their all at hitting the punching bags. They punched and listened to Song Ye¡¯s commands at the same time. ¡°The sandbag must be slanted at a forty-five-degree angle each time you hit it. Adjust your breaths. Pay attention to the rhythm of your punches and control your strength from the muscles.¡± All these orders seemed like an idle theory which was largely ignored by the youths when they started. After using their brute strength for an hour, all of them collapsed from exhaustion. Every one of them was covered in sweat as they watched Song Ye kicked or punched at regularly but thoroughly. They felt an undeniable sense of defeat. Finally, she also collapsed from exhaustion after two hours. At the end of the day, a fifteen-year-old body wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain unless it had gone through rigorous training. Perhaps, her body had been strengthened by superhuman powers. She didn¡¯t display any signs of exhaustion when she woke up the next morning. As lithe as a swallow, she got up and went to school. Her zombie-like subordinates greeted her at the school gate. Muscle aches and stiffness in limbs were common side effects after exercise. Even an active fifteen- or sixteen-year-old could escape after rigorous training. All the youths looked pale. Song Ye was the only one who thought it wasn¡¯t sufficient. She walked across the basketball court, saw the fine weather, and promptly announced, ¡°Let¡¯s have a friendly match after school. Thirty minutes will be deducted from the training for the winning team.¡± It was between a pain that was as good as death and minimizing training hours. They fought it out during the friendly match which attracted countless audiences. Boys and girls flocked over to watch and cheered for them. The school prince, Xu Zihang, received the loudest cheer of all. ¡°Go, Master Xu! Go, Master Xu!¡± ¡°Master Xu, you are the best!¡± ¡­ Xu Zihang¡¯s face was turning greener in the midst of this loud cheering. His body was obviously falling apart. However, because of his famous name, he had to force himself into good postures. Among the stiff-limbed youths, someone soon noticed an exceptionally nimble silhouette. Under the rays of sunlight, the slender figure was wearing an oversized T-shirt and appeared smaller compared to the others. However, her actions were quick like a serpent. The huge basketball seemed like a toy in her palm with every action she made. What attracted people¡¯s attention the most was her fair and exquisite face. The layer of sweat made her so beautiful that she resembled a prince from the comics. Once again, the girls by the court went into a state of craze. ¡°Oh¡­ which class is he from? He¡¯s so handsome!¡± ¡°Besides Master Xu, I never thought there would be such a handsome boy. He¡¯s prettier than a girl.¡± ¡­ Although Song Ye shot to fame when she first joined her class, not many people in the school could link her face with her name. After all, her eloquent look was meant to confuse people in the first place. Nevertheless, among so many students in school, there was bound to be one or two persons who knew Song Ye. Take for example Wang Han who had prepared mineral water and towel for Xu Zihang when she heard about this friendly match. Chapter 41 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wang Han had a feeling: she and Song Ye were definitely arch-nemesis; otherwise, why would Song Ye always be around to make things difficult for her? The former had broken one of her fingernails in the ladies¡¯ room yesterday. Wang Han could feel her finger getting a spasm when she recalled the memory now. Song Ye actually dared to have her arms around Xu Zihang, Wang Han¡¯s crush, during their match. It was obviously to show her momentum of fighting for the boy. Hatred from the past and present burnt in Wang Han¡¯s heart. Just when she was thinking of how she could fight for her own happiness, a cute and petite girl tucked at her sleeve meekly. ¡°Senior, do you know Song Ye? Can you help me to call out for her? I¡¯m her sister.¡± Sister? Shocked, Wang Han turned sideways to look at the girl as she asked doubtfully, ¡°If you are Song Ye¡¯s younger sister, why isn¡¯t there any resemblance between the both of you?¡± The girl might look adorable. However, when compared to Song Ye who looked like a fairy from heaven, this girl was a mere mortal from earth. ¡°M-my¡­ my name is Song Meimei. Song Ye is my older sister. I¡¯m telling the truth. I know she has just been transferred from the fifth class to the first, and she has left home.¡± Song Meimei hastily explained. Her head was low, but there was an extremely fierce expression on her face. The thing she loathed most was the look of suspicion on other¡¯s faces. It was a constant reminder to herself that she wasn¡¯t as good-looking as Song Ye. ¡°You said Song Ye left home?¡± Wang Han didn¡¯t care about the relationship between the girl and Song Ye. What interested her the most at the moment was how she was going to get back at Song Ye after she was defeated the last time. Song Meimei rolled her eyes. She pulled Wang Han to a corner so she could exaggerate her story¡ªturning Song Ye into an incorrigible, abusive youth who beat her parents, abandoned her home, and had improper relationships with older men. Wang Han¡¯s eyes shone as she listened. She couldn¡¯t wait to tell Xu Zihang what she had just heard. Very quickly, she turned and left to plot her scheme. A sneer appeared on Song Meimei¡¯s adorable face as she watched Wang Han¡¯s departing silhouette. ¡°Stupid woman. Let¡¯s see how much trouble you¡¯re going to stir. Song Ye¡­ hahaha. Don¡¯t think you can have all the fame to yourself.¡± Song Ye was preoccupied with the friendly match on the basketball court. She was clueless that someone had been talking about her. Everyone was covered with sweat after the match. Before the group of girls could flock over to hand them towels and water, she led her team back to the training ground. After training for a whole week, everyone had lost considerable weight. However, their stamina and spirit had also improved. They became more tolerable to being hit and thrown down. Yun Hua had more freedom after school hours. She spent most of her time at the training ground, pushing herself during training. As a result of her hard work, her stamina was much better than Xu Zihang and the dozens of others in the group. One afternoon, Song Ye was walking towards the school gate after she finished her routine of playing basketball. The cell phone in her pocket suddenly rang. She grabbed the phone and saw Yun Hua¡¯s name on display. What could be the matter at this time of the day? Puzzled, she answered the call; but all she could hear was the chaotic background. She could vaguely hear the sound of things being broken. ¡°Sister Yun, where are you?¡± Song Ye paused in her steps. Suddenly, her expression became somber. She finally heard Yun Hua¡¯s breathless voice from the other end after a long time. It was filled with anxiety. ¡°Song Ye, I¡¯m at the bar on Number four, Cloud Street. Some people are here to find trouble with our night helpers. I became their target the instant I arrived.¡± After these periods of training, Yun Hua was very skilled and calm when she handled things. The situation must be extremely critical for her to behave so anxiously. ¡°Find a place and hide. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Song Ye ordered. She hung up and promptly rushed over to the bar on Cloud Street. ¡­ Song Ye explained the situation on her way there. Xu Zihang and a few others could not hold themselves back. They started cursing and reached for their guns. ¡°The situation has been tense lately; we must not use any guns. Our priority is to save people.¡± Song Ye knew they would attract the military attention if there was a shooting incident. Should that be the case, she might not be able to escape because her foundation was weak. Fortunately for her¡ªover this period, Xu Zihang and the rest had looked up to her as their leader and followed her lead. Since Song Ye had made her point, they had to prioritize their mission no matter how angry they were. There were only two hooligans at the entrance of the bar on Cloud Street. Regardless of day or night and no matter what happened inside¡ªas long as it was contained within the bar, things would appear to be peaceful outside. That would also explain why Zhou Zheng dared to conduct business transactions for heroin. Song Ye left Wang Tiechuan at the entrance to deal with the two hooligans while she led Xu Zihang and the rest, and sneaked in through the back. Once they entered the dimly lit bar, they were slammed by the loud music. It sent a deafening sensation to their eardrums, and they could feel their heads pounding and hearts slamming against their chests. It took a while for them to accustom themselves to the music before they could hear the crashing sound at the front dance floor. ¡°Bring a few men with you and search every room. Sister Yun should be hiding somewhere nearby.¡± Song Ye roughly deduced Yun Hua¡¯s location from the sound of their telephone conversation earlier and immediately began to instruct Xu Zihang who was beside her. However, after a long time, she didn¡¯t see anyone responding even though she was done talking. Frowning, Song Ye looked up and stared directly at the other person. Being the recipient of a frosty glare caused Xu Zihang to retreat a step after he came to his senses. Then, came his belated reply. ¡°Oh¡­ okay. Be careful.¡± Song Ye felt that Xu Zihang¡¯s reaction was a bit weird, but she didn¡¯t have the time to find out what was the cause of it. She sped towards the front hall right after she had assigned the tasks. Xu Zihang placed a hand on his chest. He could clearly hear his heart pumping under the colorful and dim lights. The music surrounding them was so deafening; they had to lean close to each other when they speak; that was the only way they could hear each other. The instant when Song Ye¡¯s body leaned over to him, Xu Zihang happened to look down: her smooth forehead, those pair of eyes that shined like amber from the light reflection, and her slightly thin lips when she talked. Everything was too perfect. All of a sudden, his heart skipped a beat. At that moment, it became apparent to him that the person who was standing before him was just a girl. No matter how awesome or mighty she might be, she was still a teenage girl like him. This excitement and emotions came so abruptly for the youth. As a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old teenager, he was completely unprepared. Nevertheless, he knew deep down that a considerable distance still separated him and Song Ye. To a thirty-year-old woman who had not had the opportunity to experience love, it was impossible for Song Ye to detect a teenager¡¯s worries. Within seconds, she had cast the thought to the back of her mind as she rushed to rescue Yun Hua. She could hear the commotion as she approached closer to the front hall. There must be more than a few troublemakers. Song Ye sneaked into the lounge and changed into the service staffs¡¯ uniform. She even managed to find a baseball cap that she put on. After she had completed her disguise, she swaggered into the front hall. More than a dozen people holding melon knives came to smash the place. They were interrogating the few men, who were guarding the bar, and stepping on their faces. ¡°Was that bitch a member of the Night Gang? Where did she go? Speak!¡± The few hooligans stomped on the man who was laying on the floor to vent their anger probably because they couldn¡¯t find Yun Hua. ¡°Bah! It should be our turn to run the show now that Zhou Zheng, that old geezer, is dead. What is Night Gang? You can¡¯t even compare yourselves to those guys at the West Street.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Members of the Night Gang are cowards. You don¡¯t even dare to show yourselves. If the Night Gang doesn¡¯t show up, Cloud Street might be better off being managed by West Street.¡± The men chipped in one after another in provocation. While they were getting ahead of themselves, they heard a sudden loud bang. Bam! The glass broke, and shards littered the floor. One of the cocky hooligans, who had been laughing earlier, closed his eyes as he fell onto the floor like a fallen tree. Chapter 42 - Set Regulations The shards of glass on the floor reflected pretty and flirtatious rays from the dazzling lighting. Blood began to pool around the hooligan¡¯s head as he lay on his back. It was a direct and decisive hit which showed how hard the assailant had hit him. The rest of them were obviously in shock as their eyes followed the man as he fell. They looked up at a place where the light had just flashed past and saw the silhouette of a slender youth. He did not stand out in the group with a baseball cap on his head. No one would have believed a youth with such tiny arms could cause another to become unconscious with one hit if they hadn¡¯t seen the broken bottle in his hand. ¡°Hey, brat! What are you doing?¡± They regained their senses. Locating the whereabouts of the Night Gang member through interrogation was no longer their interest. The hooligans gathered in a circle around the slender youth and kept him in the middle. He wore his cap low with its brim covering most of his face. One could only see his exquisite fair chin under the dim lighting. He threw the broken bottle away, showing no fear although he was outnumbered by the people who stood around him. With his hands around his hips, he said in a low voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking for us? I am a member of the Night Gang.¡± ¡°What?¡± The dozen hooligans were dumbfounded. They sized up the youth and laughed. All of a sudden, they were overjoyed. ¡°Hahaha¡­ are you with the Night Gang? Is this a child¡¯s game, or there¡¯s no one left in the gang? A little thing like you had to show up to gain sympathy.¡± The noisy music had been turned off by now. The hooligans¡¯ sarcastic laughter could be heard throughout the bar. Even the Night Gang¡¯s men who had been guarding the bar began to cast a doubtful look at each other. In their mind, a question was puzzling them: why did the gang send a woman and a child to represent them? The corners of the youth¡¯s lips lifted as he faced these despicable men, and he took his time to retaliate coolly. ¡°Our boss thinks sending me alone to deal with scumbags like you is more than sufficient.¡± The roaring laughter stopped abruptly. The hooligans¡¯ expression turned sinister in an instant. They glared at the arrogant youth who had spoken nonsense. ¡°Brat, you must be damn tired of living.¡± ¡°Humph¡­ let¡¯s see about that.¡± The youth sneered, completely ignoring the sound of cracking knuckles from the men. ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time. All off you can attack me at the same time.¡± The dozen men were in their early twenties, hotheaded, and unable to withstand any form of stimulation. Besides, the person in front of them was clearly weaker. No one would be able to put up with this kind of provocation. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go! Make sure we beat him into a pulp.¡± The order has been issued. More than a dozen pairs of hands balled into fists as they attacked in fury and unison. The force of their punches was so strong that it created a gust of wind. How they wished they could smash the youth¡¯s bones with just one punch! Outnumbered by at least one to ten, no one believed the youth had any chance of retaliating. Members of the Night Gang couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for the youth¡¯s stubborn words. However, at that moment of regret, the dozen pairs of fists were about to touch the youth¡¯s body. He then vanished right before their eyes. The group of hooligans saw a blur, and then he disappeared. They were surprised when a slim elbow swept across their eyes followed by a miserable shriek. One of them suddenly flew backward. Bang! There was a loud crash when his body landed on a glass tabletop, shattering it in the process. After that, complete silence¡­ ¡°F***! What just happened? Argh!¡± The unforeseen event shook the hooligans. One of them wanted to rush over to his companion but received a sudden kick which sent him flying toward the glass tables. He landed right on top of the man who had shattered the tabletop. The rotating light shined on them. The crowd saw that youth¡¯s slender silhouette moved around nimbly. His elbow definitely looked fair and weak, but the impact of his punches was so great that it sent people flying. Every action he displayed resembled more like an elegant dance. There was nothing violent about it. One. Two. Three. One punch for each man. The youth even managed to shove all the hooligans to one place as he dealt with each of them. He didn¡¯t slow down until he had put the last man down. Then, he adjusted his collar like a gentleman. ¡°Ow¡­¡± The group of hooligans laid on top of one another like a pyramid. They had been so aggressive and insufferably arrogant just a while ago. At this moment, they felt humiliated. ¡°So¡­ are you still looking for the Night Gang?¡± The youth stood in front of the broken glass tables and asked in a low and cold voice. His face remained covered by the brim of his cap. This time, the hooligans were terrified when he spoke as though he was the devil. Their leader¡¯s voice trembled with fear as he begged for mercy, ¡°Buddy¡­ pl-please¡­ it¡¯s our fault. We failed to recognize a formidable person like you. Please forgive us. We will never come here again.¡± ¡°Again?¡± The young man¡¯s tone rose slightly, and he seemed to be thinking about something. Finally, he picked up a melon knife from the ground and put it against the neck of the hooligan¡¯s leader. Word by word, he explained, ¡°There will be an ¡®again¡¯ if you¡¯re not dead.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t kill me,¡± he replied in a sobbing tone because the coldness on his neck terrified him. ¡°W-West Street sent us here simply to scout for information. It¡¯s really none of our business.¡± When the youth heard that, he removed the knife and nodded¡ªa rare sign to show his agreement. ¡°It¡¯s useless to kill you since you¡¯re not the mastermind, but¡­¡± At this point, his sudden pause and tone of voice caused one¡¯s heartbeat to accelerate. Then, a cold resolution filled the youth¡¯s voice. ¡°My boss doesn¡¯t like trouble. To prevent any problems in the future, I will set a regulation. From now on, anyone who dares to come and bother the Night Gang will have to leave a hand behind.¡± The final word ended on a heavy note, and so did the knife in the youth¡¯s hand. Everyone present in the bar watched in horror as he chopped the man¡¯s exposed arm off in one swift move. Nothing was left below his elbow, not even the tendons or bones. ¡°AHH!¡± A girl witnessed the bloody scene. Unable to control herself, she screamed. A chill crept into everyone as her voice accompanied the mournful cries from the hooligan. The news of Zhou Zheng, Land Tiger¡¯s boss, being killed by the Night Gang had spread earlier. Those who had not seen it with their own eyes were unimpressed with this novice gang. Perhaps, they might be fearful. Nevertheless, that fear was not as real as what they had felt today. The boy before them was just a teenager, and yet his methods were ruthless and decisive. What about his boss? One could only imagine how frightening it would be to see the leader of the Night Gang. All of them couldn¡¯t stop themselves from their own imagination, but they dared not dwell further into it. What would it take for one to survive in the Night Gang? ¡­ Xu Zihang and the others had found Yun Hua when Song Ye left via the back door. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t wounded. All of them headed back to the training ground without any further delay. On the way, Song Ye asked about West Street. ¡°Cloud City might have Land Tiger, the only organized gang. However, things at West Street have been chaotic. Their members have been forming small groups, earning protection fees by defending their own turfs. Even Land Tiger was at a loss as to how to handle them.¡± Xu Zihang started frowning when he talked about West Street. There was also caution in his voice. Song Ye took off her cap. She sat on the window sill as the cold wind to blow at the fallen locks of hair at her forehead. They entered her line of vision, and everything became black. After a long time, she merely said, ¡°Two tigers cannot share one mountain. It¡¯s time to clean up West Street.¡± Chapter 43 - Eliminating West Street Song Ye was not a kind-hearted person, and she would never ask for trouble by indulging her enemies. Usually, when she discovered things were abnormal, she would choose to strike first and eliminate the threat before anything could happen. West Street had ordered this group of hooligans to come and create trouble at the bar. When she made one of them as an example to the others, a vendetta had already been formed between Song Ye and the West Street gangs. Outsiders were observing the Night Gang as the new owner of the Land Tiger gang. Those small gangs at West Street had been coveting the chance to share their loot. Now would be the perfect time to strike while the iron was still hot. It would be easy to eliminate them one by one because they were not united. The hair-raising evening finally came to an end after they were done discussing their battle plan. When this night was over, word would spread across the whole Cloud City. One could afford to offend anyone else but not the Night Gang. If one did, one would lose one¡¯s life. Whenever one spoke about the boss of the Night Gang, one would address him respectfully as ¡®Master Night¡¯. ¡°Master Night. Master Ye. Haha¡­ what a stroke of luck! It fits you perfectly.¡± Xu Zihang kept harping on it after that with a look of agreement. Song Ye remained indifferent about what outsiders were saying. She continued to act as she wished. One night after she sent Yun Hua back to the jewelry store, she had gone back to the guest house later. However, she noticed someone was spying on her from a distance. The lady boss of the guest house stopped her at the reception area just as she was about to take a look. ¡°Hey. Are you going in or not, Ms. Song? I have been waiting for ages for you to come back. I feel so sleepy.¡± The lady boss saw Song Ye in a server¡¯s uniform, and a look disdain flashed across her eyes. She probably thought Song Ye was doing some dirty work. Even the way she spoke was impolite. Song Ye was positive that no one had recognized her at the bar earlier in her disguise. That should also be the case when she was on her way back, too. With that thought, she shifted her attention back, glanced at the fat middle-aged woman, and went into her room wordlessly. It might be time to look for a proper place to stay. For the rest of the week, Song Ye continued to leave early and return late at night. She would spend her time after school hours in various bars to make queries about the underground network in search of a source for K powder. However, all her efforts had been in vain until one week later. Xu Zihang had penetrated West Street¡¯s small gangs with other members. He brought back a briefcase during one of the negotiations. It was at that moment when Song Ye understood why Zhou Zheng dared not make his move on West Street. ¡°He wasn¡¯t afraid of the firepower from West Street. He was more worried he would sever ties with his supplier and put an end to his business dealings.¡± Song Ye tossed a packet of white powder-like substance back into the briefcase. She gathered that the small gangs at West Street were probably Zhou Zheng¡¯s underground network for smuggling these things. The guns she had taken previously might come from West Street, too. The men seated at the table looked at each other. For a moment, they were silent. More than a dozen pairs of eyes locked on the substance in the briefcase wordlessly. They knew these were harmful drugs. Moreover, Xu Zihang¡¯s younger[a] sister had lost her life over these things, too. Alas, he had been quiet throughout. He even sat with his eyes closed, not exchanging looks with anyone. Naturally, no one dared to offer any suggestions to Song Ye because Xu Zihang remained silent. After all, she was capable of murder. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible if she decided to have a hand in the drug business. Song Ye was exceptionally calm as she reached out to close the briefcase while the rest remained quiet. She pushed the case right in front of Xu Zihang. ¡°Hand this over to the police. We will sit and wait to reap the rewards in this war.¡± In her opinion, they could do without the revenue from the drug business. Besides, this pool of water was too deep and unsuitable for the Night Gang to swim in. It would be better for them if the credit went to the police. That would pave the way for the gang and smoothen things once the police knew the gang was the mastermind for this contribution. Xu Zihang¡¯s attitude was another reason that made her give up this fat piece of meat. The experience of betrayal from her previous life had shown Song Ye how Xu Zihang¡¯s silence and loyalty at this point outweighed the many benefits. Xu Zihang opened his eyes and stared at the briefcase for a long time. Finally, a bright smile appeared on his face. ¡°Okay!¡± At this moment, he was really glad he had met Song Ye; and he imprinted her deep in his heart. The situation in Cloud City changed like the weather for the next two weeks. The sound of police sirens around the clock was disturbing to its residents. There were constant updates on the daily news reports with details about the arrest of the criminals from West Street. Even Qin Zhan who had been staying in the mountains had heard of the reports. ¡°Major, the commotions in Cloud City this time were caused by the internal conflicts among the small gangs in West Street. The drug lead was something they found by chance. Things have been really chaotic at West Street. The police are having issues, and they want to enlist our help to control the situation.¡± The soldier summarized the contents of the investigation report briefly. Once that had been done, he stood aside and waited for his orders from Qin Zhan who was seated behind his desk. Dead silence filled the simply decorated office. The man behind the desk was looking down as he perused a document. The pen in his hand rustled against the paper making a scratching sound. He finally asked after a prolonged silence, ¡°Besides drugs, did they manage to locate the guns which have been circulating outside?¡± ¡°No,¡± the soldier replied confidently without hesitation. Qin Zhan didn¡¯t even frown. Instead, he rejected the police department¡¯s request without hesitation. ¡°Tell them we are unavailable. Put the document down and continue with the surveillance.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The soldier saluted. He placed the document neatly before he turned around and left the room. It was dinner time when Qin Zhan finally had some free time to look through the report given by the police. He skipped the information regarding the small gangs of West Street. Then, his eyes landed on two words that appeared occasionally¡ªNight Gang. There were just a few words to describe the novice gang. However, Qin Zhan could tell from between the lines that this new gang was not that simple to deal with. Whether it was their rise overnight or their dormancy during this turbulent time, he was sure all their actions came from an extremely mature and insightful leader. He was unconvinced that the internal conflicts within West Street had nothing to do with Night Gang. He was also curious to see what Night Gang would do after this riot was over. The military police had always performed their duties. The police were requesting their assistance in the city area now because they were concerned they couldn¡¯t appease the citizens if innocents were wounded in the process. That was why they decided to rope the firepower from the military. Qin Zhan was not that dumb to become someone else¡¯s underling. At this moment, Song Ye was attending class in school. She had no idea that a male eagle was becoming interested in her. Recently, there were periodic examinations. As a substitute student in the first class, Song Ye¡¯s teachers had been paying close attention to her progress. She was selected in almost every class to answer questions. After school, she had to do exercises to improve her grades. Although those practice questions were boring, Song Ye¡¯s mood had been quite good lately. That was because she realized she had grown taller. Her height measurement had surpassed the last one. Those basketball matches and long-distance running had helped her to grow taller. If her estimation was right, she would be one hundred and seventy centimeters tall when she was promoted to a freshman. [a]Wasn¡¯t it older sister? Chapter 44 - A Dispute Caused by Photographs It had been a month since the Night Gang took over the Land Tiger and became their leader, but some of their territories were still taking a hit. On top of that, the attack on West Street had the whole city talking. The Night Gang maintained a front of seclusion. In reality, they had been busy tightening their defenses so they could be the first on the scene to take over the resources once the police pulled out. During this time, Xu Zihang and the rest did not act together with Song Ye. They left when school hours were over while Song Ye had to stay behind for supplementary classes. Once she was done, she would meet them at the training ground. For one month, Song Ye had been moving around on her own. Everyone thought she was helpless and alone. Many girls were secretly waiting for her to break down and cry. However, after one month of waiting, Song Ye¡¯s mood became even better. Not only was she praised by her teachers for answering every question correctly during class, but she even seemed to enjoy her supplementary classes after school. Her behavior puzzled everyone. It also caused her enemies to be extremely frustrated. Wang Han found the whole situation unbearable. She dialed that telephone number. ¡°Ms. Wang, how are you?¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded creepy from the other end of the telephone. Wang Han frowned. She bit on her lip and asked, ¡°What have you gathered so far?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The man¡¯s shrill and awkward laughter sounded from the other end of the receiver. ¡°It¡¯s more than enough to destroy someone¡¯s reputation.¡± He was full of himself. ¡°Really?¡± Wang Han¡¯s heart leaped with joy. She turned around secretly and looked at the girl across the classroom. She saw the rays of sunlight shining on the girl¡¯s face glorifying her features. For a moment, Wang Han¡¯s heart was flooded by waves of jealousy. ¡°Send it out. I want her to disappear completely from my sight.¡± She would regain the school belle¡¯s name and Xu Zihang¡¯s attention as long as Song Ye was no longer in the picture. In fact, Song Ye had long discovered that Wang Han was carrying the latest model and an expensive mobile phone with her. Cloud City was a small place. It already was rare to see a person like Xu Zihang who wanted to seek revenge for his younger[a] sister. What would an arrogant and willful Wang Han do? Song Ye saw her as a harmless fly. Anyway, the girl had gained nothing from the trouble she created the last time. Soon, however, Song Ye found out that even a fly could bite. On the morning of the monthly test, there were no classes for students. Many had waited to show up when it was almost time to take the test. Song Ye arrived late as she had to deal with things regarding West Street. She carried her pencil case and entered the classroom. Countless pairs of eyes stared at her in unison. The principal, who was standing at the platform, stormed over with a furious look. One knew something bad was coming up. She scanned the classroom in a rush and saw the gloating expression on Wang Han¡¯s face. She felt someone grab her arm just when she was about to say something. She turned around and met an anxious-looking Xu Zihang. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take the usual route via those stairs? Something has happened. You¡­¡± ¡°You must be Song Ye.¡± Before Xu Zihang could finish, she heard the principal¡¯s voice. Under the circumstances, Song Ye didn¡¯t panic. Instead, she nodded politely. ¡°Yes, Principal. I am Song Ye.¡± Initially, the principal had been fuming. But, when he saw Xu Zihang¡¯s hand on Song Ye¡¯s elbow, his old face became longer than a horse¡¯s. ¡°Hmph! What impression are you trying to give to the others by consorting in public?¡± Song Ye was shocked. She never thought she would be scolded so early in the morning. Her expression turned cold. ¡°May I know why you are looking for me?¡± Students at this age were usually afraid of their parents or the principal. They would cry after being scolded and would try to appeal for sympathy. The principal made it a point to come today with the sole purpose of looking for her, but he had to wait for a full thirty minutes. He had been furious. When he saw the look of indifference on Song Ye¡¯s face, it became unbearable for him as he choked with anger. He had no outlet to vent his frustration. As he thought of the things he had received this morning, the way he looked at Song Ye became more hostile. ¡°Come with me to my office. This boy, too. Whoever has any ties to you must come.¡± What did he mean by ¡®ties¡¯? And it had to do with boys¡­ Song Ye¡¯s heart sank. She could roughly guess the nature of the topic. True enough¡ªthe moment they entered the office, the principal threw all pretenses away as he tossed a stack of photographs in front of Song Ye. Each picture was taken when she had been standing at the entrance of the guest house[b]. Some captured her side profile when she returned to the guest house late at night. There were also some of her about to alight from Zhao Zhen¡¯s car when he had sent her back. From the dates shown on the bottom of all the photographs, they were taken two days before the incident at the bar on Cloud Street. It proved that her suspicions at that time were correct. The principal continued to sneer when he saw her deeply-knitted eyebrows, ¡°Hmph. Are you scared now? You students don¡¯t learn good behaviors. Instead, you preferred to fool around all day long. Since this is out in the open now, I suggest it is wiser for you to explain yourself honestly. Otherwise, don¡¯t think about going back to class for the rest of the day.¡± He would be retiring next year. All his life, his performance in Third Middle School had been average without any major slip-up. The thought of a safe retirement went out the window with this unforeseen and embarrassing ?expos¨¦. He would have to resign as principal if someone was to upload this onto the internet. At this point, Song Ye¡¯s heart sank even further uncontrollably. It wasn¡¯t because of these photographs. She was astonished by her own carelessness. Someone had been taking her pictures secretly for two consecutive days, and yet she had not noticed it. It would be a fatal mistake if this had happened in her previous life. She smiled sadly. It seemed that the ease of the situation in this life had made her lose her guard. Nevertheless, the way this old principal had put things too vulgarly. She looked at him in indifference. ¡°Principal, what exactly do you want me to explain?¡± ¡°Stop acting dumb!¡± The old principal¡¯s blood began to boil as he looked at the fearless Song Ye. ¡°Who brought you to the motel? How are you related to the man who had sent you back? Why are you loitering outside every day and not going home? What immoral businesses have you been doing?¡± He bombarded her with questions that were cruel and sharp like a knife. He only realized he had forgotten to close his office door when he was done shouting. By then, a crowd had gathered outside his doorway. There was a commotion among students and teachers alike. Wang Han¡¯s lips curled into a nasty smile which showed on her face as she stood in the crowd. She had intentionally brought everyone over here so they could witness this moment. She wanted them to step on Song Ye as though she was the mud on the ground. She wanted them to remember her disgusting behavior whenever they looked at her pretty face. The situation was heating up. All this while, Xu Zihang had been silent. Suddenly, he roared, ¡°Bulllsh*t! You have no proof. How can you slander Song Ye with just a few photographs? Is this how an educator like you should be behaving? If what has happened today proved to be false, how are you going to compensate Song Ye for smearing her reputation? Let me tell you: I believe in Song Ye. I won¡¯t allow anyone to humiliate her!¡± His last words were resonating and powerful. Everyone stared, in a state of shock. [a]If it¡¯s older, don¡¯t forget to change this one, too. [b]I believe the other TLs used hostel for this. Guest house sounds too innocent, hehe. Chapter 45 - Wang Han as a Witness In Third Middle School, everyone knew that there was a Xu Zihang who was very handsome, excellent in his studies, and good at basketball; making him the dream prince in the entire school. However, this person was very rebellious and had a ruffian vibe. His personality was very cold and cool, and he would not bat an eye at girls. Many girls, who jumped at Xu Zihang, all died under his cold exterior. However, today, they actually saw him lose control and become so angry until he lost his gentlemanliness¡ªall for a girl. Even the principal was shocked. After all, he only called Xu Zihang over to put on a show as the Xu family¡¯s background was not simple; and he did not want to offend them. However, Xu Zihang¡¯s actions shocked him beyond words. It was also rare for Song Ye to see Xu Zihang lose his temper, but since it was her own business, she never intended to let others stand up for her. She bent down to pick up the photos from the floor as she said coldly. ¡°Just with these photoshop skills, I can fabricate a lot of evidence.¡± ¡°What did you say? Photoshop?¡± The principal just recovered from his shock and took a photo to look at it slowly. He knitted his brows tightly. ¡°Did you say this photo is fake? I think you¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, Principal, you can lend me your computer.¡± Song Ye raised her fingers to point at the computer on the table. Since she saw the photo when she came in, she did not think that it posed any threat to her. Filled with doubts, the principal stared at her but agreed in the end. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll see how you prove it.¡± In this day and age, computers were still a new thing and were very expensive. In the entire Third Middle School, only the principal¡¯s office had this one set. Normally, it was only used for display. Hence, when Third Middle School turned the computer on and operated it, the crowd outside the room stretched their necks in to watch on curiously. Song Ye simply inputted codes into the software and scanned the photo into the computer before changing it up. They all watched Song Ye¡¯s agile fingers make ¡®kada, kada¡¯ noises on the keyboard and pull up all sorts of symbols on the dull computer screen. She changed the entrance of the hostel to that of the school and added a tree above Song Ye, which seemed perfectly normal. ¡°This¡­¡± The principal was shocked until his mouth was agape, soon wiping his reading glasses in disbelief. He looked at the before and after pictures, but he could not even tell the difference. He was doubtful about the truth of the matter and was also shocked at Song Ye¡¯s skills. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so familiar with the computer.¡± Looking at the entire Cloud City, there were only a handful of people who had computer skills, and the old principal really did not expect a small place like Third Middle School to produce a genius. Song Ye placed both photos on the computer table and stood up to ask. ¡°Now, is there anything that Principal wants me to explain?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± He was stumped by this simple sentence, with no raise in tone or great use of vocabulary. When he thought of the words he said earlier, the old principal was extremely awkward. He turned his head to cough dryly. ¡°Ahem, since there is insufficient evidence, then we¡¯ll just like this slide. However, there¡¯s no smoke without fire. You need to be more aware of your actions and your words in the future.¡± He was a leader so he had to leave some face for himself when he let her off. However, it was a pity that the person he met with was no softie that could allow him to do whatever he wanted. Song Ye raised her eyes and threw the photo in her hands to the principal. Her face looked relaxed. ¡°Like what Xu Zihang said just now, the old principal had ruined my reputation and caused me to have to carry this bad name. So many teachers and students have witnessed it¡­ I wonder how Principal will make up for my loss.¡± Normally, she would just watch on and did not like to poke into other people¡¯s business; but this did not mean that she would keep quiet when other people trampled all over her. The old principal was stunned. Instantly, his face darkened as he was very angry about Song Ye¡¯s relentless attitude in his heart. However, so many people had seen him accuse her. If he did not apologize¡­ When he thought of the consequence, he knitted his brows and fought the anger to open his mouth. ¡°Hold up.¡± Suddenly, there was a girl¡¯s voice coming from the crowd, and a slim figure walked into the room. She raised her hand and pointed at Song Ye. ¡°Principal, you¡¯re not wrong. It¡¯s Song Ye who is lying. I can be a witness. I saw Song Ye coming in and out of the hostel, and I also know where the place is. If Principal doesn¡¯t believe me, you can go down personally to ask.¡± The person who suddenly appeared broke the awkward atmosphere and had made it stranger. By the side, Xu Zihang knitted his brows and sneered. ¡°Wang Han, what are you trying to do?¡± Even if he did not care much about girls, he was very sensitive about the people and things around Song Ye. From the very start, this Wang Han was at odds with Song Ye. Now that she stood up to stand against her, she must have ill intentions. When Wang Han saw that the first person who questioned her was not Song Ye¡ªbut Xu Zihang; her heart turned sour, and her jealousy raged on. She lowered her head to pretend to be indignant. ¡°I just can¡¯t watch on without saying anything when Song Ye clearly did something wrong, and yet she¡¯s still being unreasonable. She is staying at a hostel and is provided for by a rich businessman. Those photos are real.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Xu Zihang stepped forward, and his face was so dark until it frightened people; causing Wang Han to move backward. ¡°If you say nonsense again, I won¡¯t be nice to you anymore.¡± Even though he had never hit women before, it did not mean that he would never do it. Wang Han¡¯s body trembled, and she raised her head to look at Xu Zihang. Instantly, fear filled her eyes. Luckily, the principal immediately opened his mouth to stop everything. ¡°Enough! Xu Zihang, you¡¯re scaring your classmate. Whether Song Ye did it or not, we will know after we check. Even if you threaten her, Third Middle School will never keep an immoral student.¡± The meaning behind his word was that he suspected Song Ye again. Song Ye, who was standing at the side the entire time, raised her eyes to look at Wang Han. When the other party flashed a guilty look, she opened her mouth calmly. ¡°If you want to find out the truth behind the matter, you can wait until I visit the washroom.¡± The old principal stared at Song Ye as he knitted his brows and thought that she would not dare to escape on the excuse of peeing. ¡°Mm, fifteen minutes later, we will meet at the front gate and go over together.¡± Xu Zihang wanted to discuss the strategies with Song Ye, but she instructed, ¡°You watch Wang Han. Don¡¯t let her have any communications with the outside world.¡± Afterward, Song Ye went to the washroom and called Yun Hua. ¡°Sister Yun, I need you to do one thing for me¡­¡± Fifteen minutes later, the principal drove his car over. The old car wobbled on as many students watched as it drove toward the hostel that was not far away from the school. The whole way there, a bakery car had caused a traffic jam for twenty minutes. By the time they reached the hostel entrance, it was already close to noon. The hostel¡¯s entrance was very quiet and even a little desolate. Separated by the glass door, they could see the lady boss at the reception flipping her book. The old principal led a few teachers down the car, followed by Song Ye and Wang Han. When they entered the door, the lady boss immediately jumped up. ¡°Aiyo, I was right. I shouldn¡¯t have accepted this student. She¡¯s immoral herself and would even ruin the hostel¡¯s reputation.¡± Chapter 46 - Shes the One who Lives Here The principal, who was walking at the front, was stunned; and the few teachers behind them all widened their eyes. Did the lady boss¡¯s words not prove that there was a student who came to book a room in the hostel? ¡°Ahem, Madam, don¡¯t you worry. I just came here to make things clear. We won¡¯t affect your business.¡± The old principal awkwardly wiped his old face and felt that he was too tired out and anxious over a student at his old age, causing him to be even more furious towards Song Ye in his heart. ¡°Oh, oh, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± The lady boss patted her chest as if she heaved a sigh of relief. When her eyes swept past the thin figure at the entrance, she lowered her head in fear. When Song Ye walked up slowly, the old principal sneered. ¡°Things have already become like this. Do you want to explain this yourself, or do you want other people to expose you?¡± Song Ye was unaffected and put her hands in her pockets as if she did not care. ¡°I have nothing to explain.¡± ¡°You¡­ hmph, you¡¯re incorrigible. Don¡¯t even think about coming to school anymore.¡± The old principal was so angry until he glared at her. He had never seen such a stubborn student in his life. He turned his head towards the lady boss and directly asked, ¡°Madam, look carefully. Does this student come to your hostel often? And is there a man that always comes to find her?¡± Since Song Ye did not want to admit it at all, then there was no reason for Third Middle School to protect this kind of student. Once the lady boss said the truth, he would immediately go back and expel Song Ye. The whole bunch of teachers darkened their faces. Even though Song Ye¡¯s grades were good and had a lot of potential¡ªif she really did something shameless, then they would definitely not want her as a student. Among their group, only Wang Han was smiling from ear to ear. She folded her arms and stood at the door as she stared deadly at Song Ye. Her lips would not stop smiling until she heard this sentence. ¡°Hm? Principal, are you mistaken? The one who comes to my place to stay isn¡¯t this student. It¡¯s her.¡± Then, Wang Han saw a finger pointing towards her; everyone¡¯s gaze landed on her, freezing her delightful smile on her face. Slowly but surely, the smile turned into panic. ¡°No, it¡¯s not me. It¡¯s Song Ye; it¡¯s clearly Song Ye. That woman is talking nonsense.¡± She did not care about acting obedient anymore as she raised her voice to accuse her and almost poked her finger into Song Ye¡¯s face. Everyone was frightened by the ferociousness on her face, and even the principal knitted his brows even more. He asked again in disbelief, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t recognize the wrong person. The one who comes to stay here is Song Ye, and she is Wang Han.¡± Wang Han¡¯s grades were always at the top, and he had given a few awards to her; this student was very obedient and mature. Whoever he suspected, it would never be her. However, things were just so unexpected. The lady boss took out a registration card and swore by it. ¡°I¡¯m not mistaken; it is her, Wang Han. The first time she came to book a room, I was not too willing; but I only agreed because this girl looked obedient and had even claimed that the man beside her was her uncle. Back then, I was still thinking that it was outrageous for an uncle to be seeing his niece. Look, it¡¯s her name on the register.¡± She showed the black and white register to the crowd. The old principal took a closer look at it and almost fainted as the name that appeared clearly on the list¡­ was Wang Han. At this time, Wang Han¡ªwho was standing at the entrance¡ªdid not look as relaxed as she did before. She rushed over and stared straight at the list as if she saw a ghost and kept shaking her head to deny it. ¡°No, this is impossible. There can¡¯t be my name on top. It¡¯s not me. Principal, it really isn¡¯t me¡­¡± She had never been to such a place and only found out the hostel¡¯s name the day before, but why did her name appear on the list? She was so frustrated until she broke out in sweat, but she could not think properly and tried her best to explain but to no avail. She looked past the old principal and saw Song Ye standing relaxingly by the wall. Her mind spun, and realization hit her like a hammer. ¡°It¡¯s you! You did it! You wanted to hurt me from the start! Song Ye, you f***ing woman. It¡¯s not enough that you stole Xu Zihang, and you even want to harm me. I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± While she was talking, she yelled and pounced forward. The old principal was taken aback. Before he recovered, his entire self was slammed until he moved backward. The other teachers did not stop her and could only watch on as the obedient Wang Han flew towards Song Ye as if she wanted to ruin her face. However, before she could even touch the corner of Song Ye¡¯s clothes, her wrist was squeezed by the other party. With a tiny bit of effort, Wang Han screamed in pain and collapsed onto the floor. ¡°Please get your facts right. From the very start, you were the one who accused me. You were the one who wanted to come and prove me wrong, and you were also the one who brought us to the hostel. Who will believe you if you said that I wanted to harm you? The teachers present or the principal standing here?¡± Her last sentence was clearly filled with sarcasm; Song Ye¡¯s tone was too calm, and her nonchalance voice actually had a threat underlying it, which made people suffocate. Wang Han lay on the floor and could not explain herself. ¡°It¡¯s not me. It really isn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± She looked at the teachers and the principal, but their disappointed faces only made her hopeless. The thing that she hoped Song Ye would face had turned upon her. Wang Han¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet and could not think it through. In the end, she decisively shut her eyes and fainted. ¡°Aiyo, if you want to faint, don¡¯t faint at my place. It¡¯s really unlucky; please leave and get her out.¡± Once the lady boss saw her faint over, her eyes rolled and immediately started yelling to chase them out, causing such a big commotion until the principal and the teachers¡¯ faces were lost. They could only hurriedly carry Wang Han and leave. Song Ye successfully got herself out of the situation and acted as if nothing happened as she watched the crowd haphazardly carrying Wang Han out, but her face was still as nonchalant as ever. After a while, the lady boss forced a smile and walked forward. ¡°Ms, Ms. Song¡­ previously I failed to recognize a formidable person. Please don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t blame me for it. Are you satisfied with what happened here?¡± Song Ye gave her a look and nodded. ¡°Mm, later, someone will come and take away the things in my room.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I will attend to it properly.¡± The lady boss hurriedly bent her back and waited until Song Ye was out of the door. She then wiped the sweat on her forehead and was very scared. If it was not for the Night Gang people who came knocking on the door, she would not have known that she had a gang leader staying at her place. When she thought about how she screamed and hollered at Song Ye before, she put on her best for this show. If she really offended the Night Gang, she did not need to think about starting a business in this place. After leaving the hostel, she wanted Zhao Zhen to find a place for her to stay so she walked over to the jewelry store slowly. At the next junction, she heard some calls from the opposite side of the road. Once she raised her head, she saw a few youngsters smiling at her and greeting her. Chapter 47 - The Night Gangs Future ¡°Hey, Boss.¡± At the next junction, Song Ye heard some calls from the front. When she raised her head, she saw a group of youngsters waving towards her. Due to training, the waving arms had become much more muscular, and they had become more logical gradually. As the sunlight shone on them, their smiles became more pure and genuine. The youthful aura was prominent, and in this old era, the fifteen-year-old Song Ye looked at them and smiled gently. Fifteen years ago¡ªno matter what, she would never have imagined that her bitter life would have this day of youthfulness. She was wearing her blue and white uniform with her hands in her pockets. She walked towards the group of youngsters as the sunlight shone on her jet black hair. The light that shone down was as if scattered star lights that hid in her black eyes. ¡°Good job!¡± Xu Zihang put on a thumbs-up, and his ever-cool face had a big smile. ¡°When you just left, I was thinking about getting some people to surround the hostel, but Sister Yun called over and said that she had settled everything and even found the person who made the photo. You¡¯re wise, really wise.¡± The few brothers wanted to come over enthusiastically to help her after their examinations, but they never thought that Song Ye had already arranged a good show. Not only did she ask the brothers to drive a bakery car to jam the road and stall for time, but she had also threatened the lady boss to trick the mastermind, Wang Han. When everyone saw Wang Han walk in but get carried out, they were all impressed with their boss¡¯s sinister plan. On the way¡ªwhen Song Ye finally had the time to care about their examinations, she immediately made the youngsters ashamed to no end. ¡°Boss, how can our grades be compared to yours and Brother Xu? You both have the brains and the brawns. It¡¯s good if we don¡¯t fail the subject.¡± Upon hearing that, Song Ye lifted her eyes and asked lightly. ¡°Then, what are your plans for the future?¡± ¡°Plans for the future?¡± Wang Tiechuan scratched her head and looked at the few youngsters. Sheepishly, he said his ambition. ¡°Now that we established the Night Gang, we are very used to this kind of life. Previously, we¡¯ve discussed before in private; and we wanted to all drop out of school after this semester and fight outside. We will follow Boss and make the Night Gang bigger, making Cloud City ours.¡± When talking about his dreams, Wang Tiechuan was so emotional until his face was red; and his voice went up by a few decibels. However, towards their generosity, Song Ye immediately drenched them in cold water. ¡°Taking Cloud City down isn¡¯t difficult. In the future, I won¡¯t guard Cloud City alone. I established the Night Gang to control not only this small town. If you want to stay, I¡¯ll take it as if I¡¯m doing a subset of the gang and leave it to you guys.¡± This was the first time Song Ye brought up her future plans. From the first time they met at the basketball court when Song Ye wanted to be their boss until later when they established the Night Gang, the youngsters were all in a blur. They were very excited as they never dared imagine that one day, they would have the same presence as the previous Low Tiger Gang in this small town. However, at this point, Song Ye said that Cloud City was too small; and her goal was an even bigger city far away. She told them that she might not bring them along. Wang Tiechuan felt his enthusiasm become cold as he stood at the same spot in a daze. ¡°No, no, Boss. We all want to follow you forever.¡± Since they had recognized her as their boss and they formed a group¡ªno matter where she went and what kind of circumstances they met with, they were going to stick together. ¡°The Night Gang won¡¯t be restricted to a small size, and in the future, I would not pick illiterate people with no skills to be the leader.¡± Song Ye decisively expressed her view and walked forward on her own. When Xu Zihang saw the bunch of youngsters being discouraged and in a daze, he wanted to laugh and get angry at the same time. He hit Wang Tiechuan¡¯s forehead and reminded him. ¡°The fact that she was willing to say all of this means that she still has hope for you. Hurry go and chase her!¡± Wang Tiechuan finally realized it in the end, and when he recovered his senses, he hurriedly ran forward. He scratched his head and bent his giant body humbly as he guaranteed. ¡°Boss, we will definitely work hard to study and participate in the examinations. May I know which high school Boss wants to get into?¡± ¡°Stone City.¡± ¡°Ah? That¡¯s at the provincial capital, and all the high schools there are very demanding. I¡¯m afraid our grades will be at the bottom of the class¡­¡± Wang Tiechuan continued to scratch their head as his voice was very depressing. ¡°In the next half a year, I will tutor you guys.¡± The girl¡¯s youthful and low voice sounded as the light breeze blew over. When her words entered Xu Zihang¡¯s ears, he stretched his body and looked up at the blue sky relaxingly. His lips curved up as he broke into a delightful smile and walked towards the thin figure. After the Wang Han incident, Song Ye had moved out of the hostel and moved into the apartment that Zhao Zhen bought for her. The place was more secretive and would not be disturbed by others. When Song Ye saw it, she was very satisfied and brought Yun Hua to stay with her. That day, as the incident disrupted her examination, the class one teacher gave Song Ye a make-up while Wang Han, who had fainted, re-appeared in the school a few days later. When Xu Zihang saw her, he pulled a very long face. The more he thought, the more upset he got; when they were eating lunch at the balcony in the afternoon, he tried to ask what Song Ye thought. ¡°The principal is scared of the Wang family¡¯s background. Should we find someone to punish her?¡± He said it easily and did not feel uncomfortable at all for bullying a girl. However, Song Ye¡ªwho was lying on the floor¡ªopened her eyes and looked at him weirdly, thinking that Wang Han¡¯s heart would definitely shatter into many pieces when she found out that the prince that she liked¡­ had tricked her in secret. ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother with this thing. Just let the news out and return the favor that she wanted to give me.¡± Song Ye placed both her hands behind her head as she watched the blue sky and relaxingly closed her eyes to rest. Xu Zihang¡¯s mind turned and suddenly understood her plans. His lips curved up slightly and said. ¡°How cunning.¡± Thus, another rumor began to spread like wildfire in Third Middle School, which finally calmed down for a while. Everyone started saying that the belle of Third Middle School, Wang Han, was someone who was not what she looked like. She always went in and out of a hostel, was provided for by someone, and had even stabbed someone in the back. The rumors spread like crazy, and by the time the person involved found out about it, she could not defend herself. Hua! This day, it was the first time that Wang Han was locked in the toilet, and a huge bucket of cold water was splashed onto her. She looked completely disheveled as she cried loudly from within. ¡°You b*tches, I treated you food in the past; how can you treat me like this now? Let me out! Let me out!¡± When they heard the curses from the toilet, the ferocious girls outside all frowned and said, ¡°If we knew that you treated us with that dirty money, we would never want it. Bleh, shameless woman.¡± The violent person from the past became the victim today as all her bad deeds returned to herself. This is what it meant when they said ¡®fortune comes and goes¡¯. Chapter 48 - Tang Meilings Confession In the past, Wang Han looked like a good kid on the outside; but in the dark, she had spent a lot of money to bribe people¡¯s hearts and would bully girls that she disliked. She would lock them in the toilets, throw rubbish on them, and splash cold water on them; causing all the girls to suffer silently. However, she never expected that one day she would get her just desserts. The girls willing to accompany her in the past had long hated Wang Han¡¯s arrogant ways. Now that she was the star in all rumors, they taught her a harsh lesson in the name of escaping suspicion. For a whole month, Song Ye could see Wang Han coming to class with her entire self disheveled and then crying home. In the end, there was a transfer of school notice on the notice board, which allowed Wang Han¡¯s shadow to disappear completely from the school. Xu Zihang and the rest, who heard of the news, said secretly that they could offend anyone but Song Ye¡­ as her move of killing people without using her own hands was too cruel. In this half a month, the Night Gang had eliminated the other gangs and took over the entire Cloud City without much effort. Song Ye also went down personally to the underground market to collect intel and came to a new agreement with the underground sewers, stabilizing the underground power of Cloud City. When the youngsters following her witnessed all of these, they were very impressed with Song Ye¡¯s decisive methods. They truly understood that Song Ye was not just dreaming when she said that she wanted to make the Night Gang big. At this time¡ªwhen facing the upcoming examinations, they were all very nervous and transferred all their efforts from the gang to the books. Other than their daily training, they spend all their energy on Song Ye¡¯s tuition. When they found out that Wang Han had transferred out of school that day, a few youngsters used celebration as an excuse to suggest they go out and eat. Xu Zihang had seen that they had eye bags from studying so much and felt pitiful towards them so he went to ask Song Ye to let them off this time. ¡°Okay then. After we eat, then they will have the energy to practice with guns at night.¡± Song Ye closed the exercise book and nodded her head in agreement. ¡°We can practice with guns already?¡± Once he heard this, Xu Zihang did not even care about eating out. When he saw Song Ye¡¯s confirmatory gaze, he was so excited until his fingers were itchy and could not wait to end school and return to the base. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them right away.¡± He guaranteed that the bunch of worms would immediately be revived with blood rushing all over their body. Perhaps Song Ye had not gone out in a while and was kind of tired from giving them tuition all day long to teach them the important points so she wanted to go out to relax. She followed Xu Zihang out of school, but suddenly, her phone started vibrating. She saw the caller ID and turned around to tell Xu Zihang, ¡°You go ahead first. I¡¯ll take a call.¡± ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll wait for you at the school entrance.¡± Xu Zihang nodded and continued to walk outside. Song Ye found an isolated corner and took the call. Zhao Zhen¡¯s stammering voice sounded. ¡°Song Ye, are you eating?¡± ¡°Not yet. Uncle Zhao, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Song Ye asked directly. Zhao Zhen, on the other end of the phone, coughed dryly and said with difficulty. ¡°About the activity we talked to CEO Wang about the last time, it¡¯s happening in a few days. I know that you¡¯re having your examination soon and you¡¯re busy studying¡­ why don¡¯t¡­ I go myself this time?¡± After hesitating for a really long time, he called her with much difficulty; at the last minute, Zhao Zhen still could not say it in the end. Lately, Song Ye had not been to Yu Fu Jewelry much, and Zhao Zhen thought that she was preparing for the examinations so he did not dare disturb her. Even though this event was very important, he did not feel very comfortable about an adult disturbing a child¡¯s studies. When Song Ye heard it, she was taken aback and rubbed her eyebrows. She felt that she was too busy lately and forgot about the important matter of making money. ¡°Uncle Zhao, don¡¯t worry. We invested quite a big sum of money this time so we must get our money back. I¡¯ll go with you in two days.¡± She thought for a while before she continued, ¡°I¡¯ll bring another person along with me, too.¡± ¡°Mm, that¡¯s great. I¡¯ll go prepare for it first.¡± Zhao Zhen clearly heaved a sigh of relief before hanging up. Song Ye held the phone in her heart and calculated how much money she had to get back to make up for the five million dollars invested; the money that she earned back had to go into the outlet store and the Night Gang. It seemed like she still had to find another way to earn more money. While she was thinking, she turned her direction towards the outside of school. From afar, she saw a dozen over youngsters waiting there, and the most prominent one was Xu Zihang who was a peacock that could glow. He was tall, had a good build, and was very handsome. Even when wearing his uniform, one could sense his cool aura. At this time, he was leaning against the school door and the person standing in front of him was¡­ Tang Meiling? Song Ye was stunned as the familiar face that she had not seen for some time made her curious. When she saw the pink letter the other party was holding in her hand, Song Ye then realized and could guarantee that it was another romance story that Xu Zihang started. Tang Meiling did not notice Song Ye inching closer as she held the letter in her hand, and her face was filled with uneasiness. ¡°Young Master Xu, I¡­ I like you. I¡¯ve liked you since grade 1. This¡­ please keep this letter.¡± She stuttered and muttered as she plucked the courage to finish her sentence and pass the letter over. Tang Meiling was so nervous until her face was as red as a tomato. After looking at it for some time, Xu Zihang suddenly thought of something and smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± ¡°Young¡­ Young Master Xu, you know me? Mm, I¡¯m Tang Meiling, the class monitor of class five. Next week, I¡¯ll be transferred to class one; and I hope that I can get to spend more time with Young Master Xu in the future.¡± When she heard that the other party recognized her, Tang Meiling was embarrassed and casually pulled her hair back to show off the angle of her face that she thought was the best. She was just waiting for Xu Zihang to nod, and then both of them could successfully be together. The previous Wang Han, who proclaimed that she was the belle of the school, did not know her limits when she had a crush on Xu Zihang. In the end¡ªwhen she left, Xu Zihang did not even take another look at her. Now that Xu Zihang said that he knew her, as compared to her, Tang Meiling was overflowing with confidence and could not wait for Wang Han to personally see how she had conquered the school prince. When she was thinking of her perfect scenario, Xu Zihang suddenly laughed. ¡°Haha, did you come to class one for me?¡± His tone was a bit playful, and after he finished talking, he happened to see Song Ye¡ªwho was walking over¡ªand suddenly had an idea in his head. ¡°Young Master Xu, I came to class one in hopes of going to the same high school as you, same university¡­¡± Tang Meiling continued as her face turned even redder. After all, writing a love letter to confess was already a very bold move, and boys might not even be able to confess right out there like her in public. ¡°Oh?¡± Xu Zihang did not expect Tang Meiling to be so daring, and the smile on his face became even harsher. He sighed. ¡°But comparing you two, I like her more.¡± Her? Tang Meiling was stunned and turned her head to the direction that Xu Zihang was pointing at. When she saw the familiar face, she inhaled a cold air deeply; and her entire face was as black as coal. ¡°Song Ye.¡± ¡°Mm, compared to Song Ye, you aren¡¯t pretty enough; and your figure is average. Your results can¡¯t even compare to hers. Also, in my eyes, she¡¯s better than you by more than a thousand or a million times.¡± Xu Zihang bent down and put his face right in front of Tang Meiling¡¯s as he said each word carefully and slowly enough to prick her heart. Chapter 49 - Going to Stone City Xu Zihang always sided with the victim and was very cold, but once he saw a girl that he disliked, he would not care about her and would be heartless to his enemies. Coincidentally, the one standing in front of him and confessing to him with a red face was Tang Meiling, the girl that bullied Song Ye and caused trouble for her for two years. Since the day he went to fetch Song Ye and saw her, Xu Zihang silently remembered her face. He did not expect that this person would take the initiative and send herself over before he could cause trouble for her. Xu Zihang was not a gentleman, and his mouth was venomous and could claim a life. The face that was in front of her was clearly the handsome one that she had been dreaming of day and night, but every word that he spat out was like a slap to her face. Tang Meiling widened her eyes in disbelief and looked at him. She wanted to say something but could not even squeak a word. When Xu Zihang saw her eyes turning red, he instantly found it boring and waved his hands as he said in frustration. ¡°Get lost now. Don¡¯t appear in front of me again.¡± When he thought of how she had treated Song Ye in the past, he could not help but to want to take action. After failing her confession and getting an insult as a reply, Tang Meiling¡¯s face immediately turned white and became as red as a pig¡¯s lungs. She held the letter tight and moved back two steps in panic, holding her tears back. When she saw Song Ye nearby, her eyes could not conceal the hatred in them. It was her. It was all because of her. If it was not for Song Ye, she would not be so miserable. The girl covered her face and ran away. When the students, who were entering or leaving school, saw that the romantic confession scene ended with the girl crying her heart out after being rejected; everyone was emotional. They all felt that Young Master Xu¡¯s coldness was not a rumor, and one had to be extremely cautious when confessing. Under everyone¡¯s eyes, Xu Zihang walked towards Song Ye. Once he was in front of her, he changed his cool look into a smile. ¡°How is it? I know you won¡¯t calculate much against small characters like her. I helped you take revenge against her, are you happy?¡± Song Ye¡¯s eyelids batted as she walked around him and continued on her way. Nonchalantly, she left a sentence. ¡°Solve your own romance issues; don¡¯t drag me in.¡± She meant that she was not even happy even if he had handled the problem. Xu Zihang watched the thin back view and sighed in exasperation as a bitter smile appeared on his face. He muttered to himself. ¡°What kind of romance is there if she¡¯s neither happy nor jealous?¡± The soft voice was quickly blown away by the wind, but no one knew how bitter the youngster felt when he could not get a response from his trial. Very soon, he had no time to handle his own feelings as Song Ye suggested bringing him out to an event during mealtime, and the venue was at Stone City. In the cold winter, the wind sounds in the mountains were as if coated with snow. Sounds of uniformed footsteps and boots marching interrupted the silence of the base as a sea of army green appeared there. The man, who was walking at the front, was thin; and there was a coldness underneath his clothes. He clearly looked like he was so cold until he trembled in the dark, but his forehead had much sweat. He was dressed tidily in a military outfit, but when one looked closely, he had spots of blood; and there was a smell of blood wafting through the cold air. His big body was standing there but was wrapped in a murderous aura. ¡°Leader Lian, start to count our manpower and bring all the injured members for medical help. Those who aren¡¯t injured need to hand in a report tomorrow morning. Let¡¯s prepare to evacuate.¡± Qin Zhan swept across the gasping members on the floor, and his voice was so cold without a bit of emotion. When everyone heard his voice, their bodies started to tense up. Leader Lian crawled up from the floor, and with two feet together, he shouted. ¡°Yes, Major.¡± As Qin Zhan¡¯s bulky figure disappeared from his view, Leader Lian¡ªwho was in charge of the military base in Cloud City¡ªheaved a sigh of relief. Qin Zhan was appointed to investigate the arms leaking matter. In the first two months, he was nonchalant; and everyone thought that he was appointed by the superiors to do nothing. However, tonight, he brought the entire army out for action and had ruined a deal at the harbor, wiping out two parties at once and successfully saving an entire cargo of guns, bullets, and medicine. The case that dragged on for more than half a year and had no traces at all¡­ finally ended perfectly and unexpectedly. Tonight, the fight at the pier made everyone open their mouths in shock. No one expected Qin Zhan, who was only twenty-five, to be a marksman that scored every shot he made. Also, his fighting skills were good enough for him to go against ten people at once. Under his command, they automatically had the winning hand from the start. Even if the other party had two times more men than theirs, they were still destroyed completely. The weapons and people caught from this operation were enough to let everyone in the base gain a badge, and they probably had to change the way they called Qin Zhan the next time they saw him. The cold wind blew again, and Leader Lian¡ªwho was standing at the same spot¡ªfelt that he broke out in a cold sweat. When he wanted to count the manpower, he remembered that he received a call before the operation. Hurriedly and anxiously, he walked into the room and reported to Qin Zhan. ¡°Major, at 8:30 pm tonight, I received a call looking for you. The other party left a message saying that they hoped you will attend the party in Stone City three days later. This is the address.¡± ¡°Mm, I got it.¡± Qin Zhan took off his shirt and changed into a clean white one. When he buttoned the first button, he looked extremely smart and stern. He flipped the documents on the table and conveniently kept the note in his hand as he recorded down the name of the hotel. This was because two days ago when he was talking to his friend on the phone, he revealed that he was about to return so the other party had invited him to join the party. Coincidentally, the address was the next place he was stationed at so he could not reject him. Two days later, Song Ye brought Xu Zihang to Stone City with Zhao Zhen¡¯s car. At the start, when Xu Zihang saw Zhao Zhen, he politely greeted him, ¡°Hello, Uncle.¡± Later on, when he saw Zhao Zhen¡¯s awkward and confused expression, he found out that the person in front of him was not Song Ye¡¯s young father; and they did not have any blood relations. ¡°Then, how did Uncle Zhao and Song Ye meet?¡± Xu Zihang asked curiously. Based on Song Ye¡¯s cold personality, it was impossible that they were friends despite their differences in age. In the next second, Zhao Zhen laughed. ¡°I think it¡¯s a type of fate. Now, I¡¯m kind of Song Ye¡¯s subordinate; and I¡¯m working for her.¡± What? Even if Xu Zihang had thought of thousands of possibilities, he was still pretty frightened. Not to mention how ridiculous it was for a thirty-year-old man with a successful career to be Song Ye¡¯s subordinate, the jewelry store that Zhao Zhen owned was the largest one in Cloud City. Then, logically speaking¡­ ¡°Is Yu Fu Jewelry Song Ye¡¯s?¡± When Zhao Zhen saw his face like he wanted to swallow a chicken egg, he smiled even more interestingly. ¡°Mm, Song Ye¡¯s in school so I take care of the shop for now.¡± Even after a long time, Xu Zihang did not recover his senses. As the car wobbled over the countless flashes of scenery, he turned his tensed neck and landed his gaze on the girl who was basking under the sunlight by the window. Chapter 50 - Young Master Qin From the first time he met Song Ye, his world view was set in a continuous refreshing mode, and now, it was refreshed until it skyrocketed and almost lost connection. ¡°Why? What¡¯s the problem?¡± Perhaps Xu Zihang¡¯s gaze was too fiery which made Song Ye shift her gaze back from the window to the other party. Her tone was completely flat. Xu Zihang continued in his frozen state and only woke up suddenly after a long time. He suddenly realized a very important question. ¡°Then, is the activity that you¡¯re attending related to business?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Song Ye nodded and explained. ¡°This activity is related to Yu Fu Jewelry¡¯s investment. The main motive is for us to buy the gemstone for jades, and it¡¯s a rather major business event in Stone City.¡± Speculating gems was not unfamiliar to Xu Zihang. As Stone City was the provincial capital of Province Luo, it was also one of the top stone material markets in the country; and that was how the name ¡®Stone City¡¯ came about. Initially, he thought that Song Ye came to Stone City to help set the path for the Night Gang. Now when he thought of such a major business gathering, Xu Zihang knitted his brows. In the end, right at that afternoon, once they entered Stone City; Xu Zihang suddenly said that he had something on and left. Song Ye nodded in agreement and did not ask further. Zhao Zhen took another look at him as he nodded his head in a pretense of satisfaction and nagged, ¡°This fellow seems pretty nice and is from some unusual family. He has very a good upbringing.¡± In his eyes, Song Ye was not an average child. Her personality was very cold so she must have brought out someone that she really trusted on her business dealings. As Song Ye¡¯s guardian, he had to take care of her more or less. The whole way there, Xu Zihang had left a pretty good impression on him and could even be considered to be Song Ye¡¯s boyfriend. On the other hand, Song Ye got off the car and took her luggage as she walked in front and did not even expect that Zhao Zhen had thought so far ahead. Since she suggested coming to Stone City, Xu Zihang had always been in a daze. Song Ye guessed that his family lived in Stone City and had a formidable background so she did not ask further. That night at the hotel, Wang Yutang meticulously brought two sets of evening gowns over and said that it was for Song Ye. Perhaps he was afraid that she would be unfitting for the occasion. When Zhao Zhen saw the expensive evening gowns, he joked. ¡°It looks like Wang Yutang wants a glimpse of reality and has his eyes on you.¡± ¡°Then, we can conveniently set the stage for Yu Fu Jewelry once again.¡± With a five million dollar investment, Song Ye did not only want her money back. Looking at the black and white gowns, she casually picked one set up. ¡°Is this one¡­ too revealing?¡± Zhao Zhen stared at the clothes in her hands and was very conflicted. Among the two gowns, the white one had sleeves and looked like a fairy¡ªwhich was very suitable for a conservative fifteen-year-old like Song Ye¡ªwhile the black was a knee-high toga dress, and the part where it covered the knee, was just a thin mesh; the entire outfit was cooling and revealing. Zhao Zhen felt that it would hurt people¡¯s eyes if Song Ye wore that. However, the one in her hand was exactly the black one. Song Ye was also someone who had her own opinions. ¡°Uncle Zhao, you should go prepare.¡± With that one sentence, she chased him out. Every year, Stone City would have a public event for the buying and selling of gem materials, which would bring up the economy of the area. After some time, this activity became Stone City¡¯s tradition. Every year, the businessman that won the bid would be the organizer for the event. This year, Wang Yutang earned the honors of organizing the event. The day before the event, there would be a party at a five-star hotel to allow all the businessmen¡ªwho came from everywhere¡ªto come and interact as a warm-up before they started the list for the materials, allowing everyone to know what they wanted. At eight in the evening, the entire Stone City was decked with lights. Compared to Cloud City¡¯s quietness, the bustling in the big capital started at night. Tonight¡ªat the biggest hotel in the city, there were many luxurious cars parked at the entrance with men and women dressed to the nines and entering the lobby happily. In the banquet room at the top floor, the beautiful music of the strings band¡ªtogether with the light from the crystal chandelier¡ªhad filled every corner of the classic, mid-century ballroom. When Wang Yutang saw Zhao Zhen, he was alone. ¡°CEO Zhao, I¡¯ve finally waited for your arrival. Here, let me introduce some friends to you. CEO Chen, CEO Zhou, and CEO Lin¡ªthese few are the bosses of the most famous jewelry stores in Stone City.¡± Zhao Zhen shook hands and greeted them individually. Then, Wang Yutang changed the topic and persisted. ¡°Hey, where¡¯s Ms. Song?¡± Zhao Zhen laughed awkwardly and said, ¡°When I wanted to fetch her at night, she said that she came here by herself first. I¡¯m still looking for her now. After all, she has the heart of a child, my apologies, CEO Wang.¡± Wang Yutang was stunned and surveyed his surroundings, but he did not see a similar view. He thought that Song Ye was young, but she was very cunning. Yet, he still smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I can see her tomorrow. Actually, my friends wanted to see Song Ye, but we¡¯re just out of luck, haha¡­¡± He was a businessman so he could round up the conversation in a few words. When they touched their cups to cheer, there was bustling at the entrance. Zhao Zhen looked over and landed his gaze on a figure. He was immediately shocked. Qu Bai. The person that walked in slowly was the young master of the Qu family, Qu Bai. He was wearing a white suit with a handsome and white face and was a natural flirt that attracted all the ladies. Beside him, there was a person who was tall and muscular and had short hair. The expression on his face was very cold, and he exuded a suppressive vibe. However, his natural features were very distinct and charming. When both of them stood together, they were like a natural light that others could not take their eyes off. Qu Bai¡¯s appearance caught everyone by surprise as Qu family¡¯s roots were in Jing City. Even when Stone City sent an invitation over every year, the Qu family never appeared. Unexpected of Qu Bai¡¯s arrogant behavior, he greeted people warmly and gathered many businessmen to go forward and talk with him. Gradually, everyone realized that after a few sentences with Qu Bai, he would change the topic to the family friend that he brought along, making it clear that he wanted to be his matchmaker. However, he was trying to matchmake the man that did not seem to be easy to handle. ¡°May I know where Young Master Qin is from?¡± As it was someone that Qu Bai brought over, no one dared to look down on this man who was called Young Master Qin. Actually, just by looking at his appearance, no one could tell much. The man stood there upright and was very cold as he did not even give others a chance to get close to him, causing Qu Bai to smile until his face cramped. Hurriedly, he whispered, ¡°I mean, Young Master, since you agreed to come, then don¡¯t be so cold.¡± Qin Zhan nonchalantly left a sentence: ¡°I came here to attend a party¡­ not a matchmaking session.¡± Chapter 51 - Attracting Song Ye, the Falcon When Qu Bai heard that, he smiled until he was going to grind his molar. Good job, Qin Zhan; you clearly knew that I invited you here to find a woman for you, and yet you are still acting ignorant. How harsh. ¡°This brother of mine, you¡¯ve been a bachelor for over twenty years. You¡¯re going to stay in a small place like Stone City for the next two years and you want to continue touching your gun, but your family members would probably find a good person for you. Do you think it¡¯s better for you to pick one yourself than to let Old Master Qin pick for you?¡± After he finished muttering, he saw the air around Qin Zhan become colder. He stared straight at the front and boomed. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Threaten? Qu Bai suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and his smile froze. Who on earth would dare to mess with Qin Zhan? For now, he had not found anyone; and he did not want to be the first person. Even if they had grown up together in the same big yard¡ªamong all of them, Qin Zhan would always be the most feared one. ¡°Sigh, okay, okay. It¡¯s my fault for being too nosy. Just treat this as a friendly gathering, okay? I¡¯ll go meet some friends of mine. You choose whether you want to meet girls or come just for a drink.¡± Qu Bai managed to escape on time as he held a wine glass and walked towards Zhao Zhen; he was pretty interested in the fella with her pretty antics. Without a peacock by his side, Qin Zhan immediately found it much more peaceful. However, many women were coming and going within the venue, and some of them would go up to talk to him. Once they opened their mouths, they would ask about his car and flat situation, if he was running a business, if he was a socialite¡­ and their eyes would always shine with stupid ideas. Since young, Qin Zhan never liked this kind of event. After he finished the champagne in his mouth and kicked aside a socialite whose face he could not remember, he walked straight to the sofa in the lounge area. In the southeast corner of the wide banquet hall, there was a semi-circle lounge area filled with all kinds of fruits and snacks. However, in this kind of event where everyone was socializing in the middle, there would be very few people in the lounge area. Qin Zhan initially wanted some peace and quiet, but he did not expect there to be someone inside, who was not just an average person. Seated on the black leather sofa was a girl with pearly white skin, and she was wearing a black toga dress. Under the light, her skinny collarbone looked even more defined; and her dress somewhat hid her thin legs which glowed slightly. Her face was very intricate and beautiful, and her long hair that extended to her waist had made her features even more defined. At one look, everyone would be mesmerized by her beauty and would not recognize the tender age behind the makeup, but this type of disguise could not escape Qin Zhan¡¯s observations.Read more chapters at Listnovel.com Besides, the moment Qin Zhan came in, the woman could not hide the mini camera behind her dress on time. Once he sat down, the woman picked up the end of her dress and was about to leave, clearly in a guilty state. His sensitive military gut feeling made him interested. ¡°Are you a reporter?¡± His low voice successfully made the woman stop in her tracks as she turned around as if hesitantly to look at Qin Zhan. She nodded. ¡°Mm, I sneaked in here. I just wanted to take some pictures and leave.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain so anxiously.¡± Qin Zhan leaned against the sofa, and his eyes were as if a falcon¡¯s that had locked its target. He raised his hand and pointed at her position earlier. ¡°Sit.¡± It was very hard to reject the pressure given by someone of a high class so Song Ye knitted her brows tightly in her heart as she sat down without a choice. That was right. This woman who was dressed like a fairy was Song Ye. Tonight, she specifically came into the venue very early to avoid everyone¡¯s vision so that she could use her camera to take pictures of the business leaders and collect information about them when she went home. This would then allow her to know her enemies better, but she did not expect to attract an even bigger beast after avoiding the fox, Wang Yutang. Qin Zhan. She had met this capable, young major before on the train in Cloud City. Judging from her killer instincts¡ªunless necessary, she did not want to interact too much with this man. Hence, when she bumped into him earlier, her first reaction was to escape. Luckily, Qin Zhan did not recognize her and only treated her as a reporter he coincidentally met. In order not to alert him unnecessarily, she could only think on her feet. ¡°May I know why this Mister would look for me?¡± Song Ye revealed a smile and looked very shy as if her face had reddened when she saw such a handsome face. She was a killer so she could instantly immerse into her role anywhere. When a cowardly and innocent reporter met a powerful man, it was natural that her face would blush; and her heart would beat faster. Hearing that, the investigative look in Qin Zhan¡¯s eyes increased as he raised his index finger and knocked the leather sofa with it. Everyone who knew him would know that he was thinking of something in his mind. After a while, he extended his hand towards Song Ye and boomed in a voice that did not allow for any doubts. ¡°Let me see the photos you took.¡± Song Ye was taken aback as she instinctively held the corner of her skirt, and her fingers almost wanted to pick up the dagger she hid in the space. This was her first reaction when she was threatened by someone who had seen countless blood on his knife. However, she knew very clearly that her fifteen-year-old body was no match for Qin Zhan who had been on the battlefield for years. In the middle of the sparks, she lowered her head and acted as if she was scared and hesitant before she finally moved her skirt and handed the thing up. She guaranteed once again. ¡°I really just took some shots of the big characters. Nothing else.¡± This time, Qin Zhan ignored her and used his big palm to look at the newest model of the camera. Suddenly, he started muttering a bunch of information. ¡°M5 Mini Camera is made in Country M, and there aren¡¯t many such products in the market. For now, this hasn¡¯t been sold in Country Z.¡± When he just started in the military, he had seen such a camera in a bunch of shipments that came in. Suddenly, Song Ye¡¯s heart started beating a little faster as she never expected a person, who was trapped in the military, to have such knowledge about these advanced technologies. She thought fast and generously admitted. ¡°Yes, I asked someone to buy this model from me overseas. I¡¯ve liked this kind of thing since I was young.¡± If a young person loved something, it was very easy for them to research it without sleeping and eating and even using all their money on it; this was undeniable. Qin Zhan did not say if he believed her or not as he flipped the small window on the camera and could vaguely see each person¡¯s face. If he expanded it, he should be able to see their portraits clearly. After seeing ten shots in a row, he handed the thing back to Song Ye. Seeing his emotionless face, Song Ye felt that she was in an increasingly dangerous situation. She kept the thing and smiled. ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll get going.¡± Once she finished her sentence, she stood up and was about to leave. However, when she was about to leave the sofa, the man opposite her moved; his actions were very fast, almost pouncing on her. After feeling such a sudden impact, Song Ye instinctively clenched her fists and wanted to hit the person and make him move back. However, she suddenly thought of the venue and if she used her fighting skills¡­ this second of hesitation had made her lose her chance. Her wrist was trapped, and her entire body was pushed onto the sofa. Chapter 52 - Check The man¡¯s build was very big, and every muscle of his body had experienced and undergone battles to maintain the optimum state and power it had. Together with the cold aura around his body, Song Ye felt that the thing leaning on her was a stone¡ªa rock that could not be moved. ¡°What are you doing? Let go!¡± No matter how cold Song Ye was and how much she tried to avoid suspicion, she could not stand still when someone was trampling all over her. She tried to shake her wrist loose, and anger filled her pretty face. Qin Zhan looked down and could coincidentally see Song Ye¡¯s black and bright eyes, which were very clear and child-like. Even if she was angry, it could not ruin her beautiful face. With one hand, he held the other party¡¯s wrist and used a leg to trap her underneath. It would not hurt her and would definitely not let her escape. This professional method of his made Song Ye feel insulted like a bird in a cage. However, her anger did not get a response from the other party. The man landed his gaze on her face and said clearly but slowly. ¡°Your photos all have great angles with no mistakes at all. If this isn¡¯t a talent, then you must have been trained for it.¡± When he expressed his suspicions, he observed the shock in Song Ye¡¯s heart. The man¡¯s rough fingers and palm had searched her bit by bit, and the ticklish feeling made her very uncomfortable. If she did not know that the person was checking on her, Song Ye really had the feeling of being seduced. However, a man like Qin Zhan was like a metal tree that would never blossom. In her previous life, she was very confident in her appearance. No matter how she disguised herself, this face had saved her from countless dangerous scenarios as the only person that could remain so calm with great observation skills after seeing her would only be this stone. After checking in detail, Qin Zhan did not find anything suspicious. The skin under his touch was very soft, and her joins were very thin; it should be a pair of hands that rarely touched weapons. ¡°Mister, are you done checking?¡± Seeing the suspicion fade away from his eyes, Song Ye opened her mouth coldly and pushed the other party away before arranging her clothes. ¡°Sorry.¡± Qin Zhan moved back and apologized politely, but there was still a strange feeling in his heart. Song Ye sneered before she decisively sat there and ignored him. Actually, her heart was already beating very quickly as¡ªwithin the last ten minutes of interacting with him¡ªSong Ye had already realized how formidable the man was. No matter whether it was his fighting skills or his observation skills, he would definitely be a top fighter. Even if she had met Qin Zhan at her prime in the previous life, she had to deal with him carefully. Now, she felt that it was better sitting opposite him than walking around blindly and arousing suspicion outside. The atmosphere became very tense because of this incident. Vaguely, Song Ye heard a voice from the outside followed by footsteps; the women¡¯s giggles were as clear as ever. ¡°Hm? Cousin Qian Qian, why don¡¯t you go dance? Don¡¯t you want to show off in front of that Young Master Qin?¡± The moment the child-like voice sounded, Song Ye found it very familiar and was taken aback by the ¡®Young Master Qin¡¯ at the end of her sentence. ¡°I¡¯ve danced a few rounds and my legs are starting to hurt, but he has not even appeared. If it wasn¡¯t for Master Qu¡¯s introduction, I wouldn¡¯t even bother with him. He¡¯s so cold and not even gentle at all.¡± The other woman¡¯s voice was gentle and soft, and she sounded slightly spoiled. Song Ye completely believed her comments; which woman would be stupid enough to face a rock? If she did not bore herself to death, she would hold it in until she died. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t say that. He¡¯s so handsome and was specifically brought by Master Qu. Perhaps he¡¯s from the capital. There¡¯s gold everywhere, and if you marry over, you¡¯ll definitely be much richer. It¡¯s better than staying in such a small place like Stone City.¡± When she heard this, Song Ye knitted her brows as she did not have a good impression of women who were gold diggers and wanted to have a life of luxury, just by marrying into a rich family. When she heard the duo come closer, Song Ye could not help but to look in front of her; but the star of the gossip did not even look awkward at all. She casually picked up a glass wine and stayed still. Ka! Ka! Ka! The high heel sounds came closer, and when a goose yellow outfit and a purple gown came into the lounge area, there was a clear coldness in the air. ¡°Hey! Young Master Qin!¡± The girl, Qian Qian¡ªwho was wearing the purple gown¡ªgasped in surprise. Her eyes sparkled, and she started to become guilty. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Young Master Qin to be here.¡± The other girl beside her also put on a look and greeted as she lowered her head. ¡°Hello, Young Master Qin.¡± Her heart was beating very rapidly as she did not know if Qin Zhan had heard what they said outside. She raised her head to take a look, and her breath was immediately taken away by the handsome face on the couch. Qin Zhan was not the handsome prince type; he was in the military for many years so his sitting posture and his aura were very firm and would give women a sense of security. Together with his handsome face, he looked like a very stylish man on the magazine covers. When Song Ye saw the girl wearing the yellow dress, she raised her eyebrows and was convinced that the roads in this world were very narrow; and enemies were bound to meet. ¡°Wang Han, let¡¯s go.¡± Qian Qian was very awkward as she held Wang Han¡¯s hand and wanted to leave. However, the latter¡¯s eyeballs were stuck onto Qin Zhan¡¯s body and pulled Qian Qian back to advise her. ¡°Cousin, why should we go? This is a good opportunity; you should take it.¡± Afterward, Wang Han pulled Qian Qian and sat in the middle of the sofa, with Qin Zhan on their right and Song Ye on their left. The two of them looked at Qin Zhan, and when they saw that his expression did not change as he kept pouring wine for himself, they were immediately relaxed and thought that he did not hear them previously. When the situation settled down, they naturally noticed the strange atmosphere. Actually, from the first time she entered, she noticed the beautiful girl in the black dress; but she did not know that it was her enemy and was still trying to observe what kind of relationship she had with Qin Zhan. After watching for half a day and seeing that Qin Zhan did not care about Song Ye, she inferred that the girl in the black dress was a competitor that wanted to marry into a rich family. She had a plan in her heart as she immediately held Qian Qian¡¯s arm. ¡°Cousin, look at all the people who came here today. There are so many girls; I bet eighty percent of them came here to meet wealthy people. Girls these days are really incredible.¡± She said this sentence interestingly as she had suddenly removed herself from the group of girls that attended the party. When Song Ye thought about what she said outside, she could not help but look over and see if the girl¡¯s brain was fully developed. However, that one look made Wang Han think that she was angered as she took the chance to accuse her. ¡°Hehe, this Missy, please don¡¯t be offended. I¡¯m talking about the calculative woman outside. You¡¯re looking at me so fiercely; others might think that you¡¯re making a connection with what I said to yourself.¡± Chapter 53 - Reverse the Dog Blood Drama The saying was very accurate: ¡®three women make a market, four a fair¡ªand with a man in the middle, they could hold a drama.¡¯ This was it when Wang Han attacked Song Ye because of Qin Zhan. After she shaded her, she started giggling to herself; but Qian Qian pulled her sleeve. ¡°Wang Han, don¡¯t say it anymore.¡± Tonight, all the people who attended the party were all famous people in the business world. It would not be good if she caused trouble for her father. However, Wang Han did not think that far and to impress Qin Zhan, she sat upright and continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Young Master Qin. Doesn¡¯t he hate materialistic women the most? And such women are found everywhere here.¡± Even though the topic was twisted a bit awkwardly, she did start it; so Qian Qian swallowed back the words at her mouth. She looked at Qin Zhan with a red face. When she heard this, Song Ye already found it boring as she stood up with a glass wine and looked at Wang Han lightly. ¡°Then, I shall not disturb everyone from being materialistic.¡± If they wanted to stick onto Qin Zhan, she did not want to hurt her eyes from the show. Upon hearing it, Wang Han was immediately unhappy as her arrogant personality changed her facial expression immediately. ¡°Who did you call materialistic?¡± ¡°Whoever is angry.¡± Song Ye retorted lightly and continued walking towards the outside. ¡°You¡­¡± Wang Han was stumped. The more she stared at the black back view, the angrier she got as if she did not like her from the very start. Now that they were pitted against each other, she could not control the fire in her heart and did not care if Qin Zhan was there. She picked up the wine from the table and splashed it at her. Song Ye furrowed her brows, but when she remembered that there was a falcon in the area, she only walked forward two steps and allowed the wine to splash onto the end of her dress. Qian Qian gasped and immediately stood up. ¡°Wang Han, what are you doing? That¡¯s really rude of you.¡± In actual fact, she was also angry at Song Ye for calling them materialistic, but Qin Zhan was present. She did not want to leave a bad impression on him. However, she was not magnanimous enough to apologize for Wang Han. Song Ye turned around and¡ªhua! The wine in her hand splashed out and landed on Wang Han¡¯s face. ¡°Ah!¡± Wang Han screamed as her makeup was ruined. Luckily, Qian Qian avoided it, but her face was still very unhappy. ¡°Missy, even though my cousin was wrong, you can¡¯t splash her with wine.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Song Ye put down her wine glass and raised her eyebrows. She retorted, ¡°Then, what should I do? After getting splashed, should I slap her or pull her hair?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Qian Qian was stumped and did not expect Song Ye to be so sharp-tongued when she kept quiet the whole while. Now that she had said everything, she could not just end with a sincere apology. She was so angry until her face was red like a beetroot. In her anxiety, she saw Qin Zhan sitting on the sofa and asked for his help indignantly. ¡°Young Master Qin, my cousin didn¡¯t do it on purpose. This Missy is such a bully.¡± Upon seeing Qian Qian¡¯s pitiful look, Song Ye found it funny and unreasonable. What did Qin Zhan have got to do with their quarrels? The most unreasonable thing was that the man, who was watching the show all along, was moved by Qian Qian¡¯s indignant words. He stood up and walked towards Song Ye. There was not much fierceness on his face, but his cold aura was very pressurizing. When he walked towards Song Ye expressionlessly, she could see the flash of happiness on Qian Qian¡¯s face and the familiar delighted face of Wang Han¡¯s. Qin Zhan stood in front of her, and his 1.9-meter-high and big build was like a gigantic mountain blocking the sun. Unwittingly, Song Ye took a step back as she did not like the suppressing feeling. When she was moving, Qin Zhan raised his hand and put it on her head. He boomed in a coarse and sexy voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Song Ye was stunned and looked up to see that the other party¡¯s tensed muscles relaxed, and he looked like he was in a good mood. ¡°Mm.¡± She answered softly and thought that this man was even more unpredictable than her. When she was about to walk forward, Song Ye was pulled back again as she turned around and saw Qin Zhan take off his jacket, looking as if he wanted to cover up the stains on her dress. She was slightly taken aback as she immediately rejected his goodwill. ¡°No need.¡± After she finished her sentence, she picked up the mesh on her dress. With a pull of her fingers, she ripped half of her skirt apart. Without the long fishtail, her black dress became a short toga dress, revealing her mesmerizing thighs and giving her a playful feeling. From the very start, she never liked this burdensome thing; and she felt even freer without it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After she ripped her dress, she did not even look at the rest as she turned to walk out of the lounge. Qin Zhan looked at the black dress on the floor and was unwittingly impressed. After they left one after another, only Qian Qian and Wang Han were left in the lounge. They stood there for a very long time, and their eyes widened. From the initial red color on their face, it turned into total darkness. They did not say anything at all. From the start until the end, Qin Zhan never gave them a chance to speak. At first, they thought the heartless man would pity them for being bullied, but they did not expect him to not even look at them. From the beginning, everything was started because of their foolish antics which ended up humiliating themselves. ¡­ Nearing the middle of the party, Wang Yutang started making a speech on stage and revealed the list of materials for the next day. When the beautiful Song Ye¡ªwearing her black dress¡ªwalked out of the lounge, she immediately attracted many people¡¯s attention. Then, a commotion erupted as Qin Zhan¡ªin a black suit¡ªfollowed behind her; it had even distracted Wang Yutang on stage. Zhao Zhen held a wine glass as he looked over and almost choked on it. His heart immediately jumped until his throat. Since when did Song Ye get involved with the person that Qu Bai brought over? Also, what happened to the shortened dress? Zhao Zhen really felt that his heart had suffered a huge impact and needed to immediately find out the truth behind the matter. However, Song Ye¡ªwho was initially walking over to his side¡ªsuddenly changed her course halfway and stopped her tracks as she looked to the stage. Was she exposing her identity? After much thinking, he did not walk over; but the countless gazes from all directions all landed on the pair of compatible figures. All the socialites, who wanted to devour Qin Zhan, hated until their teeth were itchy; and their dagger-like eyes landed on Song Ye. Chapter 54 - Shield ¡°Thank you, everyone, for taking time off your busy schedule to come and attend my party tonight. Later, I¡¯ll announce the material gem list for tomorrow. This time, all the materials were dug and transported from Myanmar, and they were worth a total of around one hundred and fifty million. The big pieces of material took about a third of it while there are close to three-fifths of the old hole type.¡± On stage, after Wang Yutang¡¯s speech ended, he announced the most important list of the night which made many people gasp out loud. Myanmar was the place of origin for gems, and their quality would always be among the top ones. However, because of monopoly in the market, the Myanmar officials would always hold their own auction to sell the gems and would not ship them out. Song Ye, who was off-stage, had no facial expression. However, in her heart, she had another take on Wang Yutang¡¯s capabilities. She turned her head and found it strange when she saw that the man beside her looked like he was paying attention to his words. Was Qin Zhan interested in jades, too? However, this one glance was observed by Qin Zhan. He looked down at the girl beside him, and his gaze was very deep, concealing his feelings. He spoke in a low voice, ¡°Your eyes know how to speak too well. Next time, you need to hide your thoughts better.¡± His tone seemed as if he was teaching the soldiers under him. Song Ye did not know if this was a reflex, but she felt that every time the other party spoke, she would feel goosebumps. Even if she was caught, she smiled nonchalantly. ¡°Your eyesight is too good.¡± Even though a fifteen-year-old child had clear eyes and was easy to be seen through by others, Song Ye was a killer; how could she not know how to hide? It was just that the man was too sensitive, or perhaps he was still very much guarded against her. When she thought of this, she sighed for the first time in her new life as she felt that she would not be able to regain freedom tonight. After Qin Zhan left the lounge, he kept sticking beside Song Ye. Even though his face was still very stern¡ªupon closer inspection, one would realize that the coldness aura around him had faded away, and he was in a decent mood. Normally, parties would always have the dancing segment. Logically speaking, the music should start playing after Wang Yutang was done with his speech. At this time, he waited on stage and continued talking with a face full of smiles. ¡°Tonight, there are many valuable guests gathered here. The sale of gem materials these few years can only be continued with the help of ZF. Tonight, I am honored to invite this special guest. Everyone, please keep your hands together and welcome the top leader in Stone City, Xu Fangsheng, Mayor Xu.¡± Before everyone could react after he finished talking, they saw the door open; and a middle-aged mayor walked in with a gray suit. Many people gasped, and it was followed by thunderous applause. No one expected the mayor to come down personally for such a party. All the cunning businessmen could not wait but took out their name cards and were waiting for the chance to talk to him. At this point, Song Ye also had a face of shock¡­ not because of Xu Fangsheng¡¯s appearance. Her gaze went past the crowd and landed on the person behind Xu Fangsheng, who was a young man wearing a white suit. There was something deep about his usual playfulness and cool exterior. Was this not the youngster who followed her to Stone City, Xu Zihang? Song Ye rubbed her forehead. Even though she guessed that Xu Zihang was a very important person, she never expected his family to have ties with politics; he was even the mayor¡¯s son. When she thought that one of her Night Gang¡¯s top leaders was the mayor¡¯s son, her head started to hurt. It was not because she was too careless; why would any normal person associate a student from a poor desolated school with the mayor¡¯s son? At this point, Xu Fangsheng was standing on stage and greeting the crowd while conveniently introducing his son. However, Xu Zihang did not talk much and only replied a few sentences politely before he walked behind Xu Fangsheng and continued to search for Song Ye¡¯s figure in the audience. After looking for some time, he only saw Zhao Zhen. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk much. I hope everyone has a fun time today.¡± Wang Yutang ended his speech and cued the band to start playing to start the dancing segment. After he got off-stage, Xu Zihang directly went to Zhao Zhen¡¯s side and briefly explained his situation to him. He openly asked, ¡°Uncle Zhao, why can¡¯t I find Song Ye? Is she not here?¡± ¡°Um¡­ she¡¯s here.¡± Zhao Zhen hesitated for a while before looking at the position opposite the dance floor. Xu Zihang followed his gaze and was shocked. After a while, he confirmed with Zhao Zhen again. ¡°Uncle Zhao, that person is¡­ Song Ye?¡± ¡°Ahem, yes, but it¡¯s not convenient for her to come over now.¡± Zhao Zhen coughed dryly in an awkward position as he had previously noted that Xu Zihang was Song Ye¡¯s love partner. Now that there was a man beside Song Ye, he did not know how to explain. Xu Zihang did not notice his difficult expression as his entire soul was taken away by the fairy-like woman. Originally, he thought according to Song Ye¡¯s personality, she would wear a western suit, but he did not expect her to dress until this¡­ seductively. That was right. Even if the figure was small and her different parts had not developed properly¡ªstanding in the black dress, no one could tell her tender age. Besides, her every move and action mesmerized people. Xu Zihang was stunned for a while before he walked over. On the other hand, Song Ye and Qin Zhan were like ice statues. Both of them were clearly very pretty and handsome, but they just stood there and held their own glasses. They were a fist away from each other, but they did not talk at all. When Qin Zhan rejected the fifth socialite¡¯s invitation to dance, the number of eyes that rolled at Song Ye was sky-high. Even a fool could tell that Qin Zhan was using ground materials and using her to block his romance. The previous time when Xu Zihang used her to get rid of Tang Meiling, she saw it as an act of brotherhood and did not calculate it with him. With Qin Zhan, he scratched and suspected her when they met; why would she allow herself to be his shield? In the end, the other party¡ªwho did not act like the way he looked¡ªsaid, ¡°Without my permission, you can¡¯t bring out the photos you took.¡± When he said that sentence, his face was still cold and expressionless. Only Song Ye knew that this man, who seemed upright, was actually such a petty person. Hence, the two frozen statues remained in their positions and ignored each other. Song Ye directly treated herself like a picture hung up on the wall and directly ignored all the killer glares from the socialites. This continued until a pleasant man¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°May I know if I have the honor to dance with this beautiful lady?¡± Song Ye turned around and saw Qu Bai, wearing a white suit and extending his hand towards her to invite her gentlemanly to dance. If he did not have perfume all over his body and gave Qin Zhan a teasing glance, Song Ye really thought that she got recognized in her disguise. Chapter 55 - Invitation to Dance When Qu Bai entered, Song Ye was inside the lounge and did not see the scene very clearly so she did not think that Qin Zhan had any relations with Qu Bai. The Qu family was the wealthiest one in Forty-Nine City, and within the family, there were quite a few people involved in politics. Since Qin Zhan could be friends with Qu Bai, his status must not be overlooked. She looked down and did not move as she said with special intent. ¡°I need Mr. Qin¡¯s permission before I can dance.¡± Even though this sentence referred to Qin Zhan using the photos to threaten her, outsiders¡ªwho did not know the actual situation¡ªwould think that they had something going on. Qu Bai was stunned as his hand was still extended. When he saw that Qin Zhan still had a nonchalant cold expression and did not object to it, he immediately put on a playful smile. ¡°It seems like this party was not for naught.¡± He thought that his brother was in the military all the time and was done with women, but it turned out that he had not met a pretty one that he liked. Mm, this one looked very beautiful. Qu Bai gave her a high score secretly in his heart as he kept his investigative mindset and walked away with his wine glass, totally failing to recognize the child that he was interested in. Song Ye continued to hold the wine without her face turning red and her heart beating quickly as she was not at all embarrassed by the accidental rumor she caused. Anyway, she only returned what he had done to her, and using each other would not make him lose a piece of meat. Less than two minutes later, another figure came from afar. Even though Xu Zihang¡ªwho was also wearing a white suit¡ªwas young, his peach-like face was very attractive. He directly walked over to Song Ye, attracting people¡¯s attention. ¡°May I know if I have the honor to invite you to a dance?¡± Xu Zihang¡¯s voice was tense and exposed his nervousness. He had done the same bending posture as Qu Bai earlier, but his was a bit stiff. He looked like he was not too familiar with it. At first, he just wanted to find a chance to talk to Song Ye personally. When he got closer and saw the superb figure and feminine, intricate face of the girl that made his heart flutter; he could not help but be nervous. Besides, he did not want to lose out to the man standing beside her.Read more chapters at Listnovel.com Song Ye knew his intentions and thought that there were indeed some things they had to talk about. Thinking in this manner, she casually placed her wine glass on the table and was prepared to enter the dance floor with the other party. At this moment¡ªbefore the thin digits could stretch out, the silent man suddenly spoke. His voice was as cold as ever. ¡°Just nice, I was thinking of dancing to a song. Sorry.¡± Song Ye was stunned as her fingers were taken into the huge palm, and she followed the figure into the dance floor. By the time Xu Zihang recovered his senses after hearing the apology, the two figures were dancing on the dance floor already. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the surroundings as this scene was too incredulous; the tables had really turned. At first, this unknown but powerful Young Master Qin had rejected all the socialites. After more than ten minutes or so, there was actually a pretty woman beside Young Master Qin. This beautiful face did not only attract the young master of the Qu family, but even the mayor¡¯s son that came out for the first time could not escape her clutches. In the end¡ªafter both of them invited her to dance one after another, Young Master Qin still got the lady. It was not that Song Ye did not notice the gazes landing on her, but her eyes were restricted. She could only maintain her fake reporter identity to avoid suspicion. ¡°Are you very pretty?¡± While dancing Waltz, Song Ye suddenly heard a cold voice from above her head. She was slightly taken aback and furrowed her brows. ¡°What does Mr. Qin mean?¡± Sensing the displeasure from the girl in his arms, Qin Zhan was still expressionless as he looked at the wall picture in front. ¡°Xu Fangsheng¡¯s son, who was the one that invited you to dance earlier, should be underage.¡± So? Song Ye squinted, and when she was turning, she accidentally landed on the man¡¯s foot heavily. When the other party stopped in his steps and furrowed his eyebrows, she successfully got out of his arms as she pushed the hair in front of her chest to the back. Her smile was slightly cold. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Qin, for the reminder. I still have other things to attend to; I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± After she finished talking, she turned around coldly and left the scene slowly. This was the first time she could not control her temper after living again. In the minutes that she spent with the man, she almost used up all the cultivation she was proud of for the past thirty years. It was not enough that she had to handle him so meticulously, but she was even hit in the head by him before he left. He hinted that Xu Zihang was underage, which also meant that she should not lay her hands on a child, just because of the Xu family¡¯s background. Song Ye was so angry until she could kill. To hell with you, Qin Zhan, you are the perverted Uncle, who pounced on an underage child and touched and hugged her. Qin Zhan, who was single for twenty-five years and never interacted with a woman, was stepped on the foot in front of everyone and was even left on the dance floor. He looked down at the footprint on his shoe and looked back up at the departing figure as he finally had an explanation to the question in his mind. The reason why he kept suspecting the girl was not because she had left some traces, but it was because her aura and the personality she put up were different. Earlier, the last look and cold smile that the other party gave him should be her true identity. Qu Bai, who had found out about the commotion, rushed over and wanted to hear the details; but he could not pry open Qin Zhan¡¯s mouth, no matter how hard he tried. He could only sigh helplessly. ¡°You¡¯re the best. You must have treated her as your subordinate and lectured her. Do you want me to go and find out about the other party¡¯s situation?¡± It should not be difficult to find out about someone with such an outstanding appearance. What a pity; the matchmaker wanted to join them together, but the person involved did not cooperate. Qin Zhan finished the wine in his glass and turned to leave. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Tomorrow, help me find two pieces of jade and send it back to the capital. Then, just say that I can¡¯t leave my position so I won¡¯t be going back for his birthday celebration.¡± ¡°Again?¡± When he heard that, Qu Bai¡¯s good-looking brows knitted tightly. Ever since Qin Zhan joined the military at the age of fifteen, he had never returned to the capital. Originally, Qu Bai thought that they could meet up in Forty-Nine City, but it turned out that he was not going back. Seeing his cold face, Qu Bai knew that he would not change his mind so he could only resign to his fate and do the difficult task. He did not forget to tease him. ¡°I¡¯ll say it first. These kinds of materials aren¡¯t cheap. If the price is sky-high¡­¡± He smiled playfully, but the person at the entrance did not even turn back and said, ¡°Spend as much as you like.¡± Qu Bai was instantly stumped by his generous tone and was emotional about how his wealth as a rich second-generation heir could never be compared to the one of a rich first-generation. Due to the Qu family and the mayor¡¯s appearance at this party in Stone City¡ªwhen the activity started the next day, it was already bursting with people. Chapter 56 - Normal-Looking Material Song Ye and Zhao Zhen did not come and squeeze with the rest first thing in the morning. After they finished their breakfast luxuriously, she even got Zhao Zhen to bring her to see the high schools nearby. When they entered the event venue, it was already close to noon. Zhao Zhen registered their names and was holding a magnifying glass and torchlight as he wanted to rush in to check on the materials. When Song Ye saw that he was as anxious as ants on a hotplate, she relaxingly comforted. ¡°Uncle Zhao, there aren¡¯t many people here. You don¡¯t have to be so anxious.¡± ¡°How can I not? I¡¯m dying of anxiety. Once the venue opened, everyone would finish buying all the good items, and there won¡¯t be any left for us.¡± Zhao Zhen finally blurted out the words he had been holding in all day. However, he regretted the moment he opened his mouth; after last night¡¯s party, Song Ye stormed out of the venue and locked herself in. Zhao Zhen let his imaginations run wild, and he was afraid that Song Ye was harassed by that Young Master Qin. After all, he was still a man; and he was not in a comfortable position to ask so he was especially submissive to Song Ye¡¯s wishes. Song Ye did not notice Zhao Zhen¡¯s strange expression and already had her eyes on the big piece of material within the venue as she walked towards it. ¡°We¡¯ve come at the right time. There are very little people so there won¡¯t be much competition.¡± Besides, she was guarding against Wang Yutang, that old fox. She just wanted to get back her investments and would lose out if someone had his eyes on her. After listening to her explanation, Zhao Zhen nodded and switched his mindsets. He only focused on getting back their investments and was embarrassed because he was not as mature as Song Ye. Following Song Ye, they toured around the venue and had an inkling of how the pricing was like; but Zhao Zhen knitted his brows very tightly. ¡°This time, the quality of the materials is very good, but the prices are also sky-high. Wang Yutang put on such a big show to earn a large sum of money.¡± Song Ye nodded and casually picked out a smaller material to investigate, and she saw green in it. She had a rough estimate of what she wanted to do. ¡°The quality of the stones that come from Myanmar are much better than the ones in normal markets so it¡¯s acceptable if their prices are slightly higher. Uncle Zhao, let¡¯s go our separate ways; we can save more time.¡± ¡°Mm, okay.¡± Zhao Zhen was already enthusiastic beyond words, and when he received the command, he immediately disappeared. When Song Ye saw his enthusiasm towards the material, she smiled unknowingly; and there was a gentle curve on her intricate face. Nearing noon, a large portion of the people went to eat so there were only a few people left in the venue. Song Ye lingered around the venue empty-handed and did not gather much attention as everyone thought that she was just a small child who followed an adult over. She looked like she was walking casually, but in actuality, she had specifically avoided all the surveillance cameras. Standing in front of a material that weighed more than a ton, Song Ye did not anxiously use her superpower to check the interior of the stone but used the knowledge she acquired to analyze it. The material in front of her was black and had a bit of red on it, and it was considered a thin exterior material. The crystals were tiny, and its structure was very tight; these types of stones were especially hard, and the jades that they produced were of top quality. The auction price of this material was two million dollars and was pricier than the other materials. Besides, there were a dozen flags stuck there, which meant that many others were eyeing on this material and were bidding for it. After looking for a while, Song Ye then put her hand on top and carefully used her powers to feel out the interior situation. When she looked into the stone, more than half of it was a white stone, and only the center of the stone had a small green color. However, with the size of a ball, the green color looked pretty dead. It was obviously a dead jade. When Song Ye saw this, she took a look at the price tag again and felt emotional. It was true when people said that even the gods could not analyze jades. Without her superpower, she would really have used two million dollars to buy a dead jade. Even an established enterprise would immediately have a financial problem. Sighing, she turned her heels and left. She was not too worried about other people auctioning for it as she was not a savior after all, and there were risks when doing business. She had no energy to interfere with that. Walking to the next material, a man removed his magnifying glass; he was about to leave. When he saw Song Ye walking over empty-handed, he arrogantly went up and stopped her. ¡°Little kid, there¡¯s no need to look at this stone. It won¡¯t produce green. There¡¯s nothing for you to learn here. If you want to see, you should go look at the black sandpaper material, which has a higher chance of producing green.¡± Song Ye furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she did not like people, who thought they were helpful and poked their fingers into other people¡¯s business. She just directly ignored the other party and walked around him. The latter was taken aback and felt embarrassed. He immediately pulled a long face. ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t know how to appreciate a kind person.¡± After he finished talking, he walked toward the black sandpaper material in big steps. Song Ye did not take the small incident to heart. The man did not think well of this yellow coarse material, that was of a rough and loose quality and as average as a stone randomly picked from the yellow river. The price tag was five hundred thousand, and it looked pathetic. Actually, Song Ye did not feel good about this material producing green. Since this was such a rare chance to see so many materials, she treated it like a practice and put her hand on it. As expected, the exterior was rough and loose and was a stone with a yellow layer. When she looked deeper, she suddenly felt that the surface became thinner and the color went from yellow to dark brown. Song Ye felt a pang in her heart as she continued to use her superpower to look deeper. Less than ten centimeters away, her eyes lit up as she saw a bright color. The jade occupied three-fourth of the material and presented a transparent color overall, that allowed one to see the bottom at one glance, which was what professionals called ¡®a single look¡¯. However, it was not just a colorless jade; the center of the jade reflected five different colors and was as colorful as the rainbow in the sky. Instead of saying that this was a glass type jade, one could say that this was an amber filled with colors. Song Ye could almost confirm that this was a precious item, a rare precious item. Since it was a good quality gem, she had to be fast in her actions and immediately decided to buy the material. As no one was bidding for it, she directly placed the tag on the stone. At this time, the ¡®good-hearted¡¯ man¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°Hehe, little girl. Don¡¯t waste your family¡¯s fortune. You¡¯ll get beaten for buying a stone back in a fit of anger.¡± It turned out that this man was going to eat after looking at the materials. When he turned behind, he saw Song Ye touching the material and even took the tag down to buy it. He felt that the little girl was too immature so he became nosy again. However, Song Ye was very cold and did not give him face at all. After sticking the tag, she did not even talk to the man, causing him to be unable to leave some face for himself. ¡°Hmph, rude kid. I¡¯m just advising you nicely, but you won¡¯t listen to me. There¡¯s obviously no possibility of this material producing green, but you want to spend five hundred thousand dollars to buy such a useless rock just because I nagged at you just now. If I see your parents, I¡¯ll ask them to teach you a lesson.¡± Chapter 57 - Mayors Son There was a type of people in the world, who thought that they were above everyone else and everything they did was right. They would put on a life savior¡¯s posture and would use the excuse of doing it for other people to interfere in their lives. If there was anything unsatisfactory, they would think that others owed them. The man lecturing Song Ye was exactly that type of person. Originally, Song Ye did not think of caring about him, but this man got even more excited as he continued. When everyone turned their attention to him, he held his head up high. ¡°Little kid, if you don¡¯t know much, you should learn more and look around more. Don¡¯t be so indignant. The piece in front of you is a coarse yellow stone with loose quality, and there are even some cracks on it. Its chances of producing green would be very low. ¡°In comparison, the black sandpaper material is thin, and the color is nice so it should be your top choice to purchase. Even though the price of two million dollars would shock people, I believe that it will be worth it.¡± The man said everything logically and made the new gem speculators very impressed. Their humble look made the man more than satisfied as he side-glanced at the child and smiled happily. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Song Ye looked down and saw that the black sandpaper material the man kept boasting about was really the one that she checked previously. She asked calmly, ¡°Since you have such a good view of it, did you bid for it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± To show off how wealthy and generous he was, the man nodded and was very arrogant. ¡°Are you sure that it will produce green?¡± Song Ye asked again and was taking his words lightly. ¡°Haha, eighty to ninety percent. Anyway, it will be much better than that one.¡± The man laughed out loud. When he bid three million dollars for it, he felt that it was very risky. However, after talking to Song Ye, he regained his confidence. After hearing his answer, Song Ye raised her eyebrows and let out a small smile on her lips. Without replying, she walked away coldly. When the man saw the situation, he knitted his brows tightly. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re really stupid and hopeless.¡± After saying so much, she was still not convinced; and she would definitely not have a good future. As the onlookers went their own ways, Song Ye was still loitering around the materials and rapidly picked two good-quality stones in the end. Seeing that it was past meal time, Zhao Zhen packed his stuff from nearby and rushed over. ¡°Are you starving? Let¡¯s go eat. I picked two pieces out from the other end.¡± Song Ye nodded, and before they left, she checked the two pieces he picked out. They were not very big and not very expensive; one of them had a melon green, but the other was skin green. She calculated the costs and profits and felt that they would not make a loss so she did not pour cold water on his excitement and allowed him to buy it. When Zhao Zhen saw that she had spent four million dollars on her bids, his face turned green as he hurriedly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He was frightened by Song Ye¡¯s generosity, but he had seen Song Ye¡¯s amazing ability to speculate stone so he swallowed all his questions. As the reputation of the jade material market in Stone City went far and wide, there would be countless tourists coming over every year to look at the products. The local restaurant business developed well, and many restaurants were offering many specialties. Originally, Zhao Zhen wanted to bring Song Ye to a nearby restaurant to eat, but on the way there, he received a call from Xu Zihang, saying that he booked a place at Tian Xin Pavilion. ¡°Does Young Master Xu want to apologize to you?¡± Ever since he learned about Xu Zihang¡¯s identity, Zhao Zhen changed the way he called him like the rest to express his respect. However, he was very curious about his relationship with Song Ye. It was weird for a mayor¡¯s son to be so respectful to Song Ye. Song Ye shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After last night, Xu Zihang did not contact her. Perhaps he wanted to explain to her face to face. Tian Xin Pavilion was one of the top hotels in Stone City as it had a one-stop service for restaurants and hotels. All those who could spend money were all higher-ups in society. Once Song Ye entered the door, a waitress immediately came to serve them and brought them up the elevator to their room to eat. When the room door opened, Xu Zihang immediately stood up from his chair. He was still wearing a suit, which looked very formal on him. He pulled the chair for Song Ye, and when she sat down, he suddenly lowered his head towards Song Ye. ¡°Sorry, Boss.¡± Boss. Song Ye¡¯s eyes moved and landed her gaze on him. If she did not remember wrongly, this was the first time Xu Zihang called her that. The main character¡¯s nonchalance startled Zhao Zhen to no end as he saw their actions. Boss? What kind of show were they playing? Xu Zihang waited for an entire night and was so fiery and anxious until his lips were about to blister. How could he still care about the person beside him? Seeing Song Ye keep quiet, he clenched his teeth and continued, ¡°Sorry for lying to you for so long. I didn¡¯t want to say it before because I was scared there will be separation within the brothers.¡± It was incompatible for a mayor¡¯s son to spend time with a bunch of broke hooligans so this reason was acceptable, but Song Ye did not believe him. She squinted her eyes, and the atmosphere became cold as her hand kept knocking on the table. Dong¡­ dong¡­ dong¡­ With every knock, it made others¡¯ hearts sink. The suppressive feeling that was exuded from her body caused the two people to suffocate. Even Zhao Zhen, who had been in the business world for so long, could not handle the pressure¡ªlet alone Xu Zihang. It was winter, but his forehead broke out into many droplets of sweat. When he could not take it anymore, he continued. ¡°I admit I was selfish in the beginning. I did not fancy the small fights here and there. In the end, I didn¡¯t say my identity because I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t accept me.¡± He was a very arrogant and prideful person; even Xu Fangsheng could not force him to lower his head. Today, however, he could not help but put down his dignity. His considerations were valid. Song Ye stopped her hand actions and lightly closed her eyes as her heart was cold, and she exhaled. She calmly announced. ¡°Quit when we get back from Stone City.¡± The Night Gang was destined to be an underground organization and would meet with bloodshed and darkness in the future. Xu Zihang¡¯s identity was indeed unsuitable for him to stay in the organization. Upon hearing her calm words, Xu Zihang felt as though his heart was punched. He widened his eyes, and rejection came straight out of his mouth. ¡°No, Song Ye, I won¡¯t harm the brothers¡¯ interests. Please believe me.¡± ¡°Xu Zihang.¡± Song Ye raised her eyes and called his name, saying every single word carefully. ¡°Have you thought about your future?¡± ¡°Future¡­¡± Xu Zihang was taken aback as he muttered the word. There was confusion in his eyes. In no time, his determination came back as he stared at Song Ye with his scorching eyes. Without hesitation, he announced his plan. ¡°From the day you saved me and helped me take revenge, I took you as my boss. This thing will never change in my entire life.¡± Chapter 58 - Dont Call my Name Xu Zihang could admit that he liked the girl in front of him, but before his feelings towards her, he was respectful and loyal to the girl. He had seen the girl¡¯s clean and decisive skills, and her passion that thought for the brothers¡ªbehind her cold mask. In the rundown private house base, they had put in their sweat and achieved success. They shared happiness, and a lot of times and memories together; every second and every minute etched into his heart. Until this day, the girl had already become the boss of the Night Gang; she was the center of the crowd and the person to whom all the brothers were loyal. Unknowingly, even he was proud of their organization. It was selfish of Xu Zihang for exposing his identity at such an event. He wanted to prove his confidence and showed his capabilities to let the girl know that he was worthy of standing next to her. However, when he saw the girl¡¯s light gaze, he knew that he had done something wrong. He was wrong when he first started to hide the truth from her. Last night, he tossed and turned for the entire night and wondered if he should talk to the girl about this. How should he continue on with his future? ¡°Song Ye, I¡¯m standing here because I¡¯m determined.¡± His gaze revealed the determination he had never shown before. The youngster¡¯s cool face was stern and solemn as he said ever so seriously. ¡°No matter what kind of challenges we face in the future, I will never betray the brothers or you. Believe me this once. I¡¯ll prove it to you.¡± Believe me this once. I¡¯ll prove it to you.Read more chapters at Listnovel.com Song Ye had once heard this statement before at the river in winter. The youngster¡¯s face was swollen, and his eyes were filled with hatred as he swore that he would follow her. Back then, she felt that the youngster was like a green shepherd, similar to how she was back then. The later nod allowed them to spend the winter together. Up till this day, the youngster had changed his identity but said the same words. Song Ye stared at him as her icy cold gaze shook, and there were traces of her wavering. Then, she lightly stood up and walked towards the door. The moment she placed her hand on the handle, she heard her own voice. ¡°Xu Zihang, remember what you said today. Also¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t call me by my name anymore.¡± For a very long time, Xu Zihang stood at the same spot and did not move. He watched the empty door as if the outside wind had blown into his heart chambers and gave him a chill. However, it also felt like it was a boiling metal that burned his heart. He was very happy¡ªelated that Song Ye trusted him again, but tears welled up. He knew that taking away the right to call her name meant that he could never stand next to her for the rest of his life. When Zhao Zhen followed Song Ye out of the room, he still could not understand the situation back in the room. Seeing how harsh Song Ye was with Xu Zihang, he could not take it anymore. ¡°Song Ye, Young Master Xu might have hidden his identity from you, but he has a great personality. As the saying goes, there¡¯s no difference in wealth when making friends. Don¡¯t be too angry.¡± If other people knew that their friend was the mayor¡¯s son, they would have cozied up to them immediately; only a strange person like Song Ye would get angry. Of course, the words that he could not say were understood by Song Ye just by looking at his face filled with conflict. Just that, based on Zhao Zhen¡¯s personality, he could be a tactful businessman. However, he could not know too much so Song Ye had no intention of telling him about the Night Gang. Thus, she did not further explain about Xu Zihang. Zhao Zhen thought that she was still angry so he sighed soundlessly behind. When they reached the elevator entrance, the door opened; and the man wearing a white suit was shocked. Immediately, he laughed. ¡°What a coincidence, fella.¡± Song Ye raised her head and saw two bodyguards protecting Qu Bai walk out. The man reeked of romance and would not have a lack of affairs no matter where he went. However, at this point, he was more interested in Song Ye. ¡°Master Qu, we meet again.¡± Hurriedly, Zhao Zhen went forward and greeted him as he was afraid that the angry Song Ye would pull a long face at him. Qu Bai lifted his eyebrows and smiled at Zhao Zhen. ¡°Seems like CEO Zhao thinks very highly of your nephew and would bring him around to participate in events. Last night, I heard that this nephew of yours has some credits in making your business a success.¡± Zhao Zhen felt a pang in his heart and was scolding Wang Yutang for being so talkative. On the surface, he shook his head and said, ¡°The kid just likes new things. When I come for events, he will yell that he wants to come along so I brought him with me.¡± Skillfully, he successfully evaded the topic but did not manage to trick Qu Bai. No matter how they looked at it, Song Ye¡ªwith her face of coldness¡ªdid not look like someone who would throw a tantrum. However, Qu Bai also casually lied to him; he did not really find out information about Song Ye. If not, he would not have continued to think that Song Ye was a boy. ¡°Uncle Zhao, let¡¯s go eat. I¡¯m hungry.¡± Song Ye spoke from Zhao Zhen¡¯s back and had no intention of interacting with the peacock in front of her. Once she saw Qu Bai, she thought of how Qin Zhan took advantage of her the day before. However, she did not want to ignore him but could not stop Qu Bai¡¯s interest in her. Zhao Zhen really wanted to bid farewell, but Qu Bai suddenly invited them. ¡°If CEO Zhao doesn¡¯t mind, let¡¯s eat together. Our afternoon¡¯s schedule is the same.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Zhao Zhen was in a difficult position and wanted to look at Song Ye instinctively, but when he remembered that they were uncle and nephew, it would arouse suspicion if he asked for Song Ye¡¯s approval. Hence, he nodded. ¡°Then, I need to thank Master Qu.¡± Finally, Song Ye sat back in the room at Tian Xin Pavilion and ate the delicacies of this top restaurant. To Song Ye who had a very high expectation of food, the dishes at Tian Xin Pavilion were worth its price. When they were halfway through their meal, Qu Bai looked over and smiled at Song Ye. ¡°You look like you¡¯re very particular about food. It seems like you frequent such places. Next time, if I go to Cloud City, I¡¯ll have a good guide.¡± Song Ye¡¯s fingers stopped for a while before she continued picking at the fish in front of her undisturbed. ¡°I just follow Uncle Zhao around to get food and drinks. If I¡¯m too rude, I¡¯ll embarrass Uncle Zhao.¡± As the saying goes, ¡®birds of the same feather flock together¡¯. None of the friends around Qin Zhan were useless as he could infer something from the way she ate. This made her hard to swallow when she was enjoying good food. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m so amused every time I see you.¡± Qu Bai smiled ambiguously. When he thought of the murderous aura around the youngster near the bar¡¯s entrance, the smile in his eyes deepened. ¡°Previously, Master Qu helped us solve our problem and later kept on giving Yu Fu Jewelry¡¯s business. I¡¯ve always wanted to find a chance to thank Master Qu. Today, I¡¯ll have a toast with you to express my gratitude.¡± Zhao Zhen stood up and raised his glass, skillfully blocking Qu Bai¡¯s investigative gaze. The young master of the Qu family was very famous for his flirtatious affairs; although Song Ye was young, she was very pretty. If Qu Bai found out that she was a girl, there would be big trouble. Qu Bai held up his glass to toast back before talking about the main topic of the meal. ¡°The jades that I bought from Yu Fu Jewelry the previous few times were pretty good. I believe CEO Zhao has an eye for good gems. I was wondering if you had set your eyes on any of the materials in this event. I would like to book it in advance.¡± Chapter 59 - Unsuccessful Deal In the gem speculation industry, there were a lot of different ways to conduct business dealings like openly speculating and secretly doing it. Some people were like Qu Bai, who would book in advance from a company that had guaranteed good quality, so when a good jade was produced, they could have the first shot to get it. Before the material was opened, the buyer who booked in advance had to bear all the risks; and the seller just had to sell it at two times the cost, which was a sure-win deal. When the Qu family wanted to buy things, they never thought much about money. When Zhao Zhen was seriously considering it, he lightly added another condition. ¡°I want to buy all the material that Yu Fu Jewelry bought this time.¡± ¡°All?¡± Zhao Zhen instantly gasped a breath of cold air as his face changed color. ¡°Master Qu, Yu Fu Jewelry invested in five million dollars this time.¡± Five million dollars¡­ If he bought everything, it meant that Yu Fu Jewelry could safely earn five million dollars without any risk, and this amount was not a small sum in the entire Stone City. However, Qu Bai did not even bat an eye. ¡°If CEO Zhao is willing, I can immediately transfer the ten million dollars to you.¡± Zhao Zhen was very tempted by such a huge sum of money, and there could never be someone who would not be tempted. He was even certain that Song Ye would not object to it so he looked at Song Ye emotionally, but her gaze immediately poured cold water all over him. ¡°If you drink too much wine, it will go to your head. Uncle Zhao, do you want to sit down and have a cup of tea?¡± Song Ye calmly poured him a cup of tea, and even though it was a question, her actions and hints were very obvious. ¡°Oh, hehe, yes, yes. I¡¯m too emotional.¡± Zhao Zhen coughed dryly and patted his burning forehead before he recovered his calmness. ¡°Master Qu, this thing is not urgent. Let¡¯s sit down and talk about it slowly.¡± Even though on the surface he was the one in charge of Yu Fu Jewelry, the owner was actually Song Ye; he had to seek her approval before he did anything. However, his heart was very cold when he drank the tea that Song Ye brought over. Zhao Zhen was frozen until his teeth were sour and finally understood that Song Ye did not think well of this deal. Besides, it was important to have some guts when doing business deals. From the moment she gave the cup of tea to him, Qu Bai also noticed the change in atmosphere. If he did not continue to show his cards, it would be hard to close the deal. ¡°To be honest, CEO Zhao, I¡¯m helping Young Master Qin find something. If the quality of the jade is good enough, you can make any requests in terms of the price.¡± Qu Bai grasped the timing well and pulled out the biggest wealth source. Not only was Zhao Zhen stunned, but even Song Ye¡ªwho was always calm and collected¡ªhad a reaction. It turned out to be Qin Zhan who wanted to find jade. When this idea flashed in her mind, Song Ye decided to not be polite and poured a cup of water for Zhao Zhen. Then, she pretended to be ignorant and said, ¡°Uncle Zhao, I thought we will only know if the jade of the material is good after we take it out. If we find good things in it but we sold it, then won¡¯t we be at a loss?¡± The fifteen-year-old child¡¯s voice was child-like and filled with naivety as she talked without cutting any corners. Qu Bai¡¯s face tensed up and confirmed that Song Ye was just causing trouble. In business, they hated to be seen through. He liked the gems at Yu Fu Jewelry and knew that Zhao Zhen was not smart enough so he wanted to push the price down. However, when Song Ye caused havoc, how could he continue with his business dealing? Besides, Zhao Zhen seemed to listen to this nephew a lot. ¡°Oh? Then, according to our little friend here, should we auction the gem after we take it out from the material?¡± Qu Bai extended his posture on the chair as he smiled with a pressurizing aura. ¡°I¡¯m afraid no one would dare to fight with the Qu family in this gem industry.¡± He always liked to be polite first before he sent his soldiers. Qu family¡¯s wealth destined him to not be someone easy to be dealt with. ¡°Master Qu, please don¡¯t misunderstand. Song Ye doesn¡¯t mean that¡­¡± Zhao Zhen broke out in cold sweat because of this sudden descent in pressure. In the gem industry¡ªif the Qu family stomped their feet, they would cause an earthquake. If they offended the Qu family, a hundred Yu Fu Jewelry would not be able to survive in the gem industry. However, Song Ye was just someone that would not take it the hard way. Facing Qu Bai¡¯s threat, she broke into a smile and said lightly. ¡°I believe in the Qu family¡¯s wealth, but I believe even greatly in Yu Fu Jewelry¡¯s potential. We can definitely sell the item to Master Qu, but we can only do it after we open the stone and sell it openly.¡± Of course, it would be good if she could take a huge sum of money from Qin Zhan. Seeing her small body filled with big guts and taking the initiative to control Zhao Zhen¡¯s business, Qu Bai disapproved of her actions. ¡°Don¡¯t be so full of yourself. I¡¯m afraid when you open the stone, I might not like it.¡± ¡°Then, Master Qu can save a sum of money.¡± Song Ye was very composed and stumped Qu Bai. At the end of the meal, only Song Ye was eating it happily. Zhao Zhen was too fearful to talk, and Qu Bai¡¯s face darkened. He did not even dare to mutter a word. As the time was almost up, the few of them walked out of the room one after another and were prepared to walk towards the event venue. When they turned a corner, they heard an anxious voice from behind. ¡°Master Qu, please hold up! Hold up!¡± The few of them turned around and saw a middle-aged man gasping for air as he hurriedly passed the name card to Qu Bai. ¡°Master Qu, it¡¯s an honor to meet you. I can¡¯t believe that I met you here. Hehe¡­ hm? Why are you here?¡± His last question was for Song Ye while the latter had an expressionless face and was thinking about her ill fates. The man that rushed up to talk was the man that lectured Song Ye at the event. Naturally, Qu Bai could tell that there was something off between them. His mind turned as he casually asked, ¡°Oh? This is CEO Zhao and his nephew. I wanted to buy the materials that CEO Zhao set his eyes on this time, but what a pity, the business deal was not successful.¡± The man was taken aback and immediately laughed out loud. ¡°Master Qu, this is a good thing. In the morning, I saw this child using five hundred thousand dollars to buy a useless stone. I thought that he must have been spoiled by his family. No matter how much I tried to stop him, he didn¡¯t listen to me. If Master Qu is interested, why don¡¯t you buy the one that I have? I guarantee that it¡¯s of good quality.¡± In front of Zhao Zhen, the man did not even care about him and was very self-absorbed. When he heard that, Qu Bai looked at Song Ye interestingly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you know how to speculate gems, other than handling business deals.¡± Upon hearing this, the man waved his hand rudely. ¡°Aye, how¡¯s that knowing? He just chose it blindly. Master Qu, don¡¯t spend unnecessary money. The one that I have is very rare.¡± Even though Qu Bai was not happy that Song Ye disrupted his calculations, he hated someone else¡¯s arrogant and self-absorbed behavior. Clearly, to someone that hurt her again, Song Ye was no longer merciful. Looking at the delighted look on the man¡¯s face, she said calmly. ¡°Since you¡¯re so confident in your taste, why don¡¯t we have a bet? We¡¯ll bet on whoever has a better quality gem.¡± Chapter 60 - Rainbow Jade Speculate. Originally, the man only wanted to ridicule the immature uncle and nephew in front of Qu Bai; but he did not expect Song Ye would retaliate. ¡°Little kid, you want to use your yellow sand one to fight with my black one?¡± ¡°Mm, that¡¯s right.¡± Song Ye answered lightly and put on a nonchalant look. Suddenly, the man laughed and raised his chin as he said, ¡°Okay, since you¡¯re so indignant. I¡¯ll bet with you. Just that, my time is very precious. What should we do if you lose?¡± He would not waste his time and play with her. An idea popped in his head as he said slowly, ¡°Let¡¯s do this. If you lose, then you¡¯ll compensate me according to the price of your material. What do you think?¡± When they heard that, all the adults present knitted their brows slightly. Song Ye was indeed young and immature, but this man was extorting her about the bet. Qu Bai had a pretty good impression of Song Ye so he did not want to spoil his business with Yu Fu Jewelry. He was just about to open his mouth to cancel this ridiculous bet. However, Song Ye was faster than him and even harsher. ¡°Okay, but if you lose, then you need to compensate me with the price of the material you bought.¡± The man was stunned before he laughed out loud. ¡°Okay, with Master Qu as my witness, when you lose; I hope you won¡¯t cry your eyes out. Anyway, if you don¡¯t have money, your Uncle has.¡± This sentence poked Zhao Zhen right in his heart. At first, he wanted to stop the deal; but when he saw the other party¡¯s stuck-up look, his blood started to boil. He smiled back insincerely. ¡°Since Song Ye is my nephew, I will definitely take care of his share. Besides, we¡¯re still unsure of who would win or lose. Don¡¯t be so full of yourself.¡± ¡°Hmph, we¡¯ll see.¡± The man sneered and had a winner¡¯s expression on his face. Looking at the behavior of both parties, Qu Bai decided to just keep quiet and watch the show. Anyway, onlookers would not be afraid if the thing was blown up. As he was suddenly made the witness, he followed to the event location and became the judge. On the way, when he saw Song Ye¡¯s composure and nonchalant look, he asked curiously. ¡°You¡¯re really confident. Don¡¯t forget: if you lose, Yu Fu Jewelry has to buy the material and compensate them.¡± To a small jewelry shop, one million dollars was not a small amount. However, Song Ye did not care. ¡°People strive for vindication, and keeping quiet when someone is trampling all over me is not my style. Yu Fu Jewelry can afford to lose this one million.¡± Besides, before the bet was even made, she already knew that she was going to win. If others wanted to send their money over, why would she not accept it gladly? Qu Bai was taken aback by her words as he did not expect Song Ye to be so dignified at a young age. In his heart, he was even more impressed with the child. However, when they entered the event venue and after both parties chose their material, Qu Bai and Zhao Zhen¡¯s eyelids kept on twitching as they finally understood the source of the man¡¯s arrogance. ¡°Haha, okay, since we¡¯ve already bought the items, let¡¯s start to open it.¡± After the man paid for the material, he could not wait to use it to slap Song Ye¡¯s face. At this point, no matter how regretful Zhao Zhen was, he could only carry on with the show with a thick skin. In his heart, he only hoped that the seemingly poor quality stone could produce some decent jade that would save him some face. When Qu Bai saw that Song Ye was still calm, he found it very interesting and sat on a chair to drink tea while watching the stone master work his magic. In his heart, he could no figure out if Song Ye was really stupid or playing dumb. At this point, it was past noon; and there were people gradually entering the venue to buy materials. When they saw that someone was opening a big stone and the young master of the Qu family was watching, the news spread like wildfire. In no time, there was a crowd around the area. ¡°Hey, I saw this black one in the morning. It¡¯s very attractive. I didn¡¯t expect someone to buy it so quickly.¡± ¡°Mm, I bid for it too, but I was too late. I heard that they¡¯re having a bet here, and the other party is using a five hundred thousand coarse skin to battle.¡± ¡°Ah? There¡¯s such an idiot? It would be so humiliating if the yellow one does not even produce green.¡± Everyone broke into discussions. When the man on stage heard it, he became increasingly uptight. Zhao Zhen stared at the machine, and droplets of sweat kept trickling down his forehead. Secretly, he asked the girl next to him. ¡°Song Ye, are you really confident?¡± After all, he did not know that Song Ye had superpowers and thought that Song Ye chose stones based on her instincts. However, one could not be very sure in such matters; what if she was wrong? Song Ye nonchalantly leaned on the chair and nodded. ¡°Mm, don¡¯t worry.¡± This time, she did not only want to get back at him. Zhao Zhen could never guess her temperament, but he was very impressed at her composure. Since things had already ended in this manner, he could only hold his breath and wait for the results. Both materials were of similar size so their progress was the same when they were both opened at the same time. Both sides opened the first centimeter, and it was a white stone. Another five centimeters down, the yellow one dropped sand at its shell, causing snickers within the crowd while the black one was still white. At this time, Song Ye instructed the master to continue cutting one centimeter in. Inside the yellow one, a shade of brown was exposed. ¡°Blackish brown shell?¡± Qu Bai¡¯s hand stopped in its movement as he had a clue of what was inside. On the other hand, the black one was cut more than ten centimeters, but it was still a white stone. On stage, the man¡¯s expression changed; but he still waited patiently. When the yellow coarse one revealed the brown shell, everyone was shocked beyond words as they had never seen a stone with two layers and even a vast difference between the two. Seeing that the crowd was quite pumped up, Song Ye directly asked the master to cut three centimeters deeper. The master was a bit hesitant at first, but he could not stand against Song Ye¡¯s persistence. Meticulously, he cut deeper; the moment he did, his eyes lit up. A crystal clear color reflected the sunlight into his eyes, causing him to be unable to open them. ¡°It¡¯s green!¡± The people below the stage gasped, followed by a bigger question. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The crowd¡¯s eyes were stunned by the sudden brightness, but when they looked closer, they could see a rainbow light. Immediately, they went forward to take a closer look. Qu Bai was shocked and put down his cup instantly as he walked over and carefully checked the gem¡¯s exterior. He boomed, ¡°Continue to cut. Be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, Master Qu.¡± Upon receiving the command, the master started cutting carefully. The bigger the window he opened, the more shocked they were. Wang Yutang, who heard the news, came over in a hurry and was shocked until his mouth was agape by the transparent, rainbow jade. ¡°It¡¯s a legendary gem! It¡¯s definitely the only one in the entire world.¡±