Chapter 27

Did you enjoy the food tonight?

"Um."

"No wonder, I saw you were only focused on eating."

"..."

The car was in self-driving mode. Xin Ran opened the sunroof and lowered the seat to enjoy the cool mountain breeze, leisurely lying back to watch the twinkling stars in the night sky, and casually teasing Chi Xia.

"Hey, lower your seat and lie down for a rest. You still have the second half, right?"

Chi Xia crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes to rest. "I can rest even without lying down. Just shut up."

Xin Ran turned to look at Chi Xia's indifferent profile, "You're always so cold, don't you ever get sick from the cold?"

Chi Xia kept her eyes closed and remained motionless. "You talk so much, but you don't seem to be making yourself sick with your chatter."

"Hey, wake up, let's talk." Xin Ran reached out and patted Chi Xia's arm. "Do you think Xiao Ai's parents will get divorced?"

Chi Xia couldn't sleep because of his annoyance. She opened her eyes and glared at him, "Why are you always so interested in other people's business?"

"You can't say that. Xiao Ai is my student. How can he be considered someone else? Tell me, what do you think? I want to hear someone as rational and detached as you gossip."

"……Won't."

"Why? They've already fought, they might cripple each other tomorrow." Unlike most people who get sleepy after drinking, Xin Ran gets excited and becomes a chatterbox, making conversation even when there's nothing to say.

"..." Chi Xia rolled her eyes at him, wanting to continue resting.

Seeing that she was being ignored, Xin Ran frowned and reached out to pat Chi Xia, "I'm asking you a question, are you mute?"

Chi Xia was really sleepy, so she raised her hand to give him a tap on the back of the neck to quiet him down, but her hand was intercepted by Xin Ran halfway through the air, the speed of which was almost a conditioned reflex.

"I really don't understand what Xun Jiang sees in you. You're boring and uninteresting, and you even hit people all the time." Xin Ran flung her hand back and launched into a tirade of accusations.

Chi Xia wasn't surprised by Xin Ran's skills, nor did she expect to actually knock him out. She took a deep breath and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Xin Ran laughed again, turning to look at Chi Xia, "Relax, lie down and look at the starry sky, and you won't be so full of hostility."

"Violence?"

“Yes, you have a lot of resentment about you.” Xin Ran raised a finger and said seriously, “People with a lot of resentment will attract bad luck.”

"Ha!" Chi Xia was amused by him. "It's pretty unlucky, otherwise how would I have run into you?"

"You might not believe me, but I saw a woman inside that Rubik's Cube who looked a lot like you. She was also full of malevolence, and then she was killed."

"..." Like an ice hockey puck rolling through her mind, Chi Xia's nerves tensed instantly, and she almost blurted out, "What did you say!"

Xin Ran looked at Chi Xia carefully for a few moments, then gestured with her hands, "Her hair is longer and curly than yours, her face is a bit darker than yours, she seems to be shorter than you, and her build is about the same as yours, thin."

With each item Xin Ran mentioned, Chi Xia's heart skipped a beat. After Xin Ran finished describing everything, Chi Xia's fists went numb, and her mind seemed to have collapsed. She didn't react for a long time.

Xin Ran waved her hand in front of her eyes, "Scared?"

Chi Xia held back a string of questions that were about to burst from her throat. She couldn't ask them. Now that she was sure her sister was dead, she couldn't expose herself. Xin Ran was too unfathomable; she couldn't afford to lose her composure.

Chi Xia suppressed her rapid breathing that returned momentarily, tried to calm her racing heart, turned around and leaned back in her seat. When she closed her eyes and spoke, she was already calm.

"It's late at night, don't spout nonsense, we haven't even entered the city yet."

Xin Ran laughed, "You weren't afraid when you watched holographic horror movies with me before, so why would you be afraid of ghost stories in the middle of the night?"

"..."

This is far more intimidating than any ghost story. She had already confirmed the sisters' identities—they were undoubtedly assassins—yet they were actually killed, and the scene was even recorded and stored in the Rubik's Cube.

As Xin Ran said, he saw his sisters being killed in the Rubik's Cube on his mirrorless camera. The Rubik's Cube was from a car accident and exploded, and the group of people left it at the scene.

It goes without saying who the video recording is for.

Chi Xia even suspected that she was already exposed in the eyes of that group. After all, before her sister's incident, she had shared a basement apartment with her, and that group had even "ransacked" her home afterward.

At this moment, it would be an exaggeration to say that I am filled with mixed feelings.

The enemy, who bands together, is in the shadows while she is in the open, while assassins, especially top assassins, usually operate alone, both for concealment and to avoid being betrayed by anyone.

The bounty for top assassins is never less than nine figures, and the top ten on the list are very likely to be offered astronomical sums. As an assassin, one knows all too well that people die for money and birds die for food. Exposing one's identity to anyone is like handing someone a knife to stab you at any time.

Even someone as powerful as the boss was brought down, so what is she?

Assassins are not afraid of dying, but of dying without knowing why, dying in a cat-and-mouse game.

Seeing that she was neither speaking nor moving, Xin Ran asked, "Asleep?"

Chi Xia opened her eyes and looked at Xin Ran, who was grinning foolishly under the night sky. She suddenly became very curious: just who was this person? Why did he always switch so freely between a dangerous person and an idiot?

Xin Ran: "Lying down feels really good, I'm not lying to you."

As she spoke, Xin Ran grabbed the remote control and lowered the passenger seat as well. "You're too tense. If people didn't know better, they'd think you were always up to murder and arson."

Chi Xia stared straight into his eyes, which shimmered in the starlight.

"If I really killed someone and set fire to something, aren't you afraid?" Now that the topic has come to this point, Chi Xia is not going to dodge. If they are enemies, then there is no need to be coy once it is out in the open.

Xin Ran looked at her, then suddenly laughed. The tension in his laughter dissipated, and he turned to look at the night sky. "I was just kidding."

Afterwards, the two quietly gazed at the starry sky the whole way. Neither of them spoke again, nor did they close their eyes to sleep. They simply looked at the silent stars, as if pouring out all their unspeakable secrets to the night and the starry sky.

"We have arrived at our destination. Please prepare to disembark."

It was only when the car's navigation system alerted them that the two came to their senses.

I have arranged two home visits tonight. The first half will be having dinner and chatting at Xiao Ai's house in Class 4, and the second half will be having tea at He Ying's house in Class 3.

Although Chi Xia really wanted to go back and see the Rubik's Cube in Xin Ran's hand to confirm all her guesses, her current identity was that of the homeroom teacher of Class 3 at the Magic Fishing Academy.

"Do you think we can take all the gifts back tonight?" Xin Ran suddenly had a thought as she got out of the car. Xiao Ai's house was full of small hospital carts, and He Ying's house was obviously not to be underestimated either.

Chi Xia looked at the entrance, which was as wide as a factory gate, and said, "No matter how many there are, as long as your family can fit them, that's fine. If our cars can't carry them all, we'll arrange for someone to bring a car to help us deliver them."

Xin Ran laughed, "That makes so much sense. I can't wait. The two of us will only bring more gifts when we visit each other's homes. You're just like me."

Chi Xia: "..."

As night deepened, the lights on the side of the gate wall came on, illuminating a stone carving of the character "何" in cursive script.

Chi Xia dialed He Ying's number and said, "I'm at the door."

He Ying had been kicked by Chi Xia before, and the kid seemed to hold a grudge, speaking in a very rude tone, "Come in when you get here. Do I need to greet you at the door?"

Xin Ran: "You've got some temper, kid. I'll make sure to squeeze a hefty sum out of you to get revenge later."

In the past, Chi Xia would have definitely rejected such childish talk, but today, hearing that someone wanted to avenge her, she felt a warmth in her heart. She smiled faintly and said, "Okay, I'll watch your performance later."

As the two entered, two rows of servants bowed in unison, saying, "Welcome!"

The housekeeper stood at the front. She stepped forward, smiling very professionally, "Are you Ms. Chi Xia and your colleagues? Please come in."

On the way, the housekeeper briefly introduced the layout of the He family home to them, and then led them to the living room. To Chi Xiaxinran's surprise, the He family had other guests today.

Seeing the butler lead the two people inside, the group at the tea table in the living room all stood up.

Mr. He smiled broadly, looking as handsome as the old Ferrari. “Yingzai’s homeroom teacher has arrived. Hello, teachers. This is Yingzai’s fencing teacher and his friend. They happen to be free today and are staying for lunch after their lesson. Come, sit down.”

The tea ceremony was conducted by a dedicated person who brewed the tea. As the two people sat down, the water was about to boil, and the tea master replaced it with fresh tea.

Mr. He looked at Chi Xia with a slight apology, "I'm sorry, Ms. Chi, Yingzai's mother is busy signing a very important contract out of town, so she might be a little late. Please have some time to sit down."

Chi Xia: "Yeah, it's okay."

Xin Ran glanced at the tall fencing instructor and felt a strange sense of familiarity, but he sat down next to Chi Xia with a smile and didn't say a word.

He Ying glanced at Xin Ran, his impression of her still stuck on her as a useless, good-for-nothing who was always bullied by the violent thugs from the next class. He asked Chi Xia, "Why did you call this guy here?"

Mr. He frowned, "Yingzai?"

He Ying immediately shut up. Chi Xia asked, "Has He Ying taken her fencing exam?"

Mr. He smiled and said, "He got an A grade in the exam during the holiday."

Chi Xia recalled He Ying's defiant and provocative manner before, realizing that He Ying actually had some talent in martial arts. "Not bad."

Upon hearing this, the fencing coach turned to look at Chi Xia with a half-smile, "Among my students, He Ying is the strongest."

Xin Ran tilted her head and looked at him. "The strongest in Glory, that means your student isn't very good."

The person wasn't angry; in fact, they laughed. "Oh? May I ask what level you are?"

Xin Ran took a sip of the tea offered by the tea master. "As for me, I was just an ordinary student and only got a legendary score."

"..."

"Pfft!" He Ying couldn't help but laugh. "You're bragging on the ground and flying around in the sky. Legendary? Did you make up that level yourself? The strongest is only King, S-rank."

The fencing coach paused for a moment, and seeing that no one else seemed to care, he could only sigh and explain, "Yes, there are. A Legendary is at least three levels above a King. To be called a Legendary, one must win the championship three times in a row and defeat ten Kings. However, you're an adult, so it's not surprising that you got an R. He Ying is only 18 years old, and her future is bright."

Xin Ran: "Who said I only got an R now? I was only 16 when I held the trophy."

Everyone's expression changed. He Ying even stood up agitatedly, pointing at Xin Ran, "You're so outrageous! You say you're a legend, then let me ask you, who is that idiot who got beaten up by Class 4 and is now in a wheelchair with a cast on?"

Mr. He was clearly surprised as well, because his son liked fencing and he knew a little about it; winning a legendary title at the age of 16 was indeed quite astonishing.

Xin Ran stared intently at the fencing instructor. "You look familiar."

The fencing coach suddenly widened his eyes, somewhat excited, "You're not...you're Xin Ran?!"

Xin Ran smiled and said, "Long time no see, my defeated opponent."