As the sun gradually rose into the sky, the bright sunshine illuminated the scene of Yuanzi running back to Lu Shizhen's arms and snuggling up to her.
Aunt Sun's voice carried a hint of kind laughter, like an unintentional sigh of admiration for the beauty before her.
Xu Shiyue knew from the beginning that Lu Shizhen liked her.
She approached him, but her motives were impure; she entangled him, and her entanglement was relentless and shameless.
Whether on notes, in chat logs, or during occasional contact, she always used the word "like".
Xu Shiyue suddenly realized that she hadn't heard this word in a long time.
The current Lu Shizhen is sensible and polite.
She decided to live her life well, which reminded her that she needed to make those who deserved to pay the price.
She gave herself a guide dog instead of stubbornly insisting on "personally" supporting her blind self.
It seems that she can provide anything she needs.
Xu Shiyue once believed that Lu Shizhen was a smooth-talking, deranged madwoman.
But her current behavior is normal for a madwoman for far too long.
A faint rose scent wafted past Xu Shiyue's fingers. Unbeknownst to her, the wariness and disgust that were usually hidden in her eyes had begun to turn into hesitation and doubt.
A breeze suddenly arose and swept across the lawn, and the dog's paws tapped on the grass, making a pattering sound.
Xu Shiyue was standing there when she saw a low, blurry shadow rushing toward her from afar.
When Yuanzi saw Xu Shiyue appear not far away, she immediately got out of Lu Shizhen's arms and ran over to her, dutifully guarding her master's side.
Seeing this, Qiuqiu, who was covered in drool, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It looked at Yuanzi wagging its tail beside Xu Shiyue, its voice full of exhaustion: "Logically speaking, the creatures of your world shouldn't be able to see me, so why is it the one that can?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because it's a guide dog? The requirements are already demanding, plus there are some things that scientists can't explain?" Lu Shizhen also found it novel. Looking at Qiuqiu, who was shaking its body, she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "Look how much it likes you. It wishes it could hold you in its mouth."
"Host!" Qiuqiu rarely showed a little temper with Lu Shizhen.
However, it simply didn't have the energy to argue anymore; with its energy reserves running low, it landed wearily on Lu Shizhen's head.
I lazily buried my body in my hair, wanting to rest for a while and recharge.
But Qiuqiu's peace and quiet didn't last long before a jolt came from beneath her.
Yuanzi was so eager to get back to Xu Shiyue's side that she forgot to put on her work clothes.
The clinking of metal objects rang out, and Xu Shiyue slightly raised her eyes to see Lu Shizhen walking over carrying Yuanzi's work clothes.
"Good morning." The girl's greeting was polite and gentle, and Xu Shiyue's voice was as cool and calm as ever.
A breeze swept between the two, and the atmosphere seemed to be turning somewhat cold.
But there wasn't one.
Lu Shizhen saw the basket that Aunt Sun had just taken from Xu Shiyue and said, "It's getting cold, so don't go take care of the roses. Yuanzi likes to be with you, its owner, so spend more time with it."
Yuanzi wagged its tail beside Lu Shizhen, and then barked in agreement as Lu Shizhen finished speaking.
Thinking back to the scene of Yuanzi chasing after Qiuqiu to play with it, Lu Shizhen felt that the dog was very intelligent. Her bright black eyes curved in the sunlight, and she rubbed its head with affection, saying, "This guy forgot to wear his work clothes just now in order to come to you quickly."
"Wait a moment, I'll put it on."
As she spoke, Lu Shizhen nimbly squatted down in front of Xu Shiyue.
Today is a rare and beautiful day; the wind is blowing across the lawn, bringing a refreshing autumn breeze.
The sunlight fell unhindered onto the lawn, as if favorably illuminating the blurry yet somewhat clear image in Xu Shiyue's vision. The figures of a person and a dog unexpectedly occupied half of Xu Shiyue's field of vision.
Lu Shizhen raised her arm, and Yuanzi obediently slipped into the suspenders.
Their tacit understanding was as if they often did this in the past.
"Do you know that a dog like you with such a poor work attitude will be fired?"
Lu Shizhen held Yuanzi's foot and spoke to it with a serious expression, her voice carrying a hint of intimidation.
But his slightly widened eyes were like those of someone disciplining a disobedient dog; his tone was gentle but not harsh, instead as childlike as ever.
It makes you want to shake your head at this childish behavior at such an advanced age, and then laugh at it.
The dog's long, thick tail cast illusory shadows in the light around the lawn, while the girl's slightly messy, tousled hair shimmered with golden light.
At this moment, the paintings of the Misty School seem to come alive, illusory and beautiful, worthy of anyone's lingering affection.
But a painting is still just a painting.
Even standing on the same lawn, she was nothing more than someone looking at a painting.
None of this belongs to her.
A dark glint spread across the girl's eyes, swallowing up the light. What she needed now was the power to help her take revenge.
Rather than a life of complacency and ease.
Lu Shizhen won't give it to her.
The autumn sun was still hanging in the sky, but it was already getting cool in the afternoon.
As usual, the servants gathered for a meeting at Aunt Sun's summons, and the entire villa was unusually quiet.
"Ta-da!"
A crisp knocking sounded abruptly, but Xu Shiyue remained completely calm.
She calmly rose from her chair, turned to the person who had entered, and said, "Miss, the person who was supposed to meet you is already waiting in the blind spot of the surveillance cameras in the back garden."
“Okay.” Xu Shiyue nodded and followed Luo Ji out of the room.
She had very few belongings, only a cello, which Luo Ji had hidden in the back garden, intending to retrieve it as soon as he left.
Sunlight filters through the lush osmanthus tree outside the window, scattering into the room and gilding the clean tabletop.
The room was so tidy that it looked as if no one had ever lived there. Only a folded letter on the desk by the window proved that a meticulous young girl had once lived in this room.
Since she didn't need to work for the time being and the older sister who usually played with her wasn't home, Yuanzi curled up in her nest by the French windows in the living room to rest.
The dog could always accurately distinguish the footsteps of different humans. As soon as Xu Shiyue followed Luo Ji downstairs, it opened its eyes.
Its thick tail started wagging instantly, making a loud banging sound as it struck the glass next to it.
Luo Ji felt a sudden tightness in her chest, but Xu Shiyue was far more composed than her.
She knew Yuanzi had woken up, so she quickly went over and stroked it, gently indicating that she didn't need it right now and could continue resting.
Yuanzi, the guide dog, was very relaxed. Xu Shiyue was not completely blind, and being used to being alone, she didn't use it very often.
It was clever; in just a few days, it had already understood the various hand gestures Xu Shiyue gave it, and this time was no exception. Just like that, when Xu Shiyue touched it, it immediately understood her meaning and lay back down.
"Miss really knows how to handle things." Luo Ji looked at the dog that had obediently fallen asleep and praised it softly.
Xu Shiyue did not answer.
She slowly stood up, her hands, which were in her pockets, clenched together slightly.
The platinum-gold dumplings, bathed in the light from the window, looked exceptionally warm and comforting in Xu Shiyue's eyes.
And right next to this white-gold color, there should have been a young girl in the past.
I'm easygoing and play with this dog without much of a temper.
Sometimes they would argue for a long time over something.
A breeze stirred, causing the shadows of the trees outside the window to sway, and the shimmering shadows cast by the sunlight flickered in Xu Shiyue's vision.
The girl frowned slightly, then silently withdrew her gaze.
She should go.
The routine meeting convened by Aunt Sun had already begun at this time, and the huge villa, which resembled a small manor, was almost deserted.
The wind swayed the girl's skirt, and the light fabric brushed against the rose branches.
The frail roses in the front yard swayed in the wind, as if chasing the flames that had burned along the way, or perhaps trying to hold her back.
But the girl never stopped.
Before long, Xu Shiyue and Luo Ji walked unimpeded to the front gate of the villa.
The security guard on duty poked his head out as usual when Xu Shiyue was about to leave, and said with a fawning smile, "Miss Xu, are you going out? Why aren't you taking a car?"
“Miss Xu has some Braille textbooks she wants to buy and wants to see them in person,” Luo Ji explained, his acting superb. “Last time we went, Miss Lu got really angry because parking was difficult there, so this time we’ll take a taxi.”
The security guard nodded, looking like he understood.
Anyway, this wasn't the first time Miss Xu had gone to buy Braille textbooks. Although Miss Lu wasn't accompanying her this time, it seemed like nothing serious would happen, so she let her through without much suspicion: "Miss Xu, please take care."
"Thank you." Xu Shiyue nodded slightly and calmly followed Luo Ji out the door as usual.
The car, disguised as a taxi, was already parked on the side of the road. Luo Ji helped Xu Shiyue into the back seat and then nimbly got into the driver's seat himself: "Miss, we're finally going!"
"Yes." Xu Shiyue nodded slightly, but there was no joy on her face.
The car started quickly, and the roadside trees receded into the distance in her vision. Lu Shizhen's medicine was very effective; her eyesight was now slightly better.
The enormous white building she had once longed to escape from became clearer; it seemed to be chasing the receding sun, and was also gradually moving away from her.
Xu Shiyue didn't see the rest of the road very clearly, nor could she be considered familiar with it.
The lights in the tunnel kept flashing in her eyes, and the car stopped with its hazard lights on as it passed through the second tunnel.
As agreed, Xu Shoude's men would wait here. Xu Shiyue, Luo Ji, and the bodyguards following behind would transfer to the car they had prepared to eliminate any traces that Lu Shizhen and Xu Shouxian's ilk might be able to track.
Xu Shoude's men also kept their promise and drove over from the opposite side at almost the same time.
As dusk fell, Xu Shiyue saw Xu Shoude get out of the car.
The blurry shadows made it impossible to discern a person's weight; all that could be seen was that there were many more graying shadows.
The man remained as amiable as ever, as if he had come to personally take her home.
This action can be interpreted as Xu Shoude valuing Xu Shiyue highly.
But you could also say he has other plans.
The car was shrouded in the vast darkness of the tunnel behind it, while the hazard lights illuminated the car parked in front of it.
Xu Shiyue hesitated to instruct Luo Ji to unlock the car door. The place she was going to was the closest to Xu Shouxian. Even though she had a close relationship with Xu Shoude since childhood, she still had to be wary of him.
Just then, a light appeared in Xu Shiyue's car, gradually approaching.
A black Bentley slowly pulled up behind Xu Shoude's car, the shadow of a man in a suit reflected on the bright windshield.
Xu Shouxian stepped out of the car casually and greeted Xu Shiyue, who was sitting inside, with a smile: "Little niece, long time no see."
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