Chapter 61. The sudden revelation of the truth...
Uncle Jiang, dressed in a black suit and wearing white gloves, stood beside a three-tiered metal mobile dining cart. A tea set was placed on the top of the cart, and wisps of smoke were still rising from the teapot's spout.
Uncle Jiang picked up the teapot, poured a cup of black tea, and handed it over with a smile, bowing low: "Yes, young master."
Lin Xiaoxiao's spirit stood in a corner of the study, her eyes wide with astonishment, her mouth slightly open, staring intently at Xiao Weizhi sitting on the sofa, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
What does that mean? Screening? She's waiting for an answer.
Xiao Weizhi took the cup of black tea but didn't drink it, staring at the ripples on the surface of the tea leaves.
The steam rising from the black tea misted the gold-rimmed glasses, concealing the struggle in his eyes: "Uncle Jiang, you say..."
Before he could finish speaking, Uncle Jiang interrupted him in a deep voice: "Young Master, treasures should be kept hidden, not displayed for all to see."
"You already overstepped the rules by agreeing to take Miss Lin into the secret realm. If it weren't for that incident, no one in the Xiao family would have agreed to your willful behavior of taking Miss Lin around everywhere."
"Young Master, the Xiao family cannot afford any more impulsive decisions from you now."
Jiang Bo's repeated words silenced Xiao Weizhi's next words. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but the smile seemed to carry a bitter meaning.
Xiao Weizhi placed the untouched cup of red tea on the chessboard, lowered his head slightly, and focused his gaze on the White Queen, who was tightly surrounded by black pieces in the chess game in front of him.
A few minutes later, as if he had convinced himself again, the struggle in his eyes faded and he became resolute: "Uncle Jiang, go and make the arrangements."
Jiang Bo placed his right hand on his left chest, where his heart was, his expression gentle, and bowed respectfully, as if he had pledged allegiance to the Xiao family when he was young: "Yes, young master."
Just as Uncle Jiang got up to leave, he contacted someone to make arrangements for what to do next.
Xiao Weizhi spoke again: "Uncle Jiang, untie the props and continue to intensify the search."
Uncle Jiang seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then sighed silently. He was still young and not ruthless enough; he needed more time to mature. "Alright."
With a click, the study door closed.
Only one person and one soul remained in the study. Xiao Weizhi rested her hand on her cheek, her gaze fixed on the chessboard in front of her, her eyes deep and silent, like a lonely, cold spring.
Lin Xiaoxiao, in her soul form, collapsed and roared angrily: "Xiao Weizhi, what do you mean by what you're saying? Give me a proper explanation, speak up!"
She's just temporarily misled by her safe living environment; she's not stupid.
From the brief conversation between Xiao Weizhi and Jiang Bo, a simple fact was pieced together.
After the forced binding, Xiao Weizhi agreed to take her to the secret realm, not because she had demonstrated her value, but because he happened to encounter some difficult problems at that time and had no choice but to take her with him.
In other words, if those things hadn't happened, she might have been locked up in the Xiao family, becoming a human treasure trove that could only produce treasure chests.
Her current 'comfortable' life is a 'vacuum' environment created for her by everyone around her working together.
Haha, she was so smug, thinking she was so lucky to meet such a responsible and gentle person as Xiao Weizhi during a life-or-death crisis.
It turns out that everything was fake.
That's ridiculous.
No matter how Lin Xiaoxiao, in her soul form, questioned him...
Sitting in front of the chessboard, Xiao Weizhi couldn't hear her question at all; he just kept staring at the chessboard in front of him.
As the moon rose high and slowly set, it was time to administer the medicine.
Not long after Lin Xiaoxiao's soul returned and left, Xiao Weizhi stopped looking at the chessboard, got up and left the study.
The chessboard behind them shows the White Queen still tightly surrounded, but the Black King inexplicably falls, giving the White Queen, who is surrounded by thorns, a way out, as if foreshadowing something.
When Xiao Weizhi returned to her room, changed into her pajamas, and prepared to go to bed,
By the moonlight, I could see Lin Xiaoxiao already asleep in bed, tears streaming down her face, as if she were dreaming of something sad or upsetting.
Xiao Weizhi frowned slightly, took out a handkerchief, bent down, and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
He lay down on the bed, reached out and pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead before falling asleep, let out a long sigh, and then the room fell silent.
The next day, sunlight filled the room.
Urged on by the sunlight, Lin Xiaoxiao slowly opened her heavy eyelids.
She stared at the top of the gauze curtain, her eyes unfocused and her pupils not in focus.
Recalling the conversation I overheard late last night, I'm not sure if it was a dream or a real experience.
After standing there in a daze for a long time, she struggled to sit up from her lying position.
After lunch, Lin Xiaoxiao did not go upstairs to accompany Hongwei, go treasure hunting, or read books as usual.
Instead, she walked towards the small garden in the backyard, which made Sister Luo, who was beside her, lose her smile.
Somewhat flustered, he advised, "Miss Lin, the sun is very strong outside right now. Would you like to go to the backyard later, when the sun has gone down a bit?"
Lin Xiaoxiao looked at Luo Jie beside her with a questioning gaze, and said in a gentle voice, "It's okay, you can use an umbrella. I'm too full, I want to go for a walk."
Without saying a word to Sister Luo, she changed direction and walked towards the backyard.
Sister Luo, who was standing next to Lin Xiaoxiao, looked very anxious. Her hand was on the walkie-talkie hanging on her waist, but she didn't dare to pick it up and make any arrangements, as if she was afraid that Lin Xiaoxiao would find out something.
As Lin Xiaoxiao walked to the entrance of the small garden, she looked up and saw several older men and women wearing uniform gray work clothes, wiping their sweat as they worked busily.
This is something she doesn't usually see.
In the past, every evening when she came down, the entire small garden was deserted except for her and Xiao Weizhi.
Even if they wanted to come down during the day, Sister Luo and the others would use all sorts of clever language to distract them and dispel their thoughts, and then they would return to their previous lifestyle and go downstairs in the evening.
Although the staff in the garden have received training.
But they weren't actors, and the panicked expressions on their faces were so blatantly displayed when they saw Lin Xiaoxiao appear.
Some people were trembling uncontrollably, some stopped watering their plants, and some even cut their nearly finished potted plants in half with a pair of scissors...
Lin Xiaoxiao gave a slightly mocking smile, her voice calm: "Sister Luo, the sun is too strong, they seem to be suffering from heatstroke."
Sister Luo reached up and wiped the cold sweat that had appeared on her forehead. Her voice was a little tense: "That's possible. I'll mention it to Butler Jiang later and adjust the work schedule."
Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at Sister Luo, as if she had suddenly lost interest in strolling through the garden, and turned to leave: "The sun is too strong, I won't stroll through the small garden for now."
Just as Sister Luo's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was about to be put down.
Lin Xiaoxiao defied expectations, enduring the pain from her abrasions in her right leg, and toured the entire Xiao family compound, encountering panicked staff members in various corners.
I initially held onto the hope that it was all a dream.
They gradually disappeared amidst their panicked expressions, tense bodies, and avoidance.
This walk lasted for more than six hours. Her anger, irritability, resentment, grievances, and breakdown slowly subsided during the long walk and were suppressed deep inside her heart.
Around 6 p.m., Lin Xiaoxiao ignored the pain in her right leg, forced herself to stand in front of the Xiao family's main gate with Red Tail standing at her feet, determined to go out.
Sister Luo, Sister Chen, and a few others blocked the doorway, repeatedly urging, "Ms. Lin, please go back and have dinner first. After you finish eating, we'll arrange a car to take you out, okay?"
Lin Xiaoxiao stared coldly at the people blocking her way, her tone calm: "I want to get out now."
Just as the group was locked in a standoff, a familiar flying car slowly drove in.
Sitting in the car, Xiao Weizhi frowned when he saw the group of people facing off by the door. He told the driver to stop, got out of the car, and walked up to Lin Xiaoxiao: "Why are you at the gate at this hour? Have you had dinner yet?"
Lin Xiaoxiao's pale face was expressionless, her left hand supporting herself on the Ashmid's cane that she had drawn earlier.
Lin Xiaoxiao originally thought that she would explode and question Xiao Weizhi about why he did this the moment she saw him, but when she saw him, her emotions were strangely calm.
In some mysterious way, her subconscious was driving her to make a 'favorable' (appropriate) choice.
This isn't the first time such a subconscious thought has surfaced.
Since she was born, she has had this feeling several times, prompting her to make various choices subconsciously.
As things stand, these options may have significant drawbacks, but none of them are bad choices.
She raised her head slightly, her eyes filled with deep doubt, and looked directly at Xiao Weizhi calmly, her voice steady: "Not yet, I want to eat out today."
Xiao Weizhi waved to Sister Luo and the others, indicating that he would handle things here and they should go back to their work first.
Upon seeing this, Sister Luo and the others immediately bowed to say goodbye, turned around and left, their relaxed demeanor evident in their departing figures.
He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and led her toward the flying car: "Okay, where do you want to go?"
Lin Xiaoxiao sat in the flying car, her arms folded in front of her chest, nestled in her seat, and said softly, "Let's go to the snack street near the Imperial Capital Martial Arts Academy."
Xiao Weizhi paused as he pulled on the car door, sensing her unusual emotions. His heart suddenly raced, and an absurd thought abruptly appeared in his mind before being forcefully suppressed.
His voice was a little strained, but he asked casually, "Why do you suddenly want to go to the food street? Is it because the food at home isn't to your liking?"
All she wants now is to leave this place that feels like an invisible cage, anywhere is fine as long as it's not here.
Lin Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes and stared straight at the seat in front of her, avoiding eye contact with him: "I've wanted to go before, but I just haven't had the chance."
At the moment she confirmed certain things, she understood many questions that had previously puzzled her:
The first question: Why were the teammates so indifferent in the first few days after I joined the team, but then became familiar and enthusiastic one day?
She had previously thought that even though she lacked combat power, her companions recognized her value with the help of the (diamond-level) fortune stick; now, upon reflection, perhaps Xiao Weizhi was partly to blame.
Second question: Every time I travel in Beijing, are those random passersby security guards?
The third question...
One last question: Xiao Weizhi always says that there is no obligation to pay attention to certain people because she is afraid that she will discover the truth in her conversations with them.
Throughout the journey, the two of them did not exchange a single word inside the flying car.
Xiao Weizhi's finger kept sliding back and forth on the small screen projected by the communicator, just before the flying car was about to arrive at the Imperial Capital Martial Arts Center.
When he saw the message, his pupils contracted sharply. He then took a deep breath and turned off the communicator.
When the flying car arrived at the entrance of the food street, Lin Xiaoxiao looked out the window at the bustling crowd in front of her. Her eyes were lifeless, and her thoughts seemed to drift away from the crowd to somewhere else.
Xiao Weizhi reached out to her: "Let's go, let's go to the food street."
After hesitating for a long time, Lin Xiaoxiao slowly placed her hand in his and said, "Mmm."
Redtail perched on Xiao Weizhi's shoulder as Xiao Weizhi, with his arm around Lin Xiaoxiao, carefully avoided the crowd in front of them.
The two people and their pet walked against the flow of people into the food street.
As Lin Xiaoxiao slowly walked in, amidst the crowd, she whispered, "Weizhi, why do I feel so unreal in this crowd? Instead, I feel that this world is incredibly hypocritical."
Xiao Weizhi stared straight ahead, his hand on her shoulder tightening slightly, his knuckles turning white uncontrollably, his lips pressed into a straight line.
Is it just that you noticed it? Or do you know everything?
He shielded her from oncoming people, his voice a little hoarse: "Some hypocrisy isn't necessarily a bad thing, and some truth isn't necessarily a good thing."
Lin Xiaoxiao stopped in her tracks, turned around and looked straight at him: "But how can you be so sure that I'm willing to stay in this false illusion forever?"
Xiao Weizhi felt a sharp pain in her heart as her previous speculation came true.
He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the gentle mask on his face had disappeared.
Xiao Weizhi, the one who temporarily took charge of the Xiao family, was taciturn and decisive in killing, reappeared, without using a question: "You know everything."
Lin Xiaoxiao looked up at him expressionlessly: "Yes, I want to know the reason."
Xiao Weizhi looked into her clear pupils, where his own expressionless face was reflected. He subconsciously reached out to cover her eyes, his voice dry and his words weak: "Xiaoxiao, this world isn't as bright as you imagine. I admit I had selfish motives, but..."
He stopped mid-sentence, because at this point, anything he said would make him seem like he had ulterior motives.
Indeed, he always had ulterior motives.
Lin Xiaoxiao did not immediately shake off Xiao Weizhi's large hand blocking her view. Instead, she stood still and patiently waited for his explanation.
Time ticked by, but Xiao Weizhi still hadn't offered his analysis.
The two stood there, locked in a stalemate.
Suddenly, a colossal blood-red magic circle appeared in mid-air, projecting a massive pale red beam of light that enveloped the entire capital city.
"What the hell? What's going on with this magic circle?"
"My God, such a huge magic circle."
"There was no notification? Why is there such a large magic circle?"
...
Exclamations of surprise came one after another from passersby.
Xiao Weizhi sensed something was wrong. Without thinking, he immediately grabbed Lin Xiaoxiao and walked back, saying in a deep voice, "The situation is not right now. Let's go back and find a suitable time, and I will give you a complete analysis."
When Xiao Weizhi led Lin Xiaoxiao back, she didn't struggle: "Okay!"
In an instant, the magic circle emitted light that stretched for miles, and the entire capital was instantly divided into dozens of areas by the light screen, with space visibly beginning to distort.
Everyone enveloped in it felt as if they were being pressed down by a sudden sense of gravity, followed by a feeling of weightlessness that caused a small number of them to slowly float upwards, their bodies beginning to disintegrate.
Lin Xiaoxiao was among this small group of people, before her body completely disappeared from the spot.
Seeing Xiao Weizhi lose her composure, he yelled at her without regard for her image, "Xiaoxiao, hide! I'm coming to find you! Hide, do you hear me...?"
The familiar feeling of weightlessness from teleportation came over me.
A few dozen seconds later, Lin Xiaoxiao was successfully teleported and appeared out of thin air in the dilapidated street.
The streets were filled with figures fleeing in all directions. Her sudden appearance startled several passersby who were running away in a panic, and also attracted many covetous eyes.
After landing, Lin Xiaoxiao did not hesitate at all. She immediately lowered her head and followed the crowd away, hoping to get rid of those stares by doing so.
After walking for a while, she noticed that more and more people were following behind her.
Without hesitation, they turned and entered a dilapidated and foul-smelling public toilet.
A few minutes later, a girl with an unremarkable appearance, a pockmarked face, dressed in simple clothes, and who was otherwise healthy, walked out of the public restroom.
Many people waiting at the entrance of the public toilet only glanced at the girl before pretending to be nonchalant and continuing to stare at the entrance.
At the same time, a small, black figure appeared out of thin air outside the capital.
With its emerald green eyes, it stared intently at the imperial capital, which was enveloped by a massive red pillar of light. With a muffled groan, it leaped into the vortex and disappeared from the spot.
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