The grape trellis outside the city collapsed, its reflection on the glass intertwining with the rain to create deep ripples.
Warm, bright light shone from inside the house.
"Forgive me, please! It was an old woman! That old woman told me to find you. She said to go to Hechuan Du Qixiang and find a bald man to hug and absorb the sun-moon divine energy. She said he was a Buddhist monk who could help me avoid a bloody disaster, and I believed her! So... so I did it! I'm telling the truth!"
Zhao Pengfei's head was yanked up roughly.
"I didn't see clearly... Really! There really was an old woman, like a ghost. I didn't see her clearly, I swear!"
"She was in the old neighborhood near Binjiang Park. She said she was going back to the mountains! I shouldn't have believed... Please, let me go, ah! I'm telling the truth! That old woman was incredibly strong!"
"I had no goal, no one instructed me. I don't even know that person! I really don't know her!"
"Ah! Ah... Help..." The screams echoed through the gray, rainy night.
A black, extended luxury car parked in the courtyard. Someone hunched over as he ran to the car window, respectfully handing over Zhao Pengfei's file and confession.
The window slowly rolled up. In the roar of the engine, the car vanished into the thickening fog.
...
Su Cui ran home through the rain.
At the entrance of the building, she met Su Baixue, who was holding an umbrella to pick her up.
"Why did you come out?" Su Cui asked instinctively.
Su Baixue: "It's raining."
"Just a light rain. Grandma's fine. Go home," Su Cui waved her hand.
"In the future, when Grandma isn't home, don't go out alone so late."
Su Baixue hesitated, then obediently replied, "Mm."
Su Cui was still thinking about the golden fingers she had just discovered. Since the golden fingers mentioned jade pendant, the moment she entered the house, she turned around and went to her bedroom. After a moment's thought, she locked the door with a click.
Su Baixue lagged a step behind, watching her grandmother's hunched back, momentarily lost in thought.
Su Cui turned on the light and stretched out her hand, which had been clenched tightly inside her long sleeve. She was very glad she had worn long sleeves to Hechuan that day—they hid the golden glow well. She spread her five fingers in front of her eyes. By now, the golden characters "jade pendant" had gradually dimmed, barely visible without close inspection.
She pulled open the mattress, fumbled under the bed board, and took out Zhao Pengfei's heirloom jade pendant. Holding it up to the incandescent light, she examined it carefully. It truly was heirloom-quality—translucent and lustrous, shimmering brilliantly, even more watery than her granddaughter's eyes.
But the pattern was a bit strange. On closer look, it showed five bats surrounding a central creature that looked like both a dragon and a snake. It was because of this peculiar pattern that later, when Su Baixue's grandmother was critically ill in "Yangchun Baixue," Zhao Pengfei lured Su Baixue into agreeing to "do things" with him, promising that once he had his fun, he would sell the pendant to pay for her grandmother's medical expenses. In the end, Su Baixue, with no other options, agreed for her grandmother's sake.
But the pendant had been stolen by Zhao Pengfei's grandfather from his master many years ago, and the owner had been searching for it secretly. As soon as Zhao Pengfei sold the pendant, he was caught, and the female lead was caught along with him, falling into the hands of a powerful mafia boss. Then the mafia boss abused her in various ways, brought others to abuse her, and later, attracted by her spirit, became obsessed. When she refused to submit and tried to escape, he turned dark, making her take drugs and so on...
This wasn't just a jade pendant.
In the world of this book, it was Pandora's Box.
"I did think about selling this jade pendant, but this pattern is too distinctive..." Su Cui muttered helplessly to her fingers. "What if I break it up and sell the pieces? It won't be worth as much, but I could still make some money, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking.
Su Cui suddenly felt her fingers move on their own. They emitted a bright golden light, grabbed the pendant spontaneously, and rubbed frantically against the surface.
Finally, Su Cui watched in disbelief as her golden fingers smoothed away the entire pattern on the pendant!
Without the pattern, the pendant now looked like a perfectly good piece of jade.
Su Cui clicked her tongue in amazement.
She lifted her hands and turned them over and over, examining them for a long time.
After gaining a body as sturdy as steel, today she had unexpectedly discovered she also possessed powerful golden fingers. Although the practical use of these golden fingers still needed development.
What could be better than a dragon-slaying blade delivered at the click of a button? What could be better than starting at max level and dominating the world?
Being an old lady was this satisfying.
Ignoring the faint, inexplicable embarrassment mixed with the satisfaction, "Old Lady" Su Cui put the pendant away, planning to find an opportunity to sell it in a few days.
...
Three days later, Su Baixue took the high school entrance exam.
Su Cui successfully sold the pendant and made a large sum of money.
As soon as she got the money, she went to the hospital to repay the old doctor who had lent her money.
Grandma Wang, carrying a vegetable basket, came downstairs and saw Su Cui returning from the hospital. She greeted her briskly, "Cuihua, you're back so soon? Today's the exam. Baixue isn't taking it at her own school, right? Why aren't you waiting outside the city's middle school?"
"What's there to wait for? I'm relieved once she's in the exam hall," Su Cui recognized the old lady from the same neighborhood and smiled at her. The dangerous person in middle school was just Zhao Pengfei, and he had been dealt with, so there was nothing to worry about. High school would be the real battlefield. "I heard the city school arranged lunch together. I'll go pick her up when the afternoon exam ends."
"That's true. Your Baixue has always done well! You don't need to worry too much. She should be able to get into City High School, right?" Grandma Wang said cheerfully.
In the original book, after being ruined by Zhao Pengfei, he took many indecent photos and threatened her, so Su Baixue didn't dare tell anyone. Because of the pain, she couldn't focus on the exam and completely bombed it, ending up in the worst school in City A.
But this time, Su Cui believed Su Baixue would definitely do well.
"That child is sensible. I've been paralyzed for so many years... There are many students with good grades at her school, and the slots for city high school are limited. Thank you for your kind words," Su Cui said politely. "By the way, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"
"Isn't it the sale at Huarui Supermarket today? Eggs! Thirty for ten yuan!" Grandma Wang didn't stop walking and invited, "Want to come along?"
"..." Should she take advantage of this little deal or not?
Su Cui hesitated for a second, then said, "I'll come too."