The tall buildings loomed, and the night of the red foggy city of London echoed with the sound of bells.
Behind him, someone carrying a suitcase sat down behind Tapana. A cold revolver pressed against his temple. The young man beside him slowly leaned in and whispered in a slightly curled tone,
"Bang."
Tapana raised his hand. The fierce wind on the rooftop blew open his shirt, revealing a long circular pendant that fluttered out of his collar. His delicate features were faintly visible in the darkness. He spoke to the person behind him in a gentle voice, "Is it done?"
"Mm-hmm, of course." The young man behind him put down the revolver and relaxed, leaning his entire weight against Tapana's back. "I heard the Qian family's people came looking..."
"Brother, are you going to X Country?"
Tapana grabbed the flying pendant and answered gently, "Mm."
"Brother, bring back a few beauties from X Country. I'm tired of the women I've been playing with lately. It's a bit boring."
"While I'm in X Country, if you get bored, just let them go. Killing too many is hard to clean up." Tapana turned back and looked at his younger brother's profile with affection. "If I find a good woman, I'll bring her back for you."
"A deaf-mute woman from X Country would be nice too. Black hair, doesn't speak, like a doll. Even if you take off her arms, she'd still be beautiful." The young man behind him became especially excited when talking about women.
Tapana looked down at the city and reached back to pat his brother's head.
...
X Country, A City.
Since Su Cui had long ago used her golden finger to grind off all the patterns on Zhao Pengfei's jade pendant and sold it, and had never mentioned fortune-telling in front of others, the strangers who came to the old community naturally couldn't find anything out.
These strangers weren't good people. Given Su Baixue's unfortunate protagonist constitution that easily attracted villains, Su Cui stopped going to the square dance while these people were around and stayed close to Su Baixue.
Staying at home was fine, but Su Cui never expected that there would be trouble at school.
After school, someone directly confessed to Su Baixue.
When Su Cui heard the news, she almost crushed the railing she was wiping.
What was up with these young men today? Were high school students in her lucky-creature novel always this bold? Well, they probably were, otherwise school wouldn't have so much trouble.
Just as she rushed toward Su Baixue's teaching building, she saw a big boy say to Su Baixue in a loud voice, in front of a crowd of gossiping onlookers: "Su Baixue, I want to sing a song for you!"
"I can't say why I've become so proactive. If I fall in love with someone, everything is worth doing. I want to announce loudly that I can't bear to part with you... I like you! From the first time I saw you, I don't know why, but I've been thinking about you. Can you go out with me?"
Su Baixue was shocked. She looked around and saw many people whispering. Cold sweat immediately broke out on her back. She couldn't imagine how she would be questioned by teachers and classmates later.
But the boy in front of her had just called her out of the classroom, and she didn't even know him!
Su Baixue said with a trembling voice, "I'm sorry, I don't date."
The boy grabbed her and pressed, "Why not!"
"I don't know you..."
Tian Ling was watching the show nearby and immediately said, "He's Zheng Xiong from Class 10." Then she added with a hint of amusement, "His grades aren't great. Su Baixue, I think you two are a good match—complementary."
"I'm sorry, I need to go back!" Su Baixue struggled, trying to pull her arm out of Zheng Xiong's grip.
Zheng Xiong grinned roguishly and tightened his hold, then suddenly leaned in, "It doesn't matter if we don't know each other. We can get to know each other slowly!" He lowered his head to kiss Su Baixue.
Su Baixue's face turned pale with horror. She repeatedly said, "No... no, no."
This kind of forceful feeling was unbearable for her. In front of so many people, she wanted to resist but couldn't move. Her fear and cowardice made her vision blur, and she could barely stand. Seeing her weak resistance, Zheng Xiong was secretly delighted and puckered his lips to press against hers.
Then.
His mouth was blocked away from Su Baixue by someone's hand.
Su Cui's charging steps suddenly stopped.
She hadn't even reached Su Baixue yet.
What was happening?
Shao Li used the back of her hand, which had separated the two, to slap directly at Zheng Xiong's mouth. Her hand smacked his lips with a "smack." After slapping, Shao Li withdrew her hand, pulled Su Baixue behind her, and looked at Zheng Xiong with disgust, shaking her hand.
"Can't you see she doesn't want to? Your lips puckered like a sausage—disgusting. If a girl doesn't want to, why would you still try to kiss her? Can't you understand her words?" Shao Li scolded.
Zheng Xiong covered his mouth and said angrily, "Mind your own business!"
Shao Li looked around at the crowd and sneered, "You think disgusting behavior is fun. They might be okay with it, but I'm not. Got a problem?"
As soon as the word "disgusting" came out, several people in the surrounding crowd quietly slipped away. But by the corridor window, a few classmates who hadn't gone home were still peeking at the Class 1 doorway.
The rest were just there for the spectacle.
Tian Ling was one of them. She cut in, "This is our class's business. Shao Li, you're from Class 2, why are you butting in? Besides, Su Baixue didn't really reject him."
Several people from Class 10 who had followed Zheng Xiong chimed in, "Yeah."
"Do you have ears?" Shao Li glanced at Tian Ling. "Su Baixue said she doesn't date and doesn't know him. Can't you hear that's a rejection?"
Tian Ling laughed, "I know Su Baixue best. She's shy and says the opposite of what she means."
"Fine!" Shao Li turned and asked Su Baixue seriously, "Is it like Tian Ling said? You're saying the opposite?"
Su Baixue opened her mouth to speak, but her vision blurred, and she could only shake her head desperately.
Tian Ling pursed her lips, stepped back from the crowd, and went into the classroom.
Zheng Xiong wanted to say more, but Su Cui had already called the homeroom teacher of Class 1 from the office. The teacher walked over, parted the crowd, and shouted, "What are you doing?!"