It was already very late, and Shen You'an casually found a hotel.
Spring City was a tourist hotspot, and with summer vacation in full swing, the hotels were nearly all fully booked.
"I'm sorry, all standard and business rooms are sold out. There's only one presidential suite left."
The hotel receptionist glanced at the girl standing before her. Dressed plainly, with an unremarkable appearance, she seemed to be just another student on a trip. There was no way she could afford the 18,000-a-night presidential suite.
The girl didn't even blink. She casually pulled a black bank card from her wallet and slid it forward.
The receptionist picked up the card, doubtful. Upon seeing the emblem embossed on it, her pupils involuntarily shrank.
It was the Supreme Card issued in limited quantities by Tianlu Bank.
Rumor had it, there were only ten such cards in the world.
Anyone who carried this card must have an identity of power and immense wealth.
Quickly, the receptionist ran the card, then returned it, along with the room key and ID card, with both hands.
The girl put everything back into her bag and turned to walk toward the elevator.
The receptionist stared at the slender figure retreating into the distance, unable to hold back a thought: Never judge a book by its cover.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a voice rang out. "Wait...!"
Shen You'an pressed the button to open the doors, and a short-haired girl dragged a girl with shoulder-length hair inside.
The short-haired girl glanced at Shen You'an quickly, then turned her head away with visible pride.
"Qiqi, did your admission letter arrive yet?"
"Yeah, my mom called me this afternoon. I've already received my Lanya High School acceptance letter." The long-haired girl tilted her chin slightly, like an elegant swan. Her gentle tone carried a faint but perceptible arrogance.
"That's Lanya High School, the best private school in the entire city. Qiqi, I'm so jealous of you."
"Wende High School isn't bad either. Don't be discouraged."
"But it's nowhere near Lanya High School. I heard their cafeteria has eight different sections covering global cuisines, and even their school uniforms are super fashionable and beautiful. Apparently, they're designed by an internationally renowned fashion designer! Going to a school like that must feel like a dream."
Luo Yunqi smiled gently. In the reflection of the elevator doors, she suddenly noticed a slender silhouette.
"Slots at Lanya High School are extremely competitive. Rankings are assessed once a year, and anyone who falls behind may lose their spot. That's why I have to work twice as hard to maintain my place—and you should work hard too. Who knows? You might make it into Lanya as well."
"There's no chance for me," Tian Wei said with a sardonic smile. "At least you and God Liu will finally see each other again."
Luo Yunqi's face showed a trace of shyness, and she softly scolded, "Don't talk nonsense."
"How is it nonsense? Don't you like God Liu?"
Luo Yunqi's expression darkened. "Say that again, and I won't talk to you anymore."
"Fine, fine, I'll stop joking! But by the way, God Liu came second in the provincial exams again this time. Who even came in first? How did they manage to knock our God Liu out of the top spot?"
Her tone was full of indignation.
Luo Yunqi frowned. "Apparently, it was a girl. Lanya High School reportedly spent a million yuan to recruit her."
"A million?!" Tian Wei gasped audibly.
"Lanya High School sure knows how to splurge. But I can already imagine what she looks like—a skinny bookworm with thick black glasses. Plain, unremarkable, and probably just a study machine."
As they spoke, the elevator reached the twelfth floor. The doors opened, and the two girls exited while chatting.
The doors slowly closed, and in the hallway, their voices faintly drifted through: "Unlike Qiqi, you're rich, beautiful, and academically gifted—such perfection..."
Shen You'an adjusted her black-framed glasses thoughtfully.
Unremarkable? A study machine?
Exactly the impression she wanted to give. Perfect.
The fifteenth floor arrived. This floor housed only one presidential suite, shrouded in utter quiet.
She swiped her card and entered. The room was massive, divided into a living room, bedroom, and study.
Without giving the space much notice, Shen You'an dropped her backpack and headed straight for the bathroom to freshen up.
Coming out of the shower wrapped in a towel, her phone chimed with a notification.
She walked over to pick it up. An encrypted message popped up. She entered a password, and the phone's screen instantly went black, with a progress bar rapidly loading.
Soon, the device switched to a new system, automatically opening a chat platform.
The interface was stark and monochromatic.
[Chong Ming]: Boss, I'm about to die, come save me!
[Danhuang]: Drop dead.
[Chong Ming]: Boss, you're so heartless. Do you not love your adorable little subordinate anymore?
Shen You'an moved to her computer. Once it booted up, her fingers flew rapidly across the keyboard.
Soon, a satellite map appeared on the screen, pinpointing a bright red dot dangerously close to her current location.
Shen You'an narrowed her eyes and typed a message on her phone: You're in Spring City.
[Chong Ming]: Holy crap, Boss, how did you grow a third eye?
[Danhuang]: Getting chased to this point—you're truly pathetic.
Biting back tears, the so-called pathetic one huddled in a dark alley, gripping a dagger tightly as shadows closed in.
In the darkness, malicious laughter echoed ominously.
Chong Ming clenched his jaw, fury blazing in his eyes.
If worse came to worst, he'd go all out. He'd prove to Boss that he wasn't useless!
A man's sinister chuckle broke the stillness: "There's no place to hide. Tonight you'll meet your end."
Stepping out of the shadows, Chong Ming faced them. "You're killing your own kind to eliminate rivals? Lord Bai Ze won't let you get away with this."
Brandishing the dagger, he declared, "I'll never let your conspiracy succeed!"
Bo Jiao sneered, "How naive."
With a wave, two black-clad men emerged from behind him, charging straight toward Chong Ming.
Silently cursing his situation, Chong Ming defended himself, but his effort was soon overwhelmed. One of the men landed a blow to his abdomen, causing him to grimace in pain. Yet, seizing the moment, he drove his dagger into the opponent's chest.
Eyes gleaming with rabid determination, he snarled, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."
Bo Jiao sighed impatiently. "Just a mere rank-C mercenary. How disappointing."
The two black-clad men exchanged fierce glances and prepared to finish the fight quickly.
Suddenly, two pebbles flew through the air, striking both men in the knees. They collapsed to the ground with cries of pain.
Startled, Bo Jiao looked up. At the other end of the alley, perching on a wall, was a figure tossing a pebble between her jade-like fingers.
Under the moonlight, her hands seemed almost ethereal.
"Who are you? Meddling in my affairs—have you got a death wish?" Bo Jiao roared angrily, his hand inching toward the silenced gun at his waist.
"Boss!" Chong Ming's eyes lit up with joy as he looked at the figure on the wall.
"You dare mess with someone under my protection? You're the one with a death wish." As the words left her lips, the pebble in her hand flew straight toward Bo Jiao's face.
The speed was so fast that he couldn't dodge in time. The pebble struck his left eye, and a scream of agony erupted from him.
His two subordinates were trembling uncontrollably, staring in terror at the mysterious figure.
The figure leaped down from the wall, moving like a specter. In the blink of an eye, she appeared before Bo Jiao, pressing a foot onto his shoulder and forcing him to the ground.
Under the brim of her cap, misty eyes revealed captivating intensity.
"Rank-C mercenary, Danhuang."