Shen Lingfei set out to look for Xiao Shu, but he had no idea what happened to his little fan ever since he slapped her gifts away at the College.
âI heard that she had been kicked out of her house, but, I have no idea where she is, ah!â
[1] This was the general response Shen Lingfei got when he tried to shake some information out of his various friends. Ever since word got around that her Demoness friend was threatening people who talked badly about the Shi Clan, people were more cautious when it came to gossiping about Xiao Shu.
âKicked out?â Shen Lingfei frowned. Whatâs the use of a Xiao Shu who had been kicked out of Shi Clan? Never mind, letâs track her down first.
Meanwhile, Shiyu had already found Xiao Shu.
Or, it should be said that Xiao Shu was never lost. The moment Madam Shi cast her daughter out, she had someone secretly tailed the girl. When Xiao Shu entered her former nursemaidâs house, the person immediately sent word to the Shi Estate.
The original plan was to have someone secretly spirit Xiao Shu out of Dawn City. The further the better. However, Shiyuâs unexpected move and the strength of those [2] three youths made Madam Shi adopt the âwait and seeâ strategy instead.
However, thereâs no telling even after all that had happened, whether or not Xiao Shu was still carrying on with her silly obsession over that despicable young man.
âXiao Shu,â Shiyu arrived to see Xiao Shu lying on her bed.
[3] It was not entirely her fault. Xiao Shu sincerely wanted to return to the Shi Estate to apologize to her mother and beg for forgiveness. Who knows, she might even be able to convince her mother to eventually accept Lingfei⌠However, when she tried to leave her nursemaidâs house, she was suddenly stopped by her familyâs [4] guards.
[3] In short, she had been imprisoned within her nursemaidâs house.
[3] Since then, she had nothing to do but lie on the bed and contemplate the falling leaves outside her window. Nothing to accompany her except her thoughts.
[3] Why had mother kicked her out? Why imprison her here? Was this some form of punishment?
[3] But⌠Xiao Shu had already acknowledged her mistakes.
[3] So whyâŚ
[3] Again and again, her thought tumbled in her mind spinning around in circles and going nowhere.
It was under these circumstances when Shiyu found her. When she first called Xiao Shuâs name, there was no response.
Never a gentle person, Shiyu came over and pulled Xiao Shu up from her bed and declared, âThe weather is so nice today, letâs go for a walk.â
âDonât want to,â said Xiao Shu weakly.
âStaying in this room and stewing in your thoughts wonât solve anything either, so come. This is a chance to go out, donât you want to?â
Xiao Shu raised her head weakly, âYouâŚâ
âBut thereâs a condition,â Shiyu added. âYou can only come with me but not go home.â
Xiao Shu laid back down on the bed.
âWho knows, you might accidentally meet Brother Lingfei.â
Xiao Shu slowly raised her head.
Shiyu privately sighed and gave the order for Xiao Shuâs [5] nursemaid to bring her clothes in before settling down to wait for her in the living room.
Until now, Xiao Shu still believed that everything was her fault. That Shen Lingfei was merely an innocent third party. Aih! Why are the eyes of all these scum men and scum women so damned sharp? Theyâre excellent at picking out soft, fat targets who are both rich and resourceful yet stupidly loyal. That Meng Li was one and now this Shen Lingfei.
Xiao Shu came out all dressed in a refreshingly yellow dress, looking very tender and lovely. Anyone looking at her would be overwhelmed by a desire to protect this fragile-looking flower.
âLetâs go!â said Shiyu.
After getting kicked out of the Shi Estate, those two wily old dogs almost definitely would not leave things alone. Since they could not get their hands on the item from Madam Shi, the next logical move would be to target her daughter. Since it was well known that Xiao Shu was desperately in love with Shen Lingfei, their next move should be to send their scum student over to coax Xiao Shu to become their hostage.
How pitiful, ah. Not only was a perfectly good cabbage was dug up by a dirty pig, but she was about to be made into cannon fodder by scum villains.
Shiyu led Xiao Shu to the same busy teahouse she had visited with the Panda Brothers. Contrary to the morning rush, the atmosphere in the afternoon was rather leisurely. Shiyu chose the same seat as before, on the second floor overlooking the streets below.
It was so quiet that they could hear the bubbling of boiling water and the rhythmic sounds of a knife on the chopping board in the tranquil silence.
However, that did not mean there were no other customers around. The majority of them spoke in quiet tones. However, when Shiyu and Xiao Shu entered the teahouse a new tension fell over them. Now and then, covert glances would sweep over the two girls.
âThese people are monitoring your familyâs movements,â said Shiyu as she picked a Mung Bean Snow Cake apart. She stuffed one of the pieces into her mouth and nodded approvingly as it melted gently on her tongue. The slightly sandy texture of the paste was sweet, but not too overpowering, with a refreshing aftertaste.
Xiao Shu could not match her casual appreciation of the food before her. She stiffened at the news and looked around warily, âWhy would they want to monitor my family?â
âThe things you tried to present to Shen Lingfei are too precious. They are items that even Divine Transformation Masters are desperate to get their hands on. You tell me, why would people monitor your family?â
Xiao Shu was ashamed, âItâs all my fault.â If not for her, the Shi Clan would not be dragged into this situation. To think that even Divine Transformation masters would⌠wait⌠Divine TransformationâŚ?
A flash of understanding stabbed through her self-pity, in a panic, she said, âH-how can it be so serious?â
âYou still donât understand? The Shi Clan is facing annihilation. If your clan is lucky, they will lose everything. If unlucky, they would be erased from the face of the earth.â Shiyu picked up a boiled egg and proceeded to peel it. âToday is just the second day. Dawn City will soon receive a lot of tourists hoping to see something special and maybe bring home some souvenirs.
All you have to do is keep watching. Who knows, in a few days you could be one of the privileged few to witness how the entire Shi Estate is flattened into dust from the beginning till the end.â
Shiyu was not exaggerating. Without a miracle or several powerhouses stepping in, this could well be the end of Shi Clan.
People should shoulder the responsibility for their actions. If they could not carry the burden of their actions, they should at least understand the consequences of what they have done.
Suffering is the key to growing up.
âIâm going home!â Xiao Shu stood up and rushed downstairs.
Shiyu did not stop her. The egg in her hand had been peeled. The egg white was smooth and bouncy, the pure white protein had undergone the boiling process and became something delicious. Simple food at its best.
As she bit into the egg, Shiyu cast a glance at Xiao Shu, who was standing stock-still at the bottom of the stairs.
There was only one thing that could make her stop like this when her family was in danger.
Thatâs right.
Shen Lingfei.
[6] At the entrance of the teahouse was the upright and noble-looking figure of Shen Lingfei.
Shiyu sighed to herself. The issue of love is too complicated for her. Itâs not something that could be dealt with through logic or force.
Nevertheless, she had done her best.
Xiao Shu was stupidly in love, but she was not actually stupid. Was she really so dumb as to not see what Shen Lingfei really like?
No, she must have.
She just could not believe it.
Just as it is impossible to wake someone whoâs pretending to sleep, waking a self-deluded person was just as impossible. Right now, her clan was about to face disaster. If even this could not wake her from her delusion, there was nothing anyone could do.
Downstairs.
Xiao Shu stared at Shen Lingfei. Just like before, the sweet taste of happiness seemed to melt her heart like honey just at the sight of this man.
âXiao Shu, I heard youâve been driven away from home. Are you⌠alright?â Shen Lingfeiâs eyes were clouded with worry.
As she stood there, Xiao Shu was shocked to find tears rolling down her cheeks. It was as though everything bad that happened in her life was juat so that she could hear this concern in his voice, to see the worry in those eyesâŚ
âIâm fine,â Xiao Shu wiped her eyes with her sleeves. âBut, I have some things I need to do. Iâll see you later.â Then, she bowed once at him, before skirting around his figure to hurry home.
Shiyu let out a breath. Well, it looks like not all is lost.
Shen Lingfei had spent the whole morning looking for her, so how could he just let her go like this? He was about to chase after her when he tripped over something and nearly fell onto his face.
When he looked down at his feet, he saw that a chopstick had stabbed through his shoe. Instinct made him glance upstairs at a particular table, and he saw the last person he wished to see. Understanding dawn on him, it would be impossible to carry out this matter with that demoness around. He could only retreat.
What happened later at the teahouse, Xiao Shu has no idea. Her mind was filled with the thoughts of her mother. Even if their clan is to be destroyed, itâs better to just die together!
[Gumihou: So drama⌠Also, author-san, you should take better care of your minor characters]
Gumihou is keeping track so that you donât have to ~
[1] Added Detail for Logistic Reason: Developed a squished sentence into two paragraphs to show instead of just telling.
[2] USMiC: Mentioned the 3 pandas here. Because, up till now, all Shiyu had done was talk big while her âdistant cousinsâ had chucked 2 Deans of College out like squawking chickens. Shouldnât that leave a deep impression?
[3] USMiC: Expand on what Xiao Shu had been doing and thinking while Shiyu was being dramatic at the Shi Estate
[4] USMiC: Xiao Shu was âstopped before she could leaveâ no indication of who stopped her, or how, or even how many people. These sad side characters were not even given a role, so Gumihou called them âthe family guardsâ.
[5] USMiC: Shiyu âhad people bring Xiao Shuâs clothes inâ, changed âpeopleâ to ânursemaidâ.
[6] USMiC: Shen Lingfei, antagonist though he was, also qualified some privileges under USMiC. Therefore, Gumihou shall spare some description for him to explain Xiao Shuâs obsession with this scum man.