At the Jiang Family residence.
Jiang Xuxu was carefully wiping the bracelet she had finally managed to retrieve from the Guan family when the phone on the stand suddenly rang.
A quick glance at the caller ID revealed it was a high school classmate she hadn't been in touch with for a long time.
Xuxu answered. The voice on the other end was frantic. "Guan Xuxu, it's me! Are you in Hai City right now? I... I was in a car accident and I'm at the hospital. My family cut off my cards again. Could you come see me and maybe help me pay the bill? Please, I'm begging you."
Xuxu didn't say a word, just listened.
The other side seemed to grow guilty under the silence. "We were classmates once; you wouldn't just ignore me, would you? Hello? Guan Xuxu, are you still there?"
"I heard you," Xuxu said calmly. "But please pass a message to the Mrs. Guan sitting next to you. If she wants to see me, tell Guan Ruirui to come find me herself instead of using such pathetic, underhanded tactics to lure me to a hospital."
Without another word, she hung up with a sharp click.
The classmate was dumbfounded, but Bai Shuqin, standing right there, was even more shocked.
"How did she know I was the one who made you call?!" she demanded, glaring at the classmate. "Did you give her a hint?!"
The classmate thought: What kind of bizarre drama is this?!
What Bai Shuqin didn't know was that ever since Jiang Xuxu started studying the Mystic Arts, her hearing had become far more acute than a normal person's. The reason she had stayed silent was because she had heard Bai Shuqin's low voice urging the caller on.
She could understand Bai Shuqin using someone else's phone after all, she had already blocked every member of the Guan family. What she couldn't understand was why they always insisted on acting so superior, even when they were the ones asking for a favor. They still had to resort to schemes just to get her to see Guan Ruirui.
Hmph. Not going. Let her rot for all I care.
After putting the bracelet away safely, Xuxu stood up and headed downstairs. She planned to head to her rental unit to pick up some materials for her work.
Just as she reached the second-floor landing, she ran into Jiang Su.
It was obvious he had pulled an all-nighter gaming. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent, and his expression was weary. However, the moment he spotted Xuxu, he gave a faint, dismissive huff and turned to head down.
"Wait," Xuxu called out suddenly.
Jiang Su paused, surprised. He thought she was finally going to thank him. He turned back with a prideful tilt of his head. "What is it?"
Having spent so much time on voice chat in games, he had picked up various regional slangs that weren't native to Hai City. He only dared to use them in private, though; he never would have spoken that way in front of the old master of the Jiang Family.
Xuxu simply looked at him. "Don't go to see any net friends today. And whatever you do, stay away from high places."
Jiang Su stared at her as if she were insane. He snorted. "Mind your own business!"
He stomped off down the stairs.
Xuxu watched his retreating back, thinking about the baleful aura she had seen swirling between his brows. She had given her warning. If the kid was determined to court death, there was nothing more she could do.
Downstairs, Jiang Su was still grumbling about Xuxu being weird when Lu Xuexi walked over. "Xiao Su, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, just that annoying girl."
He glanced at Lu Xuexi. "Sister Xuexi, are you going out?"
"Yeah, I have an appointment to meet a net friend today."
The mention of a "net friend" made Jiang Su think of Xuxu's warning. It felt like a strange coincidence. Why did Lu Xuexi want to meet a net friend right after Xuxu mentioned it?
Despite not believing Xuxu, he felt an odd gut instinct. He blurted out, "There are so many scammers online these days. A girl like you shouldn't go meeting strangers alone."
Lu Xuexi chuckled. "Xiao Su, your guard is certainly up! But don't worry, this net friend is reliable. You actually know them it's Chunchun from the game."
Jiang Su froze. He remembered Chunchun. She was a little lolita with a cute voice who seemed to be around his age. Because he loved gaming, Lu Xuexi would occasionally join him, and they had met Chunchun while teaming up.
"Why the sudden meet-up?"
"I'm on vacation and had nothing to do, so we just set a date." Lu Xuexi paused as if struck by a thought. "Hey, why don't you come with me, Xiao Su?"
"Huh? Me?"
Lu Xuexi gave him a sweet, gentle smile. "You said yourself it's not safe for a girl to go alone. If you're with me, I won't be on my own. Besides, you already know Chunchun."
Jiang Su frowned, about to decline. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Xuxu walking down. She glanced at him a look that felt like a reminder, or perhaps a warning.
His temper flared. Refusing to back down, he immediately changed his mind. "Fine! I'll go with you!"
"Then go up and change your clothes quickly. I'll wait for you."
"Okay... okay." As Jiang Su turned to go, he shot a provocative look back at Xuxu.
Xuxu couldn't be bothered with him and walked toward the entrance.
Lu Xuexi acted as if she had only just noticed her. "Xuxu, are you going out too? If you wait a bit, I can have the driver drop you off."
Jiang Su, halfway up the stairs, paused. The offer sounded strange, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why. He looked toward Xuxu.
Xuxu gave Lu Xuexi a flat look. "No need."
She walked to the foyer to change her shoes. Before leaving, she cast one last look at a pair of limited-edition sneakers in the shoe cabinet.
Watching her back, Lu Xuexi's soft expression slowly twisted into a mocking sneer.
A few moments later, Jiang Su came back down in a fresh set of clothes. He still looked exhausted. Realizing Xuxu had already left, he said to Lu Xuexi, "Sister Xuexi, maybe we should skip today? We can reschedule with her."
Lu Xuexi looked bewildered. "We already made the appointment. How can I break my word? Besides, didn't you just say it's dangerous for me to go alone?"
She gave him a playful, reproving look and tugged at his arm. "Come on, just think of it as keeping me company. You've been cooped up in the house all day; you're going to turn into a mushroom."
Jiang Su had no choice but to let her pull him out the door.
As he put on his shoes, he felt a slight, fleeting oddness in how they felt, but he quickly brushed it off.
He figured he was just letting Xuxu's superstitious nonsense get to his head.
Why would he ever believe her?
Well... at most, he'd just make sure not to go anywhere high.
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