Chapter Forty-Six: Schemes

It must be said that Su Xiaoxiao is a character impossible to ignore wherever she goes. Ordinary people are drawn to her aura, and after one glance, they cannot help but want a second and third. This has nothing to do with beauty—it is a feeling. For people like Chen Hongxu, even more so; he would never overlook someone who might bite you at any moment.

Zhang Shufang seemed familiar with Su Xiaoxiao. Without turning her head, she remarked blandly, "A green snake can fall in love with a human? How strange!"

By now, Su Xiaoxiao had approached Chen Hongxu, looking provocatively at Zhang Shufang while saying, "That dullard from the Fan family, sitting there and watching the drama is hardly ethical. Go to the surveillance room and erase the footage from earlier."

Some names, when read separately, have a completely different meaning than when read together, but Fan the Dullard seemed to fear Su Xiaoxiao deeply and dared not utter a word of complaint. Smacking his lips, he tossed away his cigarette butt, stood up, brushed off his pants, and quietly gave Chen Hongxu a thumbs up before slipping out.

"The useless one has left. Do you want to fight?" Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled with laughter, speaking almost as if making small talk.

Zhang Shufang studied Su Xiaoxiao seriously, then shook her head and replied calmly, "Your injuries aren't healed. In my eyes, you're no better than the useless one. I don't like bullying others."

"Why does that sound so unpleasant to me?" The smile in Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes faded, replaced by a cold, menacing glint.

"I'm serious."

Su Xiaoxiao clenched her delicate fists, a crackling of joints sounded from her shoulder. She stuck out her tongue and licked her rosy lips, looking ready to explode.

Zhang Shufang grew wary. Though Su Xiaoxiao’s wounds were not healed, who knew if this woman would recklessly exhaust her own essence.

Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes narrowed, knees bent slightly. With a loud thud, she left a footprint on the floor and charged at Zhang Shufang.

"Smack!" The two clashed fists, the dull sound reverberating so strongly that the cafeteria’s fluorescent lamp crashed down, shattering into countless shards.

Su Xiaoxiao, barefoot, retreated after one punch with Zhang Shufang. She moved lightly, walking atop the sharp glass fragments without leaving a single wound on her feet.

Zhang Shufang’s icy expression finally melted. She glared angrily at Su Xiaoxiao and said, "You’re seriously sick—daring to exhaust your essence like that. Do you really think I won’t kill you?"

Su Xiaoxiao’s cheeks flushed, lips pressed tight, she gritted her teeth and replied, "Try me."

"I don’t like bullying people. When your injuries are healed, if you still seek death, I’ll cut you down myself." Zhang Shufang exhaled, looked at Chen Hongxu with disdain, and said, "Coward, hiding behind women, pretending to rule."

Watching Zhang Shufang, who had completely misunderstood him, Chen Hongxu felt no resentment. He didn’t even know her—her fantasies were her own concern.

Gazing at the figure disappearing through the doorway, Chen Hongxu glanced at Su Xiaoxiao’s hand behind her back and said dryly, "You're showing off. Even at your peak, you might not beat her."

Su Xiaoxiao patted the trembling hand she had just hidden behind her back and sighed, "What a pity."

Chen Hongxu was baffled, unsure what Su Xiaoxiao was lamenting, when a voice from the spirit of arms echoed in his mind: "Zhang Shufang is likely a successor too!"

"Successor, successor..." Chen Hongxu muttered several times, then suddenly shuddered and stared incredulously at Su Xiaoxiao, "You were trying to use me?"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded without concealment. "The lineage of warriors has always been the most domineering, suppressing all other sources. I’ve suffered once and know exactly how much I need to suppress my source power to avoid provoking a reaction from the force inside you. But Zhang Shufang doesn’t know. If she had used her source power against me just now, things would have gotten interesting. Unfortunately, I underestimated her and overestimated myself. She managed to defeat me without even tapping into her source."

"Are you not afraid she might actually kill you?"

"She won’t." Su Xiaoxiao shook her head, raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her lips, and said, "Truly proud people only do proud things. Zhang Shufang is undoubtedly such a person. I had it figured out long ago, so don’t feel guilty on my account."

"Guilt?" Chen Hongxu stared, utterly incredulous. What did it have to do with him?

Su Xiaoxiao laughed charmingly. She dabbed some blood on her lips, showed it to Chen Hongxu, and said, "One drop of essence, ten drops of blood. Remember to pay me back when you have the chance!"

With that, she rocked back and forth in laughter, stunningly beautiful. Chen Hongxu seemed to be seeing Su Xiaoxiao truly happy for the first time. He wondered what kind of temperament shaped this woman; even as she schemed against others, she schemed against herself. Chen Hongxu only felt that living this way must be exhausting. He wondered if Su Xiaoxiao felt the same—always courting danger, walking a tightrope, caring little for others and even less for herself.

…

The early autumn heat lingered, the sky blazing with sun. A row of Bentleys lined up neatly outside the detention center, with a crowd of men in black surrounding a bald man and an excited woman.

The bald man held an umbrella to shade the woman, responding to her questions with indulgent affection in his eyes.

The woman wore a blue floor-length dress; the hem trailed after her as she twisted and turned, scraping along the ground. She seemed unconcerned for her dress, tilting her head to ask the bald man uncertainly, "Uncle De, do you think with such a grand display, that country bumpkin will be intimidated, freeze up, and I’ll have the chance to rush in, hug him, and steal a kiss?"

Uncle De looked up at the sky, rolling his eyes—not clear whether he didn’t want to answer or simply couldn’t.

Xue Xi had been keeping close watch on Chen Hongxu’s every move, knowing he would be released safely today. She had been preparing since early morning, waiting at the detention center entrance.

…

The iron gate of the detention center swung open. A business van with the license plate Beijing AG6xxx slowly drove out. Fan the Dullard sat in the passenger seat. Seeing the crowd of men in black at the entrance, he sneered, "People from small towns—always putting on a show like they’re filming a movie. Not to brag, but all the cars here together aren’t worth our license plate alone."

"Stop." Chen Hongxu stared urgently out the window.

"Stop the car!" Fan the Dullard echoed, then turned to mutter on, "Brother Chen, you can’t stand these posers either, right? I find them an eyesore. My hands are itching—let’s get out and take them down."

As soon as the car stopped, Chen Hongxu reached out, opened the door, and shot out.

"Save two for me!" Fan the Dullard unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to follow, when Su Xiaoxiao spoke, "Go easy. Don’t kill anyone—it’ll be troublesome."

"Tch, I’m just going to bully them, not kill them. Do you take me for a fool?" Fan the Dullard glanced at Su Xiaoxiao and asked, "Between you and Zhang Shufang, who’s stronger? Both of you are so mysterious."

"Half and half." Su Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, as if afraid Fan the Dullard might see her smile, and said, "Take a knife for self-defense. I sense there are experts among them."

"Really?" Fan the Dullard didn’t doubt Su Xiaoxiao—her strength far exceeded his own, perhaps she had sensed something. He didn’t hesitate, pushed open the door and leaped out, grabbed two machetes, and charged at the group of men in black with ferocity.

…