“Xu Chuyao, you’re back.”
Mi Xiaolu sat on the bed. When she saw her roommate coming in from outside, she immediately greeted her, eager to talk about so many things.
“Xu Chuyao, what happened between you and Shen Ning at the concert, a lot of people saw it.”
“Yeah.”
“You were so quick and precise in that moment, Shen Ning didn’t even seem to react.”
“Yeah.”
“The whole school saw it. Now, no one calls her the Demon King anymore, they changed it to Innocent Little Sister.”
“Yeah.”
Three consecutive responses, and then she took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and burrowed under the covers.
It was the first time Mi Xiaolu had seen her roommate so lifeless, and she asked suspiciously, “What happened?”
From under the covers came a long sigh, and then Xu Chuyao’s tired and embarrassed voice:
“Shen Ning, she’s changed.”
Mi Xiaolu was slightly stunned. “She fell out of love?”
“No,” Xu Chuyao sighed, “She… changed her nature.”
Mi Xiaolu was shocked. “She became a man?!”
“Her personality.”
Rolling over on the bed, the thunderstruck girl slowly voiced the thing she couldn’t accept, “I worked so hard today, but she didn’t get angry at all. What am I supposed to do? The world is ending.”
“It’s not that bad…”
“Anyway, that’s how it is.”
Xu Chuyao sat up from under the covers with a determined look. “I have to find a way to change the situation! Get things back on track!”
Her serious little face looked as if she were working for the fate of all mankind.
While she was racking her brains, Shen Ning and the others had also found a suitable place.
They were originally on the rooftop, since it was spacious and, compared to the ground, fairly clean—you could spread out all the newspapers.
But Shen Ning reminded Xiao Si Nuo, “Xiao Hua is just an ordinary person, she can’t handle the cold wind on the rooftop.”
“The abandoned little shed in the lobby will do.”
So, in this undisturbed place, Xiao Hua told them her story. Her hometown had once been a peaceful and harmonious, though poor, little town. One day, someone suddenly went missing. At first, everyone thought it was some kind of accident, until the second, the third, and then more and more people disappeared.
Then, one night, Xiao Hua’s father never came home.
“My dad was a true man of honor. He must have disappeared.”
The small town was very remote. The people working in the security department were former gang members from the area. Though restrained by regulations from running wild, expecting them to have any professionalism was wishful thinking.
After trying all sorts of ways to no avail, Xiao Hua decided to leave town and head somewhere more influential, determined to find her father’s whereabouts no matter what.
“…I took the test many times, and only recently did I finally get into the band. Even though it was the most inconspicuous position, just being able to speak on stage was already the best opportunity. The company has a lot of rules. If you speak out of turn on stage, you’ll be punished for sure, so I knew I had only one chance. I held back during the previous performances.”
At this point, Xiao Hua finally showed a faint smile. “Right before today’s performance, I saw a lot of security staff at the venue. When that happens, it means someone important will be there. So, this was the best chance.”
Shen Ning listened intently. She believed Xiao Hua was telling the truth because the determination in her eyes was exactly the same as her own.
Standing alone in a crowd, making a silent vow to herself, and determined to fulfill it no matter what.
Xiao Si Nuo asked, “When you spoke at the end of the performance, did you tell the whole audience your story?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, that’s so bold! How come I didn’t catch the livestream? I should go watch the recording later.”
“Don’t bother,” Shen Ning changed the topic, “Did you find anything?”
“Yeah, I found it.”
Xiao Si Nuo took out her treasured newspaper clippings, placed them on the table, and opened to a certain page:
“Look, the Xiangshi Evening News, a small local newspaper.”
The old newspaper was low-quality, nearly worn to the point where the text was unreadable. You could barely make out the headline—
[Recently, there have been continuous reports of missing residents in our town. Is it just a coincidence, or a string of connected incidents?]
“Like other small newspapers from outside, after publishing this report, there were no more new issues. I looked into it before—Xiangshi Evening News suddenly ceased publication and dissolved a few days later. If you want to find clues, you have to investigate backwards.”
Xiao Si Nuo pulled out a few more clippings from another page and placed them in front of the two. “Look, before the disappearances, Xiangshi Town was thriving, as if a bright future was just ahead.”
[September report from Xiangshi Town: Foreign investment pouring in, recruiting local workers with excellent benefits.]
[Infrastructure further developed. Exploring the town’s future—could it be merged into a nearby main city?]
[Special Edition! The 10 Most Popular Women’s Outfits…]
“Ahem, the last one is just for reference, to show the overall situation in the town was good, so there were special editions. That’s all I mean,” Xiao Si Nuo explained.
After all, there were no pictures with the clippings, just headlines, but the credibility was still pretty high.
Xiao Hua read them seriously and nodded. “That’s right. There were investors in town, and even a factory was built. My dad worked there for a while too.”
Xiao Si Nuo hurriedly asked, “Which factory?”
“I’m not sure, it was some string of English letters. I only remember there was a logo.”
Xiao Hua took Xiao Si Nuo’s pen and paper and carefully drew a symbol.
It was an irregular circle, angular, with three wavy lines on top, as if representing rising steam.
Xiao Si Nuo stared at it for a long time and commented, “Looks like a roasted sweet potato… Well, never seen it before. Shen Ning, have you?”
In fact, when Shen Ning saw the symbol, her heart skipped a beat.
She had indeed seen it before, but there was no time to explain now. There was something very important:
“Si Nuo, when did the first disappearance happen?”
“The first one? Since it’s unclear if it was the same type of incident, I don’t know if it should be counted, but if we’re talking about the string of cases, it started around three years ago… Why?”
“I need to go back to the dorm first.”
Leaving the other two, Shen Ning ran all the way back to her dorm, rummaged through the closet, and found that file folder.
[Assessment Report on X Crystal Radiation Variant “shen.ning”]
At the bottom of the report, there was a stamped seal—exactly that irregular circle being roasted by fire.
Marginal population disappearances, three years ago, the same symbol…
“Are these things… related to me?”
She asked the mirror.
The shadow in the mirror crossed her arms, looking aloof:
“You should focus on your task now. Drink more water.”
The words were the same as usual, but the tone was so cold, not repressed at all.
Shen Ning understood. Restricted by the principle of spatiotemporal continuity, the shadow couldn’t tell her anything except about Xu Chuyao, so the meaning of Sexually Repressed Shadow was—
That’s right, it’s our business, but you’re not strong enough yet, so focus on your tasks first.
The girl sat down by the bed, closed her eyes, and let out a quiet breath.
In this world, the hardest thing is to wait when you’re not strong enough.
She picked up her phone and messaged Xiao Si Nuo:
[I discovered something, but I can’t say for now. Don’t investigate too deeply for the time being—give me some time.]
That Xiao Hua, who left her small town, joined a band, and came here, was a lot like herself, but she was missing the most important thing—luck.
She hadn’t awakened, and she didn’t have a System.
“And she doesn’t have Chuyao,” said the Sexually Repressed Shadow.
Right, she doesn’t have Chuyao, so no matter how hard she tries, she can’t fulfill her vow alone.
Shen Ning wanted to help her.
A few minutes later, Xiao Si Nuo replied: [Alright, we’ll listen to you. I’ll find a place near the school for her to stay for now.]
Putting down her phone, Shen Ning got up, walked to the balcony, and looked at the window. Her breath condensed on the glass.
“Ready to work hard now?” The Sexually Repressed Shadow happily climbed onto the window. “So what are you waiting for? Time to start thinking of a plan!”
The Second Chuyao Scheme—activate!
This plan actually only had one difficulty: how to trick Xu Chuyao into the dorm room.
Whether it’s night or not doesn’t matter anymore. She can snatch her in broad daylight!
So, what was Xu Chuyao up to?
Reviewing past tactics, summarizing successful experiences, refining the details, establishing the right approach, combining movement and stillness, and spreading effective strategies to every new idea.
In short, it was about retracing her steps~
“I’m planning to sneak into Shen Ning’s dorm again and steal the chopsticks she bought last time.”
Upon hearing this, Mi Xiaolu was a bit stunned. “There’s no takeout anymore, why are you still stealing her chopsticks?”
“If you ask why, it’s probably because,” Xu Chuyao looked out the window, suddenly filled with grand ambition, “the chopsticks are right there.”
Shen Ning said herself last time, they’re hidden under the bed board!
“Wait, let me get this straight.”
Mi Xiaolu tried to organize her thoughts, more confused by her roommate’s logic. “You mean, Shen Ning bought two pairs of chopsticks because she was stealing takeout last time. Later, there was no more takeout, so the chopsticks were unused, and she even told you where they were hidden. Yet, you still want to steal her chopsticks?”
Xu Chuyao nodded vigorously. “That’s right! And I’m going to show off with them right in front of her.”
“So you’re basically openly stealing her useless chopsticks and flaunting it in front of her?” Mi Xiaolu spread her hands. “Aren’t you just treating her like an idiot?”
“Exactly! Xiao Lu, you’ve finally realized!”
Xu Chuyao nodded in satisfaction and explained, “Look, after all this, even you know I’m treating her like an idiot. Shen Ning will definitely realize it too, and then she’ll be furious!”
Retracing her steps, the tactics are the same, but the strategy is completely different. Before, it was for the chopsticks; now, it’s to make her realize she’s being treated like an idiot.
See? This is what happens when you systematically summarize successful experiences and modernize them with a concrete plan. Isn’t it amazing?
At this moment, Xu Chuyao felt she was an absolute genius.
“Damn it, I really am just too smart!”