I took off my shoes and climbed up onto the seat, trying to retrieve my suitcase.
But the moment I tugged on it, the weight nearly caused it to slip—I didn’t dare yank it down directly.
Thankfully, with the help of a train attendant, I finally managed to drag both of my oversized suitcases out of the train car in a rather disheveled state.
Standing in the high-speed rail station of Jing City, I gazed at the vast sea of people surrounding me.
The grand, expansive station building made me feel painfully small.
At the escalator entrance, crowds surged in waves.
After an exhausting struggle, I finally squeezed in.
Looking at my delicate, nearly limp arms, a bold idea suddenly popped into my head.
As an ordinary person, I was just… way too powerless in most situations.
What if—I could cultivate too, just like them?
The idea was a little crazy, maybe even reckless—but once it surfaced, my heart began to pound wildly in my chest.
That old Taoist once said I had the extremely rare Body of Pure Yin, supposedly something with extraordinary potential.
I took out the pitch-black business card again.
Two large characters were printed on it: Su Yi.
Below that was a phone number.
At first, I had wanted to throw it away.
But I remembered what she’d said to me.
Someone who helped carry my luggage probably wasn’t a bad person, right?
If that’s the case, then why did she look at me that way?
Could it be… she saw something?
My other hand instinctively drifted to my belly.
The card’s design was minimalistic—just a name and a contact number.
When I tugged at the material (it had always felt strangely cool to the touch), I realized it was oddly resilient—no creases, no bends, not even a scratch, despite my strength.
Was it unaffected by body heat, too?
I shook my head with a soft, helpless smile.
Ever since the ghost fetus entered my life, one mystery after another had revealed itself.
I no longer had the energy to question whether any of it violated the laws of thermodynamics.
I slid the card into a side pocket on my suitcase and took out my ID card.
Scanning it at the gate, I successfully exited the train station and stepped onto the wide plaza.
The place was buzzing.
Plenty of upperclassmen were holding signs and calling out cheerfully:
“Welcome, freshmen of Beiqing University!”
I spotted the welcome group from Beiqing University in the most obvious location.
“Hey, are you a freshman at Beiqing too?” a senior student greeted me enthusiastically.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
The senior was extremely friendly.
After pulling me into another freshman group chat I hadn’t joined yet, he started explaining the best way to get to the university and how to complete the registration process.
When he offered to accompany me, I politely declined.
I had just arrived in a brand-new environment.
I didn’t want to interact too much with strangers right away, and I especially didn’t want to owe anyone a favor the moment I arrived.
If I had to suffer a little, so be it.
There’s still a whole day ahead of me. I could definitely manage to get my luggage to school.
After bidding farewell to the welcome group, I memorized the map route and began trudging forward, dragging one of my massive suitcases behind me.
Next to the senior, a female upperclassman watched my retreating figure with clear confusion in her eyes.
She was surprised—how could such a beautiful girl be coming to Jing City all by herself?
Even if her family couldn’t accompany her, surely someone would’ve wanted to help.
She casually snapped a photo of my back and posted it in a senior student group chat.
She added a note:
“Met a really strange—but very pretty—little freshman today. She’d rather drag two big suitcases alone than let anyone help.”
That one photo of my back instantly caused an uproar in the chat.
[That silhouette looks stunning. Damn, those two suitcases are huge—they look like they’d kill someone. Who’s on duty today? What’s Linzi doing? How could he just watch such a cute little girl struggle like that?!]
The group admin—also the student council president—hadn’t spoken up in the group for ages.
Shangguan Xiyue stared at her unread WeChat messages, her chin resting on her hand, visibly annoyed.
“What is Xiaoyan doing? I messaged him asking if he’s arrived in Jing City—he hasn’t said a word.”
“Am I even considered his bro anymore?” she muttered, glaring at the water glass on the table. Her irritation rose to the point where she almost hurled it across the room.
Out of boredom, Shangguan Xiyue casually clicked into the senior group chat and was instantly captivated by the image on the screen:
the sweat-drenched back of a young girl dragging two massive suitcases.
She immediately typed:
[Holy crap, you’re taking pictures?! Someone get over there and help! If I see her finish registration dragging all that alone, every one of you in the welcome team is writing a 3,000-word self-reflection essay.]
[Seriously, how can you just watch this happen?! That girl can’t even be 1.6 meters tall, and those suitcases have to be at least 1.2 meters each. Even the old man moving mountains didn’t work this hard.]
She pouted, thinking of the message she sent with no reply.
“Refuse to let your bro pick you up? Fine. I’ll remember this grudge.”
Annoyed to death, she stood up abruptly.
“Forget it, I’ll go myself. Relying on you people is like waiting for rain in a drought.”
The student council president rarely lost her temper, but when she did, everyone in the group shivered.
No one dared respond and risk becoming a target.
She’d received freshmen herself before and knew the route like the back of her hand.
With a stomp on the gas pedal, she sped off.
*****
I was still standing at the subway entrance, studying the route on my phone, when someone tapped my shoulder from behind.
“Who?!”
I jolted from the surprise.
“Beiqing Student Council. I’m here to pick you up,” said Shangguan Xiyue, flashing her work ID—complete with the Beiqing University seal.
She was tall, long-legged—at least 1.75 meters—and looked at me like I was a little potato.
“No need, no need! I’m fine on my own.”
I waved my hands quickly and wiped the sweat from my flushed face.
My previously fair and delicate features were now red from exhaustion—honestly, probably looked a little too edible.
“Cut the crap. If you wait any longer, you’ll collapse.” Shangguan Xiyue hated people who dawdled.
She reached straight for my suitcases.
“Hey—!”
Before I could stop her, she had already grabbed both giant suitcases and strode off effortlessly, vanishing toward the exit like she had rocket boosters.
I froze for a second, still processing what happened.
By the time I reacted, the girl was nearly out of sight, and I had no choice but to chase after her, sweat pouring down my face.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Give me back my luggage!!!”
My whole face was flushed red—not just from exertion but also from sheer embarrassment.
Even redder than before.
Damn it! I cursed silently. Who forces help on people like this?!
My running speed wasn’t bad.
This was actually the first time I’d run this hard since becoming a girl, and the experience was very different.
The uncontrollable bouncing from my chest made my body suddenly freeze up.
Sweat rolled down my cheeks, and my messy hair clung to my skin.
That once-pure, fairy-like image now had an alluring mortal twist to it—one that was unintentionally seductive.
Not long after I started running, I bit my lip hard, eyes darting downward in embarrassment.
I didn’t dare meet anyone’s gaze around me.
One hand instinctively covered my chest in shame and discomfort, as I forced myself to keep going despite it all.
“Stop right there!!”
At the entrance to the subway, I finally caught up to that infuriating woman.
She seemed to be waiting for me here on purpose.
I was completely out of breath by now, my chest rising and falling dramatically with each gasp.
I glared at her like she’d just murdered my whole family.
“You thief! Why did you take my luggage?!”
I panted heavily, biting down on my lower lip, sounding half-dead from exhaustion.
If I had the energy, I would’ve pounced and bitten her on the spot.
Shangguan Xiyue didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, she calmly handed me a pack of tissues.
“Junior,” she said with a teasing smile, “has anyone ever told you—you’re kind of cute when you’re angry?”
My fierce, indignant glare slowly froze in place.
Wait a minute…
Did I just… get flirted with?
By a girl??