River City, inside some shopping mall.
It was nearing noon, and the weekend crowd was even more overwhelming than usual.
Many girls carrying shopping bags walked hand in hand with their friends, chatting and laughing, occasionally stopping in front of a store to let out exaggerated gasps of admiration at the merchandise in the window displays.
Theไบบๆต surged like a lake or sea, flowing through every floor of the mall, merging into a boisterous ocean.
Yet, within this sea of people, there was an unremarkable corner.
Even the tidal flow of foot traffic, upon reaching this spot, seemed disturbed by some invisible force, slowing down to the point where a congested bottleneck formed in the area.
Two young men passed by, the one in front unconsciously drawn to something, his pace slowing along with his gaze.
His friend behind him was walking while playing on his phone, and when the leader stopped, he naturally bumped into him.
“Damn, why’d you stop?”
The phone-scrolling young man voiced his complaint.
The leader didn’t answer, only jerking his chin toward a certain spot for his buddy behind him to see.
“Hey, look over there.”
Only then did the phone-scrolling young man see itโamidst the crowded throng, that ice lotus in bud, blooming untouched in an empty pocket of space.
The mall’s atrium ceiling was sealed with glass panels.
A black-haired girl leaned quietly against a pillar by the side courtyard of the mall, her simple everyday attire unable to conceal her beauty.
Several rays of skylight pierced through the transparent barrier, casting a soft halo around her, adding an unreal, dreamlike quality to her presence.
The girl’s features were flawlessโclear and crystalline, skin like snow from the Tianshan mountains, with finely embroidered, exquisite brows and eyes.
A pair of cold, clear eyes that seemed to deliberately sweep across the crowd, yet on closer look, they were distant and unfocused, as if they couldn’t hold anything of the mortal world within them.
That cool, aloof aura, on her adorable face, manifested as something both cold and endearingโa perfectly natural contrast that left a striking impression at first glance, utterly breathtaking.
“Thud.”
The sound of a phone hitting the floor snapped the dazed young man back to reality. He quickly patted his companion’s shoulder in front of him:
“Whoa, is she some kind of celebrity? She’s gorgeous…”
“Wanna go ask for her WeChat?”
His companion teased in response.
“You go, you go.”
“I don’t dare. You go.”
The two shoved each other, but neither worked up the courage to approach.
The little scene playing out in the crowd went unnoticed by Shen Ye.
But beside her, all sorts of barely concealed compliments like “so cute” came from the girls passing by, landing in her ears, causing the cat ears hidden beneath her concealment spell to twitch slightly.
This kind of situation was still something Shen Ye couldn’t quite accept.
Back when she was an Executor, she’d often travel around on missions, coming into contact with quite a few humans. But most of them were fellow Executors, and interactions between colleagues were fairly plain.
Now that she had a different identity, the experience was completely different.
And what she found hardest to adapt to wasโ
The stares.
From the moment she parted ways with Lin Xiangyi to sitting here, countless people had passed by her side.
Those approaching from the front stole glances; those passing by turned back for a second look.
Compared to the gazes she’d felt when she was male, these stares carried many other implications.
Those eyes came from every directionโcurious, admiring, appraising, and even a few with a… fervor she couldn’t quite understand.
Even back when people stared at me like this, there weren’t this many.
This is so uncomfortable. I want to go back.
Shen Ye was prickled by those gazes, her whole body feeling uneasy.
She lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, pretending to ignore everything around her.
I should have followed Junior Brother.
She recalled the scene from a few minutes agoโ
Lin Xiangyi had walked with her through the mall for a while, then stopped and instructed her:
“I’m going to the restroom. Wait here for me. Don’t wander offโI’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you!”
Shen Ye answered immediately.
The man shot back a helpless look, slaying the little kitten who wanted to be his shadow.
“I’m going to the men’s room. How are you going to follow me?”
“Oh.”
Shen Ye replied in a sulky tone, then glanced at the crowd around her, her voice unconsciously shrinking.
“Then hurry back, okay?”
“Yeah, just wait here obediently.”
Time returns to the present.
“Sigh.”
The girl dangled her feet listlessly.
Junior Brother, hurry back.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Into her lowered line of sight stepped a pair of men’s shoes.
Shen Ye looked up, a glimmer of light igniting in her eyes:
“Xiangyi?”
At the same time, in the mall restroom.
Lin Xiangyi stood at the sink, turning on the tap, letting the icy water flow through his fingers.
He cupped a handful of water and splashed it onto his face.
Water droplets slid down, gathering along his jawline and dripping off his chin.
A simple splash of cold water washed away some of the heat churning inside him.
He looked up at his reflection in the mirror.
Behind the tousled hair, his eyes held a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
He hadn’t slept well last night, to be honest.
The Law Enforcer Examination was right around the corner. The final task had harsh completion conditions, but he believed he could find a way.
The only problem was, there was still one condition he hadn’t met to complete it.
He turned off the tap, flicked the water from his hands, and turned to leave.
No sooner had he stepped out of the restroom than two people approached from the front, blocking his path.
Lin Xiangyi frowned slightly, sidestepping to go around them.
“Oh? Isn’t this Lin Xiangyi?”
A teasing voice rang out, halting his steps.
“You still haven’t found the third person for the Task Team, have you?”
Lin Xiangyi looked up toward the source of the voice.
Two young men stood behind him, smirking with unbridled amusement.
He had a vague impression of one of themโprobably someone he’d crossed paths with in the earlier stages of the Executor Examination.
Hmm… probably. Either way, not someone worth caring about.
Without a word, he turned and walked away.
“What’s with the attitude?” The other raised an eyebrow and blocked Lin Xiangyi’s path, his voice laced with sourness. “Everyone knows your Azure Cloud Sect only got its big break because of Shen Ye.”
“Aside from him, your sect couldn’t produce even one Executor.”
Lin Xiangyi swept his gaze over the two of them without any change in expression, finding them nothing but tiresome.
Why do I always run into idiots like this the moment I step outside?
At this moment, the more agitated he felt inside, the more he realized how comfortable it was being with Shen Ye.
He recalled the cat-eared girl’s expression when he’d left earlierโthose eyes brimming with reluctance and a hint of fear, looking so pitiful that he’d almost not been able to leave.
Lin Xiangyi shook his head, dispelling those thoughts.
Compared to these two clowns in front of him, looking after Senior Brother’s friend was far more important.
He couldn’t keep her waiting.
Lin Xiangyi’s eyes narrowed slightly, and in his ordinarily calm gaze, a hint of coldness gradually surfaced.
“I don’t have time to waste on you two.”