In an instant, as if she had touched something filthy, Xu Yinsheng yanked her hand back. She retreated several steps until she was huddled in the corner of the wall, avoiding the man as if he were a plague or a monster, looking exactly like a startled bird!
Zhao Yicheng?
Zhao Yicheng.
Zhao Yicheng!
‘How is he here? Isn’t he dead? How did he find me? Is this a trap?’ All sorts of thoughts flooded her mind, making it impossible for Xu Yinsheng to find any peace.
At this moment, the Magical Girl’s thoughts were in complete disarray, like a knocked-over spice rack—colorful and hopelessly mixed.
In the past six months, Xu Yinsheng had never been as panicked as she was today.
Or to put it another way, the sense of security she had painstakingly built over these six months collapsed completely the moment she saw Zhao Yicheng again!
His appearance felt like an invisible curse, binding her tightly and leaving her no way to escape.
After a while, the surroundings remained as silent as before. Even when Xu Yinsheng, having recovered slightly, tried to provoke him on purpose, there was still no movement.
Flushed and reeking of alcohol, Zhao Yicheng seemed truly drunk. He lay on the cold ground, unconscious and motionless.
Hunched over, Xu Yinsheng cautiously approached the man. She picked up a simple branch and poked his flushed face, but there was still no reaction.
“Looks like he really is drunk.” Xu Yinsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked down at the man lying on the cold ground. Having not seen him for six months, he had lost a lot of weight, and his beard had grown out, looking unkempt. The smell of alcohol around him was so thick it was nauseating.
‘Why would he come here? How long has he been in Binhai City? Is he here to catch me again?’ she muttered to herself, a dangerous glint suddenly flashing in her eyes.
In the next moment, the Magical Girl threw a heavy punch toward the man’s face. Her small fist was wrapped in Cherry-pink Flames, showing just how much power was behind the strike!
Yet, the punch stopped abruptly in mid-air, just a finger’s width away from his face! It could not move forward another inch!!
It wasn’t because Xu Yinsheng was kind-hearted, but because of the nature of her Ever-changing Magical Girl ability.
A kind Magical Girl could only uphold justice and eradicate evil; she could not harm life, let alone attack an innocent bystander!
“DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!!!” Xu Yinsheng cursed several times!
Her fist struck the ground instead, punching a large hole in the pavement. Frustrated, she simply dragged Zhao Yicheng up and stuffed him back into the trash bin.
Furthermore, she didn’t forget to follow her principles as a Magical Girl—she cleaned up the rubble on the ground and threw it all into the bin as well.
As for whether it would hit the man?
What man? In her eyes, there was only trash!!
And the best place for trash was a trash bin!!!
Having finished her work, Xu Yinsheng patted her half-full stomach. She pursed her lips and prepared to leave, but an arm hanging from the opening of the trash bin suddenly grabbed the corner of her clothes.
The drunken Zhao Yicheng, with half his body hanging out of the bin and a flushed face, mumbled incoherently, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I was wrong. I really know now…”
Xu Yinsheng shot a glance back and snorted coldly.
With a few leaps, she vanished without a trace.
***
The moonlight gradually faded, and the grey mist on the horizon was slowly replaced by red clouds. A streak of pale light emerged.
Zhao Yicheng woke up in a daze inside the trash bin. The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with a violent stench that almost made him vomit. Several pieces of broken stone weighed down on his chest, making every breath heavy and difficult.
After struggling to crawl out of the bin, Zhao Yicheng used rainwater from the ground to wash his face. He sat down and held his head. It hurt—it hurt a lot. The back of his head felt like it had been hit by something heavy. It took a long time for his scattered thoughts to finally align.
He had been in this city for fifteen days. Although he had investigated Xu Yinsheng’s residence, he hadn’t dared to approach her. He only dared to watch her secretly from the shadows, drowning his sorrows in alcohol every day.
Last night, he seemed to have just left a bar. While walking through an alley in his drunken state, he was knocked unconscious. He had no memory of what happened after that.
At that moment, Zhao Yicheng suddenly noticed a cherry-pink and milky-white ribbon in his right hand.
He looked down.
‘Is this… Xiao Yin’s scent?’
***
“I’m coming, I’m coming! Stop rushing!”
Xu Yinsheng was driving with one hand while holding her phone with the other. Her silver Maserati cruised slowly down the road.
“I know, I know. Today I’ll show you what I’ve got. I’ll make you realize there’s always someone better out there, and what a real stone-cutting master looks like.”
“What? Tell me to stop bragging?”
“How ridiculous. Why don’t we make a bet? If I lose, you can ask for whatever you want.”
“What? You want me to act for you? A heartless thug robbing a beauty to see if your goddess shows up?”
“… Sigh, you really are a hopeless romantic. You never change. Fine, I agree.”
“A deal is a deal? Of course. A gentleman’s word is his bond! Just wait for me, I’ll be there soon!”
Xu Yinsheng hung up the phone and stepped on the gas. The Maserati accelerated toward its destination.
Because Binhai City was located by the sea, it had a unique geographical environment. The stone gambling industry was exceptionally developed, giving rise to several markets and tens of thousands of jobs.
Chen Chenyi’s family dealt in the steel business, but he was also addicted to stone gambling. On the streets, he was known as the Little White Dragon of Stone Cutting. Xu Yinsheng’s stone-cutting skills had been learned from him.
However, Xu Yinsheng, who was currently driving, was somewhat distracted.
There was only one reason for her wandering mind — Zhao Yicheng!
He wasn’t dead. He was still alive, and he had come looking for her.
She felt a mix of surprise and resignation.
‘Good people don’t live long, while scourges last for a thousand years.’
The ancestors truly did not lie.
Her long eyelashes drooped slightly, casting a large shadow. The movements of the pedestrians on the street seemed to fade away as Xu Yinsheng’s eyes flickered with unreadable thoughts.
‘What should I do?’
‘Run? Or kill him again?’
‘Kill him once more, just like six months ago.’ The girl lowered her head slightly, her delicate frame trembling. A rare glint of… madness and desire flashed in her beautiful eyes.
‘KILL! HIM!’
The dagger piercing through flesh, scarlet blood flowing freely, the lingering sweet yet metallic scent of blood in the air, mixed with the fragrance of earth and grass…
The corner of the beauty’s mouth subconsciously curled into a bloodthirsty, cruel arc. She lifted her slender hand and bit into her finger. Crimson blood flowed into her mouth, carrying a thick, metallic sweetness. Instead of pain, she felt a trace of pleasure.
The taste of blood…
The moment she turned a corner, a small figure suddenly dashed out from an alleyway by the road. Seeing this, Xu Yinsheng snapped awake. Reacting quickly, she jerked the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes. The massive Maserati performed a lateral drift on the road, spinning 360 degrees before coming to a halt on the left side of the street.
At the same time, seeing that an accident had occurred, the surrounding pedestrians began to gather!
Xu Yinsheng hurriedly got out of the car and rushed toward the woman who had crouched down after being clipped by the car’s tail.
The woman’s white dress was stained red with blood. She was huddled on the ground, clutching her knees. Her forehead was scraped, her lips were as pale as paper, and her eyes were cast down, hiding her expression.
“Hang in there, hang in there. I’ll call an ambulance right now.” Xu Yinsheng was also panicked. Despite driving for so long, this was the first time she had ever hit someone.
However, the word “ambulance” seemed to trigger the sickly girl’s sensitive nerves. Though she was still crouching, she reached out and tightly gripped the hem of Xu Yinsheng’s clothes.
“Don’t call an ambulance… I’ll be discovered.” She shook her head, her expression full of fear and her voice weak.
Hearing this, Xu Yinsheng felt a sense of relief. The fact that she could speak meant the injuries weren’t too severe. She tried to follow the girl’s wishes as much as possible, suggesting, “Then I’ll take you to the hospital.”
The sickly girl shook her head again, her face filled with anxiety and panic. “Don’t go to the hospital. I’ll be discovered.”
A pale, small hand covered in needle marks grabbed Xu Yinsheng’s arm. The girl bit her lip, her eyes filled with infinite pleading, and her voice carried a hint of a sob. “Please, help me. Take me home… take me home. I don’t want to be caught by her again.”
As she spoke, the sickly girl’s body trembled violently as if she were terrified. Her crystal-clear eyes were full of panic, like a startled rabbit.
Looking at the girl in this state, Xu Yinsheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Noticing the curious crowd gathering around them, she let out a sigh. ‘Forget it, I’ll just consider this a good deed.’
She helped the girl up and placed her in the passenger seat. At that moment, her phone rang. it was a call from Chen Chenyi, urging her to hurry.
She answered with irritation.
“What’s the rush?! What’s the rush!! Something happened at home! I’m not coming today!!”