Chapter 46: How Nice, How Very Nice

“Hello, I’m the team leader, Swina.”

The man with a monocle gave a slight bow. “Pardon me, but if I recall correctly, the Ling Awakening Academy’s Shen Ning has white hair.”

So why is there a big-chested girl with long, straight black hair and neat bangs showing up like some goody-two-shoes?

“You remembered correctly, and Shen Ning didn’t dye her hair,” Xu Chuyao replied with a perfectly serious face. “Because I’m not Shen Ning.”

Laughter broke out among the foreign trade group. They didn’t know the context, but they thought this pretty girl had a great sense of humor.

Swina chuckled as well. “I’d heard about Shen Ning’s fame. I thought, after her impressive display during the previous attacks, she would be the leader of this student team.”

Xu Chuyao laughed along, her smile especially sweet. “Then you’ve underestimated us. Shen Ning may be the fierce tiger of our team, but the leading sheep needs more than just courage—it takes the wisdom to sniff out conspiracies.”

Not only humorous but blunt too. The surrounding entourage was baffled, wondering if their trade group had somehow offended Ling Awakening Academy in the past. After racking their brains, they still couldn’t recall any grudge.

“It seems this young lady is also a rare talent,” Swina said smoothly.

He hadn’t found the person he wanted to see, and was ready to gloss things over, even pretending not to catch her veiled jabs.

But Xu Chuyao didn’t let him off the hook. “Let’s be honest—coming here for a product launch at a time like this feels poorly timed. I don’t know whose decision it was, but it deserves a second look.”

The product manager nearby turned green. He didn’t know what had happened exactly, but it was obvious this wasn’t just playful banter. She wasn’t the type to turn the other cheek—she’d step on your face while smiling.

“That’s enough, student,” the product manager finally couldn’t help but speak up. “I don’t think we’ve offended you. Why be so confrontational at every turn?”

“I’m just stating facts. Recently there’ve been multiple attacks in the central city—it’s hardly the time for a public event. Besides—”

Xu Chuyao glanced at him. He looked like he was in the dark about what his team leader had been up to. So what excuse should she come up with… hmmm… Got it!

“Your new product has something to do with spirit ore, right?”

Spirit ore was the material mined in the excavation zones. Since the spiritual energy eruption, it had popped up like mushrooms after rain.

There were many kinds, with various uses—some flashy but mostly useless, like the gravity rooms used in the academy’s training grounds, and others more practical, like spirit-energy batteries, which were safer and longer-lasting than conventional ones.

“Yes, our latest product improves on capacitor technology. Compact and easy to carry,” the product manager Xiao Wu said proudly.

Perfect! That gave Yaoyao the excuse she needed. She stood with her hands on her hips and snorted coldly:

“Then you’ve got some nerve asking Shen Ning for help. Don’t you know she used to work in the mines? There was a mining disaster, and many of her friends and family died in it.”

Xiao Wu froze. His pride from just moments ago evaporated instantly.

“No way… that’s true…?”

“Ever since the spiritual energy burst, tragedies like that have become common. No one wants them, but they keep happening,” Swina said with a wistful sigh. “Thankfully, Shen Ning survived the accident and has since walked a new, brighter path. A silver lining in a tragedy.”

Tsk. What a clean way to wash his hands of it.

Just then, a white-haired girl came running up from the distance. She gave Xu Chuyao a once-over, only relaxing when she confirmed she was unharmed.

“Shen Ning, what are you doing here?”

“They said you were here, so I came looking.”

Perfect timing. Swina’s target had arrived. He extended his hand politely. “Hello, Shen Ning. It’s an honor. We’ve all heard of your heroic deeds. One of our goals in coming to the main central city for the launch was to meet you.”

Handshake?

Shen Ning looked at his outstretched hand, then at Xu Chuyao. Her girlfriend shook her head subtly, so she didn’t take it.

“I don’t understand. Why would you want to meet me?”

Swina wasn’t offended by the rejection. He simply smiled. “Those terrorists who attacked students in the city have struck multiple major cities. Yet only you were able to drive them off single-handedly.”

The group continued toward the exhibition booth as they talked. Seeing their leader engaged in conversation, the rest of the team deliberately slowed their pace.

Shen Ning didn’t want to discuss this topic—she’d already had to explain it too many times. So she simply replied, “They weren’t that strong.”

“True,” Swina said, then abruptly shifted his tone. “Shen Ning, I heard the attackers wore clown masks and seemed to be organized with some kind of ideology. What do you think their purpose was?”

Shen Ning frowned slightly. “How would I know?”

She wasn’t part of the Clown Gang.

“Have you ever speculated—about whether they’re reacting to oppression, or if they have demands they want to express?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care to think about it.”

Swina hit a wall. The girl clearly had no interest in the topic, and on top of that, she was getting silent cues from her girlfriend: Don’t entertain them too much.

So she complied.

As they neared the booth, Xu Chuyao tugged on Shen Ning’s hand, pulling her aside.

“That’s enough. You guys go prepare your launch—we’ve got our own jobs.”

Swina looked surprised for the first time. “You’re not coming to the booth?”

Xu Chuyao gave him a sweet smile. “Our job is to maintain order in the plaza, not to guard your booth. We can go wherever we like.”

With that, she took Shen Ning’s hand and walked off.

Swina’s smile slowly faded as he watched their backs disappear.

“You go ahead and prep the launch,” he told the others.

He dismissed the product manager and team, leaving only one trusted guard behind. Once they were alone, he ordered, “Follow those girls. Don’t let them see you.”

Meanwhile, the two girls walked toward the parking area. More people were arriving—the business plaza was a commercial hub, and nine in the morning was prime foot traffic. With the launch happening today, plenty of cameramen had arrived early to set up.

“Why was he asking me all those weird questions?” Shen Ning asked.

These people were strange. One kept pressing her for answers. Another seemed unable to look at her directly, stealing glances now and then, eyes filled with guilt. It was confusing.

“Because he knows your background. He thinks you might sympathize with those attackers or have thoughts about the world,” Xu Chuyao explained.

And because you’re the chosen one—the only person to awaken during the X Crystal outbreak.

Shen Ning was about to reply when suddenly, a sorrowful voice rang out beside her:

“She’s still so smart. How nice.”

The Broken Reflection? When did she get here?

They happened to pass a storefront, and the glass door reflected a sorrowful figure—her eyes, shaded by broken bangs, fixed on the two girls’ joined hands.

“Her hand must be so warm. How nice… how very nice… I wish I could feel that again.”

“……”

Shen Ning’s mouth twitched a few times before she managed to suppress her expression.