The heavy rain came right on time.
Late June, the summer rainy season arrived fiercely—though a bit earlier than expected.
A sudden downpour began.
Whether it ruined anyone’s dreams was unknown, but it certainly pressed down the noise of Baiyuan City for a while.
In the Bai Family courtyard, Madam Bai held an umbrella, ready to step outside.
Mr. Bai had tried persuading her for a long time, telling her the bathhouse was well-equipped—there was food, drinks, entertainment, and you could rest when tired.
Most importantly, it had a roof, so it wasn’t open-air and you wouldn’t get wet.
“But they can’t stay overnight there, can they?”
Madam Bai thought of the only flaw.
“Actually, they can. The bathhouse has rest areas and serves a nutritious breakfast in the morning. Plus, a friend owns the place—we could call ahead and have someone watch over them…”
Mr. Bai said.
It made sense, but Madam Bai shook her head.
“Spending the night outside like that… isn’t it the same as booking a hotel room?”
So that was what she was worried about.
But when Madam Bai opened the door with the umbrella, she found three girls standing at the entrance.
She looked at them.
They looked back at her.
Bai Xia’s gaze was calm.
Bai Xiaoya’s was innocent.
Su Qingyu was the only one who looked nervous.
“Mom, it started raining halfway, and Xiao Su’s place is far. She doesn’t live in Baiyuan City, so I brought her home first.”
Bai Xiaoya spoke sweetly.
With such a straightforward explanation, Madam Bai couldn’t really object.
“Alright…alright, of course. Come in and rest. I’ll have the kitchen make some soup.”
Her daughter’s eyes were so clear—there couldn’t be a problem, right?
A few minutes later, the three girls sat in Bai Xiaoya’s bedroom again, back in familiar territory.
The heavy rain had started suddenly after the battle ended.
They’d heard the patter of raindrops in the basement, but thankfully, there were umbrellas in the restaurant—one for each of them.
Besides the umbrellas, they brought back a lot of other things from the restaurant.
“That’s about it.”
Su Qingyu dumped her small backpack onto the table.
There was a “Mirage” Prism Card, a “Heavenly Superstar” camera, a “Trajectory Preset” cowboy hat, plus a Rubik’s Cube and some bandages.
“I thought it over—among these, Mirage and Heavenly Superstar aren’t very useful, so we hand them over. This is for you. We’ll keep the Rubik’s Cube just in case it’s useful.”
Su Qingyu handed the cowboy hat to Bai Xia, then pointed to the remaining bandages.
“As for this—it’s strong, and dangerous, but too disgusting. I think we should hand it over. Any objections?”
Bai Xia took the hat and set it aside.
Silence meant no objection.
Bai Xiaoya shook her head, too.
“No objection.”
The division of spoils was settled.
Su Qingyu repacked the items into her bag.
“Alright, then that’s that. Let’s rest for a few days. When the rain stops, I’ll write the report for the family.”
Of course, the report wouldn’t be complete—it would be edited.
With everything done, Su Qingyu clapped her hands and stood up from the sofa.
“Let’s go drink some hot soup.”
Bai Xia stood up as well.
Only Bai Xiaoya frowned, feeling something was off.
“Wait, that’s it?”
“Yeah, didn’t I just ask?”
Su Qingyu spread her hands.
“No one objected.”
“No one objects to dividing the spoils, but…what about other issues?”
Bai Xiaoya voiced her concerns: The Association was a huge organization with many people outside.
This time, in Baiyuan City, they suffered a heavy defeat, the entire subbranch was wiped out, and they lost so many mysterious items—it was hard to swallow.
On their side, the three girls had used up all their trump cards, and because of the Pocket Watch, they couldn’t ask their family for help. Plus…
“We used everything we had this time, and next time, they’ll definitely prepare countermeasures. It might not be easy to target us, but whatever happens, they’ll be stronger.”
Bai Xiaoya spoke with reason.
Su Qingyu and Bai Xia exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
Their relaxed attitudes were natural.
They knew the longer they stayed, the more missions there were, and the bigger the rewards.
At that point, any kind of strange ability could show up.
So the idea of “using up all your trump cards” was basically a false premise.
But Bai Xiaoya’s concerns were understandable—she didn’t know all this.
Relax, Aya.
There’s a saying—‘The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge.’
“Mm.”
The two girls answered in turn.
Not exactly perfunctory—more like…Bai Xiaoya thought they really just wanted to eat.
“Fine, let’s go eat first, then.”
She said so, but at the table, Bai Xiaoya was still the most enthusiastic about eating, attacking a pot of stir-fried dishes with such vigor that you’d think she was the one who’d just returned home.
“Xiaoya, slow down. No one’s fighting you for it.”
Madam Bai said helplessly, then turned to the window.
It was too far to see clearly, but she could vaguely hear the rain pouring down.
“This rain—it starts and never ends. Who knows when it’ll stop?”
The rain itself didn’t bother her much, but as long as it kept falling, Xiao Su couldn’t leave.
“It’s fine—rain is rain. We’re all home, and the kids aren’t in school.”
Mr. Bai said cheerfully.
Rather than cheerful, it was more like wild joy—but he couldn’t let Madam Bai see it.
He pressed his lips together tightly.
What he said was true, so Madam Bai had nothing to say.
She joined in the lively meal.
Bai Xiaoya was the most energetic about eating and the first to finish.
After putting down her chopsticks, she sat on the sofa, gazing out the window in a daze.
The rain had driven them back home.
As for those thugs in the basement, they were probably packing up and fleeing in the night, taking advantage of the downpour.
Who knew where they’d go?
They certainly wouldn’t stay in Baiyuan City.
After all, whether from their side or the Association’s, no one would treat them kindly.
Regardless of whether it was the girls’ unspoken agreement, that mysterious leader wasn’t human.
His existence would probably be shared with other intelligence networks elsewhere.
No matter how the battle went, the Association would know, so whether those people lived or died didn’t matter much.
When everyone finished eating, the rain still hadn’t stopped.
In fact, it was pouring even harder.
Madam Bai walked to the window and looked outside, frowning slightly.
The rain hadn’t stopped, but night had already fallen.
“This rain tonight…”
What now?
When it was still light, it was hard for guests to leave.
Now that it was dark, there was even less reason to send them away.
“It’s fine—Xiao Su stayed at our house last night. The guest room is right there,”
Mr. Bai said cheerfully.
“Besides, Xiaoya and she are classmates. They can do their summer homework together.”
Madam Bai’s eyelids twitched.
She looked at her daughter.
“You have summer homework?”
Bai Xiaoya hesitated, then replied quietly.
“There’s social practice.”