"Auntie, I'm off to school." Xiaowei waved her hand, carrying her backpack as she headed to school, her bright eyes full of vitality.
"Be careful on the way."
A fashionable urban woman dressed in casual home attire stood at the door shouting, her appearance quite striking. Even at the company, she was the center of attention, pursued by many men to no avail.
After all, she still wanted to take good care of her two nieces.
Not long after, Su Qiubai came out yawning, looking weary. It was clear she had been playing online late into the night, and waking up early for school every day felt like torture to her.
Another twenty minutes later, Bai Yuzhen left in professional attire. She was fair-skinned, beautiful, with exquisite makeup and tastefully dressed, the epitome of a fashionista.
It was thanks to her that Su Qiubai and Su Xiaowei could go to school peacefully, otherwise, they would have had to be sent to the Federation orphanage from a young age. Life there wouldn't have been as comfortable and warm as it is now, nor could they have grown healthy to this day.
Su Qiubai quickly caught up with Xiaowei. Both girls were dressed finely and naturally coordinated, a result of their aunt's influence in grooming them well.
"Xiaowei, you've been drawing every day recently, but you never show me anything. What's with that? Why not give me a few? My classmates really like them," Su Qiubai pleaded.
Xiaowei shook her head. She wouldn't say that she owed Uncle Wang a painting and had been working hard on it these days.
These days, she drew two or thirty paintings but wasn't satisfied with any. She wanted to paint the best one, the one she was most satisfied with, to give to Wang Xuan.
After all, Uncle Wang's meals were extremely expensive, but she accidentally ate quite a lot.
In her eyes, paintings have their own Essence, Qi, and Spirit, capable of capturing a person's likeness, temperament, and character, and they must pour their emotions into it.
Each time she painted, Wang Xuan's image became clearer. In Xiaowei's mind, Uncle Wang was a tall and mighty figure she could paint. Wang Xuan, however, wanted a painting of a refined person sitting and reading, scholarly in appearance.
"I wish I could see him a few more times," Xiaowei sighed. Painting was truly not easy, and she hadn't yet reached the level where she could create images out of thin air, but she painted what she felt earnestly.
The posture Wang Xuan struck that day and the aura he exuded were somewhat in conflict with the image Xiaowei cherished in her heart, which is why she was never satisfied with her painting.
Su Qiubai was curious, "See what a few more times?"
"Nothing... By the way, Xiaobai, how was your exam last time? You seemed confident, always playing around. Surely you were prepared?" Xiaowei diverted the topic.
"Not good, not good at all. The teacher scolded me," Su Qiubai replied with a dejected look. Her most energetic time was after school, when she would enthusiastically surf the internet with friends, playing games and watching movies.
As for waking up to study, just thinking about the study points gave her a headache.
"You're really dumb," Xiaowei huffed. "How could I have such a dumb sister? If you studied hard, there's no way your grades would be bad.
You knew you weren't prepared, yet you still played every day and acted so confident. I almost thought you had everything planned perfectly."
She was so smart; there was no reason her sister Su Qiubai would be dumb.
The teacher had once said a phrase that Xiaowei deeply agreed with: not seizing an opportunity for improvement was essentially resigning oneself to mediocrity. If that's the case, don't complain about poor accomplishments and circumstances.
Therefore, Xiaowei felt happy when she studied, achieving a lot every day, which truly filled her with hope!
Observing subtly, she already sensed that her sister wasn't only an ordinary girl now, but would likely be an average person in the future, with no outstanding qualities apart from her looks.
Sigh, why did the heavens make her so exceptional? It always made her feel out of place with those around her.
"So what if my studies aren't great? I don't have your clever mind, and I don't have such high aspirations. Living peacefully is enough for me," Su Qiubai said with a cheerful smile, which stopped Xiaowei from advising further.
If Xiaobai weren't her sister, she wouldn't say a word more to avoid annoying people, as it was inherently a matter of highlighting shortcomings.
"It's fine, as long as I'm smart, Xiaobai, you just focus on being pretty," Xiaowei laughed, not wishing to pursue any unpleasant topics further.
"Oh, my little sister is actually complimenting me on my looks. But are you teasing me? Clearly, you're prettier and smarter than I am. You've received hundreds of love letters this year, far more than me," joked Su Qiubai.
"Just some childish little kids, hardly worthy of a fairy like me," Xiaowei said proudly.
On the street, a few people came out after breakfast to patrol. It was none other than Gao Lin and others, who had previously been scared off by Wang Xuan in the neighborhood. They strutted around with arrogance in their step.
If not for the tattoos on their arms, marking them as members of the Invincible Iron Fist Gang, these guys would've already been beaten up countless times. Many people found them displeasing.
"Boss, how's business been lately? Has anyone caused trouble? Just give us a call if anything. We get paid to do the job; it's the rule."
Gao Lin, with his crewcut looking robust, intimidated some shop owners into nodding in agreement and handing over "gifts," sending them off as if they were gods of plague.
Going from shop to shop, this was their task—mundane beyond compare, far from the thrilling duties in certain risqué places where they could take advantage of the ladies.
"The Great King ordered me to patrol the mountains; I'm here to see the new district." As the short guy sang, Gao Lin slapped him on the head.
"Did you watch too much Journey to the West? We've been demoted, don't you know? Otherwise, would we be doing this kind of work?"
Gao Lin and his team were originally considered thugs, slowly declining into laborers, all because they chickened out at the sight of Wang Xuan in the neighborhood last time.
Boss Hong and the red-clothed guest might only get a scolding without serious repercussions, but not them. They got relegated by the red-clothed guest.
"Can't hug Boss Hong's thigh anymore, our prospects are bleak, truly pitiful."
Gao Lin and the others wandered around, the short guy, with sharp eyes, quickly spotted Su Xiaowei and the others. At that moment, a man in his thirties, with an average build, approached them.
"Little girls, do you know the way to Starry Sky Bank? I'm not familiar with the area and really need to get there urgently. Can you help an uncle out?" The man asked.
Before Xiaowei could respond, Qiubai said, "It's on Young Road. Walk along this street, and turn left at the first intersection."
The man smiled kindly, his eyes occasionally glancing at the girls' figures and faces, which were truly outstanding and captivating, making him secretly swallow his saliva.
Xiaowei scrutinized him slightly; he wasn't carrying a personal terminal, had short hair with a large frame, like someone who practiced martial arts, and his eyes carried a hint of lewdness.
She paid special attention to the man's left hand, which had an unusual feature—six fingers.
Just as the man was about to continue speaking, Gao Lin and his men approached, asking, "Who are you, from which neighborhood? I haven't seen you before."
Those in the underworld usually carry some kind of moniker, if not at least a recognizable sign, like the tattoos on their hands.
Su Xiaowei and her friends had seen them before and recognized Wang Xuan. They actually wanted to ask him about Wang Xuan and get familiar.
Seeing these people, Su Qiubai was startled and took a step back, while Su Xiaowei said, "It's time for class. We'll be heading off. If you need directions, you can ask them. Goodbye."
She waved her hand and led Su Qiubai away. These guys looked dodgy, though Gao Lin's group was a bit more familiar, as Uncle Wang knew them. The six-fingered guy was, however, completely unknown.
Once they entered the school, they truly relaxed. School was a safe place; no bad people dared to come in, and if they did, teachers and security would chase them away!
"Xiaobai, those people don't seem like they're good. Don't walk alone after school, okay?" Xiaowei cautioned.
Shi Tie was slightly disappointed that the two fine girls had just left like that. He snorted, "Who I am is none of your business?"
He had escaped from prison for over a dozen days, disguising himself to avoid surveillance. To prevent detection by intelligent systems, he even hid in the mountains for a while.
Now back in the city, he planned to get some money and find a place to start afresh. Seeing the two girls, however, made him change his mind.
He intended to pull another big job! Even if he got caught and sentenced to death, it would be worth it!
"Such a cocky brat, do you know who we are... ouch!"
Shi Tie couldn't be bothered to say much; with a flick of his leg, he kicked them to the ground, causing them to whimper in pain before walking away briskly.
When Gao Lin and his crew got back on their feet, their attacker had already vanished without a trace.