Chapter 3
The more readily Shen Li had made that solemn promise, the more she regretted it on the way home.
Chu Qingyi drove Shen Li to the vicinity of the Golden Eagle Marquis’s estate in her sleek black hovercar, which was capable of evading satellite and radar detection. Before Shen Li got out, she extended a hand.
“Here’s to a pleasant partnership.”
Shen Li lowered her eyes and glanced at the outstretched hand.
The fingers were long, slender, and pale as tender spring shoots, with nails as pink as cardamom buds.
After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and gave the hand a light, tentative shake.
“Here’s to a pleasant partnership.”
As their hands met, the woman’s seemingly boneless fingers curled around two of hers. Feeling the warmth of her touch, Shen Li’s pupils dilated slightly.
She immediately withdrew her hand, muttered a quick goodbye, opened the car door, and fled in a panic.
Sitting inside the car, Chu Qingyi watched her retreating figure as she practically ran for her life and let out a soft chuckle.
She quietly watched Shen Li disappear into the distance. Soon, however, the smile vanished from her face. Turning toward the bodyguard at the wheel, she said coldly, “Head to District Five. Let’s see if there have been any new developments.”
“Yes.”
————————
By the time Shen Li hurried back to the marquis’s estate, it was already midnight.
As she passed the security office, she saw that the guards had already gone to sleep. She unlocked the security system with a retinal scan and slipped quietly inside.
Unexpectedly, as she passed through the backyard, she ran into someone.
“Who’s there?”
A voice came from the middle of the flower garden. Shen Li immediately raised her eyes and looked toward the pavilion at its center.
Through the vast darkness, she spotted a young girl sitting on a swing.
Like Shen Li, the girl had a head of brilliant golden hair. She was dressed in a mech training uniform, sitting quietly with both hands resting on the swing.
Shen Li recognized her. It was Shen Mo, her younger half sister, who shared the same mother but had a different mom and was only three years younger than her.
Shen Mo had differentiated not long ago. She was an Alpha, and a remarkably high-ranking one at that: 2S.
Compared to Shen Li, an inferior D-rank Alpha, she was undoubtedly a gifted young genius.
Their eyes met, but neither spoke.
In the end, Shen Li scratched her cheek and pointed toward the courtyard where she lived.
“Um, I’ll head back first…”
“You should… get some rest too.”
Her public persona was that of a quiet, hopelessly dull-witted girl. She had maintained this image for twelve years, and everyone believed it without question.
The girl sitting in the darkness remained silent for a moment before asking, “How did your date go today?”
Everyone in the marquis’s household knew that Shen Li had recently been going on one blind date after another under Prince Qingsong’s arrangements.
Shen Li hadn’t expected her to ask about that and was somewhat surprised. She didn’t let it show, however, and merely mumbled, “It was all right…”
Her halfhearted response made Shen Mo’s brows draw together.
Shen Mo spoke with a hint of impatience. “Liu Jianyue has plenty of admirers. She’s proud, arrogant, and extremely competitive.”
“If you really intend to marry her… you’re going to suffer a lot of…”
At that point, Shen Mo seemed to realize that her words were unnecessary. She frowned and stepped off the swing.
“Forget it. It’s your business anyway.”
“Listen to whoever you want.”
After saying all that entirely on her own, she inexplicably turned and left.
Shen Li stared after her, utterly bewildered.
She scratched her cheek, thought for a moment, then turned and headed toward her own courtyard.
As she walked, she even took the rare opportunity to ponder what Shen Mo had been trying to tell her.
Although Shen Mo was the “illegitimate daughter” of her mother, Shen Buji, their relationship wasn’t particularly bad.
At least, it hadn’t been before Shen Li’s mom passed away.
Shen Li’s mom, Tian Zhi Zi, was the daughter of the former Prince Qingsong and the elder sister of the current Prince Qingsong, Tian Zhi Cheng.
Despite being a member of the royal family, Tian Zhi Zi had never cared much for the aristocratic lifestyle. Instead, she had yearned for freedom among the stars. It was said that before marrying Shen Buji, she had even explored the universe on her own.
The marriage between Tian Zhi Zi and Shen Buji could essentially be described as a case of unrequited love on Shen Buji’s part.
For that reason, when Shen Buji accidentally marked Shen Mo’s mom, Lin Shu, Tian Zhi Zi had magnanimously welcomed both mother and daughter into the Golden Eagle Marquis’s estate.
Because of this, Shen Li’s life in the household wasn’t nearly as miserable as outsiders imagined. On the contrary, she lived quite comfortably.
This was especially true after she differentiated into a D-rank Alpha, at which point Shen Buji completely gave up on grooming her.
Like Prince Qingsong, Shen Buji only wanted Shen Li to inherit the title and live out the rest of her life happily.
Unfortunately, Shen Li had other ambitions, so she was destined to disappoint her.
As she walked, something suddenly clicked in Shen Li’s mind. Liu Jianyue and Shen Mo were in the same year, and both had just entered school this year…
They even seemed to be in the same class…
Which meant…
Shen Mo liked Liu Jianyue!
Shen Li’s eyes immediately lit up, and her steps grew noticeably lighter as she headed back to her courtyard. Once there, she took a quick shower, then immediately pulled out her smart terminal, hacked into the school system attended by Shen Mo and Liu Jianyue, and began investigating anything that might connect the two.
She searched until well past midnight, using IDs to hack into practically every smart terminal associated with Liu Jianyue. Although she found no evidence linking Shen Mo to Liu Jianyue, she did uncover something rather interesting.
Staring at a line of text on the screen, she murmured, “Five million Imperial Star Coins to utterly crush her self-esteem…”
Shen Li raised a hand to stroke her chin and muttered to herself, “Kids these days really are ridiculously melodramatic with their wording…”
After considering it for a moment, she decisively began tracking the two IDs. She was rather curious to see just how these people intended to crush her self-esteem.
——————
After working through the night, Shen Li managed to get two hours of light sleep. At seven in the morning, she threw off her blanket, sprang out of bed full of energy, changed into a loose sweatshirt and sweatpants, slipped on a pair of work boots, and headed out with her toolbox slung over her shoulder.
As she passed the dining room, Shen Buji and the other two members of her family were having breakfast. Catching sight of Shen Li, Shen Buji barked, “Stop right there!”
Shen Li immediately halted and turned to look at her.
Shen Buji took one look at her outfit and frowned deeply.
“What on earth are you wearing? You look like you’ve crawled straight out of the slums. Absolutely disgraceful.”
After scolding her, she tapped the table and gestured toward an empty seat.
“Come eat.”
Ever since her mom, Tian Zhi Zi, passed away, Shen Li had become increasingly cautious and reserved. After differentiating, she had further adjusted her public persona into that of an unremarkable, thoroughly mediocre individual.
For all these years, she had always been obedient and submissive toward Shen Buji, never daring to defy her.
And so, she nodded, set her toolbox down by the dining room entrance, and walked inside.
A household maid pulled out her chair and began serving her food once she sat down. Shen Li picked up her knife and fork, lowered her head, and silently started eating.
Seeing her behave like this, Shen Buji, seated across from her, felt a surge of irritation. She could hardly contain her anger.
An invisible pressure began spreading through the room. One by one, everyone at the table lost their appetite and stopped eating.
With a sharp clatter, Shen Buji threw down her knife and fork, shattering the awkward silence.
Startled, Shen Li trembled all over. Her hand shook, and the fork she was holding slipped from her fingers and fell off the table.
She bent down to pick it up, but Shen Buji let out a cold snort.
“What are you doing…? Are the people standing beside you dead? Hurry up and get her another set.”
Shen Buji came from a military background and had an exceptionally explosive temper. Under the weight of her intimidating presence, the maid beside Shen Li hurriedly replaced her knife and fork with a fresh set.
Shen Li thanked her softly and picked up the utensils again.
At that moment, Shen Buji picked up a napkin and wiped her hands. Looking at Shen Li, she spoke at an unhurried pace.
“After your blind date with the Rose Marquis’s daughter yesterday, her father called and agreed to the marriage.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Li abruptly raised her head and stared at Shen Buji, her eyes filled with astonishment.
Huh?
Wait, what? Liu Jianyue had made so many demands and had clearly looked down on her. How could this marriage arrangement possibly have worked out?
She wasn’t the only one surprised. Shen Mo, sitting beside her, and Lin Shu, seated diagonally across from her, both looked astonished as well.
Seeing Shen Li’s expression, Shen Buji frowned.
“What? You’re unwilling?”
“Although Liu Jianyue’s family background is somewhat inferior, she’s a decent girl.”
“She’s an S-rank Omega who has been admitted to the Command Department of the First Military Academy. Her future prospects might not be any worse than those of her elder sister in the Second Army.”
Although Shen Buji had retired several years earlier after suffering severe injuries, she had served as a major general in the military for more than a decade and had long since developed the habit of expecting her decisions to be obeyed without question.
She simply continued laying everything out in one breath.
“Your coming-of-age ceremony is in three months.”
“We might as well announce your engagement to Liu Jianyue on that very day.”
“Once you two have your first child, I’ll petition His Majesty to allow you to inherit the title.”
She delivered this entire string of declarations without giving Shen Li the slightest chance to process any of it.
Shen Li already had a poor appetite in the morning. Now, she had lost it completely.
She set down her knife and fork. After thinking for a moment, she attempted to protest.
“But Mother… when I went on that date with her yesterday, I felt that she might not…”
Like me.
Before she could finish, Shen Buji interrupted her.
“Feelings can be cultivated. You’re both still young. You have plenty of time.”
“Marriage is a serious matter, arranged by the parents and negotiated through matchmakers. As long as the elders of both families are satisfied, that’s enough.”
Shen Li: “…”
She was famously good-tempered, but even she couldn’t help cursing inwardly.
Bullshit!
If feelings could really be cultivated, then why did Mom still never think much of you after being married to you for so many years?!
But she couldn’t be bothered arguing with Shen Buji. After all, doing so would mean breaking character.
She tightened her grip on her knife and fork, forcing herself to endure it again and again.
Sitting beside her, Shen Mo secretly glanced at Shen Li, then looked across the table at Lin Shu, who was calmly wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin, looking as though she had no interest in worldly affairs. Finally, Shen Mo turned her attention to Shen Buji.
After a moment’s thought, she spoke.
“Mother… there’s something about the swordsmanship you taught me yesterday that I don’t quite understand.”
“If you’ve finished eating, could you come to the training room and give me some more guidance?”
Shen Buji turned to look at her and nodded.
“Mm.”
She stood up, then turned back to give Shen Li a few more instructions.
“Over the next few days, I’ll have the Rose Marquis arrange for you and Liu Jianyue to meet more often so you can develop your feelings for each other.”
“You’re almost an adult. Stop spending all your time tinkering with that junk at the repair factory. You’re neglecting your proper ambitions for the sake of toys. What kind of behavior is that?”
“Go back and change into something respectable, then head out on a date.”
With that, Shen Buji took Shen Mo and left for the training room.
Shen Li sat with her eyes lowered, gripping her knife and fork as she stared at the steamed potatoes on her plate. She viciously stabbed a piece with her fork, shoved it into her mouth, and began chewing furiously.
————————
After breakfast, since Shen Buji and Shen Mo had gone to the training room, Shen Li picked up her toolbox and headed out anyway.
Unfortunately, just as she reached the entrance, the butler, Shen Ke, stopped her.
“Young Miss, Her Ladyship has given orders. For the time being, you’re not allowed to go anywhere except on dates with Second Miss Liu.”
Shen Li: “…”
Shen Li clutched her toolbox. Fine! She would endure it!
Fuming, she returned to her courtyard, opened the entrance to her basement, and passed through several layers of security before entering her private workshop.
After setting down her toolbox, Shen Li used the private communication system she had developed herself to contact Chu Qingyi.
“I can’t come during the day. Send a car to pick me up after ten tonight.”
So what if they wouldn’t let her go out?!
She could sleep all day and work overtime through the night instead!
After all, that was exactly what she used to do every day when she worked as a secondhand mech repair technician.
Chu Qingyi replied almost immediately, her message carrying a hint of teasing.
“Going on another blind date?”
Shen Li couldn’t be bothered responding. She put down her communication device and threw herself into her work.
She spent the entire day in the basement, hastily stuffing a few bites of bread into her mouth whenever she needed something to eat. Then, at around ten that evening, she hacked into the household’s surveillance and security systems, climbed over the wall, and slipped outside.
Sure enough, the sleek black hovercar was parked beside the wall, quietly waiting for her.
With her toolbox slung over her shoulder, Shen Li pulled open the car door and climbed inside.
A faint, cool fragrance immediately washed over her, reminiscent of fir trees in a snow-covered forest or emerald bamboo swaying in the lingering chill of early spring.
Subtle and refreshingly cold.
Shen Li instinctively turned her head and was greeted by a smiling face.
It was Chu Qingyi. She had come in person.
Shen Li’s eyes widened.
“Why did you come too?”
Giving her a ride once was one thing, but twice? Wasn’t she afraid someone might notice?
Chu Qingyi could plainly read the thoughts written in Shen Li’s eyes. She smiled and teased, “You’re so shy around people. If I didn’t come, what would I do if you ran away again?”
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