Chapter 3

Long Qi immediately and graciously accepted Shu Ying’s kind offer, smiling as she said, “That would be wonderful. Please take me to the nearest police station. Thank you very much. I’ve already been walking for half an hour, and I really am a little tired.”

Long Qi braced a hand on the guardrail and vaulted back onto the road. She approached Shu Ying and nodded in greeting to the housekeeper beside her. Her clothes were excessively simple, without a single accessory. To someone from high society, she would have appeared rather destitute. But she was beautiful, with large eyes and a high nose bridge. She was neat and clean, her expression relaxed and her movements composed, making people instinctively feel favorably toward her at first sight.

Shu Ying looked away and said, “Please get in.”

“All right. Thank you.” Long Qi followed Shu Ying and the housekeeper into the car.

The vehicle was an extended luxury model with an extremely spacious interior. The floor was carpeted, while the seats were upholstered in beige genuine leather and felt exceptionally soft and comfortable. A glass partition separated the driver’s area from the rear compartment, which contained four seats arranged in two rows.

Long Qi saw the owner of the vehicle take the left seat in the rearmost row. The housekeeper sat in the front row, so Long Qi considerately moved to sit beside her. However, the woman behind her said indifferently, “Sit beside me.”

“All right.” Long Qi moved to the right seat in the back row and settled down.

The female housekeeper in the front row glanced back in surprise but remained silent. The back row had always belonged exclusively to their eldest young lady. Given her usual behavior, the eldest young lady did not seem to have ever willingly allowed anyone else to sit beside her.

A faint rose fragrance lingered inside the car, fresh and sweet with a slight hint of astringency. It smelled wonderful. Long unauthorized copy Qi inhaled carefully but resisted asking whether it was the woman’s perfume. They were complete strangers, yet the woman had kindly offered her a ride. Since she did not wish to introduce herself, it would be better for Long Qi not to presume too much.

The car remained extraordinarily quiet throughout the journey. The woman reclined in her seat and silently gazed out the window, while the well-trained housekeeper and driver did not utter a single word. Long Qi sat quietly as the driver headed toward the nearest police station. Before long, they left the suburbs and entered the city’s traffic-filled streets.

“What are you going to the police station for?”

Long Qi was somewhat surprised that the woman had actually asked her a question. She turned to look at her. The woman sat only an arm’s length away, her posture beautiful and elegant, her black-gloved hands resting lightly on her knees. The dark-blue lilies of the valley adorning her hat trembled slightly with their owner’s movements. Viewed from such close range, her face was exquisite and delicately beautiful, her features so perfect they were almost otherworldly. Her lips, painted nearly black, possessed an exceptionally beautiful shape.

Long Qi knew how to read faces. She could tell that this woman was undoubtedly very wealthy and occupied a high position within her social circles. Her presence was quite formidable, while her heart was probably as cool and distant as the moon in the sky. She was intelligent and decisive and undoubtedly had ambitions of her own.

Long Qi privately thought her eyes were exceptionally beautiful—clearly defined in black and white, distant yet luminous, like a bright moon hanging alone beyond the sea. The dark makeup that most people neither liked nor could carry suited her perfectly.

Her entire being was steeped in black—flamboyant and cold, otherworldly and dangerous, displaying without restraint her refusal to let anyone come near her.

The woman revealed very little through her expression and was difficult to read. Long Qi unconsciously stared for another moment before remembering to answer. “I’m going to the police station to change my surname.”

She smiled. “I don’t think I need the surname Zhu. I can simply change my name back to my original one. My surname is Long, and my name is Long Qi.” She had casually looked it up earlier. The procedure for changing one’s surname and given name in this country was very simple; any adult citizen could complete it in person at a police station.

Her original name.

The woman looked at her and said, “When you look east from the mountain road where we met, the river you see is the Qi River.”

“The Qi River? What a coincidence.” Something stirred in Long Qi’s heart. To a cultivator, many things were predestined by unseen forces. She had been reborn into this world, and there happened to be a Qi River nearby. That was far too coincidental.

She immediately decided to ask the woman, “What is your name?”

Shu Ying’s gaze rested on her face for a moment.

The housekeeper in the front seat looked over in astonishment. Zhu Qi actually did not know who Shu Ying was? The Shu clan had a long and distinguished legacy and owned several leading luxury brands in jewelry, fashion, and other industries. As one of the younger members of the current clan head’s family, Shu Ying had already been managing its jewelry brand for five years.

The upper-class social circle was not that large. How could Zhu Qi possibly not recognize Shu Ying? Was she merely pretending not to?

She was an Alpha, after all. Could she be attempting an unconventional approach to get closer to their wealthy, single Omega eldest young lady?

Long Qi belatedly realized that the original owner of her current identity probably should have known this woman.

But what could she do? Her understanding of this world came from a few scattered memories, leaving enormous gaps in her knowledge. Whatever Read on BaiLianTalesunknown entity had brought her here was truly incompetent. Why had it not infused her with a little more information?

She could only smile helplessly. She remained perfectly candid and did not attempt to explain further. If someone did not believe her, the explanation itself would be meaningless.

She did not look remotely as destitute as her circumstances suggested. On the contrary, her speech and behavior were easygoing and sincere, combining into a remarkably convincing charm. Shu Ying said, “I’m Shu Ying—Shu as in ‘to unfold,’ and Ying as in ‘waxing and waning.’”

“All right.” Cultivators inevitably developed certain professional habits. Long Qi contemplated Shu Ying’s name, then praised it. “It’s an excellent name. Metal generates Water, it conceals wind and gathers qi, and it balances tension with ease, motion with stillness. The name suits its owner perfectly—very beautiful and exceptionally outstanding.”

It truly was an excellent name. Speaking it seemed to leave fragrance lingering in the mouth and nose, and its sound was graceful and pleasing to the ear. If the person resembled her name, she would most likely be an extraordinarily beautiful woman with a gentle and intelligent temperament. Long Qi glanced at Shu Ying. Temperament was the only aspect in which Miss Shu did not seem to match her name very well.

The housekeeper could not resist looking back at her again. Just over an hour earlier, the eldest young lady’s older brother had cursed her, saying that she truly lived up to her name and was so cruel and blackhearted that she would even scheme against her own family. Yet Miss Zhu was now praising her for having a wonderful name and calling her both beautiful and outstanding. What a stark contrast. The housekeeper hoped that hearing such words might make the eldest young lady feel a little happier…

Only a peaceful and prosperous age could nurture a brilliant, high-spirited prodigy like Miss Shu. Compared with the members of the Zhu and Liu families, Miss Shu surpassed them in every possible respect.

After admiring Miss Shu’s beauty and bearing for a moment, Long Qi suddenly met her gaze. She silently praised her again. This woman’s eyes truly were beautiful, like the moon reflected in a cold, deep pool.

When Long Qi looked at someone, it was purely out of appreciation. Her gaze was perfectly courteous, and she herself was beautiful, with a peaceful presence.

Shu Ying gazed at her for a moment, then suddenly [stolen content]asked, “After you visit the police station, where do you intend to go?”

“I’ll change my name first, then find somewhere to stay.” Long Qi’s tone was open-minded and even sounded rather cheerful. “You probably know that I’m the Zhu family’s fake heiress, don’t you? I’m not their child, and now I have nowhere to return to. I’m also quite poor. Tonight, I’ll probably find somewhere at random to stay and focus on surviving for now.”

Shu Ying said, “Your adoptive parents threw you out? You must be unhappy.”

Long Qi considered it carefully before admitting, “A little, perhaps? But that isn’t important. Karma can be transmitted through a family. Now that I’ve left that family, I won’t enjoy the benefits they provide, but I’ll also bear less of their karma. That’s quite good.”

“What is karma?” Shu Ying asked.

Long Qi explained, “To put it simply, the good and evil deeds committed by every member of a family, as well as their collective cause and effect, are passed down to the next generation. That is why we sometimes see several generations with very similar facial features, personalities, and paths through life.”

Shu Ying’s eyelashes trembled, and her heavy gaze remained fixed on Long Qi.

She looked formidable and unfathomable, but upon closer examination, there might have been a trace of vulnerability that was difficult to discern.

Long Qi held her gaze for a moment and realized that this woman was extraordinarily perceptive and intelligent. Karma existed in every family; the only difference was how much or how little.

Long Qi was not afraid of making her angry, but for [Read on BaiLianTales]some inexplicable reason, she did not want her to feel unhappy. Softening her voice, she said, “I was only talking about myself. Things like this aren’t important anyway.”

“Mm.” Shu Ying lowered her gaze, appearing thoughtful.

The housekeeper did not believe Long Qi’s claims, but she was curious, so she deliberately asked, “Then are you saying that I possess karma as well?”

Long Qi turned to look at the housekeeper. The female housekeeper had a stern face, deep-set eyes, thin lower eyelids, high cheekbones, and a relatively square jaw. She appeared to be around fifty years old. Deep nasolabial folds ran down either side of her nose, while the tip of her nose drooped over her philtrum.

These features indicated loneliness in middle and old age and a weak affinity with children. This woman had most likely never entered into marriage and had no children. Although her face appeared stern, her gaze was upright and honest, while her behavior was brisk and decisive. She was undoubtedly an exceptionally dependable person in both work and life.

Miss Shu had an excellent housekeeper. Long Qi said gently, “Calling it ‘karma’ is only one way of describing it. It refers to certain intangible things passed down through a family from one generation to the next. Take you, for example, Sister. The circumstances in which you grew up shaped you and made you more inclined to choose a life without marriage, children, or a family of your own.”

The housekeeper was somewhat astonished. Long Qi was not wrong. She had been unfavored by her family since childhood, and the relationships among her relatives had been terrible. Because of that, she had decided early on to spend her entire life alone. Later, she studied professional household management and, through the Shu family’s housekeeper selection process, came to serve at Shu Ying’s side. She had now worked for her for more than twenty years.

Still only half-convinced, the housekeeper asked, “You must know who I am, don’t you?” She frequently accompanied Shu Ying outside, so it would be perfectly normal for Long Qi to recognize her.

Long Qi smiled. There was no way for her to explain this. She merely said, “Actually, Sister and I are quite similar. The circumstances in which I grew up also shaped me, and I chose the same kind of life.”

Long Qi’s wording was very gentle and did not make Housekeeper Mei E feel offended. On the contrary, it gave her an additional sense of closeness, and the way she looked at Long Qi softened. [bailiantales.com]This child even knew to call her Sister. She certainly had a sweet tongue.

Shu Ying suddenly instructed, “Auntie E, please sit in the front for a while. I’d like to speak with Miss Long.”

“All right.” The driver pulled the vehicle to a stop, and Auntie E quickly moved into the front passenger seat.

The car started moving again, leaving only Shu Ying and Long Qi in the rear compartment beyond the glass partition.

It seemed Miss Shu had something she wanted to say to her. Long Qi was very curious.

The rose fragrance in the air suddenly grew richer, becoming extraordinarily ethereal and luxuriant. Long Qi instinctively found it delightful and could not resist quietly breathing it in. Miss Shu’s perfume was unlike anyone else’s. It smelled truly wonderful. Perhaps it was some unique, custom-made fragrance?

Long Qi took the initiative to ask, “Is there something Miss Shu would like to say to me?”

Shu Ying’s black-gloved hands were long and slender, elegantly folded atop her lap. She said, “I’d like to understand Miss Long’s plans for her life. From what you said earlier, do you have no intention of marrying?”

“That’s right,” Long Qi replied. She now understood Shu Ying a little better, and her favorable impression of her continued to grow. Long Qi had not yet changed her name, but Shu Ying addressed her using the surname she herself recognized.

Shu Ying asked, “May I ask what impression Miss Long has of me?”

Long Qi smiled. “Miss Shu possesses elegant features and a pure, refined spirit, as well as tremendous depth and vision. You’re very beautiful and exceptionally capable.” She tried her best not to keep staring. Shu Ying was simply too beautiful.

Shu Ying looked at her, her eyes curving as she smiled.

It was the first time Long Qi had seen Shu Ying smile. With her glacial aloofness melting away, the woman’s smile was actually very sweet, even carrying a trace of innocent childishness. Long Qi could not determine her age. Perhaps she was one or two years older than her?

Shu Ying’s perfume was very unusual. Long Qi secretly breathed it in for a moment, thinking that she had never encountered such a cool and distant floral fragrance with sweetness hidden beneath it. She realized that she actually felt an impulse to lean closer and smell Shu Ying herself. That was far too rude. She hurriedly looked away, focused her mind, gathered her qi, and silently recited her Daoist scripture. Her thoughts settled, and the lake of her heart gradually became calm again.

Shu Ying lowered her gaze. She had not sensed the slightest trace of pheromones from Long Qi. Under what circumstances would a single Alpha remain utterly unmoved by another Omega’s pheromones…unless she had no interest whatsoever in considering her as a mate?

Was she truly that uncompetitive?

Long Qi instinctively sensed that Shu Ying was unhappy and could not help asking, “Did I say something wrong?”

Shu Ying said directly, “I’m currently single, unmarried, and childless. I have a very favorable impression of Miss Long, and I’d like to know whether Miss Long feels the same way about me.”