"Old man?" Brother Long furrowed his brow, quickly covering his mouth after realizing he had slipped, making a zipper gesture.

Xu Xiaoyou lowered her gun and whip: "Weren't you the one who first invited me into the game? Saying this now, isn't it a bit late, Mr. Roman?"

"Is she talking to the BOSS?"

The underlings around had varied expressions, whispering among themselves. It seemed that the other party knew their behind-the-scenes big boss, and the two might have reached some secret agreement behind the scenes?

"I underestimated you, Miss Xu. They are just my subordinates, acting under orders. How about not making things difficult for them anymore?"

The old man's voice was slow and accompanied by violent coughing. Even through the curtain, one could feel his weak breath. This Roman did not seem as brutal and ruthless as rumored, but rather like an old and fading patient.

"You think just because you say don't make things difficult for them, I won't?" Xu Xiaoyou coldly smiled, flipping her wrist, the gun with a raven-blue body spinning as well, "Then how do you account for earlier offending me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of those present changed, and the previously dissipating tension in the air rapidly gathered.

"You were the one who invited me to this place, yet hesitant to appear in person, having your subordinates test me. So, how was my performance, did it satisfy you?" Xu Xiaoyou said leisurely.

"But I am very dissatisfied and would like to give these useless subordinates of yours a lesson next."

Noticing the young girl's gaze sweeping over, a chill spread across everyone's backs. The scar-faced man gurgled in his throat, trying to say something, but Brother Long pressed his head down strongly. The man who was previously aggressive and roaring now seemed to transform, lowering his stance, his expression cautious and respectful.

This young girl in front being able to talk on equal terms with the boss, even questioning back, represented a much higher status in the underworld than theirs. Interjecting now would be seen as overstepping.

"Miss Xu, I solemnly apologize to you."

Xu Xiaoyou closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, sighing at the extent to which the other party could go for such a willful and unruly girl.

"Of course, I don't have the time to argue with you. Tell me, what should I do, and..."

Xu Xiaoyou's tone rose.

"What can I get after it's done."

The words spoken hung heavily in the air of the room, covering it with a somber haze. Everyone wore a somewhat lonely expression. They had followed this 'Roman' for many years, including Xiaoliu, and many of them were not in lousy situations before, but still not good, struggling to survive with one meal but not the next was common.

The old man pulled them out of the shadowy places, giving them freedom, food, and dignity.

The elder's increasingly low and slow voice lingered in everyone's ears, with many words touching their hearts. Some younger guards felt like there was a bone in their throat, unable to stop the tears from falling, while Xu Xiaoyou listened quietly, her fingertips tapping on the back of her hand, tallying an invisible abacus in her mind.

When leaving the steel mill, Xu Xiaoyou came to a pile of weeds outside the park, pulling out a hidden man's figure; Heidelberg's mask had long disappeared, glasses shattered, and he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man oppressed by family, living a quiet, obedient life daily.

"I have a terminal illness, the doctor said I will die in two months. I want to take revenge for my daughter before I die, to do something more."

Heidelberg stood disheveled in the grass, truly looking like a wanderer, face covered in dust, dirt in the edges of his shoes and under his fingernails. Not far away were the Octagonal Spider members searching for him. His lips moved, words mixed with trembling, begging the blond young girl before him.

"Please, I want to do more before I die."

Xu Xiaoyou patted the man's shoulder, not making it difficult for him but instead saying, "I do not approve of your actions and dislike your revenge mentality. Such actions drag many innocent people into it. I never think that countering evil with evil is the correct thing."

"But I must remind you of one thing."

"Your method of choosing a location is too outdated, investigators will find it soon."

After saying this, Xu Xiaoyou left without turning back.

...

Star of Art, in the corridor of the Elegy of Life Hospital, a flashy lawyer with slanted bangs pushes a blue-haired girl in a wheelchair, explaining related legal knowledge to her, with a bright pink suit and shiny little leather boots drawing attention.

The TV in the upper right corner of the corridor broadcasts the day's news, the artist descended again yesterday, this time on the stage of Queens Park, and this descent lasted only a fleeting moment. By the time the association detected that terrifying fluctuation, it was already too late.

Two thousand attendees at the scene, including the pop star Britney, died within two seconds of the artist's third descent, leaving no visual record except for the wailing echoing over Queens District for a long time.

The patients and hospital staff watched the news worriedly today, the air thick with heaviness and oppression. The legal advisor Jim, who pushed Tang Xin into the elevator, however, was still eagerly explaining professional legal knowledge,

"You know, Miss Tang, the hyenas in the family all want to take a piece of this big cake of Dream Chasing Media. And from what I know, there are many loopholes in your previous contracts with the artists. If those guys find out first and take advantage of these holes, according to the Starry Melody, Article 423 of the contract law... the whole media company will be like a block of cheese eaten full of holes, looking glamorous from the outside but rotten inside, rotten inside, understand?"

"Mr. Jim, please keep quiet in the elevator," Tang Xin said hoarsely. "I will listen carefully; it's not lacking this time."

After days of recovery, she could barely hold a basic daily conversation.

"That's not important!" Jim raised his voice. "Get the current situation clear, Miss Tang Xin, you were the one who sought help from the Lindong family first. If not for Mr. Yain's relationship with me, I wouldn't want to handle this mess. Do you know how many people in the family have their eyes on this big cake? Whatever I do, I will offend many people!"

Apart from them, there was a pregnant woman, two kindergarten teachers, and several children in the elevator. The timid children cried out at the man's shouting, and the noisy crying made Jim's head ache, prompting everyone out when the elevator reached a new floor.

"Out, everyone out, you're not welcome here. This is a hospital invested by the Lindong family, and she is the eldest miss of the Lindong family. You can't afford to delay her matters!"

The remaining people in the elevator, fearing trouble, rushed out in a swarm. Tang Xin sighed lightly, placed the just folded paper crane in a little girl's hand, and gently tousled her messy hair.

The crying little girl quickly stopped when she met the deep and serene blue eyes of the young lady, her tranquil and dignified demeanor subconsciously dispelling all unease and caution, reaching out a small hand to caress Tang Xin's face.

This sister is so pretty, and her hair is so long.

The little girl hugged her teddy bear and continuously looked back with curiosity at the beautiful sister with the uniquely outstanding demeanour while being led away by a kindergarten teacher.

After leaving the elevator, Jim continued instructing Tang Xin not to speak out of turn later while carefully avoiding stepping on the girl's sprawling blue hair.

The two arrived at the door of the room at the end of the corridor. Jim did not push the door open but instead seriously asked again,

"Are you really sure you want to borrow the family's power?"

"Once you get involved with the family, the intricate and tangled roots of different forces within it, and you are merely an outsider to the family, have you really thought through, understand how complex and dangerous a vortex you are stepping into?"

"Once involved with the family, you will no longer be Tang Xin, but will face your future life as Sevia, perhaps bearing the indelible family imprint and enduring unimaginable costs."

Tang Xin lowered her eyelids; after enduring so many trials, this flower of Lindong was no longer as fragile as it appeared from the outside. Each petal bloomed with resilience, telling tales of unyielding determination.

For her, taking this step would be akin to tearing open countless bloody scars of the past and laying them bare before her.

She imagined the numerous scorn, doubts, ridicule, curses, and accusations she would face, envisaging the struggles of the path ahead, but she had long made up her mind.

Tang Xin smiled gently, "Yes, this is my own decision."

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