Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Shen Miaowei

Valley City, Central District.

No.1 Special District Villa Complex.

This was where the upper crust of Valley City resided.

Within a villa estate named "Scarlet Eden," a woman wearing only a pure white bikini was lounging on a sun chair.

A Mechanical Doll maid to her left held an iced cocktail with a straw, while another to her right was giving her a massage.

"Xin’Er, come up here."

Bai Qimeng took a sip of her drink through the straw, let out a soft sigh, and called to the girl in the pool.

"I have something to tell you."

SPLASH—

Lin Xin’Er, clad in a dark blue competition swimsuit, broke the surface of the pristine pool, sending water flying.

She took off her swim cap, shook out her wet hair, and slowly walked over to Bai Qimeng.

"Boss, what are your orders?"

"That guy An Haoyu has already convinced the board of directors. He plans to have you assist the Security Bureau in rounding up a group of wanted criminals."

Bai Qimeng said with a smile, crossing her long legs.

An Haoyu...

Hearing that name, Lin Xin’Er lowered her gaze, a flicker of murderous intent flashing in her eyes.

Of course she knew him.

She had been frail since childhood due to a genetic disease and nearly died at fourteen. It was her father, Lin Zhifeng, who had saved up enough Conglomerate points and begged for favors everywhere to get her into a lab. As one of the first volunteers for the "Demon Hero Modification Project," she was given a chance to live.

And An Haoyu was the man in charge of that project.

During the modification process, Lin Xin’Er had been subjected to no small amount of torture. Or rather, all the "volunteers" had... constant blood draws, sample collections, injections, and inhumane pain and tolerance tests.

That man hadn’t treated them like human beings at all.

Furthermore, her father, acting on An Haoyu’s orders, had been placed at Cupid Housekeeping as a corporate spy, constantly stealing disaster materials for the lab. When he was finally caught, he didn’t dare reveal any information about the Conglomerate and took the fall himself.

Bai Qimeng had told her all of this in private.

"He wants me to help the Security Bureau catch fugitives?"

Lin Xin’Er asked, her lovely brows furrowing slightly.

"Why?"

"The ’Ghost Grid’ was basically An Haoyu’s black-ops crew. But after that Section Chief Chu from the Overlook Bureau made a move, the outlaws lost all their power. So now he’s just thinking about making use of some trash."

Bai Qimeng let out a cynical laugh from her sun chair.

"You’re a celebrity figure packaged and created by the Conglomerate now. Having you do something so righteous is good for publicity and enhances the Conglomerate’s positive image."

"..."

Lin Xin’Er fell silent.

She knew she had no right to choose.

Just like her father.

She was just a pawn for the Conglomerate to move around, doing whatever they told her to do. She had originally thought that being forcefully pulled to Bai Qimeng’s side as a bodyguard would grant her a little more freedom, but in the end, it made no difference.

"Xin’Er, this is just something An Haoyu is making you do by hiding behind the board of directors. But as for me, I have something else I need you to do."

Bai Qimeng looked at the expressionless girl and continued without waiting for a response:

"After this is all over, the Conglomerate will arrange a press conference for your exclusive interview. During that interview, I want you to publicly state that you intercepted An Haoyu’s call records from the wanted criminals during the roundup operation, proving that he is the true mastermind behind the ’Ghost Grid’ and a traitor within the Shanshan Conglomerate."

"?!"

Hearing this, Lin Xin’Er’s head shot up.

A look of disbelief was written all over her face.

’The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind...’

’Turn the tables on An Haoyu?’

’But what’s the point?’

She knew full well the consequences of doing such a thing, which was precisely why she couldn’t understand Bai Qimeng’s motive.

"Don’t worry, I got the evidence a long time ago. I’ve just been waiting for the right opportunity."

Bai Qimeng said nonchalantly.

"And you don’t need to be afraid of being abandoned by the Conglomerate. I’ll have your back. This will only benefit you. Not only can you personally avenge your father, but you can also further improve your public image. Trust me, the Conglomerate will only value you more."

"Boss, you... why are you helping me?"

Lin Xin’Er looked at her with a complicated expression.

"Am I worth all this to you?"

"Cute girls are a dime a dozen, but a kookaburra in a cage is one in ten thousand. And you... you have captured my heart."

Bai Qimeng sat up and waved her hand dismissively.

"Don’t overthink it. I’ve been putting up with that guy for a long time and have wanted to get rid of him... The more power he gains on the board, the worse it is for me."

Hearing this, Lin Xin’Er just assumed she was making excuses to comfort her and was touched.

She lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.

"Thank you, Sister Bai."

"Oh? Not calling me ’Boss’ anymore?"

Bai Qimeng gave a playful smile, causing Lin Xin’Er to clench her fists and bury her head even lower.

However, there were still things Bai Qimeng had left unsaid.

’She had indeed made many preparations to eliminate An Haoyu, but her true purpose was known to no one.’

’Fifteen years ago, during the fall of Southern Continent Luo City, the Hero who sacrificed herself to cover the evacuation of the people—the ’Wax Master,’ Bai Yanwei—was her aunt.’

’And the root cause of that disaster stemmed from the insatiable greed of a certain high-level group within the Gear Conglomerate. This matter had been covered up and buried for a long time.’

’Bai Qimeng wanted revenge.’

’Her parents had strictly forbidden it, but she had never forgotten that Angel-like woman, nor the kindness that woman had shown her.’

’She wanted to find justice.’

’Justice for her aunt, for the Hero who had sacrificed herself back then, and for the tens of thousands who died in Luocheng—a justice that no one else could deliver.’

’In truth, An Haoyu had another, very well-hidden identity—a spy for the Gear Conglomerate.’

’Did the Shanshan Conglomerate’s board of directors know?’

’They did.’

’This was one of the reasons she could act so fearlessly.’

’Eliminating An Haoyu was just collecting interest. What Bai Qimeng really wanted was to take the opportunity to obtain the ’Identity Key’ from him, which belonged exclusively to the Gear Conglomerate.’

’This would be the second step in her ’charge at the Windmill.’

’As for the first step?’

’That was to find trustworthy partners to set out with her. Lin Xin’Er and Wang Xi were both considered candidates. And if worst came to worst, there was always her Follower Cat, Night King.’

’In any case, she wouldn’t be fighting alone.’

...

...

「The morning of July 23rd, the day after the date.」

Wang Xi woke up before his alarm went off.

He lay in bed and, as usual, inspected his mind.

He hadn’t paid it much mind, but one look gave him a shock.

「Anchored World: Profound Mystery」

「Current Progress: 85% (Estimated Time: 148 hours 53 minutes)」

There were about six days left until he completely captured the second Otherworld.

At the same time, perhaps because the progress bar was almost full, Wang Xi noticed a new change within the long, dark fissure of Kaos.

A gray mist now filled the rift.

Faintly, a whisper could be heard.

It was the voice of a young girl—crisp, lively, and with a soft sweetness:

"How strange. Why does this face always appear in my dreams?"

"I’ve clearly never seen him before, yet there’s an inexplicable sense of familiarity... Who could he be?"

"An Immortal? A Bodhisattva? It couldn’t be a demon, could it?"

"Sigh. This is all too strange. I don’t dare tell Father, lest I get another lecture... But who can I tell? Xiao Yu? That big-mouth would just make a scene, so no. Aunt Huang? She’s getting on in years and would probably be frightened. Also no."

"It seems I’ll have to keep this secret to myself. Still... this face, I never get tired of looking at it. It’s so handsome, hehe."

"If only my future husband could be this handsome... What a shame, sigh."

The girl kept muttering to herself, at times nervous, at times wistful, at times happy, at times sad.

She fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, as if having made up her mind, the girl took a deep breath and whispered:

"Legend says that Zhang Sengyou painted four dragons on a wall but didn’t dot their eyes, for if he did, they would fly away. I’m no great painter. This finishing touch can’t possibly bring a person in a painting to life... No need to be scared. It’s just a painting, a piece of paper. It’ll be fine."

Immediately after, there was a RUSTLING sound.

It sounded like she was drawing.

Wang Xi soon noticed that the gray mist in the fissure had begun to part on its own.

Through it, he saw the scene behind the mist—

A girl was seated on a pearwood stool.

She was about eighteen or nineteen, with lively almond eyes and a gentle smile that revealed dimples. A simple qipao accentuated her willow-like figure. Her black hair was half-pinned up with a jade hairpin stuck in at an angle, and her eyes were lowered in concentration as she held a charcoal pencil.

The place she was in seemed to be her own boudoir. It wasn’t large, but it was tastefully decorated and quite elegant.

"So handsome..."

The girl cupped her face with one hand, tilting her head as she stared, lost in a daze.

"Who in the world are you?"

Wang Xi suddenly remembered that in the images Kaos had captured previously, this girl had been drawing a portrait. ’Could the person in the painting be me?’

Now that she had dotted the eyes of the portrait, he had somehow gained "sight," allowing him to peer into that world.

Peering through the gray mist, he looked at this girl who was a ninety percent match for his ex-girlfriend, Xu Mowan, and felt a secret sense of wonder.

Wang Xi thought for a moment and spoke tentatively:

"Who do you think I am?"

"AHH!!"

The girl jolted violently and shrieked.

She tumbled backward and fell to the floor.

...

...

「A moment later.」

After dealing with her nanny, Aunt Huang, and her maid, Xiao Yu, who had rushed in to see what was wrong, Shen Miaowei finally locked the door and cautiously walked back to the easel.

"A-are you a person or a ghost?!"

The girl said nervously, clutching a string of Buddhist Beads, a Cross, and a Peach Wood Sword in her hands.

"Couldn’t I be an Immortal?"

Wang Xi chuckled softly.

Hearing that, the girl froze.

She was skeptical, but in the end, as if she had convinced herself, she said:

"So handsome... you certainly don’t look like a ghost. And a person couldn’t possibly live inside a painting... Could you really be an Immortal?!"

Wang Xi found this girl amusing; she believed whatever nonsense he spouted.

The girl put down the "Magical Artifacts" in her hands, gave Wang Xi a graceful bow, and said apprehensively:

"This humble one, Shen Miaowei, pays her respects to the Immortal. May I ask for the Immortal’s revered title? And why do you appear so frequently in my dreams...?"

Wang Xi sat up in his bed, walked over to the window to pull open the curtains, and looked out at the brilliant morning glow with a thoughtful expression.

He thought for a moment, then adopted the tone of a transcendent master and said nonchalantly:

"I am Wang Xizhi, Chief of Divination Peak of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect, from the Three Stars and Crooked Moon Cave on the Mountain of Mind and Heart."

"..."

At these words, Shen Miaowei stood frozen to the spot.

Her mouth hung slightly open, as if she were completely stunned by this string of titles she had never heard before.

Then, she heard the man in the painting continue:

"Miss Shen, you are one of great fortune and great spiritual aptitude. It is your fate to have this immortal encounter. It is just that..."

His voice paused, carrying a profound, meaningful weight.

"Just what?"

Shen Miaowei unconsciously clenched her small hands.

"It is just that this fortune has not yet been guided, and this spiritual aptitude has yet to be awakened."

The voice from the painting became ethereal.

"I wonder, Miss Shen, have you been troubled by anything recently, or have you encountered anything... unusual?"

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