Chapter 47
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Chapter 47: Sudden Sense of Isolation
Yiwen had come especially early today. By the time Mi Xiaoliu walked into class, looking every bit like a schoolkid with her backpack on.
Yiwen was already slumped over her desk, fast asleep.
All three students who had taken leave the previous day were back. Mi Xiaoliu turned her head to look at Miss Barrett, who used her own face as her profile picture.
The expression on Barrett’s face practically screamed, “Don’t you dare come over and talk to me!”
Of course, Mi Xiaoliu couldn’t read that at all. She calmly walked over and kindly advised, “ZW is bad. Don’t do it.”
Sasha had told her that suicide was a very, very bad thing. Even if one wanted to be a bad kid, one must never learn that behavior.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but the whole class fell silent.
The one who had started the whole thing, a brash tiger-like girl, guiltily hid her face behind her textbook. Meanwhile, Miss Barrett was mentally drafting a 100,000-word school bullying revenge manual.
As usual, Yiwen slept through the entire morning.
Jim played on his phone the whole time, occasionally letting out goofy “hehe” laughter.
Jim’s Chat Log —
Dog-hou: “Can we meet tomorrow, pretty lady?”
Hottest in All of Sheep Village: “I went to the north side of the city this morning.”
Dog-hou: “Oh, how about the day after tomorrow? Are you free?”
Hottest in All of Sheep Village: “Might be an event these two days. Keep an eye out. I should be free Friday.”
Dog-hou: “It’s Friday for you too? What a coincidence, it’s Friday here the day after tomorrow too.
Hottest in All of Sheep Village: “…”
All morning, Mi Xiaoliu quietly blacked out the printed letters sealing the book pages.
By lunchtime, Heli came to deliver Mi Xiaoliu’s meal, but Yiwen was still sleeping with her face down on the desk. Mi Xiaoliu wanted to poke her awake, but Sasha whispered in her mind that it was better not to disturb someone who was resting—maybe he was really tired.
(Sasha’s inner thought: Just sleep forever already.)
“Don’t disturb him. He was really exhausted yesterday,” Lu Mingxue came over to remind her.
That day, the ability-user enforcer known as “White Whale” had been acting strangely, flying loops around the city all night without rest, capturing more than thirty criminal acts in a single night. He even interfered in incidents already being handled by others—criminals who were already about to be arrested ended up getting beaten again. It was inhumane.
Everyone could tell White Whale was in a bad mood and looking for something to take it out on. But no one dared complain—because no one could beat him.
Word of this even spread into the small pet circle of ability-user enforcers in Fanzui City. And because of that second round of beatings on already subdued suspects, Yiwen had been temporarily suspended from duty.
“Want to eat together? I know a quiet spot,” Lu Mingxue naturally offered as she raised her lunchbox toward Mi Xiaoliu.
“Mmm.”
The “quiet spot” turned out to be behind a dirt mound at the test grounds in the school’s back courtyard. It was far enough from the main building that no one usually came by—unless it was for a physical exam.
It felt like a secret base.
“You’re not faking, are you?” Lu Mingxue asked, exasperated, as Mi Xiaoliu handed her a bottle of juice.
Of course, she wasn’t offering it for Lu Mingxue to drink. Heli had only given one bottle to Mi Xiaoliu. But Mi Xiaoliu had discovered she couldn’t twist the cap open and, just like she would with Yiwen, she handed it to Lu Mingxue for help.
Though skeptical, Lu Mingxue still opened it for her—partly because she worried that if she didn’t, Mi Xiaoliu might try to twist off her skull instead.
Just kidding. She knew by now this girl wasn’t as dangerous as she first seemed.
“You’re working with Tian Xing Dao, right?” Lu Mingxue asked.
“Master, don’t tell the truth,” Sasha quickly warned before Mi Xiaoliu could reply.
“Mmm.” Mi Xiaoliu looked at Lu Mingxue. “I won’t tell the truth.”
Lu Mingxue: “…”
Sasha: “…”
“Then I won’t ask. But here’s a word of advice: if you don’t have a special reason, get out while you can. It’s criminal. Those people’s ideals aren’t justice.”
She looked at Mi Xiaoliu and saw the girl casually pouring her juice into her soup. When it tasted bad, she actually looked a bit surprised.
She didn’t understand why two delicious things, mixed together, suddenly became inedible.
“Does your mom know you’re doing something this dangerous?” Lu Mingxue tried another angle.
“Mom?” Mi Xiaoliu tilted her head.
“The school nurse who brings you food every day—isn’t she your mom?”
“No.”
“Then… do your family members know you’re doing something so dangerous?”
Most of the people caught in the Tian Xing Dao so far were impulsive students or victims of bullying or abuse. But Mi Xiaoliu hadn’t been bullied—and someone even brought her food every day.
A child with such a happy life… Lu Mingxue couldn’t understand why she’d get involved with a group like that.
“No family.”
The atmosphere turned awkward. Lu Mingxue had wanted, as half a cop, to persuade a troubled girl back to the right path—but she clearly didn’t have that main-character eloquence.
She didn’t ask about the female school nurse either. She worried the answer might be even more uncomfortable.
“Damn it, how does a kid with such a happy life end up with such a dark backstory? What’s the point of doing bad stuff? When you get caught, you’re going straight to solitary.”
That last line seemed to make Mi Xiaoliu uneasy. She stood up and took two steps back, distancing herself.
“I was joking,” Lu Mingxue quickly corrected herself—she didn’t want her skull opened either.
“Money.”
“…What?”
“For money.”
A totally unexpected answer. Lu Mingxue opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to say that classic line: “You have hands and feet—can’t you do something decent?” But the words stuck in her throat.
Child labor…
On TV, homeless girls always ran into kind people, helped out, and earned a little money. But in real life, outside of friends and family, who risks hiring a stranger’s kid?
Lu Mingxue crouched down. “Help me out this weekend. I’ll pay you.”
—
By the time Yiwen woke up, lunchtime was already halfway over.
She rubbed her face, trying to erase any print from her cheat notes, and turned to look at the clock.
There was still time to eat.
She ran up to the rooftop. Aside from one or two students smoking, it was mostly empty. Even if you wanted a nap, no one would lie directly on the floor—it was better to just sleep at your desk.
She wondered where Mi Xiaoliu had gone. He didn’t usually go home for lunch. Normally, he’d eat and then come back to the classroom to nap.
But she didn’t think much of it. It’s not like she couldn’t eat without him. Just because you’re used to walking home with someone every day doesn’t mean you forget how to get home alone. Then again… if it were her, she really would forget the way.
Still, if one day she couldn’t walk home with that friend—and then saw him walking home with someone else, someone he wasn’t even close with—well, even if it was just because she got held up on duty, it would still sting a little inside, wouldn’t it?
From the rooftop, she could see Lu Mingxue teaching Mi Xiaoliu how to use the vending machine—and then helping her open the bottle cap when she couldn’t manage.
Yiwen frowned, a deep furrow between her brows.
Once again, she felt completely left out.
