Chapter 221
by Need_More_SleepChapter 221: The Thief (Two-In-One)
Gloria’s top three regrets in life.
1. As a child, when her mother chose her, she had been too scared—just running back to cling to her mom, then blaming everything on her afterward.
2. Bullying her long-lost sister as a perverted kid, and continuing to bully her even after the misunderstanding was cleared up.
3. Last time, when she had been sweet and affectionate with fake Misha right in front of the real Misha—even shoving the real one away. Now, her sister wouldn’t come within five feet of her.
Damn it all.
Gloria glanced back.
Just like before, her sister lingered several meters behind. And when Gloria turned around? She bolted. Only to cautiously return once she realized Gloria wasn’t chasing her, maintaining that careful distance.
Gloria let her follow. If she didn’t, Mi Xiaoliu might think she’d eat her.
Gloria slapped her own cheeks. How did Misha feel back then, watching me dote on an imposter? It was NTR in real time.
This can’t go on. In a flash, Gloria closed the gap, ignoring Mi Xiaoliu’s flinch to drag her into a clothing store.
“Girl’s clothes, right?”
The clerk eyed Mi Xiaoliu skeptically.
No one was filming a prank video, at least.
Thankfully, as a clerk in a high-end Metropolis boutique, she’d seen weirder.
Just last month, buff guys in JK uniforms had trended online. Whether the gimmick annoyed people or not, she profited.
Anything viral could be sold at double the price.
“Of course she’s a girl!” Gloria pinched Mi Xiaoliu’s cheeks.
“…Huh.”
Up close, it was hard to tell.
Most short-haired girls still had some feminine styling—even a buzzcut had intent.
But this girl? Like she’d grown out a buzzcut haphazardly. Or maybe someone had hacked off her long black hair without follow-up trimming?
It reminded the clerk of a boy in her childhood who’d stuck gum in her ponytail. She’d had to chop it off. Poor kid. I’ll go easy on the pricing.
Her recommendation: neutral-toned casual wear, dark colors, thigh-hugging breeches, and a hairclip to sweep one side back.
Result: A gloomy, short-haired loli.
Almost there.
Gloria snatched Mi Xiaoliu’s glasses.
Instantly, Xiao Liu’s face became unreadable—just blurry colors and shapes.
Not quite the Misha from Gloria’s memories, but undeniably cute.
Gloria paid without returning the glasses.
“Glasses.” Mi Xiaoliu tugged her sleeve.
Gloria lit up.
Without them, she’s less scared of me! Even daring to touch her? Progress!
“Not until you call me sis.”
“Sis.”
“Good! Come get it~” Gloria stepped back, holding the glasses just out of reach.
As kids, she’d teased Misha like this—letting her climb up like a kitten, then laughing when tiny fists pathetically thumped her chest.
Mi Xiaoliu hesitated… then took a tentative step forward.
“MOVE!”
Then, at the corner, a girl sprinting at full speed crashed straight into her, sending them both tumbling to the ground. The brand-new clothes were even torn from the friction.
“Misha!”
Gloria hurriedly helped her sister up, both shocked and furious.
The girl who had collided with them dusted herself off and immediately resumed her sprint—her starting speed already matching a professional sprinter’s average pace.
But Gloria was faster.
She slammed the girl to the ground, dragged her back, and forced her in front of Xiao Liu.
“Apologize.”
The girl was equally shocked and angry.
Shocked that someone could be faster than her. Angry because, even if she was in the wrong, being publicly confronted like this rarely made people feel remorse—just resentment toward the person calling them out.
A perfectly human reaction, especially when thinking, “It was just a bump, was this really necessary?”
She shook off Gloria’s grip.
“Sorry. Happy now?”
Fast, insincere. Gloria yanked her back.
“You hurt my sister, and that’s your tone?”
The girl opened her mouth to argue—then noticed bystanders pulling out their phones to record. Panicking, she snatched her black wallet and reluctantly pulled out three bills, shoving them into Mi Xiaoliu’s hands.
“Sorry, kid. Take this as compensation.”
In the age of social media, who knew what kind of clickbait hell those videos would spawn? Or how righteous netizens would tear her apart under the guise of justice.
Gloria raised an eyebrow but let her go.
“You okay, Misha?” She carefully adjusted Mi Xiaoliu’s glasses.
Then—
BAM. Another collision.
This time, a weirdo barreling around the corner knocked both sisters over. Gloria shielded Mi Xiaoliu, livid. What the hell?!
Are Metropolis citizens even worse than Fanzui City’s?
“My apologies, miss! Are you alright?”
At least this one had manners, immediately offering an apology.
A Supernatural Police officer, no less—dressed like a discount Flash. Metropolis’s super cops really loved spandex.
Gloria ignored her, checking Mi Xiaoliu for injuries.
The officer coughed awkwardly.
“Uh… did you see a girl running really fast? She just stole someone’s wallet.”
“……”
Never believe the “best public safety” crap.
Before Gloria could answer—
THWACK.
A sharp knock echoed against her skull.
She turned to see Okulet looming, expression dark.
This is just imprisonment with extra steps.
—
[Memory Fragment:]
This one was older—infancy.
Misha lay in her crib, the taste of milk thick in her mouth.
A goofy, oversized face suddenly loomed over her: Gloria.
As a child, she hadn’t been nearly as pretty—her hair tied into a single, lumpy ponytail that screamed “country bumpkin.”
Okulet’s handiwork.
His method? Using a vacuum to suck her hair up before wrapping a band around it.
Mi Xiaoliu watched her tiny hands reach out, only to be scooped up by Gloria…
And stuffed into a backpack, her head poking out the top, then carted off to kindergarten.
[Memory End.]
A memory oddly relevant to today.
—
Old men loved ceramics and woodwork. The Lasvedo patriarch was no exception.
His living room was cluttered with pottery and carvings—untouchable, sacred. One wrong move, and he’d throw a fit.
The old man poured Mi Xiaoliu tea.
She chugged it. Because she wanted to play with the cup.
A bamboo cup with a perfectly fitted lid.
Open. “Pop.” Close. “Pop.”
Repeat. Fun.
The patriarch set down the teapot, glaring.
“Didn’t your grandfather teach you? When an elder pours tea, you tap the table to show respect.”
Mi Xiaoliu stared blankly. She didn’t know this old man.
Weird request.
But she obediently tapped the cup’s rim with a finger.
(Note: A junior’s tap is a thank you. An elder’s tap is acknowledgment. She got it backwards.)
The old man slammed the table, flicked her forehead, and muttered about “disrespect.”
Mi Xiaoliu clutched the cup and scooted away. Scared.
“Enough, old man. Keep this up, and I’ll burn your beard off while you sleep.”
Gloria rubbed her own head where Okulet had smacked her.
Bastard hit me so hard I’ll probably fail finals now.
The patriarch shot her a look.
These sisters are exactly the same. With a huff, he stroked his beard and left.
“Prepare rooms for them.”
They were staying the night.
Not a word about “the Star” between father and son. Like this was just a family vacation.
—
At Nighttime.
“Eat well. Stay warm—Metropolis is getting colder.”
“Mm.”
“Don’t wander. Big cities are dangerous. Heard there’s even terrorists hunting ability users.”
“Mm.”
“Anything else?”
Mi Xiaoliu shook her head.
Heli pressed a hand to the camera screen.
Mi Xiaoliu leaned in. Ritual.
The moment Heli hung up, Yiwen called.
“Your new look’s super cute~”
Yiwen cooed. Even in girl’s clothes, the androgynous style was a far cry from twintails—which was probably why Okulet hadn’t objected.
If anything, he seemed relieved she wasn’t pretending to be a boy anymore.
“Mm.”
“I said, your new look’s cute.”
Yiwen repeated, panning the camera to show off her own JK uniform.
“Mm.”
Yiwen fumed. “Say‘Hubby’s cute too!”
Mi Xiaoliu: “Hubby’s cute too.”
Finally satisfied.
“Anyone around you, wifey?”
Mi Xiaoliu shook her head.
“Lemme see~” Yiwen’s gestures grew suggestive.
“Blue.”
“I don’t believe you. Show me, and I’ll show you mine~”
She flashed white lace. Bought right after they started dating—back when she’d thought Mi Xiaoliu was a boy.
Mi Xiaoliu hung up.
—
Sasha was still awake.
Thanks to the courtyard’s lake, the house stayed cool. Even summer nights didn’t need AC. Dinner was at a massive table, surrounded by strangers eyeing her with mixed feelings.
Relatives she’d never met. After a few drinks, the usual family bonds and looking out for each other’s platitudes started.
The same empty phrases repeated ad nauseam.
Mi Xiaoliu ate in silence.
She hadn’t even memorized their faces.
Incense in the room kept mosquitoes away—lit by Okulet, since Mi Xiaoliu refused to touch lighters.
“Stay in your room at night.”
But large houses had drawbacks. Like how far the bathroom was.
Long-term residents kept chamber pots under their beds. But for guests? Too awkward to offer. All that “family bonding” at dinner, yet now they’re suddenly polite?
At least their room was close to the toilet.
—
Mi Xiaoliu slipped out to pee.
And just as she stepped outside—
THUD.
A girl tumbled off the courtyard wall, clutching her foot in agony. The wall’s top was lined with broken glass—anti-thief, anti-stray-cat.
Most had been removed for aesthetics, but just enough remained to stab her. Mi Xiaoliu stepped over her and headed to the toilet.
Girls can’t hold it.
By the time she returned, the girl was sitting against the wall, glaring.
The same one from earlier.
In the dim courtyard lights, her features were clearer—around Gloria’s age, but petite, barely taller than Mi Xiaoliu.
Yellow hair (The dry, straw-like kind), brown-black eyes.
Thin shoes—hence the glass puncture.
Mi Xiaoliu dug a bandage from her pocket and handed it over.
“Thanks.”
The girl’s expression softened, assuming Mi Xiaoliu had gone to fetch this for her.
She yanked off her shoe—blood everywhere.
Using her shirt as a glove, she dug out a glass shard.
More blood. Deep wound.
“Tch—!”
“Pat.” Mi Xiaoliu patted her head.
“Are you mocking me?” The girl flushed.
No apple.
The Boss said not to share.
Foot wounds were annoying—constant pressure, body weight on it.
And one bandage wouldn’t stop the bleeding.
The girl wrapped her foot in her shirt, then looked up pleadingly—only to see Mi Xiaoliu dialing her phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling the police. Thief.”
“DON’T!” She lunged for the phone.
“Mm.” Mi Xiaoliu actually stopped, putting it away.
The girl glanced around the massive courtyard, guilty. With her shirt gone, only her bra remained.
“…Got any spare clothes?”
“Mm.”
Mi Xiaoliu fetched her old blue T-shirt—a cheap, 10 mira street stall reject. The girl eyed Mi Xiaoliu’s current outfit. No way this is hers. Did she grab some brother’s rag?
Mi Xiaoliu stepped back. Not lending the new ones.
The girl changed into the blue T-shirt.
Nearby, Okulet watched silently.
He’d known about the glass. Let it happen. A girl scaling walls at 2 AM? Suspicious as hell. Too nervous to ask for proper bandages, the girl hopped onto the wall.
Before leaving, she looked back.
“I’m not a thief.”
“Mm.”
“Seriously.”
“Mm.”
Who knew if she believed it? Sounded doubtful.
She vanished into the night, limping away.
Okulet waited until Mi Xiaoliu was back in bed before lying down himself.
But the moment he closed his eyes—
BEEEEEP!
His chest alarm blared—like an electric bike’s stolen-vehicle alert in the dead of night.
Lights flooded the courtyard.
In one bedroom, the patriarch shot up, locking eyes with Gloria.
Gloria gave an awkward chuckle as she slipped the lighter back into her pocket, then hypocritically tucked her grandfather’s blanket around him with exaggerated care.
————–
Outside, the one-legged girl hobbled some distance away before opening her palm to reveal what appeared to be a rather valuable pendant.
“People living in courtyard houses won’t miss such a small thing,” she thought. “Might as well play the good Samaritan all the way and help out a poor girl like me.”
[Translator’s Note: See the index page for this Novel if you want to see the Amazon Link for the eBooks.]
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