Chapter 237

Page Eighty-Nine

The Fish Has Taken the Bait

Not even ten steps further, Lǐn Huā and Zǐ Jiàng both “dropped out” simultaneously, collapsing towards me.

It was too much for me to support two fragments alone, so I naturally fell to the ground under their weight. Fortunately, the thick winter clothes acted as a cushion, so the fall wasn’t too painful.

Noticing the situation, Miāomiāo Jiē and Xiǎo Qiàn turned around to help us up and asked, “What’s going on this time?”

I explained, “The exchange state seems to have been lifted. Initially, I thought it would be between Zǐ and Xiǎo Lěi, but from the current situation, as long as one of them moves more than two hundred meters away from the other two, all three exchanges will be canceled.”

Miāomiāo Jiē glanced at the Teaching Building not far behind us.

“Is the effective range really only two hundred meters? It seems this body swap isn’t as useful as we thought… Ah, they’re waking up.”

After being helped up from the ground, both quickly regained consciousness.

“Oh! I’m back to normal!”

Xiǎo Lěi, excitedly hopping around me after returning to her own body, exclaimed.

She added, “It’s so much easier in my own body. Being inside Lù Zǐ’s sickly body was painful… Wait, why is Chairman supporting Lǐn Huā?”

She questioned with a jealous tone.

“Because I can’t support two people, and Xiǎo Qiàn is closer to you… Don’t get jealous over irrelevant things!”

After Lǐn Huā steadied herself, I began to tap Xiǎo Lěi’s wooden head to correct her misguided thoughts.

“That’s unfair! You didn’t support me at all! And now you’re bullying me!”

Lǐn Huā, regaining her senses, ghost-like circled behind Xiǎo Lěi and placed her hand on her shoulder.

Xiǎo Lěi, wary, asked, “What are you going to do now?”

“I’ll share Chairman’s concern with you. Don’t you want that?”

“Don’t lie to me! You just want to take advantage of me! Get away!”

Xiǎo Qiàn and Miāomiāo Jiē exchanged glances and chuckled.

With Zǐ Jiàng now as Xiǎo Lěi, the five of them entered the cafeteria. Though it had been introduced several times, I will explain again.

The Bìyáng Girls’ School Cafeteria is a semi-spherical building with a domed roof, its exterior entirely made of glass. Its grandeur rivals that of some university libraries. During rainy days, the water curtain adds a unique charm.

It provides free buffet-style lunches, which is quite high-end for a school cafeteria. However, it barely meets the demands of the picky ladies, so paying extra for higher-quality meals is common.

“Oh~ The school beauty is eating here?”

I was stopped by a familiar voice while getting food and finding a seat.

“What? It’s Senior Shàojié?”

“Hey, you look disappointed when you see me.”

Turning around, it was the president of the News Club. She rarely visits here because of her busy schedule with the club and her side job. Usually, Zǐyuàn Jiē helps her pack meals or she eats the unpalatable convenience store breads.

Holding a bowl of hot pork cutlet soy sauce noodles, she seemed like she was also looking for a place to sit, having taken a detour on the way.

“It’s rare for you to come here yourself, isn’t it?”

I commented, then asked, “We haven’t talked since Saturday, but you seem to be doing well?”

She smirked, “Do you think I should be depressed? At least you gave me hope. There’s still a possibility of my mother’s ‘resurrection.’ Knowing that, there’s no reason for me to be sad… Ah, there’s an empty seat!”

The veteran media person spotted it quickly, and our luck was good—there was a long table that could seat six people right by the glass wall.

Xiǎo Qiàn, holding a hamburger, rushed to secure the seats first, saying, “Oh, it’s great we don’t need separate tables.”

Xiǎo Qiàn, Miāomiāo Jiē, and Senior Shàojié sat in a row, with Lǐn Huā and Xiǎo Lěi naturally sitting beside me.

Xiǎo Qiàn spoke before Senior Shàojié could respond, “Senior Shàojié, we were at the coming-of-age ceremony the day before yesterday, and Xiao Lingmeng told us everything about your situation.”

Without waiting for a response, Miāomiāo Jiē continued, “Regarding your mother’s matter, if there’s anything we can help with, please tell us. We’ll do our best to assist.”

Although they initially had little affection for this seasoned gossip columnist, their attitude changed due to the events of Saturday. After all, her experiences were indeed worthy of sympathy.

“You guys are really kind!”

Senior Shàojié’s eyes sparkled with surprise, but she sighed, “But currently, we can’t do much. All clues point to the mysterious girl A, but we have no means to deal with her. Even if we find her, we can’t catch her. Instant teleportation… tsk, this is cheating!”

She slammed the table.

“Yes, yes, we have no way. We’re completely helpless. Clearly, the most dangerous one is herself.”

I echoed, but this was just to deceive the mysterious girl A. In reality, they weren’t helpless; Zǐ Jiàng needed their cooperation to set up a trap for the mysterious girl A.

“—Your tone is too fake.”

…Really?

“We’re not good at finding people, but Xiao Shan is smarter than us. We can entrust her with it.”

Miāomiāo Jiē said, and Xiǎo Lěi responded, “Shan Jie is also very busy, trying to catch up with the senior year curriculum in less than a year. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt! Let’s not trouble her with this.”

After quickly finishing her hamburger and fries, Xiǎo Qiàn joined the conversation, wiping her mouth.

“Xiao Shan’s mind is different from ours. She has an eidetic memory and remarkable focus, making her learning efficiency very high. She can easily keep up with the pace and even tutor me and Miāomiāo Jiē in a few subjects… Lei Jie, let me try that!”

Xiǎo Qiàn snatched the plum-preserved pot helmet from Xiǎo Lěi’s plate and stuffed it into her mouth before Xiǎo Lěi could react.

“That’s the last one I saved! Your bite is too big!”

“Delicious.”

Xiǎo Lěi and Xiǎo Qiàn started bickering.

Despite becoming a social outcast in middle school, it was only due to unfortunate circumstances.

To make Miāomiāo Jiē happy, he volunteered to be the spy for Yuǎnyuè Jiē; to stabilize the underground shopping street, he took on the role of an informant for the police. He was resilient and composed, though he seldom smiled, he demonstrated the meaning of “chivalry” through his actions.

“—I didn’t expect you to have such a high opinion of Lei Shan?”

Of course! She had many bright spots, but they were overshadowed by her congenital deformity. Despite being a rare talent with the potential to become a renowned detective, she ended up as an unwanted child in a welfare home until adulthood… truly unfair.

“—正是因为 this world has its misfortunes, the Goddess of Beautiful Girls exists!”

Cherry Sauce suddenly brought up the topic, and I realized that the monthly target hadn’t been met yet… I needed to work on Sister Tao’s mindset quickly.

I lowered my head and ate a few bites, asking, “Have you ever looked into Jie Jie’s real parents?”

Surprised by my question, Miāomiāo Jiē paused, then sighed deeply.

“Of course we did. Dad even went to the welfare home, but it’s been too long. Even the head of the welfare home has changed. Where could we find any clues?”

“The archives from those times weren’t digitized. Lei Shan might not even have a birth certificate.”

“Aside from the deformed children, there’s no point in searching for their birth parents.”

Xiǎo Qiàn said.

Miāomiāo Jiē declared confidently, “Xiǎo Qiàn is right. Xiao Shan is no longer the old Lǚ Yuè but my sister, Lei Miāomiāo. Her past doesn’t matter anymore. From now on, I’ll protect her, ensuring she never suffers again!”

Xiǎo Lěi muttered, “Miāomiāo Jiē is really reliable. If Chairman were as reliable…”

“Hmm, good news! The fish has taken the bait!”

Lǐn Huā, who had been checking her phone, suddenly became more radiant. As Senior Shàojié slurped down half a bowl of pork cutlet noodles, she suddenly slammed the table and said, “The Glorious Family, who threatened Sister Yǐjī, finally agreed to an offline transaction with harmful information about Sister Yǐjī. Now it’s our turn!”

“…Wait, how did you get their contact information?”

I was puzzled. Yesterday, it was Zǐ Jiàng who got the contact details at the bar, right?

“Well, of course, it was Cherry Sauce who gave it to me! She told us everything that happened at the bar yesterday, and I used the guy who was causing trouble to our advantage. After all, it would be more convincing if they handled the negotiations, wouldn’t it?”

In a moment of hesitation, Lǐn Huā smoothly continued.

Cherry Sauce came forward as a witness.

“—That’s how it went. We’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes.”

You didn’t follow me and Zǐ Jiàng, did you?

“—No, I’d be struck by lightning if I followed you!”

SPLASH!

Suddenly, a rare winter storm poured down outside the restaurant, large raindrops pattering against the glass walls.

“—…Cough, it’s just a coincidence.”

Actually, I wouldn’t be too angry. Cherry Sauce is already a 24/7 surveillance presence. Even if she brought Lǐn Huā and Xiǎo Lěi along, it’s just adding more eyes… though it still irks me.

I asked, “So, did the Scorpion Man help lure them over? What did you offer him?”

Lǐn Huā shrugged indifferently, “He gets the final payment from the Glorious Family, and we get to catch their people. It’s a win-win. I don’t think he’d refuse.”

“Aren’t you worried he’ll betray us to the Glorious Family?”

“Betray us? He wouldn’t dare. Zǐ Jiàng scared him witless yesterday. But for a grown man, he’s pretty useless. With such a small amount of courage, he’s supposed to be a debt collector…”

“It sounds interesting. Do you need my help?”

Senior Shàojié finished her noodles and offered her help voluntarily, without discussing terms.

Lǐn Huā waved her off.

“No, don’t trouble Senior. I can handle this myself. Focus on the mysterious girl A.”

Miāomiāo Jiē chimed in, “I don’t know what mess you’re involved in, but don’t underestimate adults. To deal with villains, it’s better to find some reliable adults…”

Halfway through her sentence, her phone on the table started vibrating.

“Ah, it’s the Student Council President’s message.”

Unlocking the phone with her fingerprint, Miāomiāo Jiē glanced at the new message.

“She wants to organize a Christmas party and wants me to discuss the detailed arrangements… That girl is going to make me work for free again, huh?”

As an agent, Xiǎo Qiàn asked, “Should we decline?”

“No, Senior Shàojié should join too. The Student Council President mentioned you as well, so she’ll probably send you a message.”

“Oh? Sister Táng Hái is too demanding! I’m not even part of the Student Council.”

Senior Shàojié complained but stood up promptly.

“Let’s go now!