Chapter 1

“The life of a girl is supposed to be peaceful,”

In the year Sheng 741, on June 17th, in the heavy industry city of Borough City.

A red-haired girl pushed open the thick wooden door in front of her, stepping out from the noisy classroom.

Just as she was about to step out, a slightly nervous female voice called out behind her.

“Xia’er… Xia’er, would you like to come to the tea party tomorrow afternoon? It will be held at my house.”

Hearing the voice, Xia’er turned slightly, her dark red eyes reflecting the other girl’s noble blue eyes and the gilded black invitation letter in her hand.

“Thank you, Miss Amy,” Xia’er turned and smiled, reaching out to take the invitation letter, “If I have time tomorrow, I will definitely visit.”

Amy, seeing the red-haired girl in front of her did not give a clear answer, her expression dimmed slightly.

She knew that when the other person said so, she would most likely not attend the tea party. All previous invitations had been politely declined.

But Amy still refused to give up and continued to invite:

“It’s a tea party about further education, and some professors from An Su University will also be there… Don’t you find law interesting? My father knows them well. Showing your intelligence in front of the professors will surely get you their recommendation letters!”

“Moreover, it’s almost graduation time, and you’ve never been to my house before. My house is quite big…”

At this point, a light flashed in Amy’s eyes.

She was almost hinting that as long as Xia’er attended the tea party, she would definitely help her get a recommendation letter from the best university in the capital An Su, and it would be for a subject Xia’er liked.

If Xia’er got the recommendation letter, they could leave this city shrouded in gray mist and go to the capital An Su to attend university!

Amy’s heart pounded, watching the beautiful girl in front of her who was lost in thought. She herself was somewhat enchanted by the scene.

Xia’er’s hair burned like fire, her curly strands shimmering with golden-red light under the sunlight outside the window, as if each strand carried the passion and strength of flames.

Her skin was as white as ivory, forming a striking contrast with her red hair. Her features were perfect, like carved by a sculptor, with a faint smile always lingering at the corners of her mouth, exuding mystery and nobility.

Especially her slightly distracted dark red eyes, which were deep and mysterious, radiating an irresistible charm wherever they looked.

“Xia’er?” Amy subconsciously reminded, wanting to know the answer from Xia’er’s mouth, even though all previous invitations had failed.

“I…” Xia’er’s gaze refocused and looked at the blonde girl in front of her, slightly retracting the smile on her face, putting the invitation letter in her pocket, and said calmly, “I have never found law interesting.”

“Thank you for the invitation. See you at the graduation ceremony the day after tomorrow.”

Xia’er bowed slightly and turned around.

The hem of her black dress flared up, and the wind brought Amy’s emotions back down to the ground.

Amy raised her hand, wanting to say something more, but after a long moment, she gave up, watching the red-haired girl in front of her walk away further and further.

…

After declining her friend A, greeting her classmate B, and having a longer conversation with teacher C, Xia’er bid farewell with a smile to passersby D, E, F, and G, then left Borough Private Academy and headed home.

Since her soul replaced that suicidal girl three years ago, Xia’er had gradually adapted to life in this world and her new identity.

This was a world that was both similar and different from her past life, much like Victorian-era Birmingham, but with many subtle differences—such as the presence of churches she had never heard of before and many wondrous buildings constructed by these churches.

However, she was somewhat disappointed that over the past three years, she had not encountered any events or individuals related to extraordinary powers. It seemed this was just an ordinary parallel world.

Stepping out of the academy, Xia’er walked along the neatly laid stone slabs out of this area. After crossing three blocks, she stepped onto a path paved with black gravel.

Clock Tower Lane District.

Compared to the clean and elegant environment of the academy with its neatly laid stone slabs, the Clock Tower Lane District was stiflingly hot, with the roar of machines and furnaces echoing everywhere. The black gravel road, pitted and uneven, emitted an indescribable sour smell.

The Clock Tower Lane District was a small reflection of Borough City, where machinery roared day and night, steam carrying black smoke shot straight into the sky, making the entire city look like a huge furnace trying to burn through the sky.

“Ding-ling —”

A carriage sped by, splashing water from a puddle, the black water splashed up, and one of the drops fell onto Xia’er’s clean white stockings, leaving a dark mark.

From the academy back here, it felt like stepping from a Hogwarts set to a neighboring gang war zone, making it hard to imagine such scenes occurring in the same city.

“Hey, little girl, are you okay?”

The carriage stopped not far behind Xia’er, and a middle-aged man with a double-breasted suit (the buttons couldn’t be fastened) and a large head stuck his head out of the window. He took off his hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stared straight at Xia’er’s back.

Xia’er seemed not to hear, lowering the brim of her standard wide-brimmed hat and quickening her pace.

She was like a photographer on the African savanna, doing her best to avoid any interaction with animals, whether in heat or not, adhering to naturalism and the “non-interference photography method.”

Xia’er skillfully navigated through the alleyways and emerged onto another street.

On both sides of the street were high and low row houses, their walls showing signs of age, and the air in the alleyways was filled with the smell of coal smoke and cooking.

She stopped in front of number 44, letting out a long sigh.

She took a deep breath and stepped up a few steps to stand in front of the door.

Xia’er took out a key, but instead of unlocking the door directly, he slightly bent down and carefully searched the gap in the door. He then slowly pulled out a long strand of fiery red hair from the gap.

After confirming that the door had not been opened since his departure, Xia’er inserted the key into the lock, opened the door, and locked it again from the inside.

The large door cut off the noisy sounds and indescribable odors from outside, bringing some relief to Xia’er’s nerves.

In front of him, the small living room had crude wooden tables and chairs, an old-fashioned but clean sofa, and a small fireplace. The fireplace was adorned with some cute trinkets, giving the room a simple yet cozy feel.

The kitchen was connected to the living room, with a coal stove serving as the main cooking tool, and a pile of coal blocks in the corner.

Xia’er went upstairs to his room, changed out of his formal dress and apron, and put on a linen skirt more suitable for work. Then he went down to the kitchen, lit a fire, and started cooking.

If someone from school—like Miss Amy—saw him now, they would surely be shocked, possibly even doubting their eyes.

How could such a mysterious and noble-looking young lady live in such a low-end community and be so proficient at doing household chores?

Can you not bear the sound of spring shadows?

Xia’er skillfully prepared dinner—a stew made of potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, and some leftover lean meat, along with thick slices of coarse grain bread lightly fried.

After placing a small pot of stew and a plate of bread on the small wooden table, Xia’er wiped his hands on his apron, reached into his skirt pocket, and pulled out an antique silver pocket watch.

This pocket watch appeared on Xia’er after arriving in this world. Though the chain was missing and the silver casing had oxidized and turned black, Xia’er kept it due to its accurate timekeeping, despite considering pawning it for money.

To someone with a strong sense of time, having such a watch was incredibly important.

“Six twenty-nine… a minute early.”

Perhaps due to increased proficiency in cooking, she finished dinner a minute earlier this time.

A minute felt like too little time to do anything meaningful, leaving Xia’er feeling anxious as the seconds ticked by.

“It’s okay, close your eyes and count down a minute, my sister will be back soon.”

Xia’er closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let the second hand of the pocket watch tick away.

59…

21…

1…

Dong—Dong—

The giant clock tower standing in the Clock Tower Lane District rang out loudly, reminding the people of the Bell Tower District that it was already 6:30 PM.

The unusual noise outside the door pulled Xia’er out of his reverie.

Dong—

A dull thud was followed by a raspy and angry female voice.

“Get lost! Don’t let me see you lurking around my doorstep again!”

Is it my sister back?

Xia’er got up and walked to the window, peering through the gap in the curtains.

A figure with golden hair stood facing away from Xia’er on the steps in front of the door, while a tall, thin young man wearing a newsboy cap lay on the ground in front of him.

As the young man fell, several others wearing newsboy caps and black suspenders with white shirts emerged from all directions. One of them, a short, one-eyed man, helped the fallen young man to his feet.

Once the young man was upright, he immediately punched the one-eyed man and shouted, “Damn it, didn’t you say someone was coming?”

The one-eyed man stood behind the young man, nodding obediently. Meanwhile, the young man brushed the dust off his clothes and looked at the golden-haired woman in front of him, saying with a casual tone:

“Li Qi, why are you so worked up? I just came to see my future wife.”

The playful words caused the other men following him to laugh and whistle.

Li Qi clenched her fists, her forehead veins visibly bulging, but she seemed to remember something and took a deep breath, lowering her fists. She then said lightly,

“Get lost, Eddie. If I see you here again, I’ll tear out your mouth.”

With that, Li Qi turned and walked away without another word.

“Pah.” Eddie spat on the ground, glaring at Li Qi’s retreating figure, cursing, “Freak.”

His gaze drifted toward the window, catching a glimpse of the red-haired petite figure peeking from behind the curtain.

“Xia’er~” Eddie exaggeratedly spread his arms towards the window, shouting, “Long time no see!”

But the next moment, the curtain was drawn shut. Eddie, however, seemed unfazed. He continued to laugh and shout:

“I heard you graduate in two days. Congratulations! I’ll attend your graduation ceremony and meet your friends.”

“Since you have no family, I can bring more friends along to support you. Hahaha!”

The mocking laughter from behind pierced into Li Qi’s brain like steel needles.

Li Qi felt a surge of anger rising to her head. Her face, scarred as if doused in concentrated sulfuric acid, twisted in frustration.

She worked so hard to send Xia’er to a better place, far from her and this social class, to meet better people.

If this ruffian disrupted her graduation ceremony, how would her sister’s friends and teachers perceive her? All her hard-earned connections might be ruined in a day.

Just as Li Qi reached for the small knife hidden in her work pants, the door opened, and a delicate, fair-skinned hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back into the house.