Chapter 134

Chapter 5: Am I…?

The Grand Hotel was in the West District, quite a distance from the departure point. Xin Lan hailed a taxi and rode for quite a while before arriving.

She’d heard that Tianhai City had been rather unstable recently, with many incidents affecting ordinary people.

At least the roads weren’t congested anymore, she thought to herself.

Following Bai Ling’s location information, she arrived at the hotel lobby.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Xin Lan?”

Wow, this hotel service is impressive, even having greeters waiting outside specifically.

She smiled warmly. “Yes.”

Following the attendant upstairs, she entered the most luxurious private room, where Bai Ling sat directly facing the door.

Her smooth white hair shimmered like moonlight-woven silk, her cold, delicate face resembling a porcelain doll, and beneath her simple dress, her slim figure retained the soft curves of a young woman.

Wait, how did she get prettier after just a few months? And her chest got bigger too?

If a few months ago she admired Bai Ling’s strength, now it bordered on envy—just a tiny bit.

Moreover, next to Bai Ling was an even more eye-catching presence: Yuan Xiaoling.

As for Yuan Xiaoling’s appearance, there should be plenty of descriptive words, but she summed it up in one sentence:

What a scandalous figure!

Besides the blonde and the white-haired girl, there was another elegant-looking girl sitting in the corner of the room, who looked up at her briefly with a hint of… surprise?

“Yo, Lanzi, you’ve just arrived, huh?” Yuan Xiaoling greeted her. “Let me introduce you: this is my classmate, Gu Hui. She’s also back from out of town, just like you.”

“Miss Yuan, Miss Bai, nice to meet you.”

Xin Lan felt something odd about the title but, remembering her mission for the day, refrained from saying anything. She smiled and greeted them politely: “And Miss Gu, good afternoon.”

Gu Hui gave a brief response before lowering her head to scribble in her notebook.

Before coming here, Xin Lan never expected this person to have so many thoughts—and could such inner monologues really be written down? …Never mind, anyway, Xiaoling said everything needed to be recorded.

Xin Lan couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Miss Gu, what exactly are you doing…?”

“She has to submit her graduation thesis soon, but hasn’t started writing yet. Time is tight, task is heavy,” Yuan Xiaoling explained. “Just ignore her; let’s focus on our own conversation.”

There were some cold dishes laid out on the table, but it seemed the hot dishes hadn’t been prepared yet. Neither Yuan Xiaoling nor Bai Ling had touched their chopsticks, so Xin Lan didn’t feel comfortable starting either.

Of course, the main reason was that her real purpose wasn’t to eat.

“The last time I met both of you was months ago. Afterward, I left due to family issues without bidding farewell—it was truly unavoidable,” Xin Lan said apologetically. “Did I inconvenience either of you?”

With that offhand remark, she hoped to gloss over the past and segue into the real topic.

But unexpectedly, Yuan Xiaoling sighed deeply. “Ah, this story is long and complicated.”

Xin Lan’s eyebrows twitched.

Wait, all she did was leave abruptly—how did it become such a long tale?

Yuan Xiaoling picked up her teacup, sipped some fragrant jasmine green tea, and slowly began:

“At the time, you just left suddenly, and we had no idea what was going on. We assumed the Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t make any moves. But then they realized you had left without warning, thinking we were weak, so they attacked directly.”

“Is…is that so?” Xin Lan’s eyelids fluttered nervously. “Then what happened?”

“Then, feeling they had the upper hand, they launched an attack. You might not have heard of it, but it was called the Tianhai Xiangshan Campaign,” Yuan Xiaoling gazed out the window, her eyes filled with reminiscence. “That battle completely changed the landscape of Tianhai City—it will surely be historically referred to as something later on…”

She seemed to remember something suddenly and turned back to grin at Xin Lan. “Oh right, all this can be traced back to your abrupt departure. So when people name it later, they might call it ‘Xin Lan’s Departure.'”

“Miss Yuan is joking,” Xin Lan forced a smile, struggling to keep her composure. “I’m just a nobody, how could I influence so many things?”

“Tsk, you’re mistaken. As the saying goes, a butterfly flaps its wings, and storms rage on the western coast,” Yuan Xiaoling patted her shoulder. “You’re the butterfly of Tianhai City!”

Geez, bony and thin, her shoulder hurt Yuan Xiaoling’s hand—definitely not up to Bai Ling’s standard.

Xin Lan’s expression grew increasingly strange.

Wait, she only planned to gloss over it, but why was it getting bigger and bigger?

“Miss Yuan, stop teasing me. Compared to these matters, I want to know about the whereabouts of my companion. How is she?” Xin Lan finally managed to bring up a suitable topic.

“Her? Sigh.”

Yuan Xiaoling sighed first, building suspense, then continued leisurely: “In the end, she chose to side with the Chamber of Commerce, leading forces against us in the Xiangshan battle. But victors write history, and losers often meet tragic ends.”

Before Xin Lan could react, the blonde busty beauty suddenly stood up, holding her teacup by the window. The afternoon sunlight bathed her cute profile, adding a sense of historical gravity.

“At that moment, I saw her one last time. On her deathbed, she regretfully told me that working undercover for the Chamber of Commerce caused immense mental stress, and she eventually couldn’t hold on to her original ideals. If someone had been by her side, discussing things together, the outcome might have been different.”

So it was all because of you!

Xin Lan couldn’t even speak, feeling icy cold despite the summer heat. The radiant blonde beauty in the sunlight was almost blinding.

She turned to Bai Ling, only to see the white-haired maiden calm as ever, as if silently confirming the situation.

Yes, though difficult to maintain, Bai Ling managed to keep her composure.

Exactly, it’s all your fault.

This tactical绿茶move was countered by the bold approach of a mischievous little brat.

Xin Lan wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground to hide in. In the past, she would’ve feigned illness and fled already.

But today was different—she hadn’t obtained the intelligence for Yun Liang yet.

Hold on!

After a few minutes of silence, she forced a smile: “Miss Yuan, stop teasing me. Speaking of Yi Jie, she lacked firm stance and betrayed us. Perhaps she believed the Chamber of Commerce was stronger than you.”

Pausing for effect, she shifted gears: “By the way, I’m curious—how did you manage to turn the tables despite the overwhelming odds?”

Upon hearing this, even Yuan Xiaoling couldn’t help but look at her intently.

Clever move—first subtly mocking her former companion, implying everything was their fault, then smoothly transitioning to her true intention.

“At this point, you’re asking the right person. Back then, you weren’t there, and the situation was dire—we were outnumbered,” Yuan Xiaoling straightened up, puffing out her chest. “At the critical moment, the skies above Xiangshan Mountain darkened, and a sudden downpour ensued. Amidst the rain, I broke through!”

The initial sentences made Xin Lan’s scalp tingle, assuming Yuan Xiaoling was bluffing. But upon hearing the last part, her spirit instantly perked up.

“You broke through? What level are you now?”

“Fourth-tier Great Perfection, half-step Fifth-tier!” Yuan Xiaoling declared confidently. “Not only did I deal with the Chamber of Commerce, but I also eliminated a suspicious character named Yun He or Yun Hai recently…”

Xin Lan inwardly rejoiced, thinking she’d successfully extracted the intelligence.

“So, what’s your plan next?” she asked. “Have you unified Tianhai City already?”

“My plan? First, I’ll go back to school and get my diploma. As for Tianhai, I have plenty of subordinates to handle it—I’ll just collect money. Doing what I love is pretty great.”

Then Yuan Xiaoling went on to chatter about many things. For instance, the new semester was about to start, and there were fresh students at Tianhai University. As a senior student, she aimed to retain the campus beauty queen title and achieve a three-peat, making it meaningful.

She also planned to run a二次元game business, which she loved playing herself. It would give her classmates from the broadcasting department jobs, and she would unofficially become the godmother—not godfather—of Tianhai University’s broadcasting department.

Xin Lan pretended to nod along for a while before seizing the opportunity to ask:

“I heard some major events have occurred in Tianhai City recently, and several areas have been sealed off. My ride detoured because of it. Does Miss Yuan know what’s going on?”

“Hmm, this involves secrets, and I can’t disclose them,” Yuan Xiaoling said seriously. “Just avoid the restricted zones.”

That was fine—it fell under the category of confidential information, and answering like this made it seem more genuine.

Xin Lan naturally didn’t suspect anything. After nibbling a bit, she took out her phone and pretended to check it, claiming she had urgent matters and needed to leave early.

Yuan Xiaoling insisted on seeing her off enthusiastically, walking her out while advising: “Lanzi, listen to me. Regarding your previous departure and Yi Jie’s matter, don’t dwell on them. People die, lights extinguish—don’t carry unnecessary psychological burdens. Even if she were in the netherworld, she’d understand it’s not your fault. Just burn some paper money at the temple. I know Tianhai well, and I can recommend a few temples—they’re very efficacious!”

Xin Lan’s temples throbbed as she practically sprinted away from the hotel.

She didn’t know her blood pressure, but she knew she’d sacrificed too much to gather intelligence.

Fortunately, all endurance pays off. Brother Yun Liang, I’ve done it!

At this moment, inside the private room, Yuan Xiaoling leaned on the window, watching Xin Lan rush out from the first floor, hastily hailing a taxi, and disappearing into the distance.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to say everything I wanted,” the blonde beauty sighed. “I didn’t fully unleash my potential.”

Bai Ling maintained her composed expression, offering no comment.

It was only then that Gu Hui put down her pen, letting out a long breath. That Lanzi had so many thoughts—it took her until now to finish writing them all down.

“How was it? Did you record everything?” Yuan Xiaoling peered at her notebook eagerly.

“Everything is recorded, but… hmm, some parts might not be necessary…” Gu Hui hesitated.

“Let me take a look.”

Picking up the notebook, Yuan Xiaoling read the first paragraph:

【Hmm, Bai Ling looks much prettier after a few months, and her chest has grown larger.

That blonde one, Yuan whatever, still has scandalous ( ) volume like before.

Bai Ling is becoming more like her… Oh yeah, could it be that they do XX every night, causing Bai Ling’s growth? Two women doing that is disgusting.]

Good grief, smiling so brightly on the surface while cursing internally since the moment she entered—but…

“What does XX mean?” Yuan Xiaoling asked.

Gu Hui smiled coyly. “It’s something unsuitable for college girls to write down, but you probably get the gist.”

Yuan Xiaoling pouted. “What’s wrong with writing it down? Isn’t it just about… mmmph.”

Bai Ling covered her mouth, maintaining her composure. “Pure nonsense from Miss Xin.”

Not every night—on average, it happens at most twice every two and a half days.

Continuing to read, after the opening remarks, Xin Lan’s inner monologue remained rich.

【I admit I left suddenly, but everyone has their own emergencies. Why blame me?

Yi Jie was stupid, what does it have to do with me?

Ah, it affected so much? No way, that’s their problem. Why pin it on me?

Annoying blonde, pushing relentlessly, lacking any grace—probably no men like her. Maybe that’s why she’s into lesbians.

So irritating and awkward—if only Bai Ling did something, why let the blonde talk nonstop? Aren’t you the one in charge? Has she become overly submissive after growing bigger?】

Bai Ling stiffened again. “Nonsense.”

Clearly, most of the time, she was the one rubbing Xiaoling, and what’s this about being overly submissive? Not true at all.

As for why it became like this, don’t ask. Ask why Yuan Xiaoling plays god.

Yuan Xiaoling flipped further, mostly finding Xin Lan’s internal mockery of herself and others, occasionally interspersed with classic lines from the绿茶and白莲花playbook.

Thankfully, toward the end, they found useful information.

【Fourth-tier peak? Half-step Fifth-tier? Sounds like something from a fantasy novel. But whatever, assume it’s true—Brother Yun Liang is at Fifth-tier peak.

She refused to talk about Tianhai City’s secrets, and I don’t know if she knows the truth. Come to think of it, what exactly is Tianhai’s treasure? Brother Yun Liang didn’t tell me either.

Well, regardless, she mustn’t interfere with Brother Yun Liang’s plans.]

Yuan Xiaoling set down the notebook. “Alright, now we know—the bigwig from the Yun family is named Yun Liang, his strength is Fifth-tier peak, likely Earth-type. Moreover, he’s here for the Foundation Stone.”

The good news is they gained some information, but the bad news is… Sister Lanzi, you know way too little.

“I thought she’d have more intel, helping us uncover Yun Liang’s action plans or strategies. Didn’t expect just this much,” the blonde beauty pouted. “For someone who’s Yun Liang’s partner, disappointing.”

White Ling instinctively said, “Being a partner doesn’t necessarily mean Yun Liang likes her.”

“Eh?” Yuan Xiaoling blinked. “If Yun Liang doesn’t like her, who does he like?”

“…” Bai Ling glanced at her silently, choosing not to respond.

At this point, Gu Hui interjected, “Wait, I didn’t quite follow—so… our enemy has reached Fifth-tier peak, half-step Sixth-tier level?”

She had awakened not too long ago, and after some training, she was only Second-tier.

It’s like dressing in dragon spine armor ready to fight Ice Dragon Scatha, only to realize it’s Thoroughly Cold Hall’s Scatha.

“Don’t worry,” Yuan Xiaoling patted her shoulder. “They’re in the open, we’re hidden, and we have the information advantage.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, and you saw today—most of them are at this level.”

“…That does ease my mind a bit.” Gu Hui said.

While the two discussed enemy versus ally comparisons, Bai Ling sat quietly to the side, contemplating a question.

Am I overly submissive?