Chapter 152

Chapter 20: Conditions

Yuan Xiaoling glanced at her mobile phone, thought it was nothing special, and tossed it aside.

“Stuff like ‘Emotional Intelligence’ I’ll look into later. Tell me the common tricks first,” she said, “Trust in my ability to learn by analogy.”

Gu Hui couldn’t resist her and sighed, “Alright, I’ll do my best.”

The girl stood up, paced a few steps, seemingly trying to appear teacher-like.

“So-called emotional intelligence consists of two parts: observation and expression.”

“Observation means reading people’s expressions. Actually, most people have this ability, just at different levels. The difference is, very few put this before speaking.”

Yuan Xiaoling interjected, “True, I just speak first and observe later. Can I do that?”

Qiao Lili chuckled, “Others can, because they don’t need saving. If you talk first, there’s no room for recovery.”

As soon as the little witch opened her mouth, even if she tried to fix it, she still sounded sarcastic.

“Yes,” Gu Hui agreed, “You should hold back, observe first. Consider it part of the process.”

Yuan Xiaoling nodded vaguely.

Though it seemed troublesome, she could handle following the process.

“In short, when meeting someone, don’t voice your opinions immediately. Look at their expression…”

Thinking about this, Blonde-haired Maiden imagined White-haired Maiden’s icy pretty face.

Emmmmm… Can one really act based on her expression?

“Then comes the second point, expression,” Gu Hui continued, “Expression is what you say. If through observation you find the other person’s mood isn’t good, then…”

“Subtle expression, right? Got it,” Yuan Xiaoling said, “I’ve fully understood.”

So simple. Next time, try it out with Bai Ling.

…

On the main road of Tianhai Central City, a black car sped along.

The two people in the car hadn’t spoken a word. Bai Ling didn’t ask questions, and Fang Hui didn’t start a conversation either.

The address was an ordinary-looking side alley. From the outside, it looked quiet and deserted, not many people around, while the nearby main street had constant traffic.

Bai Ling parked the car at the alley entrance, got out, and looked towards the adjacent intersection, raising an eyebrow.

There were clearly only vehicles passing by non-stop, yet the spiritual energy in the air here was unusually active. Why?

“What’s wrong?” Fang Hui asked, noticing her hesitation.

“Not much, just some rats.”

Bai Ling thought for a moment and sent several messages on her phone.

The Water Dragon LORD’s garrison unit responsible for the central district wasn’t far away.

“Let’s go.”

Fang Hui led the way, guiding her into the alley and stopping at a relatively spacious second-floor door in a corner. She knocked.

Knock knock knock.

Most buildings in the alley were two or three stories high. This second floor connected directly to the rooftop. Though the knocking sound was muffled, it echoed far.

Creak, the door opened, and a woman peeked out.

“Fang Hui, you’re here.” She said.

The woman looked about thirty-something. Although she’d dressed up simply for this meeting, her mental fatigue was evident.

Long-term depression and sleepless nights over the past few days.

“Hmm,” Fang Hui took the opportunity to introduce, “This is Miss Bai Ling, she is…”

“I know, the girlfriend of that Water Dragon Miss. I saw it online.” She pulled open the door, “Please come in.”

Inside, the room was fairly tidy, as if hastily cleaned up. It wasn’t small, quite spacious actually. Of course, this place was somewhat remote, not prime real estate.

While walking, she said, “My name is Ding Shumei. My husband Fu Yong joined Four Squares Academy three years ago and disappeared a year ago without any news.”

After saying that, Ding Shumei poured a cup of tea and placed it on the table.

Bai Ling touched the edge of the teacup with her fingers, finding the tea already lukewarm, probably brewed very early in the morning.

Fu Yong, indeed one of those individuals, and she had brought his file. But… feeling a slight hesitation touching the document bag in her bag.

She could directly pull it out, tell the cruelest truth, and whether Ding Shumei cried or broke down wouldn’t be her problem.

But now, there was a tiny bit of compassion… just a tiny bit. Mainly, if the other party really collapsed, how would she get the information she needed?

“It’s fine, just tell her,” Fang Hui whispered softly, “He’s been gone for a year. She’s already considered the worst.”

She herself felt the same way.

“That’s correct, Miss Bai Ling, please proceed.”

Since so, Bai Ling no longer hesitated, pulling out a file from the document bag.

[Fu Yong, entered Four Squares Academy in XX20, third phase trainee, assigned under Dai Hengzhu… perished during the XX22 Four Squares Academy incident.]

Ding Shumei’s hands trembled slightly, the paper covering her face, making her expression unclear.

After a long pause, she put down the document, picked up the teacup, and drank the completely cold tea.

“Did he leave anything behind?”

She should have guessed already, just like Fang Hui said. A year-long wait had already erased all hope.

And the recent game event called “Heart’s Sea” also mentioned the Four Squares Academy incident, stating everyone had perished.

Still, hearing the definite news made Ding Shumei feel instantly drained of all strength. If her hands weren’t resting on the table, she might have fallen over.

“Nothing.”

Bai Ling replied indifferently but seeing Ding Shumei’s current state, hesitated for a moment before adding,

“It wasn’t that he didn’t want to leave something behind. In that instant, everything and everyone was wiped out of reality.”

Converted into spirits by the Inner Stone of the Mind.

Ding Shumei fell silent, holding the corner of the document paper absentmindedly. Fang Hui also remained silent, looking down slightly, her peripheral vision landing on Bai Ling’s backpack, lost in thought.

The quiet atmosphere lasted for quite a while until Bai Ling spoke again,

“This matter has nothing to do with the initial confidentiality measures. You won’t have to hide your identity and run around like this anymore. As part of the aftermath handling, I will suggest to the municipal government… I’ll let Yuan Xiaoling suggest giving out some bereavement funds to the families.”

Giving her roughly two minutes, it should be enough for her to recover, Bai Ling thought.

Back then, she herself didn’t take more than a few minutes either. Though she never truly got over the sadness, she could at least think rationally.

Seeing no reaction, Bai Ling waited another minute and continued, “Besides, I need you to provide some information. I can…”

She wanted to promise some benefits, considering Yuan Xiaoling’s current influence, with plenty of resources from Tianhai Enterprises and the booming new game, the family treasury was quite full.

Just then, she suddenly remembered herself.

If there was a reward no one could refuse, it would be—

“I can help you seek revenge,” Bai Ling said coldly, “It may not be human, but it has self-awareness and the concept of life and death.”

—————–Divider—————–

PS: Will strive to update more in the coming days! Iron within iron!

Regarding the cover, there’s still a chance for a larger cover illustration. We’ll do our best to request the artist to create one. However, the final result will only be known in a couple of months. If it turns out well, we’ll replace the current one. For now, the artist did an adorable job, so consider it elementary school era Ning Ning.

Attached is Ning Ning’s (Elementary School Cheerleader Edition) high-definition large image without text—

[img=1200,848]https://rss.sfacg.com/web/novel/images/UploadPic/2023/08/dcb77cca-109f-4d45-b1da-3d46b42c05b7.jpg[/img]