Su Xue'er in the Underworld

The night market near Donghai University in Jiangbei City.

"Ruo Xi, try this, it smells amazing."

An Yi held two skewers of meat, munching on one while handing the other over.

Lan Ruoxi was lost in thought, startled by the voice before snapping back to reality. She quickly accepted it, saying, "Oh, right, okay."

"You're still distracted, huh? Your uncle's a scumbag—no need to blame yourself over it. Cheer up. Two million is nothing. He won’t die. That villa alone is worth more than two million. Worst case, just sell the house."

An Yi shoved the skewer into Lan Ruoxi’s hand. "Try this. Back when I was broke, I craved this flavor all the time."

Lan Ruoxi stared at the skewer, her cheeks flushing slightly. "You... you already bit into it."

You dislike me?

"N-no! Not at all! I’d never dislike you."

"Then take this half-finished milk tea too. Saved it just for you. Try it, it’s delicious."

Lan Ruoxi rubbed her stomach, frowned, then downed the remaining half of An Yi’s milk tea.

After eating their way through the market, she felt like her stomach was about to burst.

Bystanders who noticed the scene glared at An Yi as if he were some kind of beast.

"Hey, takoyaki! Never tried it before. Mu Xuan, I’ll get you some."

An Yi sniffed the aroma excitedly.

"Mu Xuan..."

Hearing the name, Lan Ruoxi’s pretty face stiffened, her heart inexplicably trembling.

Then, she smiled softly and waved her hand. "No need, An Yi. I’m too full."

"Oh, right. Sorry, my bad."

An Yi’s gaze faltered for a moment before he adjusted—the person beside him was Lan Ruoxi, not Shen Muxuan.

Old habits die hard.

Shen Muxuan had a huge appetite and wasn’t picky. Leftovers didn’t exist in their home.

Back when they used to stroll around, whatever he couldn’t finish, she’d take care of.

"An Yi, what’s wrong?" Lan Ruoxi asked gently.

An Yi snapped out of it and grinned. "Nothing. Let’s stop eating for now and just walk around. There’s plenty of fun stuff here."

As he spoke, he casually tossed the used skewer stick aside.

Lan Ruoxi tugged at his jacket and gave him a reproachful look. "Don’t litter."

An Yi shrugged. "I didn’t."

The two continued walking side by side, chatting and laughing through the bustling night market.

In an unnoticed corner of the market, three black-clad men slumped to the ground, their hearts pierced by barbecue skewers, forming a gruesome pool of blood beneath them.

At the other end of the night market, a stunning girl stepped out of a Tesla.

A cold-faced young man in black emerged from the driver’s seat, positioning himself protectively behind her.

A few more bodyguards lurked in the shadows nearby.

The heavily armed entourage drew plenty of attention from the crowd.

"It’s been so long since I’ve been to a night market. It’s changed a lot."

Qin Yao looked around nostalgically.

"The first time I met An Yi was right here."

Lin Chen reminded her sternly, "No excessive fried food, barbecue, or sweets. And you’re back by eleven. No talking to strange men."

"Yeah, yeah, got it!" Qin Yao rolled her eyes.

Lin Chen lightly tapped her head. "This place is full of shady characters. Don’t leave my sight."

Qin Yao scoffed. "Why don’t you just lock me in a cage in the car?"

Lin Chen nodded seriously. "Hmm, not a bad idea."

"You blockhead! You’re actually considering it?!"

"I said I’d consider it."

"Considering is already too much!"

Far away, the dark barrel of a sniper rifle extended from a vantage point.

Su Xue'er squinted, adjusting her aim before realizing she couldn’t see clearly. She put on her glasses.

With her vision sharpened, she caught sight of Lin Chen and Qin Yao standing intimately close.

"Tch. Disgusting. Flaunting yourselves in public like that."

Her aura turned icy as she subtly adjusted her scope, centering it on Qin Yao’s head.

"That girl, all dolled up just to seduce men. She’s clearly trouble."

Though Qin Yao wasn’t tonight’s target, eliminating a temptress like her wouldn’t hurt.

"Uh, miss... could you come down? My stall isn’t that sturdy."

The elderly barbecue vendor below looked nervously at the sniper rifle in Su Xue'er’s hands.

Su Xue'er ignored him, keeping her rifle trained on Qin Yao.

"Huh? Where’d they go?"

She frowned, scanning the area. "Why’s it so damn dark?"

"How long are you planning to squat there?"

A cold voice spoke right beside her ear.

Su Xue'er jolted, looking up to see none other than Lin Chen standing over her.

"You—how did you—stop blocking my scope!"

She clenched her fists, furious.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, removing his hand from the lens. "Who were you aiming at?"

"None of your business! It wasn’t you, so back off!"

Lin Chen smirked. "Interesting. You chased me from North Africa all the way to Daxia, and now you’re playing sniper? Su Xue'er, don’t you have better things to do?"

Su Xue'er’s face flushed red. "Who’s chasing you?! Don’t flatter yourself!"

Lin Chen shrugged. "Good."

He pocketed his hands and jumped off the stall roof. "Don’t stand so high. It’s dangerous."

Su Xue'er glared at his retreating back, muttering under her breath. "Jerk. A whole year without contact, and this is how you act? That vixen is clearly bad news."

Grumbling, she repositioned her rifle, sparing one last disdainful glance at Qin Yao before shifting her focus to her actual target.

The sniper rifle clicked as she chambered a round.

As much as she wanted to pull the trigger, she knew the consequences would be dire.

Crash!

The barbecue stall suddenly collapsed. Su Xue'er shrieked as she and her rifle tumbled down.

"Lin Chen!!!"

This had to be his doing!

"Ahhh, miss, I told you the stall wasn’t sturdy! Look at this—my grill, all the meat and veggies—ruined! That’s 4,539 yuan down the drain! How am I supposed to make a living now?!"

The vendor, who hadn’t made a single sale all night, wailed dramatically, staring pointedly at Su Xue'er.

Su Xue'er: "..."

Thud.

With her black sniper rifle slung over her shoulder, Su Xue'er stormed down the street in her edgy punk outfit, her murderous aura making pedestrians instinctively step aside.

"Whoa, that girl’s got style! Cosplay?"

"That gun looks so real!"

"Pfft, as if. This is Daxia—who’d dare carry a real gun?"

Ding!

[Target matches criteria: "Casanova"]

"An Yi, what are you staring at?"

Lan Ruoxi waved her hand in front of his face, pouting.

An Yi glanced at Su Xue'er again, intrigued.

"Another 9/10 beauty. Not bad."

Su Xue'er ignored the murmurs around her, her icy gaze sweeping the crowd until it landed on An Yi.

A chill ran down his spine.

"What the hell? Why’s she looking at me?!"

Su Xue'er studied him for a long moment.

An Yi grew a bit tense as well.

Then, Su Xue'er, her face icy cold, reached into her pocket and put on a pair of glasses.

Hmm, wrong person! It wasn’t Lin Chen.

No wonder there was an air of reckless defiance about him!

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