VAP - Chapter 37
Chapter 37: The Sleeping Beauty Whose Words Are Law (36)
Qi Yuanhong joined the Wingspan Squad not long after the great Esper Ability outbreak.
The Wingspan Squad was the most famous and widely acknowledged strongest team in Shengjing. To be able to join this squad at the tender age of his teens, Qi Yuanhong's power was clearly not to be underestimated.
Although this young master of the Qi family could never get on Qi Jiu's good side, in the eyes of outsiders, Qi Yuanhong had a superior family background, top-notch grades, handsome features, and a gentle, polite demeanor. He was, without a doubt, an elite who had enjoyed a smooth-sailing life.
The great Esper Ability outbreak seemed to be the perfect proof of this.
When the first wave of the Recovery Mist dissipated, Qi Yuanhong awoke from excruciating pain to dazedly discover that he had awakened a wind-type Esper Ability.
The confusion was only temporary. Through the internet, he finally understood what had happened to him and came to a realization—he was among the luckiest of the lucky 5 percent!
And what about Qi Jiu?
“We’re very sorry, we went to the residential complex you mentioned. There are too many mutated plants there, and very few survivors.” A member of the rescue team said awkwardly. “We didn’t find any young woman with the surname Qi inside…”
Qi Yuanhong lowered his head. His voice was filled with grief, but his smile was twisted. “You don’t need to apologize. Life and death are decided by fate. My sister wouldn’t blame you.”
Qi Jiu was dead.
So what if she had a powerful presence? So what if her skills were excellent? An ordinary person who hadn’t awakened an Esper Ability would still be torn to shreds by mutated ornamental plants and used as fertilizer!
The mountain that had pressed down on him since childhood had crumbled; the shadow that had lingered in his heart was gone. Qi Yuanhong felt utterly refreshed. He went straight home to share the good news with his mother.
Yang Yun expressed hypocritical sympathy, then turned around and relayed the news to Qi Tianhe with feigned sorrow.
Qi Tianhe just sneered. “That rebellious daughter. Good riddance!”
So, you see, this family had no need for Qi Jiu at all—it was best to just let her rot among the plant roots.
Qi Yuanhong was filled with malice, yet he was also incredibly happy.
Until today. Until this very moment.
—The informant had said she was a pretty girl, and her name sounded like “Qi Jiu.”
It couldn’t be her. She was already dead. How could it be her? It was just a name that sounded the same, that’s all. How could it possibly be her?
Qi Yuanhong’s face went pale. He heard himself ask, “What does she look like?”
The informant replied, “Go look through the safe zone forums. Search for ‘Two-Person Rotation,’ and you’ll find a bunch of candid photos, though they’re all super blurry.”
Then he muttered, “It’s weird, though. There isn’t a single clear, front-facing photo of them.”
Qi Yuanhong took out his phone and started scrolling through the forums.
On the screen were two figures walking side by side. Qi Yuanhong zoomed in on the photo as much as he could, staring at their blurry profiles.
He didn’t recognize the person on the left, but the one on the right… even blurred into a mosaic, he would recognize her!
It was Qi Jiu. Qi Jiu wasn’t dead—
He began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Are you okay?” the vice-captain, Fang, asked.
Qi Yuanhong gave a pale smile. “I’m fine.”
“It’s just… I never expected my sister to still be alive.” Qi Yuanhong took a deep breath. “It feels a little unreal. Is this true? Is my sister really back?”
To others, he looked like someone overwhelmed with emotion, on the verge of tears of joy.
The informant let out a cry of surprise. “Whoa, that’s your sister?”
The members of the Wingspan Squad knew that Qi Yuanhong had previously asked a rescue team about his sister, so upon seeing his reaction, they all began to comfort him:
“It must be true. What are the odds of such a coincidence!”
“I still remember how heartbroken Yuanhong was when he heard his sister was gone. Now that there’s finally a glimmer of hope, you should at least go see her…”
“That’s right, let’s go find her. Your sister might be looking for you, too.”
Qi Yuanhong’s expression soured. “But… No, I should—”
Wait. What was he afraid of? There was no need to be afraid of Qi Jiu. The power dynamic between them had already been reversed. Qi Jiu was just an ordinary teleporter. Even if she was a bit lucky, how could she possibly compare to him?
If anyone should be afraid, it should be Qi Jiu who was afraid of him!
“Alright, I’ll go find my sister,” Qi Yuanhong said, as if having made a firm decision.
When the doorbell rang, Qi Jiu was still fast asleep, while Yue Du was browsing for information online.
She needed to analyze what people in the Shengjing safe zone thought of the Two-Person Rotation squad to decide their next move.
Overall, the results were more or less what she had expected.
One group was purely made up of curious onlookers, posting comments like, “God of Luck, please carry me,” “That luck is insane, I want to rub some of it off,” and “They must have a luck-based Esper Ability”… and so on.
Another group was cynical and sarcastic toward this dark horse team, believing they were just seeking attention. They thought the so-called miraculous lucky events were nothing more than a pile of coincidences and rumors, not to be trusted.
A few others amused themselves by speculating that the members of Two-Person Rotation were actually two top-tier experts working together, and that they were just maintaining a “God of Luck” persona for fun. In reality, they were fake lucky charms but true masters.
Of course, such speculation was just for laughs. After all, everyone knew that no one could hide their power level from an Esper Ability detector. A weak energy fluctuation meant you were genuinely weak. There was no arguing it.
…Who could have guessed that for some people, hiding one’s energy fluctuation was as simple as saying a single sentence?
After reviewing all the comments posted on social media, Yue Du closed her phone, satisfied.
Nothing had gone wrong. They just needed to continue moving in the direction she’d anticipated.
Just as she was wondering whether she should take advantage of Qi Jiu’s forced slumber to enter her mental space for a while, Qi Yuanhong rang the doorbell.
At this hour? Could it be the Overlord Flower captain?
With that thought, she glanced at the security monitor—
Seeing the group of people outside, Yue Du was speechless. “…”
Well now, isn’t this Little Brother Qi.
Yue Du had been keeping an eye on news concerning Qi Yuanhong. To be precise, she monitored all the named characters in the plot, staying prepared for any unforeseen developments.
After all, if even the final villain’s host wasn’t the original, what else was impossible?
In any case, Yue Du knew he had joined a renowned squad and that he believed Qi Jiu was dead.
It couldn’t be helped. The kid had made a side account where he constantly badmouthed his “ungrateful, passive-aggressive, and lazy” sister. Then one day, he’d jubilantly posted that his “vicious sister” had been permanently deleted. How could that not attract attention?
Showing up at her door now… had he heard some news and come to reunite with his family?
The lights were on in the house, so she couldn’t pretend no one was home. Yue Du shook her head, got up to close the door to Qi Jiu’s bedroom, and then ambled over to answer the door.
“Hello,” she said politely. “May I help you?”
Outside the door, Qi Yuanhong, who had been rehearsing what he would say when Qi Jiu answered, was completely stunned.
The captain behind him, Zhan Yi, however, quickly matched the young woman before them to the blurry figure in the photos. “Captain Yue, hello,” he replied with equal politeness.
After speaking, he discreetly nudged Qi Yuanhong’s arm.
Qi Yuanhong snapped out of it and put his smile back on. “We’re here to see Qi Jiu. Is she in?”
Yue Du replied calmly, “Ah Jiu is out. If you have a message, I can relay it to her.”
—Ah Jiu. Qi Yuanhong noted the name. It was an intimate form of address, one you wouldn’t use unless you were very close.
“My name is Qi Yuanhong. Qi Jiu is my older sister. There was an accident a while back, and we thought she had…” Qi Yuanhong paused before continuing, “But now that we know she’s alive, we’re relieved.”
Yue Du listened patiently and then asked, “Is that all?”
Qi Yuanhong was taken aback. “Huh?”
Yue Du repeated, “Is that all? You don’t have any other message for me to pass on.”
Qi Yuanhong’s eyes widened. “…”
At a time like this, wasn’t she supposed to invite them in for a bit???
Yue Du had no intention of doing so. “I have things to attend to,” she said, her tone cool yet polite. “If you have nothing else to say, please leave.”
She gave a slight nod and began to close the door.
“Hey—” Qi Yuanhong subconsciously used his Esper Ability. A gentle wind formed a barrier, stopping Yue Du from closing the door.
Yue Du frowned and raised her eyes.
Little Brother Qi felt a pang of guilt under her gaze, but he held his ground and said in a low voice, “I want to wait here for my sister to come back! I haven’t seen her in a year…”
Fang Zheng felt this was improper. “Yuanhong, why don’t we head back for now?” he advised.
A woman in leather armor on the team strongly disagreed. “Vice-captain, what are you talking about? What’s wrong with Yuanhong wanting to see his own sister as soon as possible? This house doesn’t belong to Captain Yue alone. How can she just kick him out?”
Then she turned to Little Brother Qi and encouraged him, “We’re not afraid of her, Yuanhong. I’ve got your back!”
Yue Du: “…”
She knew it wouldn’t be that simple.
With his teammate’s support, Qi Yuanhong became much more self-righteous. “I’m sorry, but I must see my sister today.”
The force of the wind increased. Yue Du lowered her eyes, contemplating whether she should reveal some of her own power to get rid of this group first.
In any case, the persona of “Yue Du” was bound to disappear eventually. Making herself seem a little more intimidating wouldn’t affect Qi Jiu.
Just then, the creak of a door opening sounded from behind her.
“Do we have guests?”
Qi Jiu’s signature lazy tone sounded from behind her. It drew closer little by little, a testament to how slowly she was walking.
Yue Du: “…” Waking up this early today.
Hearing that voice, Qi Yuanhong’s eyes widened even further. “Didn’t you say Qi Jiu was out?”
“I was sunbathing on the roof. I just teleported back to my room. Is there a problem?” Qi Jiu drawled as she ambled to Yue Du’s side and stopped.
The Wingspan Squad: “…” They looked at the sky. It was overcast.
Qi Jiu seemed completely unconcerned about the flaw in her story. She leaned forward slightly, slinging one arm around Yue Du’s shoulder and using her other hand to hold the door open instead.
Qi Yuanhong immediately felt his wind power straining against her, and he couldn’t help but grit his teeth. This freakishly strong woman! Her strength seemed even greater than before!
He secretly pushed back with his power while clearing his throat, wanting to say something but finding himself at a loss for words.
When it came to Qi Jiu, Qi Yuanhong, her half-brother, was like a toothless wolf. He clearly hated her guts but insisted on pretending to be a refined little gentleman.
He had kept up the act for so long that it was as if he really had lost his fangs in her presence—in other words, he was a coward.
But things were different now. He was someone with a powerful Esper Ability who had joined the strongest team in the safe zone. He no longer had to swallow his pride and suffer in silence!
At this thought, Little Brother Qi straightened his spine and said, “Sis—”
Qi Jiu cut him off. “Don’t call me that. It’s disgusting.”
Qi Yuanhong choked on his words and subconsciously switched names. “Qi Jiu, I’ve heard all about what you’ve been up to. I think it would be better for you to come with me.”
“Is that so,” Qi Jiu said lazily.
Qi Yuanhong pressed on. “Of course it is. You can ask my teammates—I’m very strong. Mom and Dad are doing very well now, too. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Qi Jiu replied.
She added, “You didn’t come all this way just to say that, did you? To ask me to come live the good life with you?”
“Not just that,” Qi Yuanhong said. “It’s been a year. Don’t you want to go back and see Mom and Dad?”
Qi Yuanhong hadn’t been present when Qi Jiu had her talk (or rather, her intimidation session) with his parents, so naturally, he had no idea how viciously they had torn all pretenses of family apart.
“Hmm, obviously not,” Qi Jiu said. “And I don’t think they want to see me, either.”
A flicker of delight crossed Qi Yuanhong’s face. He knew Qi Jiu couldn’t resist being provoked; she had risen to the bait immediately.
“You shouldn’t say that. Mom and Dad have been missing you for a long time. Even if you don’t want to see me, you should go back to see them…”
As the youngest and a fairly capable member of the Wingspan Squad, Qi Yuanhong was clearly the darling of the team. The moment he looked upset, several of his teammates frowned.
He’s quite the actor.
Qi Jiu had no desire to play along with his act. She gave a lazy smile and said, “Have you ever heard the saying that people who interrupt good friends hanging out deserve to be kicked by a donkey?”
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment