Chapter 13
While brushing her teeth, Lou Mi noticed a movement in her peripheral vision. She glanced at the frosted glass window. It wasn’t her imagination.
A figure was moving outside.
Though Changjun Gardens had excellent security, what if a thief had acquired some advanced climbing skills?
She quietly put down her electric toothbrush and looked around for a weapon. Finding nothing suitable, she picked up the robot vacuum.
“Greetings, Lou Mi. I am X-Hw, an intelligent floor-cleaning robot. My designated operating area is the floor. Elevated placement is not recommended…” the robot said.
“Shh, quiet,” Lou Mi whispered, clutching the robot.
It was surprisingly heavy. A good swing would surely knock out a thief.
She cautiously opened the window a crack and peered outside. There was no thief. Instead, she saw Chi Lin practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
Chi Lin’s eyes were closed, her legs slightly bent, her back straight. Each punch was swift and precise, her movements fluid and powerful.
But… Chi Lin, practicing martial arts?
Lou Mi was utterly bewildered.
Chi Lin’s behavior these past few days had been strange enough. Now this.
Well, she was getting used to it.
She remembered her dad’s insistence on a traditional courtyard garden. She had thought he was getting sentimental, his taste becoming outdated.
Apparently, someone shared his taste…
She wondered if he would be pleased.
Chi Lin finished her exercises and opened her eyes, meeting Lou Mi’s gaze through the window crack.
Lou Mi, still holding the robot vacuum: “…”
“Good morning, Sister,” Chi Lin said. “Do you need help?”
“Help with what?”
“Throwing out the trash,” Chi Lin replied, gesturing at the robot.
Lou Mi protectively hugged the expensive, newly purchased X-Hw. “I’m not throwing it out…”
Chi Lin’s expression clearly said: Then why are you holding it?
“I’m using it as a substitute for my exercise equipment,” she explained. “It hasn’t arrived yet.”
Lou Mi didn’t believe her, and neither did Chi Lin, judging by the look in her eyes.
It was the same look Lou Mi used to give Chi Lin, a look of utter disbelief.
Chi Lin pointed at her lips. Lou Mi frowned.
“You have toothpaste on your mouth.”
Lou Mi wiped her mouth. Chi Lin was right.
She had been so focused on the potential thief that she had forgotten she was brushing her teeth.
How embarrassing…
Chi Lin entered the house. “What would you like for breakfast, Sister? I’ll order it for you.”
“Americano and youtiao, and half a mango,” Lou Mi replied.
“Okay.”
As Chi Lin went to the kitchen, Lou Mi stood in the hallway, stroking the robot vacuum, deep in thought.
The little brat was being suspiciously helpful. It felt like a trap.
Would she poison my food? She had done it before, adding chili to milk, even putting insects in her food. Lou Mi had almost swallowed one once.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
She put down the robot vacuum and quietly approached the kitchen, observing Chi Lin.
Chi Lin stood patiently by the food dispenser, reading a book.
It was one of her dad’s physical books. Everyone else in the house read e-books.
She couldn’t see the title.
Chi Lin was completely absorbed in the book, her brow occasionally furrowing in concentration.
Her hair was neatly tied back, its texture smooth and straight, no longer a wiry mess. She had dyed it black, making her look even younger.
Her seventeen-year-old face, usually radiating childish mischief, now held a serious expression.
Lou Mi stared, a sense of unfamiliarity washing over her.
Was this the same Chi Lin, the queen of bad taste?
Chi Lin placed the breakfast on the dining table and called Lou Mi over.
Lou Mi, wearing denim shorts and a tight-fitting t-shirt, her makeup light and natural, sat across from Chi Lin.
“Thanks,” she said. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten breakfast at the dining table.
Not since her mother passed away eight years ago.
Her dad loved her, but he was always busy, working late into the night and leaving before dawn. Running his own business left him little time for rest.
His company had stabilized in recent years, giving him more free time, but the dining table remained largely unused.
Since Peng Ziyuan and Chi Lin moved in, Lou Mi had mostly avoided them, staying in her room.
She had never eaten with them before.
Now, with a warm breakfast laid out before her, she felt a flicker of domesticity.
Even though the person across from her was practically a stranger, related only by circumstance.
Seeing Lou Mi’s short shorts and long, bare legs, Chi Lin remembered her accidental glimpse the previous night and quickly lowered her gaze, focusing on her food.
Were adults in this era so… unrestrained?
At school, both students and teachers dressed modestly. It was, after all, an educational institution.
But on the streets, she had seen many adults in revealing attire, not just bare arms and legs, but even exposed midriffs. Weren’t they cold in these short shorts?
It was all rather shocking to someone from a more conservative era.
Chi Lin kept her eyes on her food throughout the meal, afraid to look up and see something inappropriate.
Lou Mi finished quickly. “I’ll drive you to school today,” she said.
“Huh?”
“You made me breakfast and picked up my package. I don’t want to be indebted to you.”
They got into the car. Lou Mi’s rare act of kindness was thwarted by a self-driving car accident.
Two cars had collided on the highway, blocking traffic.
Lou Mi felt a wave of frustration. Instead of repaying a favor, she had incurred another debt.
“It’s okay,” Chi Lin said. “As a failing student, being late once or being late many times makes no difference.”
Lou Mi: “…”
What a comforting thought.
Finally reaching the school, Lou Mi, no longer concerned about appearances, drove directly to the gate.
“You’ve definitely missed morning reading,” she said. “Maybe you can still catch the first class.”
Chi Lin checked the time. The first class was already halfway through.
“It’s alright,” she said. “Maybe there’s a quiz in the first class. Thanks to you, I’ll miss it.”
Lou Mi: “??”
Was that a compliment or a complaint?
As Chi Lin got out of the car, Wei Zhuoning, rushing towards the school, saw her.
Inspired by the earlier comments, Wei Zhuoning had written until 2:30 am.
Three alarms and her mother’s persistent efforts had failed to wake her up on time. She had been sprinting all the way to school.
Seeing another latecomer at the gate gave her a small sense of relief.
But that car Chi Lin got out of… it looked expensive.
Wei Zhuoning’s family was of modest means. She didn’t know much about cars, but her research for her novel had made her familiar with luxury brands.
That car cost at least a million yuan.
She was shocked. Liu Huixin had always claimed Chi Lin was practically destitute, relying on her generosity to avoid starvation.
And the woman in the driver’s seat… she was stunning. And vaguely familiar.
Wei Zhuoning pondered this for a moment, then remembered she was late. She had to find a way to bypass the facial recognition system.
After Lou Mi drove off, Chi Lin hesitated at the school gate.
The facial recognition system would record her tardiness, and she might encounter the Dean of Students.
Was there another way in?
She noticed someone climbing the wall near the bushes.
It was Wei Zhuoning.
Wei Zhuoning always climbed the wall when she was late.
This strategic location was the result of countless failed attempts and subsequent detentions.
It was the only blind spot in the school’s surveillance system, offering a chance to avoid being marked late.
But the wall seemed taller today. She usually reached the top easily, but today, she was struggling.
The school had discreetly increased the wall’s height a week ago to deter students from climbing it.
Wei Zhuoning’s usual handholds were now out of reach. She dangled precariously, unable to go up or down.
As she struggled, a figure zipped past her.
Chi Lin had reached the top in a single bound.
Wei Zhuoning, breathless: “??”
Did I just witness… levitation?
Chi Lin crouched on the wall, extending a hand to Wei Zhuoning.
Wei Zhuoning was stunned. Was Chi Lin actually… nice?
She hesitantly reached for Chi Lin’s hand. As Chi Lin pulled her up, her belt snagged on a protruding brick.
Chi Lin, surprisingly strong, continued to pull.
“Wait!” Wei Zhuoning cried.
“Beep—beep—”
The school’s AI surveillance system had detected them and was approaching.
Alarmed by the shrill whistle, Chi Lin ignored Wei Zhuoning’s protest and yanked her up.
Unprepared for the sudden ascent, Wei Zhuoning lost her balance, tumbling down the other side of the wall, dragging Chi Lin with her. They landed in a heap of leaves, their backpacks scattered.
“Damn it…”
Wei Zhuoning’s belt had snapped, and her pants were slipping down.
“Are you insane?! I told you to wait!”
Chi Lin, not wanting to argue, simply smiled, noticing Wei Zhuoning’s precarious pants situation.
“You’re laughing at me!”
The AI surveillance system arrived and scanned their faces.
“Chi Lin, Class 6, Grade 10, Student ID 055, late by 49 minutes, 21st tardy incident this semester. Wei Zhuoning, Class 6, Grade 10, Student ID 047, late by 49 minutes, 8th tardy incident this semester. This data has been uploaded to your homeroom teacher’s system and may be shared with the parental control system. Please try to be punctual in the future.”
That AI is annoying.
After a painful fall and a wardrobe malfunction, they were still marked late.
Wei Zhuoning brushed the leaves off her hair, glared at Chi Lin, grabbed her backpack, and stormed off towards the classroom.
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