The Senior Student (female) Is Not Human - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: A Chance

[Word Duck Deep Water Two-in-One] “Give…”

Xie Shiwei’s heart pounded.

She even felt a tingling, shivering sensation on her scalp.

It was hard for her to imagine that one day she would hear someone say they were willing to die for her, and the speaker was Jiang Xiyao, the person everyone agreed was the most selfish and indifferent.

Because she had never heard such an intense, emotional confession, Xie Shiwei was at a loss for how to respond. After a long pause, she was actually startled, and responded like a conservative elderly person:

“H-How can you just keep saying the word ‘death’?”

“A-And dying countless times sounds terrifying! Sister, please don’t say that anymore!”

How can a person die countless times! Even if one is sliced into ten thousand pieces, a person can only die once! After that, it’s called whipping the corpse!

The more Xie Shiwei thought about it, the more the meaning behind Jiang Xiyao’s words sent a chill down her spine. The initial shock she felt upon hearing the profound declaration was instantly washed away by this sense of horror.

The more she heard it, the more it sounded like an ominous curse.

Haha, Xie Shiwei thought, even if I am a one-in-a-century unlucky person, my life shouldn’t involve endless life-threatening dangers, right? Am I some kind of ultimate curse-body rejected by the gods?

So, she quickly dismissed the earlier notion and worriedly instructed Jiang Xiyao:

“Sister, when did your way of speaking change? Don’t say such exaggerated things to others casually; it will cause misunderstandings.”

[If those suitors heard that, wouldn’t they become even crazier? They’re already insane enough; let’s not push the limits of public safety any further!]

Jiang Xiyao tilted her head.

Exaggerated?

How is that exaggerated?

Those beasts in human skin, those dirty and ugly creatures whose inner voices are unbearable, if they had stronger vitality, Jiang Xiyao might have to die and revive several times over at their hands.

Xie Shiwei is so special; all that trash combined is not worth one of her toenails. Isn’t it only natural that Jiang Xiyao is willing to die for her a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million times?

After all, those people repeatedly killing her with malice will only make her stronger, and it will allow this coward to stand proudly by her side without fearing anyone. Isn’t that a great win-win option?

“Why don’t you agree?” she asked stubbornly.

“Agree to what?” Xie Shiwei had already planned to go and prepare lessons for the Zhou family’s young master. Hearing that Jiang Xiyao was still serious about it, she righteously replied:

“According to the law, pushing someone to preserve one’s own safety, thereby harming the legitimate rights of an innocent third party, resulting in injury or death, may constitute excessive self-defense, requiring criminal liability.”

Xie Shiwei raised her hands and made a big “X” in front of her, looking at Jiang Xiyao with caution:

“Sister, I absolutely, absolutely do not want to become a killer, and I definitely don’t want to go to jail right now.”

With that, she bolted for the door as if escaping.

She was afraid that if she moved slower, she would be caught by this beauty, who clearly had the aura of an outlaw, and be drawn into even more dangerous conversations.

Jiang Xiyao remained quietly standing where she was.

After a long while, the black-haired beauty suddenly let out a pleasant laugh.

That’s right. How could she forget that what made Xie Shiwei different from everyone else was that this idiot would never, under any circumstances, get someone to die in her place.

After the light laugh, Jiang Xiyao recalled the Zhou family, who she heard Xie Shiwei muttering about earlier, and let out a feigned sigh of distress.

—Because this righteous idiot is also very unlucky, exuding an aura of being easily bullied, and always attracting those smelly flies.

Fortunately, Xie Shiwei met someone as beautiful, kind, and helpful as herself. Jiang Xiyao thought indulgently. Otherwise, what would she do?

…

The next morning, Xie Shiwei, who had quickly gotten used to the soft bed and silk bedding and had developed a habit of sleeping naked while being held, wanted to sneak out of the room to put on her shoes and clothes. But she was suddenly called out.

The black-haired beauty sat up in bed, letting the satin blanket slip down to reveal her exquisite figure, and suddenly asked her: “Do you want a new hairstyle?”

Xie Shiwei: “?”

She averted her gaze, her face flushed crimson. Although the person displaying herself was proud and open, not caring about being looked at, Xie Shiwei felt intensely guilty, like a thief.

She clamped her legs together and asked nervously: “Now? Are you going to book a hair and makeup team or have someone come to the house?”

She thought Jiang Xiyao wanted to enjoy life and was trying to bribe her into allowing people to come over by bestowing a favor upon her.

Jiang Xiyao snorted coldly.

“How can those pig-stupid people, whose hands are less useful than chicken feet, be qualified to design your hairstyle?”

The moment the words fell, her lips curved into a smile again as she caught sight of a thread of translucent crystal on the side of the girl’s long leg.

She beckoned to Xie Shiwei.

Suddenly, as if by magic, she pulled out a dark green hair ribbon from under the pillow.

This was a fragment recovered from Le Qiong yesterday. Jiang Xiyao initially found it dirty and didn’t want it, but she quickly remembered the piece of skin on which Xie Shiwei had written the love letter, which she now specially enshrined…

She could only pinch her nose and turn the recovered Le Qiong piece into a hair ribbon, replacing the original hair clip, to allow her to hear the custard bun’s inner voice regardless of the distance.

Jiang Xiyao deliberately pulled the girl into her arms to sit, ensuring the girl’s soft, warm skin was pressed against her leg, allowing her to constantly perceive her state. Then, she raised her hands to gather her long hair.

She didn’t forget to emphasize: “Don’t touch it carelessly after I braid it. If it’s messed up when you come back tonight, you’ll see what happens.”

—This fragment, which had been inside a dirty thing, absolutely must not touch Xie Shiwei casually.

Allowing it to stay in the girl’s hair was Jiang Xiyao’s maximum extent of tolerance.

But this sounded like something else entirely in Xie Shiwei’s ears.

She sat with her back to Jiang Xiyao, feeling the person’s very present softness inadvertently brushing against her shoulder blades and back as she raised her hands. Her hands, resting demurely on her knees, were clenched into fists from tension.

[I-I got poked again, wuwuwu]

[Damn VV, you’re only this young. How do you manage to sleep when such a beauty is hugging you at night? Get up and do it! Do it big! I can’t even imagine how happy I’d be if I could hold a rudder like this and just work hard, rocking and shaking in the waves…]

[Sister’s words are really… something. Like, wear it during the day and I’ll check it when you come back at night. Is this hair ribbon proper? Is it some kind of chastity belt?]

While habitually tensing her body, Xie Shiwei couldn’t help but let her mind wander.

Since discovering that Sister was particularly slow, either not seeing certain marks or attributing her body changes to normal physiological states, Xie Shiwei was gradually less afraid of her seeing the wet marks.

As long as it’s not too, too much, I should still be able to sneak by, right?

The moment the thought surfaced, the legs that had been sitting steadily as her seat, completely still, suddenly moved.

Xie Shiwei instinctively raised her hands in fright and clutched Jiang Xiyao’s neck!

“S-Sister?”

Jiang Xiyao, who had been involuntarily educated with a lot of new knowledge, slightly curved her lips: “I just wanted to remind you that I’m done. Go take a look.”

It wasn’t until Xie Shiwei breathed a sigh of relief, muttered a blank “Oh,” and walked unknowingly toward the bathroom mirror that Jiang Xiyao lowered her gaze to the residual mark on her thigh.

Her crimson-colored fingertip nonchalantly touched a little of it, and when she moved it away, it pulled a long, fine thread of liquid—like spun sugar.

Not bad.

A little more than last night.

…

In the bathroom.

Xie Shiwei picked up a small handheld mirror and finally saw the braid on the back of her head. It was looser and more relaxed than a fishtail braid. The faint, dark green was hidden in her hair, with only a side braid showing at the tail.

It looked very elegant from the back, but when she put on her glasses and combined it with her thick bangs, it still blocked unnecessary prying eyes, achieving an effect of “secret vanity.”

[I love it! I love it so much!]

[Aaaah, this is a hairstyle Sister Jiang braided for me! Sister actually has such a skilled side! Speaking of skilled hands, I wonder how fast her hands move and how high the frequency is?]

Xie Shiwei happily changed into her clothes. She originally wanted to go into the bedroom to thank the beauty formally, but found that the other person had already gotten back under the covers, so she quietly slipped out.

When she put on her scooter helmet, Xie Shiwei realized she had a very extravagant thought.

This helmet is somewhat unworthy of my hairstyle today.

No, no, no. I can’t be this extravagant. This is just a little grace bestowed upon me by Sister during her time of “refuge.” If I treat this surprise as an everyday thing, I won’t be able to go back to frugality after she leaves! My life will be over!

Xie Shiwei quickly calmed down.

Throughout the day, since no one noticed the subtle change in her hairstyle, Xie Shiwei quickly immersed herself in her studies and forgot all about it.

It wasn’t until the evening, when she stepped into the magnificent Zhou household again.

The professional butler, whom she hadn’t seen for days, was leading her in. As she walked past him, he suddenly said:

“Ms. Xie, that scarf on your head looks very unique.”

Xie Shiwei instantly became vigilant.

For some reason, the way the butler looked at her hair ribbon reminded her of how Le Qiong had stared at her Buddha beads earlier.

Oh, come on! I didn’t expect these seemingly upstanding rich people, who already live in a palace, to covet a poor person’s hair ribbon too?

What kind of luxury scarf did Sister give her as a small piece of trash that even the Zhou family butler is yearning for?

Xie Shiwei immediately felt a strong urge to protect the hair ribbon, a feeling no less intense than when she heard the string of Buddha beads had cost Chu Chu’s mother 200,000 yuan.

Seeing the unreserved caution in her eyes, the butler paused.

Recalling the strong possessiveness that usually accompanied humans who acquired this material, he politely retreated before the young master gave any instructions:

“My apologies. I meant to say it’s very pretty and suits you well.”

Xie Shiwei politely said “Thank you,” but her expression showed she wasn’t quite convinced.

As she followed the butler again through the corridor displaying Zhou Jiming’s many bizarre collections, Xie Shiwei found that she still had no resistance to these strange objects.

In fact.

Perhaps it was her imagination.

She felt that as she passed the last, flawless, white statue of a right hand, which was supposedly a one-to-one replica of Jiang Xiyao’s hand model carved by a famous sculptor, that hand moved.

Xie Shiwei’s back prickled. She quickly fled into the room designated for the Zhou family’s young master’s tutoring.

She originally wanted to use the presence of the Zhou family’s young master to counteract the strange feeling.

However, the Zhou family seemed to specialize in producing these types of polite, quiet, yet somewhat unsettling children.

The young boy, named “Zhou Ji-shen,” not only maintained the same posture for a long time while listening to the lecture, staring intently at her with his large eyes, but also politely spoke up when he wanted to temporarily leave during the break:

“Ms. Xie, I need to go to the restroom. Please help yourself to some tea and fruit snacks and wait for a moment.”

He was like a robot.

Xie Shiwei had taught hyperactive children, or those who would suddenly burst out laughing at a random keyword, disrupting the lecture, or those who used internet slang, thought they were funny, and were rebellious.

She thought those “problem children” and the accompanying difficult parents were the scariest.

Now she realized that this kind of quietness, where even their breathing was barely present, was quite terrifying too.

Especially after Zhou Ji-shen left. She was the only one in the huge room, and there was neither the butler nor any servants in the hallway outside, giving her the frightening illusion that she was alone in the mansion.

Xie Shiwei had no choice but to turn into a hamster, stuffing fruits into her cheeks to overcome her fear with appetite.

Maybe it’s because she’s a poor commoner who can’t handle fine food, but the fruit the rich people chose… is so sweet.

Sweet to the point of sickening.

Xie Shiwei quickly picked up the expensive-looking porcelain cup, aggressively drinking the fragrant tea inside to suppress the sweetness. But when she put the teacup down, a strange drowsiness suddenly overcame her.

While she desperately pinched her thigh to stay awake, her eyelids couldn’t help but grow heavy and droop.

Before her eyes completely closed.

She was so sleepy she started having hallucinations.

She saw the statue hand in the display cabinet, which suddenly seemed to gain life. Its five fingers moved, the connecting plaster cracked and fell away, and the thumb and forefinger rubbed against each other.

Then, suddenly, they shifted.

Toward her…

And formed a heart shape.

Xie Shiwei: “?”

Before her consciousness fell into chaos, she thought: I’m finished, this is mushroom tea!

Xie Shiwei collapsed limply onto the table.

She did not see that after she passed out, the statue hand that had formed a heart had a flexibility completely unlike the cold rigidity of plaster.

Not only did it extend out of the crack and automatically pick the lock of the display cabinet, but after shamelessly crawling out, it quickly went to Xie Shiwei’s feet.

It sensed the intense presence of the main body.

The plaster hand affectionately rubbed Xie Shiwei’s ankle, like a puppy, whining for the main body to integrate it back.

But there was no response for a long time.

So, it opened its palm and instead wrapped it around the girl’s ankle, like a rope, wanting to hold her tightly to prevent itself from being abandoned again.

The icy temperature repeatedly rubbed against her sensitive ankle, causing the sleeping girl to let out a soft moan from between her lips.

The plaster hand paused guiltily.

Afraid of incurring the wrath of its short-tempered master.

After a moment, it opened its five fingers, quietly “walked” up the table, and touched the girl’s sleeping face. Still unsatisfied, it obsequiously lifted the girl’s head, which was resting sideways on the table—

Smoothly, gently, it let the small face sleep in its palm.

Only then did the plaster statue feel content and return to stillness.

…

Unbeknownst to it, this entire scene was seen clearly by a pair of eyes behind the corridor.

Zhou Ji-shen calmly turned around and walked toward his older brother’s study upstairs.

He was suddenly stopped at the door by the butler: “Young Master, the Elder Young Master is having a discussion. Please wait.”

He stood at the door, accustomed to being punished.

The conversation inside drifted out intermittently through the door.

“…Qiong is too loud in the basement… wailing that her face is ruined and that she’s going to kill Jiang Xiyao…” This must be one of the servants, Zhou Ji-shen thought carelessly, head bowed.

“How are the data results for the application on her? Are we still giving too much? Will the peeled-off portion still be subject to the main body’s recall and influence?”

This is his brother, Zhou Ji-ming.

The man who had promised to lead the Zhou family business to glory again by plucking out his eyes in front of the whole family, and who had invested heavily in building a secret research lab for this purpose.

Thinking of Zhou Ji-ming’s plucked-out eyes and the strange people who had been appearing in the house lately, Zhou Ji-shen lowered his eyelids and thought with a slight, knowing smile:

Did brother really pluck out his severely weak eyes just to show his determination to revitalize the family?

Speaking of which.

The cloth strip that his brother always wore over his eyes looked exactly like the material of Ms. Xie’s hair ribbon today.

Zhou Ji-shen’s thoughts wandered until he heard a voice calling him from the study:

“Let Ms. Xie try the new, reduced-dosage product for us again. Speaking of her, the medicine in the tea should be working now, right? Butler Zhong, let Ji-shen come in.”

Only then did the butler open the door, allowing the little boy to walk in.

The moment he looked up, he reverted to his puppet-like, obedient appearance: “Big Brother.”

At the same time, he saw countless cameras in the room, all pointed at the tutoring room where he had class.

The cameras captured Xie Shiwei’s unconscious body from various angles, making the entire setup look… truly perverse.

However, Zhou Ji-shen noticed that the statue hand was not present in the frame.

“Ji-shen.” His older brother asked softly: “Why are you here halfway through your lesson? Is there a problem with your teacher?”

Zhou Ji-shen smiled, playing the role of the affectionate younger brother with this older brother who used him as a human surveillance tool.

“Ms. Xie seems to have a very tough life. She suddenly fell asleep during her break time.”

He paused.

Thinking of the unsettling statue hand, he suddenly spoke with a look of great fear: “A-After she fell asleep, Big Brother, it seems something very terrifying happened in your collection cabinet.”

Zhou Ji-ming: “Hmm? Don’t be scared. Big Brother is here. Tell me slowly.”

Zhou Ji-shen described vividly how the hand unlocked the cabinet and climbed out.

But he omitted the last part—

The strange, almost tender scene of the plaster hand cradling the girl’s face and allowing her to sleep in its palm.

Zhou Ji-shen suddenly found this Ms. Xie quite interesting, and he wasn’t so keen on getting a new tutor anymore.

However, he’d better pray that this naive, foolish, and unlucky little teacher could survive a few more days under his older brother’s observation.

[Aaaaaaah!]

At the same time.

Xie Shiwei, who suddenly woke up from a nightmare, realized, upon seeing the opulent room, that she had fallen asleep while working at a student’s house. She felt like the sky was falling!

She frantically wiped her mouth, relieved that she hadn’t drooled. When she turned around, she was startled by Zhou Ji-shen, who had appeared at the door at some point.

“Ms. Xie is awake? I heard you have many part-time jobs. Are you too tired?”

Xie Shiwei’s face flushed: “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“It’s alright,” the little boy shook his head, calmly refusing her offer to extend the class time later: “I have other lessons after this. Today probably won’t work.”

He then pointed to a stack of gift boxes in the corner: “These are the latest skincare products developed by our family’s group. They have excellent whitening and anti-aging effects. My older brother said to take a set back to try.”

He stared at Xie Shiwei’s under-eye area with his large eyes: “It should also help with Ms. Xie’s dark circles, right?”

Xie Shiwei: “…”

You brat who’s only supported by good birth and young collagen, what do you know!

These are the hard-won marks of a struggling worker oppressed by life!

She twitched her mouth and politely, but firmly, declined.

Skincare products, like the hair ribbon in her hair, are easier to get used to than to give up. Don’t even think about turning this poor person into a target customer for luxury goods! She is very poor!

However, after leaving the Zhou house, Xie Shiwei found the familiar, overwhelming gift bag that she had just refused sitting on her hardworking scooter.

She frantically consoled herself: “Money is hard to earn, and hardships are hard to bear.” As she rode her shaky scooter home, she glanced at an expensive Japanese restaurant on the roadside and saw a familiar beauty leaning on the railing on the second floor.

The beauty was smiling, and the red mole on her lip was strikingly seductive under the izakaya-style lantern.

When the other person extended an index finger and curled it, signaling her to come closer.

Xie Shiwei sharply noticed a bunch of large, gold-chain-wearing men with an air of nouveau riche gathered around Jiang Xiyao, holding wine glasses.

She shrank her head back and pretended not to know her, turning away.

The people around, as expected, began to speculate:

“Holy crap, who is that great beauty trying to hook? Hey, hey, is she hooking me? It must be me! She’s looking this way!”

“Shameless! She’s obviously looking at me, alright? Oh, look at her narrowing her eyes. She’s mad now! Oh, that little expression is so provocative! Big Brother is coming over to give her a taste of my power, hehehe…”

Xie Shiwei was accelerating the throttle when she heard the first sentence.

But when the subsequent lewd laughter came out, she didn’t know what she was thinking. She angrily and supremely inadvertently swerved her scooter, cutting off the small motorcycle next to her.

“Hey!”

A menacing shout rang out. Xie Shiwei’s moment of righteous courage vanished, and she immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“Didn’t mean to? You little brat! Do you know how much I spent modifying this motorcycle? You can’t afford to pay for it even if you sell yourself! Hey, are you intentionally trying to get my attention here? Get lost! Pay up quickly!”

The arrogant voice drew gossiping glances from the surrounding crowd.

Xie Shiwei bit her lip, agonizing over her impulsive action—

Suddenly, a slender, well-proportioned jade hand landed on her handlebar.

An elegant, melodious voice sounded simultaneously: “If you can’t make money, go die. Why are you begging for food here with me?”

Xie Shiwei followed the hand up, and her eyes met the profile of the woman’s exceptional face.

The traffic lights cast multicolored reflections on her exquisite features, adding an eerie beauty to her elegance.

While Xie Shiwei was in a daze, the men who had followed Jiang Xiyao out of the restaurant started throwing cash and cards to defend them:

“How much do you want? Take it! Next time you beg, you’d better kneel and bow to me.”

But Jiang Xiyao ignored their eagerness and only looked at her. Recalling the blank moment in the girl’s inner thoughts, she suddenly spoke:

“You. Don’t go to the Zhou family next time.”

Xie Shiwei was shocked to hear her increasingly bizarre demand.

Her immersion in the beauty’s presence instantly cleared. She quietly asked her: “Do you know how much the Zhou family pays me? Sister, if I don’t work, I’ll be drinking the northwest wind tomorrow!”

Jiang Xiyao’s initially sullen face immediately softened at the sound of a certain address.

She smiled and asked: “What did you just call me? Say it again.”

Xie Shiwei: “…”

Please focus on what’s important, she thought, her face flushed.

Jiang Xiyao stared at her for a moment, then suddenly turned and casually pointed to a man: “You. Come here.”

She remembered this guy was the wealthiest among them.

The man, who was just aggressively cursing the motorcycle guy, instantly piled on a smile when he heard Jiang Xiyao summon him, and came over with a eunuch-like, pinched voice: “What is it, Miss Jiang?”

Jiang Xiyao ordered expressionlessly: “Now, take out all the money you have, sell all the stocks, houses, and cars under your name, and then transfer the funds to her—”

Her crimson-colored fingertip pointed at Xie Shiwei.

Xie Shiwei: “???”

She quickly pulled Jiang Xiyao’s finger down: “Sister, are you crazy?!”

Robbery is illegal!

Jiang Xiyao tilted her head, about to tell her that it was an honor for these prey to spend money on her.

But the man widened his eyes, looking at Xie Shiwei grabbing Jiang Xiyao: “Are you crazy?! Who gave you permission to touch her casually! You’re looking for death!”

Xie Shiwei shuddered, quickly released her hand, saw the green light ahead, turned her scooter around, and fled.

Jiang Xiyao’s face darkened. She looked at the retreating figure who was running away in fear, then unhappily turned back and snapped: “You rotten tortoise! Who told you to be a busybody and yell at her?!”

What if her little custard bun, who is so timid, was scared sick?

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiyao lost the desire to continue foraging outside.

Xie Shiwei is home. Why should she still be wandering outside?

…

Ten minutes later.

Xie Shiwei, who had just returned home and hadn’t fully recovered, heard the incessant, demanding doorbell ringing again.

This time, she learned her lesson and checked the peephole. Seeing the face of devastating beauty, she coldly locked the door instead.

“Xie~ Shi~ Wei~” The woman, hearing the movement, pressed against the door crack and called her name in a drawn-out voice.

She didn’t know if she was calling a soul or flirting.

“Let~ Me~ In~ Ba~by~”

Realizing the voice was becoming increasingly seductive, Xie Shiwei, who had initially covered her ears, suddenly remembered that the hallway had poor soundproofing.

Sure enough, she heard the sound of a doorknob being pressed in another apartment—

So, she quickly unlocked the door and, with the speed of lightning, pulled the beauty inside.

Jiang Xiyao didn’t mind her rough handling at all. Her face was full of the smile of a successful plotter.

She even became bolder, raising her hands to rub Xie Shiwei’s cheeks:

“What’s wrong again, my Xie Shiwei?”

“Are you scared again? That little expression looks truly pitiful. I want to bite it.”

Xie Shiwei: “…”

She realized that sometimes Sister’s thoughts were more jumpy than her own sudden high-speed thoughts.

[But, speaking of biting, why not focus on a more useful place than my face? If you have the guts, bite a more useful spot! I have plenty of places with more flesh.]

[Will it be a hard bite? Will it leave a tooth mark? The kind that’s faintly visible under the collar, but clear enough to trace your tooth shape when the collar is pulled open… Preferably left in a place that can’t be displayed, hehe.]

Jiang Xiyao saw the girl’s tightly strained face, a symbol of rejection, but the sound in her mind was a direct invitation.

The beauty narrowed her black eyes and deliberately spoke: “Are you blaming me for not behaving and sneaking out? Since it’s my first mistake, give me a chance to make amends?”

With that, she released her hands, walked into the room, and returned carrying a large cardboard box.

For a second, Xie Shiwei hoped the box was filled with money, preferably poured forcefully onto her face. She would gladly accept such a sincere apology.

Jiang Xiyao, standing in front of her, paused.

…Money? Money isn’t the only thing this custard bun loves, is it?

So, she deliberately and slowly moved the lid of the box:

“This is what I had someone specially pack for you when I had the furnishings changed. I saw you treasured it by your bedside before. It must be very important, right?”

Xie Shiwei, who had been expectant because Jiang Xiyao had specifically packed up her small “junk,” suddenly had a bad feeling when she heard the second half of the sentence.

At that moment, the lid was suddenly pulled open—

Inside was a dazzling array of colorful objects: pink, blue, yellow—all her little toys.

Even some she had forgotten where she hid in the closet and thought she had lost, Jiang Xiyao had found them all!

The moment Xie Shiwei’s eyes widened in shock.

Jiang Xiyao’s face, seeking praise, leaned in close.

“How is it? I didn’t miss any of your treasures, did I?”

She paused, then asked nonchalantly:

“But, what are all these used for? I’ve never seen them. Can you tell me about them?”

“And, show me how to use them?”