Chapter 2
Xia'er closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the second hand of the stopwatch tick away in her hand.
59...
21...
1...
“Dong—dong—”
The giant clock tower in Zhongta District rang out loudly, reminding the people in the area that it was now six-thirty in the afternoon.
At that moment, an unusual commotion outside pulled her from her meditative state.
“Dong—”
A dull thud was followed by a slightly hoarse and angry female voice.
“Get lost! Don’t let me see you lurking around my doorstep again!”
Her sister was back?
Xia'er got up and walked to the window, peering through the gap in the curtains.
A figure with golden hair stood with her back to Xia'er on the steps outside, while in front of her lay a tall, thin young man wearing a newsboy cap.
As the young man fell, several others, also wearing newsboy caps and dressed in black suspenders and white shirts, emerged from all directions. One short man with a single eye helped the fallen youth to his feet.
Once upright, the young man swung a fist at the one-eyed man who had helped him, shouting, “What the hell? You couldn’t even say a word when you showed up?”
The one-eyed man stood meekly behind him, while the young man brushed off the dust from his clothes and looked at the golden-haired woman in front of him, casually saying, “Liqi, why are you so worked up? I just came to see my future wife.”
As soon as those flippant words left his mouth, the men around him burst into laughter, some even whistling.
Liqi’s fists clenched tightly, the veins on her forehead threatening to pop, but then she seemed to remember something, took a deep breath, and relaxed her hands. She simply said, “Get lost, Eddie. If I see you here again, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”
With that, Liqi turned and walked away, unwilling to say another word.
“Pah.” Eddie spat on the ground, watching Liqi’s retreating figure with resentment. “What a freak.”
His gaze instinctively flicked toward the window, where he caught sight of a petite red-haired figure peeking from behind the curtain.
“Xia'er~” Eddie exaggeratedly spread his arms and called out toward the window, “Long time no see!”
But the next moment, the curtains were drawn shut. Eddie didn’t seem to care; he continued to shout, “I heard you’re graduating the day after tomorrow. Congratulations! I’ll be there for the ceremony to meet your friends.”
“Since you don’t have any family, I can bring more friends along to support you. Hahaha!”
A wave of mocking laughter came from behind, piercing through Liqi’s mind like needles.
Liqi felt a surge of anger rising from her heart, her scarred face, as if splashed with sulfuric acid, began to twist in fury.
She worked so hard to send little Xia'er to a better place, completely distancing her from their current life and introducing her to better people.
If that punk caused a scene at the graduation ceremony, what would Xia'er’s friends and teachers think of her? The connections Xia'er had painstakingly built could be ruined in a single day.
Just as Liqi reached for the small knife hidden in her work pants, the door swung open, and a delicate, pale hand grasped her arm, pulling her inside.
---
**Chapter Two: The Death of the Future**
“I’m one minute late,” Xia'er said as she locked the door behind them and led Liqi toward the table. “The food is almost cold.”
The hostility and violence outside were dispelled by her gentle words and the warm atmosphere inside the house, leaving Liqi momentarily dazed.
She allowed Xia'er to guide her to the dining table, and only after Xia'er withdrew her hand did Liqi look across at her sister and say, “Xia'er, don’t worry. He won’t cause any trouble. Just focus on your graduation ceremony.”
“It’s fine.” Xia'er shook her head and gestured toward the stew. “Let’s eat.”
“What do you mean it’s fine!” Liqi’s fists tightened again. “That jerk will definitely spread rumors and ruin your reputation! This could affect your university interviews!”
“It’s okay.” Xia'er nodded slightly, tilting her chin toward the food. “Let’s eat.”
“Ugh...” Liqi wanted to say more but fell silent, picking up a piece of bread and dipping it in the stew before taking a bite.
Though Xia'er was small, her mind was sharp, and her words flowed easily. If Liqi tried to argue, she would only end up being slowly persuaded by her sister, so she decided to remain quiet.
As Xia'er watched Liqi devour her dinner, she slowly fell into thought.
Liqi, her sister who had been her only companion since childhood.
Though they weren’t blood relatives, they were closer than sisters. Years ago, during an accident when a freight cart overturned, Liqi had pushed Xia'er out of harm’s way, only to be splashed with corrosive chemicals that disfigured her face and burned her scalp.
The burns on her arms affected her dexterity, leading to her dismissal from the textile factory, forcing her to take a more grueling job at a coal mine.
There was no real difference; she had merely moved from a factory filled with cotton fibers and dust to one filled with more dangerous coal dust. Both jobs were physically punishing.
Because she was weaker than the other male workers, Liqi had to spend more time completing her tasks, earning a meager wage just to avoid being fired.
Most of the money Liqi earned—including the compensation for her chemical burns—went toward Xia'er’s education. Over the past three years, Xia'er had lived up to Liqi’s expectations, excelling in her studies and seemingly on the path to a bright future.
Liqi hoped Xia'er would continue her education and become a lawyer or a doctor, completely breaking away from their current life. This had always been Liqi’s wish.
But Xia'er clearly had other plans.
She had no intention of taking the entrance exams or asking for recommendation letters. As someone with a clear vision, Xia'er didn’t believe that furthering her studies was a viable path for her.
The tuition and fees for Ansu University College added up to nearly one hundred forty silver pounds.
Even if Liqi worked tirelessly, she could only earn about fifty silver pounds a year, even if she didn’t eat or drink.
Not to mention the enormous cost of living in the capital city of Ansu. Attending university was an unbearable burden for them.
Beyond financial constraints, there were various dangers lurking in their impoverished neighborhood, with predatory gazes fixed on them, like the thug Aian who had inexplicably latched onto Xia'er six months ago.
What could truly change their lives and social standing was not spending four or five years studying law at university, but rather applying for a recommendation letter from the Burun City Police Department right after graduation, allowing them to escape this dangerous and impoverished area.
As an outstanding graduate of a private academy in Burun, she wouldn’t even need to take an exam; a single recommendation letter would secure her a clerical position at the police station, enabling her to move away from this neighborhood and gradually find ways to improve their lives.
With that badge of authority, those thugs would no longer dare to target them. Then, she could save up enough for university tuition in a new environment, take the exams, and continue to climb the ladder, step by step.
“Sorry.”
A hoarse voice interrupted Xia'er’s thoughts. She looked up to meet Liqi’s gaze.
“I want to do better, to work harder... but I don’t know how.”
Liqi’s words revealed a hint of frustration. Working nearly fourteen hours a day left her exhausted, yet her scarred hands felt powerless against the relentless challenges of reality.
Seeing her sister’s self-reproach weighed heavily on Xia'er’s heart.
Wasn’t she also feeling guilty?
Having been in this world for three years, she had made many attempts... but crossing over wasn’t like a novel; she didn’t possess the “essential” knowledge that other travelers had.
She didn’t understand firearms, didn’t know the popular operatic verses here, and as a law student, she was clueless about any physical laws or inventions. All she could rely on was the test-taking talent she had developed through rote education.
The chaotic law and order here was no better than in her previous life, and law students couldn’t cast spells; her knowledge from her past life was utterly useless.
Xia'er had even tried to find some superpower or magic. She had visited various magical societies and psychic or spiritual associations, even attending their demonstrations.
But without a doubt, those were just deceptive tricks, nothing but illusions.
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