Yu Xinman's hand, still paused mid-air, stiffened for a moment. An awkward expression flickered across her face—she hadn't expected Yu Zhi to reject her outright.
"Alright, Xinman." Yuan Li stepped in to smooth things over: "Your sister hasn't learned piano. Even if you let her listen, she wouldn't know the difference between good and bad. How can she evaluate you?"
On the surface, she seemed to scold Yu Xinman teasingly, but the undertone carried a barely perceptible dismissal.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xinman bit her lip and glanced at Yu Zhi apologetically: "Sorry, my bad. I didn't think it through."
Yu Zhi swept her gaze over the pair and inwardly let out a derisive laugh. This mother-daughter duo really is dull.
Her hands tucked in the pockets of her jacket, she lazily took a step and turned to walk toward the room at the corner.
"Sis, are you mad?"
Yu Xinman called out softly behind her, but the only response she received was the sound of a door slamming shut.
Her eyes locked onto the tightly shut door, her bright pupils now tinged with shadow, like a deep, unfathomable swamp.
**
The rain drizzled softly, cloaking the air in a thin veil of mist. The crescent moon gradually receded, vanishing into the pitch-black night sky.
Within Emperor's Scenic Heaven, the cool white glow from the square lanterns perched on tall posts along the roadside intertwined with the occasional flash of silver lightning streaking across the horizon.
Yu Zhi crouched in the bushes, surveyed her surroundings carefully, then raised her wrist and aligned her pupils with the watch face on it.
'Beep.'
The watch released a soft blue glow, and the bubble on the Yellow Star reflected a string of text: "Unit 099 at your service."
This watch was a compact intelligent robot that had accompanied Yu Zhi from the Interstellar era.
Its functions were incredibly varied and overwhelmingly powerful, even making it into the top ten of the annual Best Robot Rankings back in the Interstellar days.
Yu Zhi adjusted her baseball cap and lowered her voice: "Disable nearby surveillance."
099 vibrated twice, and the Yellow Star bounced up and down briefly. As the blue glow morphed into red, the task was complete.
The rain poured harder.
A clap of thunder roared through the sky.
"Crack—"
Silver lightning struck the tree trunk beside the bushes, scattering its branches across the ground.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed by. Too quick to be caught, it melted back into the darkness of the night.
Shi Family.
The study's window was gently pushed open, and a pale hand reached inside. Following it, a shadow darted through the opening.
With a soft thud upon landing, the window was restored to its original state, leaving only a few water stains bearing faint fingerprints.
Yu Zhi switched on her flashlight and tiptoed toward the desk.
The beam of white light scanned around the desk, then darted briefly to the wall before returning.
A square transparent jar occupied the desktop, filled to the brim with chocolates.
Yu Zhi glanced toward the door, hesitated for a moment, then placed the flashlight aside to take a chocolate from the jar.
Peeling away the golden wrapper, she held the chocolate below her mask, reached in carefully, and brought it to her lips.
As she bit into it, Yu Zhi squinted in satisfaction, savoring the bite while casually holding the half-eaten piece. Then she raised the flashlight and slowly moved behind the desk.
The rosewood display shelf against the wall was crammed with an opulent collection of porcelain, glimmering with understated luxury.
Yu Zhi froze, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on the ceramics. Her feet seemed rooted to the ground, unable to take a step.
Snapping out of her daze, she sighed softly: "Filthy rich." Not only were such valuable items shamelessly displayed in plain view, but not a single lock had been placed on them.
Yu Zhi casually tossed the flashlight aside and reached for the Ru Kiln Sky Blue Glaze Plum Blossom Wash at the very center.
Just as her fingers were about to touch it...
The lights turned on.
The warm golden glow illuminated the room, making her feel as though she'd been stripped bare.
Yu Zhi froze in place. When she turned her head, the figure had already advanced toward her, swinging a fist in her direction.
Quickly sidestepping, she dodged the strike and glanced up at them in that brief moment.
Their eyes locked in midair.
Though fleeting, the exchange of gazes churned up a violent storm in Shi Wei's heart, which had been calm mere seconds before.
Those eyes left an impression that was far too vivid, enough for him to identify her within an instant.
Yu Zhi didn't intend to hurt him, but the artifact was non-negotiable—a decision had to be made. After a moment's thought, she reached out to strike the back of his neck.
Shi Wei reacted swiftly, gripping her wrist firmly, his low voice devoid of emotion: "No fighting. Let's talk."
"Talk about what?"
Yu Zhi deliberately lowered her voice, hoping to avoid recognition.
The two remained in a tense standoff, the atmosphere now sharp and charged.
Shi Wei regarded her with an indifferent expression: "What do you want? The plot of land in the northern district? Or perhaps the latest season's financial report?"
Yu Zhi: "..."
She stared at him in confusion, her almond-shaped eyes still as clear and pure as ever.
But Shi Wei grew increasingly agitated. Reflecting on their interactions in recent days, his face twisted into a faint smile of mockery.
The Shi Family's tactics were clearly growing more sophisticated, going so far as to employ such roundabout methods.
Seeing her remain silent, Shi Wei tightened his grip on her wrist slightly: "Or perhaps… you want my seal?"
His ink-black eyes hardened, a frosty sharpness radiating from them, as though capable of piercing into someone's very bones.