Chapter 61: Escaping (Part 2)

  On this day, the sky was somewhat gray and hazy. The dim dawn light passed through the morning mist, through the gap in the curtains, and shone on Gu Huanli's face. Feeling the pale winter sunlight, her eyelashes trembled a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.

  After a simple wash and dress, Gu Huanli looked at the target on the wall, casually picked up the dart and threw it lightly, then turned around and left, leaving only the bright red dart in the bullseye.

  Today is the weekend, no need to go to school, so a day of training starts with a morning run. The Tibetan Mastiffs are still barking wildly behind her, completely disregarding whether there are still people lazily lying in bed in Shanzheng City, covering their heads with quilts. As usual, finish running a few minutes ahead of time, then learn to take on the appearance of a bodyguard, pick up meat and feed those hungry Tibetan Mastiffs.

  Until Zero walked out and called her, Gu Huanlin finally stood up straight and returned to the room to prepare for breakfast. The food in Shan Jian City was still the same, so she calmly drank the tasteless red tea, elegantly tore apart the slightly dry small round bread, and politely declined the fresh shrimp mango milk salad on the table. A good name doesn't necessarily mean a good taste, this logic Gu Huanlin had understood long ago. Moreover, this refreshing salad should have appeared in the summer when ingredients were abundant, but it suddenly appeared on the winter breakfast table, she thought that occasionally not revealing her picky side was not a waste.

  Next, Gu Huanli continued to practice her flying dart accuracy and strength as usual. Then she went to the arena to press legs and coincidentally had another match with Nan Xing. Unlike before, Gu Huanli narrowed her eyes slightly, playing with the white bishop in her hand that she had just eaten, and a small joy seemed to fill the corners of her mouth, as if failure was an extremely ordinary thing. After all, from her record of fighting against Nan Xing, she had yet to experience what victory tasted like.

  "The reason Ye is angry is that he feels like he has become a pawn in my hands, although there was no order, but the result wasn't what he had hoped for." Gu Huanli smiled and turned to look at the unpredictable weather outside the window. "But I'm not his pawn either, we're all pawns of fate." She said slowly as she knocked over one of Nan Xing's pieces with a loud clack, "It's just like this, although it falls down, it doesn't die, it just exits the battlefield, that's all."

  Nan Xing thought for a moment, then moved a chess piece.

  "This world has its own rules, which is a normal thing, but everyone also has their own rules. Sometimes, in order to survive, one must resort to extraordinary means, otherwise, they will face death. Death is the end of all things, although we also say it's a beginning, but what kind of beginning is it? Who can see clearly?" Gu Huanli's expression turned somewhat gloomy, as if recalling something, yet also affirming something.

  "I think everyone hopes to live a simple life. To be a carefree child, playing and having fun, crying and throwing tantrums when parents don't buy them toys, making a big deal out of small things. Gu Huanli sighed softly, a wave of sadness washing over her face. Unfortunately, whether it's me or you, such an innocent and simple life is just a fantasy. The first thing we can do is to avoid danger and stay away from harm."

  "Thinking about it, I feel that the things I've been busy with every day are actually a waste of time. The people I truly care about, I haven't spent time with; the things I truly want to do, I haven't accomplished even one...". Gu Huanli adjusted her posture, her tone somewhat tired, "I'm very exhausted, but only the direction and exit that I find for myself have meaning. Otherwise, all my efforts will be in vain."

  Nan Xing felt a sudden surge of emptiness in his heart due to her words, and as he looked at her lovely face, it seemed that he had always been neglecting her, a girl who was about the same age as his sister. Although she was a bit eccentric, she was the most resilient girl he had ever seen. Almost in an instant, he nearly forgot that this little girl was the successor of "Mei", and it seemed that there was a force in his heart that wanted to comfort her sorrow.

  He could reason that the girl in front of him was, after all, "charming". Suppressing some overly sentimental thoughts, he picked up his chess piece and continued their game, only to find that his usually steady style had become slightly disorganized.

  Before the game ended, Gu Huan Lian lowered her eyelids, and her black eyelashes covered her eyes. "Playing chess with you is a very interesting thing, unfortunately, it can't be replayed. So, I can only repeat your opening moves in my mind, repeat your techniques, repeat your offense and defense, after a long time, it's as if I'm playing against a virtual you." After finishing speaking, she picked up the chess piece and dropped it, saying lightly, "Checkmate."

  Nan Xing looked at her, nodded slowly, and didn't say much. After putting away the chess pieces, he left directly.

  "Impossible, Nan Xing actually lost to you!" Zero, who had arrived midway, stared at Gu Huan Lian's moving fingers in astonishment, unable to comprehend how Nan Xing, whose chess skills were only inferior to Ye's, could have lost to Gu Huan Lian. "Little girl, are you the legendary genius?"

  Genius?

  She looked at her, slightly hooked the corner of her mouth and slowly said, "There are quite a few geniuses in this world, unfortunately, I am not one of them."

  Ling shook her head, too lazy to engage in a war of words with her. After being together for so long, she had never gained the upper hand, and even the stupidest person would know to avoid her sharp tongue. She leaned over to take a look at the wound on Gu Huan's forehead and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, it won't leave a scar, otherwise, a beautiful girl like you would be disfigured."

  Gu Huanli lazily yawned, as if she had stayed up all night. Although she was wearing a pure white martial arts uniform, it couldn't hide her youthful appearance at all, like a painting. Her semi-transparent pale skin made people involuntarily think of the bright moon in the night sky, and a warm breeze under the sun.

  Upon hearing the faint yawn, Ling Xing silently let out a sigh. But she still jokingly poked Gu Huan's small nose with her finger, "This little girl of yours looks just like a hibernating bear, how can you not wake up no matter what?"

  "Kids are naturally sleepy." Gu Huanli lightly scolded, stood up and stretched lazily, muttering to herself, "Just thinking about that tough and chewy beef at noon, I really have no appetite. Since it's all tough and chewy, why doesn't the kitchen try stewing rubber? After all, it's vegan and natural."

  "It's the weekend, so it's normal to relax a bit. What do you want to eat, Auntie... no, I mean, sister? I'll buy it for you." Zero patted her chest and said with a smile. Anyway, she was going out this afternoon to get her hair and nails done, so buying back a box of cheesecake wouldn't be too much trouble.

  "On a winter day, the soft sunlight, combined with Pi's strawberry cheesecake." The corners of her mouth slightly curved upwards as Gu Huanli said longingly, "If it could be paired with the delicate and smooth taste of Darjeeling tea, then this afternoon would be so serene and beautiful."

  "Is it really that delicious?" Zero thought for a moment with some effort, and his eyes showed a hint of doubt. "I've never heard of a cake shop called 'i' before."

  "It's a small shop that just opened, but its pastry chef is actually an elite graduate of the French Blue Ribbon Cooking Academy." Gu Huanli smiled and looked at Ling, her words filled with admiration and longing. "You know, Pi's strawberry cheesecake is only sold every afternoon, and there are only nine pieces in total. If you go late, I'm afraid you won't even be able to see the cake crumbs."

  Her black eyes, shining like still water, turned around in a circle, then looked at her own white fingers, the bright red color on her fingertips. Although it was flawless, but to Ling, it seemed much duller than before. She was thinking about what color to change this time when a pleasant ringing sound came from her body. After answering the phone, she said a few words in a low voice, and suddenly her eyebrows furrowed, she turned around and stormed out, leaving only Gu Huanli alone by the window with a faint smile.

  After lunch, Gu Huanli, as usual, curled up on the sofa on the balcony. Although the sun was not intense, the leisurely afternoon always made her feel a bit drowsy. So, the book on her knees had not been turned over for a long time. She just lazily leaned there, like a small sleeping cat.

  It wasn't until the alarm clock rang that she opened her eyes drowsily, and before leaving the room, she casually picked up a few hazelnuts and put them in her pocket, which would be for afternoon tea.

  Walking at a moderate pace on the cobblestone path, her delicate face wore a sweet smile, softly greeting each person who passed by her side. Until she ran into Nan Xing, his silent face showed no expression, his eyes were clear and cold, as if they had been frozen for a thousand years.

  Today happened to be the day of the gathering in Shanjian City, so the city was a bit more lively than usual. Some people walked by and looked at Gu Huanlin, whispering to each other, and all sorts of rumors and gossip gradually spread.

  "Is this little girl the new 'Moe'?"

  "Yes, and I don't know what His Majesty was thinking, he actually chose such a yellow-haired girl."

  "Such an important position is given to an outsider... even if she's young, it's possible that she's a spy infiltrating from another organization."

  "Hmm, it's not that serious. I heard she's the eldest daughter of the Gu family and has nothing to do with the Taoist sect."

  "So that's how it is. It seems like a clean and honest identity after all. But how did the Gu family think of getting involved in our company's affairs, could it be..."

  "This is hard to say. Who can guess the master's mind? In those years, when he took over the Li Tian, there were several elders who did not obey, and as a result, they were all eliminated by the master, without even leaving a single bone."

  "But in the end, all of them will..."

  The pedestrian's words were not yet finished, but he was scared back by Nan Xing's gaze. His face was calm, but his eyes were icy and cold, like frost and snow, which made people's backs feel cool, and he immediately shut up and didn't dare to speak again.

  Gu Huanli looked at those two people with curiosity and asked in a low voice, "What will happen in the end?"

  In Nan Xing's eyes, which were as calm as still water, a faint glimmer of cold light seemed to flash by. His expression was as if it had been sealed with a layer of frost. He gazed at the two people with an icy stare, and let out a low hum. The two chatterboxes hastily lowered their heads, muttered a few words under their breath, and quickly scurried away.

  No one knew that when Nan Xing turned back, Gu Huanli who was originally standing behind him on the right had disappeared. He looked around and saw that the expressions of the hurrying helpers were nothing out of the ordinary, the bodyguards and the Tibetan mastiffs by their side were patrolling as usual in various places.

  Everything seemed normal, as if that person had never disappeared, or even existed. Yet, this tranquility made Nan Xing feel uneasy for the first time in his life.

  In an instant, how did she manage to escape from her own side?