Chapter 13: The Ghost in the Alley

Xia Lan raised her fist and brought it down hard on the agent's jaw.

CRACK!

He crumpled to the ground, clutching his face, a pained wail escaping his lips as tears welled in his eyes.

"Aghhh—my jaw! Please!"

Before he could recover, Xia Lan stepped forward and planted her foot firmly on his stomach.

Then she pressed down—slowly, deliberately.

"AHHHH! Please, please! I won't do it again! I swear! Please, let me go! S-sob… sob…"

His voice broke into desperate cries, tears and snot mixing as he writhed beneath her heel.

Xia Lan stared down at him, expression cold and unmoved.

Xia Lan looked down at the trembling man beneath her.

Now you're screaming like a coward, she thought, her gaze unreadable. But where was this fear when you were ruining those girls' lives? When you thought no one could touch you?

Her fists clenched.

"If I hadn't been that weak back then…"... Would I have just let you go?

A chilling calm settled over her features.

But now... now I have strength.

She crouched down slowly, her eyes cold and merciless as they met his.

He whimpered, trying to crawl away—but Xia Lan grabbed his arm.

CRACK!

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!"

He screamed in agony, the sound echoing off the alley walls.

Before he could beg again, she grabbed the other arm.

CRACK!

"NOOOO!! PLEASE—STOP!!"

His voice turned hoarse from pain.

Xia Lan stood, her expression still icy.'

His eyes rolled back as his head hit the ground with a dull thud… unconscious from the pain.

Xia Lan stood up, her expression unreadable. Without sparing him another glance, she turned and walked out of the alley.

By the time she arrived home, the sun was starting to set, casting a warm glow across the small Apartment.

As soon as she opened the door, Lu Zhi rushed over and grabbed her by the arms.

"Did you get selected?!" she asked anxiously, eyes wide with anticipation.

Xia Lan looked at her, then smiled softly. "Yeah. I got selected. After the school exams, I'll join the idol program."

Lu Zhi's face instantly lit up with excitement.

"That's amazing! Don't worry—I'll vote for you every day! And if it's not enough, I'll hack the voting site and get you millions of votes, hehe!"

She grinned mischievously, rubbing her hands like a villain from a cartoon.

Xia Lan blinked at her, lips twitching. Then she flicked Lu Zhi on the forehead with a light snap.

"Ow!" Zhi yelped, rubbing her head.

"Idiot," Xia Lan said, shaking her head. "If you do that, I'll get kicked out. So thanks—but no thanks."

"But I was just trying to help…" Zhi muttered, pouting as she sulked on the side like a scolded puppy.

Xia Lan let out a rare chuckle.

"Okay, I ordered the food," Zhi said as she brought out a steaming hot pizza from the kitchen and placed it in front of Xia Lan. "After you eat, go get some sleep. We've got exams tomorrow—ugh, what a pain. And I need to head home now too—my parents are coming back today."

Xia Lan nodded and took a slice, the warmth of the food comforting after the long day.

After they finished eating, Zhi grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow! Don't forget to review at least a little, okay?" she called out, flashing a grin.

Xia Lan stood by the entrance, watching her go. "Bye, Zhi. Be careful on the way."

With a wave, Lu Zhi disappeared through the front door, and the apartment slowly settled into silence.

As Xia Lan returned to her room and was about to crawl into bed, the sudden ring of the doorbell broke the quiet.

Her instincts kicked in instantly—body tensing, senses sharp. But after a second, she reminded herself: You're not Viper anymore.

Letting out a slow breath, she walked toward the door and opened it cautiously.

Standing there was a tall man with a cold expression. He wore gold-rimmed glasses that gave him a refined, detached air. He adjusted them slightly as if buying time to speak.

"Ah—" he began, but hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

Xia Lan raised a skeptical eyebrow, already unimpressed. She began to close the door.

But the man suddenly reached out and caught it, holding it open with one hand.

"My name is Shen Wu," he said quickly. "My parents sent me to pick you up."

Xia Lan paused, frowning. "Shen Wu? And why would your parents send you to pick me up?"

Shen Wu looked at Xia Lan with disbelief. "Didn't Officer Hua tell you? Your parents are coming to pick you up."

A sudden realization dawned on Xia Lan.

Oh right… I almost forgot about that.

She gave Shen Wu another once-over, eyes narrowing slightly. "So? Where are they? And don't tell me you're my dad or something, because I definitely won't believe that."

Shen Wu's face twitched with irritation. "The DNA test showed a sibling match between us, alright? Brother-sister relationship. And just so we're clear…" —his gaze turned cold— "I don't want to be your brother."

Then, with a chill in his voice, he added, "Don't think you can replace Shen Li."

As she heard Shen Li's name, her thoughts drifted to the girl in class—the way Shen Li looked at her.

"Oh… so that's why she was staring at me like that, huh?"

Then Xia Lan stared at him with a blank expression, clearly unimpressed. She gave a casual yawn.

"Are you done with your childish threats?" she asked flatly. "If so, then get lost. I need to sleep. Come back tomorrow."

Without waiting for a response, she slammed the door in his face.

"Ah—"

Shen Wu stood there in stunned silence.

"…Childish threat?" he mumbled to himself, dazed. "But Assistant Xiao said this is my most fearsome expression…"

By the time Shen Wu snapped out of his daze, he realized the door was firmly shut in his face.

His expression darkened, and he shouted toward the door, "You rude girl! How dare you slam the door on me! Where are your manners?"

Inside the apartment, the word manners struck a nerve in Xia Lan's mind. Her eyes dimmed as a flood of memories rushed back.

After joining the Crimson Blood assassin organization, she had lost her identity—her name, her past—everything. From that day forward, she was only known as Viper. That name only changed temporarily when she was sent on missions. The first four years were hellish: endless training, constant surveillance, and missions where she was forced to torture criminals.

But it didn't stop there.

Eventually, they began sending her targets who were innocents. People who had done nothing wrong. That was when the training became unbearable—soul-crushing.

As time passed, she grew stronger. Strong enough that even the organization's leader couldn't match her in combat. And one day, she snapped. With a gun pointed at his head, she made her final stand.

"I will never harm innocents again. After I retire, I'm going back to China. If I ever see one of your people step foot there… I'll kill them without mercy."

The leader had agreed on the surface, but Xia Lan could feel the hatred burning in his eyes. He hadn't forgiven her.

Snapping back to the present, Xia Lan's gaze hardened as she stared at the closed door. Her lips curled into a cold smirk.

Should I give this bastard a dose of "manners"?

But after a moment, she shook her head and muttered to herself, "Hmph… If my parents turn out to be decent people, beating him up could cause more trouble. I can't risk hurting them."