Shadow Heir II: Dark Glory - Chapter 16

202Song Zhiyu glanced at the wall clock, hesitated, then said softly, “Um… Wuji-ge, Qianyu-jie, it’s getting late. The dorms lock their gates at midnight. I should get going.”

She didn’t want to leave.

Su Wuji raised a brow. “Then why are you still standing there? Go.”

Mu Qianyu gave him a playful smack. “Can’t you talk like a normal person?”

“Fine.” Su Wuji’s tone shifted into exaggerated authority, like an old uncle dispensing life advice. “Study hard while you’re still in school. Strive for excellence every day. If you get a scholarship, remember to buy your grandma a few new outfits.”

Song Zhiyu’s eyes were clear, serious, and full of resolve. “Mm. Don’t worry, Wuji-ge. I’ll get one.”

Mu Qianyu suddenly seemed to recall something. “Zhiyu, how’d you score on the college entrance exam?”

“Seven-twelve.”

“Seven-twelve?” Qianyu’s eyes widened. “That’s gotta put you top ten in Sichuan Province! With that score, you could’ve gotten into either of the top two universities in the capital. Why’d you choose Linjiang University?”

Su Wuji threw up his hands, an expression of tragic regret on his face. “Exactly! I told her it was a terrible choice—like her brain had a hole in it.”

He sure sounded confident for someone who’d just claimed he didn’t know she got into Linjiang University. Now he was slipping up left and right.

Zhiyu gave him a look—soft, clear, eyes shining with a light all her own. “Linjiang University’s great, too. It’s ranked third in the nation.”

Qianyu caught that look, and in an instant, she understood why Zhiyu had picked Linjiang.

She chuckled lightly. “Zhiyu, it’s late. The buses and subway have already stopped running. Let Wuji-ge drive you back. It’s safer.”

Right then, Xiao Yinlei entered with a freshly cut fruit platter. She overheard the line and looked visibly surprised.

Was the boss lady… helping Song Zhiyu make a move?

Zhiyu waved her hands quickly. “Qianyu-jie, there’s no need to trouble Wuji-ge. I can ride a shared bike.”

Twenty kilometers on a bicycle?

This girl’s thriftiness came from the marrow of her bones.

Su Wuji was already rising to his feet. “What a hassle. Fine, I’ll drive you back. Maybe I’ll spot a few cute freshman girls on campus.”

As if any random girl could outshine the two sitting here—Song Zhiyu and Mu Qianyu. One was the former campus belle, the other the current reigning queen.

Zhiyu stood, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, quiet and lovely.

Once they headed downstairs, Qianyu also prepared to leave. But before stepping out the door, she suddenly turned back.

“Xiao Pang, what do you think of your boss? What kind of person is he?”

It was a tricky question. Xiao Pang took it seriously, thinking for a moment before replying, “I’m not sure if Boss counts as a ‘person.’”

“What?” Qianyu laughed despite herself. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He answered solemnly, “Because the finance team always says, ‘Boss, we beg you—please be human just once!’”

Mu Qianyu couldn’t hold it in anymore. She doubled over laughing. That bright, unrestrained smile lit up the night like spring had arrived early.

Two minutes later, the battered Santana downstairs roared to life, belching exhaust so foul it made nearby guests instinctively take a few steps back.

Parked beside it was a gleaming Mercedes G63 with capital city plates. A small group of young men, none over twenty, stood next to it.

“Damn, I haven’t seen one of those rust buckets in years. That thing’s ancient.”

“Can that even sell for a thousand yuan now? How does someone have the nerve to drive that to Queen Bar to hit on girls?”

“He probably wants to put on a show. But with that ride? Bet he can’t even afford a bottle inside.”

One of them, dressed head-to-toe in a blue LV summer set, suddenly gawked.

“Am I seeing things? Is that… Song Zhiyu in the passenger seat of that Santana?”

“Jiang-shao, no mistake—it is that campus belle.”

Cigarette forgotten, the young master in LV flung open his car door. “Get in. Let’s follow them.”

Engines roared to life. A Mercedes G-Wagon and a Porsche Cayenne peeled out of the lot, hot on the trail.

At the same time, Mu Qianyu and Li Qingchen stepped out of Queen Bar.

Seeing the commotion, Qianyu gave a faint smile. “Uncle Chen, I think one of them’s from the Xu family in Linzhou. Go keep an eye on things. If they so much as think about messing with my comrade-in-arms… teach them a little lesson.”

She paused. “No need to tell Wuji.”

———

Inside the creaking Santana, Su Wuji was quiet most of the ride.

Gone was the flirtatious cad from earlier. Sitting beside the pure, unguarded Song Zhiyu, he didn’t say a single word that could be misconstrued.

Zhiyu sat in the passenger seat, silent as well. Hands folded neatly on her knees, her posture rigid—tense.

“Look to the right,” Su Wuji finally said, lifting a hand to point out the window. Linjiang’s night light show. Pretty nice, huh?”

“Oh.”

The moment he spoke, she visibly relaxed. Her head turned eagerly toward the glass, where the city lights shimmered like a dream.

“So beautiful…” she breathed.

Reflected in the window’s glow, her delicate profile was bathed in color and light. For a moment, she didn’t seem quite real.

“Your grandma’s health holding up?” Wuji asked suddenly.

In truth, Song Zhiyu had just been thinking the same thing: If only Grandma could be here to see this.

Back in that silent mountain village, once night fell, all they had was cold moonlight and distant starlight.

“She’s not as strong as before,” Zhiyu said softly. “But she can still take care of herself. She’s seventy-one this year.”

Su Wuji chuckled. “When I visited four years ago, she was climbing the cliff paths faster than I. Up ladders, down slopes—light on her feet.”

Zhiyu’s village sat high atop a cliff. To reach it, you had to scale a near-vertical trail—what locals called a “ladder to heaven.” It took over an hour to climb.

Over the years, thanks to donations, that trail had been rebuilt with steel and concrete. Still steep, still demanding.

Just picturing Zhiyu lugging forty pounds of fruit down that path and out of the mountains made Su Wuji frown.

“Wuji-ge, are you upset?” she asked nervously, catching the change in his expression. She bit her lip.

“You need to learn to prioritize,” he said bluntly. “With your exam score, not choosing one of the top two universities in the capital was beyond foolish.”

He sounded every bit the stern teacher.

“I can always apply for graduate school there later,” Zhiyu replied with a soft laugh, catching the warmth behind his scolding. “But compared to the capital, I do prefer Linzhou.”

“That’s just stupid,” Wuji shot back. “Even if you love Linzhou, you could’ve studied in the capital and moved back after graduation.”

“But that would take four years.”

And I don’t want to wait four years.

Su Wuji’s face darkened. “With your looks, there’ll be plenty of boys chasing after you on campus. Before you decide to date anyone, open your eyes.”

Zhiyu’s smile bloomed—warm, radiant. “Don’t worry. I won’t date anyone in school.”

“Good.” A pause. “Not outside of school either.”

She glanced at his profile. Said nothing. Didn’t agree.

Silence returned to the car.

“Turn right up ahead,” Su Wuji said. “We’ll be at Linjiang University.”

Zhiyu blinked. “We’re here already? That half hour flew by. Thanks for the ride, Wuji-ge.”

Su Wuji suddenly spoke again, his voice flat.

“Don’t come looking for me at Queen Bar anymore.”