Shadow Heir II: Dark Glory - Chapter 42

Inside a campus cafe at Linjiang University.

Jiang Wanxing couldn’t help but feel a spark of awe as she looked at the girl across from her. Even without makeup and dressed simply, she possessed a beauty that transcended the ordinary. No wonder Jiang Haobing was smitten! This was undoubtedly the undisputed campus belle of Linjiang University!

“Student Song Zhiyu, I want to apologize on behalf of my younger brother,” Jiang Wanxing recollected her thoughts and said. “I promise he won’t be so arrogant again, and he will absolutely not harass you anymore.”

Jiang Haobing stood behind her, head bowed, saying nothing.

Song Zhiyu looked directly at Jiang Wanxing, her tone neither subservient nor arrogant. “Thank you, Jie. But what I hope for more is that Jiang Haobing will not hold a grudge against Brother Wuji, the owner of Empress Bar.”

“I won’t, absolutely not,” Jiang Haobing said with an awkward laugh. Are you kidding? If I dared to hold a grudge against my sister’s savior, her terrible temper would surely cleave me in two.

“Rest assured, if Jiang Haobing dares to do that, I’ll make him drop out immediately.” Jiang Wanxing then asked curiously, “But, Student Zhiyu, could I ask what your relationship with Su Wuji is?”

Song Zhiyu looked up at the woman whose face held a powerful, heroic air. “Both a teacher and a friend.”

Jiang Wanxing pressed, “Can you elaborate a little? Don’t worry, I have no ill intentions, and my relationship with Su Wuji is quite good.” She then displayed her military ID card. “He helped me greatly while I was on a mission, so I want to understand him better.”

Seeing the military ID, Song Zhiyu finally lowered her guard and was willing to say more. “I came from Liangshan. Brother Wuji used to teach there as a volunteer.”

“A nightclub boss volunteering in the mountains?” Hearing this, Jiang Wanxing’s reaction was somewhat similar to Mu Qianyu’s back then. However, recalling the incident of capturing Sister Fen, Jiang Wanxing smiled and muttered to herself, That’s actually something he would do.

She then wrote down her number and handed it to Song Zhiyu. “If you ever go to the Capital, remember to call me.”

Song Zhiyu took it with both hands. “Okay, thank you, Jie. If that’s all, I should go. I have a tutoring job.”

“Alright.” Jiang Wanxing stood up as well, then casually asked, “How much does a college student tutor charge now?”

Song Zhiyu replied, “One hundred twenty yuan for two hours.”

Jiang Wanxing: “That little?”

She smiled contentedly. “I’m tutoring an elementary school student. That’s already quite a lot for me.” Although Song Zhiyu had a scholarship, she still wanted to earn more money on her own. With her talent, taking two hours a day to tutor still allowed her to easily finish her university assignments. One hundred twenty yuan a day meant nearly four thousand yuan a month, which was enough for more than half a year of Song Zhiyu’s living expenses.

Jiang Wanxing couldn’t help but recall seeing Song Zhiyu in the cafeteria earlier. The girl was eating a simple steamed bun, a plate of stir-fried greens, and a jar of unbranded chili sauce.

“Sis, Sis…” A few minutes later, Jiang Haobing tugged on Jiang Wanxing’s sleeve. “Sis, she’s gone far away. What are you still spacing out for?”

Jiang Wanxing recalled Song Zhiyu’s satisfied expression when mentioning the one hundred twenty yuan, then looked at her brother, instantly filled with exasperation. “One hundred twenty yuan is not even enough for a day’s worth of gas for your G-Wagon! Look at her, then look at yourself! Why are you so useless!”

“Sis, I can’t compare to a genius like Song Zhiyu. She was a top-ten student in Sichuan Province. She could have chosen one of the two top universities in the Capital, but she chose Linzhou University instead…” Jiang Haobing pouted and continued, “How is this place as good as the Capital? Who is even here in Linzhou?”

The guy’s answer was completely irrelevant.

However, that sentence made Jiang Wanxing recall something. She opened her phone, accessed an app, entered a long password, and then typed Song Zhiyu’s name into the search bar. Very few people in the country had that name, and only one was from Sichuan Province.

Tapping on the entry, Song Zhiyu’s full profile appeared on the screen.

Jiang Haobing leaned over. “Field research on her household register?”

Jiang Wanxing slapped the back of Jiang Haobing’s head, her eyes still glued to the screen. “Song Zhiyu, eighteen years old, graduated from Liangshan Tianji Middle School, ID number…”

The moment she saw “Tianji” , she instinctively thought of Su Wuji.

Is there a connection between these two? Jiang Wanxing murmured to herself.

She then looked up the history of Tianji Middle School, and the shock in her heart intensified.

“It seems this school was likely donated by Su Wuji,” Jiang Wanxing’s eyes were full of astonishment. “It only accepts impoverished students yet boasts a one hundred percent college admission rate. This reckless-looking guy could practically be a representative for ‘Moving China.'”

“Sis, what are you muttering about?” Jiang Haobing still didn’t understand.

“I need to leave for another city first. You stay put at school, or else…” Jiang Wanxing said, and rushed out in a flurry.

She then, inexplicably, bought a plane ticket to Sichuan Province!

In the taxi, Jiang Wanxing made a call. “Chief, I’m heading to Liangshan. Have the Special Intelligence Unit prepare a car for me at Sichuan Central Airport.”

“What are you going to Liangshan for?” the Director of the Top Secret Operations Department asked.

Jiang Wanxing: “Mind your own business. Personal matters.”

Director: “I am minding it. You can’t use an official car for personal matters, or I’ll deduct your bonus.”

“How many times have I used a car and paid for the gas and repairs myself?” Jiang Wanxing countered. “Just arrange the car for me.”

Director: “Do you need me to send reinforcements?” He was a kind man despite his harsh words.

Jiang Wanxing simply hung up the phone.

It wasn’t until the plane took off that the major, lost in her thoughts, seemed to snap back to reality. She softly muttered, I must be crazy.

Blue skies and white clouds sped past the window. Jiang Wanxing’s mind raced.

Growing up surrounded by the children of the compounds and powerful families, Jiang Wanxing had seen plenty of deception, infighting, false courtesy, and hidden knives. That was why she chose the same path as her father. After all, the place where only willpower and military merit spoke was relatively much simpler.

But this time, Su Wuji truly brought her a completely new feeling. Whether it was catching Sister Fen or volunteering as a teacher, his style of acting without seeking personal gain resonated deeply with Jiang Wanxing, who hailed from the special forces. She could also roughly guess why an excellent girl like Song Zhiyu would reject the offers from the two top universities in the Capital and choose Linjiang University.

Wait a minute. Jiang Wanxing suddenly remembered something from when she reviewed Song Zhiyu’s file.

Her ID number seems to be…

Jiang Wanxing pulled up the app interface and read out Song Zhiyu’s ID number.

“…” Her eyes widened.

The first six digits of this ID number were exactly the same as hers! This was the ID number prefix for the Central District of the Capital! The Capital had a social hierarchy based on ID number prefixes, and the prefix starting with was at the very top of that chain! The current Central District was where the old Imperial City used to be!

Jiang Wanxing was puzzled, muttering to herself, That’s strange. How could a girl raised in Liangshan have an ID number from the Central District?

By the time Jiang Wanxing landed, it was already ten o’clock at night. She had no choice but to stay at the airport for the night and drive to Liangshan the next day.

Before going to sleep, Su Wuji sent a message: I’ve been washed up and waiting for ages. Where are you?

Jiang Wanxing replied: I have another mission. I won’t be back tonight. Go to sleep first.

He quickly sent a reply: Oh, remember not to dirty the couch outside.

Jiang Wanxing buried her face in the blanket, laughing uncontrollably. She replied: No, I’m only interested in your couch.

After laughing, she felt her cheeks flush. That kind of joke seems a little too intimate.

Immediately, she received a picture. It was a big, bare leg, with a hint of leg hair.

The picture was captioned: See, I really did wash up.

“How disgusting,” Jiang Wanxing muttered in feigned annoyance, but her lips were still curved upward.

Su Wuji sent another message: For the sake of fairness, let me see yours.

“Let him see mine?” Jiang Wanxing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She only replied with four words: I’m asleep.

However, Major Jiang didn’t seem to feel much like sleeping. She reviewed the chat history with Su Wuji a few times, and even zoomed in on the leg photo for a closer look.

On an impulse, she stretched her long, toned leg out from under the blanket, held up her phone, took a picture, and sent it.

She also added a caption: Fine, I’ll let you off this time.

In truth, the level of exposure was similar to when Jiang Wanxing usually wore summer athletic wear, but a leg poking out from under the blanket carried a much stronger sense of intimacy and provocation than usual!

I must be crazy.

After saying that, Jiang Wanxing, her cheeks burning hot, turned off her phone and pulled the covers over her head to sleep.

NOTES

“Moving China.” An annual official state media award given to role models who have made extraordinary moral contributions to the nation. Su Wuji’s actions are compared to this level of selfless dedication.

Jie: Used as an honorific for “older sister.” Song Zhiyu uses this to address Jiang Wanxing respectfully, despite their similar ages.