Chapter 4: 004 How the Qingshui Street Bully Was Made

—What? She was in the international class before?? (Confused face)

—How did she even get in?

—Everyone listen to me, Class 2 is the most miserable one, forced to drag an aircraft carrier along with them.

—Class 2 Study Committee Member: I’m so annoyed, our liberal arts class’s grades are being dragged down by her. It’s even worse this time, she got a zero. Because she cheated, our whole class is going to be mocked.

—Bai Shaoqi replied to the Class 2 Study Committee Member: Sister has already gone to Xiangcheng.

This was all the content in the screenshots.

The original owner hadn’t added Bai Shaoqi on WeChat, nor did she have Song Min’s.

Her "dog friend" (close friend) continued to message Bai Lian: [I’m so pissed off, she deliberately replied to that post from the Class 2 Study Committee Member, and everyone is spreading it like crazy. What exactly is going on? Are you really in Xiangcheng?]

Bai Lian: [As you can see, I am in Xiangcheng.]

Dog friend: [Are you a moron? Why go to that godforsaken place?]

Dog friend: [???]

Bai Lian: [[Smile]]

Dog friend: [Are you smiling at me?]

Miss Bai didn't quite understand the modern "smile."

She typed a question mark and returned to Baidu to search for topics that interested her.

Ji Heng didn't live in a residential complex; he lived on Qingshui Street.

In the undeveloped slums of Xiangcheng, there was a large area of single-story houses, dark and damp. Outside was a block, a lawless zone where the end of the street held bars, black markets, and everything else—it was extremely chaotic.

The river that faced Qingshui Street from afar was the border line between the two countries.

This area was particularly chaotic; in most cases, even the police didn't dare to intervene.

Yet today, one could see a few local police officers wandering around, with a small bulge at their waists—their service pistols.

Ji Shaojun took a look and was surprised: "Is someone patrolling today?"

"It’s only been like this recently." Ji Heng held his pipe and walked toward an alley.

Ji Shaojun nodded. It was better to have local police; at least it ensured some safety here.

After all, with a face like Bai Lian’s, this area was quite dangerous.

The alleys here were narrow and dim, with stone-paved roads. At the corners, there were piles of uncleared trash, and occasionally black water would squeeze out from under the stone slabs when stepped on. It was a different world from the brightly lit North City.

Bai Lian was quiet the whole way, offering no opinion on the conditions here.

After winding through several alleys, they finally reached Ji Heng’s residence. Surrounded by low-slung houses, Ji Heng took out a key and opened the door to a small courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large; in the middle stood a parasol tree, and under the tree were a stone table and a well.

Ji Heng took out his pipe and pointed to the room on the right. "That’s the room your mother used to live in. You’ll sleep there. The conditions are what they are; if you can’t get used to it, go back to the Bai family."

After saying this, Ji Heng turned and walked into his own room.

Ji Shaojun gave Bai Lian a comforting smile. Seeing that she didn't object, he breathed a sigh of relief and carried her suitcase inside.

Although the room was quite old, the items inside had been well-preserved and kept clean.

Bai Lian opened her suitcase, took out a pile of books, and arranged them on the desk by the window.

"A-Lian, you..." Ji Shaojun had expected the suitcase to contain her clothes or girl's cosmetics; he didn't expect a whole suitcase of books. He was stunned for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Don't worry about the school situation, we will find a way."

He went outside to find Ji Heng.

Bai Lian bent her legs, leaned against the desk, and flipped through the books, pulling out the math book she was most interested in.

She switched from math to geography and politics, then to English. English was the language she least wanted to look at; she skimmed through it briefly before looking at the final subject—

History.

The original owner studied liberal arts, so she would have history.

After about five minutes, she pulled out one of the history books. A test paper tucked inside fell to the floor. She bent down and picked it up casually, but her gaze landed on a question on it—

【20. Briefly describe Liang Zewen’s corvée and tax system. What impact did it have on the long-term stability of the Great Yong Dynasty? Why did his death push Emperor Jiang Wu’s usurpation to its peak?】

*Snap—*

Bai Lian abruptly shoved the test paper back into the history book.

Her breathing was rapid, her fingertips pinching the history book until it deformed, her rounded fingernails turning white. Her long eyelashes drooped, covering her trembling pupils.

**

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ji Shaojun saw from afar that Bai Lian was about to go out, so he walked out from the door and explained, "It’s very winding here."

Shen Qing and the others couldn't remember the way.

Bai Lian reached up to pull the hood of her hoodie over her head and shook her head.

"Alright," Ji Shaojun said. Seeing that she seemed a bit silent, he guessed she might be in a bad mood because of the Bai family, so he softened his voice. "Don't go too far. If you can't find your way back, call me. Stay safe."

"Okay."

Bai Lian walked back the way she came. She had a good memory; even though the roads were complex, she wouldn't forget them after walking them once.

Back when she was on military campaigns, she had drawn many of the maps herself.

"Two yuan." The middle-aged man at the street kiosk handed her a bottle of mineral water and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel around his neck. "Little girl, you’re not from around here, are you?"

She was extremely beautiful, with a unique temperament and an outstanding posture that was clearly different from ordinary people. The boss knew at a glance that she wasn't from here.

This Qingshui Street was an old district, a bluestone road more than three meters wide. At the end of the street, there were gambling dens, black markets, and bars—a mixed bag of people.

One kilometer further, it was even more complex: the border between the two countries.

It was a lawless zone; it wouldn't be unusual for someone to just disappear.

Bai Lian nodded. She used her Huami phone to scan the code and pay. Her gaze landed on the branches of the massive banyan tree next to the shop.

The banyan tree was in a temple in front, and the low houses next to it were all covered under the canopy of its thick branches.

The three-meter-wide street was lazily spanned by one of the branches.

Several red silk ribbons hung from it.

"The Tree God is over 1,300 years old," the shopkeeper continued moving the mountain of boxes outside his shop. Seeing Bai Lian looking at the banyan tree, he explained, "It’s our guardian deity. If you want to see it, you can walk two steps forward; once you enter the main gate, that’s our Tree God Temple."

Bai Lian’s long hair fell to the side. She leaned against the wall, looking at the tree trunk, her eyes revealing a hint of laziness. "Over a thousand years, huh."

She felt a few gazes from the side.

The shopkeeper put down a box of goods, and when he turned around, he couldn't help but tighten his grip on the towel around his neck.

Several people appeared on the street. Even though it wasn't a very hot day, the leader was wearing a white tank top.

The man in the white tank top approached, initially paying no mind.

But after catching a glimpse of Bai Lian’s exquisite face—the kind that made one want to conquer it—he casually grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the boss’s shop, asked the boss, and pulled one out to bite on. "Who is she?"

The boss was stunned for a moment and said nervously, "She’s my niece."

"You don't have a damn niece!" The man in the white tank top sneered, kicked him aside, and approached Bai Lian.

The boss was kicked to the side. "There are patrols these past two days, you, you guys..."

A few lackeys surrounded him. They were clearly very familiar with such scenes and didn't take Bai Lian seriously, standing to the side, smiling as they watched the farce.

Bai Lian glanced at the man in the white tank top. "Looking for me?"

The man in the white tank top felt his heart jump when she looked at him, and he took a big step forward.

He looked Bai Lian up and down, his eyes like a sticky venomous snake, and lit his cigarette. "Do you know that you have to pay protection money to come to Qingshui Street?"

"Protection money?" Bai Lian unhurriedly flicked away a leaf that had drifted onto her shoulder.

She tilted her head and smiled, her eyes seemingly filled with stars.

Sweet and obedient.

It made people very eager to conquer her.

"Yeah." The man in the white tank top couldn't resist and reached out to touch Bai Lian’s face.

In that split second, Bai Lian twisted the empty bottle and smashed it into the trash can.

As she turned to the side, she reached out and grabbed the arm the man had extended, using a great force to break his arm. She grabbed his hair with her other hand. The man in the white tank top screamed and tried to resist, but his head was slammed into the wall behind him!

*Bang!* With a loud sound, his head was fiercely smashed against the wall!

Fresh blood immediately seeped from his forehead.

The man’s features twisted in pain. He discovered in horror that he couldn't move, and could only stare at her with wide eyes. "You..."

Bai Lian grabbed his hair, smiling lazily, while using immense force to slam his head into the wall once more!

*Bang—*

Another sound, and more blood flowed out. The man in the white tank top saw stars and lost the ability to resist.

He was like a rabbit, left to be molded however she pleased.

No one doubted her skills. The man in the white tank top was the best fighter in their area, which was why he became the boss. The three lackeys to the side cowered away.

Bai Lian withdrew her gaze.

Her attention turned back to the man in the white tank top.

She was actually a bit curious about what the cigarettes that so many people in this world smoked tasted like.

Under the man’s terrified gaze, Bai Lian took his cigarette pack and slowly pulled one out.

Her crimson lips gently bit the filter. She lowered her eyelashes nonchalantly, and the lackey to the side immediately leaned in to light it for her.

The girl’s hair was a bit messy. Thin smoke drifted from her mouth. One hand held the cigarette loosely; her fingers were a lustrous white, clean and slender. Her other hand lazily gripped the man’s hair, and blood dripped from his face onto the ground. She lazily flicked the ash: "So—"

"Now, do you still want protection money?"

Lackey: You can't hit us just because you hit our boss =￣ω￣=

Fun fact: You can now cast monthly tickets on free novels too =￣ω￣=

Question: Is Miss Bai studying liberal arts or science?

(End of chapter)