Chapter 29 Part 2

The boy chuckled sheepishly, his ears red, and shuffled closer in small steps. “Could I… get your contact info?”

Sixu responded calmly, “Sorry, I like girls.”

The boy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Haha! Well… that’s… that’s great, great! Beauty deserves beauty.”

Sob, good thing my so-called friends aren’t here, or I’d be the laughingstock of the entire semester!

The boy, full of pent-up anger, directed it all at the shameless man. He spat out, “Ugh, how can there be a man like you? You’re a disgrace to our gender! Officer, he’s the one who kept harassing those young ladies! They clearly said he got the wrong person, but he just kept pestering them. Arrest him!”

Zhou Han frowned, displeased, and glared at the high schooler. He said helplessly, “Officer, she really is my girlfriend. We had a fight earlier, and she’s just throwing a tantrum. If you don’t believe me, take a look.” He opened his phone to show the officer a photo in his album.

Zhu Beichen couldn’t help but mock him. “What girlfriend? From what you just said yourself, at best you were just chasing her, and you even took advantage of her. Why shouldn’t she slap you?”

“Some people are just way too full of themselves, thinking every pretty girl is their girlfriend! Open your damn eyes and look properly. My friend’s name is Sixu, not some ‘Ruru’!”

The officer looked at the photo, then studied Sixu’s frosty expression. Strange, the two looked quite similar. However, the girl in the photo had a very gentle aura, but her features weren’t as delicate. If you didn’t look carefully, you really might mistake them for the same person.

He sternly warned Zhou Han. “Even I, a police officer, can tell they’re two different people. You, who claim to be her boyfriend, can’t even recognize your own girlfriend? Young man, you need to watch your behavior! Apologize to these three young ladies right now!”

“But… she really is Liu Ruru.”

Sixu finally deigned to look at him directly with her proper gaze. She curled her lip. “Those dog eyes of yours are worse than blind. Officer, I suspect this man frequently uses this clumsy excuse to harass women. I hope you can properly educate him.”

“If you can’t use your corneas, maybe donate them to someone who needs them. Officer, I don’t want his apology. Just seeing him makes me sick. I’d like to leave now.”

“Alright. Be careful on your way, girls. Stick to main roads and crowded areas.”

“Thank you.”

Zhou Han was still unwilling to give up. He pressed, “You’re really not Liu Ruru?”

Zhu Nanxing’s fists clenched. She sneered, “Ruru your ass! Screw off! Say one more word of nonsense, and I swear I’ll shove your head right into your own pants!”

“Ahem.” The officer coughed pointedly.

Sixu, suppressing laughter, pulled her along. “Don’t waste words on people like that. Let’s go, quickly.”

Zhu Beichen smiled politely at the officer, and the three quickly left the area.

But Zhu Nanxing whispered, “Sixu, I saw that photo just now. That Liu Ruru really does look a bit like you.”

Sixu didn’t take it to heart. “You said it yourself, just a bit similar. It’s normal. There are even TV shows dedicated to look-alike impersonators mimicking celebrities. I’m just more worried about that girl Liu Ruru. Meeting a man like that is certainly bad luck.”

Zhu Nanxing nodded. “But she slapped him, so she showed where she stands. He wouldn’t keep shamelessly pestering her, right?”

Sixu and Zhu Beichen exchanged a helpless look. “Hard to say.”

“Ah, too bad we don’t know her, or we could help her out.”

Sixu poked Zhu Nanxing’s head. “You should worry about helping yourself first. Exams are coming up. Don’t fail again.”

“Wuwu, help!”

“Stop clinging to me. My phone’s ringing,” Sixu said.

She pulled it out and saw it was a call from Ah Man. Her eyes instantly curved like the crescent moon hanging in the sky.

Ah Man had sent several unanswered messages, and finally, unable to wait any longer, she called.

She sat on the hanging chair on the balcony, swinging gently. Before, this spot was where the two of them watched the stars and moon together, but now she was alone.

She touched the empty space beside her wistfully. Her voice was soft and lazy as she voiced her concern over Sixu not replying promptly.

Ah Man persistently demanded to know why her messages had gone unanswered. When Sixu explained, the smile on Ah Man’s lips faltered. She gripped her phone tightly but showed no outward sign of distress. “Good thing the police arrived quickly. My precious baby is so beautiful; how could anyone look like her? Don’t listen to his nonsense—that’s all old, cliché pickup moves. Were you scared? Maybe I should still come pick you up and bring you home, okay?”

So Zhou Han had still run into Sixu. Remembering the plot from the book, Ah Man’s eyes darkened profoundly. Clearly, a murderous intent had stirred within her.

Sixu touched her ear, which felt inexplicably warm. Lately, this demon had been calling her “precious baby” all the time. Truly shameless.

Though she mentally complained, she never once corrected Ah Man’s choice of words. Put simply: her mouth said no, but her heart said yes.

She didn’t want to constantly live together with Ah Man. The demon was like a clingy puppy, sticking so close Sixu barely had any personal space left.

However, she didn’t completely reject Ah Man’s suggestion. “Wait until the second half of the year. Then I’ll move off campus.”

“Alright, alright!”

“Back to my apartment.” Sixu had learned by now to be a little mischievous and tease Ah Man from time to time.

Ah Man tapped the floor with her toes, swinging the chair. “Then I’ll move into your place! I’m a demon; I can’t be away from my Demon Tamer for too long. Otherwise, my head hurts, my chest hurts—basically, everything hurts. I need kisses from wifey to get better.”

“Utter nonsense,” Sixu scolded through her laughter.

At that moment, Sixu lifted her eyes to gaze at the bright, clear moon. It cast a silver glow. Her eyes flickered with complex emotions. She murmured, “Ah Man, the fifteenth is almost here.”

Ah Man’s toes stopped moving. She became completely serious. Following Sixu’s words, her eyes also found that same bright moon.

Serene. Peaceful.

But that was just the surface. To Ah Man, the moon no longer seemed purely bright. There was a faint, eerie red glow shimmering through its haziness.

Ah Man laughed softly. “Sixu, trust me. I absolutely will not hurt you.”

Sixu pulled her gaze away from the moon. She thought maybe she’d been staring at it for too long, because her eyes suddenly felt sore and stinging, as if tears might fall at any moment. She suppressed the complexity in her heart and acted as if nothing was wrong while responding to Ah Man.

She thought to herself: In the past, I was never willing to entrust my life to any demon. But now, my resolve seems to have wavered.

Why had it wavered? Probably because she’d begun to truly care about Ah Man.

She didn’t want Ah Man to suffer. So she wanted to fulfill her role as a Demon Tamer. Even if it meant giving her own essence blood.

Then… she would do so willingly.

After all, Ah Man was her demon.

Today was April 14th.

It was the date Sixu needed to return to the Si family home. More precisely, it was the date all of the Si family’s Demon Tamers needed to return.

It was drizzling outside. Looking out the car window, everything was a murky gray, weighing down on one’s chest.

Sixu instinctively touched the silver bracelet on her left wrist, fiddling with the Peach Blossom Bell. The clear, pleasant sound temporarily released the oppressive feeling in her heart.

She didn’t want to return. Although the people there were all blood relatives, in Sixu’s heart, they were nothing more than monsters wearing human-skin masks.

They had no hearts. Their minds were filled only with the desires brought by money and power.

Accustomed to their lofty positions, how could they ever willingly lose it all?

“Miss Sixu, we’ve arrived.”

The Si Family Old Residence was the typical European-style villa common in Flower City. The only difference was the ivy climbing the courtyard walls. Its growth was so aggressive it had reached the second floor, so from afar it looked like it was enveloped by a mass of dark, murky filth. Just like every heart within the Si Family Old Residence—filthy enough to make Sixu feel sick.

Sixu wore a black dress, dignified and elegant.

She took the umbrella the driver handed her and walked silently inside.

Near the main gate, she saw a familiar figure. Sixu closed the umbrella, shook off the water droplets, and completely ignored Siqing, who was staring intently at her.

“Sister.”

It was as if Sixu hadn’t heard her voice. She walked leisurely along the covered corridor.

Siqing refused to give up. Her face sullen, she ran ahead and blocked Sixu’s path. “Sister! Are you deaf?!”

Sixu’s eyes were very dark and bright, like black obsidian, but they held no warmth. Her gaze was sharp. “What do you want to say to me? Do you want to try harming me again?”

Siqing reached to grab her hand but grasped at empty air. She didn’t mind. Anxiously, she asked, “Sister, can’t you just give me this chance? The Family Head might choose you! I know you don’t want to be treated as a plaything by the Family Head. I can take your place!”

“Truly! I did something wrong before, and Mom and Dad already scolded me. I know I was wrong. So, I want to take your place! I want to replace you!”

Sixu tilted her head slightly. “And why should I give it to you? A Demon Tamer must form a bond with a demon in this lifetime. So why wouldn’t I form a bond with this demon? A demon even the Family Head has to curry favor with—their status and power must be extraordinary. Do you really think I’m a fool?”

She bumped Siqing’s shoulder as she passed, her voice icy. “Don’t call me ‘Sister’ anymore. It disgusts me.”

Seeing Sixu’s attitude, Siqing’s eyes flashed with venomous hatred. So she’s decided, then? Then there was no need for Siqing to keep up the pretense any longer.

Seeing Siqing still trying to obstruct her, Sixu frowned in annoyance. She opened her small, dainty handbag and pulled out a gun. Her face impassive, she aimed it at Siqing. Her eyes were completely calm, as if she were holding a toy.

“Take one more step, and that bullet will go ‘bang’ right through your skull.”

Panicked, Siqing couldn’t help but stumble backward several steps.

Sixu’s lips curved slightly. Reading the terror in Siqing’s eyes, she smiled faintly. “The Auction House sells even Demon Tamers like us. Buying this was hardly difficult.”

“Don’t think you can keep being so smug! You’re not the only outstanding Demon Tamer in the Si family!”

Sixu turned her face sideways, her gaze flowing. She cast a mocking, contemptuous glance at Siqing before looking away.

A mere clown, nothing more.

Sixu gradually disappeared from Siqing’s sight as she made her way to her own room within the Old Residence. She was just straightening her collar in front of the mirror when a knock came at the door.

“Steward?”

“Miss Sixu, the Family Head is asking for you.”

“…Alright.”

The Steward knocked on the thick mahogany door. A woman’s voice answered from inside. The Steward stepped aside, signaling for Sixu to push the door open.

But what Sixu had never anticipated was this: the moment she pushed open the door, the Si Family Head grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall.

“You’ve got some nerve! A Demon Tamer of the mighty Si family, actually forming a bond with some low-level, insignificant demon? Sixu, I think you have a death wish!”

“I spent all that effort cultivating you, not so you could kneel and serve some other demon!”

“Sixu, you have truly disappointed me!”