Chapter 44: Exploitation

“It’s even taller than I imagined.”

Qi Ran sat on the edge of the skyscraper’s roof, a structure that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves. Her legs dangled over the side, swaying slightly. From this height, almost the entirety of Pingjiang City could be easily captured in a single glance. Below her, in the deep curtain of the sky, clouds rolled silently, a turbulent, inverted sea. The height of this building surpassed even the clouds.

Her gaze chased the shifting, scattered lights. The city’s nightscape was a sight one never tired of. Separated by the sea of clouds, it held an even hazier, more profound beauty. She reached a hand forward; her fingertips were so impossibly close to the cloud layer that everything seemed within her grasp.

“Is it beautiful?”

Miss Ah Qiao asked with a light laugh. Not far beside them, a giant LED screen assembled words in a flamboyant, cursive script, displaying the characters for “Green Water Center.” Qi Ran tilted her head back to look at it. Back when she was on that old, dilapidated rooftop, she had gazed at these four characters countless times. Today was the first time she saw their true form from such a close distance, and she realized it wasn’t as magnificent as she had imagined. It was even fair to say it was large and bloated, with accumulated dust and cobwebs on its iron frame, like a dying giant.

Qi Ran looked into Miss Ah Qiao’s eyes and nodded, saying softly, “It’s beautiful. Although it’s a little different from what I imagined… it’s beautiful.”

Unconsciously, she repeated the word “beautiful,” as if repeating a mantra.

Miss Ah Qiao seemed thoughtful. After a long while, she appeared to confirm something and spoke words that made Qi Ran stiffen slightly: “You like that woman named Tao Xiao?”

Qi Ran was speechless for a moment before replying, “Is it that obvious?”

She thought it over; she genuinely didn’t feel this was something worth denying. Making a clumsy concealment wasn’t in her nature.

“At least, it’s more obvious than you think. You have beautiful, expressive eyes, which isn’t a good thing. They betray your emotions before you can, for eyes can speak.” Miss Ah Qiao said quietly. “I’ve only been with you for less than a month and I’ve noticed this. Guess whether Tao Xiao, who lived with you day and night for two years, knows it too?”

“Miss Ah Qiao, did we come here just to gossip?” Qi Ran shifted the topic with some discomfort. She had never liked discussing such slightly private matters with others, not to mention Miss Ah Qiao’s last sentence had indeed cut like a sharp blade, stinging her deeply. “Let’s get back to the point. How do I use this place to find the girl you mentioned, the one surnamed Zuo?”

“No, you don’t understand the importance of this matter,” Miss Ah Qiao merely shook her head, to Qi Ran’s surprise. “I’m not particularly interested in your gossip itself. The problem is you must make a decision next. Do you intend to stay by her side and tell that woman Tao Xiao everything, or say nothing and completely distance yourself from her?”

“You know, even the most meticulous liar will eventually slip up. Rather than figuring out how to cover your lies then, isn’t it more responsible to decide early on?” Miss Ah Qiao said calmly. “So, what will you choose?”

Qi Ran stiffened slightly. After a long silence, she smiled soundlessly. “This suddenly reminds me of the superhero comics I read at Liu Xu’s place long ago. Those men in strange tights often faced dilemmas like this… I can tell Tao Xiao everything? I thought you’d say not telling her is the way to protect her.”

“Whoever writes those kinds of plots must not be very bright,” Miss Ah Qiao said bluntly. “Silly girl, tell me, if you were a supervillain, would you leave Spider-Man’s aunt alone just because she doesn’t know her dear nephew is Spider-Man? Wouldn’t that be a bit too principled and moral? The truly correct approach is to be honest and stop acting like a riddle-speaker. Communication is the best way to avoid misunderstandings and offer protection.”

“Either you choose to tell her everything and drag her into these matters; or you tell her nothing and distance yourself from her completely. After all, you don’t really need a guardian anymore. Li Siwen can provide you shelter and everything you need, and you might even still be able to go to school. Don’t you think that’s the best protection for Tao Xiao?” Miss Ah Qiao said coolly. “Haven’t you always wished for her life to get back on track? It’s simple. Have Li Siwen do a small favor, let Tao Xiao forget you. She can be free of all this… Just like you’ve always said, she can walk the path she was supposed to.”

Saying this, she smiled. “Consider it for Tao Xiao’s sake. Use Obliviate on her.”

Qi Ran sat on the edge of the building, her mind blank. Miss Ah Qiao’s words flowed in one ear and out the other. She felt like a balloon, pricked with a tiny hole, all her strength silently leaking away, leaving not a single trace.

“I’ll say this upfront: I don’t intend to interfere with your choice. In fact, I very much support you exploiting this emotion,” Miss Ah Qiao stated. “I have no lofty morals, nor do I plan to cooperate with people who do. You can absolutely tell her everything… After all, she’s an ordinary person, protected by the law. If someone harms her, it would be a good thing for you to exploit, because it means you’d have a legitimate reason to cooperate with those Executors.”

Qi Ran wasn’t listening to her at all. She suddenly recalled that flower… that blooming, azure blue flower. Only this time in the memory, the face changed to Tao Xiao’s. She stood before the flower, a round, glistening bead rolling across the ground towards her. She bent down, reaching out to pick it up. It felt a little sticky in her hand, a bit warm in her palm, quiet as always.

If she hadn’t seen the blossoming flower before her, she wouldn’t have guessed this round bead had once been so clear and beautiful.

“…I’ll talk to Li Siwen,” her eyelids lowered, her voice very, very slow. “The Executors already have Qi Xin. Sister will help me. You’re right, I don’t need Tao Xiao anymore. Her presence will only be my weakness, a drag on my future plans.”

“Didn’t you say your relationship with Qi Xin isn’t exactly good?” Miss Ah Qiao sat on an iron frame, her cheek resting on one hand, watching with keen interest. It was nothing like the “not caring about gossip” she had just claimed. “Why are you so sure she’ll help you?”

“Because we’re twin sisters,” Qi Ran said calmly, as if stating something utterly obvious.

“You mean she’ll help you for the sake of blood ties?” Miss Ah Qiao was puzzled.

“Of course not,” Qi Ran responded coolly. “I may not claim to know her completely, but compared to others, I’m the one who understands her true nature best. And the reverse is certainly true. Though she and I have many differences, we are essentially the same. Neither of us cares about blood ties. I simply want to exploit her, master her, use her like a chess piece… If I’m not mistaken, she’s making the same calculation about me. That’s even better. She’s not short-sighted by nature, so before the final division of spoils, we will be the closest of allies.”

“What a deeply moving sisterly bond,” Miss Ah Qiao clicked her tongue. “So how do you plan to contact her?”

“Wait,” Qi Ran said.

“Wait?” Miss Ah Qiao asked with budding interest. “You think she’ll contact you first? Why?”

“Who knows? I don’t really need her right now anyway. So, let’s test our patience, see who loses their nerve first and contacts the other,” Qi Ran smiled silently. “Given her personality, she’ll probably gain the Executors’ trust very quickly, won’t she? Perhaps after we leave here, she’ll be put in charge of investigating my matters… Maybe she can even contact me directly under the pretext of developing an informant network.”

“No matter what, the Executors can’t possibly be that naive, can they?” Miss Ah Qiao sighed, shaking her head.