Chapter 1: Finally, I Won’t Have to Go to Lan Xiang!
College entrance exams… I failed miserably.
I, Xia Xiaolan, achieved an all-time low in my academic performance. I feel so frustrated…
I mean, I don’t consider myself intellectually inferior to others, so why is it that I struggle to retain the information I study? I understand each question thoroughly! However… somehow, I manage to make small errors in almost every single one…
Those few mistakes, accumulated over time, result in me achieving the lowest score possible.
Although my father has never uttered a word of reproach, it only intensifies my anguish, guilt, and shame!
Sometimes, I even wish my father would scold and reprimand me, maybe even give me a good thrashing, and then throw me and my belongings out of the house in a fit of anger!
Hmm… come to think of it, I don’t seem to possess any survival skills either…
“Ding-dong, ding-dong.” The doorbell rings, and I hastily exclaim, “I’ll get the door!”
Since I didn’t perform well in the exams, I should just stay home and behave myself.
Lately, those meddling aunts and busybodies have been the bane of my existence. Every time they see my father, they bombard him with questions like, “How did your daughter do in the exams?”
“My son got into Tsinghua University!”
“My daughter got into Peking University!”
I despise it!
It’s despicable to show off like that!
When they encounter my father, he merely smiles, but it weighs heavily on my heart. I yearn for my father to proudly hold his head high and declare, “What you’ve achieved is nothing compared to my daughter’s accomplishments! She got into Oxford!”
Sigh… but alas, going to Oxford is out of the question now. However, I can at least consider attending New East (New Oriental)…
With enthusiasm, I rush to the door, hoping to redeem myself during the summer vacation with my diligent hands.
As soon as I open the door, I’m taken aback!
“Oh my goodness!”
What do I see? Two men dressed in black!
Black suits, black sunglasses, and one of them even has a black ring on his middle finger adorned with a peculiar emblem resembling a yin-yang symbol! They even have earpieces, resembling those worn by bodyguards!
These two towering figures in black stand before me with stern expressions, resembling door gods. No, it’s more like they belong to a scene from a loan shark movie!
“You’ve been told countless times! Young lady, stop swearing all the time,” Father exclaimed, wiping his hands on his apron as he emerged from the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard him mutter, “Oh my goodness.”
Though he spoke softly, I caught every word.
I squinted at him, gesturing toward him. “Did you see, Father? Did you see it too?”
However, in an instant, I noticed the gravity of the situation etched on my father’s face as he gazed solemnly at the two men in black standing at the door. The men, in turn, turned their heads to face him. “The time has come, Mr. Xia,” one of them uttered.
What? The time?
Panic surged through me as I glanced at Father! Father! Please tell me you haven’t gotten into trouble!
“Has the time come?” Father retorted, questioning the men.
They simply nodded in response.
I scanned the scene, my heart pounding with anxiety. Father, please don’t scare me like this!
Father fixed his serious gaze on me. “Xia Xiaolan, go inside your room and do not come out unless I call for you!”
Father’s demeanor was resolute, brooking no disobedience. In that moment, he appeared as imposing as an emperor.
I stared at his stern face, unable to contain my worry. “Dad, are you… okay?”
“Go inside!” he suddenly bellowed at me. I was completely stunned, turning on my heels and sprinting back to my room. Just before closing the door, I caught a glimpse of the two enigmatic men in black, entering the living room alongside my father.
Nerves gripped me tightly; my heart raced as if a drummer had taken residence within my chest. Above all, I felt consumed by apprehension.
Two mysterious men in black had suddenly appeared in our house. How could I not worry?
But Father had always been law-abiding, without any vices. He couldn’t possibly owe any debts. Even though my mother had passed away early, leaving Father to shoulder the responsibilities of both parents and care for me tirelessly, his income was decent.
Could it be?
Those two were not loan sharks; they were government officials!
Oh no! Could it be that Father had gotten involved in some peculiar situation at work?
No, that couldn’t be true!
Xia Xiaolan, are you out of your mind? Father had always been upright. How could he have done something wrong?
“Slap, slap.” I hurriedly slapped myself twice. I must have lost my senses. No wonder my performance in the college entrance exam was abysmal.
I was restless in my room, consumed by unease. Taking a deep breath, I quietly opened the door a crack and saw the two men in black handing my father an envelope!
An envelope!
It sparked my imagination, filling my mind with all sorts of wild thoughts.
Afterward, the men left, and my father escorted them to the door, his face etched with seriousness, enveloping the house in a somber atmosphere.
What did those words, “the time has come,” uttered by the men in black really mean?
Filled with worry, I ventured out of my room. Father had already set the table with food. I obediently sat down to eat, while my father remained deep in thought, his chopsticks untouched.
Then, he picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in my bowl. “Eat up. This will be the last meal I cook for you…”
“Father! Have you really gotten into trouble? How could you possibly compromise your integrity? We should hand ourselves in, hoping for leniency!”
“Snap!” My father erupted in anger, slamming his chopsticks down and his eyebrows furrowing. “If only you had applied yourself to your studies, how could you have performed so poorly? Always lost in idle daydreams! Fine! Now I’ll give you a chance to let your imagination run wild!”
“Snap!” My father tossed an envelope at me. I immediately recognized it as the same envelope the men in black had given him. Although I had only seen it from a distance before, now I could see faint silver patterns resembling flowing clouds on the envelope. At the seal, there was an ancient crimson emblem—the same emblem on the rings worn by those men in black!
Oh my! Perhaps I should become a detective!
“This is a university. Pack your things tonight, and they will come to pick you up tomorrow!” My father said solemnly, as if he had a hundred reasons for not wanting me to go.
“A university?!” I exclaimed in astonishment. “Father, why aren’t you happy? It’s a university!”
“Because I don’t want you to go!” My father suddenly appeared crestfallen.
I pouted. “So, you mean I should go to New Oriental to learn how to operate excavators?”
“Yet, I’m still allowing you to go!” My father seemed torn, and I felt guilty looking at him. “I’m sorry, Dad. Don’t be sad. I know it’s hard for you to let me go. But which child doesn’t go to college or leave their parents? I’ll call you every day, okay?!” I smiled warmly at him. Great! I finally won’t have to attend Lan Xiang or New Oriental!
But… how did I get into this university? And why did Dad say someone would come to pick me up?
My father looked at me with concern and hesitation. “You won’t understand! Just be careful since you’re going. That’s all.”
His words left me even more puzzled, and my heart fluttered with inexplicable emotions.
Parents usually bid farewell to their children when they go off to college with messages like “Study hard” and “Eat well.” Or they caution against rushing into relationships or cohabitation with boys. Why did Dad tell me to be careful?
“Dad, wait, where is this university located? Why is someone coming to pick me up? Why so soon, tomorrow? Isn’t it still summer vacation? It’s too early for the start of the school year,” I fired a series of questions.
“Because of an exam,” my dad’s expression suddenly turned serious. “The admission process for this university is very special, so you will enter early to take the entrance exam. And, Xiao Lan, this university…” My dad paused, and a hint of nostalgia appeared in his gaze as he looked at the photo of my mother on the wall. “It’s your mother’s alma mater.”
“My mother’s university!” I exclaimed, filled with surprise and joy. However, my dad’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
I didn’t understand why my dad became so worried after I finally got into a university, but this time I must seize the opportunity and not disappoint my forever youthful and handsome father!
Upon returning to my room, I took out the envelope and tried to open it, but it was strange! I couldn’t open it, no matter what I did. It looked like paper, but tearing or using scissors had no effect.
How mysterious!
Oh well, I’ll go to sleep first. It’s more important to be well-rested and make a good impression on the teachers tomorrow!
The next day, I woke up early, packed my backpack, and left the room.
My dad looked at me in surprise. “Is that all you’re taking?”
I smiled and replied, “Yes, just this. This time, daughter will study hard and won’t let you down!”
A complex expression appeared in my dad’s eyes. He held onto my shoulder, looking at me with a deep gaze. I thought he would surely say, “Study hard…”
“This time, don’t try too hard…”
Huh? My dad, with a complicated expression, took out a small black jewelry box from his pocket. Surprisingly, that jewelry box also had the strange eight-trigram emblem on it.
What on earth is going on? Why does my father have this emblem too?
“Xiao Lan, try not to be chosen. If you are chosen, wear this. It belonged to your mother.” My dad opened the black box in front of me, revealing a necklace with a crystal pendant at the end, resembling a cross and a sword.
This pendant was peculiar. Inside the crystal, it seemed like something was flowing. As I tried to get a clearer look, “Ding Dong!” the doorbell suddenly rang. My dad hurriedly stuffed the box into my hands and earnestly instructed, “Take good care of it! Also, don’t let anyone know who your mother is.” With that, he opened the door, and outside were indeed the two men in black.
“Take her with you,” my dad said as if bidding farewell, giving me a strong push out the door. As I stumbled across the threshold, “Bang!” the door closed.
Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation as if I were about to be taken away forever.
Everything about this situation was incredibly eerie!
Why did my dad insist on keeping my mother’s identity a secret?
With a sense of unease, I descended the stairs and was completely startled by what I saw in front of me. I was dumbfounded, to say the least.
I had always heard that top scorers in the college entrance exam would be pursued by prestigious universities, but I had never imagined they would send someone to pick me up, let alone with a specialized car.
But there it was—a black luxury car right in front of me, unmistakably bearing the emblem of that mysterious organization.
Did this organization even have its own fleet of cars?
The men in black escorted me into the vehicle, and as I sat there, I couldn’t bring myself to speak. The two men stared at me intensely, as if I were a criminal. I clutched my mother’s jewelry box tightly, feeling a heightened sense of nervousness.
The luxury car didn’t stop at the airport but instead drove straight through a dedicated lane and entered a separate terminal. After going through the security check, it came to a halt in an exclusive waiting lounge.
The men in black opened the car door, and as I stepped out of the luxury vehicle and raised my head, I caught sight of an aircraft adorned with the same eight-trigram emblem!
A black fuselage, silver patterns resembling auspicious clouds, and the enigmatic emblem on the wings!
I couldn’t believe it!
Could my parents have hidden identities?
What kind of university was this, so grandiose!
They had a private car service!
They had dedicated personnel!
And now, they even had a private jet!
