Lu Qingyue initially only intended to take a bath to relax her stiff body.
Her plan was perfect, but Su Qiao kept pestering her.
Not only was she pestering, Su Qiao even started massaging her shoulders and neck, then diligently moved to her legs and back.
This made Qingyue feel uneasy, as she wasn't used to such excessive attention.
After acting as a back-scrubber, Su Qiao transformed into a professional masseuse, even changing the way she addressed her.
"Sister Qingyue, how's the pressure? Not hard enough?"
Su Qiao massaged with great enthusiasm, clearly hoping for a blessing.
"That's enough, Qiao. I'm finished with my bath," Lu Qingyue said, about to get up.
Su Qiao quickly held her back.
"Don't go yet! I haven't massaged your feet!"
"What is wrong with you today? Are you possessed?"
"Hehehe..." Su Qiao grinned widely.
"Sister Qingyue, you're going on a mission with Shen Xiao tomorrow, right? Can I come along?"
Qingyue sighed.
"That is the seventh time you've asked."
"Please, Sister! I failed my last mission, and now I'm still two missions short of passing the assessment. If I don't pass this month, I really have to pack my bags and leave this academy. You're my only hope. Shen Xiao is the strongest in our class, bringing one or two extra people surely wouldn't be a problem for him!"
Qingyue hesitated.
"But... I'm not exactly close with Shen Xiao either."
"Don't talk nonsense! Shen Xiao is so good to you, he gave you a potion worth a hundred thousand coins without a second thought. He must be interested in you! If you're the one asking, he'll definitely agree."
"Don't just say things," Lu Qingyue whispered, looking down at her empty left sleeve.
"He is handsome and strong, many girls must like him. In my current condition, how could he possibly be interested? He's probably only helping out of pity."
"So what? It's just an arm! Your body is still incredible, and your face is naturally beautiful. I bet Shen Xiao has other motives for inviting you onto his team. Come on, Sister, just ask him!"
Qingyue finally relented, seeing her best friend on the verge of tears.
"Alright, I'll ask him. But if he refuses, don't push it anymore."
...
After reaching an agreement, the two of them stepped out of the bathhouse and accidentally bumped into Lu Zihao on the way to the dormitory.
Su Qiao, who turned out to be Zihao's ex-girlfriend from three months ago, immediately cursed him as a "Scumbag!" because Zihao couldn't even remember her name.
However, for the sake of joining Shen Xiao's mission, Su Qiao finally agreed to be Zihao's "temporary girlfriend" again so their team of four would be complete.
They eventually agreed to depart at one o'clock the next day.
The Next Day, 01:00 AM.
Some were still awake, while others had just gotten up.
For convenience, Lu Qingyue only brought a small bag containing simple equipment and a few changes of clothes.
To ensure Shen Xiao wouldn't have to wait for her, she arrived at the school gate very early.
January was the coldest time of the year.
Su Qiao, wrapped in a thick jacket, shivered as the night wind bit into her skin.
"Qingyue, aren't we too early? Shen Xiao said 'one o'clock,' didn't he mean 1 PM?"
Lu Qingyue shook her head firmly.
"Impossible. We have to leave early to start the operation. 1 PM is far too casual for a genius like Shen Xiao. He definitely meant 1 AM! Trust me!"
Qingyue's explanation sounded perfectly logical to Su Qiao's sleepy ears.
They waited... and kept waiting.
02:00 AM... "How about we send Shen Xiao a message?" Su Qiao asked.
"Don't, he's probably busy preparing equipment," Qingyue answered steadfastly.
03:00 AM... Su Qiao gave up and went back to the dorm to sleep for a bit.
04:00, 05:00, 06:00... until 12:50 PM.
A luxurious black Volkswagen sedan pulled up beside Lu Qingyue, who was standing frozen like a statue from the cold.
The window rolled down, and the Shen Xiao she had been waiting for finally appeared, looking fresh and well-rested.
Shen Xiao stared at the pale Qingyue, whose eyes were red with exhaustion.
He glanced at his watch, then looked at the girl in confusion.
"Qingyue? Don't tell me... you've been here since last night?"
The shivering Qingyue could only manage a stiff smile.
"Didn't... didn't you say one o'clock?"
Shen Xiao smacked his own forehead.
He had forgotten that for someone as dedicated and slightly traumatized as Qingyue, the words "one o'clock" could be interpreted as 1 AM for mission preparation.
This girl... did she really wait here for twelve hours in this freezing weather?
"Do people these days really go out this late?" whispered Su Qiao, who had just caught up from behind with a pillow-face, making Lu Zihao, who was driving, burst into laughter.
...
At 12:50 PM, the black Volkswagen sedan came to a smooth stop in front of the academy gates.
The rear window rolled down, revealing Su Qiao casually sipping milk tea.
"We just ran into Zihao at the restaurant. That lazy guy only woke up at twelve to shower. Told you, didn't I? He definitely meant 1 PM!" Su Qiao exclaimed.
Lu Qingyue bit her lip, her face flushing deep crimson.
Don't say anything else! she screamed in her heart.
She felt incredibly foolish.
Because she was too excited and terrified of being late, she had waited at the gate since one in the morning, twelve hours standing in the freezing January weather.
She had intended to look diligent in front of Shen Xiao, but it turned into an embarrassing disaster instead.
Standing for so long had caused her legs to go numb.
As she tried to step toward the car, her legs gave out, and she bumped right into Shen Xiao's front bumper.
Thud!
"Ow..." Qingyue whimpered.
Shen Xiao, sitting in the driver's seat, was stunned.
Is this... a hit-and-run scenario?
Even the future Empress has this kind of acting talent?
"I'm okay, my legs are just a bit stiff," Qingyue interjected as she saw Shen Xiao about to get out.
With great effort, she dragged her legs to the passenger door.
Before getting in, she paused, took out a tissue, and meticulously wiped the soles of her shoes.
This car looks expensive.
If I get it dirty, Shen Xiao will surely be annoyed.
Men love their vehicles dearly, she thought anxiously.
Once she felt clean, she sat down stiffly, hugging her backpack tightly as if afraid to touch the car's interior.
"Sorry, since we often speed during missions and I don't want to lose too much if the car gets damaged, I could only bring this cheap car. I hope you can get used to it," Shen Xiao said casually as he started the engine.
Cheap... car?
Qingyue's eyes blinked in confusion.
To her, this car was already very luxurious.
"Eat up," Shen Xiao handed over a warm hamburger wrapper.
"Su Qiao said you haven't eaten since yesterday. It's not good for your health to keep going hungry."
Qingyue shook her head quickly.
"No, the crumbs will get your car dirty."
"It can be cleaned later," Shen Xiao insisted.
The tempting aroma of grilled meat finally broke her defenses.
"Thank you."
Ding!
[Gained Lu Qingyue's favorability, Fate Ticket +100]
[Current Status: 831.31 Tickets]
Shen Xiao glanced at Qingyue from the corner of his eye.
The girl ate with small, polite bites.
It was hard to believe that this awkward, innocent girl would eventually become the Rakshasa Empress feared by the whole world.
Don't worry, Qingyue.
In this life, I will be the one to protect you, Shen Xiao promised in his heart.
Mission Target: The Vengeful Baldy
Their Grade D mission this time was quite unique, Catching a robber who had just awakened supernatural abilities.
The target was a bald man who had initially robbed a phone store but only made off with dummy display phones.
The store owner mocked his stupidity on social media and insulted his bald head, saying it was as smooth as a lightbulb.
Enraged, the man awakened his power and returned at night to shave the heads of the owner, his wife, his child, and even their two pet rabbits until they were all sparkling bald.
"The reward is a hundred thousand coins... but why does our app only say two thousand?" Qingyue asked as she read the mission details. "Is there a third party taking a cut of the profit?"
Su Qiao laughed. "Qingyue dear, that hundred thousand was just the owner's boast to look cool in front of his family. In reality, he can only afford to pay two thousand. Grade D missions aren't for making money, they're for practice."
Lu Zihao chimed in from the back seat, "Exactly. Besides, being shaved bald isn't a huge deal. Unless his wife was the one stabbing him, only then would a hundred-thousand reward make sense."
"Can you speak more politely?!"
Su Qiao smacked Zihao's shoulder, and the two began bickering again as usual.
Qingyue refocused on her mission screen.
Even though the reward was small, she didn't dare underestimate the target.
If other teams had failed to catch him for a month, it meant the bald man had a way to hide.
My first mission with Shen Xiao, she thought, clenching her remaining right fist.
I mustn't be a burden. I just hope... if we get caught, he won't shave my head.
Shen Xiao, overhearing the murmur, could barely hold back his laughter. Don't worry, Qingyue. Forget your hair, I won't let him touch even the tip of your fingernails.
"Our destination, Qinghe County. Brace yourselves, the ride will be a bit bumpy," Shen Xiao called out, stepping harder on the gas.