"School's over already?" Chu Lian, who had been lost in a daze, looked at the sunlight outside the window. It was clearly so warm—so why had it already become evening?
"Mm. Actually, the bell rang quite a while ago. You just didn't notice," Cai Ya said flatly as she finished packing her things beside her. In this city, no one really restrained her. As long as she didn't go anywhere too strange, even if the family butler urged her to return home, she would ignore it if she felt like it.
So when she went back was entirely her own decision. Staying here with Chu Lian and idling away the time wasn't such a bad thing either.
"I see... Where are Yanran and Chu Chu?" Chu Lian turned around and looked, not seeing Chu Chu and Liu Yanran—who should have been waiting for her—and asked curiously.
"The two of them went back with Xiu'er. They said they'd try to talk things through with her. But I think they're probably gathering information instead. Let's just hope they don't get thrown out," Cai Ya said, crossing her arms and tilting her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of worry.
"No need to worry. Yanran may not seem particularly capable on the surface, but anyone who underestimates her will be in for a big surprise. As for Chu Chu, she's already at the peak of the Earth level. With the protection of the Queen of Thunder by her side, leaving safely won't be a problem. In this city, anyone who understands the Chu family wouldn't dare make a move against her."
Chu Lian didn't seem concerned about the two girls at all. In her view, unless someone at the Heaven level showed up, no one could capture them.
"Those two are fine. The one I'm most worried about is Xiu'er. She's usually gentle, but when it comes time to make a decision, even ten oxen couldn't pull her back. You know that very well," Cai Ya said. She was referring to Li Xiu'er's soft exterior but unyielding core. People like that were prone to digging themselves into a dead end—and once they did, they couldn't get out. How could she not worry?
"About Xiu'er..." Chu Lian hesitated. At noon, Xiu'er had already made things clear—until she resolved her own situation, Chu Lian was not to interfere. No matter how troublesome it became, she was not to step in.
With such firm opposition, even though Chu Lian had already decided to investigate the situation tonight, she still felt uncertain.
Was doing this really the right choice?
"Should I use the Cai family to apply pressure on them and force them to hand Xiu'er over?" Cai Ya wasn't sure what Chu Lian was thinking. She couldn't rely solely on her status as the Cai family's young lady to make the other side submit—the only real option would be involving the Chu family.
"No. If you use the Cai family, the Li family will likely push back. They may be declining, but they won't yield so easily. They're still one of the country's major financial powers. If they bowed just because of pressure from the Cai family, they wouldn't be able to maintain their standing in Huaxia's circles anymore," Chu Lian shook her head. Setting aside whether the Cai family would even do such a thing, the Li family's reaction alone wouldn't be simple.
"Then the only option now is force? But if that's the case, the Li family doesn't seem easy to deal with either." The Cai family was a rising force. Although its assets surpassed many other families, its foundation was far too shallow.
Aside from the Cai family, all the well-known, long-established great families had connections to the cultivation world. Only they had remained completely unaware of such a realm before Cai Ya met Chu Lian. Perhaps some elders in her family knew—but that wasn't something she had access to.
The Li family had existed for so long—its strength absolutely couldn't be underestimated. And since they had produced a prodigy like Li Mingxue, their talent and upbringing were clearly exceptional. Who knew whether they had another hidden figure like her?
At the very least, it was impossible to see where their confidence lay right now. If Chu Lian went to provoke them and angered them, they might send out a Heaven-level expert. Even if that person didn't dare act ruthlessly, simply teaching them a lesson and taking Xiu'er away would be enough.
This was an unsolvable problem. To truly know how to handle it, it would depend on Chu Lian's choice.
"The Li family is strong on the outside but hollow within. Over the past decade or so, something happened that severely damaged their foundation. They still haven't recovered—in fact, they're only growing weaker. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so desperate, treating that exceptionally talented boy as a savior and giving him the best resources in every sense. They've even reached the point of sacrificing Xiu'er—or other family members—for him."
When Chu Lian said this, her tone carried a trace of disdain. "Sacrificing so much just to nurture someone who may not even prove useful. The Li family has truly reached a dead end. If they suffer another major blow, they'll fall from the ranks of top-tier families. They have no other options left."
"I don't really understand families with cultivators involved. In my family... well, aside from a lot of internal power struggles, there aren't really any major problems," Cai Ya said. She was clearly dissatisfied with her own family, but she didn't elaborate, only mentioning something relatively minor.
"Forget it. We'll talk after Chu Chu and the others come back." Chu Lian shook her head. She took out her small bag, packed a few things, and stood up.
"How is that new transfer student, Qu Ningmeng?" Having spent the morning sleeping and the afternoon daydreaming, Chu Lian hadn't done anything meaningful all day aside from morning reading and the first art class. Now, she was somewhat curious about the new student.
Walking out side by side with Chu Lian, Cai Ya's expression turned slightly strange. "How should I put it... all the boys seem to hate her. If she hadn't done anything extreme, they probably would have already gone up and beaten her. I asked Bai Tiange about it—he said it's a kind of instinctive feeling from deep within, something that can't be changed and can only be suppressed. He's probably the only boy who hasn't shown any visible disgust toward her."
"If men dislike her, then does that mean women naturally feel drawn to her?" Chu Lian recalled her first impression—it had indeed been an inexplicable sense of fondness. She couldn't quite explain it, but it must have something to do with her abilities.
"Yes. I asked the girls, and they all said they feel a strange sense of affection toward her. Just staying near her gives them a sense of satisfaction. But at the same time, it's not exactly... or maybe it's more accurate to say it hasn't reached the level of liking her. Still, they can't help but be drawn to her. I also asked Nana and Lux—they're the same, though they can suppress it."
Cai Ya didn't mention her own feelings—there was no need. If all women felt this way, then she certainly did as well.
"As long as someone has a certain level of strength—or rather, a higher level of spiritual perception—they can keep themselves from becoming infatuated. Otherwise, it's very hard to control. It creates an irresistible urge, deep from within, to get close to her. It's truly a terrifying yet pitiful ability," Chu Lian analyzed, suddenly feeling a trace of sympathy for the girl.
"If that really is an ability, then it's indeed frightening. The people around her are all drawn in by it—who knows whether their feelings are genuine or not, whether it's real affection or hatred? In this male-dominated society, her ability just happens to make all men despise her. You can imagine how dangerous that kind of life would be. I'm actually quite curious how she's managed to live safely until now."
Cai Ya pictured the scenario and couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine. If that were the case, then no matter how popular she was, it would be meaningless. Because there would always be far more people who hated her than liked her—and they would constantly be looking for ways to deal with her.
"Her ability to attract all women might actually be her best form of protection. But women are still the weaker group overall. Over the years, she must have suffered quite a lot," Chu Lian said. By now, she had vaguely realized that she herself possessed a unique charm—one that gradually caused others to develop affection for her, eventually making them like her deeply.
This ability was somewhat similar to Qu Ningmeng's, but far less intense. Hers worked subtly, like a slow influence, while Qu Ningmeng's was like a raging tide—overwhelming the moment you met her. That kind of forceful effect was precisely why her current situation was so dangerous.
"This kind of ability is like walking a tightrope over a cliff. The moment the wind picks up, or the balancing pole in your hands suddenly tips to one side, it becomes a life-threatening danger," Cai Ya thought carefully about their conversation and Qu Ningmeng's uniqueness before coming to that conclusion.
Perhaps what she seeks is exactly that kind of thrill.
Chu Lian didn't voice that thought. After all, they had only just met—everything was still speculation, not real information. It was too early to make any definite judgment, though she had confidence in her analysis.
"I just can't figure it out," Cai Ya said, twirling a strand of her hair for a moment before shaking her head.
"If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it. You'll probably understand eventually. No need to get hung up on it now," Chu Lian said with an easy smile. Since the girl had entered her life, who knew what might happen? There was no need to overthink things.
"Mm... let's go to your place. It's not far anyway—we can just walk," Cai Ya said, sneaking a glance at Chu Lian's profile. She wanted a brief moment alone with her—the feeling of walking side by side like this was comforting.
"Huh? Were you planning to take a car back? Miss, it's only a ten-minute walk. There's no need to make it so complicated, right?" Chu Lian seemed not to notice her glance, looking at her with slight confusion.
"N-No, let's walk," she said, holding her schoolbag. A faintly intoxicated smile appeared on her face as she took a step behind, watching the girl bathed in the setting sunlight, her eyes filled with affection.
As they passed by a luxurious car, she waved at the butler standing by the door, pointed at Chu Lian, and then ignored him, leaving just like that.
"Sir, the young miss won't be returning tonight. She'll be staying at the Chu residence," the old butler said respectfully into his phone after watching her leave, dialing a number.
"The Chu family again, huh? Seems that girl gets along quite well with those two from the Chu family. It's fine—leave her be. If she goes there again in the future, there's no need to report it," a calm male voice came from the other end. He seemed to understand Chu Lian, Chu Chu, and the Chu family's background quite well, showing no concern about Cai Ya.
"Yes." The old butler acknowledged before continuing, "There is one matter you should pay attention to, sir."
"What is it?"
"The girl from the Qu family has arrived." The butler's words caused a long silence on the other end before the man finally spoke.
"The Qu family... let's leave it alone for now. That's not something we should be dealing with at this stage."
"Understood." As soon as the butler responded, the call ended. He stepped into the car, closed the door, and quietly instructed, "Return to the main residence. No need to wait for the young miss."
These conversations were known only to the few present. It seemed as though, no matter what, they would have no immediate impact on anything.