Chapter 28: Encounters

<Shui Jing's Pov>

The zombie trial was very painful. Too painful for me to bear that I fainted. I couldn't believe that Xiao Yu held on and stayed awake but apparently, it's because he forgot that you didn't need to stay up. We had a good laugh about it, but it was also kind of a desperate laugh for me. I felt like I wouldn't ever catch up to Xiao Yu.

But we all passed. That was all that mattered. And I even got two abnormal skills. I didn't know what the other one was but my first one was Charm. It made my "beauty" advance and attract practically anyone, even zombies. Xiao Lai joked that even men would go gay for me from now on.

Xiao Yu promised to show us what powers we had tomorrow. Today, we would just celebrate and rest. Xiao Yu mentioned that it would take us several days to weeks to master the basics of our new powers so we would skip several days of school.

Xiao Yu drove us to the restaurant recommended to me by one of my classmates who I was familiar with.

The restaurant's name was "The Forest Orchid" and it's famed for using flowers as ingredients.

The building itself looked like a pavilion from very ancient times and Xiao Yu was a sucker for aesthetics. He admired it and stood outside of the restaurant for a few minutes before we dragged him in.

We had dressed up according to our styles but with all of them being brand clothes. The waitress noticed us and kept on looking my way with a deep blush on her face as she led us to an empty table. The 'Charm' ability really was powerful in a sort of way I guess, attracting attention.

The place was a fancy buffet and there was a huge dessert station with professional patissiers. Xiao Bing and Xiao Yu headed immediately for the ice cream.

"Oh, Xiao Bing, I didn't expect you and your brothers to be here."

I froze. This voice...

"Shifu!" Yup, it was Mr. Lu Han, Xiao Bing's poison arts teacher. We really didn't expect the teacher to be a man when he showed up. But Xiao Yu was on a trip to Japan and we couldn't help it. He lived with us for almost a month.

Mr. Lu is very good at housework. Very kind too. Xiao Bing and Xiao Lai are pretty familiar with him and played together very well. But for me, he seems dangerous. Just like a snake who hides its fangs until it has a chance to strike.

Xiao Lai and Xiao Bing had told me that it was just me feeling self-conscious. But I didn't think that Mr. Lu was simple. He wouldn't harm us, but I still felt warry.

And it turned out to be as I suspected. Xiao Lai found out that Mr. Lu was the son of the head of the main gang in the United Kingdom. His mother was the leader and his father was the prime minister of China. He really was powerful.

"Mr. Lu," I nodded as a greeting.

"Shui Jing, how nice to meet you again so soon. You look ravishing tonight," Mr. Lu gave a shrewd smile. Uh, isn't that supposed to be said to ladies?

"Uncle!" Xiao Lai jumped up and hugged him.

"Aren't I too young to be called uncle?" Mr. Lu asked feigning a hurt look.

"You're already 23 and acting like a child!" playfully scolded Xiao Lai.

"Shifu, are you here alone? You should sit with us! I'll introduce you to my 2nd brother!" offered Xiao Bing.

"That's not a good idea..." I didn't get to finish as Xiao Yu had come with 5 plates full of desserts. He balanced them two on each arm and one on his head.

"Hm? Ge, who's this? He smells familiar for some reason..." Xiao Yu whispered into my ear.

"Yu Ge, this is my poison arts teacher!" half-whispered Xiao Bing. Half-whispered because she was too excited.

"...are you transgender?" Didn't expect that to come from Xiao Yu's mouth... =-=

"No, why?" Mr. Lu asked with a ridiculed expression. Well, that's a first.

"Because you're supposed to be a girl," said Xiao Yu in a dark tone. He swished the dishes he held onto our table like a pro waiter and walked toward Mr. Lu.

Like a dog inspecting something, he went around Mr. Lu and scanned him top to bottom.

"You aren't half bad," Xiao Yu commented.

"Why thank y-" Mr. Lu was cut off.

"But I don't like you. You like my Ge? If you win a fight against me, I'll give you a chance to prove yourself." Whaaaaaat... Mr. Lu likes me? Huh? What? How did it turn to this?!

Mr. Lu looked at me. Ah? Really? Did he like me? I'm so confused...

I'm fine with anyone. I just need to be able to trust them. But I apparently have trust issues according to Xiao Lai who has become some sort of an amateur psychologist.

I relied too much on Xiao Yu when I was young and followed his advice on not trusting anyone because they would eventually talk bad about me when pressured by a group or even start it.

I sighed deeply and clapped my hands together.

"Alright, let's stop this. We came to celebrate, not fight. Mr. Lu, nice to see you again. I'm sure you have something to attend. We'll see you on Xiao Bing's next lesson. Xiao Yu, get some food, don't only get dessert. Xiao Lai, Xiao Bing, sit down. Eat."

I unhesitatingly commanded as the eldest. About Mr. Lu... I'll deal with it later.

"I see. I'll see you next time," Mr. Lu smiled and grabbed my hand. Ah? What was he doing?

In the end, he planted a light kiss. This was... frustrating. My heart jumped.

"Um, yes, goodbye..."

If there was a punching bag, I would punch all my frustrations to it. On second thought, because I passed the zombie trials, it wouldn't be a good idea. I should have pulled my hand away. But if I suddenly pulled away, it would have been rude. Ah, I really don't know what to think anymore!

I thought that would be all for today, but troubles come in threes.

We met Xiao Yu's only friend, Mo Yun's family.

Mo Yun was delighted to see Xiao Yu and ran even with his mother warning him not to run from behind.

"Yu Yu! You're also here!" Mo Yun said with his shy, sweet voice. Later I would find out that my voice would be even better, making me the best singer in the family.

"Yun, are you're eating here too?" Xiao Yu brightened up considerably.

Mo Yun's parents glared at Xiao Bing and Xiao Lai. They moved their gaze to Xiao Yu and frowned at him with complicated looks.

"Mom, Dad, this is Shui Yu and his siblings," Mo Yun introduced us. His father nodded but looked over us and onto Xiao Lai and Xiao Bing. His mother gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Mo Yun noticed this and squeezed out a bitter smile.

"Yu Yu, let's talk some other day, see you at school!"

Xiao Yu forgot that we would be out of school for some days, so he forgot to tell Mo Yun. After a few minutes, he realized and caught up immediately. And by immediately, it really was immediately.

He appeared right in front of Mo Yun's family and told him, "I won't be able to come to school for a couple of days. What's your number?"

Unhesitatingly, Mo Yun spewed out a string of numbers.

And although Xiao Yun was helpless in memorizing maps and words, he was very good at memorizing numbers. They traded phone numbers and finally, Xiao Yu obtained a phone number that wasn't ours on his phone.

But as I said before, troubles come in threes.

The next people we saw come out of a private room...

Shui Wang and his mistress along with that bastard child. The horrible girl, named Yu Ying after her mother Yu Ming's surname, recognized Xiao Bing who was so frequently bullied by her in the past. I could feel the air tremble around Xiao Bing as she clenched her fists.

And since Yu Ying could recognize us, Shui Wang could too. The mistress didn't know us and tried to go past us but was stopped by Xiao Lai and Xiao Bing.

"Shui Jing! You and your siblings! Where were you?! You know how long I've been searching for you all? Your mother and I've been so distraught!" Shui Wang saw our brand name clothes and his eyes glimmered.

"Ah, I see you looking so distraught," commented Xiao Yu. He originally had a cold disposition that made anyone scared, even us sometimes. But this time, we could just feel the air freeze and turn several degrees colder. Xiao Lai and I shivered while Xiao Bing spread a thin layer of heat across her hands to warm herself up. Lucky her, I might get the fire ability too during the red phase that Xiao Yu talked about...

"We really tried! Where were you? Were you kidnapped? With your good looks from me, I guess a few tycoons or madames could have taken interest in you guys... Oh, your mother and I divorced by the way. This is your new mother and sister. Isn't Yu Ying pretty?"

Oh wow. What a GREAT father he is. Trying to joke about us getting kidnapped or being taken care of by patrons. Casually telling us about the divorce. And nonchalantly bringing up his new daughter and mistress.

"We don't have parents. I remember somebody signed us away. And who's this? You're shameless enough to introduce your mistress and bastard child to complete strangers? Talking about us getting kidnapped... Be careful that your only daughter doesn't get kidnapped," this time, it was Xiao Lai speaking.

"Da-No, Shui Wang, you don't deserve to be what I was accidentally about to call you. All this we have on? We can burn these away like paper and they'll only be trash to us. Living the life while sponging off your mistress and even keeping a child the same age as me. Do you think we're stupid? We're already grateful that we didn't inherit that trait from you. We earned everything we have. To us, Yu Ge was the only parent. Because of him, we have what we couldn't have had before. We have trillions, nothing you could get in your entire life." Xiao Bing struck Shui Wang deeply and he looked angry with his reddened face.

"Y-you! You are my children! How dare you talk to me this way!" The madman screamed and caused a scene. Guests in their private rooms started coming out to spectate. Yu Ying looked embarrassed while Yu Ming was staring at the expensive clothes that Xiao Bing wore like a feral dog.

I really couldn't take it anymore.

"I wish you weren't our father. Abandoning us when you were needed the most. Knowing that Fang Ling was abusing us but not doing anything. Why does heaven let such an evil man live?" I laughed, laughed until I sounded like a crazy and desperate person.

I then gave out a long sigh.

"Yeah, why does heaven still let you live?" I muttered to myself.

Why couldn't he die already? Why was he not dead by now? Why is life so unfair. I think that old proverbs spoken by ancient wise men were very true and precisely on point. Like that one proverb: "good people don't live long, evils live for thousands of years!"

In a moment, I had unknowingly kicked Shui Wang away leaving him slumped across the hallway walls as he flew backward. And the walls had even cracked. Oh, my...

Xiao Yu handed a 7,000 yuan to the manager who was staring at the wall so desperately.

"Get it fixed. We're sorry." But Xiao Yu didn't sound sorry at all.

"Hey, Shui Wang. Don't bother us again. You disowned us and don't know us for what we truly are. What right do you have to speak to us? Who even are you?" Xiao Yu's eyes brightened and we all noticed that his eyes had turned into a glowing amber shade that were like twinkling glass orbs. They were fox eyes.

Shui Wang struggled to get up as his ribs were fractured. He could only wheeze out furiously, "Y-you!"

"Yeah, me. Let me ask, who hit you?" Xiao Yu calmly countered and glared with his amber eyes.

"S-Shui Jing," Shui Wang muttered.

"Who?" Xiao Yu kicked at his ribs and made Shui Wang cough out blood.

"S-Shui Jing!" Shui Wang turned braver and dared to yell out my name.

"Who?" Xiao Yu kicked once again.

"N-nobody..." Shui Wang finally realized what this was and said the right answer.

The guests who had now all come out to watch looked scared or had serious looks on their faces. Mo Yun, who had also come out instead had an excited expression and if not for his family, he would have been cheering loudly by now. What a weird kid.

Xiao Lai butt in.

"Everybody, I've crashed all your electronic devices, so don't bother recording this. If you want compensation, then you should tell me now." Xiao Lai winked at me and mouthed 'Electricity power is so useful!'

The guests checked their phones and realized no matter what, they could not turn it on. What were these people? Demons? Ghosts? Supernatural?

"I hope everybody has a nice evening meal, sorry for the disturbance." Xiao Yu, you still don't sound sorry at all...