Chapter 335 – Still Friends
The biker goddess, once known for her voluminous waves, now sported a short bob barely reaching her chin, complemented by neat bangs. Her jet-black hair accentuated her snow-white face, her lips still red, her smile as bold as ever. Her right arm held a wind visor helmet.
“You…” Tu Ran stared at her in a daze, her mouth opening slightly as if to greet her, but the words caught in her throat.
She wasn’t the real Tu Ran.
This thought served as a constant reminder.
Xi Chunzhi, seemingly oblivious to her hesitation, casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her away from the middle of the road. A motorcycle sped past the spot where they had just been standing.
Xi Chunzhi waved a hand in front of Tu Ran’s eyes and leaned closer to examine her. “What’s going on? You’re stunned? Surely seeing me isn’t that stimulating?”
Tu Ran swatted away the hand waving before her face, grabbed Xi Chunzhi’s hand, and pulled her to a corner. She glanced around cautiously, ensuring no one was paying attention to them, before furrowing her brows and asking, “When did you get back?”
Then, noticing her unmasked face, Tu Ran grew alarmed. “Did you just stroll in like this without any cover? There are so many people here. Even though Zero helped conceal you, what if someone here recognizes you?”
“Relax, I wore the helmet,” Xi Chunzhi said, patting the helmet tucked under her right arm. With her other hand, she held Tu Ran’s shoulder, guiding her into a narrow, sparsely populated alley.
Tu Ran followed Xi Chunzhi as they walked through the quiet streets, turning a few corners before reaching a secluded spot where a motorcycle was parked.
Xi Chunzhi mounted the bike, put on her helmet, and tossed another one to Tu Ran. “Put it on. Let’s go somewhere else to talk.”
Tu Ran hesitated briefly. Zero wouldn’t be able to hack into “Jie” anytime soon, which meant she wouldn’t get into Xie Xie’ao’s estate before dawn. For now, the plan had to be postponed.
She donned the helmet, swung her leg over the bike’s rear seat, and wrapped her arms around Xi Chunzhi’s waist.
Once Tu Ran was securely seated, Xi Chunzhi started the motorcycle.
The bike shot forward like an arrow leaving a bowstring. Tu Ran’s body jolted slightly, prompting her to hold onto Xi Chunzhi even tighter.
The motorcycle sped through the streets. At first, there were still a few pedestrians visible along the roadside, but soon, only the sound of the engine remained as they entered a narrow alley, barely wide enough for a single bike to pass.
Tu Ran sat silently on the back seat, tilting her head to watch the scenery on either side blur past.
Endless walls. Dizzying graffiti.
She couldn’t make out the details of the graffiti, only the whirlwind of colors rushing past her retinas.
“I’m not the real Tu Ran,” she broke the silence first.
“I know,” Xi Chunzhi’s voice carried back through the wind.
Tu Ran loosened her grip on Xi Chunzhi’s waist slightly and stared at the back of her head. She wanted to see Xi Chunzhi’s expression, but it was impossible from her position.
Her fingers tightened around Xi Chunzhi’s jacket. She could read Xi Chunzhi’s memories.
She was desperate to know how Xi Chunzhi truly felt upon learning she was from another world—whether it was anger, frustration, disgust, or something else entirely.
But at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She respected Xi Chunzhi and didn’t want to invade her privacy as she had done with others.
“Then… are we still…” Tu Ran’s voice was so faint it nearly dissolved in the wind.
“Of course, we’re still friends,” Xi Chunzhi slowed the bike, reducing the wind noise, making her words crystal clear. “What? Are you planning to ditch me now that you’ve made it big?”
Tu Ran was still caught up in the warmth of hearing, “Of course, we’re still friends.” Her heart swelled with emotion—until the latter half of Xi Chunzhi’s sentence hit her.
The sentimental atmosphere was instantly shattered.
Tu Ran retorted, “How have I made it big?”
Xi Chunzhi released the throttle, squeezed the brake, and the motorcycle came to an abrupt halt. She stretched one leg to the ground for balance, flipped up the visor of her helmet, and turned to look at Tu Ran.
“You’re worth 1.5 billion now, and you’re telling me that’s not making it big?”
Tu Ran stared at the person in front of her, whose face practically screamed, “Are you planning to abandon your wife and child?” She, too, put one leg down for balance.
From the ground up, the two long legs painted a striking image—one clad in studded boots and tight leather pants, the other in black mid-calf boots with tucked-in pant legs.
Tu Ran’s eyes lifted slightly at the corners, her gaze playful as she smiled at Xi Chunzhi. “What’s this? Planning to turn me in for the bounty?”
“1.5 billion is peanuts. Your sister here isn’t impressed,” Xi Chunzhi replied, lowering her visor. She gripped the handlebars again and added, “Hold on tight. I’m about to hit the gas. Don’t fall off. Imagine the Federation’s most-wanted criminal tumbling off a bike—how embarrassing would that be?”
Tu Ran retracted her leg and wrapped her arms around Xi Chunzhi’s waist. Taking the opportunity, she pinched her, making Xi Chunzhi jolt slightly. Only then did Tu Ran smile with satisfaction and say, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Xi Chunzhi chuckled, stepped on the accelerator, and the motorcycle surged forward.
Facing the wind head-on, the corners of her lips slowly fell behind the helmet. A faint shimmer of tears appeared in her eyes but was quickly whisked away by the breeze sneaking through the helmet’s gaps, vanishing without a trace.
The dark, narrow alley stretched endlessly ahead, shrouded in mystery. Walking such a path endlessly could drive someone mad. She felt fortunate, though—there was always someone unwaveringly standing behind her.
Once, that person was called Tu Ran.
Now, that person was still called Tu Ran.
…
The motorcycle came to a halt in front of an unassuming bar.
Tu Ran swung off the bike, removed her helmet, and handed it to Xi Chunzhi. Taking it, Xi Chunzhi hooked it onto the handlebars, parked the bike, and led Tu Ran into the bar.
The interior gave Tu Ran the same impression as the exterior—so plain it barely felt like a bar. She glanced around. Only two beam lights hung in the dim room—one broken, the other occasionally making a half-hearted sweep of the place. The sparse patrons sat scattered in isolated corners, far apart from one another.
However, the shelves were packed with an impressive collection of liquor, meticulously curated and displayed, hinting at a surprising level of care in the establishment.
Tu Ran’s gaze landed on a whole wall lined with liquor shelves, and she immediately understood something. Her eyes, filled with meaning, shifted toward Xi Chunzhi.
Xi Chunzhi pretended to adjust her bangs, casually avoiding Tu Ran’s gaze. She waved at the bartender, who was wearing a uniform in front of the shelves. “Two drinks, please.”
Tu Ran clearly saw the bartender habitually reach for a bottle from the sixth row on the left side of the shelf. His hand was already touching the bottle’s edge when he realized, and Tu Ran turned to Xi Chunzhi for confirmation. “Drinks?!”
Xi Chunzhi: “…”
Tu Ran shifted her gaze back to Xi Chunzhi’s face, folding her arms. “Nice, you’ve got a whole wall of liquor. Guess you’ve finally fulfilled your biggest dream. But when did you open this bar? How come you didn’t tell me?”
Xi Chunzhi let out a dry laugh, feeling a little uncomfortable. Not daring to turn around, she glanced at the bartender and said, “Stop asking so many questions. This month, I’ll pay you extra to hurry up and get a cochlear implant. Two drinks!”
“Yes, ma’am,” the bartender quickly responded and went to prepare.
Xi Chunzhi finally turned back to Tu Ran, smiling as she grabbed her arm. “Come on, let’s go to the private room and talk about how to deal with Xie Xie’ao.”
The mention of Xie Xie’ao made Tu Ran’s expression turn serious. She followed Xi Chunzhi into the private room, first scanning every corner to ensure it was safe before sitting down on the couch across from her.
“When did you get back? Why did you return? And how did you know I was looking for Xie Xie’ao?” Tu Ran fired off a string of questions.
Xi Chunzhi, sinking into the couch with a lazy voice, responded, “I haven’t been back long. This bar was bought and set up by people I instructed a while ago. Besides this bar, there are a few other places—bases where the hunters make their trades.”
“I came back a few days ago to handle some business. I happened to hear you returned from another world, so I went to find you. Then I ran into you being chased by Xie Zhao. I saw you escape, so I followed you. But you ran so fast I lost track of you. It took a lot of effort to find you again, especially in your current state,” Xi Chunzhi said, pointing at Tu Ran’s hair. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Was I killing Xie Zhao when you were there?” Tu Ran tried hard to recall but couldn’t remember ever meeting Xi Chunzhi.
“I wasn’t there when you killed him. You two were fighting like mad, and I didn’t want to get caught in it. If I was there, you two would have killed me by accident. I ran away the moment I could. After I put some distance between us and looked back, the whole floor you were on had separated from top to bottom. If I had stayed there, I’d be dead by now,” Xi Chunzhi said, relieved that she had escaped in time.
She raised two fingers and pointed at her eyes. “My Fortuna’s Eye saw Xie Zhao as transparent.”
Which meant he was as good as dead.
If he was fighting with Tu Ran before he died, it was clear that Tu Ran had killed him.
Xi Chunzhi leaned on her hand, gazing at Tu Ran. “We’ve spent some time together, and I know your personality. Killing Xie Zhao alone wouldn’t have done much. If you’re going to kill, you should wipe out the key members of the Xie family. Only then can you get some satisfaction and delay the invasion of Blue Star.”
Tu Ran looked back at Xi Chunzhi. She had to admit, Xi Chunzhi really understood her.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Xi Chunzhi called out for the person to come in. The bartender placed two drinks in front of Tu Ran and Xi Chunzhi before quickly stepping back out.
Yayyy