Chapter 50: An Alice

You Xue was woken up by a knock on the door.

She opened her eyes groggily.

She had only meant to rest her eyes for a bit, but the room was too cozy, and she accidentally fell asleep.

The knocking continued, one after another, very rhythmic.

You Xue thought it might be Su Li returning, so she walked out of the bedroom and opened the door.

Before her stood a strange old man.

“Yo, hello.”

Anbian Du waved at You Xue.

You Xue immediately closed the door.

She was now fully awake.

She knew the Academy would come for her eventually, but she hadn’t expected it so soon, nor that it would be Anbian Du, who knew about her illness.

Anbian Du’s helpless voice came from outside the door.

“Hey hey, is this how you treat guests? I came all the way to see you.”

But he seemed completely ill-intentioned.

‘He’s up to no good.’

You Xue thought, but she also knew there was no avoiding this, so she opened the door.

Anbian Du was carrying a carton of milk.

He walked in and set it on the table.

“Let’s chat for a bit, Miss You Xue.”

He said.

You Xue let out a small sigh.

“What do you want to talk about?”

Anbian Du’s tone wasn’t serious; he seemed to be just making casual conversation.

“I want to ask you, what are your plans for the future?”

“Plans? I don’t have any.”

She was still troubled about that, and even if she did, she wouldn’t tell anyone.

“Oh.”

Anbian Du replied, rubbing his stubbly chin.

“If you don’t have any ideas for now, would you be willing to cooperate with the Academy?”

You Xue looked up, a flicker of wariness in her mismatched eyes.

“Cooperate with the Academy? What do you mean?”

“Don’t be nervous.”

Anbian Du waved his hand.

“I’m just someone who knows most of the situation, and I want to discuss your future plans with you.”

Then he muttered.

“I never would’ve thought that a random patient of mine would be the one who took the Dark Crow Dragon’s Eye.”

Even though he said it vaguely, You Xue still understood.

In the end, You Xue had never imagined things would turn out this way.

In the novels and anime she used to read, the high-IQ characters always calculated everything perfectly and took the right actions.

But when You Xue tried to do the same, she found out how impossible it was.

Even knowing a lot of the story from the books, unexpected accidents kept happening, making her plans harder and harder to carry out.

Now, even though she had done many things right, she had also disrupted the original plot, making the future unpredictable.

You Xue quietly watched Anbian Du, wanting to hear what the Academy would ask of her in exchange for a short period of peace.

The Academy was indeed much better than other places.

It mainly focused on supernatural ability research and talent development.

Where there were people, there was bound to be scheming, especially now that the Principal had delegated authority, but overall it was still a place where one could feel secure.

“You remember that I wanted your blood, right? I’ll still need it in the future. Also, the Research Department wants to do a little study on that Dragon’s Eye of yours, so we’ll need regular checkups. It won’t hurt you at all. After all, this situation… is just too rare.”

A hint of surprise crept into Anbian Du’s voice.

“That’s all?”

You Xue had expected a heavier price.

If this was all, she could accept it completely.

“Of course not. Actually, there’s one more thing.”

Anbian Du added.

You Xue froze for a moment, then frowned.

“What else do you need me to do?”

“The Academy wants you to become a student.”

“Me?”

You Xue was incredulous.

“Why? I don’t want to attend classes…”

Because that would be a complete waste of time.

She didn’t have much time to begin with, so there was no need to spend it on things that meant nothing to her.

Anbian Du seemed to have anticipated her reaction.

He didn’t rush and continued to explain.

“You’ll be a special student of the Academy. No need to attend classes. It’s just a name on the roster, and you’ll even enjoy the benefits of being a student.”

“But why?”

This was undoubtedly good, but You Xue didn’t understand the Academy’s motive.

She also knew the Academy wasn’t a charity organization that would suddenly lend a hand to someone in trouble.

“Think of it as the Academy investing in you. I hope you’ll help the Academy in the future, if there is a future.”

You Xue thought for a moment and felt there was nothing wrong with this.

“I agree.”

She agreed quickly.

She chose to trust the Academy.

“Don’t you want to think it over?”

Anbian Du tested.

“No need.”

You Xue shook her head.

“The Academy is good.”

More importantly, Su Li was here too.

The story would revolve around this place from now on.

Maybe staying here, not hiding anymore, would allow her to play a bigger role.

Anbian Du hesitated for a few seconds, perhaps wondering whether he should bring up the topic.

In the end, he decided to speak.

“Regarding your illness, aside from a few people in the Academy’s upper management, I haven’t told anyone. So…”

You Xue understood what Anbian Du meant.

He wanted to know her stance on the illness.

“That’s fine. I don’t want anyone else to know.”

Anbian Du looked at her and was silent for a few seconds.

“Are you sure?”

Though he didn’t understand what the girl in front of him was thinking, he knew that bearing this pain alone must feel terrible.

But when there was someone she could rely on, why wouldn’t she tell them?

Even if that person couldn’t help, at least there would be someone to listen to her suffering, so she wouldn’t have to endure it all alone.

You Xue nodded very seriously.

“Since there’s no cure anyway, letting others know just means one more person to pity me, one more person to be sad. In the end, it doesn’t mean anything.”

You Xue spoke slowly and clearly.

“So, Uncle, just keep this secret for me.”

Anbian Du fell silent for a moment.

“I respect your choice.”

He reached into his pocket, probably wanting to smoke, but then his hand stopped.

He only said, “I came too hastily today without preparing anything. Since you’ve agreed to the Academy’s requests, I’ll bring the agreement next time for you to sign, and also take your blood. The location will be the Academy’s cafe, same time as always.”

You Xue nodded.

After he finished, Anbian Du left.

She closed the door and suddenly felt that this world wasn’t as bad as she had imagined.

It just wasn’t gentle toward her at all.

With nothing to do, she couldn’t fall asleep now.

First, she hid what Anbian Du brought in the bedroom, then walked to the living room window.

The Academy’s buildings spread out in an orderly manner before her eyes—red tiles, white walls, pointed roofs, and arched windows—looking especially gentle under the spring sunlight.

Pedestrians walked by in twos and threes.

It must be lunch break by now; You Xue hadn’t checked the time.

Then the knocking came again.

Anbian Du had only just left.

‘This old man couldn’t have forgotten something to say, could he?’

She opened the door, a little annoyed.

It was Su Li.

“You Xue, I brought you lunch.”

Besides that, she could also see a girl with brilliant golden hair behind Su Li.

When the girl noticed You Xue’s gaze, her expression turned awkward, and she gave a stiff wave.

“Hello, even though this isn’t our first meeting.”

Huh?

Is that Alice?