Too Arrogant
Yu Xiang’s phone rang, and she startled as she looked at the new phone.
Immediately, she lifted her head and scanned her surroundings, but found nothing unusual.
Huo Anran was nearby buying a cold drink, and the passersby paid no attention to her.
What could this be about?
The SIM card inside was just purchased less than ten minutes ago at the mobile kiosk beside the brand counter.
A harassing call?
Or a sales call?
It couldn’t possibly be the Dark Mentor, right?
If he really was that all-seeing, then his identity would be far more complicated.
At first, Yu Xiang had thought he possessed Heirong Jinen, or perhaps he was a serial killer employing Hei Zai.
In any case, he must have access to numerous public and private surveillance videos.
Otherwise, just monitoring social apps alone couldn’t have accurately pinpointed Zhou Yaohui’s and He Zilu’s deaths.
Yu Xiang had prepared everything in advance to deal with the Dark Mentor’s control and retaliation, but if the other party had authority to use Sky Net and all the real-name registration info, then she would be completely exposed.
She stared at the string of network numbers, first setting up call recording, then gestured to the chatty Song Wenya to be quiet before answering the call.
“It went through! It actually went through!” an excited middle-aged woman’s voice shouted.
Yu Xiang frowned.
Could this call be to the former owner of the number?
But why would they use a network number to call?
“Hey, who is this?”
“Is that you? Xiao Yu, gege, where are you? Mama misses you so much, are you alright?”
Xiao Yu?
Yu Xiang frowned again.
Did the caller know who she was?
But wasn’t the Dark Mentor male?
Even if female, would they act this hysterical?
Song Wenya, seeing her frown, leaned in closer, trying to overhear the other side.
Yu Xiang pushed her away and walked to a quiet corner, giving the phone number and saying, “Ma’am, did you mean to call this number? This SIM card was just bought by me.”
“Xiao Yu, are you mad at mama? Mama only wants what’s best for you. Don’t hang up or turn off your phone, okay?”
The woman’s voice on the other end sounded pitiful, but Yu Xiang was growing impatient.
If she really cared about her daughter, how could she sound so off?
No matter the situation, there was no point wasting time on someone she couldn’t communicate with.
“I have to say, your scams keep getting more and more inventive.”
Yu Xiang hung up.
Song Wenya thought it was a scam call and glanced at her: “You’re such a kid. Didn’t I tell you before not to answer unknown calls? Why’d you waste time talking to them? By the way, you bought a new phone? Where’d you get the money? Your grandpa gave it to you?”
She reached for Yu Xiang’s new phone.
Yu Xiang impatiently brushed her hand away.
“If you don’t have anything to say, stay away.”
“Why are you so rude to me? I’m your mom, damn it! You’re getting more stubborn! I told you, that man isn’t so bad, even if your dad doesn’t care about me anymore.”
“Song Wenya, are you annoying or what? Do I have to take care of you? Weren’t you the one dragging me to be a model at the Zhanzai? And making that Zhu Tou Nan package my debut?”
Song Wenya looked a little coaxing.
She noticed Yu Xiang wasn’t listening to her much lately and wanted to cheer her up.
Don’t all young ladies like being models or debuting?
“I’m only doing this for your own good. Look at those rich kids all squeezing into the entertainment circle. Why? Because it pays well. You’re pretty; why can’t you give it a try?”
Yu Xiang looked disdainfully at her cheap mother.
“If you want to do it, go ahead. I bet once you turn on your beauty filter, you’re pretty too. Song Wenya, you’re not young but not old either, can you be a little more reliable? Either you’re fooling others or being fooled. How could a group boss find you, a married woman in your forties? They only care about your gold and silver jewelry looking rich. Fishing for sugar daddies and sugar mommies — a perfect match.”
Song Wenya was startled.
That man had indeed mentioned investment before.
She had lost eighty thousand yuan to a scam from blindly investing, money she had saved with great difficulty and planned to use for a trip to Ao Men.
Now it was all gone.
Though she knew she was at fault, being scolded so harshly by her daughter was unbearable.
“Damn girl, no matter how bad I am, I raised you. Don’t be heartless. Who’s fishing for sugar mommies? Not me! What do you eat and drink? Relying on your useless dad?”
Yu Xiang’s phone rang again, still the new one.
This time it was a text message, but she didn’t rush to open it.
Since Song Wenya mentioned Yu Daqiang, Yu Xiang wanted to ask: “Mom, you’re so beautiful and good at charming men, why did you end up with such a useless man? Am I really his biological daughter? You don’t look like it.”
Song Wenya was often sly and deceitful, always playing a part, but she couldn’t hide what she felt inside.
Hearing her daughter praise her beauty, she was about to smile, but then heard the last part and her expression turned awkward and complicated.
“Damn girl, if you’re not his, then who else? Our business isn’t your concern.”
She said this and turned to leave, afraid Yu Xiang would keep asking.
After a few steps, she turned back and said, “Don’t wander outside so much. Stay home, clean, cook. If your Zhu Jiu and the others come knocking, don’t open the door, got it?”
Yu Xiang ignored her and took the elevator.
She opened the text: 【Xiao Yu, mama misses you so much. Where have you been these past few years? I had someone set up an auto-dialer on the computer to call you day and night. Finally connected. Come home, mama is waiting for you.】
So it was Xiao Yu?
Yu Xiang exhaled in relief.
This girl called Xiao Yu was probably around her age.
From the tone of the call, it seemed Xiao Yu had run away from home over conflicts and never returned.
Did she disappear?
Or was she already dead?
While waiting upstairs for barbecue, Yu Xiang searched that number on all social apps and various lifestyle apps.
None had any registration.
Internet searches only showed the IP address associated with the mobile company.
Looks like the former owner was a cautious person who canceled all personal info before deactivating the number.
Yu Xiang also checked the city’s missing persons records—no girl named Xiao Yu.
Maybe it was just a nickname.
Just as the barbecue sizzled, her phone rang again.
This time it was a local number.
She answered.
The same woman’s voice said, “Xiao Yu, Tian Yun, I was worried you turned off your phone again. Where are you? Can I come find you? Mama misses you.”
Yu Xiang remained doubtful, but the woman’s cautious, timid tone moved her slightly.
“A Yao, this number is new. I’m not your daughter Xiao Yu. Please don’t call again. If she’s missing, you can report it to the police. If she just doesn’t want to contact you, you should find the reason and treat it accordingly. If you raised her and still need support, you can also ask the police to have her pay child support. Got it? Please don’t call again. I’m not Xiao Yu.”
Yu Xiang hung up, feeling much lighter inside.
She wasn’t the pitiful early victim or the later devil boss villainess.
Although Song Wenya and Yu Daqiang were a strange couple with no affection, Yu Xiang had inherited the original owner’s body unwillingly.
There was no escaping that fact.
The original owner was raised by them.
Sometimes she had to freeload at her grandfather’s house, sometimes locked at home hungry, but they weren’t completely negligent; when they had money, they took her to amusement parks.
No matter how their story ends, she had to repay that upbringing debt.
Just like she said, the simplest way—pay child support.
So, she still had to start earning money quickly.
Yu Xiang opened the Gongan Ju website to check wanted posters.
This was her old skill.
If she could catch one or two high-value targets, eleven cases could support her for a year.
She quickly browsed, memorizing the facial features of those wanted.
Even if the reward was just a few dozen yuan, she didn’t ignore it—small mosquitoes are still insects.
After finishing her meal and leaving the mall, Yu Xiang went to the mobile kiosk again.
She asked, “Hello, important info about the previous owner was sent to my phone. Can you help me check her new number?”
“Sorry, we can’t casually check the owner’s info.”
Yu Xiang had expected this but was still somewhat suspicious of this number and wanted to try.
Usually, those booths displaying a telecom company sign at malls weren’t official telecom staff but had some authority.
When Yu Xiang bought her number, only seven or eight options were available.
She chose the most auspicious and easy-to-remember ending: 7688.
The worker saw she wasn’t giving up and repeated, “Ma’am, we only handle card activation and plan changes. For other requests, please go to the main branch.”
Yu Xiang said straightforwardly, “Then cancel this number for me and open another. I don’t want to keep receiving unrelated info on this one.”
“Sorry, new numbers are no problem, but cancellations must be done at the main branch. You can also cancel online after using it for a while.”
The man was thin-faced, with drooping outer eye corners, looking very listless.
His professional smile gave off a bleak vibe.
“Ma’am, I suggest you don’t cancel yet. There can’t be a new number now; they’re only released after returning to the pool. At first, there may be some other people’s info, but after a while it will be fine. Even if you go to the main branch, you might not get a new number.”
“Anyway, I don’t want this number. Give me a new one. When I have time, I’ll go to the branch to cancel this.”
The gloomy man looked even more miserable, reluctantly turning to the computer, “Please select a number.”
Yu Xiang glanced at the available numbers and suddenly felt she’d been too arrogant.
Most people now bought electronics online.
Could the Dark Mentor have predicted she’d come to the mall to buy a phone?
That she wouldn’t go to the branch and would get a card at the kiosk right beside it?
She was always the one working in the shadows while the enemy was in the open.
Now reversed, it really felt uncomfortable.
Yu Xiang hesitated over the few numbers, not liking any of them.
“Forget it, I’ll go to the branch. Maybe I’ll get lucky and snag a new number.”
The gloomy man forced a smile.
“Good luck.”
Yu Xiang memorized his face, then left for the nearest police station to ask the Huji Jing Xiaojiejie about the procedures for changing one’s name.
Adults aren’t allowed to change names, but her reason was sufficient.
“Officer, every time I hear someone call my name, I think about how my parents almost gave me away!”
The Huji Jing Xiaojiejie, kind and beautiful, quickly pulled out the form and thoughtfully explained how to get a new ID and update other info as fast as possible.
What Yu Xiang thought would be the hardest part turned out to be simple.
She left the station feeling much better.
She called Gu Zhiye with the new number, “Officer Gu, can you help me check the previous owner of this number?”
“Sorry, we can’t casually inquire about citizen info unless there’s a possible case involved.”
Yu Xiang said, “There must be a case. Why else would I contact you? I just want to know her age, name, current status, and family situation.”
“Isn’t that too little? You don’t even know who she is. How do you know she’s involved in a case? What case?”
Yu Xiang couldn’t say it was a hunch.
That call came too fast.
Xiao Yu and Little Yu really were too close.
“Team Leader Gu, I thought we had an understanding.”
Gu Zhiye looked at the case analysis board and sighed, “What understanding? Little Yu, we’ll investigate these two cases related to you thoroughly. Don’t make things worse. That’s all for now.”
Yu Xiang frowned as the call ended.
Gu Zhiye seemed really annoyed.
Looks like the special case team was out of the picture.
She regretted telling Gu Zhiye about the two calls from the Dark Mentor.
Now she’d not only alerted the enemy but possibly lost the advantage of foreseeing parts of the plot.
Yu Xiang reviewed the case and her responses.
Suddenly she realized Gu Zhiye wouldn’t think she was staging it all herself.
He’d think she fabricated the Dark Mentor to justify her presence at the crime scene?
She couldn’t help but reflect.
She’d thought she had an ally to use Sky Net and all police tech against the Dark Mentor, but she’d been way too arrogant!
No more relying on Gu Zhiye.
Yu Xiang adjusted her strategy but remained passive, only waiting for the third call.
She sighed softly.
Then she’d just use the old trick—respond without changing.
After finishing everything, Yu Xiang checked nearby rental listings.
Nothing good—either partitioned or facing away from the sun.
If she wanted a bright one-bedroom apartment, she’d have to look farther.
But it wasn’t urgent.
If needed, she could live at school.
She bought her favorite pastries and headed home, receiving another text on the way.
[Miss, sorry for bothering you. My daughter doesn’t listen to me and ran away. I miss her so much my eyes are about to cry. The doctor said I have signs of depression. Your voice sounds like Xiao Yu’s. When I miss her, can I call you? Don’t worry, I won’t pester you, just want to hear your voice.]
Yu Xiang sneered, not replying, and called back immediately.
The line rang for half a minute before the woman answered.
Her voice was urgent: “Thank you, daughter-in-law. You agree, right? When are you free? How about 7 p.m.? I won’t call every day, only occasionally. I won’t disturb you.”
Yu Xiang replied bluntly, “Looks like we’re fated. Send me your address. I’ll come right away to visit you on behalf of your daughter and ease your pain.”
The woman was stunned, clearly not expecting Yu Xiang to come find her directly.
Her voice turned sorrowful again.
“Thank you, miss. You’re so kind, but I’m never home. Since Xiao Yu left, I’ve been searching everywhere.”
She started crying again.
Yu Xiang impatiently hung up.
A simple scammer?
Or connected to the Dark Mentor?
Now the tricks were changing?
Would there be a third call?