Chapter 23 - Self-Rescue Manual of a Villainess

Chapter 023: The Task of Xia Yiyi Xia Jun was rudely awakened by a phone call from his younger son. With a grogginess that came from being woken up, Xia Jun made his way up the stairs. The sight that awaited him was one that he was all too familiar with — his biological son bullying his adopted daughter. He needed to inject some drugs to remain functional, so he rolled up his sleeves, revealing a frostily cold arm. It helped to get rid of some of his grogginess. He partially opened the door to Xia Yiyi's room and then turned to his son, who was smoking a cigarette and crouching next to a lifeless Xia Yiyi: "Xia Bin, come out for a while." Upon hearing his father's call, Xia Bin carelessly snuffed out his burning cigarette on the back of the vulnerable girl beside him. Her pain was evident in her repressed grunt. Xia Jun, of course, heard his adopted daughter's whimpering. He glanced at Xia Yiyi, who was crumpled on the floor, her hair disheveled. "Xia Yiyi, if you are not dead yet, get up and clean this place up, then get your ass downstairs and cook." With a loud slam, Xia Jun brutally shut the door. After a few moments, the girl shakily got up from the floor, her entire body trembling. "Uhh... Uhh... Uhh," She tried not to cry, but tears flowed down her cheeks regardless, mingling with the blood that dripped onto the floor. ………………………… "Dad, what's the matter?" Xia Bin said, exiting Xia Yiyi's room. "I thought you wanted to join in the fun today." Xia Bin and Xia Jun stood face to face. Xia Bin let out an inexplicable comment, eyeing Xia Yiyi's room as he did. Xia Jun did not take long to catch his subtext. "What I want to discuss involves her," said Xia Jun, a frown surfacing on his face. His eyelids twitched and his limbs trembled slightly, his face rapidly paling—it was his withdrawal symptoms hitting him. "Dad? It's not yet time for your dose. Why are you suffering again? I'll get it," Xia Bin's complaint was cut short by his father. "No... it's all right. I can hold on a little longer. Let me finish what I need to say." Xia Jun took a deep breath, attempting to regain some composure. "Just yesterday, the young master of Longmen sent someone to look for me..." Xia Jun said, clutching his forehead. "Shang, the brother? Are there better business opportunities for us?" Xia Bin's previously listless eyes suddenly sparkled upon hearing this. Shang Qi was their family's drug supplier. His uncle, Shang Dongchang, was a heavyweight figure in the Longmen gang, controlling a quarter of the city's underground forces. He had a number of chillingly powerful variants as his enforcers. However, such heavyweight characters were naturally out of reach for small-time drug traffickers like them. Thus, Xia Bin was somewhat puzzled. "Yes, and no..." Xia Jun took a breath, his eyelids still twitching fiercely. "When I went to meet with Chen Pizi to get the goods last time, he unknowingly saw our family photo in my wallet and took notice of that little wretch Xia Yiyi." "Who knew then that on the same night, old Chen Pizi reported to Shang's young master that I, Xia Jun, have a daughter who is as beautiful as a flower." Though Xia Bin had a guess after hearing this, he didn't jump to conclusions. "Could it be that young master Shang is interested in Xia Yiyi that slut?" With a slow nod, Xia Jun confirmed Xia Bin's suspicions. "This morning, Shang's men came to me, saying they were willing to exchange five hundred kilos of grade-A drugs and three streets' worth of drug routes for Xia Yiyi." "Why so glum, dad? Isn't this good news? Are you feeling sorry for Xia Yiyi?" To Xia Bin, Xia Yiyi seemed a dispensable figure, but the exchange presented considerable assets and resources. Xia Jun gave a dark look to Xia Bin. He was not attached to Xia Yiyi but was rather bothered by the idea that Chen Pizi was going to get credit for this. If only he had known Shang's interests, he would have personally cleaned Xia Yiyi and delivered her to Shang's residence, without involving Chen Pizi. He would have had more to gain from the trade then. With a grin, Xia Bin chimed in upon hearing his father's line of reasoning. "Dad, there's no use regretting now. Xia Yiyi might be worthless, but the drugs and the routes we got for her, that's good money!" "Moreover, we all know how ruthless young master Shang can be. If we push it too far, he might not bother with these arrangements and will simply send over his variants to capture Xia Yiyi." Xia Jun knew all of these concerns too well. He nodded in silent agreement. "I'll deliver her to Shang's place tomorrow. You didn't hit her too hard just now, did you?" Xia Jun squinted his eyes at his younger son. Usually, as long as Xia Bin didn't beat Xia Yiyi to death, Xia Jun wouldn't interfere. But it was different now. Now Xia Yiyi looked like a golden goose to him. Her wellbeing needs careful attention. "No big deal, just a scratch on her forehead. It should scab over by tonight." Xia Bin said nonchalantly. "Right, let's lock her up for tonight. Can't afford anything unexpected happening to her. She's worth a fortune after all." Having said that, Xia Jun swayed slightly, then hurried off to his basement. After all, the discomfort he was in was unbearable; he needed a fix as soon as possible. "Xia Yiyi, who would've thought you could make such a contribution to this family." Xia Bin muttered to himself while staring at his father's departing figure. Afterward, he locked Xia Yiyi's bedroom door and whistled a merry tune, heading downstairs. ……………………………… Within her locked room, Xia Yiyi listened to the fading footsteps of Xia Jun and Xia Bin descending the stairs, her body still shaking uncontrollably. The bloodstains on the floor remained where they were, she had no heart to clean them up. She had pulled herself together just enough to tidy up the school bag Xia Bin had carelessly turned over. A moment later, the girl couldn't hold on any longer. She crawled into bed, curled up in a corner, wrapping her arms over her knees, hiding her face between used her knees. "Uhh... Uhh... Uhh..." The young girl's muffled crying was heartbreaking to hear. Her tears wetted her uniform, and her blood, mixing with her tears, stained her white school uniform. Why... why she was born into such a family... Why... why did her parents abandon her... Why... Why was the only warmth and concern she experienced came from that white-haired girl... Why... "Who... who can come and save me... can anyone save me..." ……………………………… [Ding Dong — The host has initiated Xia Yiyi's redemption mission. Related task details and rewards/penalties are now available.] [First-stage mission: Track the movements of Xia Yiyi. After the completion of the first stage, the second stage will commence. First-stage mission bonus: Weight Detector (Temporary Model)] The alert echoed in Nan Yin's mind who was inside a taxicab. Her eyes widened subtly. Finally, a task related to this pitiful girl was assigned. Just then, Fuhu Zhengsi noticed Nanyin's momentary daze and wondered, "Miss, is something wrong?" Nan Yin recovered promptly and retracted the excitement in her eyes. "No... nothing, let's go buy some guns." With that said, Nanyin turned to the mission screen in front of her that only she could see. [Ding Dong — Hidden mission accomplished: Interacted with three main female characters and achieved an average of 40 likes. Mission impact: You will become part of the main characters' storylines as an extra. Someone is already watching you. Mission reward: Unlocks the host's combat module.]