Chapter 35 - Self-Rescue Manual of a Villainess

Chapter 35: Trouble Brewing "Knock, knock, knock!" A young girl reached out her hand and knocked on the old-fashioned residential door. Xia Jun's house did not have anything like a doorbell, so she could only resort to this method to announce her presence. Having knocked for almost two minutes and seeing nobody at the door, Nan Yin pressed her ear to it and listened for sounds within. The lack of any movement puzzled her. "Is no one home?" Nan Yin furrowed her brows, contemplating whether she should force her way in. "Nan Yin, step aside. Let me try," Su Xiao Yu tapped her shoulder, signaling her to move aside. He then stuck a blue talisman onto the door frame and closed his eyes. A moment later, a glint appeared in Su Xiao Yu's eyes as he widely opened them. "There are three people inside." With that said, he stepped up and knocked forcefully on the door, with a strength far exceeding Nan Yin's previous knocks. Finally, some response was detected. Roughly half a minute after, the door began to creak open. "Who's there?" The door opened, and a young man, with a hint of annoyance in his lazy voice, inquired, leaving Nan Yin and Su Xiao Yu exchanging glances. Nan Yin and Su Xiao Yu had already discussed their cover story prior to this visit. Clearly, the young man was none other than Xia Jun's son, Xia Yi Yi's younger brother, Xia Bin. "Wow, quite the beauty!" Xia Bin had looked rather languid, but upon spotting the beautiful young girl before him, his eyes lit up. With his shameless adulteress of a sister as an exception, Xia Bin had never encountered another woman that could measure up to the beauty standing before him. Nan Yin was naturally beautiful, and her face was exceptionally attractive. His naked scrutiny made Nan Yin uncomfortable, but before she could act, Su Xiao Yu intervened, subtly moving in front of Nan Yin before addressing Xia Bin seriously, "Hello, we are Xia Yi Yi's classmates. We heard she was ill today, so we came to visit." "Hmm?" Initially, Xia Bin was unhappy with Su Xiao Yu blocking his gaze, but upon hearing Su Xiao Yu's self-introduction, he grew wary. His expressions of desire significantly toned down. After sizing up Nan Yin and Su Xiao Yu, Xia Bin noticed that they were wearing uniforms from Roland High School. "Xia Yi Yi isn't home," said Xia Bin and was just about to shut the door when Nan Yin moved faster than him. Her hand stopped the door from closing, and with a polite smile on her face, she noted, "We've brought the schoolwork arranged for Xia Yi Yi. If she's not at home right now, we can wait." Xia Bin's face showed uncertainty, but upon seeing the young woman's lovely face, he split into a wide grin and stepped aside. "Please, come in." Nan Yin let her smile fade, exchanged a glance with Su Xiao Yu, and they both entered the house, brushing past Xia Bin. Entering into a dreary corridor, Nan Yin and Su Xiao Yu initially planned to change their shoes but discovered that such facilities were not available in Xia Jun's house. As a gesture of politeness, they wiped their shoes on the mat placed before the door, and then headed for the living room. In the small living room sat a flamboyantly dressed middle-aged woman whose attention was drawn by the movement at the doorway. She seemed startled upon seeing Nan Yin and the others, standing up unexpectedly. "Mom, these are my sister's classmates. Let them sit," said Xia Bin with a smirk. Zhang Li, as if understanding something, left without uttering a word. "Please, have a seat. I'll go upstairs and call my dad down. After all, guests must be properly received," Xia Bin offered before he hurried upstairs, following Zhang Li. "So, have you noticed anything strange?" Su Xiao Yu inquired of Nan Yin slowly, once they were alone on the ground floor. "Both Xia Bin and Xia Yi Yi's mother look unwell – their complexions are pale and slightly yellowish, with certain parts noticeably pinched. These are symptoms of long-term use of psychotropic drugs," Nan Yin quietly commented, her gaze moving subtly about the living room. "Drug use. That's something you've told me before," Su Xiao Yu said, nodding and then sticking a few slips of charms under a variety of objects - the fridge, the couch, the coffee table. "What are you doing?" A curious Nan Yin couldn't help but ask after noticing that these charms had somehow magically disappeared without a trace upon being affixed. "As you've said, there's more to this family than meets the eye. I'm trying to prepare for possible dangers," answered Su Xiao Yu, handing her one of the charms. Pushing open the study's door, Xia Bin saw his father, Xia Jun, with a pistol in his hand. Xia Jun furrowed his brows in response to his son's relaxed demeanor and tucked the gun back into the drawer. "Tell me, what's going on and who are those people?" Due to Xia Jun's history of drug use, he didn't maintain good relationships. Those who dare come straight to his door were either enemies or "guests," hence his apprehension. "They're classmates of Xia Yi Yi, who didn't attend school today. They came for a visit," Xia Bin replied, sitting down beside his father. "I've already filed her sick leave. What's this all about?" Xia Jun asked, perplexed. "Dad, you know how these pampered students love to spin stories," Xia Bin said with a grin. "So, is there anything unusual about these two?" Xia Jun asked, intrigued. "Dad, among these two, there's a female student who is top-notch, not a bit inferior to Xia Yi Yi," Xia Bin said, a mischievous grin and an evident desire on his face. "As good as her?" Xia Jun asked in surprise then confirmed himself, "That's absolutely possible. Considering the environment of Roland High School, all the girls there must be stunners." "So, what's your plan?" Xia Jun squinted, aware of the numerous schemes and frequent mischief he and his son were involved in. Their misdeeds had already led to five or six women getting hurt in the Philo district and even to two deaths. Therefore, Xia Jun didn't find it surprising that his son had a plan. "Dad, think about it. Since we've already given Shan such a generous gift, delivering another of the same grade will surely be beneficial for us!" Xia Bin said with a wide grin, greed plain in his eyes. "But... these are students from Roland High School. We could force Xia Yi Yi to sign the contract, but these glossy young students..." Xia Jun wore a worried expression. "Dad, have you forgotten? Shan has promised to help us settle in Basel after this job. That place will be our paradise so we can be a bit ruthless. What's more, Basel lies beyond the Emperor's jurisdiction, unreachable by Tai Zhou. With our connections, we needn't be afraid of the local police." "You have a point..." Xia Jun nodded, finding his son's final assertion quite persuading. "Go to the basement and fetch those drugs I got last time. They were meant for that tempestuous vixen from the cake shop, but now... just in case, we need some psychotropic drugs with paranormal effects."