Su Bailian had actually run all the way back, carrying a new trash bag in her hand.
She crouched down, put on gloves, and began to clean up the garbage scattered on the ground.
The staff nearby looked extremely flustered: "Miss Lianlian, how can we let you do this kind of thing..."
"It's fine, really."
Su Bailian looked up, her face adorned with a sweet smile: "You work so hard every day, big brother. I’m just doing what little I can to help."
"But... but Miss Lianlian, your status is..."
"No, it’s not."
Su Bailian frowned, pretending to be upset: "Big brother, you’re a cleaner, contributing to the Alliance. And I, as a Transcender, am also contributing to the Alliance. Since we’re all working for the Alliance, there’s no difference in status or worth!"
As soon as these words were spoken,
the staff member’s eyes welled up with tears: "Lianlian..."
At that moment,
more and more people passing by came over to help: "Hey! Lianlian is here!"
"Quick! Let’s lend a hand!"
"Ugh, the quality of these Alliance trash bags is terrible. We should get them replaced next time."
Hearing this, Su Bailian chuckled while continuing to clean: "I’ll bring it up at the next meeting and try to get better ones for everyone."
"Lianlian, you’re an angel!"
Ye Zhidie watched silently.
Wang Xiaohua glanced curiously at Ye Zhidie: "Uh... should we go help too?"
"..."
After a brief silence,
"Let’s go."
Ye Zhidie stepped forward, and the others noticed her presence.
One by one, they stood up nervously.
Only when Ye Zhidie approached Su Bailian did everyone cautiously speak up: "Minister Ye, this was our mess. It’s not Lianlian’s fault."
"I know."
As if hearing the commotion,
Su Bailian, who had been crouching, curiously looked up.
Her eyes were as clear as water, radiating pure innocence.
When she saw it was Ye Zhidie, her face lit up with joy. She quickly stood up and smiled: "Sister Zhidie, is that you?"
"Yes, it’s me."
"Your method is too slow."
Ye Zhidie spoke indifferently.
She raised her hand, and a swarm of purple butterflies appeared, enveloping the pile of trash. In an instant, the scattered garbage was swept into the disposal area.
Seeing this, a hint of envy and sadness flashed in Su Bailian’s eyes, but she quickly masked it.
She turned to Ye Zhidie and said gratefully: "Thank you, Sister Zhidie!"
Ye Zhidie noticed the envy and sadness in Su Bailian’s eyes but said nothing. She simply turned to Wang Xiaohua behind her and said calmly: "Let’s go, Xiaohua. Time for lunch."
"Oh, okay!"
Wang Xiaohua followed, though she couldn’t help but glance curiously at Su Bailian.
This girl seems pretty nice...
Ye Zhidie walked ahead, taking a deep breath. No, Ye Zhidie, you can’t be fooled by this act.
She’s here to replace Yiyi, so she must have her own tricks.
But...
"Sister Zhidie!"
Su Bailian suddenly called out to her from behind.
"What is it? Do you need something..."
Ye Zhidie turned her head, feigning indifference, but her expression froze mid-sentence.
Su Bailian was holding a small purple butterfly charm. She ran over,
took Ye Zhidie’s hand, and placed the charm in her palm.
Afterward,
Su Bailian looked up at Ye Zhidie, her eyes filled with innocence and gratitude: "Thank you for helping, Sister Zhidie. This is a little charm I made myself. Brother Yun has a puppy charm I made for him too. I only make these for my close friends."
"Close... friends?"
Ye Zhidie looked at the purple butterfly charm, then back at Su Bailian, and couldn’t help but ask: "When did we become friends?"
"Huh? We’re not?"
Su Bailian tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
But the confusion quickly turned into a warm smile: "That’s okay. Since Sister Zhidie came to help, I think you’re a good person, so I wanted to give this to you. I thought you’d like the purple butterfly. Also, I really admire someone as young and beautiful as you!"
"It’s like... seeing my sister again."
As she said this, a trace of sadness flickered in Su Bailian’s eyes.
Thump!
Ye Zhidie’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at the pitiful Su Bailian before her, and an inexplicable emotion surged within her.
She pursed her lips, her expression still cold. No, Ye Zhidie, don’t fall for such a simple trick!
She took a deep breath and asked: "Why did you want to help? This wasn’t your responsibility."
Hearing this,
Su Bailian simply shook her head, her eyes sparkling brightly: "Because not helping requires many reasons."
"But helping... doesn’t need any."
Buzz—!
!!!
In an instant,
Ye Zhidie’s expression froze.
Helping... doesn’t need a reason.
"See you later, Sister Zhidie. I promised Brother Yun I’d have lunch with him."
Su Bailian, sensing the moment was right, waved goodbye and gracefully walked away.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhidie,
still staring at Su Bailian’s retreating figure and the handmade charm in her hand,
felt her heart racing.
Thump! Thump!
Wang Xiaohua looked curiously at Ye Zhidie, who was standing frozen in place. She had never seen Ye Zhidie like this before.
Concerned, she asked: "Zhidie... are you..."
Before she could finish,
"Xiaohua."
Ye Zhidie clenched the charm, her face slightly flushed, and slowly said: "Lianlian... she’s a good girl."
Wang Xiaohua: ???
Ye Zhidie had made up her mind. She would... protect Lianlian at all costs. She couldn’t let this pure white lotus be tainted by the mud!
She understood the sadness in Su Bailian’s eyes.
She had also heard from Wang Yun about how Su Bailian had joined the headquarters.
Su Muwan...
You vile woman!!
And your lackey, Qin Luo!! Equally evil and despicable!! How dare you bully someone as kind as Lianlian!!
Meanwhile,
Su Bailian was skipping down the hallway, hands behind her back.
Recalling Ye Zhidie’s expression,
Su Bailian felt nothing but disdain.
Hah, idiot.
Over the past few days, she had memorized the names, personalities, and preferences of everyone in the Alliance headquarters by chatting with the lower-level staff.
For example, Ye Zhidie hated Yiyi, loved robes, and adored purple butterflies.
From this, it was clear she disliked scheming people.
So, it was simple. She would play the opposite role.
Fight me?
Hah! I’ll destroy you!
Another high-ranking figure in the headquarters had been dealt with.
Wait, no—two. Wang Xiaohua had no strong opinions of her own. By winning over her best friend, she had effectively neutralized her too.
The Alliance...
Piece of cake...
"You seem to be having fun."
Suddenly,
a voice all too familiar rang in Su Bailian’s ears.
??
Su Bailian slowly turned her head, stiffly looking toward the hallway on her right.
There,
"Little white lotus, I’ve got a job for you."
Qin Luo leaned against the wall, smiling as he waved at Su Bailian.
What?!
!!!
Su Bailian’s mind screamed internally.
Dad!! Are you trying to get us killed?!
How dare you just waltz into headquarters like this?!
Wait! Where Qin Luo goes, usually...
As she thought this,
"Huh? So this is the headquarters? Doesn’t seem all that impressive."
Su Muwan gracefully stepped out of a black vortex in the wall behind Qin Luo.
She glanced around curiously, then smiled at the stunned Su Bailian: "Hey, we’re here to hang out."
Eek!!! They really came!!
Don’t blow my cover as a spy!!
Su Bailian was on the verge of tears.
If you want me dead, just say it outright!!