Still Secretly In Love With My Enemy Today - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: 

 

According to the plan Xie Huaishuang and I devised, these past two days were meant for setting up the hidden mechanisms within Linlang Pavilion.

 

It sounds simple enough in theory, but in practice, it is many times more troublesome—one must evade prying eyes, ensure absolute precision, and run mental simulations over and over again.

 

However, for me, this was a matter of professional expertise.

 

“No wonder… no wonder you always got your way before.”

 

Xie Huaishuang followed me past a terrace, muttering under his breath, thinking I couldn’t hear him.

 

Unfortunately, my ears are exceptionally sharp. I asked knowingly, “What ‘got my way’?”

 

Caught, Xie Huaishuang immediately pursed his lips and fell silent. I pulled back the hand he tried to withdraw: “Tell me—go on, I really want to know.”

 

His porcelain-white knuckles paused in my grip. Finally, he whispered, “It’s just… before, your people were always sabotaging the Temple. Others were manageable, but every time you were involved, it gave me a massive headache. I could never fully predict your moves. It turns out you consider so many details… so much ingenuity.”

 

I was satisfied. I just wanted to hear him praise me.

 

Before he could pull his hand away, I instinctively held it in mine.

 

Xie Huaishuang froze, and so did I—did I have a logical reason for doing this?

 

But Xie Huaishuang didn’t pull away. He didn’t even say anything; he just suddenly raised his gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly.

 

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

 

What was he babbling about? The wind outside was too loud; I couldn’t hear.

 

I said nothing. Xie Huaishuang gave a cold snort, and the hand I was holding turned around to poke my palm, neither too hard nor too soft.

 

By the third day, eleven of the twelve locations had been prepared. Only the side room in the eastern corner of the third floor remained; the main door had somehow malfunctioned, and I couldn’t open it even after fifteen minutes of trying. By evening, he and I crept back up to the third floor to see if there was another way in.

 

“Yesterday, when Ye Jingwei came to deliver the medicine, you two talked for so long. What did you say?”

 

That same expression again. When I had finished brewing the medicine and brought it back, I saw her talking to Xie Huaishuang about something. Ye Jingwei had sighed and shaken her head, then glared at me for no reason, while Xie Huaishuang just rubbed the tip of his nose and looked away.

 

Xie Huaishuang shook his head, a brow arching: “Not telling you.”

 

Fine. This man isn’t even pretending anymore.

 

“Focus on the task. Don’t think about that.” He even had the nerve to turn the tables on me. “Only one place left.”

 

“…”

 

We reached the third floor. This area was right next to the elevator cableway; the creaking and groaning were loud, and people were constantly passing by. Hidden in a corner, Xie Huaishuang traced the layout and route in my hand once more. I had him crouch in place while I sent out a brass mechanical cricket, programmed to follow our intended path to scout ahead.

 

I pressed against the wall to listen. Just as the cricket was about to return, its clicks were suddenly drowned out by a flurry of chaotic footsteps, followed by the sound of something being dragged across the floor. There was clearly a struggle; the floorboards vibrated with the thumping.

 

“Blind dog! How dare you steal from the Third Young Master!”

 

Xie Huaishuang felt it too. He frowned and mouthed the words: “What’s happening outside?”

 

Signaling him to stay put, I peeked around the corner and was startled.

 

The smell of alcohol wafted over. I recognized the person being dragged across the floor—it was that kid! The one who first tried to extort two taels of silver from me and then told me Xie Huaishuang had been taken to Yinhua Alley.

 

The man on the left cursed and kicked her again. Standing nearby was a young man in silken robes, covering his nose and mouth with a fan. He frowned and spoke indifferently.

 

“Enough. Drag her away and beat her to death.”

 

Despite the kicks and blows, the kid didn’t say a word, only struggling desperately. I couldn’t stand it any longer. Just as the man’s boot was half an inch from the kid’s forehead, I flicked half a leaf.

 

—I had only just realized that while buying flowers yesterday, a few leaves had gotten stuck in the folds of my clothes.

 

The man stumbled back two steps. Like a monkey, the kid seized the chance to scramble up and run, but she was grabbed by the collar and yanked back.

 

I flicked a second leaf.

 

“What did she steal from you to warrant such a commotion?”

 

The young man was likely the “Third Young Master.” He turned his gaze toward me, looked me up and down for a moment, and snapped his fan shut.

 

“A petty thief. Not worth your concern, sir.”

 

The man who had been kicking her pried a jade thumb ring from her hand. The Third Young Master pointed his fan at it: “Take it back. Wash it for an hour before giving it back to me.”

 

His gaze then swept over the iron box at my waist, pausing for a second before his expression shifted instantly: “I see that you, sir, are… quite distinguished. I feel a certain affinity with you.”

 

I think he felt an “affinity” with the gadgets I was carrying.

 

He gestured toward a room with his fan: “What a coincidence today. Both of Linlang Pavilion’s top stars are gathered here. Why don’t you join me inside for a few drinks?”

 

“I don’t feel the affinity.” I pointed to the kid on the ground. “The item has been returned, and you’ve already beaten her. What more do you want? Even if you hand her over to the officials, there is no law that says a thief should be beaten to death.”

 

Talking to people like this is truly exhausting. The rules set by the City Lord are so strange—why can’t I just use my fists?

 

“The officials?”

 

He laughed again. Just as I was gritting my teeth, wondering what nonsense he would spout next, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened, his gaze bypassing me to land on something behind.

 

I tightened my grip and spun around. Sure enough, Xie Huaishuang was standing behind me.

 

“Are you all right?”

 

As soon as Xie Huaishuang felt my sleeve, he leaned in anxiously. His hands pressed against my shoulders and then felt down to my forearms before I caught them.

 

The sound of footsteps approached. I immediately turned, shielding Xie Huaishuang behind me.

 

“And who might this be…”

 

“None of your business.”

 

His eyes were still wandering—how dare he? How dare he!

 

I already had little patience; now, my desire to strike was fueled to a peak by fury: “Stand back!”

 

He didn’t listen at first, but when I gripped my sword hilt and drew it half an inch, he suddenly seemed to understand human speech and stayed where he was.

 

“Now, I am not an unreasonable man. There must be some misunderstanding.” He wore that half-smile again. “You and this… ‘gentleman’ can come in and sit for a while. I’ll overlook the previous matter and won’t pursue the little thief either. How about it?”

 

I found this man truly amusing.

 

“You’re trying to negotiate with me?”

 

I am not a person with a good temper. If it weren’t for the City Lord’s rules, what did he think a man who treated human life like grass—and dared to look at Xie Huaishuang with such malice—would look like right now?

 

As his face darkened, I began calculating the gadgets I had on me.

 

I hadn’t brought much for this trip, but it was more than enough to slaughter my way through this entire floor. I could only blame the fact that I usually wore disguises during missions, allowing a man like this to calmly negotiate with the Temple’s number one most-wanted fugitive.

 

He waved his hand, and several men surged forward.

 

How could there be so many people who overestimate themselves?

 

I estimated the opponents’ paths. After dealing with the first few, I sidestepped, but the expected arrow didn’t come.

 

—That wasn’t right. I had clearly seen out of the corner of my eye that the Third Young Master was aiming a small, sophisticated mechanical crossbow at me.

 

In that moment of confusion, I suddenly heard a click-clack sound. I spun around and saw Xie Huaishuang had somehow clamped his hand around the man’s throat. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, his expression cold and sharp. A tiny mechanical crossbow lay on the floor nearby.

 

The man in his grip tried to struggle but had no strength; he had likely been hit in a pressure point. Xie Huaishuang frowned and let go, and the man collapsed to the floor, wheezing like a bellows.

 

I saw a thin silver glint on the man—it was one of the hidden weapons I had shown Xie Huaishuang last night and that he had spent time studying.

 

I hurriedly checked Xie Huaishuang to ensure he wasn’t hurt, then pulled his hand toward me: “Didn’t I tell you to stay put?”

 

Xie Huaishuang tilted his head and pointed randomly, sounding perfectly justified: “He was going to hurt you.”

 

“I could have dodged. Why did you…”

 

“I could also kill him,” Xie Huaishuang cut in. “Why were you in such a hurry to stand in front of me?”

 

The logic was sound, but then again—how should I put it?

 

I couldn’t find the words. In the midst of my muddled thoughts, I suddenly realized something strange: “How did you know…”

 

Xie Huaishuang’s expression softened. He pointed aimlessly again: “She pulled me just now.”

 

I looked over and understood. The kid hadn’t taken the chance to run away during the chaos; she was standing nearby, currently trying to limp away quietly along the wall.

 

Seeing me look over, she put on a fierce expression again, her eyes glaring, but her voice was very small.

 

“You… didn’t you say it just now? You’ve already beaten me. You… you can let me go now, right?”

 

…

 

After forcing her to sit on a stool, I opened a medicine bottle while asking, “What’s your name?”

 

Xie Huaishuang sat beside us, wrung out a damp cloth, and handed it to me, taking the soiled one in exchange.

 

Once the kid’s face was wiped clean, she was actually quite delicate-looking. Beneath two thick eyebrows, her eyes were sharp and clear, darting back and forth between me and Xie Huaishuang.

 

“…Coral.”

 

“Coral?”

 

“What’s wrong with Coral?” Within two sentences, her eyes were glaring again. “My Third Brother said when he named me that coral is very valuable!”

 

“Did this ‘Third Brother’ of yours tell you,” I tapped the table, raising my voice and putting on a stern face to scare her, “that you should be polite when talking to people? And not to glare all the time?”

 

She fell silent, her eyes lowering. Xie Huaishuang touched my fingertips. I wrote Coral’s name in his hand; he blinked and then turned his head toward her.

 

“Can you apply the medicine yourself?”

 

I placed the medicine and the cloth by her hand. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: “I don’t need that. It’ll heal on its own in a couple of days.”

 

It seemed she and Xie Huaishuang shared a common trait: neither of them took their own well-being seriously.

 

“Hand over.”

 

I leaned forward. She glared at me, so I glared back even more fiercely. After three rounds of this, she stopped being defiant.

 

“Why did you steal?”

 

In the three times I’d seen her, twice she was stealing. I even suspected the second time she was on her way to steal something.

 

“None of your business.”

 

“How is it none of my business? Didn’t the two of us just get you out of that mess?”

 

When I translated for Xie Huaishuang, I emphasized Coral’s rude attitude toward me. Consequently, Xie Huaishuang put on a stern face and stared at her just like I did, though he secretly wrote in my palm: That’s enough, she’s only a child.

 

Coral lowered her head again. After a long pause, she mumbled, “I need money for something.”

 

“Just because you need money, you can steal from others?”

 

“It’s different,” she looked up quickly. “I only steal in places like this. The people here aren’t good people—I don’t steal from people outside.”

 

“So what exactly do you need the money for…”

 

“For ‘Flower-Buying Money’?”

 

Xie Huaishuang and I spoke at the same time. I turned to look at him and caught a look of shock on Coral’s face.

 

“I thought the scent was familiar… Chunhua’s sachet smells just like this,” he said slowly. “Ten taels of silver—exactly the price for one night of ‘Flower-Buying Money,’ isn’t it?”

 

I suddenly remembered the first time Chunhua came to us, she mentioned, “That man is coming again tonight”—the one who paid but never showed up, just to give her a quiet night.

 

But that so-called generous patron was actually a ten-year-old girl who stole things everywhere?

 

Neither I nor Xie Huaishuang spoke. Coral was stunned for a long time before she suddenly stood up: “You found out! Does she… does she know?”

 

After I wrote in Xie Huaishuang’s hand, he shook his head: “I suspect she doesn’t.”

 

“Then you… you can’t tell her!” Coral shook her head frantically. “Don’t let her know! I’ll do anything! I can help you steal…”

 

“Stealing is wrong!”

 

I cut her off and pushed her back into the seat. “You two know each other?”

 

Coral hung her head, fiddling with the hem of her clothes for a while before shaking her head. “I know her. She probably doesn’t know me… Last winter, I was starving at the entrance of Linlang Pavilion for a long time. People were driving me away… she bought me buns and gave me a beautiful handkerchief. Third Brother said one must repay kindness.”

 

“I asked around. She’s from Linlang Pavilion and very popular… it takes a lot of silver to redeem her, more than I can ever get… I heard the people who come here are all bad. I can only scrape together enough for one night at a time.”

 

She finished, paused, and then looked up again: “You guys are good people. Can you please not tell her it’s me?”

 

After a long silence, Xie Huaishuang spoke first: “Alright. We won’t tell her.”

 

“Don’t come here to steal anymore. It probably… won’t be necessary soon.”

 

Linlang Pavilion would soon be destroyed. Chunhua wouldn’t be trapped here anymore, waiting for a night of peace scraped together by a child she’d never met.

 

“Really?” Her voice rose. “Really not going to tell her?”

 

I nodded: “Really.”

 

“You guys really are good people!” Coral was happy again. “Do you really not need me to steal anything for you? I know this place very well…”

 

“…Stealing is wrong!”

 

Coral gave an “oh” and lowered her head again. A moment later, she looked at me: “The man you beat today… his family is very rich and powerful. I heard the wicks for those copper lamps the Temple makes are all provided by his family. Will you get into trouble?”

 

The Temple again. I was realizing more and more that anything connected to the Temple allowed people to get a share of the power built on black amber and steel.

 

I finished writing and glanced at Xie Huaishuang. He gave a soft laugh and tapped my wrist with his finger.

 

He asked, “Are you afraid of trouble?”

 

I couldn’t tell her that the Priest who escaped the Temple himself was sitting right next to me. Compared to that, a mere merchant providing scraps was nothing.

 

So I could only shake my head and warn her again: “Stealing other people’s things is wrong!”

 

“…Alright, alright, I get it!”

 

She wanted to glare at me, but this time she held it back. After a moment, she spoke awkwardly: “But you saved me. I can’t… I can’t do nothing for you. I’m best at stealing. I can get in anywhere…”

 

Something suddenly occurred to me: “Anywhere?”

 

“Yes!” She immediately puffed out her chest. “What? Did you think of something you want me to steal?”

 

“…Stealing is wrong.” I repeated for the countless time, unable to stop myself from rubbing my temples, feeling unusually helpless. “I don’t want you to steal anything. I want you to place something.”

 

Xie Huaishuang caught on and asked, “Can you find a way into the side room on the east side of the third floor?”

 

Coral thought for a moment and nodded like a chick pecking at grain: “Yes, I’ve been in through the chimney before. But there isn’t anything good in there… fine.”

 

Closing her mouth, she took the flint-loaded mechanism I handed her and shook it: “What’s this?”

 

“Something good.” I patted her shoulder, acting very mysterious. “You’ll find out in two days.”

 

Coral looked at me and nodded cautiously. After I translated for Xie Huaishuang, he gave a cold snort, thinking I couldn’t hear him.

 

Too bad for him; my ears are exceptionally sharp.