Peach-Orange! – Chapter 144 – The Road of No Return

At the entrance of Jiuzhou University, three burly men in plain clothes stood under a willow tree, braving the cold wind as they awaited their orders.

The leader, a man with a simple yet sharp-eyed appearance, addressed the other two:

“Remember this: if Miss Chi gets into any conflict, our first priority is to protect her and prevent escalation. Understood?”

His name was Gao Han, one of Si Chen’s most capable subordinates.

This mission had come directly from the young master himself. Any failure to protect Chi Xiaocheng would result in him “feeding the fish in the river.”

The two underlings, though physically strong, weren’t as sharp as Gao Han.

One raised his hand. “Boss, with the three of us around, who’d dare mess with Miss Chi? Aren’t you overreacting?”

“Shut your mouth,” Gao Han glared. “Just follow orders. The young master said—”

Before he could finish, his sharp eyes caught sight of a loli approaching from across the street.

He immediately fell silent, whispering to the other two, “Professionalism, got it? Follow my lead.”

When they met, Gao Han noticed Chi Xiaocheng’s grim expression and grew more serious.

“Miss Chi, I was sent by the young master to assist you. You can call me Xiao Gao.”

Chi Xiaocheng gave a slight nod. “Did Si Chen tell you what this is about?”

“No. He only said to handle a conflict and follow your instructions.”

“Good. Come with me.”

Chi Xiaocheng had come to accept that she might be a bit of a yandere. Perhaps she’d acted the role for so long that the mask had fused to her skin.

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Or maybe she’d always been this extreme and never realized it.

Though her Darkened State was now permanent, it didn’t mean she’d lost her rationality.

Even with Si Chen’s backing, she couldn’t just kill someone in broad daylight.

But teaching that manager Long Mian a lesson for Su Tao’s sake? That was doable.

The winter weekend was quiet, the sub-zero temperatures keeping most students indoors.

The snack store was nearly empty.

As Chi Xiaocheng entered, a clerk at the counter greeted her, “Welcome!”

But when Gao Han and the others followed, her smile faltered.

A young girl with three imposing men, all stone-faced. This didn’t look like a shopping trip.

Hesitantly, the clerk asked, “Are you here to buy snacks?”

Chi Xiaocheng smiled reassuringly. “Is your manager, Long Mian, here?”

The clerk pointed upstairs. “She’s on the second floor, but—”

Without waiting, Chi Xiaocheng headed up.

Gao Han followed, while one of his men leaned toward the clerk. “Whatever you hear, don’t come up. Best to lock the door, got it?”

This was clearly trouble.

Upstairs, a woman in her forties lounged on a couch, watching a drama with her legs crossed, enjoying the warmth and a bag of beef jerky.

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She scowled at Chi Xiaocheng. “Who are you? The shopping area’s downstairs. No customers allowed up here.”

“You’re Long Mian?”

Long Mian glanced at Gao Han and toned down her aggression. “Yeah. What do you want?”

“I’m Su Tao’s friend.”

At Su Tao’s name, Long Mian’s expression twisted with disdain. “Oh? Here to beg for her job back?”

“Why have you been targeting her?”

Long Mian scoffed. “So you’re here to fight her battles? I’m her boss. If she screws up, I discipline her. That’s how jobs work. And who the hell are you to meddle?”

Chi Xiaocheng almost laughed.

This woman was every bit the brainless antagonist from the original novel: illogical, obsessed with bullying the protagonist, and destined to be humiliated within two chapters.

She turned to Gao Han. “Teach her a lesson. Then get her fired and thrown out. Contact the store owner and have her replaced. Can you handle that?”

She’d planned to do it herself, but this wasn’t worth her time.

Her Alertness skill had been tingling since she left the apartment complex. Someone was watching.

Best to wrap this up quickly.

But Long Mian burst into hysterical laughter. “Fire me? Who the hell do you think you are? My uncle owns this franchise! You think bringing a few thugs scares me? I’ll call the cops!”

“Call them,” Chi Xiaocheng said flatly.

Long Mian mistook her calm for fear. “You and that bitch Su Tao… both just begging for a beating, huh? How I treat her is none of your business!

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“And that face, bet you’ve seduced plenty of men with it, just like her!”

Her tirade continued until she shouted, “Dahua! Get out here!”

A burly man emerged from the back room.

Emboldened, Long Mian grew even more vicious, not noticing the darkening storm in Chi Xiaocheng’s eyes.

A fruit knife slid silently into her grip.

Crack!

A slap from Chi Xiaocheng’s free hand sent one of Long Mian’s front teeth flying. Half her face swelled instantly.

In her Darkened State, Chi Xiaocheng was stronger than Su Tao.

And those insults had just cranked her rage to new heights.

Long Mian staggered, then shrieked, “You little slut! How dare you—!”

She lunged for Chi Xiaocheng’s hair.

A flash of steel.

Before her hand could connect, five fingers tumbled through the air, severed cleanly at the knuckles.

Blood sprayed across the room.

The cuts were surgical in their precision.

Chi Xiaocheng moved with lethal grace, her cat-like pupils burning crimson.

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“Who,” she whispered, “did you just call a bitch?”

‘No one insults my Tao-Tao.’

Schlick!

A scream. Long Mian’s remaining hand hit the floor before she even registered the pain.

The speed left even Gao Han stunned.

“Protect the target!”

His underling blinked. “Boss, Miss Chi doesn’t need our help—”

“Idiot! The young master said protect the people she’s fighting!”

Chaos erupted.

To outsiders, it might’ve looked like a farce.

But for Chi Xiaocheng, it was catharsis.

‘I think… I really might be broken.’

She murmured it to the System in her heart.

And then—

Su Tao’s phone rang.