Chapter 8: Too Deeply Immersed in the Role

Chapter 8: Too Deeply Immersed in the Role

"Sister! Money, money, money—that's all you ever care about! I'm going to school!" Fang Xiaoling turned around, stomping off in a huff. "I never want to talk to you again in this life!"

Like a phantom, Luo Lan suddenly appeared at the doorway, blocking her path. "I'm getting money for the both of us. Why are you angry?"

Fang Xiaoling put her hands on her hips. "You ask me why? I’m talking to you, and you completely ignore me!"

Luo Lan shook her head. "I’ve reminded you many times: don't get too deeply immersed in the role. If Luo Lan ignored Fang Xiaoling at this moment, would Fang Xiaoling be angry?"

Fang Xiaoling paused, stunned. She thought about it carefully; if Luo Lan weren't her actual sister, she probably wouldn't be angry about being ignored. "Oh, I don't know! I can't think about all that! I'm just worried about getting scolded by our parents when I go home! I can't help but worry."

"Why go home? This is our home. Besides, this is a fictional world; just treat it like a dream."

Only then did Fang Xiaoling notice that Luo Lan was holding a lipstick, nonchalantly applying makeup. "You're crazy, sis! If Mom finds out, she'll beat you!"

"Our top priority right now is to make our respective men fall for us. Remember, based on my experience of 'reading' countless men, regardless of the man, good looks are justice. That is the fundamental prerequisite for making them love you. A pretty face directly lowers the difficulty of the mission. You should be thankful; the Li Mengli sisters have quite good features. Put on some makeup later, call out that nerd of yours to hang out, and let’s try to finish our mission today."

"Zheng Zhe is in class! He wouldn't just skip school to hang out!" Fang Xiaoling scratched her head in frustration. "You’re driving me crazy! I’m going back to school."

Luo Lan pursed her lips in the mirror, not stopping Fang Xiaoling as she left. In any case, when she returned to her true body, it would be October 10th. No matter when Fang Xiaoling finished her mission, it would still be October 10th when she returned. That meant she could still find the awakened Fang Xiaoling in the Canglan International complex.

"The color seems a bit old-fashioned," Luo Lan muttered to herself. She capped the lipstick and was about to head to the dressing room when Fang Xiaoling returned, standing at the door with a pout, saying nothing.

Luo Lan smiled. "That's better. Finishing the mission and returning to our true bodies is what matters most. Only a fool would go to school."

Fang Xiaoling said indignantly, "Give me some taxi money. I’m going to school."

"I'm speechless. I don't have cash." Luo Lan pulled a diamond ring from a drawer and tossed it to Fang Xiaoling. "Use this to cover it for now."

Fang Xiaoling looked at the sparkling diamond on the floor, her anger flaring up. "I'm just taking a taxi! Are you burning money? I really can't stand you. Even if you have money, it was earned by your parents through hard work, right? How can you live with yourself being so wasteful?"

Luo Lan rummaged through the drawer, laughing instead of getting angry. "Who said my money belongs to my parents?"

Fang Xiaoling was momentarily speechless. "You... what is your job?"

"It's not fixed. I do whatever makes money. Currently, I own six banks in Switzerland; the profits are enough for my future. I’ve traveled to the future—though it’s not the same era as my true body, I could still look up past lottery numbers. I won the lottery nine times just on that. But for safety, I had to disguise myself as different people to claim the prizes; it was quite a hassle. Winning once lasts a few years, so I started trading stocks... Found it!" Luo Lan finally fished a revolver out of a drawer. "I almost forgot you don't know martial arts. Take this for self-defense. You know how to use it, right?"

"As if! Stay away from me! Goodbye!" Fang Xiaoling grabbed the diamond ring and ran.

"This child, such a temper," Luo Lan shook her head, put the gun back, and strolled lazily into the dressing room.

"A diamond ring is fine, she’s so rich anyway." Fang Xiaoling ran toward the elevators. There were people inside, and the doors hadn't closed yet. "Wait for me! I'm in a hurry to get to school!"

This elevator had a "Puppet Museum" theme. Before she even stepped inside, Fang Xiaoling felt a chill. If she weren't in such a rush, she never would have rushed in so abruptly.

The marionettes were all shaped like girls in JK skirts, with their limbs and necks suspended by joints. Their feet dangled off the ground, circling an old man standing in the center wearing a singlet. He bent over to scratch his hairy lower leg, then straightened up to press the button for the first floor.

Fang Xiaoling inadvertently glanced at the old man's feet in slippers; the big toe of his left foot had poked a hole through his sock. He didn't look like a wealthy person at all.

"Doing business at such a young age?" The old man eyed Fang Xiaoling with malicious intent. "Looks like you’ve had quite a harvest; you even got a diamond ring."

"What business? Are you talking to me?" Fang Xiaoling shifted aside uncomfortably; she felt the old man was weird.

"Still pretending? I've seen plenty of high schoolers like you. Young and uneducated, with nothing but money on your mind." The old man actually took a step forward, cornering Fang Xiaoling in the elevator. "How about you make a deal with me? You can have as many of these diamond rings as you want."

Even if Fang Xiaoling were slow, she could understand what he meant from his lecherous gaze. Her voice trembled with anger. "What are you talking about! I... I live here!"

"Live here?" The old man reached out and pressed the first-floor button repeatedly to cancel the descent. "Don't be silly. People who live here only send their children to the Tower School for further education. Your uniform clearly comes from some ordinary civilian school in Canglan City."

Seeing the old man press the button for the 32nd floor, Fang Xiaoling began to panic. She screamed, "My sister lives here! I’m here to visit her! Stay away!"

"Keep making it up. No matter which relative of yours lives here, they wouldn't let you attend a civilian school." The old man grabbed Fang Xiaoling by the hair, his features twisting into a wild grin. "Your expression is perfect! What a wonderful mold. I have inspiration! I have inspiration!"

The elevator reached the 32nd floor. The moment the doors opened, Fang Xiaoling tried to call for help, but the old man clamped his hand firmly over her mouth. She realized how weak the student body of Li Mengling was; even using all her strength, she couldn't break free from his arm and could only make muffled cries.

The old man dragged Fang Xiaoling away. Passing by Luo Lan's door, he deliberately turned his head to look. He knew Fang Xiaoling had come from this unit—he wouldn't mistake it. A peerless beauty lived there, but she was always alone. Even if this girl really were her sister, it would be a distant, unrelated relative. It was a pity the beauty was a resident here, otherwise, the old man would have made a move long ago.

Fang Xiaoling was nearly suffocating. Dragged into a room, the old man let go once the door was shut, leaving her to cry for help.

The old man chuckled wickedly. "Don't waste your energy. Not to mention that this door is soundproof, even if the whole building knew you were here, no one would dare enter my home to save you. Once you’re here, your fate is entirely in my hands."

In the dim space, Fang Xiaoling couldn't even clearly see the old man's face. "How... how can you be so lawless? A high-end complex like this must have security cameras!"

"Cameras?" The old man burst into laughter. He didn't seem in a hurry to do anything to Fang Xiaoling, instead pressing a button on the wall. "Ignorant civilian, what do you think Canglan International is? Only people like us truly possess freedom and privacy. Cameras might be everywhere else, but Canglan International is the one place that doesn't have them."

As he spoke, the dim light in the room began to flicker. One by one, marionettes dropped from the ceiling like vengeful spirits descending from the sky. The atmosphere turned incredibly eerie. The old man continued, "Besides, I told you, even if the whole building knew you were here, no one could interfere. Everyone who lives here is of the same rank; no one dares to meddle in anyone else's life."

Fang Xiaoling instinctively threw the diamond ring at the old man. She wanted to find something to defend herself with, but the surroundings were empty save for the puppets; there wasn't even a household object in sight. At that moment, she only regretted not having taken the revolver Luo Lan had offered.

The old man pulled a syringe from somewhere. He shuffled over in his slippers, inching closer to Fang Xiaoling. "Look at those puppets; they were all like you before. Isn't it magical? After I inject this, you’ll slowly turn into wood. This is a serum civilians could never touch in their lifetime. There won't be any pain. You should be thankful you get to receive such an advanced form of death."

Hearing this, Fang Xiaoling felt a chill run down her spine. She collapsed to the floor, her heart hammering so loudly she could hear it. "Don't... don't come any closer."

The wrinkles on the old man's face bunched up as he smiled. "That's the feeling. Keep that expression. Don't worry, I'm a very famous puppeteer in the circles. I'll definitely turn you into a perfect piece of art!"

"Help me!!" Fang Xiaoling screamed. At that moment, she finally understood what Luo Lan meant by "not being able to help but want to live." She had thought she was more pragmatic than Luo Lan, but now she knew her will to survive was just as strong. Even knowing she had transmigrated, she couldn't help but want to live.

The needle pierced Fang Xiaoling's ankle. Just as the old man was about to push the plunger, a loud *BOOM* echoed through the room. The electronic lock on the door was blasted into a gaping hole, debris showering the room. The door swung open slowly. Standing there was Luo Lan, wearing black leather jacket and pants, sporting sunglasses, and wielding a Winchester Model 1887 lever-action shotgun.

The sight made Fang Xiaoling forget the pain in her ankle, and she subconsciously blurted out, "Holy... The Terminator?"