Yama Reborn-Chapter 523 - 520 [Everyone is Fine.]

Chapter 520: Everyone’s Doing Fine.

The last day of December 2002.

In the past few years, celebrating Christmas had become a trend among young people in China. It was technically past Christmas on the last day of December, but that afternoon, the festive atmosphere could still be felt on the streets.

Well, I don’t know when it started, but New Year’s Day has also begun to be hyped up by businesses.

Only, the young people weren’t calling it New Year’s Day anymore.

It’s called "crossing the year."

The term had already caught on in several major cities. Jinling City, being one of the three major core cities in the Yangtze River Delta, had adopted this terminology quite early as well.

Merchants had removed their various Christmas slogans and replaced them with all kinds of promotional slogans for "crossing the year" surprises.

When Chen Xiaoye, a second-grade (Class 4) student at Wanjiahu Elementary School, left school, she ran out of the school gates with her backpack swinging, only to see Yu Naitang, the white-haired, scheming loli, standing at the school entrance waiting for her.

"Sister Little Candy," Chen Xiaoye called out politely as she approached.

Yu Naitang sighed. "Let’s go, let’s go home. Your mom had to work this afternoon, and your sister-in-law is at home taking care of your niece..."

"So, Sister Little Candy, did you skip class again today?" Chen Xiaoye asked, looking at Little Candy. "The older kids don’t get out this early."

Yu Naitang fell silent for a moment. "You’re starting to talk more and more like your brother—do you know that your way of speaking can be annoying?"

Chen Xiaoye puffed up her round cheeks. "Not at all!"

As they passed the crossroads, Chen Xiaoye even took out her purse to buy two skewers of candied hawthorns—she wasn’t lacking in pocket money. On the contrary, Ou Xiuhua had reminded Lu Xixi several times not to give the child too much spending money.

Despite this, Chen Xiaoye’s wallet always contained at least one hundred-yuan note.

Well, in 2002, the average salary in Jinling City was only a few hundred yuan.

For a child, this level of spending money was already a lot.

Licking her candied hawthorns, Yu Naitang said slowly, "Today is New Year’s Day, so I specially skipped class to pick you up. When we get home, you better not mention that I skipped class."

Chen Xiaoye smirked like a little fox. "Then can I talk about the time a boy slipped you a love letter?"

Yu Naitang rolled her eyes.

Home was still in the same old place: those two apartments on the top floor of the old-style residential complex, built in the 70s and 80s.

The two large villas bought this year had actually been fully furnished.

But no one in the family mentioned moving.

Ou Xiuhua didn’t bring it up, and Lu Xixi didn’t utter a word about it either.

On one hand, living in these densely populated old-style complexes offered a certain charm. On summer evenings, one could see families bringing out small stools to the open spaces to enjoy the cool breeze, eat watermelon, and chat, creating a strangely inviting human touch.

On the other hand... the reason was clear to everyone.

They were waiting for Chen Nuo to come back.

The only man in the household was busy outside and hadn’t returned. Moving? That was out of the question.

If Chen Nuo came back to find his old home empty, his family gone, what would that look like?

Reaching the entrance of the complex, Yu Naitang threw away the rest of her candied hawthorns and took out a tissue. She carefully wiped the corners of Chen Xiaoye’s mouth.

"There, it’s not noticeable now."

"Mmm~" Chen Xiaoye smiled sweetly.

Ou Xiuhua and Lu Xixi forbade Chen Xiaoye from eating snacks after school—it would affect her appetite for dinner.

If children ate sweets after school, they wouldn’t have an appetite for dinner.

So, Chen Xiaoye was particularly fond of Little Candy, a girl not much older than herself.

In Chen Xiaoye’s heart, Little Candy was both pretty and cool, especially with that white hair—she was ridiculously cool! And that hair was naturally white. Ou Xiuhua had once worried that the child’s white hair would make her stand out too much at school, leading to gossip or even bullying, so she had taken Little Candy to dye it.

But later, as the hair grew out, it turned white again. Besides, who was Yu Naitang? She easily became the king of the kids at school, so how could she be bullied?

Over time, no one bothered about her hair, and the school teachers couldn’t say anything either.

The child had congenital white hair; it wasn’t as if she were dyeing her hair like some delinquent.

You wouldn’t discriminate against someone with such a condition, would you?

Of course, Yu Naitang had her own troubles too.

For instance, she really wanted to buy a car for herself recently.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t old enough to apply for a driver’s license.

Although her driving skills were excellent—give her an Apache helicopter, and she’d figure out how to fly it in no time—the issue was that an eleven-year-old driving a car on the street would definitely not go unnoticed by traffic police.

So, even Lu Xixi forbade her from buying a car.

Money was not an issue for Yu Naitang. She had a lot of private savings, likely enough to rank her among the local tycoons in the bustling city of Jinling.

The family dinner was almost ready, and Ou Xiuhua had brought home two dishes from outside when she finished work.

Actually, she had been hesitant and embarrassed about it, but the original plan had been to invite Hou Changwei over for a New Year’s Eve dinner.

But Hou Changwei had a last-minute matter at work. He was asked to make a delivery to a suburban county and wouldn’t make it back until midnight, so they gave up on that idea.

The family crowded around the table in the narrow living room.

The house wasn’t big, yet everyone felt it was sufficiently cozy.

The table held only homemade dishes. Even Chen Yiyi was settled in a baby high chair at the table.

The child could already eat some food, and Lu Xixi was carefully picking all the bones out of a piece of braised fish, mashing it into a paste with a spoon, and feeding the child bit by bit.

Chen Xiaoye and Yu Naitang, holding two cups of juice, were enthusiastically tackling the sweet and sour pork ribs on the table.

Being young, they still preferred sweet things.

Ou Xiuhua ate sporadically, glancing now and then at her daughter-in-law, her granddaughter, and then at Chen Xiaoye and Yu Naitang.

An empty seat at the dinner table had a set of cutlery placed there—it belonged to Chen Nuo.

Normally, the family didn’t have this custom; doing it every day would be too unsettling.

But since it was a holiday, they left a seat empty, as a way of including him in the celebration.

A dish that Chen Nuo liked, stir-fried pork with edamame, was placed nearest to the empty cutlery.

"Do you think, with it being New Year’s Eve, Chen Nuo will give us a call?" Ou Xiuhua sighed.

Lu Xixi thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Brother Lei was the last person to see Chen Nuo, and he said he seemed fine. However, he might not be able to make a call this time he’s away."

Seeing Ou Xiuhua’s expression and fearing she might overthink, Lu Xixi quickly smiled, picked up her daughter, and handed her to Ou Xiuhua. "Let Grandma feed you~"

Seeing that Ou Xiuhua was now preoccupied with feeding her granddaughter, Lu Xixi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the apartment complex behind Daming Road, the upstairs apartment had changed a lot from a few months ago.

Although not redecorated, it was filled with the trendiest high-end furniture and appliances of the past two years.

Zhang Linsheng had a half-empty bottle of beer in front of him, with roast duck, salted duck, and several cold dishes on the table.

Xia Xia sat beside him, considerately lighting a cigarette for her man.

Then she waited, smiling, for Zhang Linsheng to eat and drink his fill before batting her eyelashes at him. "Wait for me a moment."

"Huh?" Zhang Linsheng was startled.

Xia Xia had already turned with a smile and slipped into the bedroom.

More than ten minutes later, just when Zhang Linsheng was getting restless, Xia Xia slowly opened the bedroom door.

Then, Brother Haonan was dumbstruck.

Two words flashed through his mind: Holy shit!

Black stockings, a leather jacket, a little female devil!

He swallowed hard. "When did you buy this?"

"It just arrived a couple of days ago. Come on over here! I had a hard time getting someone to buy it from Hong Kong for me! It’s imported and very expensive."

"How much was it?" Zhang Linsheng asked, looking dazed.

"Four hundred... Ugh, you ask too many questions! Hurry up! My period is due in a couple of days. If you don’t hurry, you’ll have to wait over a week!"

Zhang Linsheng unhesitatingly put out his cigarette, set the beer bottle aside, and strode towards the bedroom.

Brother Lei was in the bathroom, using an electric trimmer to remove the faint stubble that had just grown on his head. He then dunked his large head under the tap to rinse it and haphazardly wiped it with a towel.

Touching his smooth scalp, Brother Lei sighed.

He still preferred this look. Life was indeed curious. Previously, he fretted about being bald; now, oddly enough, when his hair started growing, he worried about attracting attention and had to shave it clean regularly.

At the dining table at home, Zhu Xiaojuan had finished preparing the meal.

She had bought two pounds of pig head meat today and stir-fried it with garlic—something Brother Lei was particularly fond of.

Having been husband and wife for so many years, they weren’t like the young couple Zhang Linsheng and Xia Xia, who enjoyed playing flirtatious games.

It was just simple food and drink, accompanied by casual conversation.

Zhu Xiaojuan spoke while Brother Lei mostly listened, occasionally nodding in agreement.

"I think Dazhi and that girl, Xiao Yu, are getting along quite well. Their feelings for each other seem good too."

"Mm."

"Even though he’s still young, as his elder sister, I need to prepare for him. What do you think? Should we find some time to ask Xiao Yu’s opinion, and see if we should pay a visit to her parents? They are our elders, after all, and I don’t have parents. It might be best to take the initiative and visit them, to see if we can settle the children’s matter."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Xiao Yu’s family is quite well-off, so their expectations might not be low, but our family should be fine. I don’t want to spend too much of your money; after all, he’s my brother, not yours. I have some savings from when I was working before I got married. Plus, Dazhi has been working with you these past two years, and all his wages are saved under my name. If we both contribute, it shouldn’t be too much of a shortfall..."

"That’s not how you should talk; what’s mine is yours," Brother Lei finally said, shaking his head firmly. "Without you holding down the fort, I wouldn’t have the peace of mind to be busy with everything. For Dazhi’s affair, we’ll spend whatever is necessary. Don’t worry about the cost."

"Actually, it won’t cost too much. Xiao Yu is a local from Jinling. Here in Jinling, our traditions regarding dowries don’t involve a lot of money, just something symbolic. For the house, we can give Dazhi the old flat my parents left for him to get married in, but it needs renovation. I’ve done the calculations; the decoration could be done for fifty thousand."

Brother Lei thought for a moment. "I’ll add another hundred and fifty thousand, to make it a round two hundred thousand. We’ll do the renovations properly; I can’t have my brother-in-law’s wedding house looking mediocre. I’ll find reliable friends to take care of the renovations."

"Renovations won’t cost two hundred thousand! Are you turning an old house into a mansion? It wouldn’t even match!" Zhu Xiaojuan said anxiously. She was a woman with inherent determination.

"Then the leftover money can be used to buy Dazhi a car first. I’ll take him to sign up for driving lessons later. Let’s start with a Jetta worth seventy to eighty thousand—don’t get the first car too nice; it’ll hurt to dent it. Better to buy a cheaper one to practice with first."

「Tokyo.」

Beneath the cloak of night, neon lights flickered, concealing who knows how much urban crime.

With New Year’s Eve approaching, the streets were crowded. Ginza was reportedly packed with tens of thousands of people waiting to celebrate.

All nightclubs in Shinjuku were said to be at full capacity.

The winter wind blew in gusts, but the Japanese girls on the streets remained resolute, bravely showing off their young, pale legs in short skirts.

Xicheng Xun and her companion walked side by side, both clad in black trench coats, their long hair recently cut into ear-length bobs.

Gently tapping the wireless Bluetooth earpiece in her ear, Xicheng Xun spoke slowly, "We have arrived at our destination."

"Acknowledged. The target is in room 207. I repeat: the target is accompanied by bodyguards and may be armed," came Niveer’s unmistakable voice from the earpiece.

"Where’s Firefly?" Xicheng Xun inquired.

"I’m watching you guys," came Li Yingwan’s voice from the earpiece. "I’ve been in position for ten minutes now—the wind on the rooftop is really strong. Remind me to dress warmer next time."

Xicheng Xun casually looked up at the surrounding skyscrapers, then quickly identified Li Yingwan’s position—a theoretically optimal sniping spot.

"Listen well, Li Yingwan. This is only an apprenticeship observation for you. You are not to fire, understand?"

"I know, I know," Li Yingwan responded reluctantly.

"Have you memorized the escape route?" Niveer asked through the earpiece.

"I could walk it with my eyes closed, don’t worry." Xicheng Xun glanced at her watch. "Then, we’re going in now. Estimated mission time is three minutes! We withdraw after three minutes."

With that, Xicheng Xun took a deep breath and turned to look at her partner.

Her partner gave her a gentle smile and then pursed her lips...

It was...

Sun Keke!

Two pretty girls in trench coats entered the nightclub with the largest neon sign on the street.

A few minutes later, the area around the nightclub’s back door remained silent.

"Li Yingwan, has the agreed time passed?"

"It’s been four minutes."

"They haven’t come out yet? Could something have happened?"

"Xicheng Xun is very capable... I’m just afraid Sun Keke might drop the ball."

"Dammit! I’m going in to check!" Li Yingwan seethed.

"Don’t move recklessly! Going in now would be suicide for you; do you even have close-combat skills?" Niveer said gravely. "I’ll go! At least I’ve had some combat training."

Just then, through the binoculars, the nightclub’s back door burst open with a BANG!

Two men in black suits were sent flying out!

Then a third!

And a fourth!

After flying out and hitting the wall, none of them managed to get back up.

Following them, Xicheng Xun and Sun Keke emerged from inside.

In Xicheng Xun’s hand, her Tachi was still pressed against a middle-aged man’s waist.

"Did they... Did they kidnap the target?"

"It seems... they did?"

"Weren’t they just supposed to extract some data?"

"Maybe... the situation changed?"

Niveer and Li Yingwan communicated through the earpiece.

Xicheng Xun and Sun Keke quickly reached a car by the road, used the prepared keys to unlock it, and stuffed the knocked-out middle-aged man inside.

Xicheng Xun jumped into the driver’s seat.

Then, from the back door of the nightclub, a crowd, yelling and accompanied by WHOOSHING noises, emerged—more than a dozen men in black suits carrying steel pipes, baseball bats, and knives.

"Get in the car!" Xicheng Xun shouted to Sun Keke, turning her head.

Sun Keke, however, suddenly turned around and glanced at the dozen or so men rushing out from the nightclub’s back door.

She thought for a moment, then slowly raised her hand and pointed her finger lightly.

BOOM!

A black Honda Accord parked by the roadside flew straight over and crashed into the back door of the nightclub!

BANG!

The second car to fly over was a Lexus!

The third was a Toyota...

The fourth...

Instantly, seven or eight parked cars took flight, smashing into the nightclub’s back entrance and the connected alleyway, completely blocking it. The dozen men in black suits panicked and scrambled away in all directions.

Only then did Sun Keke, under Xicheng Xun’s astonished gaze, slowly turn back and climb into the car.

"Aren’t we leaving?" Sun Keke asked Xicheng Xun.

"Of course, we are," Xicheng Xun sighed, started the car, and drove away unhurriedly.

After driving past an intersection, Sun Keke took her phone out of her pocket and dialed a number.

After several rings, the call connected.

"Mom, Dad! Yes, I miss you so much... Ah, I’m fine in Japan... really fine! It’s just a year as an exchange student, right? Dad, please persuade Mom not to worry so much. My classmates are really nice to me, and I’m keeping up with my studies. It’s New Year’s Day today, have you had dinner? Me? I’ll eat in a bit, with classmates. There’s a bunch of us. Today we’re having hotpot~"

After hanging up, Sun Keke slowly put her phone away.

"Your hand is shaking," Xicheng Xun sighed.

"Yeah, I’m actually still pretty nervous," Sun Keke said softly. "I... I’m afraid to hurt people."

"I saw. None of the cars you threw hit anyone. It looked scary, but you made sure to avoid them."

"Yeah," Sun Keke sighed.

"Actually... they were all from the Truth Society—scumbags. If you’re this merciful, you won’t last long on this path," Xicheng Xun said nonchalantly, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove.

"I... I’ll try my best," Sun Keke said, taking a deep breath.

"I’m still very curious," Xicheng Xun said in a low voice. "...How much of her consciousness... did she leave behind?"

"...Not much, and it’s all merged now," Sun Keke said, clenching her fists tightly, her tone serious. "I am Sun Keke! I am not her!"

"I know. That’s why I agreed to your request, why I’m willing to help you with all I’ve got."

Xicheng Xun spoke softly, "The challenges he will face are immense. We all saw it that day in Jinling, experienced it, lived through it! When that kind of situation arrives, we can’t really help him... neither Niveer nor Li Yingwan can. As for me, I can only help a tiny bit. But you’re different, Sun Keke. You’ve merged a part of her consciousness – that woman was terrifying; the power she displayed that night was too frightening. If you’ve merged with her power... then in the future, you can help him. You’ll be more useful than me. That’s why I’m willing to help you grow with all my strength."

Afterward, silence fell in the car.

But soon, Li Yingwan’s annoyed voice came through the earpiece.

"HEY!! Are you two having a heart-to-heart and forgot there are two more people on the comms?! Xicheng Xun, you traitor! Are you becoming besties with the Great Devil now? HEY! Sun Fatso! Don’t try to win over Xicheng Xun!"

Niveer’s helpless voice followed, "Li Yingwan, we’re all comrades now. Don’t talk like that."

"What comrades! We agreed the three of us would form an alliance to combat the Great Devil! A trio against the Great Devil Sun Keke! Now we’re comrades?"

Well, if it were twenty years later, the put-upon Goryeo little witch would probably upload a video to TikTok: What happened to the trio fighting the Great Devil, now you’re sisterly with the Great Devil? Family, who understands!