Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Do Not Look Back (Ten)

Yu Manyi’s apartment was on a high floor, and from the window, she could see many low-rise buildings far and near. Along with the intermittent gunfire and white flashes, many windows that had already darkened nearby lit up.

Everyone was looking out, but the night was eerily silent. At first, the gunshots were faint and broken, but at some point, they became continuous bursts, a long series of “da-da-da-da-da-da” from a machine gun.

Soon, sounds could be heard from the hallway as neighbors from nearby apartments opened their doors. You Hong hurried to open the door too, and when the door was pulled open, Yu Manyi heard an elderly person outside reassuring everyone:

“It’s fine, it’s fine, this happened once in 1927 as well... it might stop by tomorrow morning.”

Will it really stop by tomorrow morning? Yu Manyi wasn’t sure. She and You Hong didn’t sleep apart again; instead, they squeezed into her bedroom, even packing some of their scattered belongings into a suitcase. Yu Manyi had many beautifully styled clothes in her closet, but she didn’t take any of them. She only pulled out two pairs of trousers, a sweater, and a padded jacket, then placed her riding boots at the door.

The gunshots continued the entire night.

Yu Manyi had a wild animal’s sense and instinct, and she felt that the coming days would not be easy, though she couldn’t predict how bad things might get. She comforted You Hong to rest a little, then went back to secure the valuables in the house, checking the remaining food and cash in the house once again.

At around 4 AM, You Hong woke up and urged her to rest. Yu Manyi forced herself to fall asleep, unsure whether she was awake or sleeping, but somehow, she heard a familiar voice in her mind telling her, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared.”

In her sleep, Yu Manyi’s eyes became slightly damp. It seemed that Song Qi had returned at this moment.

She slept for two hours and woke up around 6 AM, only to find that the electricity in the house had been cut. The noise in the hallway had finally disappeared, perhaps because everyone had gone home to fend for themselves. The gunfire in Zhabei became more intense, accompanied by the roaring of airplanes and louder explosions. She and You Hong stood by the window, watching as black smoke rose in the slowly brightening sky.

“It’s Zhabei…” You Hong murmured. “It’s... it’s near the Commercial Press… Manyi, we…”

“Wait a little longer,” Yu Manyi replied, her voice tense but calm as she looked into the distance, “Shiwen said not to leave the concession. We’ll wait here. We’ll hear news soon.”

The street below their apartment was usually very busy, with newspaper boys running to sell papers early in the morning. However, today, there was no one. News was now being spread the most primitive way. Yu Manyi stood by the window for a long time. As the sky brightened, she saw many disheveled people pouring onto the streets, clearly refugees fleeing from Zhabei, coming to the concession to seek refuge with their relatives.She heard someone running while crying out, “They’ve bombed people, they’ve killed people!”

She carefully looked at every face, and finally, in a single moment, she caught sight of a familiar face. Su Wen, wearing a hat, emerged from the crowd and looked up just as he stood beneath Yu Manyi's building. Their eyes met.

“Teacher Su!” Yu Manyi shouted, and immediately pulled You Hong to open the door and run downstairs.

Teacher Su was exhausted, with dust on his hat and clothes, his expression grave. The three of them stood downstairs and said only a few words. Neighbors who had been waiting for news and noticed that Su Wen was informed gathered around.

“Yesterday, the Japanese army attacked from Hongkou towards Zhabei, and there was a bombing this morning,” he said. “The Huzhou Club was hit just now, and the planes are still circling. You must not go over there.”

“What are they doing!” One of the onlookers, who cared about current affairs, shouted angrily. “Didn’t they put forward a few unreasonable demands and promise to agree to them yesterday noon?”

“They’re just trying to attack you, whether you agree or not!” Another young and passionate person responded.

More people gathered, and the crowd dispersed as they were pushed back. Yu Manyi was also forced to retreat to her apartment door. Su Wen looked back and handed her the package in his hand, saying:

“These are some food and supplies, take them for now. Many refugees from Zhabei have escaped to the concession, and all the transportation has been requisitioned. Supplies will definitely be scarce soon… protect yourselves, do you understand?”

“Teacher Su, then you…”

“I have to do what I need to do,” Su Wen lowered his hat and finally bid her farewell. “Manyi, in times like this, it’s a blessing to be able to act. If I get the chance, I’ll come see you again.”

If there’s a chance.

But what if there’s no chance?Su Wen did not speak.

Yu Manyi did not even glance at him again, nor did she say another word. He turned and merged into the surging crowd. The neighbors who had heard his news—some angry, some worried—because of the overwhelming crowd, had to raise their voices louder and louder, filling the first-floor lobby of the apartment.

However, no matter how loud their voices became, they were all drowned out by an even louder explosion.

Yu Manyi looked up and saw a huge column of black smoke rising from the Zhabei direction. It was 10 a.m. on January 29th, and she later learned that the column of smoke was the last trace left in this world after the Commercial Press was destroyed.

The Commercial Press, with its focus on publishing, had many piles of paper in its main factory. The fire started at 10 a.m. and burned until 5 p.m. that afternoon. The remaining ashes of the paper were scattered by the north wind in all directions, and even the concession was engulfed in a blanket of black ash.

Yu Manyi had no concept of how destructive the fire from the explosives could be, and even held some hope that the main factory would remain with something intact. However, two days later, when the newspaper resumed communications, eight words summed up the situation at the Commercial Press—"Ancient books and rare editions, all burned to ashes."

The main factory, covering over eighty acres, which had once sprawled like a steel beast across Zhabei, a factory that day and night expelled steam—had, within a single day, turned to black smoke and vanished.

Yu Manyi felt anxious—she had never felt such anxiety before. Her feelings for the Commercial Press were so complicated; it was the place where her new world had begun. Even her plans for the future had been based on it. But now, it was gone. Why? Why did everything she valued in life have to leave her in these various ways?

Gunfire had continued for four days. On February 1st, when Yu Manyi stood by the window again, she saw a denser black ash, flowing with the wind from the Zhabei direction. It landed on pedestrians, causing those who inhaled it to bend over and cough violently. This black ash spread farther than the first time, even reaching Nanjing Road. In the afternoon, the newsboy came again, calling out an urgent special edition:

"The Eastern Library is on fire, smoke and ashes rising to the sky, the five-story building has been completely destroyed!"

The Eastern Library… the Eastern Library was on fire too.

This news did not cause Yu Manyi more grief or confusion than the bombing of the main factory. She just stood at the window, staring vacantly at everything outside, once again doubting the reality of the world.

If everything in this world can be so easily destroyed, then what is strong and eternal? Song Qi had once told her that the Shanghai Bund was nothing more than a roofless Yu family courtyard. What about beyond the Bund? She had once sworn to kill Liu Fengyan and the people who had taken You Xiaoqing and You Hong from her. She thought that by killing them, the world would become better, and she would reach the end of her mission. But now, with more people trapped in suffering, and everyone she cared about being swallowed by the flood, what was she supposed to do? Where should she go?Song Qi, where should I go? But Song Qi would never tell her. He had sent her off one last time at the Prime Minister's tomb, and from then on, the path ahead was for Yu Manyi to decide on her own.

The black ash still lingered. Yu Manyi closed her eyes in front of the window.

The smell of gunpowder seeped through the cracks in the window, giving her throat a strange burning sensation. She stood there for a while in the scent of smoke and gunfire, then suddenly turned around, went to the bedroom, changed into lighter clothes, and shoved a gun into her riding boots, fastening them.

Luckily, the phone in the apartment lobby hadn't been cut off. Yu Manyi walked over to the employee handling the phone and gave him a code. A few days ago, someone had told her that this was the temporary office number of the Commercial Press in the concession area.

These two explosions had come so suddenly, and the Commercial Press had been severely damaged, almost to the point of destruction. Fortunately, only about twenty people had remained at the factory that day, and they quickly evacuated when the situation became critical.

The entire Shanghai headquarters was shut down, and all colleagues were suspended. Only the temporary disaster relief committee was still operating at the office in the concession area.

When Yu Manyi's call was finally connected, the person's tone was clearly anxious. He almost didn't wait for her to speak and immediately began to explain, "We're handling the relocation, if it's regarding client accounts or debts, please allow us some more time..."

"Relocation? Do you have a way into Zhabei?" Yu Manyi asked directly.

"What?" The person paused, "You are..."

"I am an employee of the Commercial Press," Yu Manyi said, "Do you need manpower?"

The person on the other end, suddenly put in a difficult position, was already overwhelmed with work, with various parties pressuring him. Receiving such a call at this moment made his voice tremble.

"Y-yes, we need help," he said hastily. "Write down the meeting location. We'll have a convoy this afternoon to move machinery from the Fifth Factory on Beitian Tong'an Road."

The main headquarters of the Commercial Press had been completely destroyed, and the relocation team had tried several times to reach the location but failed. They had to adjust their strategy and focus on salvaging the Fifth Factory on Beitian Tong'an Road. This was also a large factory, housing many machines and books, and after the second defense line had been breached, it was still possible to save it.

When Yu Manyi left, she didn't bring much with her, the most important being the handgun in her riding boots and a flashlight. You Hong, worried about her, had tightly packed some steamed cakes into her coat pocket and reminded her not to go hungry."You too, what are you going to Zhabei for?" She saw her off downstairs. The streets were filled with refugees sleeping on the road. Everyone was running away from Zhabei, but Yu Manyi was going there, and she just couldn't understand it.

"Didn't Teacher Su say it?" Yu Manyi comforted her. "Given the situation, it's a blessing to do something. I don't want... I don't want to just watch. I'm not that kind of person."

"You're really not." You Hong didn't stop her anymore. If Yu Manyi were just a spectator, she would have already become a white bone in the back hills of the cotton factory that day.

Yu Manyi walked to the temporary assembly point and saw a colleague holding a loudspeaker organizing a convoy. There were all kinds of vehicles, cars, carriages, tricycles... She introduced herself, and then was led to the front passenger seat of a small car.

She settled into the front seat, and within half a minute, the driver arrived. The driver had messy hair, and one of his glasses legs was broken, but he was still dressed decently, although the decency was covered in dust.

Yu Manyi blurted out, "Mr. Jia?"

The man looked up when she called him, and chuckled helplessly. "Miss Yu? How are you? Why are you calling me Mr. Jia? My surname is Zhen!"

Yu Manyi couldn't help but smile, feeling guilty for not knowing the real surname of this random person until now. His surname was actually Zhen!

The convoy started moving, and Yu Manyi followed them slowly. The convoy had more than ten vehicles in total, all heading to Zhabei. The streets were full of refugees, and an ambulance would pass by every now and then, with stretchers scattered across the ground. The more Yu Manyi looked out the car window, the more serious her expression became.

This was the scene of those fleeing, but what had Zhabei turned into? The Commercial Press was there, and many of her memories of Shanghai were there too, including the wonton stall where she had eaten with Song Qi... After this explosion, perhaps, nothing would remain.

Mr. Zhen occasionally spoke to her, and it turned out he had started helping to transport goods from the Fifth Factory the day before. This was the last asset of the Commercial Press in Zhabei that could be salvaged. The damage to the press was so severe that although no official notice had been issued, it was likely to remain closed indefinitely. All these employees would have to find their own way—there were rumors that they might receive a maintenance stipend, but reopening the business was out of the question.

"I'm not that noble, but there are some foreign books in the Fifth Factory that I translated. They were just printed, and if even one copy is lost, it's such a pity!" Mr. Zhen rambled on to Yu Manyi.

Yu Manyi used to dislike Mr. Zhen speaking English, but now she listened with interest. Together with the convoy, they entered Zhabei for several days, bringing back machines, books, and paper that still had value to the concession area.

Yu Manyi tried her best not to let her gaze linger too long on the buildings that had already been destroyed, as staring at the ruins for too long would only lead to meaningless sorrow. The leaves on the trees had all been burned, leaving blackened trunks that looked like corpses. The glass of the buildings had all been shattered, and the chimneys had collapsed. Some buildings were slightly sturdier and still maintained their external framework, but the roofs had huge holes blasted in them. Most of the residential houses were so fragile that the beams had fallen to the ground, the courtyard gates had collapsed, and everything was in chaos.Fortunately, the Fifth Factory they were heading to was behind the front line, so they didn’t have to face the direct battlefield. Yu Manyi gradually got used to hearing gunshots and explosions from the distance while sitting in the front passenger seat, and she unexpectedly felt it — she felt that Song Qi had come.

Was he worried about her going to the war zone, or was he jealous because she was with Mr. Zhen? He always controlled her this way, worrying about her safety, not letting her stay at his house, not allowing her to copy books for him, yet here she was, doing these things. He had never been able to do anything about it.

On the fourth day after Yu Manyi joined the convoy, the official notice of the Commercial Press’s closure was finally issued. Many of her colleagues in the convoy were voicing their complaints, but there was nothing they could do, so they just continued with their work.

With the situation being what it was, Yu Manyi repeatedly recited the four words Teacher Su had said in her mind. During the lulls between explosions, she wondered how Teacher Su was doing. You Hong had said that Teacher Su hadn’t come by in the past few days.

Just as Yu Manyi was thinking this, a deafening explosion suddenly echoed from underneath the wheels of their vehicle, heading towards the Fifth Factory.

"Boom!"

A red flash passed before her eyes, and Yu Manyi felt her body suddenly lighten. Then, the entire car was flipped over. Their car was at the rear of the convoy, and the vehicles ahead had already passed. The explosion point turned out to be under the last car.

The car flipped over in an instant, spinning twice in the air before slamming down onto a sandbag. Yu Manyi felt herself enveloped in darkness for a few seconds. When her consciousness returned, she found a hand hammering at the driver's side window with a rock, seemingly trying to pull the unconscious Mr. Zhen out.

Who... could it be? It couldn’t be their people!

From the sound of angry curses, Yu Manyi quickly deduced the enemy’s faction. Her position in the passenger seat was out of the enemy’s line of sight. Wiping the blood that had smeared across her eyes with her shoulder, she quietly reached for the gun in her boot.

But before her hand could reach it, the glass suddenly made a "crash" sound, and an egg-sized stone flew in, hitting Mr. Zhen’s head and causing him to groan in pain.

"Not dead?" someone outside the car exclaimed in surprise.

Yu Manyi froze for a moment. She felt the voice was familiar, but she couldn't recall who it was. Suddenly, her pupils contracted as she saw someone outside the car pulling a dagger from their waist, aiming straight at Mr. Zhen’s neck.There was no time to draw her gun!

Yu Manyi yanked off her seatbelt, one hand gripping the shattered car window frame, not caring that the glass shards were digging into her palm. With a forceful push of her waist, she raised her foot and kicked at the hand holding the dagger.

Her kick knocked the hand away, and the dagger "thudded" into the backrest of Mr. Zhen’s seat, narrowly missing his neck. Hand-to-hand combat was not Yu Manyi’s strength, and she didn’t retract her foot in time. The opponent immediately grabbed her ankle, pulling her entirely out through the shattered car window.

The glass shards slashed at her legs and back, and Yu Manyi screamed in pain. She was dragged through the window, then violently thrown to the ground, her world spinning upside down. When she finally came to, a hand was squeezing her neck.

Her eyes bulged from the pressure on her throat, and the clearest thing in her vision was a long, narrow scar on the man’s face.

Yu Manyi recognized who it was.

But wasn't he from the Public Works Bureau? With Zhabei in such a state, why was he targeting them, the civilians, who were rescuing supplies? Or was it...

Suddenly, Yu Manyi began to struggle wildly. Yes, aside from Third Aunt, there was also Third Uncle, who had colluded with Liu Fengyan, someone outside the Yu family. The evil in this world was layered and interconnected. Whether it was the Yu family or the Shanghai Bund, what was so surprising about it?

Her throat made a choking sound, her feet dangling, her struggles gradually weakening. She couldn’t reach her gun; it was in her boot... Yu Manyi pushed against the hand choking her neck with both hands, but she wasn’t strong enough.

Was she going to die? After everything she had been through... was she going to die at the hands of this person?

No. Yu Manyi thought, gasping for breath. No, this isn’t right.

Song Qi had said he had already asked, that she could live for a long time, that her end was still far away. She couldn’t die. If she gave up now, if she reached the end prematurely, Song Qi would never see her again!

No!

Suddenly, Yu Manyi stopped defending herself and began to attack. Defense was useless. While alive, there would always be someone stronger and more ruthless than you. So, she had to attack... she had to attack!Yu Manyi suddenly extended her arm and jabbed her fingers forcefully into the man’s eye, just above the scar. The man was caught off guard, and his grip loosened, causing him to turn his head and try to dodge. She didn’t let up, struggling violently, then raised her leg to kick him below the abdomen, kicking again and again.

After these two strikes, the man’s grip indeed loosened. Yu Manyi immediately crouched down, trying to pull her gun from her boot. However, as soon as she bent over, a Japanese-style leather boot kicked directly at her nose.

The force came from her left front, and Yu Manyi was knocked sideways, her body curling in pain. Despite the excruciating agony, she reached for her boot again. But in that instant, the Japanese military boot came down suddenly, stomping her hand into the ground!

The sole of the boot was as hard as iron, and it made Yu Manyi’s finger joints snap with a “crack.” It was no surprise if her fingers were broken. She had gritted her teeth and held back her screams up until now, but at this point, she couldn’t stop herself from letting out a sharp cry.

“You really remind me of one of my previous prisoners,” the man with the scar crouched down. It seemed like he had forgotten they had met outside Song Qi's apartment, “Never make a sound, even when you’re in pain… you must be ruthless.”

Yu Manyi’s mind flashed with the scars on Song Qi’s back—the knife wounds, the whip marks, and the burn scars. It was all him… it was all him!

Suddenly, her body twisted, and she glared at the man with hatred. Her gaze captured all his attention, and she swiftly twisted her boot, stepping on the dagger that had fallen to the ground. Using the heel of her boot, she kicked it up, grabbed it, and in an instant, plunged it into his neck!

His expression remained relaxed, calm, and full of interest, as if he were in complete control. But his neck was already pierced by the knife.

Blood flowed down the dagger, dripping onto the hilt, sliding down Yu Manyi’s wrist, soaking into her cuff, and then dripping to the place near her heart. Yu Manyi finally exhaled a heavy breath, watching the fear slowly spread in his eyes, as if he had only just realized what was happening.

She didn’t immediately pull the knife out of his neck. Instead, she locked eyes with him, watching the fear deepen. Yu Manyi gripped the knife’s hilt. She knew that once she withdrew the knife, all the blood would burst out in an instant.

“I’ll teach you something,” Yu Manyi said, gritting her teeth, slowly twisting the knife handle. “Never underestimate your enemy.”

She heard a gasp beside her, as if someone was amazed that she was now teaching others. The voice had been silent just moments ago, probably too worried to even breathe.

His neck made the same sound as her hand had when it was crushed under the boot—crack, crack, as if his bones were being twisted and broken by a sharp object. Yu Manyi began to pull the knife out slowly, savoring the pain in his expression.

“You could have died faster,” Yu Manyi stared at him intently, “But you had to hurt Song Qi!”She didn’t just pull the knife out; instead, she drove it back into the man’s neck. The repetitive action widened the wound, and blood began to spurt out. Yu Manyi twisted the knife another turn before suddenly yanking it out!

The wound, now fully open, caused blood to surge out in torrents, splattering a meter away and covering Yu Manyi in it. She shut her eyes tightly to avoid getting blood in them, and after a while, when she felt the blood no longer gushing, she slowly opened her eyes.

Her opponent finally collapsed, lying in a pool of blood. Yu Manyi’s body also started to lose strength. Yet, she still gripped the dagger tightly, unwilling to let go—this was the first time she had taken something from someone else.

No one had taught her, no one had told her; it was her own weapon that she had seized.

Yu Manyi gripped the dagger tightly, her knees, which had been crushed when the car flipped, began to ache once again. Why did the world always seem to conspire against her knees? Slowly, she knelt into the pool of blood surrounding her. After a while, she didn’t even know who she was, what she was doing here, or where she was supposed to go.

Her brain had never experienced such pure emptiness. The last time she experienced this kind of void was perhaps when she first left her mother’s womb.

Yu Manyi knelt in the blood, her clothes soaked and the blood crawling up her body. The distant sounds of gunfire began to cease—it was a brief break in the fighting. Yu Manyi now felt that the battlefield was no longer something unreachable; after all, she had just created a body here.

In the ancient, primal silence and emptiness, she knelt until the sound of footsteps came from beside her. Yu Manyi had developed an animal’s instinct by now; she knew that the footsteps didn’t pose a threat, but beyond that, she knew nothing. Right now, she knew nothing at all.

The footsteps stopped in front of her. Apart from a pair of boots, Yu Manyi saw a gun much longer than her own, standing next to those boots.

"Quite the surprise," the voice said, also familiar. Why were all these familiar voices around her? As a young lady from a land-owning family, she was surrounded by too many familiar voices.

Yu Manyi silently moved slightly, acknowledging that she had heard.

The other person understood her dismissiveness. After a brief pause, the voice asked again:

“So, who are you?”

What? She knew them, but they didn’t know her. Yu Manyi moved slightly again, intending to answer, but unexpectedly, she couldn’t open her mouth.Who is she? Yes… who is she?

She couldn’t think of an answer, so she chose to remain silent. And she felt that staying silent wasn’t a big deal. If she didn’t want to speak, then she wouldn’t.

As expected, when she remained silent, the other person had no choice but to accommodate her. Yu Manyi lowered her head, hearing the person sigh, raise their voice, and ask again:

“Is the burning of the Yu family your doing?”

Some distant memories rushed back, and for a moment, Yu Manyi was in a daze, thinking, yes, the burning of the Yu family, it was me.

“Copying the radio signals, was that you?”

Copying the radio signals… that was also me.

“Leading the strike, was that you?”

This one couldn’t be denied—it was her. That event was mainly thanks to her.

“Killing the traitor just now, was that you?”

…

Yu Manyi finally lifted her head, raised her voice, and said, “It was me.”

“Very good! Then, who are you?”Who am I?

Who am I?

I am Yu Manyi, the second young lady of the Yu family from Shaoxing, who lived in the Yu family mansion for sixteen years. I was promised to my cousin, to be his wife.

But later, he said I was feudal, and he wanted to break off the engagement. I could no longer be his wife—so if I couldn’t be his wife, who else could I be?

I once wholeheartedly dedicated myself to being the daughter of the Yu family, but I burned the Yu family with fire, so I could no longer be part of the Yu family. At first, I had no identity proof, but later, I got a passport. However, the information on that passport was also fake, so I wasn’t the person listed on my documents either. Afterward, I became an employee of the Commercial Press, but now the Commercial Press is gone, so I can no longer say I am one of them.

I... I once loved someone, and he taught me many things. But he’s gone now, no longer here. But before he left, he taught me one last thing. He said—I am completely free, I only belong to myself.

I only belong to myself.

Ah, I think I understand now.

It turns out I never belonged to anyone, anywhere. I’m not anyone’s daughter, anyone’s wife, anyone’s employee. I came into this world, from beginning to end, I only belong to myself.

I am just myself. My parents gave me a codename, and for many years after, I used this codename to refer to myself—

“I am Yu Manyi... My name is Yu Manyi!”

“Very good! Yu Manyi.”

“Yu Manyi” stood up from the blood-soaked ground, locking eyes with the newcomer. He was much taller than her, but she didn’t look up. Instead, she took a step back, so they could meet at eye level.

It was a serious and stern face, with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s. Yu Manyi had only seen him when she was with Song Qi before. Today, she was on the battlefield, meeting him amidst the roar of the artillery.“I heard the Commercial Press has closed down,” the man said. “Can you tell me what you plan to do next?”

Yu Manyi didn’t answer his question. She didn’t like being asked by others. Right now, she wanted to ask him something.

“Why are you asking me this? What I want to do has nothing to do with you.”

“Because there is something important that requires you.”

“How important?”

“More important than fame and fortune. You still haven’t answered me. What is it that you most want to do right now?”

“I... the people around me are starving and suffering. Right now, I just want this war to stop, so they can live a little better.”

“That’s good. We are like-minded. We share the same intention.”

“...”

“Interested? But I must remind you, there are some paths once taken, you cannot turn back.”

“Do you really need me? Then you need to know more about me.”

“What?”

“I will never turn back.”[Summer, 1935, Paris]

“Truly unexpected... that you would... you would also go abroad to study.”

Outside the open-air café, foreign men and women basked in the afternoon sunlight. At a small table under the shade of a tree sat two East Asian faces—young man and woman of similar age.

The young woman seated on the inner side wore a sleeveless dark green French-style dress, her expression relaxed. Leaning back in her chair, she finished the last sip of her coffee and replied politely:

“I didn’t expect to run into you here either, Cousin. I have things to do—I’ll be heading off first.”

“W-wait, Manyi,” the man, who had slicked-back hair and wore gold-rimmed glasses, quickly stood up and called out, “Oh—or maybe now I should call you... Rossela?”

Yu Manyi—or rather, Rossela—took off the sunglasses she had just put on, a bit helplessly, and turned back, still maintaining her courtesy.

“I truly didn’t schedule time for reminiscing today, Cousin,” she said. “Are doctoral students in Britain this leisurely? My coursework here in Paris is quite intense.”

“I just thought, since we met by chance in a foreign land, and given our past ties, perhaps...” Her cousin’s eyes scanned Yu Manyi’s current appearance—her figure, her demeanor—and suddenly he couldn’t stop himself from guessing, “Manyi, did you marry someone wealthy? Did he sponsor your studies abroad? What line of business is he in?”

“What?”

Yu Manyi’s polite expression finally froze slightly at that moment, gradually turning cold.

She turned back toward him, looked at him calmly, and answered, “Sorry, I didn’t marry anyone. Or rather... I won’t be marrying anyone in the future.”

“What?” Her cousin looked utterly confused. “What kind of woman doesn’t get married? Or is it that the man paid for your education abroad but just doesn’t want to...”

He started entertaining some crude assumptions. Yu Manyi felt slightly irritated under his gaze, but the displeasure faded quickly. It’s hard to argue seriously with someone you hold in contempt."Is it so hard to understand?" She asked, not caring in the least. "If you don’t understand, then forget it... This is something someone else told me. He said that I’m completely free, and I can live however I want."

The plan had been delayed for too long, and Yu Manyi didn’t have the time or energy to keep dealing with such a person. She seemed to have even forgotten his name.

She checked her leg briefly for confirmation, didn’t spare another glance at her cousin, and strode across the streets of Paris. Before he could catch up, she turned into a narrow alley.

She moved quickly through the dark and damp paths, as though she was already deeply familiar with the area. Finally, Yu Manyi saw, deep in the alley, a bloated figure.

Compared to Yu Manyi, that person was the one who truly didn’t want to be seen. On such a hot summer day, he wrapped himself up tightly, his head covered in sweat. Yu Manyi, on the other hand, only wore sunglasses, covering most of her face.

“Passport, hurry, give me the new passport,” the middle-aged man said anxiously.

A new passport was flipped out of Yu Manyi’s hand and handed over. The man opened the first page, glanced at it, and immediately began cursing, “I asked for a man’s U.S. passport, why did you give me a woman’s Australian passport?! You—You—”

His tone froze as he saw the face on the passport.

The man slowly lifted his head and realized that the so-called female student from the Paris Academy of Fine Arts, who had claimed to have the connections to get him a fake passport, had taken off her sunglasses, revealing a familiar face.

He was very familiar with this face.

He had seen her at the Yu family, and again in Shanghai. This was the third time he had seen her—it was Director He, Old He, the third time he had met Yu Manyi.

His eyes widened, watching in disbelief as Yu Manyi drew a pitch-black handgun from beneath her skirt, expertly chambered a round, and pointed it directly at his forehead.

“You... you...” Director He backed up rapidly, but behind him was already the dead-end of the alley.“What are you going to do?!” he shouted in fear.

Yu Manyi raised the gun and took a step closer to him. He tried to turn and run, but in front of him was only a red brick wall adorned with spray-painted murals.

He heard a light and cheerful voice from behind him:

“Me? Shovel—traitor—”

Before the sentence was finished, a dull “bang” echoed through the alley.

A twisted human face slid down the wall, the bright red blood spurting from his forehead, combining with the abstract spray paint to form a breathtaking image.

Behind him, Yu Manyi knelt on one knee and fired several more shots into his body until the magazine was empty.

“Don’t look back.” Her tone was gentle, as though offering a kind reminder.

The black, cold gun was tucked back into the holster at her side. Yu Manyi straightened the hem of her French dress, humming a song, and walked away from the alley entrance.

Time was a bit tight. After completing the mission, she still had a few important things to do, such as trying the bagels from that shop on the corner—

After all, before reaching the end, Miss Yu had planned many wonderful experiences for herself to enjoy.

[End of the text]