"Yutong, Yutong, are you going home tomorrow for the holiday?" Li Xiaohui leaned over Liu Yutong's desk, her chin resting on her folded arms, blinking her big eyes as she asked.
Liu Yutong looked up at her and replied, "I'm not going back. I have things to do. What about you? Aren't you going home?"
"I'm definitely not going back!" Li Xiaohui pouted, absentmindedly twirling the ends of her hair. "My parents are always too busy. If I go home, I'll just be stuck watching TV or reading books alone—so boring it’ll kill me."
"Yutong, let’s go to the internet café! Do you know how to play games?"
Liu Yutong shook her head helplessly. "I feel like I’ll eventually be corrupted if I keep hanging out with you."
Li Xiaohui stuck out her tongue playfully. "It’s just that no one else is around to keep me company. Lele and the others left for home this afternoon. Now it’s just the two of us left in the dorm, clinging to each other for survival. So if you don’t go with me, who will?"
Though the school’s official holiday started the next day, many students had already left that afternoon.
Most of the other dorms were in the same situation—those who could leave had gone, and those who stayed often headed to internet cafés.
Smartphones weren’t widespread yet, so internet cafés were practically the hottest hangout spot for young people at the time.
"Yutong, are you really not going? There’s no class tomorrow—why are you working so hard?" Li Xiaohui continued to coax her.
Liu Yutong shook her head again. "If you want to go, go by yourself. I really can’t stand the smell of those places."
Internet cafés back then were far from the clean, modern ones of later years. The air was thick with cigarette smoke, instant noodle fumes, and even the stench of unwashed feet—definitely not something she could tolerate.
"Fine..." Li Xiaohui’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. But then, imagining herself dominating in the game, she perked up and rummaged through her drawer for her ID. "I’ll go by myself then!"
However, when she excitedly rushed down to the first floor, she found the dormitory gate already locked.
Li Xiaohui couldn’t believe it. She checked the time on her phone—only 10 p.m. Why was it locked already?
An hour earlier than usual.
Probably because of the holiday, the dorm supervisor had locked up early.
Dejected, she trudged back to the dorm like a deflated balloon and slowly climbed onto the bed across from Liu Yutong, flopping down with a sigh.
Liu Yutong couldn’t help but laugh at her dramatic despair. "This is for the best. It’s not safe for a girl to go out so late at night. You should avoid doing that in the future."
Even though she knew Li Xiaohui’s background wasn’t ordinary—in Bright Pearl City, almost no one would dare touch her—that was only if people knew who she was.
Street thugs outside the campus wouldn’t care whose daughter she was.
On the first day of school, Liu Yutong had accidentally learned about Li Xiaohui’s identity and discreetly searched for more information online.
To her surprise, she actually found some useful details.
Though her family’s personal information was well-protected and unavailable online, based on age, surname, and public records, Liu Yutong easily deduced who Li Xiaohui’s father was—a high-ranking figure.
Even as someone who had been reborn, Liu Yutong’s heart had skipped a beat when she confirmed it.
The most influential official she personally knew was Deputy Director Qi Wei from Wushui County, and compared to Li Xiaohui’s father, he was practically insignificant.
That night, Li Xiaohui tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, her phone in hand as she chatted with someone.
After a while, she suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes wide. "Wow! Seriously? That’s so cool!"
Liu Yutong, startled by her outburst, shot her an exasperated look. "What’s wrong with you? You’re so jumpy."
"Yutong, do you know about those guys in black—the ones from the society group—on the second floor of the snack street outside campus?" Li Xiaohui asked mysteriously.
Liu Yutong’s heart tightened. Her first thought was whether they had caught the attention of the police.
But then she inwardly laughed at herself—her business was legitimate, with all the proper licenses. Why should she worry?
"Yeah, what about them?"
"Someone in the group just said their leader is actually a woman!" Li Xiaohui exclaimed, her face alight with excitement.
"A woman as the boss? That’s so badass!"
Li Xiaohui had always dreamed of being the woman of a gang leader—a common fantasy for rebellious girls of that era, especially those who loved gangster movies.
But now, scrolling through group messages, she had just learned that one of these underground factions was led by a woman, completely shattering her expectations.
In that world, power was usually determined by brute strength—whoever had the strongest fists ruled.
Women were naturally at a disadvantage in that regard, due to differences in physicality and temperament.
Yet here was someone telling Li Xiaohui that a woman had risen to the top. The impact on her was immense.
"Yutong, a female boss actually exists! Isn’t that way cooler than all those violent men?"
Though she didn’t even know the woman’s name or what she looked like, Li Xiaohui had already elevated this mysterious leader to idol status, rolling around on her bed and muttering, "So cool! So cool!"
Liu Yutong watched her antics, her lips twitching involuntarily.
If this girl ever found out that the "female boss" she idolized was right across from her, who knew how she’d react?
Wait—no, she wasn’t a gang leader.
And where was this information even coming from?
Liu Yutong frowned slightly. "Xiaohui, where did you even hear this? And how can you be so sure they’re actually gangsters? Maybe they’re just employees of a legitimate company who dress formally."
"Pfft—" Li Xiaohui burst out laughing. "Yutong, you’re so naïve! But I guess it makes sense for a good student like you not to know the ways of the underworld. Just look at their whole setup—and their name, ‘Ten Thousand Dragons Society.’ Doesn’t exactly scream ‘legitimate business,’ does it?"
Liu Yutong: "..."
"By the way, you still haven’t told me who gave you this info."
Liu Yutong had never revealed her identity to anyone since the start of the semester. People at school only knew she came from a wealthy family—nothing more.
Now, out of nowhere, someone was digging into her background and spreading information. She had to be cautious.
Better safe than sorry, especially in Bright Pearl City, where she still had one unavoidable adversary—the Righteous Brotherhood.
"It’s just some anonymous user in the group!" Li Xiaohui waved her phone. "This guy’s amazing—he knows all the inside scoops. I get a lot of my info from him."
"Too bad, though..."
"Hmm? What’s too bad?"
"I still don’t know who this female boss actually is!"
Li Xiaohui let out a dramatic wail before flopping onto her bed and rolling around. "If I'd known earlier, I would've rushed to pay my respects and begged to join her crew!"
"Just think about it—a woman leading a gang as badass as the Ten Thousand Dragons Society? How powerful and cool must she be?!"
"..."
"Oh, and Yutong, you've gotta keep this a secret for me," Li Xiaohui added after a moment of thought.
Li Xiaohui had been dabbling in the underworld scene, making connections with local troublemakers outside campus. Among her dormmates, only Liu Yutong knew about this.
She was well aware that if word got out—especially to her father—the consequences would be disastrous. It was only because of their close friendship that she hadn’t hidden it from Yutong.
Now that Li Xiaohui had learned that the newly emerged leader of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society was a woman, her heart itched with excitement.
She fantasized about how epic it would be to conquer the underworld alongside this legendary female boss.
"Don’t worry, I won’t tell," Liu Yutong reassured her while fishing for more details. "But didn’t your online friend know her identity? Why didn’t they tell you?"
"Ugh! Don’t even get me started!" Li Xiaohui huffed, punching her pillow in frustration. "That guy’s nothing but a greedy money-grubber! Every time he gets to the juicy details, he demands payment!"
"He’s just as bad as that author of the mafia princess novel I’m obsessed with! Always leaving cliffhangers at the best parts—makes me wanna lock her in a dark room and force her to write 20,000 words a day before feeding her!"
Liu Yutong: "..."
"That author... sounds miserable."
