Sofia kept her head down, completely engrossed in taking pictures of the dessert on the table. She adjusted the lighting from three different angles and spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"Their family doesn't eat people, so what are you afraid of? I'll be going too. If worst comes to worst, I'll protect you."
Li Mingyue, however, was far more curious about something else. He tilted his head to look at Zhao Shumin beside him. "Zhao Shumin, what does your family do? It's no simple feat to be invited by the Shen family."
Zhao Shumin had never had much of a presence in class. She usually didn't talk much and never mingled with the crowds after class.
The fact that she managed to get an invitation truly exceeded many people's expectations.
Several classmates' eyes fell on her all at once, sizing up this variable they had ignored for so long.
Being stared at made Zhao Shumin a little embarrassed. She answered honestly, "It's related to pharmaceutical and medical research. The Shen family also has related businesses in this sector, so our family was included on the guest list."
Chen Jiaojiao caught wind of this but didn't interject, though her mind was spinning with entirely different thoughts from the rest.
The Shen family.
Shen Wenta.
Wasn't that Shen Yi's family?
Yet, regarding Shen Yi's family background, there hadn't been the slightest wave of discussion at school.
The main reason was that Shen Wenta was simply too atrocious.
In this aristocratic school where freedom of speech prevailed and students could do whatever they pleased.
Yet absolutely no one dared to utter half a bad word about him, which showed just how high his deterrence level was.
Even though it had been so long since graduation, one still couldn't find a single post about him on the school forum.
To this day, Chen Jiaojiao still didn't dare to speak carelessly.
She couldn't help it; Chen Jiaojiao still remembered the trauma Shen Sixing had given her back in the day.
The man's lazy face, looking as if nothing could pique his interest, and the clean, swift motion of shooting his colleague backhanded.
Along with how he turned around, shoved his hands in his pockets, and changed his expression at the speed of light...
Truly—a deeply sinister man.
Chen Jiaojiao was terrified of Shen Yi's family of bizarre individuals.
Normally, as soon as the topic veered even slightly toward Shen Yi's family, Chen Jiaojiao would immediately play dead.
She had maintained this subtle sense of distance for a very long time.
It was true that she and Shen Yi were good friends, but that didn't mean she wasn't scared.
Being friends with someone of Shen Yi's family background required a strong heart, so Chen Jiaojiao could only choose to appropriately play deaf and dumb.
...
Meanwhile, in the living room of the Shen family, Shen Yi looked at the stack of invitations the butler had brought over. They were neatly stacked on a tray, featuring gold-stamped covers and textured patterns. She picked one up and examined it curiously.
She had never seen an invitation like this before.
"Are you not going to pick out a dress yet, Miss?" The butler, who had practically watched her grow up, smiled. "After all, it's a family gathering. You will be attending in a few days, right?"
Shen Yi thought for a moment. "That's not certain."
"I'm working as someone's servant right now, so I have to see if she has time to come."
If Sofia had time, she had time.
"...Who are you acting as a servant for?" The butler was stunned into silence for two seconds by this answer.
In those two seconds, many things flashed through the butler's mind.
His own eldest miss, working as a servant for someone else.
This information violently clashed with his professional understanding.
But after all, he was the Shen family's butler of several decades and had seen his fair share of grand scenes. His expression quickly returned to normal, maintaining the curve of a polite smile.
"A wealthy young lady from abroad," Shen Yi replied. "By the way, will there be a lot of people I know coming?"
"It doesn't seem like there will be too many." The butler organized the current number of invitations, his tone gentle. "If you have friends you know or like, you can bring them over to have some fun."
"...Never mind."
Shen Yi imagined the expressions of the people she knew if they were to receive an invitation.
Rather than happiness, it would probably be more of sheer horror, as if they had just been handed a death notice.
...
Lately, Shen Yi's campus life had basically revolved around Sofia.
Following her during meals, following her to class, and even standing guard at the door when she went to the restroom.
At first, she and Iris didn't take this mission too seriously.
How big of an enemy could a little girl have to warrant round-the-clock protection?
That was until an outdoor activity, where she and Iris took care of two men in black who were tailing their car.
The two of them used clean methods with very little noise, completely avoiding Sofia's notice.
Looking at the tampered car, Shen Yi and Iris almost immediately realized the problem.
Anyone who killed frequently knew.
An action like tailing a car meant the opposing party wasn't acting on a whim, but rather that it was organized, premeditated, and would have follow-up actions.
Tailing the car today could mean staking them out tomorrow, and arranging an accident at some corner the day after.
This was a genuine, serious assassination attempt.
However, thinking about it, if this young lady had no enemies, why would she need to cross oceans specifically to hire assassins from the Archive to act as bodyguards?
When Shen Sigui assigned her the mission, he spoke vaguely and didn't clarify the reason why the other party needed personnel at all.
Shen Yi was truly curious about this young lady's background.
So she simply picked a noon and skipped a whole day of school.
The Archive Organization Headquarters.
Top floor.
Shen Yi didn't knock.
As always, she kicked open the door to Shen Sigui's office.
The heavy door slammed against the wall with a muffled thud. The office completely shut out the sunlight, its thick bulletproof glass filtering the high noon into a dim dusk, filling the entire room with a gloomy atmosphere.
Shen Sigui sat behind the desk, having clearly stayed up for who knows how long.
His complexion was pale, and he toyed with a fountain pen in his hand. His fingertip movements were feeble, making him look as if he might die in his chair at any given moment.
Hearing the door being kicked, he slowly lifted his eyelids, wearing an exhausted "here we go again" expression.
"Uncle, why does that Miss Sofia have so many enemies?"
Over this period, Shen Yi had secretly handled countless troubles for her.
The young lady was also incredibly oblivious, not realizing in the slightest that she was being targeted.
"Who?" Shen Sigui was half a beat slow.
"...That noble lady with the really, really long name." Shen Yi gestured the length with her hands.
"Oh, you mean Sofia Maria Isabel de Fernando Silva?" He recalled her long string of names.
"Wait a minute," Shen Yi felt as if something like a magic spell had just floated past. She was a bit surprised. "...You can actually remember her name."
Anyone who heard Sofia's string of names would be left dumbfounded.
Shen Sigui said, "It's not like I'm an idiot."
"..." Shen Yi felt she was being looked down upon.
"Her family is involved in the underworld, didn't you know? They control several smuggling routes over in Europe, and they're quite large in scale."
"She is the only child in the family, which makes her the legal heir."
"Those relatives are eyeing the inheritance rights, and various domestic and foreign factions have also been trying to get close after receiving the news, wanting to kidnap or control her before she comes of age."
"The ones you've encountered are just what's left after the bodyguards around her already dealt with a large batch."
Shen Yi fell silent for a second.
Shen Sigui continued, "If she unfortunately dies, our Archive might have a little bit of trouble, but it won't be too troublesome."
Anyway, even if she really died, it wouldn't matter.
When making a deal with an assassin organization, you have to be prepared for failure. After all, they are a company of killers, not a bodyguard agency. Taking money to assassinate someone is their signature business; taking money to protect someone is a crossover attempt. If they succeed, it is a pleasant surprise, but if they fail, it is not exactly an accident.
Shen Sigui pumped his fist to cheer her on without the slightest shred of sincerity, the movement so small it was practically negligible. "Overall, I still hope you and Iris can do your best."
Giving this energetic little beagle something to do was far better than letting her run wild everywhere.
He changed the subject, clasping his hands together. His eyes were soft, carrying a hint of a smile, and his tone held much more genuine concern than when they were discussing the mission moments ago:
"How does it feel to be at school, Shen Yi?"
Shen Yi replied, "It is quite fun. I actually really like being a servant."
Every day, she and Iris acted like minesweepers, keeping their eyes and ears peeled in all directions for Sofia. It had been a long time since Shen Yi last skipped class.
At first, she had completely rejected the idea of being a servant.
But later, she realized that following Sofia around was actually quite interesting.
Shen Sigui's fingers paused.
The fountain pen stopped between his fingers.
"...She treats you like a servant?"
