Pushing aside the useless bodyguards, Iris and Shen Yi got out of the car from the left and right sides.
Hearing the sudden movement from the car, the crowd turned around, assuming some big shot had arrived.
When they realized it was just two young girls, the expressions of the group opposite them froze in unison for two seconds.
One was wearing a fluffy pink dress, and the other was also wearing a fluffy pink dress.
What were these two doing getting out? Offering themselves up to stall for time? Or did they expect this group of professional mercenaries to show mercy to the young and spare them?
If so, their hopes were doomed to be dashed.
The leader only paused for a moment before making a hand signal.
No matter who came out of the car, getting Sophia out was the priority.
As for these two meddling little girls, nobody had the time to show them any tender mercy.
A burly man pulled an iron rod from his waist and swung it straight down at Shen Yi's head.
The two girls exchanged a glance and moved almost simultaneously.
Shen Yi dodged to the side, and the iron rod brushed past her shoulder strap, hitting nothing but air.
Leaping into the air and using the momentum of her spin, she raised her leg and brought it down in an axe kick, landing squarely on the man's shoulder.
The man let out a muffled groan, his knees buckling on the spot.
As she landed, the hem of her dress tangled slightly around her calf. Expressionless, Shen Yi spun around and delivered a vicious kick to the waist of a mercenary trying to sneak up behind her, sending him crashing back to the ground.
She cursed inwardly.
This Lolita dress was too much of a hindrance, damn it!
Shen Yi had no choice but to hike up the cumbersome skirt. She dodged an incoming fist, grabbed her opponent's wrist, pulled him backward, and swept his legs.
The attacker instantly lost his center of gravity.
Iris was even more direct. She had a hidden knife, twirled it expertly at her fingertips, and slashed outward in one fluid motion.
The moment blood splattered, Iris caught a glimpse of a red speck flying toward the hem of her dress. Cursing inwardly, she swiftly hopped half a step back and quickly looked down to check.
Thank goodness, it didn't get on her.
After all, she was just an ordinary veteran assassin.
If she ruined her employer's dress, she would have to pay for it.
Sophia's "you don't have to return it" only applied to the tiara, not the dress.
Iris put away her dagger and opted for a simple, brutal fighting style that left no messy traces.
Striking the back of the neck, hitting the ribs, sweeping the knee joints, striving to avoid drawing blood.
At times like this, Iris couldn't help but deeply admire her senior, Harbinger Bird.
It was said that when that senior executed missions in high heels and an evening gown, she could slaughter her way through and return with a perfectly clean dress, completely unruffled.
Just thinking about that image made her feel utterly fascinated and inspired.
The two girls moved crisply, their strikes landing with precise force.
One twisted a wrist to disarm, the other used a sweeping elbow to repel three men. Their footwork intertwined with perfect coordination, their movements as graceful as a dance rehearsed hundreds of times.
The night, the street, the streetlights.
Two young girls standing back to back, their pink skirts swaying as they landed, surrounded by men in black lying on the ground.
If this weren't happening in the real world, it would look exactly like an iconic scene clipped straight from an anime.
Silence fell all around.
The bodyguards exchanged glances and drew in sharp breaths.
Sure enough, the pinker the outfit, the harder they hit.
They hadn't even lasted two minutes before half of them were taken down by these mercenaries.
Yet these two girls, who looked like they should be attending a tea party, were now standing amidst a field of fallen burly men, straightening out their ruffled skirts.
Sophia shoved the car door open so hard it almost bounced back and hit her.
She stood by the car, her misty blue eyes wide as saucers, looking at Shen Yi on her left, Iris on her right, and the groaning mercenaries scattered across the ground. "What the fuck?!"
She blurted out the English phrase, then shouted something similar in Spanish, roughly meaning:
What on earth are you things?!
"Get back in the car," Iris said, her heart skipping a beat when she turned and saw Sophia. She hurriedly shoved the girl back inside. "Who told you to come out? Do you know how dangerous it is?"
Sophia didn't throw a tantrum; she obediently turned and got back into the car.
Her tone had switched from fear to a kind of shock akin to a religious experience. Clasping her hands together, she turned her face toward them.
"Hey, Shen Yi, Iris," the girl's eyes sparkled as if she had discovered a new continent. "Is this the legendary Chinese Kung Fu?"
Iris stayed silent for two seconds, debating whether to tell her this was their organization's traditional killing technique or just humor her with the Chinese Kung Fu excuse.
Shen Yi beat her to the punch: "Yes, it is. Awesome, right?"
Sophia had seen Chinese Kung Fu portrayed as something almost magical in many mystery novels and TV shows. She had been half-skeptical before, but after witnessing this scene, she was completely in awe. "Wow."
"Next time you guys fight, can you let me know in advance? I really want to record it."
"Record it for what?" Iris looked at her warily.
"I need to send it to my dad to see," Sophia said, cupping her face. "He said China doesn't have real Kung Fu, and I need to prove him wrong."
Shen Yi fell silent for two seconds.
"Whatever makes you happy."
As long as this silly girl was happy.
"So, are you two the bodyguards my dad found for me?" On the road, Sophia finally started to piece things together.
It might be true that they knew Kung Fu, but their professional moves and level of coordination looked like they had partnered up hundreds of times.
They knew each other.
Both knew Kung Fu.
And both were hired by her dad.
Their identities were glaringly obvious.
Iris thanked her lucky stars that this wealthy young lady had finally caught on. "Yes, so we are not your servants, understand?"
"Oh, then would you consider coming to work for me?"
Sophia blinked, clearly not taking this boundary of identity to heart.
She leaned forward, her eyes shining brightly, her tone sincere. "Come be my bodyguards. I'll hire you, double your salary, give you three months of paid leave every year, year-end bonuses, and your own exclusive walk-in closets. Do you like pink? If not, other colors are fine too."
Shen Yi: "Not a chance."
Unwilling to give up, Sophia tugged at their arms for quite a while. "Think about it again, please! My family's pastry chef has three Michelin stars!"
After realizing her various attempts at bribery were fruitless, the girl crossed her arms and turned her face toward the car window to sulk.
...
Sophia had been reluctant to come here in the first place, and after being delayed on the road, the sky had grown completely dark by the time the car drove through the estate gates.
The party was being held at one of their family's estates.
The main building was an English-style manor. Two rows of Italian cypress trees stretched all the way from the entrance, and warm light spilled out from inside, making it look like a castle from afar.
As soon as Sophia's car came to a stop, someone stepped forward to open the door.
The hall doors were wide open, and the scent of champagne drifted out from the banquet hall.
A second before stepping out of the car, Sophia slipped on a standard, polite social smile.
The curve of the girl's lips was just right, and even her walking stride was a third smaller than usual.
Holding up the hem of her dress, she slowly stepped into the hall, nodding in greeting to those who acknowledged her.
A few of them were clearly her family's business partners in Europe. Sophia stepped forward and chatted with them with a smile in Spanish, showing absolutely none of her usual willfulness.
The way Sophia changed her expression at the speed of light made Shen Yi instantly picture many people she knew.
Shen Wenta was exactly like this when entertaining guests, and her eldest brother was the same when smiling at outsiders.
Even her uncle, when forced to make a public appearance, could instantly switch from a creature of the dark into a bright and cheerful social butterfly.
...So changing faces in a split second was a mandatory course for the ultra-privileged.
Shen Yi made a mental note of that.
