Too Wicked, Prepare for a Glare!

Right or not right? Ji Jue's head buzzed, his vision dimming. Right, not right, not right, right—was this right or not?! His movements stiffened considerably. Carefully setting Xiao An back onto the snow, he circled the boy several times, scrutinized him from top to bottom, and asked tentatively, "Are you... Xiao An?" "Huh?" Xiao An looked bewildered. Then, as if understanding dawned, a misty veil of tears rose in his eyes. "Brother Ji Jue, are you suspecting me?" "*Cough*, well, after all..." Ji Jue gave an awkward sigh. "There have been incidents before, haven't there?" "Don't worry, Brother Ji Jue!" Xiao An gave a resolute guarantee, sharp sword qi flaring at his fingertips without the slightest concealment. "I'll protect you! With me here, no one can hurt you—not even my sister!" At the sight of that pure, unadulterated sword qi, Ji Jue breathed a sigh of relief. Yet lingering fear still gnawed at him. The psychological trauma from before was simply too great, leaving him with something like PTSD. Still uneasy, his hand slipped into his inner pocket to touch the Mirror of Contained Forms nestled against his chest. "Don't worry, I have another way." "How about we just go to the bathroom!" Xiao An suggested solemnly. "Uh, wait—" Shocked, Ji Jue froze for an instant. In the next second, the scenery blurred. Xiao An grabbed him and dragged him straight into the motorhome. Two sharp clicks signaled the doors locking tight, the curtains snapped shut, and in the sudden gloom, Ji Jue stood dumbfounded. The entire process hadn't even taken three seconds. Before he could react, he had already been pushed inside the bathroom. After a moment of bewilderment, realization struck. Indeed, this was the most foolproof method. They were both boys anyway; letting each other take a look wouldn't cost a piece of— Wait! Ji Jue's hand instinctively rested on his waistband, but froze. Something was wrong. Ji Jue stiffly turned his head and saw Xiao An peering over curiously. Noticing his hesitation, Xiao An looked up and urged, "What's wrong, Brother Ji Jue? Hurry up and take them off!" ??? How did this turn into *me* undressing?! I'm not the one suspected of an impersonation! Besides, why aren't you moving?! "It's okay, Brother Ji Jue, I can help—" Seeing him freeze, 'Xiao An' grew even more impatient and actually reached out to lend a hand. Unfortunately, halfway through the air, that hand stopped dead in its tracks. A revolver was pressed firmly against his—or rather, *her*—forehead! "I fucking knew it!" Ji Jue was furious. If he hadn't grown up continually tempted and seduced by all sorts of wicked women using jewelry, silver, gold, and graphics cards, he might have slipped up and fallen for it! Showed your fox tail, haven't you? He barked, "An Ning, what the hell are you playing at?!" "Brother Ji Jue, what are you saying? I'm Xiao An." On that delicate face, eyes blinked as a mist of tears rose in profound grievance. "Are you still suspecting—" Having confirmed it wasn't Xiao An, Ji Jue's expression dropped completely. Showing no mercy, he demanded harshly, "If it were Xiao An who came, why didn't he set out with me?" "Because you were in the workshop the whole time," Xiao An argued. "I was worried about the rally, too..." "If it were Xiao An, he would have waited outside until I came out." Ji Jue cut her off again, laying it bare: "Xiao An might not be great at using his head, and he lacks common sense, but he values promises above all else. If he promised to protect me, he would do so at any cost, including the mission. If I didn't leave, he wouldn't leave!" He paused, pulling the Mirror of Contained Forms from his inner pocket with his free hand and waving it before her eyes. "Or do you really want me to shine this on you before you'll confess?" "..." Under the fractured glint of light reflected from the mirror's surface, that pitiful, tearful expression gradually collapsed. She could clearly sense what was in Ji Jue's hand. She sighed. Her height rose slowly by ten centimeters. Beneath her lengthening short hair, her features shifted, returning to the appearance he had once glimpsed, the same familiar smile playing at her lips. That look made Ji Jue unconsciously hold his breath. An Ning! Yet, having been exposed, she didn't look guilty in the slightest. Instead, she turned the tables, planting her hands on her hips in indignation. "Treating my little brother like someone you can summon and dismiss at your beck and call—just what do you take him for?!" "A good friend I can trust with my life," Ji Jue answered without hesitation. An Ning's eyes instantly lit up. Slipping effortlessly past the gun barrel, she leaned in until she was inches away, brimming with curiosity. "What about me? What about me?!" "A little pest who bullies my friend!" Expressionless, Ji Jue raised a hand and shoved away her approaching face. "—And someone trying to exploit our trust to take advantage of me!" "How mean! When I like you so much, too." An Ning's eyes instantly reddened, brimmed with tears on the verge of spilling like pearls—a picture of utter grievance and innocence. If she hadn't been sneaking peeks at Ji Jue while pretending to wipe her tears... well, he wouldn't have believed her anyway! Just because you like me means I have to like you back? Besides, accepting gifts didn't even mean consent, and she hadn't even brought a gift before trying to cop a feel. Total turn-off! Having unmasked her prank, Ji Jue let out a long breath, finally spared from having to second-guess everything. Then his gaze turned dangerous as he demanded, "Where's Xiao An?" She hadn't tied him up and hidden him somewhere again, had she? "What are you thinking? Xiao An is at the Security Bureau, of course!" An Ning glared in annoyance. "I specifically gave face to that vixen and made a special long-distance trip just for your sake! Am I really the kind of wicked sister who loves bullying her little brother?! Oh wait, I am!" Her eyes suddenly sparkled. A gentle breeze brushed his face. Before Ji Jue could react, a flash of movement darted to and fro, and it was over. With a soft *click*, an uncanny flash appeared before his eyes, and a phone screen froze on a snapshot of the two of them pressed intimately close together. In a split second, she had framed the shot, adjusted the settings, chosen a filter, struck a pose, adjusted Ji Jue's posture to cooperate, and taken the photo. Picture perfect! An Ning beamed at the screen, nodding in satisfaction. Then she opened her messaging app and selected A-Ran. Original file, send! She could hardly imagine how hilarious that stubborn, thickheaded little brother's face would be when he saw Brother Ji Jue and his dear sister snuggled up in an intimate selfie! *Beep—* A chime sounded: *Failed to send.* An Ning blinked, hit resend, and failed again. She tried once more... The photo was gone?! Stunned, An Ning whirled around, only to meet Ji Jue's cold, deadpan gaze. Her cheeks puffed up in irritation. Too wicked! Prepare to be glared at! "..." Under that fierce stare, Ji Jue felt a headache coming on, at a total loss for words. Unlike the peace of mind Xiao An's arrival had brought, the pressure had shot through the roof in an instant. Mental exhaustion. Given An Ning's personality, sharing the same vehicle day and night on the road ahead meant he would be teased countless times. He might even have to sleep with one eye open. Naturally, Ji Jue trusted An Ning just as well. Whether considering their cooperation during the Dragon Head dispute or taking into account Xiao An's standing and relationship, he wasn't worried about betrayal. What was more, speaking purely pragmatically, compared to a runaway kid like Xiao An, An Ning was a direct descendant of the White Stag Hunter House of An, an officially commissioned Celestial Chosen authorized to act on behalf of the House in the Wild Gathering! If danger struck, she would definitely pull Ji Jue from the depths of fire and water. As for where the fire and water came from in the first place... best not ask. It was practically like locking a cat and a mouse in the same cage. If another predator tried to attack the poor little mouse, the cat would never allow its prey and plaything to be snatched away. But the price was, if no other beasts showed up... Ji Jue's heart grew heavier by the second. "Let's go." He pushed open the door and stepped out, waving a listless hand. "Time to register." An Ning immediately beamed. Having shed her disguise, she had tucked away the prosthetic somewhere unknown and hopped along behind Ji Jue as if going on a picnic. Off to a spring stroll~ At the very front of the camp, inside the largest temporary structure, a row of long service desks stretched across a cavernous hall. Staff members huddled around coal stoves, chatting idly and scrolling on their phones. Thick quilted curtains shut out the raging blizzard outside, and the faint, acrid tang of burning coal drifted through the air, slightly sour and biting. Ji Jue finished filling out his registration form, checked it over, signed his name, and handed it to the girl glancing around beside him. Haian Racing Team, 2000cc+ Class, Driver: Ji Jue, Navigator— Without hesitation, An Ning wrote her own name. Completely open. The clerk glanced at it, stamped the papers, archived them, and handed over two badges. "Vehicle inspection is around back. Out the door and take a left." After lifting the quilted curtain and stepping back out into the wind and snow, Ji Jue looked back at her. "Is that wise?" Signing her real name like that? "Nothing to hide. The Wild Gathering never said side gigs weren't allowed. Besides, you can't expect such a big family to do nothing and squat by headquarters every day waiting to clock in, can you?" An Ning thought nothing of it, leaping lightly across the snow without leaving a single footprint. "Anyway, as long as we don't wear gloves, the Chiefs don't care what we do. It's just a rally, not like we're going to assassinate Xu Chaoxian... mm, speaking of which, killing Xu Chaoxian works too. Xiao An said you really hate him. Want to hire me? I can give you a discount!" "Xu Chaoxian is lying in the ICU right now with tubes stuck in him. If I wanted to kill him, would I need to hire someone else?" "Good point!" An Ning's figure flashed directly in front of Ji Jue, walking backward with glittering eyes. "When do we move? I can keep watch!" "Cut it out." Ji Jue pushed her aside and opened the doors to the inspection bay. Beside the quiet Little Niuma, two teams had already finished their checks. With its dragon blood voluntarily retracted into the engine, Pan Ying removed, and its systems sealed down, Little Niuma looked like nothing more than an extravagantly over-specced, heavily modified large off-road vehicle. "Compliant." The rally engineer mechanically filled in the parameters for wheelbase and engine displacement, then stamped the form. On the other side, the craftsman wore a numb expression. Glancing at Ji Jue, he slammed the hood shut and tapped the metal twice, sighing from the bottom of his heart: "That'll do. Quite restrained already." While it appeared to be merely over-engineered and excessively modified on the surface, a closer look at its overall structure and spiritus flow revealed that almost nothing about it was normal. Furthermore, a sealed system structure lay concealed inside like a black box, but... Who wasn't hiding something here? Did anyone really expect all the competitors to be innocent little flowers? This wasn't some children's cartoon where mini 4WD cars raced with friendship first, competition second, and victories decided by the power of bonds. Who were they kidding with kid stuff?