Chapter 11

"Oh! I never would have thought our Miss Wang was interested in gossip. Truly unexpected." Yu Xingyue began to tease Wang Tianqi, re-evaluating his perception of her, as she had never been one for such things.

Wang Tianqi pouted, "I just happen to like looking up information when I'm bored. If you dare laugh at me, be careful or I might just beat you up!" Her tone carried a hint of a threat.

"I won't tease you anymore. But is it really worth getting so angry? I thought you had changed," Yu Xingyue said.

"It's because you make me so mad! Besides, you'd better be careful—if you say things like that again, I might just turn on you one day, mark my words."

"Hmph. Well, do you know the names of those two? If you love investigating people so much, surely you know who they are," Yu Xingyue laughed.

Wang Tianqi shook her head, saying, "My abilities have limits; I couldn't find their names. It’s strange, though—I usually find a name for everyone I look into. But for them? I’m completely stumped. The fact that I can't even find their names is interesting. These two definitely aren't simple."

"I admire your tenacity. Still, you make a good point. I want to know about them too. How about we tail them after school?" Yu Xingyue proposed.

"I don't want to be caught with a weirdo like you. If we get spotted, I don't want to be dragged down with you," Wang Tianqi retorted with a playful scowl.

Just then, Liu Hailizi arrived to mediate the argument. They appeared to be backing down, but one could tell from their eyes that they hadn't conceded; they were simply looking for a better time and place to resume their bickering.

Before class started, Wang Tianqi whispered to Yu Xingyue, "You tail the 'Cinderella' girl, and I'll tail the 'Rich Heiress.' How about that?"

Yu Xingyue nodded, "That works. Just send me a message the moment you find anything. Calling is too easy to get caught."

"I know that without you telling me," Wang Tianqi said, sticking out her tongue. "It's settled then."

Time flew by, and school ended. Sun Ying waited for Yu Xingyue at the gate. As he emerged, he told her, "I have things to take care of. You go on ahead."

"What could you possibly need to do that I can't help with? I want to contribute too," Sun Ying insisted.

"It's not about whether you can help, it's that this is something I have to resolve alone. You understand what I mean, right?" Yu Xingyue said.

Sun Ying lowered her head, "Alright then. But if you go around picking fights and I see you with injuries when you get back, I won't forgive you!" Her tone was resolute.

After she left, Wang Tianqi approached Yu Xingyue, "I never thought we’d be acting like secret agents from a movie, tailing people. How exciting."

Yu Xingyue laughed, "Focus on the mission. Let’s wait here. Once they come out, we start. We’ll get those names one way or another."

"Look! There they are." Following Wang Tianqi’s cue, Yu Xingyue looked out. The "Cinderella" girl was in front, followed by the "Rich Heiress"—that was the only way they could refer to them for now.

As they exited the school, the Cinderella girl left first. Yu Xingyue followed her, while Wang Tianqi trailed the wealthy girl. To be honest, Wang Tianqi truly disliked this woman; both her appearance and her personality were grating. It was strange how people from the same social standing could turn out so differently.

Wang Tianqi gritted her teeth while following the girl, but to her surprise, the heiress got into a car. That was a development she hadn't anticipated.

Unable to keep up with the vehicle, Wang Tianqi had no choice but to double back and join Yu Xingyue in tailing the Cinderella girl.

Yu Xingyue’s side of things was going smoothly. They followed the girl all the way to Akihabara.

*She’s almost at my neighborhood,* Yu Xingyue thought. *What is she doing in Akihabara? If this were a TV drama, she’d probably be working a part-time job here.*

His phone suddenly buzzed. Luckily, he had set it to vibrate—he had done his homework on this, knowing a ringtone would give him away. He cursed Wang Tianqi for calling at such an inopportune moment.

Seeing the girl enter a clothing store, Yu Xingyue exhaled in relief, knowing she was occupied. He answered the call, "Your timing is impeccable. Do you have any idea how close I was to being discovered?" he complained immediately.

"So you’re still tailing her? I’ll come find you now." Yu Xingyue was confused, "Wait, why are you coming to me? Weren't you tailing that ugly woman?"

"She left in a car; I couldn't keep up on foot. Where are you? I'm coming to you right now. Oh... never mind, I see you." Following her directions, Yu Xingyue scanned the area, spotted her waving nearby, and ran over to pull her toward the clothing store.

"What is she doing here?" Wang Tianqi asked.

"Either buying clothes or working here. That’s what I learned from TV," Yu Xingyue replied.

Wang Tianqi tapped his head, "TV isn't always real. I think you're getting too deep into character."

"Wait, she looks like she's about to come out. I don't think she'll recognize us," Yu Xingyue said.

"She might not know me, but she definitely knows you. You're the only boy in the class; everyone knows who you are. You’d better hide. If she spots you, it’ll be a disaster."

"You have a point." Yu Xingyue ducked behind Wang Tianqi, saying, "Now she won't see me."

Wang Tianqi was speechless. She was shorter than him, yet he was using her as a human wall. The sight of the nearly 1.9-meter-tall Yu Xingyue standing behind the 1.7-meter-tall Wang Tianqi was the height difference of the century.

As their classmate, dubbed "Cinderella," stepped out of the store, Wang Tianqi nudged him, "She didn't see us. Let's go."

They followed her at a distance, passing by Yu Xingyue's villa. The girl barely glanced at it before moving on. Yu Xingyue wondered if she lived nearby.

She entered a dilapidated-looking house. However, when Yu Xingyue peeked through the window, he saw that the interior was brand new, as if it had been recently renovated. Yet, as he observed the other windows, he realized the rest of the building was crumbling and appeared completely abandoned.

"Well, I think I understand why everyone calls her 'Cinderella' now," Wang Tianqi remarked.

Yu Xingyue walked to the front door and saw a plaque with three names, indicating the residents. One of them was the girl's name.

"It looks like it's Xiaqin Yumei," Yu Xingyue said.

"How are you so sure? Where’s the proof?" Wang Tianqi asked.

Yu Xingyue pointed to the plaque, "Look at the names; it's easy to distinguish."

Wang Tianqi walked up, half-skeptical, and studied the names for five seconds before realizing that yes, the girl was indeed Xiaqin Yumei.

She focused on the last two characters: 'Xiaqin' was the surname. The others were clearly gendered—Ichiro, Kazuya, and Yumei. The last one was unmistakably a girl's name.

"Let's head back. We have her name now. All that’s left is that 'Rich Heiress' woman," Wang Tianqi said.

"I don't think there's any need to investigate that ugly woman," Yu Xingyue frowned. "Her personality is sharp-tongued and her language is vulgar. Why bother? Let's just call her 'Fatty' instead."

Wang Tianqi nodded, "Fatty. Yes, that suits her appearance much better." She didn't care about the real name anymore.

"Let's go home. It's almost dark," Yu Xingyue reminded her.

Wang Tianqi said, "Let's part ways here. I'm not taking that dangerous road. The path I'm taking gets me home in half an hour."

"Alright, stay safe. Goodbye."

After parting with Wang Tianqi, Yu Xingyue turned and jogged toward his home. He hadn't encountered any danger on this route while tailing Xiaqin Yumei—perhaps because they were together, Honda Haoyun hadn't made a move. Now that he was alone, he wondered if he would run into him. Yu Xingyue braced himself.