The mistress was a woman in her forties, wealthy but not a businesswoman; she had simply inherited her ex-husband's fortune.
She lived in the Autumn Maple Villa Estate, the second most expensive area in Xinghe City, filled with luxurious two-story villas.
Jiang Xia vaguely remembered years ago when his father had taken them past the area, pointing towards "Autumn Maple Villa Estate" and promising he would work hard to one day have them all live there.
He did work hard, and he achieved it, but it was by being a gigolo!
Jiang Xia carried an access card with him, given by his father, which he never threw away, just in case his sister called him for something urgent, allowing him to enter without any hindrance.
After entering the villa area, Jiang Xia headed straight for the mistress's house. He had already messaged his sister beforehand, and as soon as the doorbell rang, the door opened.
A little girl, around eleven or twelve, wearing a Lolita dress, threw herself into Jiang Xia's arms, her face brimming with joy, her large eyes sparkling.
"Big brother, you finally remembered you have family, that you have me, your little sister. Since we last parted, I almost forgot what you looked like."
Jiang Xia's face was lined with exasperation. His little sister was known for her quirky nature, often saying things that left people speechless.
"We saw each other three days... no, four days ago..."
"Jiang Xia is here, come in, come in." A woman in pink pajamas, still charming, walked over from the living room with a high ceiling.
Jiang Xia glanced inside; the woman's son was there too. Fortunately, he didn't sense any kind of presence, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The woman's chubby son sat on the sofa, casting a disdainful look at Jiang Xia, who ignored him and asked, "Where's my dad?"
"He's upstairs taking a shower, come in and sit."
The woman was warm and polite, which was why Jiang Xia felt at ease letting his sister stay here.
Although he hated the mistress for breaking up his family, Jiang Xia had to admit she was different from the sharp-tongued mistresses on TV; she treated his sister well.
"I won't sit, I just came to bring something for Lingling."
Jiang Xia took out an unopened set of girl's cards from his backpack and handed it to Jiang Ling.
"This is the last time I'm buying you these things. No more buying this nonsense in the future."
Jiang Ling looked at it and smacked her lips, "I've already collected this style. Several boys at school gave me a few sets a few days ago."
"Don't hang around with those boys at your school."
"Are you worried they'll deceive me?"
"No, I'm worried you'll deceive them."
Jiang Ling rolled her eyes slightly, "Come on, let's go out for a late-night snack, my treat."
"Another day. Come out, I have something to tell you."
Jiang Xia ruffled her hair, called her out of the villa, and squatted down to look at her seriously.
"Lingling, you must remember what I'm about to say!"
Seeing Jiang Xia's serious expression, Jiang Ling was stunned, her heart tightened, and her eyes reddened, "Brother, did something happen?"
"Nothing happened, I just have a few reminders for you!"
"From today on, you are not allowed to go out after dark, and even during the day, don't go to places where there are no people. Stay in crowded places as much as possible!"
"From now on, don't trust anyone except me. Don't ask why, just listen to me..."
Jiang Ling didn't know what was happening, but she remembered every word Jiang Xia said.
"Take this!"
Jiang Xia took a bottle of high-purity alcohol from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Ling.
"Spray some on yourself whenever you go out."
Demonspawn are very averse to alcohol. Though it won't kill them, Li Sitong had said that, given a choice, most Demonspawn wouldn't target someone who smelled of alcohol.
It's like a piece of meat that fell on the ground compared to a clean piece on a plate.
This method might not be absolutely safe, but it should help to some extent.
Jiang Ling asked nervously, "Brother, did something happen?"
"Nothing happened. Remember, tell Dad what I said, but don't spread it around!"
"From today on, you must call me every night. Whenever you go out, you must text me, tell me where you're going, and only go with my permission!"
Jiang Xia wanted to keep Jiang Ling by his side, but that might not be the safest option. Letting her stay here without wandering around might be better.
The security here was much better than elsewhere, with over thirty security guards, and there was a police station nearby.
No brainless Demonspawn would dare to hunt here!
Even if there were Demonspawn in the villa area, as long as she didn't wander alone, the chances of something happening were slim.
After instructing his sister, Jiang Xia didn't linger, leaving with the excuse of needing to sleep early for a test tomorrow.
But he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he wandered around the vast villa area, wanting to see if there were any kind of presences here, and how many.
The villa area was large, and it was difficult to cover it all on foot in a short time, but to ensure his sister's safety, Jiang Xia was thorough, willing to spend as much time as needed.
Initially, he found no kind of presence in most of the villa area. Just when he thought it might be safe, he reached a junction, and two kind presences appeared simultaneously.
He looked towards the villa on the right, where the lights were on, sensing a very obvious kind presence.
Then he turned to the left, but just as he turned, a figure suddenly rushed over, making Jiang Xia's heart skip a beat. Before he could react, he was hugged tightly.
"Darling, you missed me so much you chased me all the way here?"
Seeing it was Li Sitong, Jiang Xia breathed a sigh of relief, but also wondered, "What are you doing here?"
"Why can't I be here? This house belongs to my dad."
Li Sitong pointed to a villa on the left and playfully hooked her arm around Jiang Xia's neck.
"And you, what are you doing here?"
"I... just wandering around..." Jiang Xia stammered.
"Just wandering around and ended up here?" Li Sitong's voice was sultry, "Let me guess, you came to see your sister, didn't you?"
Jiang Xia's mind went blank, his face full of disbelief.
What was going on? How did Li Sitong know he came to see his sister? Had she been following him? Or did she have some designs on his sister?
"You know my sister lives here?" Jiang Xia swallowed nervously.
Li Sitong's eyes turned cold, a chill flashing through them, her tone icy.
"So you came here for another woman, not for me?"
Jiang Xia was taken aback!
No!
That's my sister! My sister!
Do you really need to be so jealous?
Crazy, sickly adorable, perverted, Li Sitong's personality changes had clearly surpassed ordinary humans.
Seeing her unhappy expression, Jiang Xia feared it might bring danger to his sister, so he quickly bluffed, "I was originally looking for you, but you didn't reply to my messages, so I wandered around alone, happened to pass by here, and decided to check on my sister. Who would have thought I'd run into you here? It must be fate guiding me, showing we're meant to be together!"
This bluff should work, right?
Even though he didn't want to expose his sister's location, it was clear this woman already knew she lived here.
To his surprise, the tactic seemed to work. Hearing Jiang Xia's words, Li Sitong immediately smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
"I'm really starting to like you more and more!"
With that, she tiptoed and gently pecked Jiang Xia on the forehead.
Though his girlfriend was appeased, Jiang Xia wasn't happy at all. He sensed a clearly troublesome personality in this campus belle girlfriend.
"So why are you here instead of at home?" Jiang Xia asked, hoping it wasn't because of his sister.
"Come inside."
Li Sitong pulled Jiang Xia's hand, leading him into the villa. The layout was similar to the mistress's house: a high-ceilinged living room, a spiral staircase, crystal chandeliers, opulent and luxurious, with every corner exuding the scent of money.
He only knew Li Sitong's family was wealthy, but he didn't expect them to be this wealthy, owning a multi-million-dollar flat and a villa here.
"Your family is quite rich," Jiang Xia marveled.
If the world hadn't changed, if Li Sitong were a normal person, having such a wealthy and beautiful girlfriend would mean a secure future, right?
But there were no ifs. If nothing had changed, given his family's status, he wouldn't even be able to reach Li Sitong, at most having a non-materialistic teenage romance with her due to his handsome face.
"This is where my dad keeps his mistresses. Every time he has a new fling, he arranges for them to live in this villa. Actually, my dad isn't very capable; he's just a wastrel, a second-generation wealthy, relying mainly on my grandfather."
Jiang Xia didn't expect Li Sitong to belittle her father so bluntly. He thought for a moment and asked, "When I asked for your help earlier, why didn't you reply? Did you not see it?"
"I saw it!" Li Sitong replied without hesitation, "I just didn't want to reply."
"Huh?"
Jiang Xia paused, suddenly feeling like he was a simp.
Li Sitong explained, "I understand you can't beat Wang Fei, but if you were on the bus with him, I don't think you couldn't shake him off with your wits. If you want to grow, you can't rely on me for everything."
Jiang Xia didn't argue, because what Li Sitong said made sense.
Tonight, he handled Wang Fei's matter alone, without Li Sitong's help. In hindsight, it was a good thing.
People grow faster in adversity.
If he wanted to grow, to survive in this chaotic world, it wasn't just about becoming stronger; his mindset was also a crucial hurdle.
This time, he resolved the danger alone, and next time he encountered a similar situation, he would surely be much calmer.
Li Sitong pulled Jiang Xia's hand, leading him up the spiral staircase, "Come on, let me show you something fun."