After the afternoon classes ended, it was still early, with the autumn sun remaining gentle.
“Chaoxi! No classes tonight, right?” Lu Yao rushed over excitedly. “I’ll take you to experience the real hustle and bustle of the capital!”
“Where to?” Ruan Chaoxi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Wudaokou Night Market! The late-night canteen for us students at Capital University—it’s super lively!”
A night market? Ruan Chaoxi’s heart instantly stirred!
She had heard of famous “tourist night markets” like Bangkok’s Train Night Market and Asiatique The Riverfront, where the liveliness likely carried shadows of the Mo Family or related forces, but she had never set foot in one.
Her outings were always accompanied by an entourage, with venues cleared or VIP access arranged. Places brimming with raw, chaotic street life were absolute “no-go zones” for her.
“Sure.” Ruan Chaoxi readily agreed, then took out her encrypted phone and sent a message to “My”:
「Miya, afternoon classes are over. I’m going to the night market near campus with my classmate Lu Yao and might have dinner there. :-)」
She thought for a moment and added:
「I heard it’s really fun.」
It sounded like an explanation, but also like sharing.
The reply came almost instantly, just one word: 「Okay.」
Concise and to the point, but Ruan Chaoxi could imagine Miya on the other end of the screen, frowning slightly as he tracked her location.
She smiled faintly and put away her phone.
“How do we get there?” she asked.
Subway? Bus? Or taxi?
In Southeast Asia, her transportation was either armored private cars or helicopters. Public transit was merely a concept she’d seen in movies.
“We’ll take the subway! Let you experience the power of the Capital Metro’s ‘Xierqi Morning Rush Lite Version’!” Lu Yao naturally took her hand and led her off campus.
And so, Ruan Chaoxi stepped into a subway station for the first time.
Following Lu Yao, she learned to swipe her card through the turnstile, descended the long escalator, waited on the platform, and was gently nudged by the crowd into the carriage.
During the post-work and post-class rush hour, the air inside the carriage was slightly stale. Some wore headphones watching videos, others spoke softly on the phone, but most just stood or sat in silence, their faces weary or blank.
Ruan Chaoxi gripped the handrail, listening to the station announcements as her body swayed slightly with the train’s starts and stops. This feeling of anonymity within the vast pulse of the city was unique.
By the time they exited the subway station, dusk had already tinted the sky. The clamor of noise and the aroma of food washed over them. The long street was lined with stalls of all kinds, their colorful neon signs already lit.
Skewers sizzled on griddles, the pungent smell of stinky tofu wafted boldly, and a dazzling array of snacks filled the scene. There were also stalls selling trinkets, phone cases, socks, and scarves. Hawkers’ calls, bargaining voices, and the laughter and chatter among friends all blended together…
This vibrant, unfiltered street life was utterly different from the atmosphere of Bangkok’s upscale malls or refined restaurants, brimming with a rough, vigorous vitality.
Ruan Chaoxi widened her eyes, curiously taking in everything.
“So, what do you think? Lively, right?” Lu Yao introduced excitedly. “That stall’s grilled cold noodles are amazing! And the tripe over there, with sesame sauce… Hey, what do you want to try first?”
Ruan Chaoxi’s gaze lingered over the various snacks she had never seen before, a smile unconsciously curling at the corners of her mouth.
“Shall we try them all?” she said, a rare look of anticipation in her eyes.
The two girls began their “raid” from the street’s entrance.Lu Yao enthusiastically recommended the familiar spots, and Ruan Chaoxi followed along with keen interest. She wasn’t very skilled at using mobile payments, so Lu Yao leaned in and taught her step by step.
As the sky gradually darkened, the night market grew even more crowded.
Lu Yao pulled Ruan Chaoxi to an open-air food stall, where they ordered some barbecue and spicy crayfish. The plastic tables and chairs were simple, and the surroundings were humble, but the lively, relaxed atmosphere of patrons eating, drinking, and chatting freely gave the place a unique charm.
While waiting for their food, a group of rowdy-looking young men at the neighboring table grew increasingly loud, clearly having drunk too much.
One of them, wearing a tight T-shirt with tattoos on his arms, staggered to his feet, his gaze fixed on Ruan Chaoxi.
“Hey, guys, check it out… two chicks over there, pretty hot, especially that one… her skin, damn, she’s something!” he slurred, hiccupping as he shouted to his companions, then stumbled directly toward them.
Lu Yao immediately tensed up.
The man leaned one hand on the edge of the table beside Ruan Chaoxi, reeking of alcohol and grinning cheekily. “Hey, sweetheart, alone? Wait, two sweethearts… which school are you from? Come have another drink with big brother?”
As he spoke, he reached out to put his hand on Ruan Chaoxi’s shoulder.
Just as his hand was about to touch her, Ruan Chaoxi casually shifted sideways, her left hand moving like lightning to seize his wrist, pressing and twisting it downward!
“Ah—!”
The man let out a sharp cry of pain, his wrist throbbing intensely. A clever force sent him stumbling forward, his knees buckling as he fell to the ground with a thud, utterly humiliated.
The entire sequence took only two or three seconds, so fast that neither Lu Yao nor the man’s companions had time to react.
Ruan Chaoxi had already released his hand. She picked up a wet wipe from the table and calmly wiped the fingers that had just gripped his wrist, as if she had touched something filthy.
“You’re drunk. Stay away from me.”
She didn’t even stand up, merely tilting her head slightly and looking calmly at the man kneeling on the ground, grimacing in pain.
The man, now sobered up by the pain and anger, wanted to curse, but when he looked up and met Ruan Chaoxi’s eerily calm eyes, a chill ran down his spine.
This was no ordinary female student’s reaction.
His companions finally snapped out of it, rushing over with angry shouts. “You bitch, you’re asking for it!”
Lu Yao paled with fear but mustered the courage to stand up and shield Ruan Chaoxi. “Y-you started harassing us first! We’ll call the police!”
Ruan Chaoxi rose to her feet, gently pulling Lu Yao behind her. The commanding presence she had cultivated since childhood inadvertently surfaced, momentarily stifling the thugs’ aggressive momentum.
“If you don’t want to end up in the hospital, take your friend and leave. Now.” Her gaze remained calm but carried an unsettling chill.
A crowd had already gathered around, some filming with their phones. While minor conflicts like this were common in night markets, most people still disapproved of bullying female students.
“What’s going on? What’s going on?” The night market’s management staff arrived upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the groaning thug on the ground and Ruan Chaoxi’s cold expression, they were momentarily stunned.
Lu Yao quickly stepped forward, pointing at the thug on the ground. “He harassed my classmate first! He tried to get handsy! My classmate was just defending herself!”
Nearby witnesses murmured in agreement.Seeing the situation turn unfavorable and wary of Ruan Chaoxi’s skills, the thugs cursed a few obscenities under their breath before quickly helping their fallen companion and scurrying away.
Lu Yao, still shaken, looked at Ruan Chaoxi with disbelief and admiration in her eyes.
“Chaoxi! You… you know kung fu?! That was amazing! Just now!” she exclaimed, her words tumbling out in excitement.
Ruan Chaoxi smiled, the earlier coldness in her expression instantly melting away. “My family taught me a little self-defense when I was younger,” she said casually, downplaying it.
The combat instructor arranged for her by the Mo Family since childhood was a former member of the Israeli Special Forces. And what Miya personally taught her was even more intense—a ruthless blend of techniques honed from real combat along the Myanmar-Thailand border and life-or-death struggles. It was far from just a little “self-defense”!
“That’s incredible! I’m sticking with you from now on!” Lu Yao exclaimed repeatedly, her excitement palpable.
The brief incident soon passed, and their food arrived just in time. Lu Yao’s attention was quickly captured by the delicious dishes, while Ruan Chaoxi put on disposable gloves and began elegantly “dealing with” the crayfish.
The night market remained as noisy as ever, but Ruan Chaoxi felt calm inside, even a little exhilarated.
The feeling of resolving trouble with her own abilities was a completely different experience from relying on her status or Miya to handle problems back in Southeast Asia.
What she didn’t know was that the scene of her subduing the drunk thugs had already been recorded by an onlooker and uploaded to a short-video platform, likely with an exaggerated title like “Kung Fu Beauty Genius Spotted in Wudaokou! Moves Are Insanely Cool!”
In the capital city, at an upscale private club.
Jiang Yaoci was drinking with friends, idly playing dice games.
Suddenly, one of his friends handed him a phone. “Young Master Ci, check this out! That Thai girl you’ve been eyeing lately seems pretty wild!”
Jiang Yaoci took the phone. Although the video was shaky and blurry, Ruan Chaoxi’s side profile and the cold look in her eyes at the end were still highly recognizable.
His pupils contracted slightly as he watched the clip several times. He had assumed she was either putting on an act of aloofness or was simply timid and cautious. He never expected this side of her!
Her movements were swift and precise, her demeanor calm and decisive in the face of harassment, and she even exuded a faintly commanding presence. It added a dangerous yet captivating edge to her cool, distant demeanor.
His heart skipped a beat!
“Interesting… damn interesting!” He downed his drink in one gulp, his eyes growing excited and intense. “Now this feels like a ‘challenge’ worth pursuing. Go! Find out what happened with those guys. Also, handle this video—don’t let it spread too widely.”
He didn’t want too many people to notice how special she was.
Thousands of miles away, in Myanmar.
Samia had just finished another round of border situation analysis meetings. Rubbing his temples wearily, his gaze fell once again on the encrypted tablet.
On the screen, the green dot representing Ruan Chaoxi had been stationary for quite some time in an area near the university.
A night market… He stared at the green dot, his brow furrowed.
Places like that were chaotic, filled with all sorts of people.
It was her first time there. Would she feel out of place? Would she get lost? Would she run into pickpockets? Or… something worse?
He knew she was capable of protecting herself, but worry still crept in like wild vines.
Several times, he picked up his phone, wanting to call her, but his finger hovered over the dial button before he forced himself to stop.He couldn’t disturb her at any time, nor could he show excessive possessiveness, especially over such “trivial” matters.
Yet the taste of waiting was so agonizing.
He would rather be in the midst of a gunfire-ridden exchange right now than be trapped thousands of miles away, left to stare at a cold dot on a screen and let his thoughts run wild.
Time crawled by, second by second.
All he could do was keep waiting, waiting until nine in the evening.
Waiting for her voice to dispel this anxiety and unease, magnified infinitely by distance.