After deciding on his next steps, Li Andy began his daily routine of small, trivial tasks.
He tallied the shop's living expenses and projected the following month's income from his investment in the new Harvis Fashion store.
He finished writing on the front of a sheet of paper, then inexplicably felt it would be a waste not to use the back, so he continued writing there.
The pages flipped, front and back....
......
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
“Opera?”
Inside the Harvis Fashion store, Youxi looked at the four tickets Molly held out, her expression one of surprise.
From her reaction, it seemed she wasn't very familiar with “showbiz” matters.
But Sophia, standing nearby, had her eyes light up:
“These are tickets to the Unicorn Troupe! And for the VIP section!! Youxi, do you know how expensive and hard to get these tickets are?!”
Youxi paused slightly, then turned to Molly:
“Are they very precious?”
Molly shook her head:
“I don’t know, Mother gave them to me. She said I should take my Gege and Jiejies to have fun.”
“You two...”
Sophia took a deep breath, deciding to give these two country bumpkins a proper lesson!
She wasn't one of those good students with excellent grades; she'd often zoned out in class, read gossip novels, and skipped classes to fight.
As the most knowledgeable and trendy among the three, she naturally knew all sorts of gossip and trends!
Sophia put her hands on her hips and seriously explained:
“The Unicorn Troupe is the most famous troupe in the Empire! The operas they perform have spread all over the world. For example, 'The Beggar's Song,' which mocks officials, or the comedy 'The Maid Becomes a Lady,' or the elegant 'Song of the Lionheart'.... These operas were all spread throughout the world through their touring performances!”
As she spoke, she even hummed a few lines from 'The Maid Becomes a Lady'.
Youxi listened for a few seconds and felt that it seemed to be a story about a maid falling in love with her master and becoming the mistress.
So Sophia really likes being a maid?
Hmm... it seems making a few special maid outfits for her would indeed be very suitable.
Youxi nodded and said with a smile:
“Then when we go back, I’ll ask Andy Gege. If he agrees, we’ll all go together.”
“Still need to ask him, huh.....”
Sophia was a bit worried that Li Andy wouldn't be interested. Then her eyes rolled, and she clenched her small fists. She decided that no matter what method, what price, or what posture, she would make Li Andy agree!
After getting some things ready, the three prepared to head back.
Youxi suddenly stopped and said:
“You two go back first. I... want to go to West Suburb.”
Sophia blinked:
“Today isn’t a day for mass, is it?”
“I know.” Youxi paused, “I want to find Anna.”
Sophia froze for a moment, seeming to instantly understand her good friend's thoughts; she had experienced that kind of anxiety before:
“Then you... don’t force yourself... actually, being a little weaker is fine....”
As she spoke, she trailed off, her words clearly not matching her true feelings.
Youxi smiled and gently hugged Sophia:
“Don’t worry, I just want to keep up with Andy Gege; I won't do anything that forces myself and ends up dragging him down.”
Sophia pouted, thinking of her past self, feeling a bit embarrassed. In the end, she said nothing more, just rubbed her cheek against Youxi's, showing her blessing and comfort.
Beside them, the faint phantom of gears in Molly's eyes subtly turned, pondering something unknown.
After parting ways with the two, Youxi took a carriage alone to West Suburb.
The church was still as silent as ever, like a forgotten tomb.
Entering the church, Youxi saw the blindfolded Sister Anna praying alone beneath the statue of God.
“You’re back?”
Sister Anna slowly turned around, her gentle smile unchanged, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
“You seem to have experienced a lot recently,” she said, gently stroking Youxi's hair, her voice as soft as a morning prayer.
Youxi pursed her thin lips and stated the purpose of her visit:
“Anna, I want to borrow something again.”
Anna paused, then responded with a smile:
“Of course. The Lord’s grace never refuses a soul with longing.”
As the two walked into the confessional, the church doors slowly closed on their own.
The other two Night Raven Sisters, at some unknown point, sat on the last pew.
“Aya, it seems Anna really sees her as her successor. But can she truly bear that kind of sin?”
Sister Emi tugged at Sister Aya's sleeve; from her appearance, she seemed to have recovered from her previous uncontrolled state.
“Ding—”
Aya lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke. “I don’t know. If that playboy hasn’t done anything out of line, there shouldn shouldn’t be any problem.”
Emi stared at the smoke for a long time, then suddenly widened her eyes: “Aya! You actually are willing to smoke such an expensive cigarette, are you... are you about to die?!”
Aya choked and cursed:
“What nonsense are you spouting! Shouldn’t a normal person be thinking, 'Where did I get rich?!'”
Emi blinked:
“Am I normal?”
“.......”
Aya sighed and said,
“Didn’t the Meditation Society have problems a while ago? Heh, now all those stipends and holy offerings have been sent to us. But... we also need to deal with those messy affairs.”
Emi suddenly realized, just about to open her mouth to ask something else.
But then she heard a dense cawing of crows circling above the church.
Immediately afterward, Sister Anna led the silent Youxi slowly out of the confessional.
Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, falling upon the white-haired girl, elongating her shadow into a strange and long shape below her. With a slight sway, it even bore a resemblance to the outline of the statue of God.
Youxi gently raised her hand, and a shadowy, indistinct crow quietly appeared on her shoulder.
“Wow, that was only a few minutes, she really is a genius...” Emi's mouth slightly agape, she couldn't help but clap in astonishment.
But Aya frowned, her expression grave.
The more extraordinary the talent, the more deeply rooted the curse, the closer one is to the abyss.....
...
Miling Agency, Study.
“You agreed to go see the opera?!”
Sophia was overjoyed, her tail practically popped out, wagging happily.
“Yes, a little rest is good too.”
Li Andy put some business documents back into the drawer and nodded in response.
To be honest, he was also a bit surprised.
He hadn't expected Madam Harveys to coincidentally give them those tickets, saving him a lot of trouble.
‘Wait a minute...’
Li Andy was slightly stunned,
‘Such a coincidence, could it be the guidance of some mysterious force?’
‘Did I just flip something two-sided like a coin?’
Seeing Li Andy's expression change, Sophia thought he was going to back out. After frowning and pondering for a few seconds, she suddenly sat on the desk, kicked off her small slippers, and used her round, delicate toes to lightly caress a certain person's thigh, her expression smug and proud:
“I allow you to make one not-too-excessive request of me!”
Hmph hmph~~
She remembered Andy's embarrassed escape this morning perfectly clearly.
Li Andy was not in his full state now.
The advantage was hers!
However, Li Andy did not recoil as she had imagined; instead, he raised an eyebrow.
I want an excessive choice, and I need your permission, you rookie?
What kind of international joke is this!
With that, he pulled the inch-taking girl down.
“Eh?!”
Sophia, having her weakness pinched, instantly shivered, her mind clearing in an instant. She finally recalled her ridiculously low combat power.
“You... aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
“There’s more than enough time to rest after I’m done with you.”
“You! Don’t attack there first, sob sob sob...”
“Andy Gege...”
At this moment, the voice of Molly, the multi-personality battle goddess, sounded from behind, sending a shiver down Li Andy's spine.
He quickly pushed Sophia away, composing himself, lest one wrong step lead to many.
“Youxi has returned from West Suburb Church, but her condition is a bit strange; she lay down on the bed as soon as she came back.”
“Church?”
Li Andy frowned, got up, and walked quickly towards Youxi's room.
