The next day, Liu Mingxi's parents asked for a few days off from work, booked online plane tickets to Shangjing City, and at noon, the whole family caught a taxi to the airport.
Along the way, Liu Minghao frantically bragged to his classmates on WeChat, though nobody replied because they were all in class. Who could blame him for taking a direct leave to go play? Besides, he was only in the second grade—what was there even to study? Moreover, he had already mastered all the second-grade material; school was just a place to play.
As soon as she boarded the plane, Liu Mingxi messaged Ye Fan on WeChat. He replied quickly, telling her that someone would come to pick them up and that she just needed to look for a man in a black leather jacket named Zuo Qing.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the moment they stepped off the plane, they felt a refreshing breeze wash over them. While March in Shangjing City still retained the lingering chill of early spring, Guangshen City was already locked in the scorching heat of summer.
Liu Mingxi dragged her suitcase along, looking around in all directions, until she spotted the person Ye Fan had described walking toward them.
The newcomer was indeed wearing the black leather jacket Ye Fan had mentioned, with a gentle expression and a warm smile. "Hello, you must be Liu Mingxi!"
Liu Mingxi raised an eyebrow when she heard this, noticing him glance briefly at her family, and replied, "Right, I'm Liu Mingxi. You must be Teacher Zuo Qing!"
Seeing their daughter strike up a conversation with the man, her parents quickly hurried over.
"That's right. Professor Ye Fan asked me to come and meet you. We've already arranged a hotel, so you just need to follow me."
Zuo Qing smiled and nodded at Liu Mingxi's parents, gesturing for them to follow him toward a private car parked not far away.
They put their luggage in the trunk and got into the car driven by Zuo Qing.
Along the way, that little rascal Liu Minghao stared excitedly out the windows, letting out gasps of amazement every now and then.
Zuo Qing enthusiastically introduced the sights to them, pointing out where the best food and entertainment were. Along the way, they passed through the bustling crowds, witnessing the lively prosperity of Shangjing City.
Although Guangshen City was also a bustling metropolis, compared to Shangjing City, it lacked a certain traditional cultural atmosphere.
When they arrived at the hotel, Liu Mingxi's parents expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Zuo Qing before going to retrieve their luggage.
Liu Mingxi quietly slipped over to Zuo Qing's side and asked with curiosity, "Are you Night Watchers really this rich? If I'm not mistaken, a hotel like this can't possibly be cheap!"
The hotel before her eyes was practically five-star caliber. Just look at the spraying fountains and the dazzling neon lights—how luxurious!
Zuo Qing recalled how the Baili family members at headquarters had grown wildly excited the moment they heard Liu Mingxi was coming to Shangjing City, fighting over who would handle the arrangements and preparations. They had originally planned to send a Rolls-Royce to pick her up, only to be chewed out by Ye Fan—though this hotel reservation had managed to stick.
His expression turned exceptionally complicated, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he let out a dry laugh. "That was arranged by the Baili family. This car is my own, though. You're not officially a Night Watcher member, so you don't have access to these kinds of resource allocations."
Seeming to remember something, he asked, "Would you like to join the Night Watchers? The benefits are fantastic. With your Human Ceiling strength, climbing to the upper echelons wouldn't be hard at all."
Hearing this, Liu Mingxi shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No way. I just like to draw and have no interest in the political headaches of the upper echelons. Ye Fan already told me about the responsibilities of the Night Watchers; as the Human Ceiling, I'll fulfill them, but I don't like being tied down."
Zuo Qing raised an eyebrow and shook his head helplessly—she really was just like those other Human Ceiling figures!
Seeing this, Zuo Qing dropped the subject. After saying goodbye, he drove away.
They agreed that he would pick them up tomorrow morning at nine o'clock to head to headquarters.
The Liu family took a short rest in their hotel rooms.
"Mingxi! Why do I feel like there's something not quite right about this hotel we're staying in? Is your professor some kind of extremely wealthy person?"
Mother Liu couldn't help speaking up, truly finding the place too lavish and the treatment too extravagant. The moment they stepped inside, they could feel the luxurious grandeur of the hotel, and even the air was suffused with an elegant, noble fragrance.
"Don't worry, Mommy, we won't have to reimburse this! We can just rest easy and enjoy our stay—we can do whatever we want!"
Seeing her parents acting so restrained and ill at ease, Liu Mingxi offered some reassurance.
Liu Minghao couldn't care less, casually sprawling out on the comfortable, oversized bed and laughing out loud.
Once they were settled in, they decided to go out and explore Shangjing.
With evening fast approaching, they decided to grab dinner first.
The hotel had thoughtfully arranged a car complete with a driver. At first, they felt a bit awkward, but the driver was exceptionally skilled at livening up the atmosphere, bantering like a stand-up comedian and having them roaring with laughter.
"Qianmen Street! I won't drive all the way in—the place is packed with time-honored brands! Take your time wandering around, folks. I'll wait right here, and just give me a call if anything comes up!"
The driver gave a cheerful wave of his head, stepped on the gas, and drove off.
Spending an entire afternoon and evening, the Liu family walked through every major historic district, sampled countless local delicacies, bought out all sorts of cultural souvenirs, and experienced every recreational facility they could find. When they finally emerged from Qianmen Street, everyone was carrying at least four bags of goods—they had thoroughly raided the place.
"Look at the fireworks!" Liu Minghao shouted excitedly, pointing at the brilliant sparks bursting across the sky.
"It's an event hosted by some young people—they call it an anime convention and even put together a fireworks show. There's going to be a drone performance soon, too! Would you folks like to go have a look?"
"Yes!" Liu Minghao's eyes lit up with excitement, sparkling like glittering stars.
That pitiful, hopeful little expression made Mother Liu crack first. Compromising, she said, "Fine, fine, let's go. Since we're already here, we might as well watch it."
Liu Minghao bounced off the floor in delight. "Yay!"
They stuffed their newly bought goods into the trunk of the car and set off once more.
The fireworks grew increasingly intense, bursting into dazzling reds in midair and casting a crimson glow over the people below. The blood-red sparks bloomed brilliantly and hypnotically across the dark night sky, captivating everyone who watched.
Yet, bright red roses always come with thorns, and beauty is frequently fraught with danger.
The eerie red fireworks exploded in the night like a sea of blood, dripping scalding blood down upon the people and leaving behind a wake of shocked screams and a crimson ocean.
The sea of blood crept up the fragile bodies of the crowd, drinking greedily from their fresh, warm blood and dissolving them into parts of itself. The crimson expanse gradually swelled, roaring with excitement over the delicious feast of food.
"Monsters! There are monsters!"
The cry shattered the people's entranced silence like a falling boulder. Finally jolted into madness, they fled in a panic, shoving and scrambling outward, stepping on whoever fell without once looking back, desperately fighting to survive.
Liu Mingxi, who had sensed that something was wrong with the fireworks from the start, hurriedly dragged her family away. Fortunately, they hadn't walked far and were still quite close to the car, so they quickly urged the driver to speed away.
On the way back, she messaged Ye Fan to inform him about what had happened at Qianmen Street; seeing his reply let her know he had already gone to handle the situation.
Once they returned to the hotel and her family was settled and comforted, Liu Mingxi used the excuse of taking a stroll around the hotel grounds to sneakily summon the wind, letting it carry her at top speed straight to the site where the crisis had just erupted.
She still couldn't feel entirely at ease. While the Night Watchers were undoubtedly powerful, they could still get hurt—what if something went wrong and they couldn't handle it properly? Going over herself would at least serve as a safety net. Even if she was just making a fuss over nothing, it didn't hurt to check on the outcome.