C10 The Woman Called Shisan

The woman known as Thirteen is actually named Chiang Shisan, though that's not her real name. She was born into the servant class of the Hsu family, destined from birth to serve them, and thus didn't require a real name—just a code would suffice.

When Hsu Chiyang was brought back to the Hsu family estate, it coincided with the selection of a personal bodyguard. The patriarch, delighted to see his grandson after many years, allowed him to personally choose a bodyguard.

At that time, Chiang Shisan, though slender and frail-looking, stood among a group of tall and imposing men. Chiyang, new to the estate, felt a stir of sympathy and pity, which led him to choose Chiang Shisan.

Later, Chiang Shisan explained that she had known since childhood about the Hsu family's bodyguard selection every five years. So, she would sneak in physical training between washing dishes and sweeping floors, aiming to become a bodyguard for better pay, more opportunities, and perhaps even a chance to leave the "servant record" behind and live her own life.

Chiyang gave her that chance, and she didn't disappoint. She excelled in the grueling training, consistently outperforming others. Chiyang wasn't aware of the specifics of her training, but he noticed that three months later, when she was officially assigned as his personal bodyguard, her once frail body had developed strong muscles. Her skin had tanned, and her exposed arms bore numerous scars.

It was probably because Hsu Chiyang was also going through rigorous training at the time that he was more lenient with Chiang Shisan.

At this moment, Shisan laughed heartily and waved her hand. “No need, I’m not used to sleeping in a bed. The floor is much more comfortable.”

As she spoke, Shisan lay down comfortably on the floor mat, closing her eyes contentedly.

Hsu Chiyang chuckled and didn’t pay her any more attention. He glanced at his phone screen; the little red dot on the map had stopped at C University. The young girl had always been a diligent student, he thought silently.

He knew that four years ago, Xia Shirann had the ability to get into a top university, but because of an accident at home...

Hsu Chiyang’s eyes darkened. In the end, it was because of him. It was all the pain he had brought her.

With this in mind, Hsu Chiyang dialed his assistant’s extension.

“Lee, set up a dinner meeting for me. I want to meet with the president of C University.”

On the other end, his assistant Lee Lintang replied respectfully, “Yes, Director Hsu. I’ll arrange it and send you the details shortly.”

Hearing the conversation, Shisan jumped up from the floor in the storage room. “Boss, give me something to do. I’ve been resting for two days and I’m feeling restless.”

Hsu Chiyang smiled. “You’re not great with social niceties; undercover work is your strong suit. Now that you’re back in the country, you probably won’t have such dangerous tasks anymore. You need to start adjusting.”

Shisan was on the verge of despair, looking at her calloused hands, almost in tears. “What? With these hands, if I’m not holding a knife or a gun, what can I do? Sew with a needle?”

Just imagining that scene sent a chill down Chiang Shisan's spine. Hsu Chiyang didn't pay her any more attention, and soon his phone chimed with a notification. Lee Lintang had already arranged the time and place for their meeting.

Meanwhile, Xia Shirann was attending a lecture at school. It was a public course taught by Professor Ma, with two classes from the same department and year combined. Although Xia Shirann didn't live in the dorms, she got along well with her original three roommates. The four of them would sit together in class, though Xia Shirann wasn't as close to the other three.