Chapter 24 - You’re the Second Unluckiest Person I’ve Ever Met

"Hey, Dad?"Xu Xiaoyou really wanted to make a sarcastic comment; just a second ago, the girl was firmly declaring her farewell to the past, and now with the phone in her hand, she looked like she wanted to tell her parents about a thousand grievances.

"Hey... who is it?"

A groggy voice came from the other end of the phone, as if it had just woken up from a drunken stupor, not yet sober, sounding distant, like it could drift into the sky at any moment like a cloud.

"It’s me, Xiaoran."

"How’s your health lately..."

"Xiaoran, who is that? Don’t bother me, go away, go away."

Before the girl could finish, the call was ended with a beep-beep sound.

Lin Ran: "..."

She held the phone in her hand, staring blankly for a long time.

"Does your dad often drink things with ’Dream-Walking Fish’ in it?" Xu Xiaoyou asked casually.

Lin Ran pursed her lips and gently nodded.

"Dad must be tired, a bit confused, that’s why he didn’t recognize me. Clearly, he used to call me every few days to ask how I was doing, how work was going."

"Did he ask for money at the end of the call?"

Lin Ran was stumped by the girl’s question, recalling past memories. In the end, she bit her lip tightly and dialed a second number.

Xu Xiaoyou noticed the girl’s whole hand was trembling slightly.

As the call connected, Lin Ran’s nose twitched, her voice urgent:

"Mom..."

"Eh? Xiaoran, why are you calling me at this time?"

"Nothing, it’s just, I feel a bit uncomfortable. Mom, can you listen to me talk? I have so many grievances to share."

"Sigh, grievances, emotions; you’re an adult, you should be able to control these feelings."

"Mom!" Lin Ran shouted into the phone, somewhat losing control.

"What are you shouting for? Eh! Pong, won, won, hahaha, after losing all night, finally won one back. Alright, not talking about this, hanging up now."

"I..."

The call was hung up again.

"Are you alright?"

Xu Xiaoyou couldn’t bear to watch any longer; the girl was like a puppet who had lost its strings. After putting down the phone, she sat on the floor, slumped against the edge of the sofa, hugging the stuffed toy in her arms, lost in thought for a long time.

"Are you about to cry?"

Before Xu Xiaoyou could finish her sentence, the girl fell into her arms, tears streaming down her delicate face like a flood, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably as she buried her head into Xu Xiaoyou and began to wail.

"They’re all so annoying..."

"Why, why am I so unlucky? Why is my luck so bad, it’s so unfair, it’s all so unfair, isn’t it?"

The girl cried as she recounted her past grievances, as if to pour out all the injustices she had experienced. Xu Xiaoyou didn’t know how to comfort her, simply patting her back gently.

"Why do all the bad things happen to me, why must I bear them?"

Lin Ran cried for a long time, until her face was tear-streaked and her eyelids swollen like they’d been beaten, then her emotions gradually calmed.

She wiped her eyes, sniffed, and realizing her own embarrassment just now, she turned her head with a snort:

"Laugh if you want, no need to hold back."

"I don’t care!"

"You’re the second most miserable urban person I’ve ever met," Xu Xiaoyou sighed.

"So who’s the first?"

Xu Xiaoyou pointed at herself:

"No one’s got it worse than me."

Lin Ran stared at Xu Xiaoyou for a long time, and upon seeing the seriousness in her expression, she suddenly burst into a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Thank you, really, you’re quite nice actually, I feel a lot better."

"Please don’t think that, otherwise I’d feel guilty doing bad things," Xu Xiaoyou waved her hand.

"Phew..."

Lin Ran took a deep breath, pushing all the emotions down, then tilted her head with a smile at Xu Xiaoyou:

"Hope you don’t mind if I make a little noise?"

Before Xu Xiaoyou could react, Lin Ran dashed to the window, opened it wide, and shouted loudly into the night outside:

"Go to hell! You bunch of idiots! I’m starting my new life! Past life, never! Again! See!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Newbie, don’t do that!"

Xu Xiaoyou didn’t expect her friend to be so fierce, her eyes widened, and she hurried forward to pull Lin Ran back, to prevent her from doing anything more reckless.

"Hehehe."

As Lin Ran was pulled back, she blinked and apologized to Xu Xiaoyou with a silly smile:

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Sigh, forget it."

"I really feel a lot better, like a heavy stone in my heart has fallen down."

She gave Xu Xiaoyou a big hug:

"I’m so sleepy, I’m going to bed now! Good night."

In a flash, Lin Ran darted behind the bedroom door, gently closing it, leaving a crack:

"I’ll buy some groceries tomorrow and cook for you guys. Anya’s still growing, right? Don’t feed her that bag of dog food, it’s not good to eat."

Lin Ran gave Xu Xiaoyou a wink, not waiting for her to reply, then closed the door.

Xu Xiaoyou stood there, disoriented, but at last, she smiled faintly and shook her head.

When she turned, a figure identical to her stood in front of her.

It wasn’t clear when the substitute had emerged, but it seemed to have been standing there for a while.

Xu Xiaoyou held a card in her hand, which was enveloped in light and merged into her body.

After using the skill card, a red light shimmered on Xu Xiaoyou, like receiving a positive buff in a game.

She picked up the training wooden sword she bought on the way, attempting a swing through the air, the sound of it slicing through swiftly, leaving a sword shadow.

Xu Xiaoyou’s eyes shined; the effect was much better than she expected.

Once she obtained the Swordsman’s Sharpness effect, a flood of knowledge entered her mind, instantly grasping all the basic techniques of swordsmanship, where to exert force with her hands while swinging the sword, shoulder rotation, foot adjustment, how to make each swing more powerful. Every move, every step was etched into her brain, becoming muscle memory, seamless and natural.

She had a feeling that if she were to challenge a swordsmanship novice now, she’d easily drive them to flee with their heads in their hands.

As for that swordsmanship master’s proficiency, Xu Xiaoyou still hadn’t figured out what it really meant.

Swordswoman? She vaguely remembered that class, a branch of the wandering swordsman, a talent only females could access. Unlike the aggressive blade techniques of wandering swordsmen, swordwomen often had a more agile, cunning form, their swordships deadlier, frequently delivering surprise attacks for a fatal strike in battle.

Why would a swordswoman’s talent appear on a Card Maker’s panel?

Proficiency 1/1000...

Suddenly, a thought popped into Xu Xiaoyou’s mind, like a seed planted in her heart, a voice continuously urging her to nourish it, to let it see the light of day.

If this idea were true...

If it were true!

Her heartbeat quickened, restraining her pounding heart, she walked towards the substitute with suppressed excitement.

Observing the red light on the substitute, she confirmed that it too had gained the same effect, then threw the wooden sword in her hand to it:

"Try swinging a sword for me to see."

The substitute took the sword, unresponsive.

"Hey, not listening, are you?!"

Just as Xu Xiaoyou was rolling up her sleeves, planning to teach her rebellious substitute a lesson.

The substitute, expressionless: "I want a hug too."