Waking Of A World Chapter 4: Chapter 4: A Small Chat.

Read chapter 4 of Waking Of A World by Victor_WIlliam on NovelPedia.

Meanwhile, outside the house, Liesel stared at Liang Shen, genuine confusion clear on her face. “What is this guy’s deal?” she thought. Just minutes ago, he had treated her like she didn’t exist, giving her zero acknowledgement. Now here he was, standing two steps away, actually asking to talk. It just didn’t add up. Her gaze flicked past him toward the front door. Marie and Seo Jun were still there, speaking quietly with the man who then let them in. Liesel’s eyes then turned back to Liang Shen. “Did she tell him to come talk to me?” His face hadn’t changed at all. It was the same calm, unchanging mask, like it was locked in one default expression. No warmth, no irritation, just… nothing. He leaned back against the wall, arms crossed loosely. It reminded her uncomfortably of Sandra, the silver-haired secretary she had met earlier at the Nexus Association. Sandra had looked at her with the same cold, distant appraisal. But Liang Shen’s eyes felt different. Hollower. Like something essential had been carved out long ago and never replaced. “So?” Liang Shen asked again, his voice low and even. Liesel’s hand slipped out of her pocket. She crossed both arms tightly under her chest as she turned her face away. “Are you only trying to talk to me because you got ordered to?” she asked. Liang Shen didn’t hesitate. He admitted the truth. “Yes. That’s right.” The blunt admission hit exactly as expected. Liesel’s jaw clenched. She huffed through her nose, a short, bitter sound. “Then forget it.” Her voice dropped, filled with anger and annoyance. “I don’t need her pity.” “An order is an order,” Liang Shen said with a soft sigh. “So why are you here?” Liesel gave him a side-eye. “What?” “You heard me.” His voice stayed flat. “Why did you decide to join the White Crane Office? Most kids your age aren’t running around fighting and joining Offices for fun. So why?” “I’m not a kid!” Liesel snapped back instantly. “I’m an adult already!” “Is this guy trying to mess with me or something?” she thought, irritation flaring hotter. A long, tense beat passed. Then she answered through gritted teeth. “…It’s for money.” Liang Shen didn’t speak. He simply waited. “My brother,” Liesel said. Her voice dropped, losing some of its sharp edge. “He’s sick. The doctors said his Aspect malfunctioned. It’s draining away his life like a parasite. The treatments cost more than most people make in ten years, and the cost isn’t going to pay for itself. So someone has to.” She kicked a small pebble. It skittered across the driveway and vanished under a bush. “I have no degree, no real education. Fixer work is the only thing I can do. I don’t have a choice.” Her voice cracked just slightly on the last word. “So either I watch my brother die… or I do something about it.” Liesel’s tough mask was still in place, but her eyes were glistening. She quickly turned her face away, trying to hide the fact that she was about to cry. Liang Shen watched her without comment. He didn’t need to see her face clearly to understand what was happening. So he decided to shift the subject. “I assume White Crane isn’t the first Office you joined?” Liesel brought a hand up to her face. Liang Shen couldn’t see exactly what she was doing, but it was obvious enough. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice steadier now. “Yeah. I used to be in another Office, a small one. Things were… decent at first, but then the boss got greedy and took some kind of contract. I wasn’t there to see it myself, but we lost half the Office in that one mission. The S.E.C.T. had to come in and clean up the rest.” She took a deep breath, forcing calm back into her tone. “The Office was forced to shut down. Everyone scattered. As for me… I needed somewhere that wasn’t going to collapse early.” She gave him a sideways look. “So I set my eyes on White Crane Office. It had a small number of Fixers despite its reputation. Figured I’d give it a shot.” Liang Shen nodded once in acknowledgement. “Well… it’s not like you’r