Chapter 89: The Game

Chapter 89: The Game

"Captain Su, should we keep an eye on this person?"

In a rented apartment a few streets away from the target bar, Su Wenxu and his team were monitoring the situation inside the venue via a small screen.

Shen Tingyu was wearing a device that could transmit images to Su Wenxu and his team.

Unlike traditional cameras, it was just a small sensor hidden in the button of Shen Tingyu's clothes. By capturing and sensing light and shadow, it transmitted the obtained data to the connected screen, achieving the effect of photography.

This was a tool that the Empire had not yet disclosed to the public.

Currently, it was only available for use by military police personnel in special investigation units.

Su Wenxu stared at the unfamiliar man causing a stir on the screen.

After a pause, he replied, "...General Shen said he's an acquaintance, no need to worry."

Su Wenxu didn't dare to meddle in Shen Tingyu's private life.

Their targets were a few middle-aged men drinking in another corner of the venue. Dressed in typical office worker suits with briefcases by their side—if Su Wenxu didn't have their real identity information, he would indeed think they were just ordinary people coming for fun after overtime.

The new commotion in the venue seemed to facilitate their actions.

Amid the chaos, a waiter approached their table, bent down, and said a few words to them. Then, they naturally stood up, carrying their bags, and left with the waiter, chatting and laughing.

Su Wenxu immediately adjusted his earpiece channel: "East Team C, be advised, Team C's target is on the move."

After giving the order, he still wore a worried expression.

They had been monitoring this place for a while.

They were well aware that something suspicious was going on. Every time they identified a target, they would send someone to tail them, hoping to uncover something significant. But each time, the person would either disappear, be intercepted for some reason, or even be ejected as a suspicious individual.

Thinking of this, Su Wenxu glanced at the image transmitted from Shen Tingyu again.

With Xu Qingan's assistance, Shen Tingyu had gradually become a regular patron, but he didn't know how long he could keep up the act. He hoped they could soon uncover the secrets and resolve this matter.

Inside the bar.

A sudden disturbance once again captured everyone's attention.

It was still at Xu Qingran's location.

He kicked the table in front of him two meters away. In the cleared space, a boy who accidentally got his foot caught by the table corner fell, along with the wine in his hand. The wine spilled all over the floor, and the broken glass shards accidentally cut his palm and arm.

The pain in his hand instinctively brought tears to his eyes.

He looked up pitifully at the man on the sofa, seemingly hoping to elicit his sympathy.

But the man showed no remorse, his dark eyes brimming with indifference.

He said coldly, "I told you, I don't want to drink."

The onlookers—particularly those seeking targets—were not intimidated by Xu Qingran's arrogant and cold demeanor. Instead, they were more inclined to revel in his strong and fierce personality, completely unable to fathom how thrilling it would be to engage in certain activities with him!

Shen Tingyu sensed the atmosphere.

His heart felt heavy.

Having an overly impressive boyfriend can be a real headache.

Xu Qingan saw the dark, angry look in his eyes as they landed on the arrogant man, thinking he was annoyed by the guy's showy, cocky attitude, and worried it might disrupt their mission plan.

He muttered softly, "What’s with the big show? Is he some kind of drama queen?"

"He’s nothing special, not half as handsome as General Shen..."

Xu Qingan had meant to butter up Shen Tingyu, hoping to score some points.

But it seemed his attempt fell flat.

When Shen Tingyu heard his words, he turned his head to look at him, his gaze even more chilling and terrifying than the man being watched.

His icy tone sent chills down Xu Qingan’s spine: "Stay out of it. Just focus on your job."

Xu Qingan, intimidated by his cold demeanor, kept his mouth shut.

He was deeply confused.

Wasn’t Shen Tingyu supposed to be super friendly?

And he wasn’t like this around Xu Qingran. Was it all just an act?

Lu Cheng had warned him about this before.

He’d called Shen Tingyu a fake, and back then, Xu Qingan didn’t get it. But now... he understood.

If he wasn’t trying to cozy up to the Shen family and overshadow Xu Qingran’s status, he wouldn’t want to deal with someone like Shen Tingyu.

After mulling it over, Xu Qingan looked back at the man in black.

Instead, his eyes landed on the boy in wine-red standing beside the man, who had a delicate yet striking presence, sipping water to mask the jealousy burning in his eyes.

So flashy and over-the-top.

He couldn’t see why everyone was so into him.

The young guy reached over and tapped Xu Qingran’s shoulder, glaring disdainfully at the jealous, hate-filled guy on the floor, and said with a smile, "There’s always someone who doesn’t get the hint in a place like this."

He waved at the waiter and said, "Get us a fruit plate."

The guy, known as Xiao Qi, was a regular at the bar.

With his good looks and wild, carefree attitude, he was quite popular among a specific group. It was said he also had a solid background, giving him a relatively higher status and power among them.

Many people were interested in Xu Qingran and wanted to hook up with him.

But they all knew Xiao Qi’s temperament; the first experience with someone he took a liking to had to be reserved for him alone. Trying to steal someone from him could get you dragged outside and beaten to a pulp.

So this time, they could only sit by, watching enviously as he successfully won the person over.

Xu Qingran’s phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

He took it out and glanced at it.

"Shen Tingyu: ?"

A faint smile flickered in Xu Qingran’s eyes, lit by the glow of the screen.

Xu Qingran promptly turned off the screen, blatantly ignoring Shen Tingyu's message right in front of him.

Shen Tingyu: "..."

So Xu Qingran had been intentionally ignoring him these past few days.

"Host, it feels like the target's eyes are about to burn you to ashes," the system chimed in.

Xu Qingran chuckled softly, "You don't get it."

"This is what you call flirtation."

The system fell silent.

"Your muscles are so firm, you must be really strong when lifting someone, huh?" The hand on his left shoulder slid down slightly, "With such a strong build, what do you do for work?"

Xu Qingran replied nonchalantly, "My job?"

"Professional killer. Believe it?"

Xiao Qi laughed and played along, "Of course I believe it, you do look pretty tough."

"It's my first time seeing you. How did you end up at our bar?"

As they chatted, the waiter set down a large plate on the table that had been rearranged in front of them.

The plate was piled high with a variety of colorful cut fruits.

Xu Qingran glanced at it, his tone neutral, "The guy at home pissed me off."

"I'm thinking about breaking up with him."

The system was silent.

The host is still running the scumbag playbook.

The few people at the bar eyeing Xu Qingran didn't care that he had a partner.

All they wanted was some immediate fun, and if they could successfully snatch him away, it would only boost their ego.

Shen Tingyu, with his keen hearing: "..."

He cared deeply.

Xiao Qi smiled, his eyes curving into crescents, looking exceptionally beautiful.

Leaning in close, he said, "Maybe you should try others first. Who knows, after trying—you might make up your mind?"

Xu Qingran turned his head to meet his gaze.

His expression was a half-smile.

"The fruit's here. Let me feed you." Xiao Qi plucked a grape from the fruit plate and moved it toward his mouth suggestively.

But suddenly, Xu Qingran grabbed his wrist with enough force to leave a faint red mark on his delicate skin.

Xu Qingran's hands were gloved today.

With his other hand, he plucked the grape from Xiao Qi's fingers, and under the other's puzzled and surprised gaze, he said, "I want you to feed me differently."

As he spoke, he slowly pushed the fruit to Xiao Qi's mouth.

Xiao Qi, quick on the uptake, immediately bit into it, looking up at him with a seductive gaze.

Xu Qingran let out a silent chuckle.

The next second, his gaze turned sharp, and he raised his hand to grab the back of Xiao Qi's neck, pressing him down firmly, while he himself leaned down slowly towards the other.

Once again, they became the center of attention.

The crowd, there for entertainment, loved the spectacle, gathering around them, cheering, even the control panel operators couldn't resist spotlighting them.

But just as Xu Qingran was about to bite the grape from the other's mouth, another figure pushed through the crowd, forcibly entering the spotlight. With a forceful pull, he yanked the aloof man in black from his chair.

Forcing him to stand up and face him.

The excitement that had been building was suddenly cut short, and the person biting the grape was very displeased.

Looking up at the intruder, he froze for a moment.

—He recognized this gentleman.

He should have been the star of the room, but unfortunately, he came with a companion. Not only was his flirtation cut short, but it also made many who were scouting for prey lose interest in him. The man's demeanor didn't appeal to him, so he hadn't made a move on him.

So, what was this man up to now?

As everyone looked on in confusion, they heard the man with gold-rimmed glasses, cool and composed, say in a deep voice to the person he had seized, "Since you're considering changing partners, how about me?"

The bar's onlookers erupted in chaos.

They all recognized this other handsome man with glasses and remembered that he had a companion.

What was going on? Was he really cheating right then and there? What a juicy scandal, so thrilling!

And wouldn't their personalities clash?!

Xiao Qi, sitting on the sofa chair, was also taken aback.

Thinking, if the three of them were to compete, shouldn't he be the one being fought over?!

Xu Qingran shook off the hand that Shen Tingyu had grabbed.

First, he raised an eyebrow, then reached out to remove the glasses from Shen Tingyu's face, examining his disguise as if appreciating a piece of art.

Shen Tingyu, without his glasses, looked even more aloof.

His lips pressed into a straight line, his eyes hiding grievances and anger that only Xu Qingran could see.

Xu Qingran's gaze shifted slightly, commenting, "You look quite good..."

Before he could finish, the person in front of him suddenly took a step closer, as if about to make a move.

He smirked, not letting him touch him easily, but instead began to counterattack.

Thus, what was originally a flirtatious occasion suddenly turned into a fight between two big men. They fought fiercely, startling the red-clad boy on the sofa to get up and retreat to the crowd, fearing innocent involvement.

Two skilled fighters made for an especially thrilling spectacle.

The fight wasn't too bloody; it was more like a simple scuffle to test each other's abilities.

They only exchanged a few moves before it ended.

Because Shen Tingyu seemed genuinely annoyed by Xu Qingran this time, almost revealing his true capabilities, and even ruthlessly used the absolute suppression of Type E psychic power to weaken Xu Qingran's strength.

The bar's lights flickered chaotically.

The onlookers, unaware of the details, were all amazed that the seemingly well-educated and refined man could fight with such intensity, no less skilled than a professional.

Seizing an opening, he pinned the black-clad man he had his eye on back onto the sofa.

The chair was low to the ground.

Shen Tingyu bent down, and as Xu Qingran looked up, he raised one leg, forcing his way between Xu Qingran's legs. His eyes darkened, and with his other hand, he gripped Xu Qingran tightly, then leaned in to kiss him fiercely in front of everyone.

His body was so broad and strong, naturally exuding an intimidating presence, enveloping the man he held within his aura.

It was like marking his territory, not allowing anyone else to invade.

The man beneath him, however, was not to be outdone.

With his fingerless-gloved hand, he gripped the back of Shen Tingyu's neck tightly, tilting his head back to meet the kiss. While savoring the moment, there was also a sense of competition in his actions.

—It was a clash of two dominant wills, neither willing to yield.

The tension was palpable, setting the onlookers' pulses racing, their cheers echoing throughout the bar, turning an otherwise ordinary night into a climax.

The pretty boy who had moved to the front of the crowd glanced down at the grape in his hand.

He irritably popped it into his mouth, eating it by himself.

The market was already short of bold aggressors, and now these two prime catches had gotten together.

Tsk, how annoying, how are the rest of us supposed to compete?

Meanwhile, Xu Qingan, standing in the corner, was equally stunned by the scene.

Beside him, a boy wearing tight leather pants, with a slim waist and legs, crossed his arms and chuckled gleefully in the direction of Shen Tingyu and Xu Qingran.

When Shen Tingyu rushed out without a word, Xu Qingan happened to be fending off a harasser.

"Sorry, he's my partner," Xu Qingan said with a smug grin.

Just as he was about to hook his arm around Shen Tingyu's to pretend to be affectionate, before he could even grab him, Shen Tingyu suddenly got up and left. He made a beeline for the center of attention, intent on snatching someone away.

And the person he snatched was the black-clad man Xu Qingan had just complained about.

Shen Tingyu's sudden move left Xu Qingan thoroughly humiliated.

The boy in leather pants didn't miss the chance to mock him: "Oh? Looks like your man's ditched you, huh?"

There were also quite a few people nearby who had been rejected by them.

At the leather-pants boy's taunt, they stifled laughs behind their hands.

Xu Qingan felt his cheeks burning like he'd been slapped repeatedly.

He subconsciously clenched his fists, his gaze filled with resentment as it landed on the two men passionately kissing, gradually sensing that something was off.

Finally, his expression gradually turned to one of horror.

Wait, could it be that the man Shen Tingyu was grabbing and kissing... was actually Xu Qingran?!

From the moment the other man came into view, Xu Qingan had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with his figure.

Now, like a bolt out of the blue, a sudden realization hit him.

The more he looked, the more the man's figure seemed to resemble Xu Qingran's!

Upon realizing Xu Qingran's identity, Xu Qingan felt no joy in having successfully deceived him.

Instead, he was overwhelmed with shock and anger.

Shen Tingyu... Shen Tingyu and Xu Qingran, they were actually in that kind of relationship?!

He had always thought that the two were just close because they lived together, had the relationship of nephew's wife and uncle, and admired each other as strong individuals. The thought of successfully seducing Shen Tingyu and becoming Xu Qingran's 'elder' had thrilled him.

But tonight's revelation struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him stunned.

The flames of jealousy and hatred burned at their peak.

...Xu Qingran! Why, why does it always have to be you?!

Meanwhile, in the rental house where Su Wenxu and his team were staying.

The images transmitted from Shen Tingyu's device were now completely dark.

But that didn't stop them from planting a few informants in other corners of the bar, who were also equipped with the same transmission devices. From their perspective, the chaotic events unfolding in the bar were clearly transmitted back.

It left Su Wenxu at a loss for words.

Even the surrounding officers broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that Shen Tingyu might silence them for uncovering tonight's secret.

"...Captain Su, will this jeopardize our mission?"

In the silence, someone asked.

Su Wenxu raised his hand to cover his eyes and rubbed them for a moment.

After a moment, he reminded Shen Tingyu through the earpiece: "...Brother Shen, you do remember the purpose of tonight, right?"

He too was deeply shaken by tonight's events.

Shen Tingyu had just told him that this person was someone he knew, and he thought it was just someone tagging along or assisting with the mission, but never expected—

Was it... a secret affair?

In the bar, Shen Tingyu heard Su Wenxu's reminder.

Of course, he still remembered, but he just couldn't resist Xu Qingran's provocation anymore.

Their flirtatious yet combative kiss went on for a while.

Until the man above, impeccably dressed, suddenly frowned.

In the next moment, a fist struck his face hard.

It came from the person he had been kissing for so long.

After the punch, they shoved him away, stood up, and looked down at the man, who was slightly hunched over from stumbling.

The man with neatly combed hair lifted his head.

Only then did everyone notice his lips were slightly red, clearly bitten hard by someone.

He didn’t seem bothered.

With a cold expression, he rubbed his thumb hard over the injured part of his lip, wiping away the blood from the bite. His gaze, locked on the person in front of him, still held lingering passion and a possessive desire.

The person he was looking at asked him, "Want me?"

Then sneered, "Keep dreaming."

Xu Qingran, for those on the receiving end, is the ultimate fantasy.

But for those equally dominant, he’s a prize they’re desperate to conquer.

The bar was pretty big.

It stretched lengthwise, with several separate areas.

After being 'provoked' by Shen Tingyu, Xu Qingran left and moved to another area.

The crowd had enjoyed the show and were satisfied. Before leaving, they all shot sympathetic looks at Shen Tingyu.

Shen Tingyu picked up the glasses Xu Qingran had left on the chair.

He put them back on and sat alone on the sofa, his cold gaze lingering on the bitten spot.

He felt aggrieved inside.

Little lunatic, you bit really hard.

Maybe his lingering gaze was too intense.

Or maybe he looked too pathetic after being rejected. Not long after, a bar staff member suddenly approached him.

The person was dressed like any other bar patron.

They sat down in the empty seat beside him, arms spread on the back of the chair, staring ahead with a half-smile. "Failed to get your hands on someone? Feeling bitter?"

Shen Tingyu stayed still, ignoring them.

He looked deeply sullen.

They laughed casually, saying, "I get the mindset of hunters like you."

"Breaking someone’s pride can definitely satisfy your need to conquer. But sometimes, when the opponent is too strong, we can't confront them head-on."

The person smiled, "We need the assistance of special 'tools'."

Hearing this, the man with glasses finally turned his head to look at him.

He turned his head, looking back with a mischievous smile: "How about it? Want to give it a try?"

The man hesitated before responding.

He instinctively clenched his fist, a flicker of humiliation and resentment crossing his eyes.

The staff member's eyes crinkled again with a smile.

—Those things are only interesting when used by such individuals.

At the rented apartment.

Su Wenxu and his companions, initially uneasy and hopeless about the night's mission, suddenly noticed a change in the images transmitted back from Shen Tingyu.

They watched his movements with bated breath, nervous, their eyes gradually turning to surprise.

On the other side, after Xu Qingran moved to a new spot, he entered his "strangers keep out" mode again.

He ordered a drink and sat alone in the corner, biding his time.

What was he waiting for?

Of course, for something interesting to happen.

He held his phone, tossing it up and down idly.

He stopped when it vibrated with a new message and unlocked the screen.

"Xu Qingan: Brother! Help me!"

"Xu Qingan: General Shen has disappeared, leaving me alone, I... I feel like I'm being watched."

"Xu Qingan: I'm worried something has happened to General Shen too, our mission location is at XXXX..."

Xu Qingran stood up abruptly upon receiving the message.

After politely turning away another person who tried to approach him, he leisurely returned to the spot where he and Shen Tingyu had been earlier.

As if by coincidence, he immediately noticed the scene in an unnoticed corner of the space where the unconscious Xu Qingan was being taken away.

The direction they took him led to a hidden corridor.

Xu Qingran first scanned the surroundings.

Shen Tingyu was nowhere to be found.

With a tight-lipped expression, he discreetly trailed Xu Qingan through the crowd.

He followed them closely all the way, from areas with other guests passing by, slowly moving to a less populated area.

Finally, in the quiet corridor, only their figures remained.

Xu Qingran kept a safe distance, concealing his presence, until he saw them take Xu Qingan into a room that required identity verification to unlock.

He leaned against the wall, biding his time outside.

Then, he noticed one of the staff members emerging.

Xu Qingan and the others had vanished.

A staff member was slowly approaching him.

He waited patiently until the person was within striking distance before attacking, taking them down before they could make a sound or call for backup. After retrieving the work ID from the fallen person, he stomped hard on their chest before leaving.

He broke their ribs.

Only then did he take the work ID, approach the door, and unlock it.

The door opened to reveal a staircase leading underground.

Xu Qingran gave it a quick glance before descending.

At the bottom of the staircase was another long corridor.

Doors lined both sides, with one-way windows between them.

The one-way windows allowed people outside to see inside the rooms, but those inside couldn't see out.

At this hour, half the rooms were empty.

The other half were filled with all sorts of activities, ranging from illegal to downright depraved.

Xu Qingran's gaze swept over the scenes without a flicker of emotion.

His goal was clear: to find Xu Qingan.

Before he knew it, Xu Qingran had reached the deepest part of the underground level.

The rooms here no longer had windows for outsiders to peer in.

As he passed a particular corridor, a security door suddenly slammed shut behind him, cutting off his escape.

"Kid, you've been tailing us this whole time."

As Xu Qingran turned to face the closed security door, a middle-aged man's voice rang out behind him.

When he turned around, the man directed the staff to drag someone out and toss them to the ground, asking, "Looking for him, maybe?"

The boy, roughly thrown to the floor and unconscious, was none other than Xu Qingan.

Xu Qingran glanced at him and said, "No."

"I was just curious and decided to check it out."

The man questioning him was short and stout.

Slightly overweight, with a small mustache under his nose—his appearance made Xu Qingran's fingers twitch.

Hearing this, the man's confident smile faltered slightly.

He warned, "Anyone brought down here who isn't staff will be treated as an intruder."

As soon as the man finished speaking, a group of burly enforcers burst out from the rooms on either side, surrounding him completely.

Xu Qingran flexed his fingers.

He hadn’t been in a fight for a while. Lately, he’d been itching for someone to spar with.

Dozens of people were crammed into the narrow space.

Xu Qingran didn’t have much room to show off his skills. A lot of his moves were hard to pull off. Outnumbered, it was easier for the group to land hits on him compared to fighting in an open area.

Especially since the bar didn’t allow weapons.

He wasn’t carrying a knife or a gun.

Still, Xu Qingran didn’t bat an eye.

A quick scan was all it took for him to hit the nearest guy’s weak spots. He switched targets in a flash.

During this, someone tried to jab him with a drugged needle.

They were trying to drug him to slow him down.

But Xu Qingran had a deep-seated fear of needles and was always on guard. Even if he didn’t see it, his body would tense up the moment a needle was near.

In a flash, he grabbed the wrist of someone creeping up behind him. With a sneer, he twisted hard, snapping the guy’s wrist.

The broken bone tore through skin, a gruesome sight that made everyone flinch. The guy howled in pain.

Everyone was stunned by Xu Qingran’s raw ferocity. They hesitated, backing off a little.

On the contrary, Xu Qingran was pissed off by their dirty tricks. He started hitting harder, with no mercy. He zeroed in on weak spots, his fingers driven by sheer willpower. He ripped through their necks, dropping them one by one.

Before anyone realized it, half the attackers were already down.

The short, bearded guy’s grin slowly disappeared.

Wasn’t this guy supposed to be a D-type? What kind of D-type guts people like this?

Forty or fifty guys couldn’t even get the upper hand on him.

They could only manage to cut him a few times, but as soon as they grabbed him, he would immediately find an opportunity to break free and counterattack.

In the chaos, Xu Qingan slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at Xu Qingran, who was dealing with other thugs with his back to him, his gaze gradually turned cold, and he tightened his grip on the hidden syringe in his hand.

Xu Qingran lifted his foot and kicked another person flying.

There were still four or five people in front of him, wielding sharp tools, charging towards him.

Yet, his eyes turned sharp, and he turned around steadily, grabbing the hand that was trying to attack his neck, which was holding a needle.

Xu Qingran squeezed hard, and the sound of bones being compressed could be heard.

Staring at the boy in front of him, whose face was twisted in pain, he gave a cold smile, forcefully threw the person away, and then turned to dodge the attack coming towards him. Instead of dealing with them immediately, he accurately singled out the one hiding among them, trying to find an opportunity to attack the back of his hand.

Xu Qingan suddenly looked up.

He met Xu Qingran’s emotionless eyes, and then was startled by the knife slashing at him.

But he would rather be stabbed than let go of the hand he was holding.

He asked coldly, "Xu Qingan, do you really take me for a fool?"

As he spoke, he pulled out the knife stabbed into him, snatched the syringe from Xu Qingan's hand, and forcefully kicked him away. Then, he turned and hurled the knife.

It sliced through several nearby people and accurately struck the mustached man far behind them, right between his eyebrows.

The blade brutally penetrated his skull.

As he fell, his eyes stayed wide with shock and disbelief.

As if wondering how Xu Qingran had pinpointed him from so far away.

The number of fighters on the field was dwindling.

By the end, corpses littered the ground.

Xu Qingan couldn't believe it.

Some of these fighters were elites sent by Mu Ziyue, so why couldn’t they even take down Xu Qingran?

He knew Xu Qingran inside out.

Before being named Shen Tianyi’s future spouse, Xu Qingran had been nothing more than a weakling who couldn’t hurt a fly. Even though his spiritual pool rank had skyrocketed later, relying just on spiritual pressure, he shouldn’t have been able to overpower seasoned fighters with years of combat experience!

What’s more, some of them had spiritual pool ranks just as high as his!

As Xu Qingan trembled and backed away, desperate to escape, Xu Qingran closed in on him, blood-soaked and stepping over the scattered corpses.

His icy presence radiated crushing pressure.

In just a few years.

Even if Xu Qingran had truly learned combat skills in the military, he shouldn’t have been able to dominate these fighters with at least a decade of experience!

If they couldn’t match his spiritual power, fine, but how could they be outclassed in skill by Xu Qingran? What was going on?!

Xu Qingan was completely baffled.

But if those fighters were powerless against Xu Qingran, what chance did he, a mere medical student, have? He could only flail helplessly as Xu Qingran tightened his grip on his neck.

Xu Qingran stared at him and suddenly laughed.

He said, "Xu Qingan, now that I think about it, it turns out you're the naive one."

"Why did you think I would believe your repentance?"

"Do you really think I'm that soft-hearted?"

Xu Qingan choked under his grip.

One hand, unnoticed, secretly fumbled in his pocket.

How could he not know?

Having lived with Xu Qingran for so many years, he knew exactly what kind of person he was!

In his memories, aside from being cold toward him, Xu Qingran had always been straightforward and naive in other ways.

Though he had a bad temper, he was actually a paper tiger. If those who bullied him pretended to be pitiful, he would believe them and soften. Even after suffering from the same tricks, he would still fall into the trap again the next time.

Xu Qingran sighed at Xu Qingan with a hint of exasperation.

Then, as if he had foreseen it, Xu Qingran stopped Xu Qingan before he could pull out a second syringe to ambush him again.

He successfully snatched the second dose of the elixir.

Xu Qingran looked down at him, his gaze tinged with pity: "Xu Qingan, you don't understand me."

"But I know you very well."

After uttering these words, he suddenly pressed Xu Qingan down, forcing him to turn over.

He lifted Xu Qingan's shirt, revealing the spiritual mark on his shoulder blade.

Xu Qingran held the pink elixir up to his eyes for examination.

He said casually, "Let me guess what you were planning to use on me."

"It must be some kind of aphrodisiac hallucinogen, right?"

As he spoke, Xu Qingran nodded to himself, confirming his own suspicions: "Maybe it has some special effects, like slowly affecting the spiritual reservoir if not resolved."

"After all, you hate me so much, what you use on me must be the most vicious."

Xu Qingan started to panic and struggle as his shirt was lifted, asking, "Xu Qingran, what do you want to do?!"

"What do I want to do?"

Xu Qingran sneered, "Of course, to give you a taste of your own medicine."

"Xu Qingan, did you really think I'd let you walk away unscathed after trying to pull this stunt on me?"

Xu Qingran's eyes curved into a smile: "Just like you've been waiting for me to take the bait for a long time."

"I've been looking forward to this day for a long time too."

After saying that, he injected one of the elixirs into the spiritual mark on Xu Qingan's back.

The moment the elixir was injected, Xu Qingan seemed to be in considerable pain.

Xu Qingan's hands clawed at the ground, his toes curled, and he cursed furiously: "Xu Qingran, you will die a horrible death...!"

"You're the one who's going to die a horrible death."

Only after the entire elixir was injected did Xu Qingran allow himself a satisfied smile: "Relax, haven't you done this to others plenty of times?"

"Since you think it's such a great idea, why don't you experience it firsthand today?"

After saying that, Xu Qingran stood up.

His gaze swept the area, taking in the surroundings.

Soon after, Xu Qingan, lying on the ground, began to grow weak and limp.

His body gradually flushed red, and he began to moan in pain.

The elixir's effects were just as Xu Qingran had anticipated.

He mused to himself, if Xu Qingan was hell-bent on destroying him, he must have also arranged for the 'people' to be ready.

So, he started checking out the nearby rooms.

Until he reached the end of the corridor.

In the second to last room, there were more than ten strong and burly men.

Each one was either broad-shouldered or fat-faced, not particularly good-looking, and from their appearance, they seemed like lecherous types. They also seemed to have taken some kind of special drug, as they were drowsy, and the effects were slowly kicking in.

His eyes moved to one side of the wall.

There was a large black mirror, and he couldn’t see what was behind it, but the material looked a lot like the one-way windows he’d passed earlier.

Xu Qingran stared at it for a few seconds, then turned his attention back to the "gift" Xu Qingan had prepared for him.

A cold smirk spread across his lips.

Then he went back to the corridor, where Xu Qingan was lying.

He slung him over his shoulder and walked step by step toward the "surprise room."

He tossed him inside and used the work pass he’d grabbed earlier to lock the door from the outside.

Then he strolled over to the adjacent room and swiped the door open.

Sure enough, it was exactly as he’d guessed.

It was a small room, just half the size of the one next door. From the chair in front of the mirror, he could see everything going on in the lit-up room next door. Right then, a camera had been set up in front of the mirror, pointed at the room to record everything.

Xu Qingran grabbed the chair behind the camera and took a seat.

He checked that it was on and recording, then, like watching a movie, he watched the scene in the next room grow more and more heated.

Thinking about what was coming, he couldn’t help but cover his eyes with his hand, bow his head, and let out a delighted laugh: "Haha."

—Xu Qingan probably never imagined that all this stuff prepared today would end up being for him, huh?

As the show began, Xu Qingran took out the second backup drug he had confiscated from Xu Qingan from his pocket.

He held it in his hand and stared at it for what felt like forever.