Chapter 26

Chapter 26

An eerie silence fell, so quiet they could hear each other’s breathing.

The scene before them clearly showed the place was empty.

Xi Jinggen scanned the room and suddenly sensed something wrong. "Where is he?" He shot a murderous glare at Sang Huo.

Sang Huo was terrified—he never expected Fu Xie, a living person, to just *poof*—vanish into thin air! He stammered, legs shaking: "I—I don’t know! He was just in the room earlier!"

Xi Jinggen snapped, "You idiot! Pull up the damn footage!"

"O-okay!" Sang Huo bolted like a scared rabbit toward the monitoring room.

They pulled up the footage. At first, it showed Fu Xie buried in a book.

After some time, he realized something was off and tried to open the door—but it was locked tight.

He started freaking out, pacing back and forth before accidentally bumping into a cabinet, sending everything crashing down.

The surveillance camera got knocked loose, slamming to the ground with a *thunk*, flickering a few times before dying completely.

The group stared in disbelief.

This guy’s luck is just too damn good!

With the video abruptly cut off, Xi Jinggen was struck dumb. He pointed at Sang Huo, ready to tear him apart—

But then chaos broke out downstairs, men and women screaming nonstop.

Xi Jinggen froze. "What the hell is going on?"

The group rushed downstairs in a panic and found the bar surrounded by a crowd of men in black.

Pushing through the crowd was none other than—Xi Wenlun.

Xi Jinggen’s knees buckled, nearly dropping him to the floor. "Y-you… why are you here?"

Xi Wenlun adjusted his cuffs. "Where is Fu Xie?"

"Huh?" Xi Jinggen played dumb.

Xi Wenlun frowned. "The hell’s wrong with you? Deaf?" He gave a sideways glance to one of his bodyguards.

A tall, black-clad man stepped forward and grabbed Xi Jinggen by the collar with one hand.

Xi Jinggen might’ve had no skills, but he was fast when it came to running. In an instant, he ducked behind a crony.

*

Fu Xie noticed a weird door panel. He tried to reach it and poke it open but accidentally knocked into a cabinet, sending shit flying everywhere.

He rolled his eyes. If this had happened before, he’d have cried over those books and collectibles.

But after Sang Huo’s betrayal, seeing that stuff now made him sick to his stomach, so he didn’t even bother looking back.

Fu Xie piled up chairs and cabinets into a makeshift staircase, stacking them almost level with the door panel. He shoved it—*click*, it swung open.

Looking inside, he saw what seemed like a large ventilation duct—short and connected to a narrow passage. He crouched low and tried to squeeze into the duct.

Since Fu Xie was so slim, he could wiggle through easy.

It seemed there was always a way out!

Tears welled up in Fu Xie’s eyes—at least he wouldn’t be trapped here anymore!

He shoved his whole body into the vent, accidentally knocking over the pile of debris propping it up.

Not that Fu Xie cared—escape was all that mattered.

Who’d have guessed a spoiled “canary” like him would end up pulling spy or secret agent moves?

Desperate times bring out hidden strength, and even Fu Xie, long confined indoors, was riding an adrenaline high as he pushed forward.

Crawling from the vent, descending the ladder, and keeping moving while lighting his way with his phone, he glanced at the screen—still no bars.

Fu Xie sighed. Guess he’d have to go further. He walked on, scanning his surroundings.

This place had a weird layout—it felt like the perfect spot for some shady meet-up.

Fu Xie had accidentally uncovered what this place was really for, but he didn’t dwell on it. Right now, getting out of this damned place was all that mattered.

After what seemed like forever, he stumbled upon an old wooden door.

Instead of barging in, Fu Xie pressed his ear against it, almost shoving it open by mistake.

He stepped back slightly, confirmed silence, then eased the door open for a peek.

A thin sliver of light cut through the darkness, revealing piles of forgotten junk coated in dust.

Looked like an abandoned storage room.

Probably because there was nothing valuable here, the door wasn’t locked.

Fu Xie slipped in easily. The stress had worn him out, and he leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

Where the hell was he now?

Figuring he’d put some distance between himself and that place, he pulled out his phone—signal bars finally lit up.

Thrilled, Fu Xie went to text Xi Wenlun, only for the screen to go black moments after unlocking it.

“…”

He felt like banging his head against the wall. What else could he say?

Guess he’d take it one step at a time.

With no light left, he fumbled blindly around the room, relying on the faintest traces of illumination.

Suddenly, his hand brushed something that felt like a doorknob. A few twists later, the door swung open easily.

The sudden brightness forced Fu Xie to shut his eyes, then slowly blink them open to adjust.

He hadn’t reached the outside yet—he was still inside. Luckily, the room was empty too. He hurried out and closed the door behind him.

Turning around, he spotted a restroom sign nearby.

The air was thick with the mingled scents of cigarettes, alcohol, and perfume, enough to make one dizzy. In a dim corner, a man and woman were making out.

Yet another bar. He was really starting to develop a bar phobia.

Fu Xie immediately backed away a few steps and made a beeline for the exit.

He didn’t get far before exhaustion nearly brought him to his knees, forcing him to trudge along.

But since it was a bar, he could surely borrow a charger! Then he could happily go home!

Following the wall and snaking through several hallways, he finally reached an open space.

The music was deafening, drowned in crowd noise.

As far as he could see, the place was packed—it was probably a dance floor.

Fu Xie’s Social Anxiety nearly kicked in, but knowing he wasn’t out of danger yet, he collected himself.

After collecting himself, he spotted the bar on the other side of the dance floor, where bartenders were chatting.

Victory was within reach!

Fu Xie couldn’t take this outside world anymore—he desperately wanted to return to the villa. This thought gave him immense courage, and he plowed through the crowd on the dance floor.

The only illumination came from the dazzling disco ball overhead, making everyone faceless, so his entrance caused no commotion.

Just in case, he covered the lower half of his face with one hand and dodged through the crowd toward the bar.

The dance floor was much larger than he’d imagined, even featuring a small stage in the center for performances.

As Fu Xie neared the stage, flooded with spotlights and far brighter than the surrounding area, he accidentally bumped into someone.

The man staggered from the impact and slammed hard against the edge of the stage.

"Sorry!" Fu Xie moved to leave, planning to apologize properly after charging his phone, but one of the man’s companions grabbed his shirt.

The companion seemed furious. "What’s your problem? You can’t just run off after hitting someone!"

Another companion helped the man up. "Yikes, Mr. Wu, are you okay? Hope you didn’t get hurt."

Mr. Wu rubbed the large bump on the back of his head and slowly stood, snarling, "Where did this little brat come from—" The moment he got a clear look at Fu Xie’s face, he froze.

Fu Xie also stiffened when he saw Mr. Wu—because he realized this was the same man who had dragged the original protagonist into ruin, ultimately turning him into a total loser!

The novel had even included a description of him: an unremarkable, beer-bellied man with a gleaming bald patch, three large black moles on his head, each sprouting a long, coarse hair that dangled from each mole.

There was absolutely no one else with such a bizarre appearance besides this side character!

Thanks to the author’s warped sense of humor, Fu Xie recognized him instantly.

He turned to flee, tugging at his shirt.

In the novel, this man frequently used dirty tricks to force unwilling pretty boys to submit—and he never gave up easily.

Fu Xie was terrified. After barely escaping that tragic fate, he couldn’t let it end here!

Seeing that Fu Xie not only hit someone but also tried to run, Mr. Wu’s companion tightened his grip on Fu Xie’s shirt, scowling and opening his mouth to curse.

"Ahem, Xiao Li, I’m fine," Mr. Wu cut him off, ogling Fu Xie. "This young man didn’t mean it. If not for this little accident, we wouldn’t have met."

Xiao Li and the other man gaped at their boss, then glanced at Fu Xie’s face—and immediately caught on.

Rubbing the bump on his head, Mr. Wu said, "Since that's the case, and I'm not seriously hurt anyway, wanna hit a private room later for some karaoke and drinks?"

"No!" Fu Xie snapped, yanking at his collar, sweat pouring down his face.

Mr. Wu’s expression turned cold. "Don't be like that. I just wanna be friends—it won’t kill you." He gave a meaningful look to the people beside him.

Xiao Li quickly caught on and yanked harder on Fu Xie’s clothes, while another man circled behind him and grabbed his arm.

A total couch potato who’d rather sit than stand and lie down than sit, Fu Xie had no chance against two grown men.

Was this really how it would end? Forced back into the fate of the original character?

Had everything he fought for until now been pointless?

Dread washed over him. Panicked, Fu Xie looked around at the men holding him, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to overcome his social anxiety as he shouted desperately for help: "Help! Somebody help me!"

Those nearby acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing. Some even sneered, “Take your weird roleplay somewhere else.”

“This is my turf,” Mr. Wu gave a creepy laugh. “You really think you can run?”

Startled, Fu Xie pulled off a frantic fish-flop move—flailing his limbs wildly—and landed a solid kick right in Mr. Wu’s unprotected groin.

Mr. Wu let out a shrill scream, doubling over with a hand clutched tightly over his crotch. His companions stood there stunned, loosening their grips just enough for Fu Xie to swing his fists wildly.

One man took a punch to the jaw and bit his tongue; the other tried to tighten his hold but was already unsteady from the struggle near the stage. As he moved in, Fu Xie kicked a nearby prop, which smashed straight into the guy’s nuts.

Just like that, Fu Xie broke free. Staring at the three writhing on the ground, he could hardly believe it himself.

No way—was his combat ability actually this strong in this world?!

Finally escaping their grip, he ran for the exit without looking back.

But before he could take half a step, someone suddenly lunged from the shadows and shoved a cloth soaked in powder over his mouth and nose.

It was Xiao Li. Though only slightly injured, he'd quickly improvised—dumping the powder Mr. Wu gave him onto a cloth and rushing straight for Fu Xie.

Before Fu Xie could react, Xiao Li got him from behind. His vision blurred, his consciousness slipping.

…This is it.

Powerless to resist, everything went black.

Suddenly, a sliver of light tore through the darkness.

"The hell do you think you're doing?"