Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chen Xiu walked along the dark, deserted road, frequently glancing over his shoulder.

Panic etched his delicate face.

He couldn't shake the feeling of prying eyes, of someone constantly following him.

Yet, each time he turned to look, the street was empty. But as soon as he resumed walking, the sound of footsteps would echo close behind him again.

"Who is it?"

"Who's there?"

Chen Xiu spun around abruptly, his slender frame almost shrinking into itself, his face deathly pale with fright.

The dark, narrow road remained deserted. A gust of night wind swept through, lifting a red plastic bag that danced like a crimson skirt, startling Chen Xiu into a scream. He turned and bolted.

Heart pounding, he ran without a backward glance, through a grimy doorway, past a urine-scented stairwell, until he reached his front door.

The grimy light bulb in the hallway flickered erratically.

The flickering sent shivers down Chen Xiu’s spine. Trembling, he fumbled for his keys, but after searching his pockets for what felt like an eternity, he found nothing. Chen Xiu was on the verge of tears—his keys were gone, and he had no idea when he’d lost them!

The erratic light made his breath come in ragged gasps, and just as he teetered on the brink of despair, a thought struck him. He quickly pulled out his phone and opened the messages from an unsaved number.

The chat log was almost entirely one-sided.

Most messages contained just five words: "I’m watching you."

Chen Xiu: "Do you know where I dropped my keys?"

At that moment, a dark figure appeared at the doorway. Masked and hooded, completely concealed, he was about to ascend the stairs when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He pulled out his phone.

Target: "Do you know where I dropped my keys?"

Jiang Mo glanced at the keychain with a little bear in his hand and replied: "At the doorway."

Chen Xiu shuddered at the sudden message. He peered down into the pitch-black stairwell, now certain that the person who had been watching and following him was downstairs—the same one who had tailed him all the way.

But he didn’t dare go down and confront him.

As if reading his mind, the other person sent another message: "Come down in 3 minutes to get it."

Crouching by the door, Chen Xiu let out a sigh of relief. The three minutes were likely a grace period for the stalker to leave. He dared not face him, terrified of what harm he might inflict.

A year of relentless stalking and surveillance had utterly shattered Chen Xiu’s courage, leaving him incapable of any thought of resistance.

He timed it, stomped his foot to activate the hallway light, then cautiously descended. At the doorway, he spotted his keys. He snatched them up as quickly as possible and dashed back upstairs.

Soon, a light flickered on in a third-floor window.

Jiang Mo stood behind a tree in the residential area, his face expressionless, watching the lit window. He took a photo and sent it.

"I’m watching you."

Chen Xiu stared at the photo and message, numbly gathered his clothes, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Jiang Mo waited until the light went out, then pulled down the brim of his hat and turned to leave.

A tall figure emerged from behind him. Chen Zui stared at Jiang Mo and asked the system, "Is he the mission target?"

Ao Tian: "Yes."

Chen Zui had been a mercenary in his previous life. While walking the wolf cub he’d raised, he was ambushed by rivals and shot dead. After death, his soul went to a place called the Dark Transmigration Bureau.

There, he bound with the system Ao Tian. His task was to transmigrate into small worlds within books and "take down" the male leads in those stories.

Jiang Mo was his first target.

A pervert who stalked, secretly photographed, and surveilled others.

Chen Zui followed Jiang Mo with light footsteps. After all, he was a former mercenary, and Ao Tian had adjusted this body based on his original data, so he felt no discomfort.

As he followed, he observed Jiang Mo: about six foot one, with a thin build—clearly untrained. Even though the residential area was empty at night, Jiang Mo kept his head down and walked quickly.

It seemed like a habit.

A sense of being out of sync with the outside world.

Jiang Mo entered the doorway of the building opposite Chen Xiu’s. He stomped his foot, but the light that should have turned on didn’t—a common occurrence in the neighborhood.

Jiang Mo didn’t pay it much mind and was about to take out his phone for light.

Before he could act, someone suddenly grabbed him from behind—not an embrace, but a restraint, with one hand covering his mouth and the other pressed against his neck.

He could even feel the coldness of a blade.

Jiang Mo’s eyes widened. Based on the position of the breathing behind him, he determined it wasn’t Chen Xiu, because this person was even taller than him.

He reached into his pocket, where he kept a switchblade, thinking the person behind him wouldn’t notice in the dark.

The hand covering his mouth suddenly moved, grabbing his wrist and twisting it forcefully, nearly breaking the bone. Jiang Mo grunted in pain.

"Don’t move."

"I’m watching you."

Chen Zui spoke, his warm breath brushing past Jiang Mo’s ear. The words sent a shiver down Jiang Mo’s spine.

Jiang Mo forced himself to stay calm: "What do you want?"

Chen Zui: "Today is just a greeting. We’ll have plenty of time for this."

"Consider this a parting gift."

As he spoke, Chen Zui pressed the blade slightly harder, and Jiang Mo winced in pain as a cut appeared on his neck, breaking the skin over his Adam’s apple.

Then, he was shoved forward forcefully.

By the time he steadied himself and turned around, switchblade in hand, ready to chase after the figure, there was no one in sight.

Jiang Mo stood at the doorway, a dark, calculating look in his eyes. Who could it be? He raised a hand to touch his neck and felt blood.

Full of doubts, Jiang Mo returned to his rented apartment and flipped the light switch. The light had barely been on for a second when his phone rang.

At that moment, an overwhelming sensation surged toward him, causing Jiang Mo to freeze at the doorway, his face deathly pale and motionless. His handsome features grew so dark they seemed almost tangible.

He had a premonition.

He guessed what message had arrived on his phone.

He hurried toward the balcony, his gaze scanning the trees outside the window and below, but he saw no one.

He clenched his fists in anger.

Pulled out his phone.

Sure enough, it was a photo of his lit-up house.

"I'm watching you."

Jiang Mo stared at the message, his jaw tight, grinding his teeth almost to the point of breaking!

Who was it?

Was it Chen Xiu who had hired someone to mess with him?

No, probably not. If Chen Xiu had evidence, he would have gone straight to the police.

He also didn’t have the money to hire someone. Recalling the assailant’s skill from earlier—the firm chest muscles he felt against his back when approached, the steady hand holding the knife, decisive and swift—and…

He touched his neck again; it had stopped bleeding.

Moreover, the precision of the strike was almost perfect. It must be someone very experienced, someone Chen Xiu couldn’t afford.

Then who could it be?

The thought of being targeted by such a formidable person kept Jiang Mo awake all night.

Chen Zui returned to his residence—an over-200-square-meter spacious flat with a modern, minimalist style that radiated sophistication. After washing up, he slipped into a robe, not even bothering to tie the sash.

He took a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet.

Back in the living room, the laptop on the coffee table displayed only one image: the view facing Building No. 2 where Jiang Mo lived.

Chen Zui sipped his wine leisurely. The novel he was trapped in was titled "The Canary Haunted by a Creepy Male Ghost," where Chen Xiu was the canary, Jiang Mo was the creepy male ghost, and the two would eventually become a couple. He himself was the "Mr. Chen" mentioned by Xiao Hang, who was keeping Chen Xiu.

Honestly, their story was completely unrelated to him. Perhaps because he wasn’t a main character, it was easier to alter, so he was given this role.

Ao Tian: "Monitoring shows your excitement level has exceeded the standard range."

Chen Zui: "Being a pervert is indeed thrilling."

He elegantly raised his glass and took a sip, a flush gradually spreading across his handsome face.

Ao Tian: "Humans are beyond me."

Chen Zui smiled without replying. On the screen, the lights in Jiang Mo’s room turned off.

He wondered if Jiang Mo would be able to sleep tonight.

Just as he was thinking this, the name "Jiang Mo" appeared on his illuminated phone screen.

Jiang Mo: "Who are you?"

Jiang Mo: "What do you want?"

Chen Zui: "Wear lace panties tomorrow."

Jiang Mo shot up, his amber pupils contracting at the message.

"Bastard!"

He cursed in humiliation. Even after stalking Chen Xiu for a year, he had never made such an outrageous demand.

The audacity of this guy!

Jiang Mo: "What exactly do you want?"

Chen Zui: "The panties are in the drawer of your wardrobe."

Jiang Mo jerked his head toward the wardrobe beside the bed. Chen Zui saw the light in Jiang Mo’s room come back on.

He guessed Jiang Mo wouldn’t be sleeping tonight. A faint smile curled his thin lips—the game had only just begun.

Jiang Mo, barefoot, crouched on the floor, gawking at the drawer filled with panties. All his original underwear was gone, replaced by all sorts of styles and colors of women’s panties.

Pink lace, leopard-print with straps, thongs, side-tie styles, and more.

It made his head spin.

Jiang Mo’s face turned livid. He furiously gathered all the panties, stuffed them into a bag, opened the door, and tossed them outside. Then he turned off the light again and began inspecting the apartment with a camera-detecting light.

While Chen Zui drifted into dreamland, Jiang Mo was still checking every nook and cranny.

——

Chen Xiu stepped onto the station platform and boarded the subway.

From the entrance behind, Jiang Mo slipped onto the subway as well. The morning rush hour was crowded, especially on this line. Jiang Mo, carrying a backpack, used his height to watch Chen Xiu from afar.

Distracted, he was pushed into a corner near the side without doors.

He felt something brush against his butt.

Jiang Mo quickly turned around, his sharp eyes under the brim of his cap searching behind him. In his peripheral vision, a tall figure moved away through the crowd elsewhere.

Nothing touched his butt again. He thought maybe he was being too sensitive; with so many people around, accidental contact was normal.

He and Chen Xiu entered the company building right after each other, taking the same elevator.

Jiang Mo stood in the farthest corner, his gaze accidentally meeting Chen Xiu’s in the elevator's mirrored wall. He froze for a moment before quickly looking away.

He clocked in punctually and arrived at his desk.

Jiang Mo took off his backpack, unzipped it to pull out his laptop, but his movements halted at the sight of the pink lace panties.

His phone on the desk lit up.

A message from the contact he had saved as "?": "Put them on. Be good."