Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Xiao Heng tracked down the phone number's user and, that very night, drove over with his team.

Their knocking was more like pounding.

From inside, curses erupted, followed by footsteps approaching the door. It was flung open in a fit of rage: "Who the hell is pounding on my door in the middle of the night…?"

The man, nearing 50, fell silent as he took in the scene outside, stepping back. But as the man of the house, he stood his ground in the doorway instead of fleeing: "Wh-who are you? What do you want?"

His wife emerged just then, calling out "Honey?" but he waved her back into the bedroom.

Xiao Heng scrutinized the man coldly—beer belly, balding. Was this the one who had been stalking and threatening Chen Xiu?

He stubbed out his cigarette against the wall: "Are you Wang Fuhai?"

The man shook his head.

Xiao Heng frowned: "Don’t try to lie to me. I’ve done my research—"

"Wang Fuhai is my father."

Xiao Heng was surprised. If this man was that old, his father would be ancient. Even if Chen Xiu was weak, she shouldn’t be manipulated by an old man.

"Get him out here."

"What do you want?"

"Don’t worry, I just have some questions for him. I won’t hurt him."

The man glanced at the burly figures behind Xiao Heng and went to wake his father.

When Xiao Heng saw the frail, trembling old man emerge, he knew immediately it couldn't be Wang Fuhai.

"This phone number is in your father's name. What’s going on?"

"Phone number? My dad doesn’t use a phone. I never got him one."

"Liar!"

Xiao Heng roared, making the man flinch.

"It’s registered under his real name. You can’t deny it."

Puzzled, the man asked his father. The old man thought for a moment and nodded: "Yeah, a young man came to me. He gave me 200 bucks to get a SIM card. I spent it all on snacks for my grandson."

Xiao Heng: "What did the man look like?"

The old man recalled, gesturing upward with his hand: "Tall. I didn’t see his face—he was wearing a mask."

Xiao Heng: …

—

When Jiang Mo woke up that morning, he felt something was distinctly off. First, he was pressed against a warm body. Second, his chest felt…

He looked down.

A man’s slender hand had pushed up his shirt and was resting there, fingers pinching his…

Jiang Mo’s face flushed bright red first thing in the morning.

CEO Chen slept truly restlessly. All Jiang Mo wanted was to separate himself before Chen Zui woke up. Mortified, he grabbed Chen Zui’s hand to move it away, but the arm around his waist tightened abruptly. He heard Chen Zui mumble: "Just a little longer."

Chen Zui's drowsy, unconscious movements pressed them even closer, and Jiang Mo became acutely aware of the man’s morning wood.

—

—

It felt like a cannon was aimed at him.

Dangerous, yet it made his heart race inexplicably.

He carefully shifted forward, but the person behind him followed. He'd shift; the other would follow, a relentless pursuit.

Blushing, Jiang Mo stopped moving. It felt like a rear entry position—this was truly inappropriate.

After a monumental struggle, Jiang Mo finally managed to escape Chen Zui’s embrace, his heart pounding, just before Chen Zui woke up.

The moment he left, Chen Zui opened his eyes, a sly, satisfied smile playing in his gaze. This position was indeed thrilling, like bouncy, wobbly jelly.

Ao Tian: "You certainly have a lot of tricks. I should learn from you—might come in handy when I get a human body someday."

Chen Zui: "Hmm, does that mean you’ll be paying tuition?"

Ao Tian: "Of course. Hold on, let me find something."

After breakfast, they headed out. Chen Zui drove off, while Jiang Mo walked toward the bus stop.

On his way back, Ao Tian found a suitable gift for tuition.

Ao Tian: "I can enhance your strength and speed—within reasonable limits, of course."

Chen Zui liked this kind of tuition: "You’re amazing, baby."

Ao Tian: "How shameless."

Ao Tian: "Speed enhanced, strength enhanced. Congratulations, host, you now have a more powerful body."

Instead of going to the company, Chen Zui returned to his residence, eager to test out his enhanced body.

He changed into a sleeveless black tank top and athletic shorts. His body was solid, with extremely low body fat and well-defined muscles—the kind that could be used for modeling.

He took off his glasses and went to the home gym, stopping in front of the punching bag. He didn’t wear boxing gloves, only wrapped his wrists.

His sharp eyes fixed on the bag as if it were an opponent. He threw a punch with his usual force and speed.

In his peripheral vision, his fist was almost a blur. The punching bag was sent flying violently, swaying.

Chen Zui’s eyes lit up. With his previous strength and speed, he couldn’t have caused this much impact. Even though he thought he was using the same force as before, it was already different now. He needed to readjust and familiarize himself with his current body.

"If we change worlds, will this be taken away?"

"Don’t worry, host. Even if you stop doing tasks, this will still belong to you."

"Ao Tian."

"You're seriously such a great system." Chen Zui sincerely praised.

"My existence is to assist and help the host."

Chen Zui reduced his strength considerably, and this time the sandbag didn't swing nearly as far.

For almost the entire day, the man stayed in the gym, feeling the changes in his body. As a mercenary, he had to know every inch of his body to avoid misjudgments on the battlefield.

The sound of "bang, bang, bang" hitting the sandbag echoed incessantly. Chen Zui's form was so picture-perfect it could be used as a teaching example. Sweat flew from his damp black hair as he moved.

Ao Tian: "Stop training for now. Something big is happening tonight."

Chen Zui stopped, breathing heavily, his sturdy chest rising and falling noticeably as he removed the wraps from his wrists. "What's happening?"

Ao Tian: "Based on when Chen Xiu moved into Xiao Heng's place, they should catch Jiang Mo tonight."

Chen Zui: "So soon?"

Ao Tian: "But because Chen Xiu is kind-hearted, he didn’t choose to call the police to arrest him."

Chen Zui: "Stupidity and kindness aren’t the same thing."

Ao Tian: "Jiang Mo will be fired by Xiao Heng and live like a zombie for a while. During this time, he’ll realize his mistakes and get a new lease on life."

Ao Tian: "What do you plan to do?"

Chen Zui's face clouded over. What should he do?

Xiao Momo.

—

Neon lights shone brightly. Chen Xiu emerged from the subway station but didn’t head back to the secure gated community. Instead, he wandered into the bustling night market.

He strolled slowly forward, buying a portion of wolf-tooth potatoes and a cup of lemonade.

Eating as he strolled.

Far behind him, separated by a crowd of people, Jiang Mo, with his 6-foot height, still managed to keep Chen Xiu in sight.

He bought nothing, his eyes fixed solely on Chen Xiu, occasionally raising his phone to snap a photo.

Chen Xiu suddenly turned around.

Jiang Mo quickly bent down, blending into the crowd to make himself less noticeable.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of Chen Zui.

*I wonder what Chen Zui is doing? If Chen Zui knew I was doing something like this, he would surely be very disappointed in me.*

*Maybe I should give up, stop following Chen Xiu.*

*Then could he follow Chen Zui instead? Sending him anonymous messages and photos like he did with Chen Xiu, telling him he’s always watching him.*

Remembering Chen Zui’s face—

*No, that's not a good idea. It’s not a good thing.*

Jiang Mo felt confused and uncertain, unsure of what to choose, but his eyes habitually tracked Chen Xiu as he took another step forward.

Chen Xiu continued walking until he left the night market and turned into a quieter side street.

The surroundings suddenly grew dark and poorly lit.

Jiang Mo kept a certain distance, following behind, wondering where Chen Xiu was going. Why take this path?

The two moved one after the other.

Chen Xiu stopped by a trash can, and Jiang Mo stopped as well.

He watched Chen Xiu toss his trash and continue forward.

Jiang Mo slowly followed. As he reached the trash can, two people suddenly jumped out and rushed at him. Jiang Mo’s eyes widened in shock. As he instinctively dodged, he glanced at Chen Xiu ahead. Chen Xiu had stopped and turned to face their direction.

A tall figure emerged from a nearby convenience store—it was Xiao Heng. He walked to Chen Xiu’s side and raised his arm, and Chen Xiu immediately leaned into his embrace.

At that moment, Jiang Mo felt no anger—

It was a trap!

Jiang Mo evaded the two attackers and, without hesitation, turned and ran back the way he came.

Adrenaline coursed through him, giving him more speed than he knew he had, and he actually left the two pursuers behind. Jiang Mo was so tense he could barely breathe. Thankfully, he was wearing a mask—they probably didn't recognize him.

Seeing the alley entrance getting closer and closer, he thought if he could just run out and blend into the bustling night market, he could escape.

Hope surged through Jiang Mo, but suddenly two tall figures appeared in his line of sight, blocking the alley entrance from left and right.

At that moment, the hope drained from Jiang Mo’s eyes.

He was finished—it was all over.

Cold sweat instantly covered his body, and his mind began imagining his grim future.

The two blocking the entrance walked into the alley, trapping him between the newcomers and his pursuers.

Xiao Heng would fire him. He wouldn’t show up for the collaboration with Chen Zui anymore. Maybe it would catch Chen Zui’s attention, and if he just asked one question—

It was completely over.

Jiang Mo’s energy gave out. He couldn’t run anymore.

Just then, another figure appeared—broad shoulders, a slim waist, and long legs, his silhouette cast large by the light behind him.

Jiang Mo: Who is it?

He watched as the figure struck one man with a hand chop while kicking another.

He moved with astonishing speed.

The moves were accurate and brutal.

This made Jiang Mo instantly think of that psycho, but right now, he could only—

Summoning his last ounce of strength, Jiang Mo ran forward desperately, betting everything on this last chance, stretching out a hand to the other person, his fingertips shaking with tension.

The man wore the same mask as last time, still showing nothing, yet Jiang Mo felt their eyes meet—eyes full of aggression and predation that now held a hint of amusement.

"Snap!"

His hand was seized, and with a forceful tug, his body was pulled forward like a weightless kite, pulled to safety by him.

Xiao Heng hadn’t expected their near-success to fail—he actually had an accomplice.

He roared, "After them!"

As Jiang Mo was dragged along, he glanced sideways at the creep gripping him.

Where is he taking me?

He should break free now—no, he should seize this chance to expose him, to see who he really was!

If only he could tear off that mask.

He was yanked into another sparsely populated alley, and as the light dimmed, Jiang Mo lunged for the mask. In the struggle, he strained to see the face beneath.

But all he saw was another mask covering the upper half of the face.

Shit!

Another layer?!

The next moment, his mask was roughly torn away.

The man grabbed him by the throat, slammed him hard against the wall, pinning him firmly, and crushed their lips together brutally.