Chapter 122#

Afraid?#

“Events like this — Xu Chenzhu never used to attend them.” A businessman swirled his glass, watching the two of them arrive together from across the room. His expression held a mix of wonder and something he couldn’t quite name. For a man — was it really worth going this far?

“Sir — we don’t discuss business at gatherings like these.” He accepted a drink from a passing server and turned to the man who had been angling toward him. “Besides, I’m only a technical consultant at the company. Any investment decisions rest entirely with Xu Chenzhu.”

“Xiao Chao, you’re too modest — given your standing with Xu Chenzhu, a word from you is all any investment would need.” The man pressed on, his every sentence a variation on the theme of how much Xu Chenzhu valued him.

“Sir.” The smile left his face. “For investment matters, please contact the relevant person at Kunlun. Excuse me.”

Since they’d walked in, someone had greeted him before Xu Chenzhu and received a smile from Xu Chenzhu for it — and now a procession of people had been taking turns trying to get close to him.

His mother had taught him this from childhood: behind flattery with no floor to it, there is almost always greed with no bottom.

He took a sip of his juice and, seeing Xu Chenzhu still in conversation with several businesspeople, walked out to the open-air terrace and sat down.

The man he’d turned away stood with a smile going rigid on his face. He swallowed his drink in one go, swallowed down the embarrassment with it, and turned back to the room with a laugh.

Lucky. That’s all he is. He got lucky and latched onto Xu Chenzhu’s coattails. I refuse to believe he stays on top forever.

Hmph.

The evening breeze was quiet. He leaned against his chair back and looked at the strings of coloured lights hung through the trees.

Footsteps crossed the grass. Two seats away, to his right, someone sat.

“Xiao Chao.” The newcomer wore a well-cut suit. The wine in his glass moved gently.

“Director Chen.” He turned, a slight crease at his brow.

On the Wangyue cruise, this was the man who had invited them to visit the Chen estate. After what happened at the estate, control of the family assets had passed to the Third Young Miss.

“Some time ago, I heard you were fond of a certain young performer. I worked behind the scenes and had them placed at Kunlun’s entertainment division.” He looked to be in his late forties, though the softness of a comfortable life made him seem a decade younger. “An unfortunate misstep — I nearly caused you trouble instead. Please accept my apology.”

“Think nothing of it.” His tone was even. “Something given deserves something returned. Director Chen already received the gift I sent back.”

His smile held. “Of course.”

He found himself looking at him for a moment longer than he’d intended. He lost the inheritance dispute and got maneuvered by me in the process — and he’s this calm about it?

“I haven’t yet congratulated you on your relationship going public.” He raised his glass. “I always assumed someone like Xu Chenzhu wouldn’t allow himself to feel anything for another person.”

Here we go — the destabilization portion of the evening.

“It’s strange, actually — Xu Chenzhu has always kept a low profile. As the CEO of Kunlun, there isn’t a single public photograph of him anywhere online.” A small smile. “In the age of the internet, that takes considerable effort.”

“People differ in height, and in capability.” He switched his glass to his left hand, putting more distance between it and Director Chen. “What Director Chen can’t accomplish doesn’t mean Xu Chenzhu can’t.”

“In your eyes, Xu Chenzhu can do anything.” Another raise of the glass. “The power of love really is extraordinary.”

“You came out here specifically to discuss love with me instead of mingling inside?” He gave a short laugh. A man who allowed his own wife’s memorial tablet to be used as a wealth-gathering ritual object by his father — and he invokes those two words?

“Xiao Chao, please don’t be cross.” He looked down at his glass. “As one gets older, one does enjoy hearing love stories from the young.”

He tapped the glass lightly with one finger. The wine moved with it.

“Is that so?” He stood. At the same moment, Director Chen’s upper body shifted backward — the wine sloshed, a few drops landing on his trouser leg.

“Director Chen.” He looked at the stain. “Relax. I don’t make a habit of hitting people.”

“A misunderstanding — I was avoiding a mosquito.” He waved vaguely at the air, as if brushing away whatever had disturbed him.

“Of course.” He smiled. “As long as it’s not fear.”

He looked down and patted his trouser leg. “Then — would Xiao Chao be willing to tell me the story of how you and Xu Chenzhu came to know each other?”

“I’m afraid not.” He held his gaze. “I don’t share my private life with others.”

“A pity.” He looked up — found those eyes on him — and set his glass down. “I imagine a number of people here tonight share my curiosity about when Xu Chenzhu and you first met.”

“They’re different from you. Because they’re curious and still know better than to ask me directly.” His phone gave a sound. “When we’ve spoken before, Director Chen, you never went out of your way to avoid my eyes. Tonight is a little different.”

He heard it. A brief hesitation — and by the time he raised his head, there was only the retreating line of Chao Musheng’s back.

His fingertips pressed hard. The wine glass cracked, fragments driving into his palm.

Fragile body.

He looked down, expression blank, and pulled out a shard with his bare hand. One that had nearly gone through the center of his palm.

People said Chao Musheng was intelligent. So why had he shown no response to any of the signals?

*

“Miss — I’m very sorry, without an invitation I can’t let you through. Please understand.” The guard offered her a bottle of water. “If you’d like to wait here, one of the guests inside may be willing to come out and escort you in.”

“Thank you.” She ended the call and declined the water. “This is quite a high-profile event?”

“It is.” The guard wasn’t sure of her status and didn’t want to give offense. “Everyone here tonight is someone significant — the Kunlun boss himself came.”

“Have you heard about Kunlun’s boss and his boyfriend?” He sounded a little envious. “They’re so good-looking — when they stepped out of the car earlier, I thought they were filming something.”

“That they are.” She smiled and nodded. “They’re a good match.”

“You’ve actually seen them both?” He was half-convinced.

“I have.” She sat on the steps. “They really suit each other.”

“To have connections like that—” His voice took on a wistful note. “I wonder what the security pay is like at Kunlun.”

“Curly Hair.”

“Xiao Chao!” She spun around to find him at the top of the steps, waving her over, and ran.

The guard stared. That — wasn’t that Xiao Chao himself? She knows Xiao Chao?

She wasn’t making it up — she really has met him?!

“Thank you.” He said it to the guard and walked Curly Hair inside.

The guard watched them disappear around the corner and took quite a while to come back to himself. Xiao Chao is so polite.

“Xiao Chao.” Once they were clear of the guard’s sightline, she was urgent. “You’ve been all right these past few days?!”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He noticed her expression. “Have you… found something out?”

“Yes.” She bit down and nodded. The familiar palpitations, the numbness in her tongue — arriving together again. “Someone has been trying to hurt you recently. You — you need to be very careful. Stay close to Xu Chenzhu as much as you can.”

Two short sentences. By the end, her tongue had almost completely lost sensation.

But she’d said it. She’d actually said it out loud.

That wretched Main God — it’s getting weaker.

He turned it over in his mind. Three separate waves of armed intruders in two days.

“Yesterday at noon — armed men forced their way into Kunlun?”

“Five of them?” she pressed immediately. “Anyone hurt?”

“Not five — four.”

Four?

Must have been the second wave of players then.

“There were originally five, but one of them tried to attack a traffic officer at a red light and fell — hit his head badly enough to need an ambulance.” He didn’t want her to worry. “Kunlun’s security team is entirely professional. They’d barely made it through the door when the guards had all of them.”

“Good.” She pushed forward while her tongue still worked. “There should be two more groups after that — one of four, one of three.”

“Four unidentified individuals attempted to harm protected animals at Jinghua’s Swan Lake. When security noticed, they drew knives. Police took them away.”

“Three individuals posing as residents in my residential compound last night — surrounded by the local cats and dogs. Also taken by police.”

So all of them came for him.

He hadn’t made the connection himself. Mostly because he couldn’t quite fathom anyone choosing such a… blunt approach. Kunlun Tower. Jinghua University. These weren’t places you walked into with a knife and expected things to go well. Where was the common sense?

She couldn’t explain. She stayed quiet.

Those players, who had lived so long inside instance-world logic, who had made killing their entertainment — they had long since forgotten how real-world law worked.

“Since you’re here — let me show you around.” He didn’t ask how she’d known about the attempts on his life. “If anyone asks, you’re my assistant.”

She followed him in, and discovered for the first time how varied human language could be.

So many people came to speak with Xiao Chao, and not one of them used the same flattery twice.

“Curly Hair.” Secretary Liu came over. “It’s been a while.”

“Good evening, Secretary Liu.” She smiled.

“Still between jobs?” He looked curious. “I haven’t seen you around lately — I’d almost gotten used to not seeing you.”

…

That was a bit forward.

“Xiao Chao — the boss was looking for you.” He turned. “Curly Hair can stay with me, right?” He gave her a look that clearly said: let’s not be the third wheel here.

She was about to reply — and felt every hair on her body stand up. Something was watching her.

She looked around. Met the gaze of a middle-aged man standing at a distance.

He was expressionless. The way he looked at her was the way you look at an ant that has refused to cooperate.

She stepped back. An instinctive, bone-deep revulsion moved through her — revulsion so complete her very soul recoiled.

This feeling.

Inexplicable and vile.

Her hand felt strangely itchy, with a sudden urge to introduce her palm to his face at high speed.

“That’s the Chen family’s eldest son. You worked at the estate — you probably saw him there.” Secretary Liu, noticing, said it casually. “Failed to secure the inheritance. Was causing trouble for Xiao Chao not long ago — he’s been much quieter since. Nothing to worry about.”