Jiang Yumo spent the entire afternoon at the milk tea shop on his phone, going in and out of the game seven times, wiping out the opponent completely. The streaks of consecutive wins on the screen made him feel utterly refreshed.
So satisfying!
Jiang Yumo ignored the dozens of friend requests from game players, swung onto the little green bicycle, and headed toward the old house.
On the way, an old man collecting cardboard on a tricycle accidentally flipped over, Jiang Yumo ignored him.
A child jumped trying to grab a kite hanging from a tree, ignored.
A boy confessing to a girl got rejected but refused to give up, insisting on an explanation, ignored!
Elderly people demanding compensation after being “hit” by drivers (actually staged), kids losing control while roller-skating and hitting trees, pregnant women being scolded by husbands and mistresses almost causing miscarriage…
All ignored!
Jiang Yumo was fed up. How had he never noticed so many things happening on the streets before? Ever since this broken system appeared, life had become ridiculously “exciting”!
Without doing anything, he returned to the old house far from the city center. After locking up his bike and going upstairs, just as he was about to sit down, catch his breath, and drink some water, he stopped in the doorway. Inside, someone both unexpected and yet not entirely surprising was sitting on the only sofa.
“Trespassing,” Jiang Yumo said. “Mrs. Jiang, are you trying to make tomorrow’s headlines?”
First the kid, now the adult.
Suppressing a laugh, Jiang Yumo’s gaze passed over the four bodyguards behind Mrs. Jiang. He grabbed a stool, sat down, and leaned on the chair back.
Mrs. Jiang didn’t bother with small talk and got straight to the point.
“As long as you agree to meet the Qian brothers,” Mrs. Jiang said, “we’ll let bygones be bygones regarding what you did that caused Chongyuan to be hospitalized.”
“Pfft!” Jiang Yumo chuckled, nearly crying with laughter. “How can you blame me for your son being useless? He almost kicked my door to pieces and I still didn’t make him pay!”
“I’m asking nicely now,” Mrs. Jiang said, as if he were some filthy thing, glancing at him sideways without proper eye contact. She took a slow drag from her long, slender cigarette and exhaled gently.
“Later, I won’t be so polite,” she warned.
Jiang Yumo tilted his head, reached under the tea table for a pack of cigarettes, lit one, took a deep drag, and deliberately blew the smoke right in front of Mrs. Jiang, fully satisfied seeing her face twitch, she could no longer maintain her composure.
“Then speak properly if you have something to say,” Jiang Yumo said, resting his hand on the back of the chair, holding a cigarette as he tapped it on the table a few times. “And another thing, you really think I’m afraid of you? Just these few people, don’t try to act cool like those TV big shots!”
【Wow, host, her face is turning blue. She’s not going to be pissed to death, is she?】
Jiang Yumo thought: “You’re seriously underestimating Mrs. Jiang~”
She tolerated a mistress brought home by her husband during pregnancy. What else could she possibly not endure?
When Mrs. Jiang’s expression turned cold, not only Jiang Chongyuan and Jiang Ran, but even Jiang Huarong would tread carefully, but Jiang Yumo wasn’t afraid of her.
He didn’t rely on her for anything!
“What exactly do you want to say?” Mrs. Jiang asked.
Jiang Yumo took a long drag, then pinched out the cigarette with his fingertip without caring about elegance. “My demands aren’t high. I’ll cooperate, sure, ten million!”
He flicked the cigarette butt accurately into the trash can. “Just give me ten million, and I’ll go with you right now to meet Qian Sheng and the others.”
Mrs. Jiang’s gaze was like a sword, seemingly cutting straight through Jiang Yumo to his very core.
The system commented: 【Host, already killed that many people, you think he’s afraid of you? This meeting will only have one outcome.】
“Ten million is impossible!”
After a long pause, Mrs. Jiang spoke. She was certain the previous Jiang Yumo was just pretending. This one, raw and rough like a street thug, sharp and unrestrained, that was the real him.
All the things Jiang Chongyuan and Jiang Ran had done to him over the years flashed through her mind, deepening her caution.
She could definitely have her bodyguards grab him and force him to go. But the process would not go smoothly. If Jiang Yumo refused to cooperate, or made a scene afterwards…
The skin on her cheekbones visibly twitched. She pulled a card from her limited-edition Chanel bag. “There’s five million on this card…”
Jiang Yumo snatched the card, simultaneously opening his phone camera. “Come on, tell me the PIN and confirm that this is a voluntary gift.”
In over forty years of life, Mrs. Jiang had never been put in such a position. Although flustered, she obeyed. “The PIN is xxxxxx. I voluntarily give this to Jiang Yumo. Any other requirements?”
Jiang Yumo flipped the card between his fingers, logged into his mobile banking app, checked the balance, and transferred the funds in batches to his account. “Done. Let’s go.”
He stood up and walked out first.
Thinking about the past couple of days, Mrs. Jiang realized that if she had known just a few million would make Jiang Yumo cooperate willingly, she would have pushed aside all her disgust and aversion and handed over the money immediately. There would have been no need to make such a big fuss.
The destination was still that same hotel, but after the incident with reporters barging in, the Qian brothers had switched to a luxury suite.
Outside the room, bodyguards stood watch, each over six feet tall with broad shoulders and arms as thick as Jiang Yumo’s thighs.
【…Three, four, five, six, so many bodyguards. Host, how are you planning to escape? Are you really going to…??】
Jiang Yumo walked in alone. Qian Sheng and Qian Xin were already out of the shower, wearing bathrobes that left large portions of their chests exposed.
Qian Sheng had a cigar in his mouth, sitting confidently on the sofa with legs spread apart. Through the gap in his towel, the thick hair on his legs was visible.
A slender woman wearing a transparent, lacey lingerie set was kneeling on the floor, leaning over Qian Sheng’s legs.
Meanwhile, the younger brother Qian Xin poured several glasses of liquor at the bar and placed them on the glass table, watching Jiang Yumo like he was a snack, taking a sip of his drink while staring at him.
Hearing the faint trickle of water in the air, Jiang Yumo remained expressionless.
Qian Xin swirled his glass, giving a crooked, sly smile. “Jiang Yumo, you’re so good at running, aren’t you? Why don’t you run?”
“Sure,” Jiang Yumo said with a smile, standing up. “I’ll leave, no need for you to see me off like this.”
But he hadn’t even walked a few steps before the bodyguards blocked him.
Jiang Yumo smiled and walked back to sit down. “Don’t say things you can’t do. Saying them just makes you a joke.”
Qian Xin choked slightly, while Qian Sheng scrutinized him closely. His gaze shifted, and his expression darkened.
He ran an entertainment company, and he could spot easily which actors were ambitious and which were just coasting along. He knew who would comply with the unspoken rules and who was as stubborn as iron.
The old Jiang Yumo seemed like a fragrant, ripe peach, you could pinch him and get the sweet juice.
But the current Jiang Yumo was like a hedgehog, both temperament and personality entirely sharp, no softness anywhere.
Still, Qian Sheng had been eyeing him for so long and wasn’t willing to give up easily. He signaled the two bodyguards to step forward.
But as soon as the bodyguards took a few steps, Jiang Yumo had already prepared his phone and showed them his screen.
On the photo, the two brothers were completely naked, the younger pressing against the older, seemingly engaged in some activity that was only just shy of being taboo.
“I think Fanyue would be very interested in this,” Jiang Yumo said. “What do you two think?”
Fanyue was a rival company to Qian Sheng’s Xing Sheng Group, and in recent years it had been gaining momentum rapidly. Qian Sheng had never been able to uncover who was backing them.
Lately, Fanyue had been looking for any opportunity to surpass Xing Sheng. If these photos were leaked, public opinion would erupt, and the stock price would inevitably plummet…
【Host, it seems like you’re threatening them?】
The system shivered nervously, keeping a close eye on the monitoring system’s warning line, it was dangerously close to breaching the red zone.
Jiang Yumo was surprised. “Why would you think that? I’m obviously protecting myself! Do you really think I’d sleep with them?”
The system watched helplessly as the monitoring warning line dropped. It was shocked and sensed something was off but couldn’t immediately figure out what.
Qian Sheng’s eyes darkened. He glanced at the bodyguards, and Jiang Yumo suddenly withdrew his phone. “Guess what, do you think I have a cloud backup? Did I prepare anything before coming here?”
“You—!” Qian Xin grabbed a liquor bottle and smashed it against the wall, the jagged edge aimed straight at Jiang Yumo. His eyes were bloodshot. “You want to die? Fine, I’ll make it happen!”
At this moment, Qian Xin was like a rabid dog, vicious and murderous.
Qian Sheng, puffing on his cigar, seemed unconcerned. This newly grown brat needed to be taught a lesson, he needed to know there are things in society beyond his control.
Jiang Yumo chuckled, “Hahaha… sorry, but you really do look like a dog, you know? Just like this one dog I saw once, one day it suddenly went mad, bloodshot eyes, drooling everywhere, lunging at me to bite me, hahaha!”
Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, he continued, “In the end, I smashed its head to pieces with a rock!”
“You right now are no different from that mad dog!”
Jiang Yumo stood up, smiling broadly. He had come here for two reasons: one, to resolve the trouble thoroughly, and two, of course, to see them make fools of themselves.
Hahaha, these expressions were priceless.
Behind the scenes, Qian Xin had been scolded as a mad dog many times before. He himself had several aggressive dogs, but no one had ever dared to come at him like this and ride his face!
Qian Xin’s face twisted with rage. “You’re looking for death!”
He lifted the broken glass bottle and charged at Jiang Yumo, aiming to smash it over his head.
“These photos go public, tomorrow’s headlines will be explosive,” Jiang Yumo said. “If Old Master Qian knew you two brothers were… incestuous, he’d probably rewrite his will.”
More importantly, the Qian family was far from a harmonious, loving family. If Qian Sheng and Qian Xin got into trouble, they wouldn’t receive any mercy, every other Qian in the family, eyeing the opportunity, would pounce to suck them dry and divide the wealth.
Qian Sheng stopped Qian Xin, who was frantically trying to lunge forward.
Qian Xin shouted, “Brother! Let me kill him! If he dies, no one will know!”
Qian Sheng slapped him across the face. “Shut up!”
Qian Xin instantly went quiet, covering his face, and even tossed the broken glass bottle aside. Like a scolded child, he obediently sat down.
Qian Sheng quickly weighed the pros and cons and changed his tone. “Young Master Jiang, I’ve already sent thirty million to the Jiang family. How do you want to handle this? You’re not going to let me waste it, right?”
Jiang Yumo laughed. “Besides me, the Jiang family isn’t empty. That money isn’t in my hands, so what’s it got to do with me?”
Seeing the lively scene, Jiang Yumo didn’t want to waste more time there. He moved his fingers, and Qian Sheng froze for a moment, his eyelid twitching. Reluctantly, he tossed a cigar, which a bodyguard cut and handed to him with a lighter.
Jiang Yumo expertly lit the cigar. He didn’t look like a teenaged boy at all; his presence now surprised even Qian Sheng.
“Anyway, this matter had nothing to do with me. If you don’t involve me, I won’t bother you. As for the money, go ask Jiang Huarong. If he won’t give it, doesn’t he still have a son and a daughter?” Jiang Yumo said.
Qian Sheng thought for a moment, and Jiang Yumo, still holding the cigar in his mouth, swaggered out.
Qian Xin shouted, “Brother, what do we do now?”
Qian Sheng slammed his hand down hard on the woman’s head, inhaled sharply from his cigar, and his gaze turned vicious. “Jiang Yumo can’t be touched for now. We still have to deal with Jiang Huarong.”
Qian Xin kicked over a chair. “That old bastard Jiang Huarong! He sends someone without training them first, he thinks money is that easy to take?”
Qian Sheng pressed the cigar down hard on the sofa. “I’m not only going to make Jiang Huarong give the money back, but I’ll also make him apologize to us!”
“That can wait until tomorrow. Let’s handle the serious stuff first,” Qian Xin said, rubbing his hands and stepping forward.
The bodyguards in the room remained expressionless, dutifully doing their jobs.
Mrs. Jiang had deliberately left someone to observe at the hotel. As soon as Jiang Yumo left, the observer sent her a message. A sense of foreboding hit Mrs. Jiang. She hurriedly pushed open her daughter’s room door. “Xiao Ran, didn’t you want to travel to Switzerland? I’ve already booked the tickets, you leave now.”
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
Elsewhere, in S City, Gu Yu’s meeting with the other party was going smoothly. They invited him to dinner, and considering the good relationship between Grandpa Chen and the late Mr. Gu, Gu Yu didn’t refuse.
He had no idea, however, that the other party had a different plan.
Although it was supposed to be a business dinner, they brought along their young granddaughter, fresh out of school. The conversation didn’t touch on business at all, they spent the entire time trying to pair her up.
Once they had finished eating, Gu Yu invited Miss Chen for a walk.
Miss Chen struggled along in her sky-high heels, and Gu Yu thoughtfully slowed his pace to walk beside her.
His gentle and gentlemanly demeanor made her heart flutter even more.
They passed down a narrow corridor and arrived at a courtyard, where a pond with a rockery and flowing water shimmered under the light. Koi fish swayed gracefully, their fins catching the light in sparkling ripples.
The warm orange lights of the courtyard softened Gu Yu’s sharp, cold features, and his deep gaze seemed gentle no matter who he looked at.
With a tone both soft and firm, tinged with the helplessness of not wanting to hurt her feelings, Gu Yu said, “Miss Chen, I don’t know what Mr. Chen has told you, but for me personally, my career must come first for the time being.”
Miss Chen had already been captivated by his striking, handsome appearance and his gentle demeanor. Before coming, she had asked her friends in A City about him, Gu Yu had never been in a relationship, had no rumored “white moonlight,” and was emotionally stable. Both in looks and character, he was top-notch.
She didn’t expect him to agree immediately, so she took a step back. “Then let’s start as friends. Adding each other on WeChat should be fine, right?”
Gu Yu, who had rejected countless young ladies before, always considered their feelings carefully, gentle, patient, and firm. This time was no different.
Ding!
Ding! Ding!
His phone buzzed with notifications.
Xu Feiyao: 【Photo.jpg】 【Photo.jpg】 【Photo.jpg】
Xu Feiyao: Your wife is really something, riding a shared bike all over the place, poor thing. With so many cars, why not give him one?
Xu Feiyao: 【Photo.jpg】 【Photo.jpg】 【Photo.jpg】
Xu Feiyao: Drinking milk tea. So many people like him!
Xu Feiyao: 【Photo.jpg】
Xu Feiyao: The place he’s living is too shabby. That apartment of yours in the city center would suit him perfectly.
Xu Feiyao: 【Photo.jpg】
Xu Feiyao: Seems like he’s been kidnapped?
Xu Feiyao: 【Photo.jpg】
Xu Feiyao: Damn, bro! Looks like you’ve been cuckolded! He just went into Qian Sheng and Qian Xin’s room!!
Gu Yu’s smile remained unchanged.
Qian Sheng? The Qian family?
The Qian family had always been at odds with him. He recalled what he had discovered in his previous life after Jiang Yumo died. Jiang Yumo had colluded with the Qian family, using them and employing all sorts of despicable methods, kidnapping, drugging, threats, and more.
No wonder Jiang Yumo could never have been a good person.
He was clearly rotten, stinking trash from the sewers!
Gu Yu hadn’t installed a privacy screen on his phone, so the text was too small for him to read clearly, but the photo itself was unmistakable.
The boy in the photo was extraordinarily handsome, with skin whiter than snow. In the sunlight, he seemed to shine from within, dazzling to the point of being almost alarming.
Miss Chen, unwilling to give up, tried again. “Mr. Gu, this…”
Gu Yu’s smile curved wider, radiating more warmth. “Miss Chen, I believe we’ve already reached a consensus.”
Miss Chen was startled. “Uh, no, I… I understand. I’ll talk to my grandfather. Sorry.”
Back in the private room, Gu Yu greeted the staff briefly and then left with his assistant.
On the way back, Grandpa Chen asked about his granddaughter. Miss Chen was still shaken, suddenly snapping out of her daydream about a perfect partner. “Grandpa, I was too presumptuous before. Gu Yu isn’t someone I can handle.”
She didn’t feel angry or wronged, Gu Yu had been perfectly clear, but she had been stubborn, almost falling into the type of obsessive persistence she usually despised.
She was just extremely curious: who exactly was this person who could influence Gu Yu so profoundly?