Accustomed to the dry months in the North, he hadn’t anticipated encountering such ghostly weather upon arriving in the South. Tears streamed down his face, and he couldn’t reach Ya Jie on the phone, which was out of service. His subordinates kept calling to report the rapid expansion of the Qin Emperor’s Nest, its unprecedented speed allowing Ji Canghai’s realm to expand unstoppably. “The eastern tendrils have nearly reached Yenching! Nanbo Wan and Luo Zishang are nowhere to be seen, and the major priests are bleeding…” Chen Wang’s hand trembled as he held the phone. Although the Church of Yan was an old enemy, no one wanted it to be consumed by the Qin Emperor. Without checks and balances, chaos would ensue, as the Qin Emperor couple, like awakened ancient beasts, devoured everything indiscriminately. In a world dominated by one power, one could only imagine the horror. The once-mighty divine artifacts were now reduced to just the bell of the Grass Mud Horse in their hands, which was merely a necklace used for theft.
Facing the invincible Qin Emperor couple, who held the power of the Mermaid’s Tears, Hong Yao Tang might reclaim everything by wearing the necklace himself, but Chen Wang’s odds were at best fifty-fifty, and failure would mean death under the power of the world, with the bell snatched by the despicable couple. Perhaps only at the last moment on Longevity Island would he risk it all. Being a historical sinner didn’t matter to him, but the nation must be preserved…
Unable to contact Su Yao, Chen Wang rushed to the hotel where the conference was held. At that moment, Su Yao was sitting with the manager, entertaining a tycoon-level figure from the Human Corporation. As an assistant, she was drinking on behalf of her manager. The manager had warned her earlier that this was an important business meeting. They needed a favor, and this meeting was hard to come by, so she couldn’t afford to mess up. She had even left her phone in the room. But would he… really come? Su Yao, facing the magnate who kept pouring her drinks, suddenly felt like making a bet.
“Manager Li, your assistant is young, beautiful, and one in a million.”
If we can’t get Du Qingqing to endorse our game, could we perhaps borrow your assistant? Hahaha… If I had such a cute daughter, I’d be thrilled, but alas, I have a son who’s quite the disappointment.”
“Mr. Chen, what are you talking about? With a company like yours, female celebrities would be lining up to work with you. Come, let’s drink! Please consider my request in your busy schedule. Although our company is small, our creativity is top-notch in the industry. If you allow us to leverage the popularity of ‘Human’, we’ll split the profits, with you taking the lion’s share. You decide the specifics.”
Manager Li refilled the glasses of Director Chen and Su Yao with more wine. If she agreed, the deal would surely be sealed. Once the deal was done, he could expect a promotion. With his promotion, the manager’s position would be vacant, and at worst, he could pass it to Su Yao. She was sharp; she would understand the unspoken rules of the corporate game.
Director Chen stared at Su Yao’s smiling profile under the lights, seeing her as nothing more than a naive young girl.
He smacked his lips, thinking about how he was supposed to send his nephew, Manager Chen, but the latter’s wife was about to give birth, so he had to come himself. “Well…” His ambiguous gaze lingered on Su Yao, “I need to think over your company’s proposal a bit more; I’ll let you know the decision tomorrow… Hey, little Su, would you like to join me for some karaoke after the meeting?” Manager Li subtly nudged Su Yao’s heel under the table. Su Yao cheerfully agreed, “Sure, my singing isn’t great, but I hope you won’t mind.” The manager was overjoyed, unaware that Su Yao was internally cursing the ancestors of both men. She agreed not because she wanted to, but to provoke a certain someone’s appearance, the guy who was so reserved.
When Chen Wang rushed to the second-floor meeting room of the hotel, he was stopped at the entrance. In desperation, Chen Wang reluctantly presented his father’s business card, which instantly transformed the attitude of the staff, who then eagerly escorted him to the Human Realm Company’s gaming expo area. However, Su Yao was nowhere to be seen. After inquiring around, he learned that the representatives from her company had gone to the karaoke bar next door.
Chen Wang hurried to the karaoke place.
Su Yao feigned friendliness with Director Chen. The loud music drowned out the heavy rain outside, and her heart raced with anxiety. The karaoke rooms had glass doors for safety reasons, and several colleagues from different departments were present, but what would happen after the singing? She was already drunk. The old man intended to take her away. Her colleagues would be nowhere to be seen if anything happened… Qin Chuan, where are you…
It wasn’t until Su Yao was half-dragged, half-embraced out of the room, taken to a hotel, that she truly panicked. Despite her resistance, she was no match for the man’s strength. Tears streamed down her face, not just from fear, but from the realization that the person she hoped would save her did not appear. Had she lost her bet? Perhaps love was real, but faith was an illusion.
By the time they reached the ground floor of the karaoke bar, Su Yao could barely see straight, her body aflame with an unknown fire, not just from alcohol but from something more sinister. Her face paled as she realized what the old man had mixed into her drink. Dragged along, her body felt detached from her soul, soft and pliable, while her spirit burned with an unbearable heat, leaving a void she desperately wanted to fill.
The doors opened, and a gust of wet, warm air hit her face, sobering her slightly. Despite her uncooperative body, her expression betrayed her terror. Seeing the old man’s flabby arm around her waist, she almost vomited. Losing a job was no big deal; she could find another. Without him, this world was nothing but chaos, devoid of faith.
Desperately inhaling fresh air to regain some clarity, Su Yao stood on her tiptoes in her high heels and stomped down hard on the old man’s foot. However, his grip was stronger than she expected, and with a twist of his arm, her shoulder throbbed with pain. “Help!!!” Su Yao screamed in agony. But the staff and security at the karaoke bar, well aware of the daily occurrences in this city of excess, did not intervene. No one would risk their lives for a young girl when dealing with someone as formidable as this old man.
“If you behave, uncle will give you candy,” the old man said with a sinister smile, dragging her back inside since it was still raining and they couldn’t return to the hotel. Just as he was about to find a staff member to guide them to a room, a sudden, sharp pain shot through his groin.
“Ahhh—” The disrespectful Director Chen clutched his groin in pain, cursing the little wretch for daring to attack him. In his rage, he was about to snap Su Yao’s arm, but someone was quicker—a figure in a black hooded windbreaker emerged from the shadows. The old man, in shock, saw only the silhouette against the backlight, the excruciating pain informing him that his manhood and wrist were now ruined for the day.
“Qin Chuan!” In her hazy consciousness, Su Yao heard herself screaming a name. Then, with a rush of air beside her, they both dashed out, one after the other.