Even when a single kick had sent the beginner instance’s difficulty soaring to A right after his arrival, Song Liang hadn’t suspected anything.
Now, however, he asked, 【Are you sure the main system isn’t targeting me?】
3085 couldn’t answer. Sometimes, even it felt that its host was extraordinarily unlucky.
Before either of them could come up with a plan, a woman’s sharp, cold voice sounded from the balcony.
“Who’s there? Come out!”
“Who’s there? Come out now, or I’ll call security!”
A middle-aged man’s voice followed.
Song Liang obediently raised both hands and stepped out from around the corner.
The two people on the balcony looked at him, then at each other. Once they confirmed that neither recognized him, their expressions grew serious.
“Who are you? Who let you in?”
“I’m here for an interview.”
An interview?
Xiao Yuanchun looked at Manager Zhou.
He immediately panicked.
“An…an interview? Who told you to come?”
Song Liang showed him his phone.
“Duan Yan.”
Manager Zhou understood at once and snapped, “If you’re here for an interview, who told you to come up here? Didn’t Duan Yan explain? This area is for guests. Get out!”
Song Liang turned to leave.
A cold voice suddenly stopped him.
“Wait.”
His steps halted, and a flicker of tension rose in his chest.
Xiao Yuanchun stepped forward. Her heels clicked sharply, like drumbeats striking at the hearts of those present.
“What did you hear just now?”
“…”
Song Liang turned, held up his phone, and switched to the game screen.
“I was gaming. I didn’t hear clearly.”
“You were hiding here to play games?”
“The connection’s good here. No lag.”
“…”
That was, in fact, the damn truth.
Xiao Yuanchun watched him for a moment, then said, “Take off your cap.”
The quiet command in her voice made Song Liang raise his brows slightly. His own tone cooled.
“No.”
Xiao Yuanchun lifted an eyebrow in surprise.
“What?”
Beside her, Manager Zhou nearly went pale with fright.
“If she tells you to take it off, take it off! Why all the backtalk? Do you want to work here or not?”
Song Liang answered casually, “It would be fine. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go somewhere else.”
That made Xiao Yuanchun’s lips curve.
“This is the only place in Linhai that can give you what you want. If I refuse to hire you, no one else will dare take you either. Do you believe me?”
The threat was unmistakable.
Anyone else would probably have stopped being stubborn. It was only a cap, after all. She wasn’t asking him to undress.
But this was Song Liang.
Only 3085 knew just how unyielding its host could be. Its advice was brief.
【Do not kick her!】
Song Liang hadn’t intended to.
The woman before him was clearly the person who truly controlled Songlan Mansion—the important NPC who hadn’t been unlocked. That meant she was closely connected to his main storyline.
Interested, he asked directly, “What’s your name?”
Both people froze.
Manager Zhou was genuinely frightened now. Not only was this young man unfazed by their boss’s threat, he had the nerve to ask her name.
His audacity was unbelievable.
Xiao Yuanchun was surprised too.
She hadn’t expected a young man who looked barely into his twenties to withstand her intimidation, let alone turn the question back on her.
And his tone was even more imperious than hers.
Her interest stirred.
“What’s your name?” she asked in return.
Before Song Liang could answer, she added, “Tell me your name, and I’ll let you stay and work here. Your base salary and benefits will be unmatched anywhere else in Linhai. How does that sound?”
Song Liang was genuinely tempted.
…
Meanwhile, his conversation with Xiao Yuanchun had made Xiao Wenyu realize he had made a serious mistake.
He had wondered why Xiao Yi, who had previously stayed in the hospital and refused all visitors, would suddenly come here. Apparently, he hadn’t even posted bodyguards outside the door, and had allowed them in to visit.
He was baiting a hook!
Silently cursing the old fox, Xiao Wenyu hurried to the eighth floor with his bodyguard.
They had just stepped out of the elevator when they encountered Xiao Ji emerging from the room.
Upon seeing him, Xiao Ji actually approached and greeted him.
“Here to see Uncle?”
“Mm.”
Xiao Wenyu answered nonchalantly, inwardly cursing his luck.
Xiao Ji ignored his dismissive manner.
“Uncle has just gone to rest. You’re late.”
His affected tone grated on Xiao Wenyu. He was about to snap back when Xiao Ji continued.
“Our second sister and the fourth brother came this morning. You’re the only one who hadn’t shown up. Uncle was just wondering whether something had happened to you. After all, you used to be the most concerned about him.”
Who would genuinely care about that old fox?
If there were no benefits to gain, who in the Xiao family would care whether he lived or died? All he did was favor Xiao Ji. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Xiao Ji was his biological son.
“While he was in the hospital, I didn’t want to disturb his recovery, so of course I stayed away. Now that I’ve heard he’s feeling better, I had to visit. But if he’s already resting, I’ll come another day.”
Then, as though in passing, he asked, “His injury’s all right, isn’t it?”
“Not particularly.”
Xiao Ji frowned slightly.
“He can only get around in a wheelchair now. He said that when he catches whoever is behind this, he’ll make them wish they were dead.”
Xiao Wenyu’s heart jolted, but his expression remained unchanged.
“Someone’s behind it? I thought it was just a group of robbers.”
“What ordinary robbers would dare target the Xiao family? And they happened to know Uncle’s exact route that evening. It’s too much of a coincidence. Enough to make me suspect an insider.”
“…”
Xiao Wenyu didn’t dare pursue the subject. Instead, he asked, “You look like you’ve been rushing around. Just back from the municipal bureau? They still haven’t caught anyone?”
Xiao Ji’s smile faded slightly.
“We have a lead.”
Xiao Wenyu didn’t believe him for a second.
He had hired the men himself, and even he didn’t know who the eighth person—the one who had taken the Emperor’s Tear—was. Finding him was another matter entirely. How could Xiao Ji possibly have managed it?
“You found the Emperor’s Tear?”
“I don’t recall saying I was looking for the Emperor’s Tear.”
“Come on. We’re family. No need to pretend we’re strangers. If it weren’t missing, would you be making all these trips?”
“…”
Xiao Ji didn’t answer immediately, which amounted to an admission.
It was rare to see him at a loss like this. Xiao Wenyu’s confidence returned, and he couldn’t resist saying smugly, “The Emperor’s Tear has been passed down through generations of the Xiao family. If the people at the ancestral residence find out, there’ll be trouble.”
“Of course we need to recover it. But that wasn’t the lead I meant.”
“Then what?”
“The incident at the banquet that held me up that night.”
“…”
Xiao Wenyu’s expression stiffened.
Xiao Ji continued, “I’ve been wondering how someone without an invitation got aboard the ship. Then, for no apparent reason, he jumped into the sea in front of everyone. I had to send out a rescue team, which delayed my arrival at the dock.”
“So I specifically checked the security footage. It turns out the ship’s recordings were damaged, and the camera in one room had been switched off. But I’ve already arranged for the footage to be restored. Once that’s done, we should be able to find out who brought Song Liang aboard.”
“…”
Xiao Wenyu tightened his fingers.
He had destroyed the ship’s security recordings thoroughly. Restoring them would be difficult. The only remaining loose end was Song Liang.
Although his body hadn’t been found, Xiao Wenyu had secretly assigned people to watch the Song family and Jianglin University. They had discovered nothing.
Song Liang was most likely dead.
As long as Xiao Ji couldn’t find him, there would be no evidence. Even Xiao Yi wouldn’t be able to do anything to Xiao Wenyu.
Inside the reception room, Yang Xuan leaned close to his employer’s ear and reported quietly, “Young Master Xiao Ji and Young Master Xiao Wenyu are trading barbs outside.”
Before Xiao Yi could speak, he added, “I heard them by pressing my ear to the door.”
Xiao Yi: “…”
Leave a Reply