When Mu Yue received a message from Fang Baiwei, she had just reeled in a rainbow trout. Heidi removed the fish from the hook, and the chef swiftly gutted and cleaned it before beginning to prepare the ingredients for marinating.
And she had caught that fish using bait shaped like a piece of candy—a packet bought from the shop for one point.
Ignoring the envious looks of the fishermen around her and the sounds of their shattered confidence, Mu Yue took the wet wipe Heidi handed her and cleaned her hands before checking the unread message on WeChat.
Fang Baiwei had sent her an update on the Fang family. Taking advantage of everyone’s attention being focused on Fang Suyi, Fang Surou had finally found an opportunity to sneak an electronic device out of the house and send the video of what had happened that day to the Yu family.
The Fang family was not truly stupid. No matter how many tears Fang Surou shed or how pitifully she acted, her purpose in drugging the eldest Fang son was obvious. They absolutely could not let the Yu family find out, and the first person they had to guard against was Fang Surou.
So, from the moment the incident occurred, Fang Surou had been confined to the house. Until they sent her abroad, there would be no communication devices left in her room. She had thrown two fits during that time, even threatening to kill herself, but this time no one fell for it. Mrs. Fang, the person who had always doted on her most, had even coldly said, “Then go ahead and die.”
Of course, Fang Surou had not died. The Fang family had all looked as though they had expected that.
But no matter how tightly they guarded her, Fang Surou still found an opportunity. She had secretly saved the video that very night and sent it directly to Yu Qingqing. Once Yu Qingqing saw it, all hell broke loose.
She immediately cried and made a scene at home, preparing to rush to the Fang residence and beat Fang Surou senseless. But this time, the Yu family did not indulge her. The people they went after were not Fang Surou, but the Fang parents and the eldest Fang son.
Yu Qingqing had also followed them to the hospital during the melee. When she saw her parents and brother beating Fang Suxuan, she had actually tried to stop them, firmly believing that the despicable Fang Surou had set him up. Her Xuan-ge could not have done it willingly; he was a victim too.
The Fang parents had initially resigned themselves to their fate. But the moment they heard Yu Qingqing defending their eldest son, they immediately pushed all the blame onto Fang Surou. They also told the Yu family that they had already planned to send her far away and that she would never interfere with the young couple again.
Fang Baiwei had sent Mu Yue a video of this part, and Mu Yue clicked on it.
The moment Yu Qingqing, a hopelessly love-struck woman, heard the Fang family’s explanation, she began defending them again. Everyone in the Yu family stared at her in disbelief, while the onlookers were equally stunned by what they were hearing.
But this time, the Yu family did not go along with her. They had indulged her long enough. Seeing that their daughter was still beyond saving, Mrs. Yu suddenly felt a sense of release.
“Since that’s the case, starting today, don’t use the surname Yu anymore. Change it to Fang, or anything else—you can do as you please. We’ll give you a house and two million yuan. From now on, don’t come back to the Yu family. Nothing belonging to the Yu family will have anything to do with you.”
Mr. Yu and the eldest Yu son were shocked as well. They thought Mrs. Yu had been driven to the brink by anger, but they quickly took her side and added a few harsh words of their own. Then, no longer willing to argue with the Fang family, they left, abandoning Yu Qingqing to stand there in a daze.
“I wonder whether the Yu family really means it, or if they’re only trying to scare Yu Qingqing,” Fang Baiwei muttered. She had been there and felt that Yu Qingqing’s mother had sounded serious. But after all, Yu Qingqing was her own daughter, and she had always spoiled her rotten. She was probably only saying it in the heat of the moment.
Mu Yue asked, “What about Yu Qingqing?”
“Of course, my wonderful eldest brother and my fake parents respectfully invited her back,” Fang Baiwei replied.
Mu Yue shook her head. The concentration of lovestruck foolishness was off the charts. Although she did not know the Yu family, she actually hoped they were serious. Whether those words had been spoken in anger or not, they showed that the Yu family was deeply disappointed. At a time like this, Yu Qingqing should have tried to repair the relationship, yet she had gone straight to the Fang family instead.
Leaving aside Fang Suxuan himself, a daughter this hopelessly obsessed with love was also a tremendous liability to the Yu family. Today, she could disregard everything her family had done for her and defend her future in-laws. She believed everything her in-laws and fiancé told her. Tomorrow, she might obey her in-laws’ instructions and hand over her family’s interests to them—or even steal confidential information from her own family.
Yu Qingqing returned to the Fang residence with the Fang family. Fang Surou had not expected that. She had assumed the Yu family would call off the engagement, but apparently the engagement had not been canceled. Yu Qingqing had even moved straight into the Fang household.
Before Fang Surou could think of a way to deal with it, Yu Qingqing and the Fang parents began turning the tables on her.
As expected, Fang Surou skillfully used her favorite talent—framing others—and pointed the finger at Fang Baiwei. After spending some time with Mu Yue, Fang Baiwei had learned how to respond this time.
Instead of explaining herself first, she asked Fang Surou, “Why would I do that? What would I gain from it? I hate you, sure, but why would I pull something like this right when you were about to be sent abroad? Wouldn’t that be completely pointless?”
After hearing Fang Baiwei repeat the exchange, Mu Yue commented, “Very well said.”
Fang Baiwei happily clenched her fist in triumph before continuing with the rest of the story.
Her series of questions had caught Fang Surou off guard. Fang Baiwei’s reasoning had also been sound, and both the Fang family and Yu Qingqing had already suspected that Fang Surou had staged the entire thing herself.
In the end, no one demanded to search Fang Baiwei’s phone. Still, she did not think all her earlier preparations had been unnecessary. It was always better to be cautious.
As for Fang Surou, this latest stunt had thoroughly enraged the Fang parents. They had already lost a tremendous amount of face at the hospital, and the aftermath had brought them one problem after another. With Yu Qingqing there as well, their “verdict” on Fang Surou was brutally cold.
Early the next morning, they sent Fang Surou back to her biological parents’ home. They did not give her a single cent. They only allowed her to take some clothes, and even her more valuable jewelry was confiscated.
Yu Qingqing hated her so much that she even had Fang Surou searched, an act that was deeply humiliating.
Watching Fang Surou leave through the Fang family’s gates, Fang Baiwei felt some of the hatred in her heart fade. She knew that returning home would be the beginning of Fang Surou’s true hell.
Her biological parents and her awful relatives were all greedy parasites who would suck her dry.
After hearing this, Mu Yue said, “You need to leave the Fang family as soon as possible. Now that Fang Surou is gone, your presence in the Fang household will become much more conspicuous.”
Fang Baiwei nodded solemnly. Mu Yue had warned her about this before, and she had kept it in mind. The atmosphere in the Fang family had been strange lately. Whenever she thought about how her parents had suddenly changed their attitude and begun showing concern for her from time to time, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
The Fang family’s scandals were spreading everywhere, and all three of their children now carried stains on their reputations. Although the eldest son still had Yu Qingqing devoted to him, the relationship between the Yu and Fang families would not recover anytime soon. The Fangs needed another shortcut.
And Fang Baiwei was the perfect commodity. She had grown up in the countryside, but she was honest and performed well academically. With a little polishing and packaging, she could still be sold for a good price.
If no one had been there to remind her, Fang Baiwei, who had spent such a miserable life in her previous one and longed deep down to be loved, might possibly have been deceived by the Fang family. No—in keeping with that sadistic author's usual style, Fang Baiwei would have believed them again, only to be betrayed and sold once more. One hundred percent.
“I’m planning to go to City A ahead of time and look for some work near the school.” Whenever Fang Baiwei spoke of the future, her cold, striking features brightened. A University had been her regret and dream in her previous life, and staying closer to the school would make her feel more at ease.
Mu Yue voiced her support. They chatted for a while longer, while Mu Yue’s fish began to sizzle in the pan.
The aroma soon spread through the air, tempting even Mu Yue herself. The chef was pan-frying it. Rainbow trout might be known as freshwater salmon, but since the fish Mu Yue had caught on a whim hadn’t been tested, it was safer to eat it cooked.
As Mu Yue began to enjoy the fruits of victory, she once again attracted the attention of everyone else at the lake.
One big brother really couldn’t hold back any longer. After Mu Yue finished eating, he came over and tactfully asked whether she would be coming again tomorrow. If she was, then they wouldn’t be.
Not only had they failed to catch any fish, they had also been forced to watch this woman complete the entire process of fishing, killing, and eating one. It hurt! It hurt so badly!
Mu Yue smiled. “I’m not coming tomorrow. I have something to do.”
After saying that, she thought for a moment. “It’s not very nice to eat alone. I’ll catch a few more fish and have my chef cook them so everyone can eat together.”
Everyone else: “…”
They wanted to curse her and thank her at the same time. What were they supposed to do?
The day ended happily once again. Mu Yue really did have something to do the next day—it was time to go fleece the male lead again.
She arrived at the sanatorium with practiced ease and used another batch of items. Mu Yue discovered that her points had decreased, plunging from 200 straight down to 100.
Oh? Had he developed antibodies or something?
The systems checked the report. “Host! The male lead took a potent medicine!”
Huh? Mu Yue had been planning to leave as soon as she finished, but she hadn’t expected to hear that. What kind of potent medicine could weaken the effect of the system’s items? Wasn’t a medicine with such a powerful effect even more harmful to the body?
It didn’t take long for Mu Yue to find out what was going on.
The male lead was going out.
Through her sunglasses, Mu Yue watched as the male lead came out of his room, leaning on crutches and ignoring the doctor’s advice.
She took out her phone, glanced at the time, and muttered, “Looks like saving his little brother really is that important to him. He’s in this state and still has to go.”
The four systems said, “That’s how it works. When there’s a major opportunity, even if the male lead doesn’t deliberately seek it out, he’ll still be guided toward it.”
“Tsk.” Mu Yue was displeased. “The protagonist’s halo really is ridiculously powerful.”
Tycoon Kitty immediately felt ashamed. “It’s all our fault. If only I could have drawn the protagonist’s halo directly for you, Host.”
The other three systems: “…”
How had this suddenly turned into the systems psychologically attacking themselves?
Damn that ex-owner. Just look at what they’d done to these children!
Mu Yue felt sorry for Kitty too. “Baby, how could this be your fault? If someone possesses virtue without the position to match, disaster is bound to follow. Look at him—he may have a halo, but didn’t he still run into me?”
That made sense! Kitty instantly brightened up again. Its host hadn’t thought it useless. Hehe!
After soothing the little system, Mu Yue also began to consider what to do next.
The protagonist’s halo was exerting its power, and the male lead was being driven by instinct to save his little brother and claim the opportunity. Should she stop him? And how?
Mu Yue got into the car, but she didn’t have Heidi immediately chase after Wang Jian, who had already set off. The tracking device was permanent. As long as he wasn’t dead, no matter where he ran, she could find him. She would think things through first.
Suppose she simply stopped him by force. The shop had plenty of negative-effect items. The womanizer had only taken a powerful antidiarrheal, so there were many other effects in the shop that could still work and obstruct the male lead.
But there was another problem to consider. If they missed each other this time, would they meet again the next time?
The first time she had made the male lead miss an opportunity, she had simply reported him for tax evasion. He had missed the chance to meet the daughter of a powerful figure, and they had never encountered each other again afterward. The same was true of Ye Luling—he had yet to meet her again.
But neither of those opportunities seemed as important as this little brother. The main reason was probably that this involved “status.” After all, the little brother would offer not only his loyalty, but also his sister—the true female lead.
Mu Yue had come to City D to fleece points because she had free time right now. But if she made the male lead and the little brother miss each other this time, what if they met again when she was busy? She couldn’t spend all her time on this womanizer.
So stopping him was out.
Then, if she didn’t stop him, should she just let the male lead save the Little Fatty and become good brothers with him?
No. If she did that, she would gain far too few points from this trip. And if the male lead really got together with the first wife, his halo would become even stronger. With the support of the first wife’s family, he would be even harder to kill.
Then…
Mu Yue repeatedly lit up and turned off her phone. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her.
She wouldn’t stop the male lead from going to seize the opportunity—but what if the opportunity itself didn’t believe that the male lead had saved him? What if they didn’t become friends, but enemies instead?
A smile blossomed across Mu Yue’s face once again. “Let’s go. We’ll follow them.”
Meanwhile, on Wang Jian’s side, he had brought two bodyguards in the car as well. However, because of his physical condition, he wasn’t the one driving. He sat in the back seat on an extremely soft cushion, while the trunk contained an entire bag of adult diapers and several changes of clothes.
Once they left the road near the sanatorium, the route became bumpy. There was nothing to be done about it. The farther they went into the depths, the fewer people still lived there. With so little traffic, the roads had hardly been maintained. Over time, they had naturally become full of potholes.
Under normal circumstances, they would merely have had to drive slowly and endure it. But for Wang Jian, whose old injuries had not healed and who had sustained new ones, it was pure torture.
The two female bodyguards glanced at their boss’s twisted expression and exchanged a look, both revealing incomprehension.
Their boss might have money, but he seemed to have something wrong with his head.
His butt was so badly injured, and he was suffering from diarrhea on top of that. The doctor had repeatedly advised him to rest properly, yet he had insisted on going out today—and had even chosen such a remote road. What was he trying to do?
As one of them thought about it, her thoughts began to stray, and her expression turned strange.
Could this boss have some kind of M fetish? She had heard that his previous injuries had also been caused by messing around with a man.
Yikes! What a disaster!
Wang Jian had no idea what his bodyguard was thinking. At that moment, his soul felt as though it were about to leave his body. He couldn’t explain why he had insisted on coming out, but he had an overwhelming feeling that he had to go, and that he had to reach a certain place.
He didn’t know the exact location, only the general direction.
Something similar had happened before. When he met his first confidant, he had stumbled upon him by following a feeling, and that encounter had later helped him earn his first fortune.
He had a premonition that what he was about to encounter would be something wonderful—something that would sweep away all the unpleasantness he had experienced recently.
As for Shi Le, things were not going well for him either. He and his bodyguard had been struggling to survive in the mountains for two days. They were both hungry and thirsty. The bodyguard’s allergic reaction had improved somewhat, but it had not completely cleared up, and for a while, Shi Le had genuinely felt that he was going to die there.
By now, whenever they were hungry, they searched for wild berries; whenever they were thirsty, they drank dew or stream water. If they really couldn’t find any, they had no choice but to drink river water or from those murky-looking little puddles.
On the one hand, they were relieved that it was summer, since edible berries could still be found. On the other hand, they were suffering terribly. There were plenty of mosquitoes in the mountains during summer, but the most frightening things were the leeches.
These leeches weren’t found only in water. Any damp place could harbor them, and if you weren’t careful, one would latch onto your pant leg. The Little Fatty had already been scared unconscious twice.
He was now filled with regret—bitter, agonizing regret. He never should have signed up for that tour just because the beautiful woman organizing it was attractive. No, he never should have come to D City in the first place! He should have listened to his sister and stayed obediently in A City. Then he wouldn’t have had to suffer like this!
Waaah, Sis! I know I was wrong! Come save me! Somebody come save me…
Shi Le tilted his head back and stared at the canopy of the enormous trees blocking out the sky. His heart was filled with utter despair.
Mu Yue stopped halfway and didn’t continue any farther into the mountains. Instead, she did something rather wicked: she placed two items along the path—one that caused hallucinations and another that brought bad luck.
She had already set the targets, entering Shi Le’s and Wang Jian’s names respectively.
If any other passerby came along, the items wouldn’t be triggered by mistake. They would lock onto their targets immediately upon the targets’ arrival.
These lock-on items were a little more expensive than the ones Mu Yue had bought for use within a hundred-meter radius, but not by much. Each cost twenty points.
Besides their different activation methods, the other reason they cost more was that they could be controlled remotely, up to a maximum distance of three kilometers.
Mu Yue only needed to remain within three kilometers of them. Given the terrain in this area, that distance still left her plenty of room to operate.
Having one person appear here would seem too deliberate, but she could make her presence seem perfectly reasonable. So with a single phone call, Mu Yue summoned the local guide who had been showing her around over the past few days.
They brought their equipment and searched the area for fishing spots or wild mushrooms.
The ecology here was excellent. If they managed to catch any fish or gather any mushrooms, they would certainly be delicious, and it would make her outing today even more enjoyable.
Mu Yue wasn’t in the slightest bit anxious. The male lead had only just set out. By the time he found the Little Fatty and brought him and his companion out, it would take at least two or three hours.
Besides, there was a major flaw in the male lead’s trip—a flaw that would become Mu Yue’s most effective weapon against him and his lackey.
Mu Yue paid generously, so the guide arrived soon, carrying all the necessary fishing and mushroom-gathering equipment. Considering the dangers of the deep mountains, the guide had also brought two others: one was an expert snake catcher, while the other was a university student studying traditional Chinese medicine.
The snake catcher was a swarthy old man. The university student, however, looked as though he had merely been brought along to make up the numbers. His eyes were clear and foolish. Once they reached the mountains, it was hard to say whether he would recognize medicinal herbs, or whether the herbs would recognize him. He was probably someone’s relative.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long before Mu Yue heard the foolish kid call the guide “Uncle.” The guide glared at him, then cautiously glanced at Mu Yue. Only after confirming that the rich young lady wasn’t angry did he frown and quietly scold the foolish boy a couple of times.
Mu Yue didn’t really care whether the two of them were genuinely capable or not. The guide’s considerations weren’t unreasonable. More people were indeed safer in the deep mountains, and with more people, even their cries for help would carry farther.
As usual, once they got out of the car and headed into the mountains, Mu Yue’s chef and bodyguards carried all the gear. The path might be longer today, so the pots and knives were relatively lightweight. The only things with any real weight were the water containers, but that amount of weight was nothing to Heidi.
When the university student and the old man saw this, they kept turning around to look back. Good grief—had they come out for a picnic? They hadn’t even caught a fish yet!
Still, the two new local companions did have remarkably sharp eyes. Before long, they found several kinds of mushrooms. According to the guide, this wasn’t the best time of year to gather them, but fortunately, there weren’t many people in this area, so there were still some left for them.
After asking a few questions, Mu Yue learned that the people who were serious about gathering mushrooms usually entered the mountains at three or four in the morning. During the day, not only was the sun scorching, but once the temperature rose, the mushrooms spoiled very quickly.
After walking for a while longer, Mu Yue finally came across a good fishing spot. She cast her line and sat on the rock the guide had thoughtfully carried over for her, patiently waiting for a fish to bite.
Meanwhile, Wang Jian had expended a great deal of energy. At last, he found Shi Le and his companion by a lake. At that moment, Shi Le was bent over, drinking directly from the lake.
The instant he saw them, he burst into tears. He was saved! He had finally been saved!
Wang Jian also let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if his heart had finally settled. The hardships he had endured along the way no longer seemed so bitter. He was certain that this Little Fatty had to come from an extraordinary background.
There happened to be spare clothes in the car, so he generously gave Shi Le and his companion one set each. The sizes were definitely not a perfect fit, but at least the clothes were clean.
The Little Fatty was moved to tears. Clinging to Wang Jian, he poured out all the misery he had suffered over the past several days. Wang Jian listened patiently, occasionally chiming in with a sympathetic remark. The Little Fatty couldn’t help thinking that this man was so handsome. He had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was incredibly patient, too.
The two chatted happily, and the Little Fatty even began treating Wang Jian like family, endlessly complaining about all the suffering he had endured over the past few days.
That continued until they began their return journey. As the car passed a certain stretch of road, it jolted violently.
Wang Jian’s expression, normal just a moment earlier, instantly twisted in pain. His phone also fell from his pocket, landing right beside the Little Fatty’s feet.
Without thinking much of it, the Little Fatty bent down to pick up the phone for his benefactor. His finger touched the screen, lighting up the lock screen.
When he saw the image displayed there, the Little Fatty’s pupils shook violently.
What… what was that? Had he seen it wrong?
Unable to believe his eyes, he blinked, then stared at it two more times before sucking in a sharp breath.
Holy crap! Was that… that a threesome?
Shi Le stiffly handed the phone back to Wang Jian. He noticed Wang Jian’s pained expression and the strange way he sat down, swallowed, and silently moved a little farther away.
Mu Yue suppressed her laughter, put away the control interface, and said to the guide and the other two, who were eating until grease covered their mouths, “We’ve eaten enough, and I’ve had my fill of fishing. Let’s head back.”
“Of course, of course.”
“Miss, your fishing skills are incredible! And Auntie’s cooking is amazing too!”
“This is really too embarrassing. We were supposed to take you out for fun, but instead we ended up eating and drinking our fill…”
Mu Yue waved her hand. “The point of fishing isn’t necessarily to eat the fish. I had fun, and that’s all that matters.”
“Exactly!” The guide knew what this little rich lady was like, so he eagerly helped carry the equipment. The other two didn’t dare stand around doing nothing either, and each picked up some of the things.
Mu Yue was the only one who felt completely relaxed.
Walking in the middle of the group, Mu Yue checked the distances to the two marked targets and adjusted the settings.
Hallucination: Make Wang Jian’s bodyguard appear to be carrying weapons; make the message displayed on Wang Jian’s phone read, “Did you get it done?”
Bad luck: Blow out a tire.
Shi Le was fidgeting restlessly in the car. After seeing the image on Wang Jian’s lock screen, he simply couldn’t calm down.
That posture had been so perverted, and Wang Jian had looked as though he was enjoying himself to the fullest. Ugh…
And wasn't it way too much of a coincidence that this guy showed up? The roads out here are terrible, and he and his bodyguards weren't even by the roadside, they were deep in the hills. Who on earth would come all the way out here for no reason?
Shi Le glanced at the bright, scorching sunlight outside. He was just about to ask Wang Jian what he was doing out and about at this hour, when he caught a glimpse of something tucked at the waists of the two bodyguards in the front seat.
What's that? Shi Le frowned and stared for a couple more seconds, then his eyes widened in shock. Th-this, this... couldn't possibly be...
Wang Jian's phone pinged with a message. Shi Le's eyes darted over to it unconsciously, and he caught sight of the text clearly:
"Did you get the target?"
Shi Le forced every muscle in his body to stay still, holding his jaw tight to stop his teeth from chattering and drawing attention. His mind drifted back to that day when he was little. Dammit, why couldn't he ever learn his lesson?
What on earth had he been thinking, trekking all the way out here? Now look at the mess he was in—he'd been kidnapped again!
And this time... a screensaver image of three people in a chaotic, explosive brawl popped into his head.
Tears streamed down Shi Le's face. I'm done for. This time I'm really done for.
What if they assault me first, then ransom me off, then assault me again, and finally kill me?
When Wang Jian saw the Little Fatty crying, he assumed the kid was just upset over all the terrible things that had happened to him in the past few days, and was just about to say something to comfort him.
"Pfft—" Both Wang Jian and Shi Le, still seated in the car, felt a sudden jolt from the tire. The vehicle came to a stop soon after, and when they got out to check, sure enough, one of the tires had blown out.
No one could figure out why the tire had burst, and the trunk was stuffed full of supplies. On top of that, they were not that far from their destination, so there was no spare tire in the car.
What on earth were they supposed to do now?
Just as everyone was standing around, stuck on what to do next, they heard voices and laughter coming from the hills not far away. Someone even seemed to be singing a folk mountain song, and there were clearly quite a few people out there.
A glimmer of hope flashed in both Wang Jian's and Shi Le's eyes.
Wang Jian was already at his breaking point. He was still recovering from an illness, after all. He'd already walked for ages and then ridden in the car for so long that he could barely hold on any longer—he needed to get back and rest right away!
As for Shi Le, he saw his chance to be rescued. He absolutely had to find a way to escape from this group of kidnappers.
