"Mr. Chao, this little dog seems to really like you." General Manager Chen tried to step closer to Chao Musheng, but Wan You suddenly moved between them.
General Manager Chen halted, glancing at Wan You before attempting to approach Chao Musheng from another angle. Yet Wan You deliberately blocked his path again, turning to stand in his way once more.
"Woof woof woof!"
The puppy in the pet carrier barked. General Manager Chen finally stopped and said, "Mr. Chao, this dog is covered in injuries and seems extremely agitated."
He held the carrier forward. "Could you please help calm it down?"
The puppy pushed open the carrier door, revealing its bloodied front paws.
An autumn wind swept fallen leaves across the ground. Chao Musheng glanced around—the road was eerily quiet, with no passersby in sight.
"Sorry," Chao Musheng took a step back. "I have pets at home, and they don’t like me getting close to other animals. The rescue station is just ahead—only a few more minutes."
"This dog is badly hurt. What it needs most is a vet," Wan You interjected. "Human touch could cause further harm. Don’t let good intentions lead to harm, sir."
General Manager Chen slowly lowered the carrier. "Are you also a student at Jinghua University?"
"Obviously." Wan You pointed at the textbooks in his arms. "What, can’t you tell?"
Weird behavior aside, his eyesight must be terrible.
General Manager Chen studied him for a moment before turning back to Chao Musheng. "I’m just bringing a poor dog here. There’s no need for such hostility, Mr. Chao."
"Don’t be so paranoid," Wan You said sarcastically. "Chao Musheng hasn’t said a word against you. He’s even guiding you to the rescue station. How is that hostile?"
"Don’t overthink it, General Manager Chen." Chao Musheng stepped on the rustling leaves. "We barely know each other. Why would there be hostility?"
"If you hold no grudge, then let me tell you a story about gratitude," General Manager Chen said leisurely. "Long ago, a god fought against others. His domain developed flaws as his people grew greedy. To mend them, he was gravely wounded by his enemies and fell to the mortal world as a lowly, ugly beast."
He opened the carrier, releasing the whimpering dog, which trembled on the ground.
"The god used his left eye to repair the flaws and his right eye to bear the punishment for altering divine laws. But he forgot—humans are greedy, ungrateful, and ugly creatures. After falling, not a single soul reached out to help him."
"On the first day, the god thought, ‘If someone saves me, I’ll protect this world with my life.’"
"On the second day, he thought, ‘If someone saves me, I won’t regret my sacrifices.’"
"By the third and fourth day, still no one came."
"If you were that god," General Manager Chen looked at Chao Musheng, "wouldn’t you hate humanity?"
"There are cruel humans, but also kind ones," Chao Musheng replied, watching the dog. "If I were that god, I’d hate the enemies who ambushed me—not my oblivious people."
He frowned. "Besides, this story sounds familiar. General Manager Chen, did you plagiarize The Fisherman and the Jinni?"
"What’s The Fisherman and the Jinni?" Wan You asked.
"A foreign folktale," Chao Musheng said. The dog was now crawling toward him, leaving bloody trails.
General Manager Chen ignored the comment and continued, "Yet the god survived. From then on, he despised his people. Do you think such a being still deserves to be called a god?"
"Can his eyes heal?" Chao Musheng countered. "After all his suffering for his people, if all he does is resent them without retaliation—isn’t that what a god should be?"
It’s no different from saying, I’ll still protect them, just without a smile.
"Exactly," Wan You nodded. "I once heard a myth where a god trapped countless humans, forcing them into deadly games. Anyone who displeased it was killed."
If the System’s so-called "God" had any decency, players wouldn’t curse it so much.
"That thing doesn’t deserve the title ‘god,’" Chao Musheng scoffed. "Disgusting premise. It’s just a trafficker—and traffickers deserve to die."
"You’re right," Wan You gasped. "That trash is just a trafficker!"
General Manager Chen glared at Wan You, who flinched. "I’m insulting a fictional monster. Why are you mad?"
"I dislike rudeness."
"That’s a lie," Chao Musheng sidestepped as the dog lunged at him. "You seem quite fond of yourself."
"Such a pitiful dog, yet Mr. Chao refuses to help," General Manager Chen eyed the bloodstains. "How heartless."
"No one’s watching anyway," Chao Musheng glanced at Wan You. "And Wan You won’t tell."
"Huh?" Wan You didn’t understand why Chao Musheng avoided the dog but played along. "Right, I won’t tell."
It was strange—the road remained deserted.
Silence fell. The dog, which had been struggling toward Chao Musheng, suddenly stilled.
"Chao Musheng," General Manager Chen said coldly, "have you considered that Su Chenzhu is only with you to take something? Your vitality, perhaps. Or your luck."
"Out of everyone, why would he want mine?" Chao Musheng smiled. "If true, that makes me special to him. If false, you’re just a liar with no morals."
Wan You gaped. What an unshakable romantic.
General Manager Chen gritted his teeth. "Don’t you wonder what kind of person needs another’s vitality?"
"You’re the one making claims. Why should I believe you?" Chao Musheng found this absurd. "Why would I trust you—who’ve schemed against me—over my own boyfriend? Do I look stupid?"
Wan You watched General Manager Chen’s face flush then pale, as if he might faint from rage.
"A smart man like you should see the truth about those around him," General Manager Chen said, regaining composure. His tone turned coaxing. "I’ll be waiting for the day you learn it."
After speaking, he scooped up the injured puppy and tossed it into a pet carrier before turning to leave with long strides.
"Hey, weren't you looking for a rescue shelter?" Wan You waved his hand. "Not saving the dog anymore?"
General Manager Chen walked away without looking back.
A few classmates cycled past on their bikes, a couple sat shoulder-to-shoulder under a tree whispering to each other, and the street returned to its usual liveliness.
The bloodstains left by the puppy were hidden beneath fallen leaves, leaving no trace behind.
Chao Musheng nudged the leaves aside with the tip of his shoe. The bloodstains had faded, nearly vanishing. Ants crawled straight over the faint marks, hurrying toward the corpse of a larva.
"What are you looking at?" Wan You searched the ground but only saw a swarm of ants.
"Nothing." Chao Musheng straightened up. "Let’s go back to the dorm and rest."
The bloodstains had completely disappeared.
Was this a revival of last century’s classic scams, or was there another reason?
Back in the dorm, lying on his bed, Chao Musheng received over a dozen photos from Su Chenzhu.
[Su Chenzhu: Chaochao, which outfit do you think looks best on me?]
[Chaomu: They all look great. I’m wearing a light gray hoodie today, so how about the white shirt paired with the silver-gray vest? That one makes you look elegant and refined, and it matches my outfit too.]
[Su Chenzhu: Okay.]
Su Chenzhu set his phone aside, shoved the other clothes to one side, and carefully hung up the silver-gray vest, leaving plenty of space around it.
"Boss." Secretary Liu knocked and entered, holding a stack of photos. "Someone spotted General Manager Chen near Jinghua University, and he made contact with Xiao Chao."
Su Chenzhu took the photos. When he saw the image of the puppy, all color and joy drained from his face.
"Boss, are you alright?" Secretary Liu noticed his boss’s unusual reaction.
"It’s nothing." The photos crumpled in Su Chenzhu’s grip as he closed his eyes and sat down in his chair. "Secretary Liu, leave me alone for a while."
"Understood, Boss." Secretary Liu studied his boss’s expression carefully before tiptoeing out of the office.
Back in his own office, after a moment of hesitation, he took the initiative to call Chao Musheng.
"Brother Liu?" Chao Musheng answered. "What’s up?"
"It’s a personal matter." Secretary Liu paused before continuing. "Ever since General Manager Chen deliberately sent Luo Yixuan to the film department last time, the boss has been worried he might try to harm you again. So he arranged for someone to keep an eye on Chen. Today, the person tailing him sent over some photos. After seeing them, the boss seemed... upset."
"Got it. Thanks, Brother Liu." Chao Musheng hung up, packed his things, and headed out.
"Old Fourth, where are you going?" Old Third called after him. "Professor Zhang’s class is this afternoon, and he’s taking attendance."
"Don’t worry, I’ll call him to ask for leave." Chao Musheng opened the dorm door. "See you after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Alright, have a great holiday." Second Brother looked up from his computer. "Bring us back some good food."
"Sure, I’ll bring local specialties from my hometown when we’re back."
"Wait, you’re going home?" Old Third was surprised. "Aren’t you and Su Chenzhu in the honeymoon phase? If you go home for the holiday, what about him?"
"He’s coming with me."
"Wow!" The three roommates gasped in unison. Worried they’d disturb the neighboring dorms, Chao Musheng quickly shut the door.
"So you’re taking your boyfriend home to meet the parents." Old Third gave a thumbs-up. "Su Chenzhu’s been flaunting his relationship with you all over the company’s official accounts with giveaways, and now you’re taking him home. You two are a match made in heaven."
"Thanks for the compliment." Chao Musheng checked the time. "But my heavenly match is in a bad mood right now, so I need to go cheer him up."
With that, he opened the door and hurried off.
"Love really is a person’s weakness," Old Third mused, shaking his head. "Our Old Fourth rarely skips class."
"Secretary Liu." Su Chenzhu stepped out of his office, dressed in the silver-gray vest Chao Musheng had picked for him. "I’m leaving early today. Contact me by phone if anything comes up."
"Understood, Boss."
"The boss is dressed so sharply today," one assistant whispered to a colleague as they watched him leave. "Putting in this much effort—could it be a meet-the-parents situation?"
"You’re absolutely right." Secretary Liu raised an eyebrow. "He’s going home with Assistant Chao to meet his family tonight."
The entire executive office was stunned. Meeting the parents already?!
Su Chenzhu drove away from Kunlun Tower, heading straight for Jinghua University.
Despite Beijing’s notorious traffic, the roads today were unusually clear, cutting his travel time by nearly half an hour.
But just as he was about to arrive, a car suddenly swerved and crashed into his.
BANG!
The deafening collision echoed through the air, yet the people around acted as if nothing had happened, continuing with their business undisturbed.
Su Chenzhu stepped out of the wrecked car, carefully smoothing the wrinkles on his vest. He couldn’t afford to be impolite—he was meeting Chao Musheng’s parents tonight.
"You came after all. It’s just a shell—why bother?" General Manager Chen stood atop the ruined car, glaring at Su Chenzhu with burning envy. "The energy of this world is so potent."
If it could devour this world’s energy, it would regain its former strength.
"Move." Su Chenzhu removed his glasses. "I don’t speak to homeless abominations."
"What do you, a weak native, know? I am the Infinite God, born of the void!" General Manager Chen’s eyes turned blood-red. "Everything exists to serve me."
"So you’re a homeless thief with no shame." Su Chenzhu’s voice was calm. "Pathetic."
The air around them twisted and warped without wind, and cracks began forming on General Manager Chen’s body.
"You won’t get rid of me so easily in your weakened state." Hatred burned in Chen’s voice. "Once you die, this world will become my nourishment."
Having lost most of his power, he had snuck into this world by possessing a human body, only to find himself even weaker. He had assumed Su Chenzhu was similarly diminished, but the man had quietly regained much of his strength.
Su Chenzhu had no interest in further conversation. Behind General Manager Chen, a black rift appeared—a forced expulsion channel.
Chen’s face paled as his flesh began peeling away, revealing a round, grotesque form with a single lonely tentacle.
[Ding!]
All players in the Infinite Space received a system notification:
[Invasion dungeon opening in one minute. All players, prepare.]
"No one can come near here." General Manager Chen—no, the so-called "Main God"—watched as blood seeped from a wound on Su Chenzhu’s hand. "Even gods can die. Is it worth sacrificing so much for these worthless creatures?"
A ringtone cut through the tension—Su Chenzhu’s phone. He hurled the Main God into the wreckage, wiped the blood from his hand, and answered the call.
"Impossible!"
The tentacles of the Lord God writhed madly—how could a phone call penetrate the divine realm he had created?
Staggering to his feet, the countless eyes covering his body spun uncontrollably. Energy—he needed energy!
