Jiang Shengyao painstakingly arranged for a gathering, only to end up not exchanging more than two words with his goddess from start to finish.
Frustrated and filled with anger, he summoned a group of his mischievous friends to wreak havoc in the gaming world as a way to vent his pent-up fury.
Then, an oblivious kid came along to interrupt him, making his mood even worse.
But, after all, games are just games.
Jiang Shengyao stretched his hands, rotated his neck, gearing up for a fierce session.
Wu Heng noticed the four men following behind Roger. Having mingled in societal undercurrents for years, his keen eye immediately discerned that these four were far from ordinary.
Wu Heng stepped closer to Jiang Shengyao and lowered his voice, "Ayao, don’t act rashly."
But blinded by his rage, Jiang Shengyao brushed aside Wu Heng’s words.
Roger’s expression turned nastier than Jiang Shengyao’s, and with a single stride, he darted toward Jiang Shengyao’s computer, his hands moving swiftly across the keyboard.
"You’ve got some nerve, don’t you?" Jiang Shengyao lunged forward, reaching to grab Roger by the collar, but Seal acted fast, catching Jiang Shengyao’s wrist.
Seal’s physical strength was leagues above what Jiang Shengyao, an unseasoned young man, could compare to. This single grab sent numbness through Jiang Shengyao’s entire arm.
Wu Heng hurried to intervene, trying to ease tensions, "Gentlemen, this is surely a misunderstanding. Let’s all calm down. No need for violence."
But Jiang Shengyao, defiance flaring up, shouted, "If you’ve got guts, kill me now, or I’ll come for you sooner or later!"
Wu Heng looked helpless, signaling subtly for him to shut up.
Seal let out a cold chuckle and was about to teach the brat a lifelong lesson. Just then, Roger slammed down the mouse, his face darkening.
"We’ve been tricked."
He turned to Jiang Shengyao and said, "You clicked on some shady link, didn’t you? Don’t even realize your computer’s been hacked."
Jiang Shengyao cursed, "What I do is none of your damn business!"
Roger gritted his teeth and instructed Seal, "Let him go."
Seal released his grip and took a step back.
Jiang Shengyao shook his numbed arm. Seeing the two of them leaving, he quickly shouted, "You bullied me and think you can just walk away without even apologizing?"
Roger took a deep breath. "Sorry."
Without another word, he turned and left.
Jiang Shengyao kicked the chair hard, "Damn it, what the hell is this?"
Wu Heng tried to soothe him, "Forget it, it was just an accident."
Jiang Shengyao glanced at his computer, recalling Roger’s earlier words.
Could his computer really have been hacked?
Jiang Shengyao’s face grew even darker.
Not even hackers would spare him.
Leng Yunyang lowered his head and chuckled to himself, closing the laptop.
"As expected of Phoenix, even fooled me."
He raised a hand to touch his chin, pondering deeply, "A mere jade pendant – not worth all this effort. What’s the secret behind it?"
Once that person’s identity is uncovered, everything will become crystal clear.
"What do you think? What’s their connection to Phoenix? Or could it be they’re actually the same person?"
Leng Yunyang recalled that slim, black silhouette. For some reason, he felt a hint of familiarity in the figure’s movements.
Standing behind Leng Yunyang, Huang Xiao’s brow twitched faintly, "Young master, why are you so certain that person is Phoenix? Everyone knows Phoenix is solely responsible for Tianlu Bank’s network security and has never acted independently. Perhaps it’s just a hacker imitating Phoenix, their goal merely financial gain."
Leng Yunyang glanced at him with a faint smirk.
The car stopped at the entrance of an alleyway, and a black figure stepped out of the vehicle, disappearing into the shadowy depths.
Late at night, the place was utterly desolate, not even a sliver of light anywhere.
Only sporadic, distant sounds of piling work at a construction site could faintly be heard.
With a creak, a shaky wooden door swung open.
The beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness, illuminating the entire room.
A woman lying on the bed slowly forced her eyes open.
In her pupils, the faint outline of a slender figure drew closer and closer. A muffled, fearful noise escaped her lips.
A hand grabbed the woman by her hair and dragged her off the bed.
Zhou Qin’s eyes widened in terror, staring at the breathtakingly beautiful face close to hers.
In her confusion, she thought it was Zhang Yun coming for her, and her throat let out relentless screams.
Shen You’an remained expressionless, flinging her back onto the bed with force and towering over her. In the shadows, his elongated silhouette stretched across the floor, like the approaching grip of death, bringing an overwhelming sense of dread.
"Zhang Yun, Zhang Yun, I was wrong. Please, I beg you, let me go."
Zhou Qin knelt on the bed, frantically bowing her head in plea.
Shen You’an turned away, sat on an ancient square table, one long leg bent, and retrieved a jade pendant from his robe, rubbing it lightly between his fingers.