They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"Wow, is this a hint?"

Wu Yuehua sighed softly to herself. She hadn't thought much about what she said, but she didn't find it offensive either. However, Ning Ruoyu's teasing question, "Is this an implication?" was probably a very subtle way of rejecting the question.

My junior is incredibly smart, and he's always obsessively sensitive to changes in people's hearts. Even if others haven't realized it themselves, he can always immediately understand what they're thinking and then manipulate or express his opinion through words or actions.

Most people who interact with him will feel a sense of powerlessness, as if they are being forced to accept his lower status.

“If it’s said like that, then it can’t be an implication, right?” Wu Yuehua neither admitted nor denied it.

“That’s true,” the boy said with a smile. “The standard answer would probably be ‘the wind is gentle,’ but for me, I would probably mention the stars.”

"Stars, what does that mean?"

"Not the kind in a zoo. You see, when the moonlight is beautiful, the stars are quite rare. After all, the ancients said, 'The moon is bright, but the stars are few.'"

Ning Ruoyu, like Wu Yuehua, looked up at the sky.

"When the moonlight is beautiful, the stars are never there."

Wu Yuehua looked at the boy. He was right beside her, but he seemed like a distant star, shining with a warm and comforting light, while she herself was as fleeting as the moon.

"...Am I a spoilsport?" Ning Ruoyu turned her head and smiled gently at Wu Yuehua.

The girl suddenly understood why the younger girls in the club were always so noisy. This boy was too cunning, stirring up other people's emotions while maintaining their distance.

Your hair is messy.

Wu Yuehua suddenly said to Ning Ruoyu.

"Eh..." Ning Ruoyu was taken aback at first, then smiled. Just as she was about to reach out to touch her, she saw her senior take a step forward.

"Don't move. I'll take care of it for you."

"What?...I can do it myself."

"Don't move." Wu Yuehua emphasized again, and Ning Ruoyu finally stopped resisting.

The girl raised her hand and gently brushed the boy's hair aside.

"...Hmm, it seems this is the only way you'll behave."

[Next chapter preview: "What other shocking remarks has that cat made this time?"]

"Isn't this wonderful?"

"Ugh, never mind. I don't really want to."

Clearly, compared to something as trivial as defeating evil forces, getting into the top 500 is more important to me.

Chapter 113: I'm waiting for the assembly cooldown, what are you waiting for?

Feeling somewhat desperate after being so openly touched on the head by senior Wu Yuehua.

Can this world ever get better? Even Wu Yuehua has started harassing young boys. I'm despairing of this horrible world!

Alcohol is truly harmful. Jiuhua Kingdom still needs to improve its alcohol control. Look at America, she can be surrounded by smoke, but no one under 21 can drink alcohol—if that imposter "Wusui'an" saw this, he would definitely praise Donut's wisdom.

"My hair was just messed up by the wind... but maybe it's just my imagination. Senior, have you been touching it for a little too long?"

If I hadn't checked that my senior's hands were clean, I would have suspected that she was playing a prank and dyed my hair.

So I brought up the question tactfully.

Senior Wu Yuehua... Her cheeks had been flushed all night, so it was impossible to tell if there was any change. She just smiled and withdrew her hand.

"Hmm, that's much better. As expected, Junior Qiu Luxi was right."

"What shocking things has that cat said?"

Honestly, I'm very curious.

"It's that one, the one by Haruki Murakami." The senior student changed the subject. "The junior student said that if someone's hair is messy, they should hold them down and fix it properly, instead of thinking about other things."

"?"

This cat is too violent! I think it needs to be disciplined properly sometime.

"Because cats sometimes lick themselves without knowing how to groom themselves, they are prone to getting sick in modern society if they are not groomed in time."

"She's talking about cats, isn't she?!"

My hair... was it just mistaken for cat hair...?

Senior Wu Yuehua laughed, "Oh dear, I can't hear you, I can't hear you! I'm drunk tonight, so I don't know anything~"

Looking at my senior who was showing me another side of herself, I finally shook my head, smiled bitterly, and gave in.

After all, although I reached some agreements with that imposter, I never thought that guy would abide by any so-called unspoken rules.

Having her weakness discovered by the worst person must have been incredibly nerve-wracking for Senior Wu Yuehua. How can I criticize her for joking around to ease her anxiety? Should I criticize her courage to try and hide her vulnerability?

--but.

I looked behind me. He's probably left peacefully by now. So I'm at peace now too.

Since we've already achieved our goal for tonight, and we've run into each other by chance, let's not leave.

A smile appeared on her lips, but no, she had to restrain herself.

There's no need to be happy about dealing with such minor figures and small organizations.

"Senior, I have a small suggestion for what to do next."

……

"Hey, Brother Ning~"

"You seem to be in a good mood?"

"Haha, of course. Thanks to you, this time the harvest is even better than last time."

The man with the gold teeth grinned at me, seemingly already in the habit of ordering my coffee in advance.

I'm really grateful, because I just bought a guitar and now I need to save up for bed repairs, so I'm a bit strapped for cash.

"Calm down, calm down, your gold teeth are showing." I picked up my coffee. "I have to go to the boss's place for rehearsal later, so get to the point."

“No problem. The trap you designed was very effective. Although that idiot who was released was tricked many times, he still managed to expose their general location under the tracking of the skilled people I found.”

"Isn't this wonderful?"

I laughed.

Back on the mountain, "Wu Sui'an" made a mistake. I didn't release him because I had no other choice, but to make him realize that I truly had no other option.

When I spotted this guy, I immediately told Uncle Gold Tooth to find the most elite guys he could find to come to this area. I also gave them instructions on how to hide. I sent the message on my phone while we were going up the mountain.

On his way back, Wu Sui'an encountered a group of office workers riding bicycles home, a young couple whispering on the subway, an uncle buying cigarettes at a convenience store, and a playboy rich kid with two girls—these characters, who appeared at night without seeming out of place, were actually actors who had prepared in advance.

The reason I talked to him for so long was so that Uncle Gold Tooth could better arrange the members, since costumes and props take time—I really don't know why that guy was so serious.

I'm waiting for the CD, what is he waiting for?

Talking to him made him feel like I had no backup plan, and that bullshit gentleman's agreement about not revealing secrets... LOL, what is a gentleman? Apart from white, who in black and gray would take that seriously?

As for white... well, there's no gentlemanly talk between you and criminals. So actually, all three industries are pretty... well, you know.

I'm even less of a believer in agreements than he is. We're really going backwards; how does he think I survived in that other world?

"However, he's probably only made a connection; he hasn't yet gotten to the real deal. But it's alright. We have such a huge advantage right now, and the white side is even more anxious than we are. Their attitude towards us is more friendly and cooperative than ever before." Uncle Gold Tooth felt the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes smooth out.

I shouldn't have imagined this guy was the same age as Chu Qingya. Or is the landlady really that childish...? Ah, I feel like the landlady would puff up her cheeks and get angry if she heard that. So, the acceptable age range for women is really a mystery; too high or too low is no good.

"We can discuss your professional achievements later—now, can you tell me about yesterday's arrest operation?"

If he kept going, he'd start making empty promises. I quickly interrupted his recitation.

"Speaking of which, that's impressive!" The man with the gold teeth gave me a thumbs up. "How did you guess they would frantically search for people in the surrounding hotels and rental apartments?"

"I just said it offhand. Anyway, it's you guys who are busy."

"???"

“Just kidding. I’ve only dealt with guys involved in this industry,” I said with a laugh. “Don’t think of them as beings that understand human language. Morality and shame are even less relevant to them—beasts, beasts, you know?”

"For those mad beasts, they might temporarily give way if they're not confident. But once they feel they have the ability and power, they can't wait to tear someone's throat. They're the kind of creatures that only know the difference between strong and weak."

“Even if they can’t find her at home in this situation, they will probably keep searching in the surrounding hotels and rental houses. After all, if the senior and her family fall into their hands, the public pressure on the white side will be too great.”

“I don’t know ‘Wu Sui’an,’ but I know the crazy nature of people like him. Temporarily avoiding the limelight? That’s impossible for them. They’re incredibly willing to take risks when it comes to profit.”

I gritted my teeth. "Especially since the Black Sushi group is essentially the same."

“…I have a question to ask.” The man with the gold teeth suddenly said.

"?"

"Hey, don't you and your sister live next door? Does anyone bother you?"

"...Do you want to know?" I calmed myself down and then said with a smile.

"Ugh, never mind. I don't really want to."

The man with the gold teeth chuckled.

"In short, you did a great job of shifting the blame. Black was already hesitant about getting involved, but what happened last night really slapped them in the face."

"These people are all about appearances and saving face. Now look what happened. They thought it was a secret operation, but we've already notified Black. Black, who was alerted and witnessed it firsthand, can't pretend to be clueless anymore. He can't swallow this insult. This has led them to formally propose 'conditional cooperation' with us today."

"You've managed to unite three rival factions that are at odds with each other yet maintain a balance of power. You're really something, Ning. Why don't you keep working hard so I can experience what it's like to be the prime minister of six kingdoms?"

"Returning the seals of the six kingdoms? Just listening to you talk about it makes me feel like the interests involved are entangled and troublesome to death." My intention was simply to make the three industries hostile to the organization that "Wu Sui'an" belonged to; I didn't want them to cooperate.

The other party tried to coerce Chu Qingya to control Uncle Gold Tooth last time, but Qiu Luxi was implicated, so the gray industry couldn't stay out of it; when it comes to that kind of issue, the white side is definitely on high alert; as for the black side, they are already hostile to outsiders, and now they have witnessed their territory being ignored and searched overnight. As local bullies, they naturally can't swallow this insult.

If all three parties are hostile, then destruction is only a matter of time. Cooperation is merely a means to expedite the process.

However, to achieve such results, Uncle Gold Tooth must have also been involved in managing quite a bit of things.

Instead of indulging in such fantasies, you should think more about the Qiu family's security.

"Speaking of which, to actually hide a woman in a young lady's house, what do you think, young man—that's really too audacious."

The gold-toothed man looked at him with admiration. "It was only after the young lady took the initiative to talk to her family that the old man, though somewhat unhappy, was powerless to do anything about it... Why are the girls who admire you so harmonious? Wouldn't this lead to a family tragedy in real life?"

"You can drink coffee however you want, but don't talk nonsense. What does this have to do with me? Qiu Luxi already knew Senior Wu Yuehua, and the reason she wanted to become a screenwriter was because she admired Senior Wu Yuehua."

I firmly oppose spreading rumors.

"When girls help other girls, don't put all the blame on me."

In Lucheng, aside from the exceptionally isolated Jiang family, where else could be safer than the Qiu family's mansion? And although Maomao's thought process was eccentric, she had always been very friendly to her senior, readily agreeing to the request.

It's a real shame that I don't know the relationship between Miss Qiu and Senior Wu Yuehua. Those people are foreigners after all; they might know a little about Uncle Gold Tooth, but their understanding of the inner workings of Lucheng is lacking.

"In short, after several failed operations, they're not as arrogant as they were at the beginning. They even dared to kidnap my senior, what a bunch of bastards." The gold-toothed uncle seemed to still be indignant about the incident.

"The final stage of the operation will probably take another week or two. The white and black sides are cooperating like never before to investigate the relevant personnel and prepare to take them all down. Although I think it goes without saying that you should be careful of their desperate measures recently—most importantly, the guy you asked me to focus on is a real slippery eel, and there isn't much information about him."

"I think so too." As someone from the same world, I was somewhat prepared for this.

Wu Sui'an was extremely cautious, always providing intelligence and plans but rarely participating in major operations himself. If he had indeed worked in industry in his previous life, he would probably have been the type to leave the dirty and tiring work to his teammates, while he himself would be responsible for guarding the gate and keeping watch, trying to stay out of it.

This kind of personality would never have led to success in one's previous life. But here, it's a good habit of repeatedly running away and protecting oneself.

"...I feel a little sorry for those people. Actually, they were quite well-prepared. The new product is discreet and convenient, and they even planned to use clubs and such to spread it discreetly in universities. They had already reached agreements with buyers. But then they ran into a weirdo like you." The gold-toothed uncle looked at me with a wry smile. "Damn it, don't you think this is fate?"

"Is it just my bad luck? What high school student thinks about this kind of thing all day?" I picked up my coffee with a sigh. "Is there nothing else? If not, I'm leaving now—for me, things like organized crime and new drugs are too far away. My main goal is to win the Hundred Clubs Battle and debut as an idol!"

"……real or fake?"

"Isn't that obvious—of course it's fake. I just want to do what students should do, like enjoy campus life, and hope to get into the top 500 in the next monthly exam..."

Clearly, compared to something as trivial as destroying evil forces, getting into the top 500 is more important to me.

[Next chapter preview: Is something wrong?]

Here, it's better to eat slowly.

We're probably around the same age, so there's no need for such respect.

So please accept this pendant as a testament to our friendship and faith.

Interlude: "The Demon Queen and the Chosen One" (Qiu Luxi's script II)