Chapter 44: Still Short One Point, Can’t Afford It (Part 1)

  “No!” Zhang Yang shook his head. Going there now would be pointless. The thugs over there were probably hiding from him by now; no way they’d come looking for trouble.

  “Then where are we going?” Qiao Xier stood at the door, sunlight spilling in from behind her, casting a soft glow around her snow-white long legs—dizzyingly beautiful.

  Zhang Yang swallowed and asked back, “In Meining City, where do you think the most bad guys hang out?”

  Qiao Xier pouted. “I don’t know where the bad guys are, but I do see a pervert right in front of me.”

  As soon as she said that, Qiao Xier felt a wave of frustration. Damn it, these past two days, she’d done way too many crazy things with this bastard—wearing miniskirts, flashing herself, even buying an almost-stripper-level evening gown. And all because of him.

  All because of this beast. How could she be so soft-hearted and obedient like some docile little lamb?

  She was still a young lady from a top wealthy family. Just revealing her identity would be enough to scare the hell out of him, and yet he had her doing all this nonsense?

  The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. Finally, she looked at Zhang Yang, and a wave of grievance surged in her chest. She fell silent.

  “Ahem… um… let’s go to the train station first.” Zhang Yang didn’t notice her mood shift. Thinking it over, he figured that was the best option—messy crowds, pickpockets, scammers, maybe even a few opportunities to do good deeds.

  Qiao Xier glanced at him but said nothing. Zhang Yang took her silence as agreement.

  It took about half an hour to drive from her house to the station. The whole way, Qiao Xier was unusually quiet, though she kept glancing at Zhang Yang like she wanted to say something.

  “Senior, you must have a ton of questions right now, huh?” Zhang Yang finally noticed her sour mood and smiled, breaking the silence.

  Qiao Xier just pouted and said nothing, which Zhang Yang took as a yes.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “From yesterday till now, I’ve been asking you to dress sexy. If it was just to inspire me, we could’ve done that in the room. So why go to places like Qianshui Street or the train station? You’re probably really confused, right?”

  Qiao Xier shot him a glare and answered by stepping harder on the gas.

  Zhang Yang grabbed the handle. “Actually, I have my reasons. The goal’s simple—to find chances to act heroic, you know, saving the damsel type stuff.” He glanced over; Qiao Xier’s lips were pursed, eyes on the road, lashes perfectly still. She was listening seriously.

  Zhang Yang smiled. “You’re probably wondering why I’m even doing this. Am I just bored out of my mind?”

  Qiao Xier turned her head, wrinkled her nose, and pouted. “Yeah, are you bored or just hoping for a hero award?”

  “Hehe, you’re talking again. So you *are* mad, huh, senior?”

  “Hmph, as long as you know I’m pissed.” Qiao Xier glanced at the dashboard. “We’re going eighty-five now, but I could hit one-sixty in five seconds. Wanna test me?”

  Zhang Yang went silent. After a moment, he said sincerely, “Here’s the thing, senior. My real goal is to find the gene suppression factor. As for how heroism ties into that, I’ll tell you when the time’s right—but not now. You wouldn’t believe me yet.”

  “That’s it?” Qiao Xier’s face clearly said she wasn’t satisfied. It felt like calm skies turning into a thunderstorm. Zhang Yang instinctively gripped his seat.

  “That’s it, Joyce.” Zhang Yang said her English name seriously. “Unless I can fully trust you, I can’t tell you more.”

  Hearing his serious tone for the first time, Qiao Xier suddenly felt a strange sense of fear, like he was about to leave her at any moment. It made her uneasy.

  She fell silent again. After a while, she looked at him and asked, “When you say full trust… you mean like with Xu Danlu?”

  Zhang Yang thought for a moment, nodded, then shook his head. “Maybe yes, maybe no. I’m not sure.”

  He really wasn’t sure. If someone was a Star Mender with over ninety loyalty points, he’d tell them. But now wasn’t the time—not even Xu Danlu knew everything yet. Deep down, he actually trusted Qiao Xier more.

  “Fine. I believe you’re not lying.” Qiao Xier bit her lip. She wasn’t totally convinced, but her instincts told her Zhang Yang wasn’t lying. That was enough.

  “Thank you, senior.” Zhang Yang looked at her seriously.

  “Ugh, so cheesy!” Qiao Xier rolled her eyes and stomped on the gas. “I’m not done yet. If I find out you lied, I’ll come up with ten thousand ways to make you suffer.”

  Zhang Yang glanced at her and quickly shut his mouth.

  Just as he expected, the train station was full of chaos. All kinds of people were there. They didn’t find any perverts, but after some effort, they caught two pickpockets—earning two points. Then, during lunch, they even caught a human trafficker, earning another point.

  Unfortunately, by sunset, they hadn’t caught anyone else. Helping people with directions or luggage didn’t earn points. And though plenty of men ogled Qiao Xier’s long, pale legs, none dared act. A tall, athletic beauty nearly one-eighty in sneakers was intimidating enough. They weren’t gangsters—just guys looking. And with so many police around, they weren’t risking it.

  As the sky darkened, Zhang Yang grew anxious. He’d thought finding a few thugs in two days would be easy—but now, it was turning into a problem.

  “Maybe I should go home and change clothes?” Seeing Zhang Yang’s bitter face, Qiao Xier hesitated, then suggested.

  Zhang Yang immediately shook his head. Qiao Xier had already done more than enough. Thinking of using her looks again made him feel like trash.

  “Let’s try somewhere else.” He glanced at the darkening sky. If all else failed, they could hit a bar later—plenty of punks there. No way they’d leave without earning one last point.

  Qiao Xier looked at him, nodded, and turned toward the parking lot. Just then, her phone rang. She checked the screen and looked oddly at Zhang Yang. “It’s Professor Shangguan. Probably checking our progress.”

  She picked up, listened for a moment, then quickly hung up. Her expression grew tense. “Professor Shangguan wants us back at the university immediately. The guests arrived early, and it’s tricky—they want to start the discussion tonight.”

  She paused, then added, “Judging by the tone, these guests aren’t here with good intentions.”

  Zhang Yang frowned. Damn it. Still one point short. That hurts.