Chapter 10 - 8: The Villa Incident

Chapter 10: Chapter 8: The Villa Incident

In a corner hidden from any surveillance cameras.

A figure had already changed clothes. She also wore a face mask, sunglasses, and a baseball cap, making it impossible for anyone to recognize her as Xia Yu.

"Hi, can you help me buy some sulfur? I’ll give you an extra five hundred yuan for the trouble."

"For real?"

"Here’s two hundred. I’ll give you the other three hundred when you get back."

"Okay."

About ten minutes later.

The sulfur was acquired.

In another corner hidden from surveillance cameras.

"Hi, can you help me buy some saltpeter? I’ll give you an extra five hundred yuan for the trouble."

"Hey beautiful, can I get your WeChat?"

"Sure."

"Wait for me."

About ten minutes later.

The saltpeter was acquired.

"Beautiful, should I scan you?"

"Get lost."

"What’s with your tone..."

A pure black Butterfly Knife danced between Xia Yu’s fingers. The movements were fluid and cool. Finally, it grazed the man’s scalp and shot into the tree trunk behind him.

"Sounds so lovely."

"Farewell."

The man’s legs went weak with fear. He stumbled, turned, and fled.

After sprinting for a dozen meters or so, he looked back, but the tall, beautiful woman was nowhere to be seen.

「A day later, night fell once again.」

Large, feathery snowflakes fell from the sky, and a bitter north wind howled.

It was the first heavy snow of the winter. The streets were deserted late at night.

Once Xia Tian was sound asleep, Xia Yu slipped away quietly.

Far from home, in a place with no surveillance cameras, she found a Changan CS75 Plus, easily opened its door, started the car, and sped toward the suburbs.

’After ten years in the Apocalypse, skills like these were practically essential.’

「Inside a detached villa.」

Chu Quan, Nie Xiaoyu, and the four others had long since finished eating and drinking. With soft music playing in the background, they had played a murder mystery game for a while. Now, the four men had started a game of mahjong, while the two women sat to one side, chatting softly.

They were completely oblivious to the figure that had slipped into the villa.

And they certainly didn’t notice the faint mist gathering outside the windows.

"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. I can’t believe Brother Quan and Sister Yu are together. Back then, the two of you had a bit of a falling-out over that great beauty, Xia Yu."

Li Xiaopeng glanced at a photo frame on the table. It was a picture of Chu Quan and Nie Xiaoyu taken at a popular café for couples. The two of them took up most of the frame, with other couples interacting sweetly in the background. It was a very romantic scene, enough to make anyone envious.

At least, a bachelor like him was very envious.

"That’s all in the past."

A glint flashed in Chu Quan’s eyes.

Back then, he’d been in love with Xia Yu and hadn’t given Nie Xiaoyu a second thought. Unfortunately... he pursued Xia Yu for a long time but never won her over. Meanwhile, Nie Xiaoyu had been pursuing him relentlessly, so he eventually chose to be with her.

Nie Xiaoyu looked slightly uncomfortable at the mention of Xia Yu’s name, but she did her best to maintain a natural, blissful expression.

"Yeah."

Zhang Chi didn’t notice anything odd about Chu Quan or Nie Xiaoyu. Instead, he wrapped his arm around Yu Xiaoxiao, who was beside him, and said with a sly grin, "Brother Peng is the only one who can’t be caught, even when the girl does the chasing."

An embarrassed look appeared on Yu Xiaoxiao’s face.

"Screw you."

Li Xiaopeng was even more embarrassed. He nudged Zhang Chi with his fist. "If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all."

Back in the day, Yu Xiaoxiao was his deskmate. She often got him lunch, and he often helped her with schoolwork. They interacted a lot, their hands occasionally brushing against each other, leaving them blushing for ages.

Who would have thought.

That was the Peak of his life so far. He hadn’t been that close to a woman since.

"Mahjong."

Just then, Huo Shuya adjusted his glasses and shouted excitedly, "Pay up! Pay up!"

"How did you win again?"

"How many hands is that?"

Li Xiaopeng was thoroughly annoyed. He grumbled as he pulled out his money.

’Nothing’s going right today.’

’I have to watch all this lovey-dovey crap and lose money. I really don’t know why I even came to this reunion.’

"Brother Peng, there are ladies present. Why are you cursing?"

Zhang Chi smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Now you know why you don’t have a girlfriend, right?"

"I heard you’re pursuing our goddess, Xia Yu? So brave of you!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Especially the two girls.

Li Xiaopeng froze, and then the corner of his mouth twitched violently.

’Fuck.’

’Isn’t this just because your girlfriend used to have a crush on me in high school?’

’Do you really have to target me like this?’

"Xia Yu and I are just ordinary friends, it’s not what you think... Forget it."

"I’m done playing."

He pushed the mahjong tiles away, stood up, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window.

He was startled when he thought he saw a slender silhouette flash past in the darkness, but when he looked closely, there was no dark figure at all.

’Are my eyes playing tricks on me?’

Li Xiaopeng stared for a moment, then couldn’t help but rub his eyes. He still saw nothing.

Then, he heard footsteps. He turned his head, and a familiar face seemed to float before him.

"What the fuck!"

"Xia Yu!"

Li Xiaopeng jumped in fright. Looking closer, he saw the face was attached to a neck and a body. He just didn’t know when the living room lights had been turned off. Because of the angle, the moonlight only illuminated Xia Yu’s face.

That’s why it looked like a disembodied face.

"Phew."

He breathed a sigh of relief, licked his dry lips, and asked nervously, "When did you get here?"

Xia Yu: "I’ve been here the whole time, don’t you remember? I was just sitting next to Xiao Yu, chatting with her."

Li Xiaopeng thought back carefully and, to his surprise, he could actually recall a memory of Xia Yu sitting and chatting with Nie Xiaoyu. But he still felt like something was off. In the end, he just scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Look at my memory, I actually forgot."

"By the way, how is your brother’s illness? Do you need my help contacting a doctor? I know quite a few leading specialists."

A worried expression crossed Xia Yu’s face. "Don’t ask. He’s been looking worse and worse these past two days. Do you have time? Why don’t we go check on him now?"

"Now?"

Thinking that this party was pointless anyway, with everyone just ’showing off,’ Li Xiaopeng hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Let me just tell Brother Quan and the others, then we can go."

Xia Yu said, "They’re all asleep already. Let’s not disturb them. We should just go."

Li Xiaopeng nodded. "Alright."

But just as he was about to step out the villa’s main door, he suddenly froze.

Outside the door.

Xia Yu gave a faint smile and asked, "What’s wrong? Let’s go."

Looking at the smile on her face, Li Xiaopeng was suddenly overcome with a horrifying, bone-chilling feeling. He slammed the door shut.

Instantly, the scene before his eyes changed.

He was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window again. Through it, he could vaguely see a thick mist. He gasped for breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a lingering sense of fear. "Thank god I was quick-witted. If I’d actually stepped out that door..."

Li Xiaopeng shook his head hard, an expression of disbelief on his face.

’What the hell just happened?’

’A dream?’

’But I wasn’t asleep!’

*Thump.*

The sound of a footstep came from behind him.

Li Xiaopeng instinctively turned his head. A familiar face floated before him. "Xia Yu!!!"

His eyes flew wide open.

...

...

「Meanwhile.」

"Is Brother Peng angry? Tsk, tsk... looks like I hit a sore spot. Haha..."

A trace of contempt flashed in Zhang Chi’s eyes. He glanced at the time and said, "Since we’re not playing anymore, let’s just go to bed. It’s getting late."

They were all staying here tonight, something they had arranged in advance.

Everyone started yawning. They discussed it for a moment and agreed.

Zhang Chi looked at Li Xiaopeng’s glum expression, raised the hand he was holding, and said with a smile, "Goodnight, Brother Peng."

Seeing the murderous look in Li Xiaopeng’s eyes, he just laughed loudly and returned to the east-side room on the second floor.

"The first half of the night was great."

Lying in bed, Zhang Chi looked at the curvy silhouette with her back to him. A knowing smile spread across his lips as he pressed up against her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He took a deep sniff of her fragrant hair and said, "How about you let me enjoy the second half of the night too?"

"Stop it. I’m going to take a bath first."

With that, Yu Xiaoxiao pushed Zhang Chi away, grabbed a change of clothes, and left the room. She headed for the second-floor bathroom, which had a separate wet and dry area, planning to enjoy a nice soak in the tub.

After waiting for a while, Zhang Chi’s energy returned, but a heat was building in his lower abdomen. He couldn’t hold back any longer. He crept out of his room and saw that the lights in everyone else’s rooms were off. His smile widened. He was about to knock on the bathroom door but was surprised to find it swung open with a light push.

"Tsk, tsk."

’This little vixen. She must be impatient too, leaving the door open for me on purpose.’

He pushed the door open and walked in, and then...

"Uh... Nie Xiaoyu?"

Seeing the woman with an even more impossibly perfect figure, he jumped. He reluctantly turned his back and explained, "Sorry, I thought Xiao Xiao was in here. She must have gone to the first-floor bathroom. Uh... I’ll just leave."

The image of that pale white body kept flashing in his mind. Zhang Chi’s mouth went dry, but he didn’t dare to linger.

Chu Quan’s energy was too great.

If he offended him, he’d be screwed.

But in the next moment.

A warm, damp body wrapped around him from behind.

Zhang Chi trembled all over. His heart began to race. As he felt the person behind him, his rational mind was violently assaulted, on the verge of shattering at any moment.

"Chu Quan is already asleep."

A soft, sweet voice whispered in his ear, and Nie Xiaoyu’s unique fragrance drilled into his nostrils.

His rationality shattered.

Zhang Chi turned into a beast...