Chapter 21: This Time, We've Stirred Up a Hornet's Nest!
Zhang Hualei's sharp eyes swept over the crowd, finally settling on Song Mingjie. He strode forward with a polished smile. "Mingjie! I thought you might skip out. Glad you showed—let's grab a drink. Wait, why aren't you wearing your jacket? Going for the 'shirtless bad boy' look? Bold move. I like it." He reached out to clap Song's shoulder.
Song dodged, snorting. "Ran into two Koreans earlier. Yapping about how their taekwondo 'dominates the world' and we Beitian folks should 'bow down and learn.' So I clocked 'em with a brick. They're probably still twitching on the sidewalk. Told bystanders—help 'em, and you get the same treatment. No exceptions."
A nervous murmur rippled through the crowd. Only Song Mingjie could turn a street brawl into a bragging right.
Zhang forced a laugh. "Atta boy. Teach those loudmouths a lesson. Next time, call me—I'll bring popcorn." Privately, he winced. Dealing with Song's violence was like herding cats—messy, unpredictable.
Song jerked a thumb at Wu. "This is Wu Yifan. The guy I was telling you about. Total badass."
Zhang's smile faltered. "Wu… *ge*?" (Elder brother—a term of respect, rarely used for strangers.) He sized Wu up, skepticism etched on his face. This kid looked ordinary—no entourage, no flashy watch. Why was Song sucking up?
"Turns out he's the 'Running Emperor,'" Song muttered, low enough for only Zhang to hear.
Zhang's eyes widened. *That* Running Emperor? The guy who outran a motorcycle and took a pipe to the chest like it was a tap? No wonder Song was impressed. He pasted on a grin, extending a hand. "Wu ge! An honor. I've heard so much—let's go inside. Drinks are on me."
Wu's expression stayed neutral. "Just a regular guy. Trying to live a quiet life, y'know?"
"Of course, of course," Zhang gushed, pulling out a pack of premium Zhonghua cigarettes. "Smoke?"
Wu snagged the half-full pack. "Thanks."
Zhang's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. He ushered them inside, where the ballroom buzzed with chatter. Waiters circulated with trays of caviar and champagne, while a jazz band played soft tunes in the corner.
"What's *really* going on?" Ye hissed, pinching Wu's arm. "Song and Zhang—they don't suck up to anyone. Especially not security guards."
"Maybe they're fans," Wu joked, rubbing his arm.
"Fans? Of *you*? Please." Ye rolled her eyes, but there was a flicker of curiosity. "You're hiding something. Spill."
"Swear it's nothing. Just… ran into Song's goons once. Beat 'em up. End of story."
Ye crossed her arms. "And they *liked* that? Please. Men like Song don't 'like' getting humiliated."
Wu opened his mouth to argue, but a familiar voice cut in:
*"Master, shall we activate the second task?"*
"Not now," Wu thought, panicking. "I'm busy—"
*"Apologies, Master. Second task activated. Scanning complete."*
A flood of text appeared in his mind:
*Task: Embrace Ye Xiwen in the boldest, most passionate way possible.*
*Deadline: 4 hours.*
*Reward: 4–14 enhancement points (based on performance) + 1 new enhancement attribute.*
Wu froze.
A *hug*? Bold? Passionate? With Ye Xiwen, who'd spent the morning lecturing him about "professionalism"?
This was worse than confessing. This was a death wish.
Ye noticed his pale face. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Nothing," Wu croaked, forcing a smile. "Just… hungry. Let's get food."
He grabbed a plate, his hands shaking. 4 hours. A bold hug. In front of half of Beitian's elite.
If he failed, no points. No new attribute. And with Song Mingjie's fight tomorrow? He'd be defenseless.
But if he succeeded… 14 points. Enough for agility ×10, maybe even something new.
Wu glanced at Ye, who was chatting with a group of club owners, her laugh bright, her posture confident.
How do you hug *that* woman—boldly, passionately—without getting slapped?
He swallowed hard.
This time, he'd really捅 a hornet's nest.
And he had 4 hours to figure out how.Chapter 21: This Time, We've Truly Stirred Up a Hornet's Nest!
Zhang Hualei's sharp eyes scanned the crowd gathered outside, finally settling on Song Mingjie. He strode over with a genial smile. "Mingjie, I thought you might skip out today. Glad you showed—let's head inside for a drink. Wait, why aren't you wearing your jacket? Going for the bare-armed look? Bold choice, I like it!" He reached out, ready to pull Song inside.
"Hell, ran into two Koreans earlier," Song drawled, sidestepping Zhang's hand. "They were yammering about how their taekwondo 'rules the world' and we Beitian folks should all bow down to learn it. I clocked 'em with two bricks—they're probably still twitching on the sidewalk. Warned the bystanders: help those pricks, and you get the same treatment. No exceptions."
A nervous murmur rippled through the crowd. Only Song Mingjie—Beitian's reigning bully—could turn a street brawl into a bragging point.
Zhang竖起大拇指 (thumbs up),chuckling. "That's the spirit! Teach those loudmouths a lesson. Next time, call me—I'll come watch." Privately, he winced. Dealing with Song's temper was like herding cats—messy, unpredictable.
Song jerked a thumb at Wu. "This is Wu Yifan. The guy I was telling you about. Total badass—even had the guts to hit on Ye Xiwen."
Zhang's smile flickered. "Wu… *ge*?" (Elder brother—a term of respect, rarely used for strangers.) He sized Wu up, skepticism plain. This kid looked ordinary—no flashy watch, no entourage. Why was Song sucking up?
"Turns out he's the Running Emperor," Song muttered, low enough for only Zhang to hear.
Zhang's eyes widened. *That* Running Emperor? The guy who outran a motorcycle and took steel pipes to the chest like they were feathers? No wonder Song was impressed. He pasted on a grin, extending a hand. "Wu ge! An honor. Let's head inside—drinks are on me."
Wu's expression stayed neutral. "Just a regular guy. Trying to live quietly, y'know?"
"Of course, of course," Zhang gushed, pulling out a pack of premium Zhonghua cigarettes. "Smoke?"
Wu snagged the half-full pack. "Thanks."
Zhang's jaw twitched, but he bit back a retort. He ushered them inside, where the ballroom buzzed with chatter. Waiters circulated with trays of caviar and champagne, while a jazz band played soft tunes in the corner.
"What's *really* going on?" Ye hissed, pinching Wu's arm. "Song and Zhang—they don't suck up to anyone. Especially not security guards."
"Maybe they're fans," Wu joked, rubbing his arm.
"Fans? Of *you*? Please." Ye rolled her eyes, but curiosity flickered in her gaze. "You're hiding something. Spill."
"Swear it's nothing. Ran into Song's goons once, beat 'em up. That's it."
Ye crossed her arms. "And they *liked* that? Men like Song don't 'like' getting humiliated."
Wu opened his mouth to argue, but a familiar voice cut through his thoughts:
*"Master, shall we activate the second task?"* Xue'er's silky voice echoed in his mind.
"Activate," Wu thought, distracted. But panic hit a second later. "Wait—no! Hold off, I'm busy—"
*"Apologies, Master. Second task activated. Scanning complete."*
A flood of text materialized in his mind:
*Task: Embrace Ye Xiwen in the boldest, most passionate manner possible.*
*Deadline: 4 hours.*
*Status: Incomplete.*
*Reward: 4–14 enhancement points (based on performance) + 1 new enhancement attribute.*
Wu froze.
A *hug*? Bold? Passionate? With Ye Xiwen—who'd spent the morning lecturing him about "professionalism"?
This was worse than confessing. This was a death wish.
Ye noticed his pale face. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Nothing," Wu croaked, forcing a smile. "Just… hungry. Let's get food."
He grabbed a plate, his hands shaking. Four hours. A bold, passionate hug. In front of half of Beitian's elite.
If he failed, no points, no new attribute. And with Song Mingjie's fight tomorrow? He'd be defenseless.
But if he succeeded… 14 points. Enough for agility ×10, maybe even something game-changing.
Wu glanced at Ye, who was chatting with a group of club owners—her laugh bright, her posture confident, her guard up.
How do you hug *that* woman—boldly, passionately—without getting slapped?
He swallowed hard.
This time, he really had stirred up a hornet's nest.
And he had four hours to figure out how to survive it.