Chen Ze felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his head, and his pitiful self-esteem and persistence shattered into dust amidst Zhao Mengqi's cold and heartless words.
He staggered, his face ashen, and turned around disconsolately, wanting only to escape this place that made his heart ache, to escape this nightmare that had overturned all his beautiful fantasies.
"Stop."
Just as Chen Ze took a step, almost stepping out of the broken door frame, a lazy voice sounded from behind him.
Lu Xuan had straightened up at some point, dusting off non-existent dust from his sleeves, a half-smile playing on his lips, and his right arm casually extended, precisely blocking Chen Ze's path.
"I told you to scram earlier, but you wouldn't, insisting on jumping out to be a flower protector."
Lu Xuan tilted his head, a hint of mockery in his eyes, "What, now that the show's over, you want to just walk away?"
Chen Ze suddenly looked up, meeting Lu Xuan's unfathomable eyes, and an inexplicable fear gripped him.
He wanted to say something, but found his throat seemed to be blocked.
Lu Xuan, however, didn't give him a chance to speak; his gaze suddenly sharpened, and without giving Chen Ze time to react, a crisp, clean whip kick, accompanied by the sound of cutting wind, swept across!
"Bang!"
A dull thud sounded, accompanied by a bone-chilling crunch of bone cracking.
Chen Ze's body, which he had trained for years and was so proud of, was as fragile as paper in front of Lu Xuan.
He felt an irresistible force coming from his right knee, and excruciating pain instantly swept through his entire body, sending him flying backward like a kite with a broken string, hitting the wall on the other side with a "thud" and then sliding to the ground.
"Ah—my leg! My leg is broken!"
Chen Ze clutched his right leg, letting out a desperate shriek, his forehead instantly covered in large beads of cold sweat, his body curled up on the ground, twitching violently, no longer showing any of his previous arrogance.
Lu Xuan leisurely strolled over to him, looking down from above, his tone flat but carrying an undeniable warning: "Kid, this is a lesson for you today. Don't meddle in affairs that don't concern you. Don't look at people you shouldn't."
After speaking, he grabbed the back collar of Chen Ze's tracksuit with one hand, as if lifting a chick, effortlessly dragging him up, then with a flick of his arm, directly threw the 170-180 pound sports student out.
"Bang!" Another dull thud of a heavy object landing, accompanied by Chen Ze's suppressed groan of pain.
In the office, Zhao Mengqi stood by, her face growing even paler as she watched Lu Xuan's swift and decisive actions.
She opened her mouth, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Lu... Lu Xuan... He... he won't be in trouble, will he? Should we... call an ambulance?"
Lu Xuan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over her coldly, a mocking arc forming at the corner of his mouth: "What? Director Zhao, are you afraid of dead people? Is one more death on your hands going to make a difference?"
Zhao Mengqi trembled all over, choked by his words, and instantly fell silent, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Lu Xuan snorted coldly, his tone chilling, "Director Zhao, I have limited patience. Since you have no value, I don't need to keep your secrets. I think you should explain to the police how Li Yuan and Liu Feiyu 'accidentally' died."
As he spoke, Lu Xuan picked up his phone again, making to dial.
"No!" Zhao Mengqi shrieked, terrified out of her wits, no longer caring about her dignity or composure.
With a "thump," she knelt heavily before Lu Xuan, clutching his calves tightly with both hands.
"Lu Xuan! No! Master! Master, I beg you! Don't call the police!"
Her cheek pressed tightly against Lu Xuan's trouser leg, tears and snot smearing her face, her voice filled with desperate sobs, "I'm useful! I'm really useful! Master, believe me!"
Lu Xuan lowered his eyes, looking at the disheveled, tear-streaked woman at his feet, feeling no pity in his heart, but rather a morbid sense of pleasure.
This is human nature; they don't shed tears until they see the coffin.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone playful, "What else are you useful for? Tell me. If you can't give me a good reason, I don't have time to waste with you here."
Zhao Mengqi, as if grasping at a last straw, suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope flickering in her swollen, red eyes from crying: "Master! I'm a hacker! I... I don't know the exact identity of that person, but he always contacted me through an encrypted, hidden account! I can track his IP address! I can definitely find him!"
She eagerly declared her value, afraid that Lu Xuan would change his mind the next second.
Lu Xuan's eyes flickered slightly at her words, and the fingers holding the phone paused.
He slowly bent down, extended two fingers, and lightly pinched Zhao Mengqi's wet chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze, a mocking arc on his lips: "You cheap whore, do I have to push you this far before you'll tell the truth? Hmm?"
"Slap! Slap!" He backhanded her again, two crisp, loud slaps, mercilessly striking Zhao Mengqi's already swollen cheeks.
"Ugh..." Zhao Mengqi saw stars from the blows, more blood oozing from the corners of her mouth, yet she didn't even dare to think of dodging, instead, with a hint of morbid flattery, she choked out: "Master... Master, you're right to hit me! It's my fault! I'm cheap! I was blind and offended Master! Master, please hit me a few more times to vent your anger! Just don't abandon me..."
She even actively grabbed Lu Xuan's hand and pressed it to her face.
"Enough!" Lu Xuan impatiently pulled his hand back, shaking it as if it had touched something dirty, "Only regretting it now? What were you doing earlier?"
He stood up and glanced at the clock on the wall: "Lunch break is almost over, and there should be more people outside. If you don't want the whole school to see you like this, then get up quickly and explain things clearly."
"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Master! Thank you for not abandoning me!"
Zhao Mengqi felt as if she had received a great pardon, scrambling to her feet from the ground, hastily wiping away the tears and bloodstains on her face, and then hurriedly tidying her messy hair and crooked cheongsam collar.
Although her cheeks were still highly swollen and she looked utterly disheveled, her eyes were astonishingly bright, filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and an almost fanatical admiration and dependence on Lu Xuan.
"Master, come with me!" Zhao Mengqi's voice carried a hint of eager flattery as she quickly walked behind her desk, pulled out her chair, and pointed to the high-end computer, "Master, I didn't become the Director of the Network Information Center just by looks and connections. My... my computer skills, at Yan University, and even nationwide, are among the best!"
"They all call me 'Keyboard Goddess'! That bastard dared to scheme against Master, I'll dig up his entire ancestry!"
As she spoke, she had already quickly booted up the computer, her hands flying across the keyboard, and countless complex codes and windows instantly popped up on the screen. That focus and confidence were completely different from her previous humble, pleading demeanor.
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow, walked behind her, and looked at the dazzling characters on the screen, thinking to himself that this Zhao Mengqi really did have some skills.
It seemed this trip wasn't in vain.