Chapter 120
Global Tax Collection and Love
Swish.
A red marker drew a circle on the calendar, then Shen Zhuo put down the pen, stood up, and looked at the circled date, his right eyelid still twitching incessantly.
“What day is tomorrow? Why do I feel like something is going to happen?”
“Ah, tomorrow? How come?” Bai Sheng’s confused voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding perplexed yet genuine:
“The crown princess’s paper has won another award, the adoptive son’s final arithmetic exam was a pass, and the United Nations’ protection taxes for our family have gradually been credited. What big thing could happen recently?”
Shen Zhuo: “…”
There was a tearing sound on the other end of the phone, like the sharp noise of flesh being ripped apart.
“Don’t worry, my dear, nothing will happen. It must be because I’ve been on a business trip and not home recently that’s making you overthink.” Bai Sheng’s tone was always calm and composed, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle those fools in Somalia by tonight at the latest, and I can rush back home to cook tomorrow. The jar of drunken crab we pickled ourselves in the fridge should be ready to open by then. Wait for me!”
Shen Zhuo stood in front of the desk, pressing his still ominously twitching right eyelid. Although a bit puzzled, he heard the chime of the clock from the campus outside.
“…I have to go to class.” Professor Shen picked up his computer, turned towards the office door, and emphasized before hanging up:
“Keep it down; don’t go too far.”
Bai Sheng cheerfully: “Okay, mwah!”
The call ended with a click, and Bai Sheng pierced his hand through the pirate’s chest in front of him, his five fingers digging out the heart.
Muscles and blood vessels tore open, revealing a big hole. The pirate’s face was frozen in disbelief at the moment of his death.
Bai Sheng squeezed the heart until it burst, blood splattering everywhere.
He enjoyed the feeling of dominating flesh and blood.
A cruel satisfaction rose from the depths of his soul, rushing through his entire body.
The surroundings seemed to fall silent for a moment, followed by ear-splitting roars and screams. The pirates frantically fired their guns while fleeing in terror. The one in front hadn’t run two steps before being caught by an invisible chain, flying towards Bai Sheng. In the next instant, blood-covered fingers had grasped his throat.
Bai Sheng’s fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles. When he looked down at people, there was even a youthful gentleness. A drop of blood splashed on his handsome cheek, highlighting the curve of his smiling lips: “You must obey the law.”
Then he twisted the opponent’s neck with a backhand.
The throat bone pierced through the skin and flesh of the corpse, and arterial blood spurted out like a fountain!
Bang bang bang bang bang bang!!
Around them, gun barrels spewed frantic fire, followed by a violent explosion above the pirates’ heads. Yang Xiaodao descended like the light of righteousness, protecting the hostage with one hand and throwing several rolling grenades with the other, shouting amidst the shaking ground: “Stop playing—! I blew up the rear, quick, quick, quick, retreat!!”
Bai Sheng turned around in shock: “What are you doing, silly boy? Didn’t we agree to drag out the hours before settling accounts with them? How are we supposed to calculate overtime pay like this?”
Yang Xiaodao was running for his life: “Don’t talk! Calculation error! Run, run, run—!!”
The cave was collapsing, rocks falling like torrential rain. A pirate in the distance struggled to aim his gun at Yang Xiaodao’s back but didn’t have time to pull the trigger. In the nick of time, Bai Sheng, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, glanced at him.
A cold light broke through the air, nailing the throat of the would-be assailant.
The assault rifle and the corpse fell to the ground simultaneously, and the last grenade exploded with a deafening roar, turning the pirates’ lair into ruins.
.
Half an hour later, on the speedboat at sea.
The hostage, who had finally been rescued, was still in shock and huddled in the corner of the deck, crying with a mournful face.
Yang Xiaodao, carrying an assault rifle, was dressed in black, with bloodstains still fresh. His sharp and rebellious features looked a bit fierce. He expressionlessly opened the hostage rescue manual and glanced at a line that read— “If the hostage is emotionally unstable, offer a hot drink and a blanket for comfort.”
So he closed the manual, seriously made a cup of hot tea, considerately took out an army blanket, and forcibly wrapped the terrified hostage tightly in it under the midday sun at forty degrees Celsius on the sea.
“What? The price for rescuing the hostage has already been negotiated, and it’s unethical to raise it temporarily?” Bai Sheng, driving the speedboat with one hand and talking on the phone with the other, had a tuft of silver hair arrogantly fluttering in the wind: “Are you kidding? This hostage is your president. Isn’t it fair to give some overtime pay?”
President: “…”
For a moment, the president felt he was still trapped in the pirate’s lair. After all, the slender and handsome young man in front of him was more professional at extortion than the pirates.
“Do you know how much I sacrificed for this trip? To rescue the hostage safely, my son was seriously injured, bleeding profusely, and almost at death’s door. We have on-site photos as evidence!”
Yang Xiaodao: “…”
Yang Xiaodao looked down at the scratch on the back of his hand that was almost healed—a mark left by the struggling kidnapper before he was strangled to death by him. At that time, Bai Sheng rushed forward, urgently and without hesitation, taking eighteen photos for documentation, because if he had been a few seconds later, it would have healed.
“Even more frightening is that to rescue your president, I was forced to give up another important, mission-critical task concerning the safety of all humanity—”
Bai Sheng took a deep breath, faced the sea wind, and said resolutely, word by word: “Protecting Professor Shen closely!”
Everyone on the other end: “…”
If thoughts could become tangible, everyone’s frantic complaints would have turned into blades, flying out of the phone to slice Bai Sheng into pieces.
“Do you know how important Professor Shen’s future is? Do you know how much tax the United Nations pays me each year to ensure Professor Shen’s safety? Do you know how much effort, toil, and energy I put into protecting Professor Shen 24 hours a day? You know nothing! You don’t even know how much danger Professor Shen faces without my close companionship. He is fragile, weak, and helpless like a flower!”
At this moment, all the officials on the other end felt utterly helpless.
“Your naval fleet was overrun by a bunch of Somali pirates, putting Professor Shen on the other side of the world in danger. How can you justify this for world peace? How can you justify this for global stability? How can you justify this to Professor Shen, who dedicates his life to peace and stability? Each of you should jump off Mount Everest to apologize to all humanity!”
The poor president, who had just been rescued, only wanted to jump off the speedboat and end it all.
“Wire the overtime pay to my account within two hours, or I’ll watch your president suffocate under Yang Xiaodao’s blanket.” Bai Sheng’s stormy tirade ended with a ruthless ultimatum: “Also, my son’s disability compensation should be tripled, with a 2% bank transfer fee added for international wiring. That’s it, bye.”
“…………”
Bai Sheng hung up the satellite phone, casually took off his tactical headset, and Yang Xiaodao finally couldn’t help but ask:
“Since when did you become so obsessed with money?”
“Since your sister decided not to study finance but to make physics her lifelong career,” Bai Sheng replied coldly.
Yang Xiaodao’s silence was deafening.
Bai Sheng was a second-generation rich kid born with a diamond spoon in his mouth. He had a vast business empire left by his parents and an uncle who diligently managed the company. As a result, he spent the first twenty-eight years of his life in debauchery, seeking himself in the sea of thoughts of Heidegger and Wittgenstein, freely and recklessly, until he graduated with a PhD in philosophy.
Then he faced retribution.
The Crown Princess Chu Xiaoyan was even more free-spirited than her scoundrel father. She decided to give up inheriting the company’s management rights and delve into theoretical physics, exploring the universe and the future of humanity.
Bai Sheng finally realized the cruel truth of life:
Living off his daughter for the rest of his life was unrealistic; being leached off by his children was more likely; the only reliable adult in this family who could earn money diligently was himself.
Bai Sheng quickly stripped off his blood-stained combat uniform, changed into a black short-sleeve T-shirt, turned on his phone’s front camera, and critically examined himself for a moment. His charming face sparkled under the scorching sun—the hundreds of whitening masks from Witch Italdo had indeed worked.
He then gave himself a satisfied score of 120 and snapped a selfie, perfectly showcasing his beautiful, robust arms and abs, with the despondent president in the background, his face ashen and body swollen, creating a perfect competitive contrast with himself.
He sent this selfie to Shen Zhuo, imagining how pleased Professor Shen would be when he saw the photo, feeling a sense of smug satisfaction.
“Professor Shen is in class; he won’t look at it,” Yang Xiaodao reminded him coldly.
Bai Sheng responded proudly, “No matter, my handsome and majestic image remains ever-present in his heart.”
The young man squatted on the ground, covering his face with one hand, unable to bear the sight of his glowing, self-confident father.
“Oh, right,” Bai Sheng suddenly remembered something, turned around swiftly, and looked suspiciously at Yang Xiaodao: “You didn’t tell Shen Zhuo that I prepared a surprise gift for our two-year anniversary, did you?”
“No.”
“Then why did he suddenly call me and hint around?”
Yang Xiaodao shrugged to show he didn’t know.
Shen Zhuo’s terrifying intelligence and mental acuity allowed him to remember any important date and key detail like a precision scanner, provided these pieces of information were valuable to him—two-year anniversaries were not.
A second anniversary meeting was the sort of inexplicable thing that would never appear within Shen Zhuo’s realm of recognition. After all, he was someone who couldn’t be bothered to celebrate his own birthday. The fact that he could remember Bai Sheng’s birth date already showed his strong love. As for the first kiss anniversary, the first confession anniversary, the first argument anniversary, and even the first xoxo anniversary that Bai Sheng insisted on celebrating every year… there was no way they could occupy any space in Shen Zhuo’s ever-rapidly-operating mind.
“Something’s off,” Bai Sheng scratched his chin with a finger, “then why would he suspect something is going to happen tomorrow?”
Yang Xiaodao said, “Maybe he really has something going on tomorrow; Professor Shen is very busy.”
Bai Sheng was full of confidence: “Nonsense, what could possibly happen in Shen Zhuo’s life besides the mysterious romantic premium gift I specially prepared for him?”
“……”
Yang Xiaodao suddenly felt a surge of impulse, wanting to ask what that so-called “mysterious romantic premium gift” actually was. After all, Bai Sheng had once made a giant pink cake, sprayed himself with cream, and hid inside it. When an unsuspecting Shen Zhuo was about to cut the cake with a knife, Bai Sheng had burst out, cheerfully shouting “surprise,” almost scaring Antonio, who was about to clap and sing the birthday song, into fainting.
“I’m telling you, be conservative when choosing gifts.” Yang Xiaodao thought about it and couldn’t hold back, cautiously reminding his father, “Last time, Antonio only woke up after Amatullah slapped him seven or eight times. It took twenty minutes of hosing down under the water pipe for Shen Zhuo to get all the cream off you. By the way, what wicked——”
Bai Sheng’s phone rang.
The poor president was already on the verge of collapse from the heat, but every time his tea cooled down, Yang Xiaodao would quickly and considerately refill it with hot tea, afraid that he wouldn’t be comforted enough. Hearing the phone ring, the president felt a sense of relief, eagerly hoping that his subordinates had quickly wired the ransom… the overtime pay to Bai Sheng’s account. But when the call connected, his hope was immediately dashed:
“Hello, Mr. Bai, do you have time now? About the item you instructed to be delivered for tomorrow’s celebration——”
Bai Sheng quickly turned off the speakerphone, wearing a face that said, “Don’t you dare peek at my anniversary gift,” and snuck into the cabin with his phone.
Yang Xiaodao: “???”
The president’s wail echoed across the sea: “Someone quickly pay him the overtime fee aaaaahh——”
From the cabin came Bai Sheng’s cheerful voice: “I have time, I have time. About this gift, here’s my idea. Tonight, make sure to add some decorations. I also need some spray paint…”
·
Click.
Shen Zhuo tossed the infrared pen back onto the lectern.
A soft sound, but it seemed like an iron hammer ruthlessly struck the trembling hearts of the hundreds of students below.
“That concludes the summary and analysis of your exam. My advice to you all is: There’s still time to transfer to another school.”
Professor Shen wasn’t wearing a tie today; his black shirt was slightly unbuttoned at the top, and his cold voice echoed in the lecture hall without a trace of sarcasm.
“Life is precious. Turn back before it’s too late. The fantastical, absurd style, postmodern abstract style, and surreal imagination displayed in your neuroanatomy diagrams all prove that your destination should be the art academy next door. If necessary, I suggest you take your neuroscience papers and apply to this school’s art department. I am willing to personally sign a recommendation letter for each of you.”
The large classroom was as silent as death, and everyone’s head was deeply bowed. Shen Zhuo said indifferently, “Additionally…”
Buzz.
The phone on the lectern vibrated.
Shen Zhuo’s actions didn’t change, he glanced down.
The screen displayed a new message, containing an image, from the contact ID—
[Peak of Humanity · Strongest Handsome Guy · Officially Recognized One and Only for Life by Professor Shen · Bai Sheng].
“……”
Amidst hundreds of gazes, Shen Zhuo, standing high on the lectern, calmly reached out, picked up the phone, and opened the image.
—That face, usually as calm as an ancient well, seemed to show no expression, but the students in the front few rows could swear they saw the cold, elegant lips of Professor Shen, who had never bestowed a single curve to the world, lift slightly by 0.01 centimeters.
After a full twenty seconds of pin-drop silence, Shen Zhuo put down the phone, looked up, and again gazed down at the hundreds of shivering muggle students.
“Forget it.”
The expected storm of insults did not come. Professor Shen seemed to be in a good mood, unexpectedly letting them off.
“Between your lives and mine, one must not be wasted.” He casually put away his lecture materials. “Class dismissed.”
·
The university campus bell rang, students gathered in groups, filling the air with the spirit of youth.
Shen Zhuo’s status in this university was almost equivalent to his status in the Shenhai jurisdiction during the Evolution era, with supreme authority. From the board of directors to the research students, as long as they were human beings, none could stand upright and speak before him. Even the passing dogs had to stand up and salute before moving on.
Actually, Shen Zhuo should have left M country and returned to Shenhai to take up the position of Chief Inspector long ago. The reason for his delay was not what the school believed—that his contract hadn’t expired. The real reason was only known to government intelligence personnel—
That bastard named Bai hadn’t graduated yet.
Every country wanted to get HRG and the Spear of Time, so every country wanted Shen Zhuo’s “protection rights.” Unfortunately, an S-class scoundrel blatantly stepped in, proposing that, to be fair, he should personally protect Shen Zhuo, and all the countries could contribute a huge monthly protection tax to pay him.
Great, while other idols just have publicly funded relationships, he has a globally taxed relationship.
What’s more annoying is that the huge tax fee was really just for “protecting” Professor Shen alone. If you wanted him to help rescue a president or suppress a pirate, you had to pay an additional bill, including hourly fees, overtime pay, travel expenses, and bank fees. If you shortchanged him by even a cent, you had to worry about causality bombing your national defense department’s door tonight.
In the campus parking lot, Shen Zhuo stopped at his reserved parking spot, and his right eyelid twitched a few times.
It had been like this since yesterday, the ominous premonition rising once again.
…Could something really be about to happen?
Shen Zhuo thought it over and felt that, besides the two-year anniversary of meeting Bai Sheng, there shouldn’t have been any major setbacks in his life recently. Even if Bai Sheng secretly prepared a two-year surprise, there was no need to be afraid. As long as he stayed vigilant while cutting the cake, handled any mysterious food descending from the sky with caution, steadfastly refused any large gift boxes suddenly delivered to the door, and mentally prepared to lose face completely… there was nothing to fear. He could calmly face all the unknown storms in life.
Shen Zhuo took a deep breath and then regained his composure. Just as he was about to open the car door, a voice called out from behind:
“Excuse me, Professor Shen!”
Shen Zhuo turned around.
A blonde, blue-eyed girl stood by the car while her group of sisters giggled and cheered her on under a distant tree.
“Professor, I wanted to ask if you have time this weekend evening.” The girl was very outgoing and lively, her eyes full of anticipation: “I still have some unclear details about this test paper and would like to invite you to dinner to discuss it in detail; is that okay?”
Yes.
Every semester, a few resilient students would get reverse psychology from Professor Shen’s scolding, thinking they could rise to the challenge and take on this high mountain of a carnivorous flower.
Shen Zhuo turned around, slowly and fixedly studying the girl.
Then, under the focus of all the surrounding gazes, he opened his mouth and accurately pronounced the student’s name:
“——Alice Winston.”
The girl was shocked that he could recognize her out of hundreds of students!
But before the subtle honor could rise in her heart, she saw Professor Shen lift his index finger, his tone devoid of any fluctuation: “First.”
This tone was all too familiar to Shen Zhuo’s students, and the girl suddenly felt something was wrong.
“According to school regulations, to avoid academic misconduct and any inappropriate incentives for student-teacher interactions, it is strictly forbidden for professors and students to develop inappropriate emotional relationships, even if it’s voluntary on both sides.”
“Oh, professor, why so serious? It’s just a dinner and some private tutoring…”
“Second, based on your grades, what you don’t understand are not the details but everything from the first chapter, first section, and first sentence of this subject. Private one-on-one tutoring would inevitably result in my overwork and death.”
“…………” The girl’s golden eyelashes fluttered faster than a hummingbird’s wings: “No… it won’t, professor, or we could also talk about other things, like the beach, yachts, vacations, and football games…”
“Third.” Shen Zhuo withdrew his finger, methodically delivering the final blow, “Sorry, I already have a partner.”
“?!”
The girl’s expression was one of shocked blankness, reflexively asking: “Who?!”
Before Shen Zhuo could respond, the car door not far away suddenly flew open.
Immediately, a familiar woman’s figure rushed down like a tiger, accompanied by the loud cries of a baby in her arms, and tightly hugged Shen Zhuo:
“Dar~ling~”
The soul-stirring tail note pierced through the skies. Shen Zhuo, caught off guard, was tightly embraced, his expression also one of stunned blankness, staring at the sudden appearance of Amatullah.
“What are you doing here, darling? Have you forgotten about us, poor mother and child? Didn’t you say you’d send money home for child support? I wait with the child under the big tree at the village entrance every day. Oh, you heartless bastard! Hurry up and hold our little baby!”
North African strongwoman Amatullah, standing over 1.9 meters tall in shoes, was imposing and commanding. She hugged Professor Shen with an iron grip, forcing a swaddled baby into his hands.
The baby, sucking on a pacifier, was quite familiar—Margot’s little girl, who had just been born not long ago—and blew a huge snot bubble.
Shen Zhuo was stunned.
Everyone was stunned.
“…I, I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”
The girl took a big step back, suddenly waking up as if from a dream. She then turned to Amatullah, firmly announcing with a trembling voice: “I’m sorry! I’ll never bother Professor Shen again!!” Then she turned around and left, carrying the wind and leaving only a wisp of dust behind.
Amatullah stood in place, blowing a kiss to the girl from afar: “Mwah.”
“What are you doing?” Shen Zhuo forcibly broke free, holding the baby, “Where’s her mother? Margot’s on a business trip again? Who told you to come here?”
Amatullah ignored him, turning around and dialing a video call, which was answered after two rings.
“Unexpected situation at the university parking lot, a piece of cake, easily handled.”
Sure enough, Bai Sheng’s voice came from the other end: “Nicely done!”
“Ah, to be honest, it’s ridiculous.” Amatullah sighed with disinterest, saying: “If I had known this was your request, I wouldn’t have taken it. I just went around this campus and couldn’t find a single sturdy, cute, top-quality male student. Has the quality of university students deteriorated this fast?”
Bai Sheng retorted in shock: “What are you thinking, darling? The only top-quality male student within a hundred miles is me! Besides me, do you expect to see any competitive male students around Professor Shen?!”
Shen Zhuo: “…”
“Baby!” Bai Sheng’s sunny, handsome face seemed to almost pop out of the phone screen, enthusiastically waving at Shen Zhuo: “Did you see the selfie I sent? Are you satisfied?”
Shen Zhuo remained expressionless.
“Rest assured, those idiot pirates have been properly educated by me. I specifically asked Amatullah to protect you. Once I come home tomorrow, you’ll be completely safe—”
Snap.
Shen Zhuo ruthlessly hung up the video call.
Amatullah turned around, skillfully taking back the swaddled baby, and pulled out a bottle to put into the little girl’s mouth.
“Before leaving, Margot said that borrowing her daughter as a situational prop would cost four bags of dried fruit per hour as an appearance fee. Remember to remind Bai Sheng to settle this later, don’t forget.”
Shen Zhuo, enveloped in a cold aura, silently took out his wallet, pulled out 200 dollars, and stuffed it into her hand:
“Child support, no need for change.”
Amatullah: “?”
“I have already become infatuated with male university students and found a new love, abandoning you and your poor mother-child duo.” Shen Zhuo said calmly, “Quickly take the child back to your North African hometown; goodbye.”
Amatullah: “……”
Heartless Shen Zhuo slammed the car door shut and drove away with a roar.
·
Bai Sheng’s task: closely protect the delicate, fragile, and helpless Shen Zhuo until he returned home the next day.
Actually, Shen Zhuo didn’t need protection. Around his house were intelligence agents from all over the world, each fearing that the others might make a move first. If anyone dared to plan to kidnap Professor Shen, they would be beaten to a pulp by the other agents before Shen Zhuo could turn them into a sieve with the Spear of Time. Then they’d be tied up and thrown into the river to feed the fish.
“——I’ll emphasize this once more, Cameron.”
A black Mercedes slowly stopped in front of the villa garage. Shen Zhuo held the steering wheel, sighing:
“Bai Sheng was merely hired to rescue the president of X country, not sneaking out behind my back to dye his hair. That strand of hair grew naturally after evolution; it’s not dyed. He isn’t engaging in non-mainstream behavior, and he didn’t go out in the middle of the night to sing karaoke or ride a ghost fire… Also, stop your attacking behavior; don’t shame his doctoral thesis in different languages every time you meet! He can understand you!”
“Oh, really.” On the other end of the call came Cameron’s insincere tone, “He seemed very unfamiliar with my Icelandic last time and my Albanian the time before.”
“……”
Shen Zhuo closed his eyes, taking another deep breath, realizing the crucial fact: there was only one way to deal with Cameron.
From both a physical and mental perspective, completely destroy him.
“Don’t say that,” Shen Zhuo paused, then sorrowfully and tenderly said:
“Brother.”
This word was like a high-voltage current exploding in Cameron’s eardrums, sending goosebumps from head to toe: “No! No! Stop! Stop your behavior!!”
“Have you forgotten how much you once loved that thesis? Not only did you praise Bai Sheng in front of Nielsen, but you also personally wrote a ten-thousand-word recommendation for ‘An Analysis of the Influence of Innate Comprehensive Judgment and Binary Opposition Ideology on Male Voluntary Sterilization’?”
“Impossible, I did not! And explain to me why you know Nielsen; what have you been doing behind my—”
“You even educated Yang Xiaodao while tutoring him, telling him to learn from Bai Sheng and strive to become like him.” Shen Zhuo leaned against the driver’s seat, bored: “Oh right, you also praised Yang Xiaodao’s outstanding scientific potential and repeatedly requested we send the child to you for the summer. Are you a brother who breaks his promises?”
Cameron’s momentum weakened at the last sentence: “What are you talking about, outstanding scientific potential? Don’t think I’ll believe—”
“It’s settled then; I’ll send Yang Xiaodao to your place during this summer vacation.” Shen Zhuo said lightly: “This kid’s science talent is as shocking as the undergraduates I’m supervising now; you’ll be pleasantly surprised. No more talking, bye.”
Before Cameron could roar out his fury, Shen Zhuo promptly disconnected the Bluetooth.
Click.
The world returned to tranquility.
Shen Zhuo sighed in relief, casually throwing the earpiece into the glove compartment. Just as he was about to drive into the garage, his right eyelid twitched rapidly again.
…No way.
Is this rollercoaster of a day not over yet?
“——Professor Shen? Hello! Professor Shen!”
Shen Zhuo glanced out the car window.
A young man in his twenties was half-kneeling by the car window, wearing a school basketball jersey and holding a rose, clearly having waited for a long time. His blue eyes were innocent and filled with deep affection:
“Professor, do you recognize me? It’s okay if you don’t. I’m very interested in your class and wanted to ask if you’re free for dinner this weekend so I can ask you some questions—”
Shen Zhuo pressed the steering wheel with one hand and covered his face with the other: “Sorry, please step aside. To take my class, you need a GPA above 3.85 and an IQ score above 120. Take the flower away; I’m allergic. Also, I already have a boyfriend; please don’t block my driveway. Thank you.”
“What? Boyfriend?!” The young man looked struck by lightning and asked, “Who is it?!”
Before he finished speaking, two car horns sounded not far away.
Immediately, eight or nine bulletproof Jeeps came to a screeching halt. The door of the leading car opened, and a familiar figure darted out like an arrow, slamming onto Shen Zhuo’s car door:
“Ho~ney~!”
Shen Zhuo sat in the car, frozen, staring at the earnest Antonio across from him. Not far away, a group of South American gang members got out of the car.
“Have you already forgotten me, honey? Have you forgotten the days we shared hardships together on Purori Island? Have you forgotten the daughter I painstakingly raised for nine months? Oh, you heartless scoundrel, who are you accepting roses from here? Tell me, tell me! Why did you abandon us, poor… poor mother and daughter? Say something!”
Each word was full of sorrow, as if crying and complaining, making the scene very dramatic. The young man was stunned.
“Antonio,” Shen Zhuo said through gritted teeth, “if you can’t produce the daughter you carried for nine months today, I’ll use the Spear of Time to turn you into a Japanese-style yakitori (literally grilled bird). Just try me.”
Gangster mama Antonio, with his muscular tattooed arms, big chest, and perky hips, gave Shen Zhuo a resentful glance and turned his head to point:
“There, over there.”
The underlings respectfully welcomed a second prop—an underworld princess.
“Mr. Bai said we could buy another zoo next month…” Chu Yan covered her face with both hands, pale and weak, trying to explain herself under Shen Zhuo’s icy gaze.
“…S-sorry, I really didn’t know…”
The young man, with his worldview shattered, turned to Antonio in terror, bowed deeply, and held up the rose: “I’m sorry!! I promise I’ll never bother Professor Shen again!!”
Antonio snatched the rose away and cruelly broke it, giving a signal.
The underlings skillfully dragged the young man away, preparing to implement a second round of intimidation in the corner until they ensured the task was complete.
Shen Zhuo leaned back in the driver’s seat, pressing his temples hard: “This method was taught to you by Amatullah, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, no, no.” Antonio stood up from outside the car window, an unhidden malicious smile on his face: “I’m the mastermind.”
“…Why?”
Actually, there was no need to ask. Shen Zhuo, who was always very aware of his actions, already knew the answer.
As expected, Antonio had a face of satisfied revenge as he meaningfully shook the delicate rose:
“I finally avenged the grudge of losing my veto power to Eastern metaphysics on Purori Island that night.”
Shen Zhuo: “………………”
“Hey, Bai-ge,” Antonio cheerfully made a video call: “I just encountered an unexpected situation at your house; it’s been resolved cleanly and beautifully; no need to worry!”
On the other side of the video was a dock, with Bai Sheng wearing sunglasses, carrying a submachine gun, and proficiently counting the ransom…overtime pay under the nervous gaze of several officials. Beside him, Yang Xiaodao was fanning the overheated president frantically, gesturing to stop others from taking the blanket: “Don’t touch it! He’ll be scared! That’s his security blanket!”
“——Very good; handle all unexpected situations with brutal force if necessary. You may use harmless methods if needed.” Bai Sheng instructed Antonio sinisterly, then turned to Shen Zhuo with a clean, bright, and radiant smile that once again shone through the screen:
“Hi, baby, did you miss me?! I just fought hard to get our commission back. Look, this is a gift I bought for you from the local area! This is the flower I brought for you!——”
“Bai Sheng,” Shen Zhuo said, enunciating each word.
Bai Sheng’s eyes shone brightly like stars, youthful and handsome, like the sudden insertion of a romantic idol drama—assuming one didn’t know what just happened to the fierce Somali pirates.
Shen Zhuo was unmoved.
Having looked in the mirror since childhood, Shen Zhuo was immune to all forms of beauty and temptation, and he had seen through Bai Sheng’s true nature on the first day.
“Get Amatullah and Antonio back; don’t think I don’t know you had a part in this too.”
Then he paused, speaking calmly: “I want to see you at my doorstep by tomorrow at the latest, or I’ll let the entire South American gang know their boss is pregnant with my daughter, or I’ll go back to the village tree and remarry Amatullah.”
Antonio’s pupils instantly quaked, and Bai Sheng’s movie-star smile also cracked: “What? Wait, Shen Zhuo, don’t be impulsive; I promise I’ll be there tomorrow…”
The screen went black.
The video was once again ruthlessly cut off.
The underlings were silent, while Shen Zhuo’s face showed no emotion as he casually tossed the phone aside, delivering the final verdict to Chu Yan:
“You’ll tutor Yang Xiaodao’s math homework next month, or there will be no zoo.”
The princess bowed her head in submission, obediently agreeing.
Then Shen Zhuo beckoned with his finger. Antonio, full of suspicion, bent down, only to hear him coldly say in his ear:
“You’ll foot the bill for the zoo that Bai Sheng promised, or tomorrow I’ll have the Law of Causality blow up your house.”
“Pfft!”
Antonio almost choked on his saliva: “Don’t go too far; are you just picking on me for revenge? Can’t you even ask your boyfriend for this little money? You just turn a blind eye to your dear boyfriend and act all coquettish, don’t you?!”
Shen Zhuo: “Yes.”
The window slowly rolled up. Shen Zhuo stepped on the gas, driving into the garage without looking back, closing the garage door with a rumble under Antonio’s angry glare.
