You said you hated men, why are your eyes now full of love?

"Boss! Second Brother!"

Ying San, the only one left behind, was furious.

In just a few moments, his two companions had fallen at the hands of their opponent.

Since joining the gang, this was the first time the three of them had been humiliated like dogs.

And the culprit was just some high school boy.

"What a joke, what a joke!"

Gritting his teeth, Ying San summoned the last of his courage and charged forward with a roar.

Even though he knew that he was outmatched, Ying San was determined to hold out as long as possible, buying time for the young master and the others to escape.

His eyes filled with madness. Blood surged through his veins, his body erupting with blazing heat as he charged forward with a fierce cry.

Don't underestimate the bond between me and the Axe Gang, you bastard!

...

Five seconds later, Ying San received the fainting package and fell into a peaceful sleep like a baby.

After swiftly dealing with the small fry, Ji Mu glanced up and saw that the others who had arrogantly threatened him earlier had already fled without a trace.

They sure ran fast.

Realizing that the effect of the "Ancient Evil" skill was about to expire, Ji Mu immediately gathered his remaining strength. The concrete beneath his feet cracked like a spiderweb.

In a matter of seconds, he had jumped onto the second-floor platform.

The moment he landed, Ji Mu's legs suddenly gave way, and he almost collapsed.

The weakness phase had begun.

At this moment, even a Great Magister who had pulled an all-nighter wouldn't look as pale as Ji Mu.

Summoning his remaining willpower, Ji Mu steadied his trembling legs and walked over to Ruan Qingqing.

"Silly goose, it's alright now..."

"Mu Mu!"

The moment he freed her from the ropes, she threw herself into his arms.

Her voice trembled with sobs, and her chest pressed tightly against him. The sweet fragrance of gardenias filled his senses.

Ji Mu felt uncomfortable with such intimate contact, but he was too drained to push her away.

"I'm here," he said softly, soother her gently. "Don't be afraid, it's over now."

Just as he reached out to remove her arms from around his waist, he felt a sticky sensation in his palm.

Huh?

He immediately grasped her wrist and lifted it to inspect. Seeing the alarming wound clearly, his brow furrowed deeply.

"How did you get hurt like this?"

Damn it, that Situ Yan actually dared to hurt his 25 million!

"It's okay..."

Hearing the concern in Ji Mu's voice, warmth bloomed inside Ruan Qingqing's heart.

"The ropes were too tight, and I accidentally hurt myself trying to break free. It doesn't hurt."

To Ji Mu, however, her words sounded painfully pitiful.

Especially combined with her soft sniffling and trembling explanation. Clearly, Situ Yan's kidnapping had traumatized her.

He began to worry seriously about the scenario the system had just warned him of in the car.

Ruan Qingqing might develop a deeper aversion to men because of this incident, which would seriously impact the mission's progress.

Ji Mu felt uneasy.

He couldn't let this happen!

He had to take this very seriously!

He lowered his gaze to the girl, whose face remained buried against his chest.

"Silly goose," he murmured gently, stroking her head to comfort her as if she were a small, injured fox. "Let's go to the hospital together. The wound could get infected if it's not treated quickly."

His soft voice reached Ruan Qingqing's ears.

Each gentle word stirred her heart, slowly easing away her fear and anxiety.

Not "I'll take you," but "let's go together"...

Ji Mu always did these small things without realizing how deeply they affected her.

Her heart trembled at these subtle details, making her feel unlike herself.

"No need, Mu Mu. Let's just stay like this."

Unable to resist her desire to prolong the warmth of this embrace, she decided to mention her condition for the first time.

"My body is different from others; my wounds don't get infected."

After explaining, Ruan Qingqing braced herself for the inevitable questions.

But Ji Mu only responded with a quiet, "Mm."

"As long as you know what you're doing."

Confused, she raised her head slightly, "Mu Mu?"

Ji Mu wasn't surprised by her reaction. His hand continued to gently stroke her head as he explained softly, "Everyone has their own secrets."

The gentle touch continued, making the girl's breath catch, an indescribable warmth spreading in her chest.

"If you ever really want to talk about it, you can tell me."

His soothing tone carried the slight chill of the evening breeze, becoming comforting yet dangerously inviting.

She lowered her head, burying her face back into his chest as a smile emerged quietly on her lips.

"Mm-hmm~"

Seeing that she'd finally calmed down, Ji Mu mentally asked the system, "How is it? Did the Prajna Instrument change?"

[No, no, host, you did a great job.]

Hearing this confirmation, the heavy weight in Ji Mu's heart finally lifted.

As long as there's no change, it's okay.

It had been hard enough to reduce the negative favorability to only -30. If it went back up, he would be truly devastated.

As he regained his composure, he realized that the girl was still clinging to him like glue, squeezing him so tightly that he could barely breathe.

How long is she going to hug him? Wasn't she going to let go?

Ji Mu felt helpless.

If his body weren't so weak right now, he would have already pushed her away and politely reminded her that men and women shouldn't be so close to each other.

[Host, you're handling this wrong.]

The system, frustrated by Ji Mu's dense emotional awareness, couldn't help but offer some strategic advice.

[You must understand that after experiencing something traumatic like this, any girl would naturally feel frightened and anxious.]

[As her only friend, you should comfort her now more than ever.]

I literally just praised you, how could you mess it up so quickly?

[What's wrong with letting her hug you a little longer? It's not like you're going to lose a piece of flesh. Show some maturity.]

[Just let her hug you!]

Ji Mu: ???

He had an odd feeling, like wanting to argue, yet also sensing that the system may be right.

"Mu Mu, actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask..."

Ruan Qingqing hesitated as she spoke.

"How… did you know that Situ Yan kidnapped me and brought me here?"

She hadn't even managed to call him, yet he appeared here at just the right moment, knowing exactly where she was.

Ji Mu froze for a moment, then apologized sheepishly.

"Sorry, silly goose. I was worried about potential revenge from you or others, so earlier I installed a tracking app on your phone without telling you."

"W-what...?"

"Yes," he replied hurriedly. "I saw that your location was unusual while I was at home, so I rushed over."

This was a complete lie, of course.

Her location had been provided directly by the system, but he needed a believable excuse to hide its existence.

Fortunately, Ruan Qingqing didn't seem to doubt him, simply responding, "I see," without further questioning.

Fearing that she might be offended, Ji Mu quickly added, "I'm sorry for acting without your consent. If it bothers you, I can delete it right away."

"No, it's fine."

Ruan Qingqing shook her head gently, her voice gradually lowering. "If anything, I'm the one who should apologize..."

Ji Mu was confused.

Before he could ask why, she spoke again suddenly.

"Mu Mu, all this time, I've been nothing but a burden, always causing trouble and never being useful, haven't I?"

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