In front of the small supermarket.
Inside a Wuling Hongguang van, Xu Penghui, who had just been released today, sat chain-smoking and staring blankly out at the curtain of rain.
He had arrived just after six, and it was now nearly ten. He’d already chain-smoked two packs of cigarettes, filling the van with so much smoke you could barely see a face right in front of you.
’What was Xu Fei doing? What was that Wu guy doing? It’s so late, what are the two of them doing?’
’Why is only Xu Fei’s aunt in the supermarket?’
’Did the two of them go out on a date?’
’Did they... go get a room?’
One thought after another flashed through Xu Penghui’s mind, making him more and more agitated. He’d already smashed the car’s ashtray, and the ground outside his window was littered with cigarette butts.
At ten o’clock, Xu Penghui saw Xu Minli lock up the supermarket after work and head upstairs. Just as he was about to start his van and leave, a black Mercedes-Benz GLS suddenly pulled up in front of the building.
’Now that’s a nice car. A Benz. Worth dozens of my piece-of-junk van,’ Xu Penghui thought mockingly to himself when he saw the luxury vehicle.
When the driver’s side door opened and a petite, pretty figure stepped out, Xu Penghui rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was seeing things.
’Xu Fei? The person driving the Benz... is actually Xu Fei?’
Furthermore, the Xu Fei before him was dressed completely differently than before. She looked like an elite, urban professional, and carried herself with a capable air. There wasn’t a trace of the country girl she used to be.
Then, a tall, slender man got out of the passenger seat. He took off his jacket and, like a mother hen protecting her chick, pulled Xu Fei close, tucking her under his arm. He used the jacket to shield them both as they jogged towards the building’s entrance.
Though it was only a brief glimpse, Xu Penghui recognized the figure as Wu Jun. He’d recognize his formidable rival even if he were turned to ash. He even saw a set of keys fall out of the man’s pocket.
’This Benz worth nearly two million... could it belong to that bastard Wu?’
’Half a month ago, I was mocking him for not even owning a car. Now, just two weeks later, he’s driving a Benz?’
’What the hell happened in the two weeks I was away? How could things change this much?!’
’He’s just the owner of a small supermarket! What gives him the right to drive a Benz? Does he deserve it?!’
Then, through the window of the small supermarket, Xu Penghui saw a scene that shattered his heart into a million pieces.
At the bathroom door, that bastard Wu covered his goddess Xu Fei’s head with a large towel. Xu Fei stood before him, as quiet as a kitten, letting his large hands roughly dry her hair through the fabric.
’What! Are! You! Doing!’
’Can’t you consider other people’s feelings?!’
The next scene made Xu Penghui slam his fist directly onto the radio on his Wuling Hongguang’s center console.
After he finished drying her hair, Xu Fei stood on her tiptoes and pecked that Wu bastard on the lips. Then, the two of them embraced and began to kiss right there at the bathroom door.
"I should be under the car, not in the car..."
"Seeing you two be so intimate~~~"
A man’s hoarse, low voice drifted from the radio that Xu Penghui had just smashed.
"You think a has-been singer from decades ago can mock me? I’ll show you ’in the car’! I’ll show you ’under the car’!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The song coming from the radio was like adding fuel to the fire, completely igniting Xu Penghui’s rage. He unleashed a flurry of wild punches on the radio.
After the beating, the radio fell silent. Xu Penghui haphazardly wiped the blood from his knuckles on his clothes.
As his gaze fell upon a small bottle sitting on the dashboard beneath the windshield, a crazed plan for revenge began to form in his mind.
The small bottle contained a product a bald man had sold him. It had a cool-sounding name, "Oil Tyrant," and supposedly, it could turn any liquid into car fuel when mixed.
’Burn that damn couple to death...’ The thought spun endlessly in Xu Penghui’s mind.
Xu Penghui got out of the van and, braving the rain, walked over to where Wu Jun’s keys had fallen. He bent down, picked them up from a puddle, and returned to his vehicle.
...
「Inside the small supermarket.」
Xu Fei suddenly grabbed Wu Jun’s wandering right hand. "Jun, I’m not ready yet," she said, before fleeing to her room as if escaping. She shut the door and leaned against it, panting.
Earlier, in front of the Shimen Inn Restaurant, the intimate sight of Wu Jun and Dong Shanshan sharing an umbrella, their eyes meeting, had deeply affected her.
Dong Shanshan wasn’t just beautiful with a great figure; she was also the young owner of a hotel chain. She was superior in every way, and Xu Fei felt as if her Jun was about to be stolen away, making her desperate to stake her claim.
On the way back, she had kept psyching herself up and finally managed to take that small step forward. But when the moment came, she backed down. She felt that even if she "won" this way, it wouldn’t be an honorable victory, nor would it last.
’Jun, I’m going to make myself better, so much better that you’ll only have eyes for me.’ Xu Fei slowly sank to the floor, hugged her knees, and buried her head, beginning to sob quietly.
"Xu Fei, what’s wrong? I’m sorry, I just..." Outside the door, Wu Jun heard her sobs and grew flustered. ’Even though I was completely passive, I should still apologize. Active or passive, the man should step up and take responsibility.’
"I’m fine. You should wash up and get some sleep, Jun," Xu Fei said, wiping her tears and smiling. "I’m the one who took advantage of you. You don’t need to apologize to me."
Wu Jun felt his own mind was a mess now, too. Seeing that Xu Fei didn’t want to dwell on it, and not being the type to push his luck, he just shook his head and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
After his shower, he went back to his room and lay on the bed. Wu Jun touched his lips, feeling the lingering warmth from Xu Fei’s kiss.
The faces of Xu Fei, Dong Shanshan, and even Chen Lin and Jiang Yi swirled in his mind.
’What a scumbag... "Men get money and turn into scum." I wonder which wise woman summed up that life lesson?’ Wu Jun rubbed his face, sat up, and pulled out the phone bound to Resource Tycoon from his pocket to check on the game.
At midnight tonight, the weekly [Resource Guardian] mission would start again. It was going to be another day of heavy losses.
Lately, the number of [Ashen Wolves] attacking the city had remained at ten each time. Although the 100 Farmers in the game had a significant numerical advantage, they were fighting bare-handed, so there were always casualties.
On a good run, only thirty to forty Farmers died. On a bad run, only thirty or forty might be left standing. For now, there was no immediate danger of the city falling and his bond with the game being severed.
As long as the main city didn’t fall, the grain stored within the game was safe and wouldn’t be lost.
It was already past ten o’clock at night, and it was pouring rain outside, so Wu Jun had no intention of making the long trip to the warehouse to retrieve his inventory.
After checking his in-game harvest, he put his phone away, lay his head down, and went to sleep.
At 12:12 AM, Xu Penghui, who had been waiting outside the small supermarket with a fully formed plan, picked his moment. He quietly pushed open his car door and began to act.