Chapter 29: I Like This Girl. Can I Have Her?

Facing Master Mo again, looking at that narrow face.

Was she angry?

Yes.

But it wasn’t as intense as she had imagined.

Deep inside, it was as if a huge void had silently devoured all her emotions.

Nothing was left.

Only one thing remained.

Coldness.

Complete, blade-like coldness.

Kill him.

Find the safest, most direct, most effective way. Kill him.

Master Mo nodded, a faint smile pulling at his dark, gloomy face.

“Not a bad little girl. Come keep me company for a drink.”

He pointed to the seat next to him, signaling Bai Fan to sit down.

Wang Jie took the hint and left, not forgetting to close the door to the VIP room behind her.

“Have fun with Master Mo, Yuan Yuan.”

Bai Fan kept smiling and sat down beside him.

‘He really didn’t recognize me?’

Master Mo spoke.

“My son… a few days ago… he and I had a falling out.”

The same words again. Bai Fan had already heard them once before in the car.

She felt like this guy was… a bit neurotic, wasn’t he?

“Do you think… I was wrong?”

Bai Fan didn’t look at him, her gaze fixed on the tabletop.

“I don’t know your family matters.”

She paused.

“But I think, if parents truly loved their own child, no matter how big the conflict, they would never, in their entire lives, do something like taking back the flesh and blood from his body.”

Her tone was very calm.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Master Mo looked at her, smiling: “So that’s how it is.”

“Yes.” Bai Fan finally turned her head, looking at him with a detached expression. “In the end, you only care about yourself.”

Master Mo felt the girl’s aura suddenly change.

Every cell in his body screamed, every blood vessel throbbed.

Drain her dry.

Drain every last drop of blood from her body.

On the inside of his lips, his fangs had already begun to extend slowly.

But… he wasn’t in a hurry now.

He enjoyed savoring the look of fear on his prey.

He enjoyed watching his prey be devoured bit by bit amidst panic and unwillingness.

That kind of look, that kind of expression, was more addicting than the blood itself.

He reached his hand towards her neck.

Bai Fan was counting down in her heart.

She was aiming for his heart.

The knife was in her sleeve, ready to be drawn at any moment for a fatal strike.

Three, two, one…

Bang!

The door opened again.

A girl with wine-red hair burst in.

“Not bad, so this is the Queen’s Hall?”

The attendant behind her was sweating profusely, looking flustered and at a loss.

“Miss Ruan, I already told you, this room is occupied…”

“Huh? Really? I didn’t hear you clearly just now. Sorry about that.”

Ruan Mingxi’s apology carried no sincerity, her face clearly saying “Can’t be bothered to say more.”

Master Mo’s ferocious gaze instantly locked onto the attendant.

“How do you do your job?”

The attendant was drenched in sweat.

“N-no… I’m sorry, Master Mo. Today’s expenses here are all on the house, and we’ll give you priority booking rights for all our club’s service packages next time…”

His voice grew smaller and smaller.

“Miss… Miss Ruan… let’s find another place.”

“Alright.” Ruan Mingxi nodded.

The attendant breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Good thing this young lady didn’t insist on this room, or I wouldn’t know what to do.’

But the next moment, the moment Ruan Mingxi spoke, the attendant regretted it.

“But I really like this girl.” She pointed at Bai Fan, who was beside Master Mo. “Can I have her?”

It wasn’t just the attendant; everyone present froze in that instant.

No one expected Ruan Mingxi to be so bold.

Master Mo’s face darkened, like storm clouds pressing down before a tempest.

“Little girl, what do you mean by this?”

Ruan Mingxi extended her hand, her movement very casual, like picking up something she liked from a shelf.

“Give her to me.”

Bai Fan was also stunned.

The atmosphere began to quietly solidify.

The attendant felt his brain was about to shut down.

Working for so many years, he had never encountered a situation like this.

“Who are you?” Master Mo spoke first.

Ruan Mingxi flashed her Purple Gold VIP Card.

“Hello. My surname is Ruan.” She smiled slightly.

Master Mo’s expression stiffened.

A Purple Gold Card was almost the highest level of VIP.

To reach this level meant one already held a certain influence across the entire Federation.

And she said her surname was Ruan.

Ruan Mingxi’s smile grew brighter.

She could see his hesitation and casually fanned the flames.

“That’s right, the Ruan family behind the Panshan Heavy Industry Group. My grandfather is Ruan Zhongfang.” She paused. “Maybe you’ve heard of him on the Federation broadcasts?”

Ruan Zhongfang.

One of the current Federation generals, responsible for guarding the Federation’s southern seas.

If this was true…

Master Mo stopped talking.

“Come over here, little beauty.” Ruan Mingxi waved at Bai Fan.

But this time, Bai Fan’s body was frozen in place.

She couldn’t quite understand the situation.

Where did this person suddenly come from?

Seeing her standing there motionless, Ruan Mingxi simply went over and took her hand, leading her out of the Queen’s Hall.

“This distinguished guest has agreed. You’re coming with me today.”

Bai Fan was a bit stiff.

She had originally planned to settle things with Master Mo right here.

But would refusing her now arouse Master Mo’s suspicion?

In the end, Bai Fan made no other move and was pulled out of the room by the red-haired girl.

The gaze behind her clung to her back like a snake, following her until the door closed.

Master Mo didn’t dare to move.

If he touched the young lady of the Ruan family and the Ruans investigated in anger, forget a local gang in Lincheng, even the governor of Yuzhou would probably have to tremble.

Just then, his communicator lit up.

Master Mo looked down. It was a message from the Public Security Bureau police chief he had bribed.

Normally, unless it was a very important matter, they would talk in private, face-to-face, trying not to send messages on the communicator.

To avoid leaving traces.

But using the communicator meant the situation was so tense that they couldn’t afford to care about traces anymore.

There was only one line: Red hair, Ruan surname girl, Governance Bureau, already exposed. Run.

Master Mo’s face turned pale for a moment.

Then, rage surged from his chest like magma, burning and twisting his entire face.

‘Damn it.’

Governance Bureau personnel.

Why would Governance Bureau people come here if not to catch him?

Once he went inside that place, could he ever come out alive?

At this point, did he still care about who they were?

“Come out!”

The doors to the Queen’s Hall were pushed open, and over a dozen figures in black suits filed in, lining up in a row before Master Mo.

Master Mo’s eyes were bloodshot. His figure began to grow gaunt and pale, fangs protruding from under his lips.

“Get them,” his voice was like a bone-shattered roar, “bring them both back to me!”

The subordinates didn’t answer.

The same bloodshot red burned in their eyes. Their bones creaked beneath their suits, and sharp claws tore through their gloves.

Like ravenous beasts.

—

On the other side.

Bai Fan felt her mind was a bit dazed.

She didn’t know how she had been pulled along and run, or how she had ended up on the club’s basement level.

She snapped back to reality, looking at the wine-red-haired girl pulling her hand ahead.

Her evening gown was perfectly cut, like a moving flame in the dim light.

Even in a place like this, she looked like a true princess.

‘…What script is this now?’

A princess’s escape with a bystander?

Ruan Mingxi suddenly turned around and leaned in close.

“So pretty.”

She reached out her fingertip and gently traced the feather ornament by Bai Fan’s ear, as if petting a cat.

“The first time I saw you, I thought the real Princess of Heaven’s Feather had descended.”

A strange warmth touched her ear.

Bai Fan was slightly startled, her face feeling a bit hot.

She pushed away Ruan Mingxi’s hand that was holding her, and asked a little sheepishly, “Are you… the one from the hospital?”

During the Blood Plague purification at Lincheng Hospital, she had crossed paths with this wine-red-haired girl a few times.

Her impression was of a quirky and lively older sister.

Back then, she had thought this older sister was just the executive captain’s clerical assistant.

She never expected her to just barge into Master Mo’s VIP room today, and… she was the granddaughter of a Federation general?

“I’m glad you remember me. Now I don’t have to explain that I’m not a bad person.”

‘My memory isn’t that poor.’

“How did you… suddenly just barge in and pull me away?”

Ruan Mingxi looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“To save you, of course. You haven’t been living here long, have you? Don’t you know what kind of person the boss of Thirteen Opens is?”

“Um…” Bai Fan didn’t know what to say.

She certainly knew what kind of scumbag Master Mo was.

But in her current predicament, she didn’t know how to explain.

To say she had come here specifically to kill Master Mo, and that her barging in was meddling?

If she said that, the other person’s expression would probably be quite interesting.

“Hey, little sister,” Ruan Mingxi patted her head with a familiar air, “you have good qualities, you’re able-bodied… Don’t come to a place like this just because you’re short on money.”

Ruan Mingxi silently gave herself a mental thumbs-up.

‘Mm, the feel of that white hair is amazing… I wanted to touch it back at the hospital.’

“If you can’t find a suitable job locally, I can help you.”

Bai Fan was stunned.

‘Does she think I’m pitiable?’

‘Can’t bear to see a cute girl go down the wrong path?’

For a moment, Bai Fan felt an indescribable awkwardness and discomfort in her heart.

“Don’t call me little sister,” Bai Fan turned her face away, her voice dropping a little. “You know my name.”

Ruan Mingxi blinked.

“Then I’ll call you Xiao Fan.”

“…Okay… fine.”

“Then you can call me Mingxi Jiejie.”

Bai Fan nodded slightly.

‘Does every girl like being my older sister so much?’

She didn’t say it out loud.

She was thinking about something else: how to politely part ways with this ‘Mingxi Jiejie’ and find a chance to go back and kill Master Mo.

“So where are you taking me now?” Bai Fan asked.

“To get you out of here, of course.”

“Leave? You must be here on a mission. Are you just leaving like that?”

Bai Fan suddenly thought of something: “Oh, why did they let you come to such a dangerous place alone? Where did Captain Lin go?”

“Senior Brother…” A hint of distress appeared on Ruan Mingxi’s face. “He’s in a bad mood. Anyway… he just finished cleaning up the whole of Thirteen Opens from top to bottom a couple of days ago. He’s still interrogating them and cleaning out the moles in the Public Security Bureau.”

She paused.

“But after I found out the boss of Thirteen Opens was here, I already sent him a message. If nothing unexpected happens, once he’s done dealing with the moles, he’ll bring the team here to seal the place off.”

Ruan Mingxi smiled reassuringly.

“And don’t be scared. I’m still here with you. Even though the Astral Sign I awakened during my Ascended Awakening isn’t the combat type, I’m still a First-order Ascender. There’s no pressure in dealing with a few thugs and troublemakers.”

She reached out and tousled Bai Fan’s head again.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Bai Fan lowered her head.

A mixture of bitterness and warmth intertwined in her heart, churning inside her, making her unable to respond.

‘…It seems I’ve been mistaken for a weak little girl who’s gone astray.’

“…Thank you.”

Ruan Mingxi pulled her and ran towards the exit of the underground parking garage.

She could already see the light at the exit, white light pouring down from the doorway, like a gate to another world.

Ruan Mingxi tightened her grip on her hand.

“We’re here.”

The moment they stepped into the light.

Several gaunt, pale figures fell from the sky.

Sharp claws, from different directions, stabbed towards the backs of their necks.

Time slowed in that instant.

Slow enough for Bai Fan to see the light reflected on each claw.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

“Watch out!”