Chapter 97: Treating Like an Enemy

Everyone slept quite well that night, except for Yin Zhi.

The young man tossed and turned in his room, unable to fall asleep. Without the scent of the little female beside him, he just couldn’t get used to it.

Extending a pair of claws, the young man scratched unhappily at the bed. He shifted into his cat form one moment and back to his human form the next, repeating the cycle countless times without ever managing to fall asleep.

The night outside was deep and dark. Since the villa was located far from the city center, a few scattered stars were visible through the window. Yin Zhi silently counted them, trying to hypnotize himself to sleep, but to his surprise, the more he counted, the more awake he became...

He couldn’t take it anymore.

The young man shot up in bed.

He grabbed the clothes beside him, threw them on as fast as he could, opened the door, and left the bedroom.

Wen Qian’s bedroom was right across from his. The man quietly turned the doorknob... but unexpectedly, it only turned halfway before stopping.

’Great. She locked the door.’

A hint of resentment flashed in his eyes. He wanted to knock but was afraid of waking Wen Qian, so after a moment of silence, he gave up.

「Meanwhile.」

In the residential complex where Wen Qian lived, an unknown number of people were hiding in the shadows.

And among them, there were even Beastmen.

They were clearly being very cautious, hiding in the dark without making a move, just quietly waiting for Yin Zhi and the others to return.

The car had been parked on the roadside by Gu Mian. Gu Mian pulled his hat’s brim down low, and only after confirming he hadn’t been noticed did he emerge from behind the apartment building.

Almost at the same instant, a hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind. His expression shifted slightly as he discreetly slipped his hand into his pocket.

Gu Mian gripped the dagger, his eyes flickering.

But in the next second, a sudden voice made him freeze.

"What’s going on?" Qi Ke whispered, keeping his voice low.

Qi Ke had rushed over as soon as he got off the plane, only to find no one home when he knocked. He didn’t have Wen Qian’s phone number, so he had tried calling Gu Mian, but the latter’s phone was consistently unreachable.

The more Qi Ke thought about it, the more something felt wrong, so he had been waiting here ever since.

Though he knew it was unlikely, he was still afraid Wen Qian might suddenly leave. After all, ten years... he had grown weary of waiting.

Hearing Qi Ke’s voice, Gu Mian breathed a sigh of relief. But instead of immediately explaining the situation, he gestured for him to wait.

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, a snake coiled around his wrist. The snake seemed to be in perfect sync with Gu Mian’s thoughts; a single glance was exchanged, and it understandingly slithered from his hand onto the railing...

Immediately after, a succession of snakes followed, climbing up as well.

Their target was the window on the second floor.

Under the cover of night, the black snakes didn’t attract anyone’s attention. They landed on the edge of the window, pushing and shoving until they forced open a narrow gap.

Air flowed into the room, and one by one, the snakes dropped onto the windowsill.

The next second, they scrambled up the curtains, bit by bit hooking the blue Wind Chime hanging from the top.

In the silent night, the Wind Chime let out a clear, pleasant tinkling sound. Down below, the man’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and the scrambling black snakes suddenly became orderly.

They used their bodies to wrap around the blue Crystal Chip piece by piece, then slid back down the curtains bit by bit...

The Little Fox was rather astonished. He had long heard that the Snake Clan was the most sinister race in the Beast World, but he never expected them to be not only masters of poison but also proficient in Magic and the Snake Control Technique. No wonder no one dared to provoke them, even when they were secluded in their valley.

Although the shard of the Critical Stone was wrapped by the snakes’ bodies, it still made a faint sound. A Beastman’s hearing was always sharp, and they instantly noticed something was wrong.

Gu Mian’s brow furrowed. Without a second thought, he shoved Qi Ke out into the open.

The Little Fox wasn’t on the list of people they were hunting, so it didn’t matter if he was exposed.

Besides, he was a celebrity. To avoid causing a commotion, those people wouldn’t dare to touch him easily...

"This—!" Before Qi Ke could even react, a crowd of people surrounded him. One particularly strong man slammed him directly to the ground.

The Little Fox’s arm was twisted behind his back, but he gritted his teeth and didn’t make a sound.

At the same time, Gu Mian reached out and caught the blue Wind Chime, then quickly vanished into the darkness.

By the time those people realized what had happened, Gu Mian had already driven out of the complex.

The Little Fox was released, but he was still fuming. ’Why is Gu Mian treating me like his mortal enemy?’

’Good thing their target wasn’t me, or I’d have been a goner.’

"What are you doing running around so late at night..." The Beastman across from him spat in his direction, showing no restraint whatsoever just because he was a celebrity.

Qi Ke gritted his teeth but ultimately said nothing. He couldn’t cause trouble; he still had to find Wen Qian.

However, by the time the Little Fox finally left the residential complex, there was no sign of Gu Mian anywhere.

His narrow eyes squinted in displeasure. ’So he never planned on taking me with him from the start.’

It was almost noon when Gu Mian returned to the villa.

He vaulted directly over the villa’s iron gate, swiped a card through the lock, and easily entered the house.

The villa was quiet. Not wanting to wake anyone, he chose to rest for a bit on the sofa.

Though his body was utterly exhausted, Gu Mian just couldn’t fall asleep. He rubbed his aching temples in frustration, stared at the clock on the wall, and let out a heavy sigh.

On the way back, the roads from City A to South City had been filled with many more patrolling guards. To avoid being discovered, Gu Mian had switched to his own car before leaving City A.

’Fortunately, those people haven’t confirmed my identity yet. Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to leave City A so easily.’

Just then, the sound of someone coming downstairs came from nearby.

The man looked up, and his gaze was met with the young man’s cold expression. For some reason, however, his complexion didn’t look good; there were dark circles under his eyes, and his exhaustion seemed to mirror his own.

’This guy didn’t sleep either?’

Gu Mian frowned.

’Logically, after I left, Yin Zhi and the others should have returned to the villa one after another. They all should be in their rooms catching up on sleep right now...’

"You got the shard back?" Yin Zhi glanced at him, his voice lukewarm.

Gu Mian raised an eyebrow, then placed the box he was holding onto the coffee table.

Yin Zhi gave it only a single glance before looking away. He then collapsed wearily onto the sofa, looking completely drained.

"You haven’t slept at all?" Gu Mian asked calmly.

It wasn’t that he was concerned about Yin Zhi; he was just curious why the guy was so exhausted. He subtly checked for scents on him. ’Good, Wen Qian’s scent is very faint.’

Yin Zhi was about to answer, but then a thought struck him. He immediately curled his lips, his voice taking on a suggestive tone. "Yeah, a little tired... Qianqian can’t be without me."

Hearing his words, a hint of mockery was added to the man’s impassive expression. He leaned back slowly on the sofa, closed his eyes, and spoke with a touch of indifference, "You’re so tired you’re hallucinating."

Yin Zhi couldn’t help but grit his teeth. "I think you’re just jealous..."

"Jealous that she locked you out of her room all night?" The man finally broke into a smile.