Chapter 133: Ch 133: A Help From the Past

The sun climbed higher, nearly reaching its peak, casting short, sharp shadows across the village paths. Soft midday light pressed against the packed earth, and the earlier gentle breeze had thinned into something warmer and stiller.

PD Xu Cui walked with his hands clenched at his sides, turning the same corner the omegas had used earlier. His usual light expression was gone; something colder and more focused had taken its place. The playful production director who had been laughing under an umbrella only a short while before had disappeared completely.

He scanned the area until he spotted a narrow, secluded alcove between two buildings. The space was tight, shaded, and sheltered from casual view by the angle of the walls.

After a quick glance to confirm no one was nearby, he exhaled in quiet relief and stepped into the hidden space. The soft sounds of the village—distant voices, the occasional creak of a cart, the faint clatter from open kitchens—faded slightly behind the narrow walls.

From his pocket he drew his phone and scrolled to a number he had not dialed in a long time—an old friend from a previous life. His thumb hovered over the call button. The imagined image of Mo Xingxue’s tear-streaked face rose in his mind, sharp and unwelcome. Another sigh left him. The soft midday heat pressed against the alcove walls as he pressed the button.

The line rang three times before it connected.

"Hello?" PD Xu Cui said simply. The single word carried none of his usual mischief.

A familiar laugh answered him. "Well, well. Look who finally called."

The voice on the other end was teasing, deliberately annoying, the same cadence that had once filled late nights and darker rooms.

PD Xu Cui rolled his eyes. "I called for business, Rang." The usual mischievous lilt was absent; only flat seriousness remained. The soft shade of the alcove did nothing to soften the edge in his voice.

Rang laughed again. "Oh well. So who pissed you off this time?" The teasing stayed, but a sharper, professional edge had entered the tone. The shift was subtle but unmistakable—the sound of someone who still knew how to move when real work was required.

A cold smirk tugged at PD Xu Cui’s mouth. "A guest on my show." Gu Chengze’s face flashed behind his eyes, and his expression darkened further. "I want every last one of his stinky businesses." The words came out through gritted teeth. The soft midday light filtering into the alcove caught the hard line of his jaw.

Rang let out another low laugh, interested now. "Oho? What did the boy do to make you this mad?"

PD Xu Cui leaned back against the wall, lips pressed together. The rough surface of the building pressed against his shoulders. "Let’s just say...." He paused. Mo Xingxue’s face appeared this time—tear-streaked, trembling, the quiet devastation that had settled into her expression after the forest—and something in his expression softened. "Let’s just say he offended a favorite of mine."

Rang hummed. "Looks like you actually treasure this person. You’re even contacting me—someone from the old industry you tried so hard to shake off." There was genuine relief mixed into the amusement. The observation landed quietly, carrying the weight of years neither of them had fully left behind.

Silence settled between them for a few seconds, each man occupied with his own thoughts. The soft sounds of the village continued beyond the alcove walls, distant and ordinary.

Then Rang spoke again, the teasing gone. "I’m glad you’re finally not the cold-blooded man I used to know."

PD Xu Cui’s mouth curved into a small, humorless smile. "Nah. I’m still that man. After all, I’m asking for your help to ruin someone." The admission was quiet and unadorned. The soft midday heat continued to press against the narrow space as the words settled.

"Damn you, bastard," Rang muttered, half-annoyed. "I’m trying to be nice and you’re being an asshole."

PD Xu Cui only shook his head. "Enough of this. Start digging up his dirt and report to me as soon as possible."

"Aye aye, captain," Rang replied with a final touch of mock formality, then ended the call.

The screen flashed "Call ended." PD Xu Cui stared at the phone for a long moment before sliding it back into his pocket. The soft weight of the device settled against his side. He sighed once more and lifted his gaze to the seemingly empty surroundings. The narrow alcove held only the short, sharp shadows of midday and the quiet residue of the conversation. His eyes settled on a shadowed corner, and a cold smile slowly returned to his face.

"How long do you plan to hide?" he asked the silence.

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Meanwhile, back in the forest, Zhao Yichen and Qin Yuran at last rediscovered the path they had been following earlier. The trees gradually opened, and the familiar stretch of packed earth reappeared under their feet. The quiet scent of moss and disturbed undergrowth still clung to the air, but the denser, disorienting stretch of woods had finally released them.

"I’m glad we’re not lost anymore," Zhao Yichen said, adjusting his grip on Gu Chengze once again. The unconscious alpha let out a low groan at the movement. The soft fabric of the ruined clothes shifted under Zhao Yichen’s hand, and the weight between them settled into a more familiar balance.

Qin Yuran smirked. "You’re doing that on purpose." His hold had already been secure; there was no real need to keep "fixing" it. The deliberate small shifts had become a quiet, shared game—each adjustment drawing another pained sound from the man they carried.

Zhao Yichen laughed. "As if you aren’t doing the exact same thing." He shook his head, remembering how Qin Yuran had also adjusted her grip every minute or so, each small shift drawing another pained sound from the man between them. The soft forest path continued under their feet, the earlier aimless wandering replaced by the quiet satisfaction of knowing where they were again.

The two of them continued walking with light, easy steps, completely unbothered by the occasional groans rising from the injured alpha.

After a while a comfortable silence settled over them, each lost in private thoughts. The soft rustle of leaves overhead mixed with the steady rhythm of their footsteps.

Then Zhao Yichen spoke the question that had been lingering in the minds of nearly every guest, though few had dared to voice it.

"Why do you think Teacher Mo reacted like that?"

The question hung in the soft forest air without urgency, but the weight beneath it was clear. Qin Yuran shrugged, tone deliberately light. "Who knows?"

Her gaze drifted down to the unconscious man they were carrying, and she shook her head. From everything Gu Chengze had shown them so far—looking down on people for still being "virgins," actively seeking out conflict, deliberately touching on topics that clearly hurt Xing’er, and now dismissing an entire industry of hardworking people—it was obvious that whatever he had done to Mo Xingxue had not been minor.

The pattern sat sharp and difficult to dismiss. The soft afternoon light continued to shift across the path as the unspoken conclusion settled between them.

Qin Yuran preferred not to pass final judgment too quickly. Still, the pattern was difficult to ignore. The quiet forest around them offered no answers, only the steady rhythm of their progress and the occasional low sound from the man between them.

She sighed. "Let’s just get out of here. My shoulder’s getting sore." Without waiting she picked up her pace. The soft packed earth under her feet accepted the sudden change without complaint.

Zhao Yichen, caught off guard by the sudden change, failed to match her speed in time. For a brief, awkward moment the two of them pulled in opposite directions, Gu Chengze’s arms stretched between them like the rope in a tug-of-war. Another pained groan escaped the injured alpha. The soft fabric of his sleeves strained under the conflicting pulls.

Both of them stopped. They looked at each other and shared a small, sheepish smile. The soft forest light caught the matching expressions of mild guilt and lingering amusement.

"Oops," they said in unison.

After a beat they synchronized their steps once more and continued forward. The quiet comedy of the moment faded into the steady rhythm of shared progress. Not long after, the last of the trees fell away behind them, and they finally stepped out of the forest. Soft open light replaced the dappled shade. The packed earth of the village path stretched ahead, and the quiet weight of the injured alpha between them remained exactly as inconvenient—and as thoroughly deserved—as it had been since they first lifted him from the grass.

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BRO, I AM ACTUALLY SO DONE! I KEPT WRITING SHI, BUT I KEPT GETTING BUSY SO I KEEP FORGETTING TO WRITE! IN ADDITION, MY GROUP MATES KEPT ANNOYING ME, SO I SERIOUSLY COULDN’T FOCUS! LIKE, LEAVE ME ALONE, PEOPLE SKSJIAJSJS! (Oh and also, PD Xu Cui "seeing" Mo Xingxue’s behavior there wasn’t a mistake y’all! I wanted to showcase how vivid his imaginations were, but I was running out of time, so I don’t think I pulled it off well (⁠ᗒ⁠ᗩ⁠ᗕ⁠)!)