Chapter 18

Most importantly, he had carried himself with ease ever since he came in. Even though he might face unknown punishments, he showed no fear at all.

This was a somewhat interesting soul.

And a soul that had killed before, Shen Tingyu thought.

He stopped tapping his pen, a trace of amusement passing through his eyes.

The old tower chief had indeed placed his bet this time on a promising prospect with a very high chance of settling into Type E. He found it a little amusing, but he didn't like it much.

After all, a similar soul type only made him want to destroy it with his own hands.

As he pondered, his gaze happened to skim over the bandage on the other man's neck before settling on the black casual shirt he wore.

His gaze paused, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What's your name?"

At the same time, Xu Qingran was sizing up the interrogator in front of him.

He was a little surprised.

The man's hair was as black as ink, but his eyes were a beautiful blue, like the endless depths of the sea. He radiated powerful energy, presumably because his Spiritual Pool was of a very high rank. Anyone whose mind wasn't sufficiently steady would probably fall into the abyss in his eyes upon meeting his gaze.

What surprised Xu Qingran most was how out of place the man's bearing seemed in the dilapidated, shabby Evil Tower. He was also quite handsome—that was Xu Qingran's highest assessment of the looks of someone he had just met. His composure was as serene and elegant as a nobleman's, and his collar was neatly buttoned all the way to the top, giving him an air of restraint and detachment.

Though he made no deliberate show of it, an innate aura of authority could still be felt about him.

Xu Qingran thought he might be the head of that group of interrogators, which explained why he got special treatment even for a routine procedure.

Then he glanced at the nameplate on the man's chest, and his expression suddenly turned strange.

"Niu Yaoyao, haha!" the system howled. "Help! How could such an elegant face be paired with a name like that? What a waste of those looks!"

For once, Xu Qingran agreed with it.

The interrogator surnamed Niu wore the traditional black and gold of Golden Wing Camp. His voice was somewhat deep, with an alluring resonance, and his enunciation was clear, making it easy to listen closely and understand his question.

His expression unchanged, Xu Qingran replied in a hoarse voice, "Xu Qingran."

It was both a surprise and no surprise that the other man had heard the name. "So you're the person who's caused such a stir online these past few days."

Xu Qingran offered no comment.

"You're even more..." The man's tone lifted slightly as he glanced at Xu Qingran's shirt. When their eyes met again, there was a hint of unreadable amusement in his gaze. "Daring than I expected."

Xu Qingran frowned slightly and instinctively followed his gaze downward.

The plain design on his all-black crew-neck shirt consisted of two short lines of English printed in white.

Translated into Chinese, they amounted to just two characters.

"Fuck me."

Xu Qingran fell silent for a full half minute.

Perhaps this was what happened when he went out without choosing his clothes carefully.

The other person in the room was patient, too, and didn't interrupt him as he sat with his feelings.

At last, Xu Qingran raised his head again. There was no sign of embarrassment or annoyance on his face. Instead, he relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

He lifted his eyes, his languid gaze tinged with coldness. "Plenty of people have wanted to fuck me, but so far, not one of them has succeeded."

He sneered. "What about you, Officer Niu? Do you want to try too?"

Chapter 9: The Hypocrite

Xu Qingran wasn't making it up.

In his previous life, from the time he began growing into a teenager, he had been harassed by both men and women on numerous occasions. Whether it was drugs, schemes to win his trust, traps, persistent wheedling, or outright force, he had encountered almost all of them.

Fortunately, by then he already had a lightning ability to protect himself, and everyone who had tried anything underhanded against him had ended up dead at his hands.

With that thought, he gave the interrogator surnamed Niu another look.

So if this officer really dared to touch him, even if Xu Qingran ended up having his tendons pulled out and his bones dug out, he would first strip a layer of skin off him.

The man on the other side of the table neither took offense at nor reprimanded him for his unfriendly attitude. He only said, "No need. I'm not interested in your type."

The smile on his lips was gentle in just the right measure, and he sat straight yet at ease, perfectly embodying elegance, refinement, and gentlemanly manners. His tone was so mild that it seemed nothing he said could cause offense.

Only his deep-blue eyes were unfathomable.

Xu Qingran met his gaze without a word.

What a thoroughly unlikeable hypocrite.

"The person in charge should have told you why you were sent here." His interrogator had only a pen in his hand, looking as if he had casually grabbed a prop before leaving his office to prove he was working.

Even his question was casual. "Tell me in your own words what you did."

Xu Qingran considered for a moment, then replied unhurriedly, "On the day of my younger brother's engagement, I sent a wreath to the venue to offer my blessings. I was worried things might get too quiet, so I even hired people to liven up the atmosphere. Then, while I was at it, I sent a letter to my future brother-in-law, who also happens to be my ex-boyfriend, just to express my feelings and offer my blessings."

System: "?"

"My dear host, what are you saying? This is such a good chance to explain, and you didn't even do those things!"

Xu Qingran: "I did. I've done them."

System: "..."

The man smiled and asked, "Is that all?"

His tone was quite casual, as though he were merely asking in passing, but Xu Qingran couldn't help thinking of the people at the abandoned factory in South District 13.

Then he replied without changing expression, "I suppose so. So, Officer, do you also think I should be released?"

The man smiled again. "First, I'll have to hear how you feel about it now."

"How I feel?" Xu Qingran raised an eyebrow. "I regret it."

"I regret only sending a letter instead of going there and wrecking the event myself."