Chapter 97

"Miss Beatrix sent me a chat message yesterday, asking why I wasn't at the company. I told her Lower City, and she packed this up and left it at the warehouse door."

As she expected, it was indeed Swire.

"These are tickets for 6 PM. Would you two be interested in seeing a play together?"

"I..."

Exusiai had initially intended to say yes, since the play "Thunderstorm" was quite popular lately. However, when she glanced up at Texas, she immediately changed her mind:

"I'm not going. I made plans with Croissant yesterday. Remember to let me know earlier next time we're going to see a show."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lei did not insist and looked to his left:

"Okay, what about you?"

Texas's face showed no change in emotion.

"I'm fine."

"Okay, the play starts at 6 pm at the Lungmen Theater in Taigu Plaza. It's Friday today, and if we go back at 5 pm we'll run into rush hour traffic, and we'll probably be stuck in traffic until after 7 pm. How about we walk around the neighborhood for a bit and head back around 3 pm?"

Seeing that Shi Lei already had a detailed plan, she had no objections and nodded in agreement:

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

"The food is ready for table number three!"

The owner, carrying a tray, approached them. Although the environment in the Lower City wasn't great, many of the restaurants hidden in the streets and alleys were quite delicious.

At 3 PM, Texas drove her two colleagues out of the Slums. She went to the warehouse first and waited for Shi Lei to get out.

After arriving, he began to speak:

"I'll go back and change my clothes first, then I'll come pick you up around four o'clock."

"Okay, sure."

Shi Lei opened the roller shutter door, took a shower to wash away the day's fatigue, and changed into some casual clothes.

At 4:10, Texas drove over.

In the driver's seat, she wore a white strapless top underneath a black dress. A white pearl necklace adorned her fair neck. She wore pure black gloves and a short, open black blazer, giving her an air of elegance and sophistication.

Texas removed her black stockings, wearing only a slightly constricting leg ring on her right thigh. Although her legs were bare, it accentuated her elegance.

Shi Lei has to admit, she has great taste in clothing. But honestly, this style is more suitable for high-end banquets, isn't it a bit... appropriate to wear it to a play?

Thinking of this, he glanced at Texas's beautiful clothes, then at his own, and suggested:

"Why don't you wait for me while I go inside and change my clothes?"

"No need, just wear what you like."

"That's true, but I feel weird walking next to you wearing this. Texas, wait two minutes, I'll be right out."

Although sitting in the VIP seats meant she wouldn't attract the attention of ordinary spectators, she was all dressed up for the occasion, and it would be too much for me to just wear anything.

Shi Lei went back to his bedroom to change into a black suit, and then came out and got into Texas's car.

When the two arrived at the Lungmen Theater, it was already 5:30 pm.

A line dozens of meters long stretched out at the ticket counter, all there to see "Thunderstorm." The length of the queue alone was a testament to the play's popularity.

Shi Lei had never been to a place like this before or after his time travel. He wasn't sure if there was any difference between a stage play and a movie theater.

Since it's a VIP seat, there's no need to buy snacks like popcorn at the counter, right?

Seeing Texas head straight for the VIP entrance, he didn't stop and followed her.

After verifying the tickets, the ticket inspector respectfully made way, gesturing for the ticket to proceed.

"Dear VIP guest, A01 is the first room on the right on the second floor. This way please."

Shi Lei followed Texas to the designated seats. These seats were located on the second floor to the left of the stage, offering an excellent view. On the round glass table were beautifully presented desserts and snacks.

Seats A02 and A03 are located further back and are also positioned higher. There are also three VIP seats on the third floor, but they are too high up to offer the same view as those on the second floor.

Shi Lei peered down through the railing. The play was still more than twenty minutes away from starting, but the regular seats on the first floor of the theater were already almost full.

Texas remained calm, as if she had a lot of experience watching plays. But she always had this icy beauty demeanor even when she didn't watch plays, so she couldn't be taken as a reference.

He glanced down a few times, then looked away. He picked up his phone and scrolled through the latest news.

As the audience gradually filled up, the 6 p. m. start time drew ever closer. The actors had already taken their positions behind the heavy curtain, beginning their final mental preparations to get into character.

Looking from the stage towards the audience, on the second floor to the left, in the VIP seats of B01, a familiar figure appeared that surprised Shi Lei.

Ursus, a man with the signature dead fish eyes, sat opposite me in a white suit.

Huh?

Isn't that the cashier from the supermarket?

Could it be that he was actually a wealthy Childe who just happened to be experiencing life in the countryside that day?

A short while later, a woman Feline blue curly hair, dressed like a wealthy Miss, sat down next to Ursus. Behind her were two Feline in suits and sunglasses, each with one hand on their earpiece, seemingly talking to each other.

Wow, looks like he really is a rich Childe.

At six o'clock sharp, the lights in the stadium were immediately turned off.

Shi Lei sat in the VIP seat and glanced at Texas. Seeing her staring down, he looked away and turned his gaze to the center of the stage.

Snap!

A beam of light shone down from above.

Standing in the center of the light, Feline wore a camel-colored Zhongshan suit. His left hand was behind his back, and his right hand pointed diagonally downwards. His voice rose with emotion as he spoke sharply:

"Who sent you?"

With a thunderous roar, a second beam of light shone on a woman in Feline Qipao. She was kneeling on one knee, her hands pressed tightly against her right breast.

"It's fate!"

"It was Unfair Fate that brought me here!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a spotlight shone on the prop wall behind them. Only then did the audience notice that there was a child in the audience, sandwiched between the two actors.

What are you doing here?

"I want my things back."

"Go away."

"I'm not leaving."

Suddenly, a figure fell from the sky!

Shi Lei felt that this was not the content of a play, so he remotely put transparent Jade Shield on everyone on the stage.

Bang!

Two prop walls and a prop table were smashed to pieces in an instant. The dust quickly dissipated, and a Tiger-headed and dragon-brained figure appeared in his field of vision.

Waai Fu?

She looked down at her hands, somewhat surprised that she hadn't been injured after falling from such a height.

The head of the drama troupe, who was backstage, witnessed the performance mishap and immediately told the coordinator to close the curtain.

Before the staff could catch him, Waai Fu emerged from the curtain, his gaze quickly drawn to the person on B01.

Seeing this, the two Feline quickly covered Ursus and the blue-haired Feline as they left the scene.

Ignoring the commotion among the audience, Waai Fu began to run faster towards the wall on the left. The next second, she leaped into the air like a cat, and in just a few swift movements, she climbed to booth B01 on the second floor, kicking the bodyguard guarding there to the ground.

Shi Lei, unaware of what was happening, glanced at Texas, and they understood each other perfectly. He conjured a floating Rock Element artifact beside the railing, jumped onto the sofa, and extended an invitation to her.

Once Texas had regained her footing, Shi Lei propelled the saucer-shaped creation over the heads of the group.

Today's hanging picture. jpg

152. Catching someone cheating, huh? (3K)

Shi Lei's strength allowed him to levitate, but Texas couldn't. So he created a tray-like Rock Element construct to carry her to the other side.

Normally, the audience would be focused on the play in progress, and no one would pay attention to the sky above.

However, Waai Fu's sudden descent from the sky accidentally damaged some props, causing the performance to stop. The audience's attention was scattered, unable to fully focus on the stage. Furthermore, her fluid and graceful leap onto the second-floor stands drew the attention of many viewers.

The footage of Shi Lei flying through the air afterward was noticed by many viewers who had nothing else to do:

"Look, there's a UFO!"

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take a picture!"

Fortunately, the Rock Element created the object quickly enough, reaching the finish line before the audience could even take out their phones.

He and Texas went down the corridor and heard a noise coming from the north. They followed the sound and found three or four bodyguards lying on the ground.

Finally, at the far end, they found the blue-haired woman Feline, wearing a bow.

There was no trace of Waai Fu or that dead-eyed Ursus at the scene; they probably ran away.

Shi Lei, confirming that she was safe and sound, reassured her:

"Miss, please wait a moment. I know that man's boss, I'll make a call right away to find out what's going on."

"No need for that, sir."

The blue-haired woman, Feline, lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed, speaking in a very gentle voice as she offered an explanation:

"In the end, this whole thing started because of me. I wanted to see a play recently but didn't have any friends, so I paid Mr. Jie to accompany me."

My men acted rashly, and it might have looked a bit like a kidnapping when they took him away. I'm really sorry for this misunderstanding; please don't call again.

As soon as he finished speaking, a small team of Feline's bodyguards, who had just received the news, rushed to the scene.

Seeing their colleague lying on the ground, their expressions turned serious. The head bodyguard, knowing the priorities, rushed over to ensure the safety of their employer first.

Shi Lei, unsure whether the other party was friend or foe, conjured several Rock Spine out of thin air and placed them across the center. This finally gave the blue-haired Feline a chance to speak, and he quickly stopped her, saying:

"Stop it! Please stop fighting! Please stop fighting!"

"Miss Zhu, they are..."

Before he could finish speaking, a colleague reported over the Walkie-Talkie that a woman wearing goggles was carrying Mr. Jie, who was wearing a white suit, away from the Lungmen Theater.

The bodyguard captain temporarily lowered his weapon, but still looked wary as he sized up Shi Lei and his companion.

"We guarded all the passages at Exit B, not even a fly could get in. How did you manage to get up here?"

"We are Messenger from Penguin Logistics. We were originally in Building A01 over there. We just noticed a fight breaking out here, so we came to check it out."

Penguin Logistics?!

Upon hearing those four words, the bodyguard captain froze on the spot, as if he had experienced a catastrophic earthquake. He sized up the two men before him, his gaze settling on Shi Lei:

"Could it be... that you are Mister Zhongli?"

"It's me, what's wrong?"

The bodyguard captain immediately lost all his swagger, his face flushed with embarrassment as he tried to find a way to save face and leave the scene quickly.

"No, it's nothing. With your protection, Miss Zhu is absolutely safe. You two are busy, so I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, the bodyguard captain gave his men a sharp look, signaling them to quickly make their escape.

Texas frowned slightly as she watched Feline's departing figure. Shi Lei's reputation in both the legitimate and underworld circles of Lungmen was currently too high; she would have to find a way to curb it in the future.

If they continue to be so high-profile, they'll inevitably attract Si Sui Tai's attention sooner or later, and she will never allow that to happen.

Shi Lei removed the Rock Spine and smiled politely:

"Miss Zhu, since what happened just now was a misunderstanding, we'll head back now."

The stage props were destroyed, and it's unclear whether the theater troupe had any spares. Even without the backdrop and tables, it wouldn't affect the actors' performance.

"Mister Zhongli, please wait."