Cousin

"Yu Qingqing, I'm not your cousin." Xu Huo hung up after saying that, and the next second the call came again:

"Xu Huo! Even if a cousin is a thousand miles away, you're being too cold-blooded..."

Hung up.

Called again: "Can you let me finish? Men are all pigs' trotters..."

Hung up again.

After several rounds, Xu Huo finally spoke into the phone: "Talk properly, or I'll turn it off."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before a low voice said: "I'm being bullied. My agent tricked me into meeting a client."

"Where?" Xu Huo grabbed his room card and headed out.

"Ruixi Hotel, ninth floor."

Xu Huo paused mid-step, then turned and walked upstairs. After passing two floors, he spotted a slender figure sitting on the stairwell steps, her foundation smeared into a mess as she wiped her tears and sent voice messages.

"That fat bastard dared to touch me—I kicked him right in the balls!"

"...And the agent's no good either. I should've listened to my cousin and gone home to inherit the family fortune. After all, my family's that rich."

"Good to know." Xu Huo stepped forward and lifted her up, giving her a careful look. Her makeup was ruined, but her spirits were fine.

Yu Qingqing's eyes sparkled as she looked at him. "Cousin, you're amazing! You actually made it here in five minutes!"

"I'm staying here tonight." Hearing footsteps in the hallway, he put on a stern face. "Why didn't you leave immediately after the trouble? You hit someone—didn't you think they'd retaliate?"

Just as Yu Qingqing was about to say something, the stairwell safety door was kicked open. A portly middle-aged man burst out with her agent and two bodyguards. The moment he saw her, he lunged furiously to grab her: "You bitch!"

Xu Huo caught his hand and shoved it back, sending the man stumbling two steps before the bodyguards caught him.

"Who the hell are you! Daring to meddle in my business!"

"He's Yu Qingqing's cousin, just a bit actor." The agent didn't take Xu Huo seriously at all and directly addressed Yu Qingqing: "What are you standing there for? Come over and apologize to General Manager Zhu!"

"Forget the apology. You!" General Manager Zhu pointed at Xu Huo. "Now you wash Yu Qingqing clean and deliver her to my bed. If I'm satisfied, this matter's settled. Otherwise, don't even think about staying in Ting City!"

Xu Huo backhanded him away. With a "crack," General Manager Zhu clutched his hand and screamed, stumbling backward while shouting: "Beat him to death!"

The bodyguards charged, but Xu Huo easily grabbed one by the arm and shoved him down the stairs. Before he could finish rolling, he pressed the other's head against the wall!

Two cries of agony rang out in succession. Xu Huo stood still, not even moving his feet.

"D-don't come near me!" The agent stared at the man approaching him. "Assault is illegal!"

Xu Huo casually slapped him. The agent fell to his knees, spitting out teeth and blood.

Dragging General Manager Zhu over, Xu Huo sat on the steps, staring at the two kneeling side by side. He leisurely lit a cigarette and didn't speak for a long time.

Compared to General Manager Zhu, the agent was quicker to read the room. Trembling, he said: "Brother Xu, let's talk this out. Dragging someone like me into jail isn't worth it for you!"

Xu Huo smiled. "Heard of Evolution?"

"Though most Evolvers don't eat people, there are some who do. While you're out committing crimes, they're still hiding in some corner of this city, starving, clawing for a bite to eat."

News about Evolvers hadn't been made public, but with the internet so widespread, any stir would leave traces online.

Though they'd never seen an Evolver, General Manager Zhu and the others had heard rumors—they knew Evolvers were incredibly strong and fast, hard to catch after committing crimes. General Manager Zhu's two bodyguards were hired for twenty to thirty thousand a month and weren't weak, but in front of Xu Huo, they were like children, unable to even fight back. And with how much he knew about Evolvers—he was one!

Evolvers ate people!

The group's legs went weak.

"What do you want? The hotel's full of cameras. You can't escape either!" General Manager Zhu's teeth chattered, terrified that Xu Huo would pounce and eat him alive!

"Relax, I'll go burn down the surveillance room later." Xu Huo flicked his ash.

Now even the bodyguards were shaking.

"Brother Xu! Brother Xu!" The agent grabbed his leg. "This isn't my fault! That bastard Zhu had his eye on Qingqing, talked to the company's deputy general manager, and forced me to bring her here. If I didn't, I'd be fired. My wife's pregnant—I can't lose my job. Who'd want to do something this despicable?"

General Manager Zhu glared hatefully at his back, but now wasn't the time for settling scores. He shoved Yu Qingqing toward Xu Huo and bolted through the stairwell door!

The bodyguards wanted to follow, but the next second, the safety door swung open again. General Manager Zhu clutched his throat, whimpering as he stumbled backward, dragged like something was hanging him against the wall. His fat body was lifted, only his toes barely touching the ground, just enough to keep him from being strangled by his own weight!

"Help... help..." He stared at the bodyguards, but they didn't dare come near. Like they'd seen a ghost, they shrank into the corner, not daring to look at Xu Huo.

General Manager Zhu's head was engorged with blood, his pants soaked, tears and snot streaming. His eyes rolled toward Xu Huo as he barely gasped out: "Spare... me..."

Only then did Xu Huo release him. He looked at the man lying on the ground like a dead pig and said: "Do fewer bad things from now on. Times are different now."

Then he turned to the agent. "Tomorrow, Yu Qingqing goes to cancel her contract. Any problems?"

The agent snapped back to reality and immediately said: "No problem! I'll prepare the paperwork right away and convince the company to waive the penalty!"

Xu Huo nodded and called Yu Qingqing downstairs.

Back in his room, Yu Qingqing stood cautiously by the door. "Cousin, you're not hungry right now, are you?"

Xu Huo turned back, a half-smile on his face. "True, girls smell much better than middle-aged men."

Yu Qingqing's eyes went wide. "Brother, we're family! Blood is thicker than water!"

"Do you know why, in zombie movies, the first person a zombie sucks blood from after leaving its coffin is always its own relative?"

"Why?"

"Because blood is thicker than water—it suits my taste better."

Yu Qingqing let out a huge sigh of relief, patting her chest and saying, "That's great, then. We're not blood-related."

"Go wash up. Once the contract is dissolved tomorrow, take a flight back." Xu Huo gave a faint smile.

"No way." Yu Qingqing ran over and grabbed his arm, acting spoiled. "Even if I quit acting, I can stay and take care of you. If you get hungry, I'll go out and lure some bad guys for you to eat. How about that? Isn't this cousin loyal enough?"

Xu Huo's expression shifted slightly. He grabbed her shoulders, turned her around, and forcefully pulled open the back of her collar.