It was growing dark outside.
Inside the main hall, the crystal chandelier overhead cast a soft, warm yellow glow.
It made Hu Zhao's face across from him look even gentler.
Watching her, Xue Wu's eyes flashed with infatuation.
He adjusted his glasses and gently pushed a document in front of her.
"The details of the contract are here. Take a look. It took a lot of effort to negotiate this."
He paused, his gaze settling on Hu Zhao's lowered lashes. A note of anticipation entered his voice.
"Also... I heard a new Western restaurant opened in the east district, and it has great reviews. Xiaozhao, would you like to go try it with me tonight?"
Hu Zhao lifted her gaze from the papers and looked at him.
Then she shook her head, her expression unchanged.
"No, thanks. I'm eating at home tonight."
Her voice was calm.
"Besides, this is the most critical time for the company. You and I should keep our minds entirely on business."
She closed the document and looked him straight in the eye.
"Don't forget what you promised my father.
"Only after you've truly made something of yourself will we have a future together. Only then will you earn his approval, and only then will you truly be my husband."
Xue Wu froze for a moment, a plainly visible look of helplessness and disappointment crossing his face.
After a brief silence, he said softly, "All right. We'll do it another time."
"I have something else to take care of, so I'll head out. If anything comes up, remember to message me."
"Mm. Drive carefully!"
Hu Zhao nodded and reminded him.
Seeing that Hu Zhao made no effort to keep him there, Xue Wu sighed and turned to leave.
Watching him go,
Hu Zhao furrowed her brows slightly.
It wasn't that she couldn't see what Xue Wu was thinking.
Unfortunately, because of her family upbringing, she wasn't willing to be too intimate with him before they were actually married.
That remained true even though he was technically her boyfriend.
She was traditional by nature.
Premarital intimacy
was, in her eyes, a sign of not respecting oneself.
Thinking of this, she shook her head.
Then she returned her attention to the document in her hands.
Xue Wu took the elevator down to the garage, got into his car, and shut the door.
The underground garage was empty and silent, with no one else around.
Bam!
He slammed a fist into the steering wheel. His face darkened instantly, veins bulging across his forehead. He looked nothing like the mild-mannered man he'd been moments earlier.
"That damn woman, always acting like she's pure and untouchable... After all these years, I've barely even touched her hand. If it weren't for her father, do you think I'd go out of my way to chase after you?"
He gritted his teeth, his voice low and hoarse.
"Once we're married, I'll show you... I'll make sure you know who you're dealing with."
At the thought, he took several deep breaths.
After calming himself, he picked up the phone beside him, found the number saved as "Mother" in his contacts, and pressed the call button.
The dialing tone beeped several times before the call was answered.
But the other end was silent. No one spoke.
Xue Wu seemed used to this. He spoke without hesitation. "Mom, it's me."
At that,
a hoarse woman's voice finally came from the other end. "Xiaowu, why are you calling so late?"
"It's about what happened before."
Xue Wu briefly explained the situation.
"...The curse has taken effect, but he's still alive."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"By all rights, once that curse took effect, he should have had no chance of surviving."
His mother's voice was cold.
"His background is complicated. Don't act rashly."
Xue Wu was just as puzzled.
It was precisely because the other man came from a complicated family that taking action would risk leaving traces. That was why he'd gone to such lengths to place the curse, but he'd never expected it to fail.
"Don't fret too much,"
his mother continued.
"Perhaps it's just a last flicker of life.
"I've made some progress lately and am trying to master that kind of 'power'... If I succeed, I'll take care of him myself."
"Mom, you mean..."
The gloom vanished from Xue Wu's eyes, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.
He was about to say more, but seemed to have some reservations and held his tongue.
"Then be careful."
"Mm. Wait for my news."
The call ended.
Xue Wu put his phone away. A cold glint flickered in his eyes as he glanced at the elevator doors beside him and sneered.
He didn't linger.
He pressed the accelerator, and the car drove away.
Dawn was just breaking.
Light slanted in through the high windows, illuminating the dust motes drifting through the training hall.
A fierce sparring match was underway in one of the Iron Fist Fighting Club's rooms.
Two figures in red and black protective gear moved at high speed. Their fists crossed and clashed, whipping up the air with a whoosh.
Suddenly, the young man in black narrowed his eyes. He seized the brief opening in his opponent's guard and struck first.
A swift low kick lashed out like a whip, disrupting his opponent's rhythm. He followed up at once, his right fist sweeping upward in a sharp arc and landing squarely on the other man's chin.
"Ugh..."
His opponent grunted, staggered backward several steps, then lost his balance and slumped against the ropes.
"I'm done!"
He waved a hand, his voice muffled.
His gaze fixed on the young man in black protective gear, Hu Long.
He looked at him as if he were some kind of monster.
"I never used to believe in real geniuses... but now I do. No, even 'genius' doesn't do you justice. You're a monster born for fighting! You've improved this much in just a few days... This is simply..."
Hu Long took off his protective gear and said nothing, only smiling faintly.
"Not at all. You went easy on me!"
Splash...
Hu Long stood in the bathroom, letting the water run over his body.
Compared with his formerly skinny frame, his body was now considerably fuller. Clear muscle definition had appeared on his arms, abdomen, shoulders, and elsewhere.
He closed his eyes and felt the changes in his body.
During this time, Hu Long had also figured out the limitations of downloading skills from the Panel.
Unlike physical talent,
skills could generally be divided into two types.
One type was like pure knowledge and memory. After downloading the knowledge and digesting it a little, you could basically use it.
For example, some of the material on reading faces in the Blue Bag Residual Scripture.
The other type involved the body.
For example, this master-level Unarmed Combat.
According to the information that came with it,
at this level, a person could easily take on five to eight people at once.
Of course, that assumed the other side had no weapons.
Even so, it was still an extremely impressive skill.
But downloading the skill didn't mean he could master it immediately.
Although he understood it in his head, his body struggled to perform some of the more difficult movements. He needed time to adapt.