The Billion-Dollar Bodyguard's Refusal

"For example... you could be a bodyguard."

As Trunks spoke, his eyes kept sweeping over Chen Hao as though trying to see through him. "Or a consultant. Capsule Corporation has businesses all over the world—North America, Europe, South America, Asia... We have branches on nearly every continent. Honestly, some places are pretty unstable. Every now and then, we need someone like you to hold down the fort..."

As he said this, Trunks rubbed his chin, anticipation slipping into his tone.

"Not interested."

Chen Hao set down his wineglass, its base striking the table with a crisp sound.

He cut Trunks off directly, his voice calm but resolute. "I have my own plans."

"I see."

Trunks froze for a moment, his shoulders loosening. There was a hint of regret on his face, but he did not press further.

He shrugged. "All right, then. The money is still yours. I won't take back the one billion."

He nodded, then turned and walked away, the hem of his suit jacket sweeping in an arc behind him.

"Then thanks."

Chen Hao picked up his wineglass and gave Trunks's retreating back a little wave, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his lips.

Trunks and his people left, their footsteps growing more distant until they vanished at the end of the corridor.

The restaurant door closed softly with a muffled thud, and then everything fell quiet again.

The lighting seemed gentler. The customers withdrew their gazes and resumed their hushed conversations, restoring the restaurant's warm, peaceful atmosphere.

Android 18 stood where she was, her blue eyes fixed on the open case of cash on the table. Under the lights, the bills looked like a pile of golden leaves.

She laughed, her voice crisp as she turned to Chen Hao. "You're really planning to take this money?"

She reached out and poked the edge of the case, making the bills sway softly with a rustling sound.

"Of course."

Chen Hao answered bluntly. He took out a stack of bills, pinching a corner between his fingers as his gaze fell upon them. "You can't live on Earth without money."

After saying that, he put the cash back into the case and casually shut it, producing a dull click.

"But..."

Android 18 turned, her gaze passing over Chen Hao's shoulder and toward the window.

Night had already spread across West City. The orange-red afterglow at the horizon was gradually sinking beneath the skyline, while the city lights came on one after another, like patches of glowing fireflies.

Traffic streamed endlessly through the streets, headlights stretching into bright lines through the night.

"What are you planning to do from now on? Stay in West City forever?"

Her voice was so soft that it sounded like she was talking to herself.

"No."

Chen Hao set down his glass. The wine swayed inside it a few times before becoming still.

He stood up, the chair scraping faintly against the floor, then walked to the window. With both hands in his pockets, he looked out at the distant night sky.

The last streak of sunset vanished from the horizon, and the night fell slowly like deep-blue silk. Distant stars began to glitter.

"This is only the beginning."

"The beginning?"

Android 18 rose in confusion and walked to Chen Hao's side, her high heels making soft taps against the floor.

Tilting her head, she looked at his profile. In the darkness, his features were sharply defined, city lights reflected in his eyes.

"Yeah."

Chen Hao raised a hand and tapped the glass twice, his fingertips brushing through the condensation.

"There are still many enemies in this world who haven't appeared yet. I have to become stronger."

His voice was low and firm, as though he were making a vow.

"Stronger?"

Android 18 tilted her head. Her breath formed a faint mist in the air, and her eyes held curiosity, along with a trace of excitement.

"That's right."

Chen Hao turned to face her. Less than half a meter separated them.

He looked directly into her eyes, where something like flames seemed to flicker. "Super Saiyan 4 is only the starting point. There are even higher realms beyond it."

"Such as?"

The end of Android 18's question lifted slightly. Her breathing was light and quick, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes.

"Such as... Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, or even—"

Chen Hao paused, a smile on his lips and a profound look in his eyes, as though he were seeing across time and space.

"Ultra Instinct."

Android 18's lips parted slightly. She did not understand what any of those names meant, but Chen Hao's gaze—the brilliance within it, like stars burning in the abyss—suddenly made her heart race, heat rushing straight to her head.

She took a deep breath. The night wind blew in through the window, lifting her hair.

"Then... what can I do?"

Her voice carried anticipation, and her eyes remained fixed on Chen Hao.

"Just follow me."

Chen Hao looked at her calmly, his eyes like the deepest stars in the night.

"I'll show you what this world really looks like."

His voice was soft, yet it carried the power to open a door.

Android 18 froze.

At that moment, the wind seemed to stop, and the noise outside the window seemed to vanish, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

Her pupils widened slightly, a faint blush appearing on her face. Then she suddenly smiled—a smile brighter than the lights outside, carrying relief and resolve.

"Sure."

The two stood side by side before the window, shoulders nearly touching, their elbows less than a palm's width apart.

Outside, the last of the sunset had completely faded. Night fell, and the lights of West City came on, merging into a golden sea through its streets and alleys.

Neon lights danced across the buildings, headlights streamed through the streets, pedestrians surged like a tide, and laughter and music drifted from afar.

In the peaceful night, this city seemed even more beautiful, even warmer.

But in the depths of distant space, amid the boundless void, two golden eyes slowly opened.

They had no pupils, only two beams of golden light, like suns burning in the darkness.

He stood in the void, surrounded by drifting stardust and shattered meteors. Gray vapor enveloped his body, and his long hair floated weightlessly.

The corner of his mouth curled upward as he spoke in a low voice. There was no medium for the sound, yet it seemed capable of piercing through space.

"Interesting."

His body trembled slightly, blasting the stardust away and carving shattered trails through the darkness.

"This world... has produced an unstable factor."

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the golden light was brighter, like searchlights sweeping across the entire universe.

"Interesting."

His smile widened, his teeth unnervingly white.

"This is... truly too interesting."

He raised a hand, gathering a mass of golden energy between his fingers. It pulsed in his palm with a low hum, as if answering some distant summons.

He chuckled softly, the sound echoing through the void like something being torn apart.

He looked into the depths of the universe, where a blue planet slowly turned beneath the light of a star.

He memorized its coordinates.

The night curtain was like vast black velvet, draping itself over all of West City.

Streetlights came on one after another, outlining the city in a beautiful web of light.

Chen Hao still stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, arms folded across his chest. Tall and resolute, he cast a lonely silhouette in the glass.

His gaze passed through the city lights, through the clouds, toward a starry sky so distant it almost seemed nonexistent—as if he were quietly speaking to some invisible star.