Wearing Him Down

Xia Xu was naturally delighted. After all, he now knew where Luo Hongyun lived.

Luo Hongyun was a formidable fighter who also suffered from PTSD. Xia Xu wouldn't dare tail him, nor would he let Yang Bowen take that risk. Even without any natural talent for tracking and countertracking, an elite soldier of his caliber was bound to have extensive experience.

PTSD already made people hypervigilant, constantly filling them with an intense sense of danger. If Luo Hongyun discovered someone following him, he might overreact and lash out on the spot. Dying that way would be a truly pointless injustice.

Just as Xia Xu had been finding the situation tricky, he noticed the plastic bag Luo Hongyun was carrying. Through it, he could vaguely make out frozen dumplings and a few small bottles of liquor.

Those weren't things someone would bring as gifts or carry around while shopping, so he guessed that Luo Hongyun lived nearby. Pretending to pester him, he followed him openly the whole way. Sure enough, he successfully found his front door.

Now that he had the address, wouldn't raising his favorability be a piece of cake?

With advance knowledge of the plot, the ability to view his obsession, and a numerical favorability score, Xia Xu would eventually max out this elite soldier's favorability-as long as the man wasn't a robot.

And besides...

The next morning.

Although Luo Hongyun's life was a muddled mess, his training habits were too deeply ingrained to shake. If he went a day without exercising, he felt as though he had nowhere to burn off all his energy.

As a result, he woke up at the same time every day to do some light morning exercise.

At six thirty, he stepped out of his home with robotic punctuality.

And then...

"Why are you here again?"

Luo Hongyun frowned at the teenager standing outside his door so early in the morning.

"Uncle Expert, won't you reconsider?"

Naturally, the person who had appeared there was none other than Xia Xu.

"I already said I'm not interested. Keep pestering me... and I'll call the police!"

Luo Hongyun's expression darkened. Once again, he keenly felt this city's malice toward him.

Had this been an enemy, he would have slapped the man's head into a smashed watermelon long ago. But this was just an ordinary teenager, a civilian.

He couldn't very well resort to violence, and he had no gift for eloquence either. He really had no good way of dealing with someone who clung to him like glue.

"...Call the police?"

Luo Hongyun's sudden change of tack caught Xia Xu so off guard that he almost burst out laughing.

Of course, Xia Xu had his reasons for feeling confident enough to pester Luo Hongyun.

The instant he saw Luo Hongyun, he had opened his attribute panel. He could check things like favorability at any time. If he provoked any dislike, he would notice immediately, stop pestering him, apologize, and make himself scarce.

Besides, Luo Hongyun was a story protagonist. Movie protagonists might not always have particularly upright values or be especially noble, but at the very least, they usually weren't utterly unprincipled characters who disgusted and unsettled people. That was especially true of protagonists in urban elite-soldier and superhero stories.

So as long as he didn't genuinely enrage Luo Hongyun or do something that triggered an extreme reaction, the chances of the man hurting him were low.

Besides, how could someone who avoided and resisted combat, who wouldn't even accept work as a bodyguard anymore, readily hurt another person? With his skills, if he truly had no scruples or limits, he could have done any number of things rather than end up this destitute.

As the saying went, a gentleman could be taken advantage of through his principles. That was exactly the situation here.

Of course, Xia Xu hadn't come to offend him. After that single question, he settled for his next-best option. "Uncle Expert, how about this? If you really don't want to be a bodyguard, why not take me on as your disciple and teach me a few moves to defend myself?"

That was one of Xia Xu's goals as well.

If he really couldn't hire Luo Hongyun as a bodyguard, learning some fighting skills from him would still be worthwhile. He did have a one-star combat talent, after all. Surely he could learn something to protect himself.

In fact, if learning didn't take so long, this would have been the best approach. No matter how good someone else was, relying on them was never as good as relying on himself. Even if he hired Luo Hongyun as a bodyguard, the man couldn't follow him around every moment. Only his own strength would be the most dependable support.

But there was no way around it. This wasn't a martial arts or fantasy story where a genius could have an epiphany in a day or two, master an unrivaled divine technique, and dominate the martial world.

Any modern fighting technique inevitably required extensive practice. Even after mastering it, he would need the corresponding physique to make it effective in combat. None of that could be accomplished overnight.

For now, though, persuading Luo Hongyun to become his bodyguard was almost impossible. He could only settle for learning something from him first.

Besides, he would at least be spending time with this super-elite soldier while learning. As a protagonist whose story had yet to begin, Luo Hongyun hadn't encountered the plot of Night Owl yet, so staying beside him meant there was no need to worry about its dangers. He could also fend off the unknown creatures from Hunter. Xia Xu's safety would practically be guaranteed.

"I have nothing to teach you. I'll say it one more time: stop bothering me."

This time, Luo Hongyun hesitated for an almost imperceptible instant. Then he waved impatiently, sidestepped Xia Xu, and headed out to jog around the residential complex.

There's a chance.

Xia Xu smiled.

The hesitation had lasted only an instant, but he had still noticed it.

Luo Hongyun simply didn't want to face combat situations. He had refused to be a bodyguard because it might involve conflict with others, but teaching someone a little physical conditioning and some fighting techniques was another matter. With a little more persistent coaxing, Xia Xu should have a chance.

Maybe I can pick something up just by following his workout now?

He followed Luo Hongyun and began jogging around the residential complex as well.

Luo Hongyun's face darkened when he saw Xia Xu catch up and run alongside him, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he couldn't forbid someone else from going for a morning run.

Feeling that he had been thwarted yet again, all he could do was increase his pace a little and leave Xia Xu behind.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

After barely managing three laps around the complex behind Luo Hongyun, Xia Xu was so exhausted that he nearly passed out. His chest heaved like a bellows, every breath coming out hot as though his throat were smoking. His legs ached, tingled, and went numb, feeling as if they no longer belonged to him.

He stole a glance at Luo Hongyun, who had lapped him who knew how many times and still wasn't flushed or out of breath, and gained a profound appreciation for the gulf between them.

But he wasn't discouraged. He slowed down and kept staggering forward at a jog until he was drenched all over and the sweat running down his forehead blurred his vision. By then, Luo Hongyun had passed him more times than he could count.

"Stop. Too much is no better than too little."

As Luo Hongyun passed him again, that cool piece of advice drifted through the air.

Thud.

Xia Xu had long since felt himself reaching his limit. Hearing those words, he couldn't possibly keep forcing himself onward. He dropped straight to the ground with a thud and began panting heavily, only for his panting to gradually turn into laughter.

Looks like he's not just hiding his feelings. He's cold on the outside, soft on the inside, too...

Aching uncontrollably all over, he glanced at Luo Hongyun's attribute panel.

His favorability hadn't increased. Of course, Xia Xu hadn't expected to raise it this way.

But the fact that Luo Hongyun was willing to offer him advice even without any increase in favorability meant it wasn't some clichéd case of being moved by his perseverance. He had reminded him purely out of kindness.

Once meant there could be a second time. Persistent coaxing was definitely the right approach. Whatever else might happen, he certainly had a chance of learning a few moves from the man.

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