Renting an Entire Building

Ten laps...

Twenty laps...

Thirty laps...

Forty laps...

Fifty laps...

"Is he even human?"

As Xia Xu watched Luo Hongyun pass him lap after lap, even "dumbfounded" fell short of describing his expression.

The residential complex wasn't large, but those dozens of laps had to add up to well over ten kilometers.

More importantly, even after all those laps, Luo Hongyun wasn't flushed or out of breath. Aside from a little sweat, he looked almost no different from when he'd first come outside. His stamina was downright monstrous.

Especially compared with Xia Xu, who had only managed a few laps...

At that moment, Xia Xu felt the gulf between people more keenly than ever.

Luo Hongyun's fifty-lap jog seemed to have been nothing more than a warm-up. After finishing, he began doing push-ups and other bodyweight exercises in a nearby open space. None of the exercises were some secret, miraculous technique, but every one of them was performed at a monstrous intensity.

Having more or less recovered, Xia Xu hesitated briefly before finally joining in and training beside him.

Luo Hongyun neither commented nor offered any guidance. He simply continued his own workout, only telling Xia Xu to stop whenever he approached his limit.

He didn't even look toward Xia Xu when he spoke. If there hadn't been nobody else around, Xia Xu might have wondered whether Luo Hongyun was talking to him at all.

From six thirty until eight, Luo Hongyun kept at it before finally ending his morning workout. By then, Xia Xu lay sprawled on the ground, feeling incapable of moving so much as a finger.

Every inch-no, every strand-of muscle ached. It felt as though every last drop of strength had been wrung out of his body.

"Lie there now, and don't expect to get out of bed for a week."

Looking as though he had only just finished a light calisthenics routine, his breathing entirely unchanged, Luo Hongyun casually gave Xia Xu another cold reminder before heading home.

"I'm getting up. Right now... Ow!"

Xia Xu grimaced in pain and struggled mightily before staggering to his feet.

That seemed to earn him a little more respect from Luo Hongyun, who turned his head slightly and glanced back out of the corner of his eye.

Although Xia Xu hadn't matched Luo Hongyun's volume during that warm-up routine, Luo Hongyun had only stopped him each time when he reached the limit beyond which further exertion would do more harm than good. The full routine had pushed every muscle in his body to its absolute limit.

Completing the entire routine and still forcing himself to stand afterward might not have been anything spectacular, but it did merit praise for exceptional willpower. At the very least, it wasn't something a pampered teenager could manage.

Of course, that newfound regard really did amount to just one glance. After turning his head and looking back from the corner of his eye, Luo Hongyun left without another word.

But...

[Affinity]: 10

"Heh, act as cold and stone-faced as you like. Your affinity score doesn't lie."

Xia Xu grinned broadly.

Even if he could only gain five points each time, twelve attempts would bring him to a passing score. It wasn't really something he could calculate that way, of course, but at least there was a glimmer of hope.

Now that he had numerical indicators, it really did feel a little like playing a dating sim. The only pity was that his target wasn't a pretty girl like Little White Flower, but a cold, burly man with a square face.

He followed Luo Hongyun back into the complex and arrived beside his building. The area was unusually busy today, with two moving-company trucks already parked there and people steadily carrying things onto them.

"I paid twenty thousand in transfer fees to take over their lease. Or rather, I rented that entire building."

Seeing Luo Hongyun's gaze linger briefly on the movers, Xia Xu immediately explained.

He was referring to the other building opposite Luo Hongyun's home.

This was an old residential complex, almost dilapidated enough to be condemned. It was essentially waiting for demolition now, so its occupancy rate was low.

The buildings weren't particularly tall, either. There were no elevators, after all. Every residential building in the complex had five floors, with the first floor devoted to the entrance, stairwell, and utility rooms. The remaining floors each had two apartments, for eight apartments in total.

Aside from the forty thousand he had spent persuading the two existing households to transfer their leases, each apartment cost only eight hundred a month. Renting them all came to just six thousand four hundred.

"Are you showing off how spoiled you are?"

Luo Hongyun frowned.

"No, I'm just trying to avoid dragging other people into this as much as possible."

Xia Xu made no attempt to hide his intentions, baring his white teeth in a grin. "That includes you, of course. That's why I rented the building next door."

"You really are the most annoying brat I've ever met."

Luo Hongyun's face darkened again.

Given Xia Xu's desperate efforts to hire him as a bodyguard, someone with his experience could hardly fail to understand what the boy was after. His expression turned cold as he said, "Even if I see someone coming after you, I won't help."

"What if it isn't a person?"

Xia Xu pressed him with a smile.

Luo Hongyun paused briefly, then said with a dark expression, "Same answer."

"Suit yourself, then. I'm just a poor, helpless brat, after all. All I can do is cling to whatever lifeline I can find."

Xia Xu shrugged and smacked his lips regretfully. "A miscalculation on my part. I should've moved straight into the top floor of your building."

He had decided yesterday to move near Luo Hongyun's home, and had even negotiated with the landlord and tenants of the neighboring building overnight.

Only two of its eight apartments were occupied, so he had spent just forty-six thousand four hundred in total. The rent afterward would only be six thousand four hundred a month.

That money would have been enough to rent a villa for two months, but how could a villa matter more than safety? The plot of "Night Owl" hadn't started yet, so living beside Luo Hongyun, its elite-soldier protagonist, was the safest option.

Of course, he hadn't gone too far. Instead of renting the apartment next to Luo Hongyun's or one upstairs, he had rented in the neighboring building.

If he rented an apartment above Luo Hongyun's, anything that tried to attack him at home would very likely have to confront Luo Hongyun first. That was practically the safest possible arrangement.

But that would truly mean forcing Luo Hongyun into the situation against his will. Doing so would have been rather underhanded and likely to provoke resentment.

Most importantly, he wasn't sure whether Luo Hongyun was stronger or weaker than the "prey" in "Hunter." If Luo Hongyun could win easily, all would be well, but if he couldn't handle it or was caught off guard, Xia Xu might get him killed for nothing.

So Xia Xu chose to rent in the neighboring building-and to rent the whole place. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about dragging anyone else into danger, while Luo Hongyun could decide for himself whether to help and would have time to prepare.

Judging by the earlier attack on Tang Hao, that "Fierce Beast" only attacked one person rather than engaging in wholesale slaughter. If it wasn't drawn by Xia Xu's supporting-character status, it wouldn't come here; even if it did, it would have nothing to do with him. If it really was drawn here by his supporting-character status, then he would definitely be its target.

Under those circumstances, Luo Hongyun could stay out of it entirely if he didn't want to help. If he did, he could save Xia Xu or buy time to call the police.

This was already the best Xia Xu could do. Any further unforeseen developments wouldn't be his responsibility. If the danger really did spill over onto the people around him, it could happen anywhere. He couldn't exactly be expected to move into some deserted wilderness and get himself killed.

He simply didn't want to be utterly unscrupulous, not that he was some saint. With his own survival uncertain, he wasn't going to worry about so much, much less sacrifice himself for others.

In fact, the only reason he had chosen the neighboring building was that the difference between the two options hardly mattered. Whether Luo Hongyun helped had always been entirely up to Luo Hongyun himself.

Even if Xia Xu rented the apartment next door, Luo Hongyun still wouldn't intervene if he didn't want to. Forcing him into the situation might even backfire and make Xia Xu the first target of his anger.