Chapter 9: Loan Sharks

He Nan had nearly reached his breaking point. The pressure from both CEO Wang and the agency was so intense he could hardly breathe, and searching for Quan Heng had driven him to the brink.

After one busy signal after another, the call suddenly connected. He Nan was so startled he couldn’t react at first. The curse already on the tip of his tongue caught in his throat. He heard water running on the other end, followed by Quan Heng’s cool voice.

“What do you want?”

Quan Heng sounded casual, not at all like someone who would obediently cooperate. Remembering that he was the sort of ruthless man who could get his hands on the CEOs’ dirt, He Nan swallowed his curses and spoke with unusual gentleness.

“Quan Heng, when are you coming back to the company? We should discuss your upcoming schedule.”

He Nan dangled a tempting offer in front of him. “Director Yuan’s workplace drama, Elite Lovers, is about to start filming. I got you an audition for the second male lead.”

Hearing his manager practically coaxing him, Quan Heng smiled as he washed a rag under the faucet. His expression was amused.

He remembered the show. It had been adapted from an original novel and had attracted a fair amount of attention. The response after it aired had been lukewarm, but it was still a rare opportunity. He Nan had never offered him a resource this good in his previous life.

He Nan heard the laugh and thought he’d found an opening. A contemptuous smile crossed his face.

He’d known Quan Heng would have to come crawling back to the agency for opportunities. He was already happy over one random role He Nan had tossed his way. It should be easy enough to keep him under control.

He was preparing to press his advantage when Quan Heng’s laughter grew louder. His tone turned impatient.

“Forget it. I’m not going to waste my breath. You’re recording this, aren’t you?”

He Nan’s brow twitched. A bad feeling rose in his gut. He could tell Quan Heng was about to say something he wouldn’t like. His temper flared.

“Don’t push your luck!”

Quan Heng had no interest in talking to He Nan any longer. Whether in his previous life or this one, he knew the man was merely a lackey pushed out in front to take the blows. The real decision-makers were elsewhere.

He carried the washed rag over to the refrigerator and began wiping it down at a leisurely pace.

“The thing you’re looking for is still with me.”

The single sentence silenced He Nan, who had still been making threats.

After days of coming up empty, he’d suspected as much. Now that Quan Heng had confirmed it, He Nan became even more subdued.

He had to placate Quan Heng. Otherwise, those files could get him killed a thousand times over. He hadn’t forgotten that the bag also contained evidence of things he himself had done.

“What do you want?” He Nan calmed down instead. If Quan Heng was saying this, it meant he didn’t want to drag everyone down with him. There was still room to negotiate.

“Simple.” Quan Heng smiled. “I want to end my contract with Xinghui Entertainment early. You gave me a bunch of garbage shows before, so make it up to me with an equal number of decent opportunities. The rest is up to you.”

“You’re asking for far too much.” Over the past five years, He Nan had given Quan Heng so many terrible roles he couldn’t even count them all. His expression changed as soon as he heard the terms. “I don’t have that kind of authority.”

“That’s not my problem.” He Nan sounded troubled on the other end, but Quan Heng’s expression remained calm. “It’s up to you how badly you want those files back.”

“I look forward to hearing your good news.” Quan Heng ended the call without hesitation and blocked the number.

At Xinghui Entertainment, in the manager’s lavish office, He Nan looked disheveled after spending days appeasing the CEOs. Listening to the dead tone, he thought of Quan Heng’s arrogance on the call. His face changed several times before he finally hurled his phone to the floor.

After hanging up, Quan Heng was in a good mood. He asked the System to play the instrumental version of Today Is a Beautiful Day and continued carefully wiping the fridge. Then someone suddenly began pounding on the front door, urgently.

He went to the door and looked through the peephole. A shirtless man with a tattooed arm and loud floral shorts stood outside, his chin held high. He looked downright brazen.

“Looks like a debt collector,” the System said, floating over to peek. It pieced together the man’s identity from the plot. “He’s here about the loan shark debt the protagonist’s father owes from gambling.”

Quan Heng said nothing. He opened the door and, before the man could squeeze inside and start making threats, grabbed him by the throat.

“You little—” The man’s voice cut off in a choking cough. Quan Heng’s sudden chokehold made his eyes roll back. He struggled to see the face of the man holding him.

Tall, beautiful features, the corners of his eyes naturally turned up as if he were always smiling.

But at such close range, the man could see that Quan Heng wasn’t smiling at all. His dark eyes stared at him without a flicker of emotion.

Quan Heng tightened his grip. The man’s chest was starved of air, and he began flailing wildly, certain he was about to meet his maker.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs. The lackey who’d parked downstairs saw the scene and charged up.

Quan Heng glanced over and saw him pull a fruit knife from the back of his waistband.

The big man’s backup had arrived. He began thrashing violently in Quan Heng’s grip, making it hard to hold on.

The man’s movements were too wild, so Quan Heng let him go. The moment he relaxed, Quan Heng grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the door.

The big man’s body went limp and slid down. The lackey was startled and tried to run, but he’d charged in too fast to stop himself. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and swing the knife.

Quan Heng dodged backward, using the dining table to block the attack. When the man stumbled, he took the chance to avoid another wild slash.

His first strike had missed. Seeing that Quan Heng was wary of the knife, the lackey grew bolder. He went around the table and advanced on him.

Quan Heng frowned and had no choice but to retreat into the kitchen.

The lackey followed close behind. Seeing how cramped the kitchen was, his grin turned feral. He raised the knife high.

Quan Heng was trapped in the corner between the stove and the sink, apparently unable to fight back. But just as the lackey stabbed downward, Quan Heng lifted a hand.

He had quietly taken a cleaver from the dish rack. It caught the other man’s fruit knife with a sharp metallic clang.

A cold glint flashed along the cleaver’s edge. Quan Heng was stronger, and he pressed the blade toward the lackey’s throat. As the man recoiled in terror, Quan Heng slapped his arm aside.

The System darted forward and snatched the fruit knife from him.

The lackey’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared in horror as his knife flew away and screamed that there was a ghost. Quan Heng shoved him hard, sending him crashing into the refrigerator.

Pain surged through his body as if every bone had been broken. The lackey watched Quan Heng approach and nearly burst into tears.

“Sorry, boss! I was blind. I didn’t know who I was messing with!”

If he’d known there was a ghost protecting Wen Congrong’s place, he never would’ve come to collect the debt!

The big boss was dead. He was going to die here, too.

Quan Heng realized the man had misunderstood what was going on, but didn’t bother correcting him. He lifted the cleaver and waved it near the lackey’s throat. Once the man’s face had gone deathly pale, Quan Heng patted him on the shoulder with the flat of the blade.

“Want to live?”

The lackey said nothing. He only nodded repeatedly.

“Then hand over all the money you have on you.” Quan Heng’s eyes curved. “Otherwise, I’ll report you for breaking and entering.”

“…” Trembling, the lackey pulled all the cash from his pockets.

Quan Heng glanced at it and saw there was quite a lot.

People with high-interest loans often gave the collectors a little cash to buy more time. The lackey had handed it all over to save his own skin.

When Quan Heng didn’t say anything, the lackey added in a shaking voice, “My boss has more.”

He pointed toward the door, then realized that the man he’d thought was dead had woken up and was sneaking toward the exit.

“Boss!” the lackey screamed.

Quan Heng raised an eyebrow and asked the System to hold up the cleaver for him. Then, wearing a gentle smile, he headed back to the door.

Bang!

The big man’s legs had gone weak with fear. Quan Heng grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the kitchen, where he dropped him beside his lackey against the refrigerator.

A crack sounded. Quan Heng paused on his way into the kitchen.

He looked around but didn’t see anything wrong.

The lackey was sobbing and begging at the floating cleaver. The big man had gone silent as a quail, numb as he handed over his cash.

“Smile.” Quan Heng pocketed the money and smiled warmly. “When you get back, you’ll know what to say and what not to say, right?”

“I… I know.” The big man’s smile looked more like a grimace.

“Then tell me.”

“Wen Congrong’s installment for this month has been paid.”

“Wrong.” Quan Heng brushed at his clothes. “What does his debt have to do with me?”

“Uh… what?”

Quan Heng had no patience to explain. He only said, “Don’t make decisions for me. Get out.”

The cleaver hit the floor. The two men scrambled out, propping each other up. Before leaving, they even had the sense to close the door behind them. At Quan Heng’s cheerful “Come back anytime,” they fled as fast as they could.

When Wen Congrong came home that evening, Quan Heng seemed to be in a good mood. He had a smile on his lips, and when he came to greet Wen Congrong, his eyes were bright with stars.

Wen Congrong rarely saw him like this, and looked at him for a few extra seconds. It took Quan Heng’s question to bring him back to himself.

“What’s this?” Quan Heng pointed to the extra bag in his hand.

“New clothes for you.” It hadn’t seemed like a big deal when he’d bought them, but now Wen Congrong felt a little embarrassed. He handed Quan Heng the bag. “I estimated your size and bought them one size up from mine. They should fit.”

Quan Heng paused, then took the bag. Inside were a simple shirt and shorts, along with a pair of slippers that looked like they’d fit him.

He lowered his eyes slightly. When he looked up again, he wore a delighted expression and thanked Wen Congrong.

The System, floating beside him, heard its host’s mocking voice.

“Just as expected of our kind, good-hearted protagonist. I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes I’m not a good person.”

The contrast between Quan Heng’s expression and his thoughts was so jarring that the System let out an “Ah!” It stopped halfway toward the food Wen Congrong had brought home and didn’t dare peek at what he’d bought that day.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Wen Congrong felt awkward under the light of Quan Heng’s gaze. His blood warmed, and he said without thinking, “Just think of it as a thank-you for cleaning the fridge today.”

He walked toward the kitchen to get some plates and transfer the food he’d brought home. “I bought some extra cold dishes. We can eat the rest tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Quan Heng followed him into the kitchen with a smile. Then came a loud crash. Wen Congrong, who had gone ahead and opened the refrigerator, froze in place.

Quan Heng stopped behind him, his expression strange. The refrigerator stood wide open. He’d cleaned it until it gleamed, but… where was the door?

Quan Heng took a few steps forward and found the refrigerator door at Wen Congrong’s feet.

“What happened?” Wen Congrong’s voice trembled as he forced the words out.

The System behind him covered its eyes with both hands, pretending not to witness its host’s humiliating moment.

Quan Heng silently looked away.