Bo Ting found this customer service rep utterly baffling.
What else was he supposed to do at home besides working out?
Practicing abs seemed perfectly normal, didn’t it?
Why did the guy look so utterly broken?
From the wall of dense text to the weird questioning, Bo Ting could feel the breakdown on the other end.
He felt a bit surprised:
This… wasn’t that big a deal, was it?
Had he said anything strange just now?
Meanwhile, Lou Xiaoshan and Pang Juan were on the verge of losing their minds.
When they saw Bo Ting say he was “practicing abs,” Pang Juan laughed out of sheer anger. But as she laughed, a familiar malice surged up inside her again with a whoosh.
The all-too-familiar loss of control from the Lovers’ Bell wrapped around the room once more.
The more Pang Juan looked at Lou Xiaoshan, the more handsome and refined he seemed.
Just as both of them completely lost their senses, a sudden knock echoed from the door.
The “thud thud” sounds reverberated through the pitch-black corridor. It knocked only twice before stopping, as if testing whether it was the wrong door.
Yin Liao had led his team here after checking the address again.
“Jiangyi District Xinyuan Neighborhood basement.”
“This is the place.”
“Someone reported seeing Lou Xiaoshan at the supermarket across from the neighborhood this morning.”
“Should be correct.”
His expression grew more serious as he signaled the team behind him.
Seeing Vice Captain Yin’s look, the members of the Third Esper Squad got ready.
Forget that Lou Xiaoshan and Pang Juan were on the wanted list—even as Ability Users of unknown rank, they had to be cautious during capture.
Wang Dong stood to the vice captain’s left and pressed his ear against the doorframe using his ability to pinpoint their positions.
The suburban basement’s soundproofing wasn’t great.
Shouts and snores drifted from nearby rooms, interfering at first.
But soon, he locked onto the key sounds.
Rustling noises came from the living room.
Wang Dong figured that upon hearing the knock, these experienced fugitive Ability Users would go quiet and cautiously check through the peephole.
To his surprise—they were arguing!
Strident curses rang from the living room to the window, numbing Wang Dong’s ear. He instinctively rubbed his right ear.
“How is it?” Yin Liao asked softly.
Wang Dong’s expression turned odd as he pointed inside:
“They’ve started fighting.”
Tsk, just moments ago, he’d vaguely heard something crash into the wall?
They exchanged glances, both puzzled.
After a brief moment of thought, Yin Liao made the call.
With the targets confirmed inside, he gave the signal.
“Go in!”
The Third Esper Squad burst through the door, but the expected danger, fleeing Ability Users, and all the anticipated issues… didn’t happen?
A few minutes later, staring at Pang Juan with a severed hand and Lou Xiaoshan with a broken leg, the squad was dumbfounded.
“What the hell?”
One team member couldn’t help but blurt out, then turned away to dry-heave.
Honestly, even after chasing so many vicious Ability Users, they’d never seen anything this grotesque and bizarre.
The instant they burst in, Yin Liao had even braced for them to use some special anomalous item like the one from Lena City to escape.
But who knew—after hearing the noise, the two snapped clear-headed for a split second, made a move to flee separately, then forgot their signal and turned back to brawl again.
Lou Xiaoshan watched in horror as his girlfriend cackled and hacked off his leg.
His eyes bloodshot, he crawled up:
“You bitch, I’ll kill you!”
After a shrill scream, Pang Juan lost an arm to his bite.
Now they were both desperate to tear each other apart.
The thick stench of blood filled the basement.
The sheer horrific weirdness made everyone rub their arms and instinctively hold back from intervening.
They only stepped in after both were down to their last breaths.
The vice captain grimaced, fought his nausea, and struck Lou Xiaoshan and Pang Juan to subdue them.
The two vicious wanted Ability Users collapsed on the ground, completely incapacitated—no need for further action.
The scene fell silent. No one had imagined the capture would be this straightforward.
Wang Dong winced at the bloodied pair.
“Isn’t this… what the hell happened?”
“Did these scumbags just snap?”
Though Yin Liao felt disgusted too, he scanned the small basement and calmly concluded:
“It’s probably the Lovers’ Bell backlash.”
“But didn’t they already sell the Lovers’ Bell?”
Wang Dong was about to reply when he suddenly remembered… uh, who did they sell the Lovers’ Bell to?
—【Taiping Luxury Garden】.
Cough, well, they didn’t die unjustly.
Selling to anyone but 【Taiping Luxury Garden】—they were asking for it.
And now, retribution had come.
“But damn, that was satisfying,” Wang Dong rubbed his chin.
Watching these scum who’d harmed so many innocent couples tear each other apart was downright cathartic!
Yu Bei nudged his arm.
“Shut it.”
“Clean up quick.”
If they didn’t handle this gruesome scene soon, the smell would reach the regular folks upstairs.
Wang Dong snapped to and moved in to help.
Meanwhile, after sweeping the whole building, Yin Liao suppressed the urge to interrogate the barely-alive Ability Users on the spot.
He’d have to wait until they were back and figure out how to wake them.
Unfortunately, the computer they’d used for the sale was smashed to bits in the fight—otherwise, they could’ve checked the logs.
Yin Liao rubbed his brow at the shattered laptop fragments, already dreading the headaches ahead.
…
Across town, Bo Ting noticed the chat going silent mid-conversation.
Not just silent—the aggressive customer service rep had been grilling him one second and vanished the next.
Like getting caught slacking by the boss.
Bo Ting stared oddly at the chat and sent a question mark.
“Uh, hello?”
His message sank without a trace, no reply for ages.
Bo Ting hesitated, then exited the page.
Bewildered, he vented to Mr. Xu.
“Mr. Xu.”
“So weird. I ran into this super bizarre customer service rep. They wanted feedback at first, but after a few words, poof—gone.”
“Not very professional.”
Though he’d once been a miserable wage slave himself, after a few days of contact, Bo Ting realized he wasn’t all that empathetic.
Xu Qinglai had just gotten word that the Resurgence Management Office operation was over.
Then Bo Ting’s message popped up.
Really.
“Maybe…”
“They ran into something urgent.”
A Resurgence Management Office vehicle passed below.
Xu Qinglai glanced out the window, expression neutral.
After learning about the crude disguise of the Smiling Doll, he’d casually looked up these two human Ability Users and their details.
He’d planned to handle them personally but then remembered they were on the wanted list—the Office might need their intel more. So he’d “helpfully” leaked a tip.
Good thing the Office had some competence; they’d found Lou Xiaoshan and Pang Juan by morning.
Xu Qinglai chuckled lightly and looked away.
A trinket like the Lovers’ Bell couldn’t touch him or Bo Ting, but… using them as shields?
Idiots.
The siren faded.
When Xu Qinglai saw Bo Ting’s message about the Ability Users trying to “help” him recently, he frowned slightly and tsked.
Letting them reap what they sowed felt… too lenient now.
Bo Ting had no clue what had gone down.
After Mr. Xu’s reply, he didn’t dwell.
He was just venting; the other side was just some random seller to him.
…
The vehicle carrying the two “maimed” Ability Users soon returned to the Resurgence Management Office.
Lu Jingshan was still puzzling over where today’s tip had come from.
Finding these two right when they needed to—it felt too coincidental.
But the tipster was just some random passerby. Hard to suspect.
Was he overthinking?
Lu Jingshan ruffled his messy hair and spotted Yin Liao’s group returning.
Yin Liao looked weary, but more absurd than tired.
“What happened?”
Lu Jingshan’s heart sank, but Wang Dong waved it off.
“Captain Lu, don’t worry—good news.”
He’d held it in the whole ride and now spilled:
“We found Lou Xiaoshan and Pang Juan.”
“Both still breathing.”
He poured water and glanced back.
“Didn’t even need to lift a finger.”
“They did this to themselves.”
Lu Jingshan: …
Fine.
Glancing at the back seat, he understood Yin Liao’s expression.
“Report first.”
Lu Jingshan took a deep breath and signaled to bring them out.
Wang Dong nodded eagerly.
They’d figured bringing them back meant finding the Lovers’ Bell’s trail despite the hassle.
But the Office realized they’d underestimated.
No traces in the basement they lived in.
And when these two woke…
They claimed they didn’t remember the last buyer’s name?
In the observation room:
Lou Xiaoshan looked blank during questioning, unable to think.
Even racking his brains, he couldn’t recall the address he’d sent—like something had brutally sealed his mind.
The next moment he opened his mouth, terror hit his face, and he passed out.
“Memory extraction.”
Lu Jingshan tapped the table.
Lou Xiaoshan and Pang Juan’s reactions were textbook “Memory Extraction Forbidden Technique” aftereffects.
Someone had wiped their memories ahead of time.
But…
“This doesn’t look like 【Taiping Luxury Garden】’s doing.”
【Taiping Luxury Garden】’s memory loss was more like vague blurring.
These two clearly had a chunk extracted, hence the gap.
Xue Hengfu mimicked Lu and pondered, then spoke up.
Lu Jingshan was surprised: “Getting smarter?”
He paused: “Yeah, not 【Taiping Luxury Garden】’s style.”
“Plenty of Ability Users know the Memory Extraction Forbidden Technique.”
He glanced at the unconscious pair and shook his head.
They’d used it openly, unafraid of pursuit.
Lu Jingshan was sure—they’d find nothing.
“And we just drop it?”
Yin Liao looked up, unwilling.
They’d finally traced here, even linking 【Taiping Luxury Garden】 to somewhere.
Now the trail snapped again. They might not even recover the Lovers’ Bell.
Not a good outcome.
Lu Jingshan felt helpless too. When did Mengjia City get this chaotic?
Seemed like every ghost and demon was crawling out.
“Tsk, keep digging for now.”
He figured it’d lead nowhere anyway.
The Resurgence Management Office mood sank.
Back at the neighborhood:
Bo Ting woke from a night’s sleep and yawned.
As he opened his eyes, he heard “bang bang bang bang” from upstairs.
Hm?
What was Elder Wen doing?
Bo Ting perked his ears and listened long before realizing Elder Wen was sawing wood?
What was Elder Wen doing sawing wood so early in the morning?
Bo Ting was puzzled for a moment and grew a bit worried about Elder Wen’s health.
At his age, wouldn’t engaging in such intense activity this early cause problems?
He only hesitated briefly. After washing up, Bo Ting decided to go upstairs and check.
Bo Ting’s home and Elder Wen’s in 1502 were actually separated by one floor. The unit in between had been vacant for years, with no one living there.
Even separated by a floor, though, as soon as Bo Ting stepped out, he heard the intense “zzzz” of the saw.
If this were before he transmigrated, Elder Wen probably would have gotten complaints from the property management knocking on his door.
Bo Ting shook his head and walked upstairs, then lightly knocked on the door across from him.
But Elder Wen was probably too engrossed in his woodworking to notice. Bo Ting knocked several times with no response.
Worried that Elder Wen might have passed out while working on the wood, Bo Ting had no choice but to kick the door open.
The security door flew open with a bang.
Bo Ting frowned slightly. Turning his head, he locked eyes with Elder Wen, who was standing in the living room shirtless and dazed.
Elder Wen was indeed doing woodworking at that moment.
Several rows of wood were neatly arranged to one side. He held an electric saw in his hands, and with each push and pull, the powerful muscles on his arms were revealed.
Bo Ting felt a bit awkward. He hadn’t expected Elder Wen, who appeared frail with inconvenient mobility and only about eighty pounds soaking wet, to be one of those types who looked slim clothed but packed muscle when bare.
He had no idea how he’d built those muscles—they didn’t match his weight at all.
Bo Ting pondered from the perspective of a recent amateur fitness enthusiast.
—He drew no conclusions.
After a stunned moment, Elder Wen finally snapped back to reality.
After flexing his exaggerated arm muscles a bit, he glanced strangely at the security door and asked in a bewildered tone.
“Little Bo.”
“What is this…?”
What was with bursting into his home so early in the morning?
Elder Wen hadn’t reacted at all.
Bo Ting certainly couldn’t admit he’d heard the sawing from downstairs and worried something had happened.
So he smiled faintly. “Nothing much. I just came to see what Uncle Wen was up to.”
Elder Wen: …???
You came to see what I was up to and kicked my front door open?
Elder Wen took a deep breath, his temper flaring, but remembering the tragic stories from the neighborhood chat group 2, he forcibly held back from arguing with Bo Ting.
He looked away and said cheerfully, “Hahaha, I’m just making some wooden racks.”
“Miss Du’s flower shop is opening in a couple days. I’ll send them downstairs to use as flower stands.”
Huh?
“Opening a shop?”
Bo Ting had no idea about this.
After so long in quiet transmigration limbo, was this finally some big good news for their neighborhood?
Bo Ting was a bit surprised. Elder Wen hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to nod, but eventually said:
“Miss Du recently grew a new batch of flowers, and they say they’ve all bloomed. So she’s planning to open a flower shop in the neighborhood.”
“I’m just earning some pocket money.”
Bo Ting suddenly understood.
Elder Wen had been an amateur craftsman in his youth, so making some extra cash now was normal.
At that thought, Bo Ting felt a little embarrassed.
“Um, is Miss Du’s flower shop still hiring part-timers?”
A newly opened flower shop should need some help, right?
Bo Ting realized he’d been unemployed for a while now and really should find some part-time work.
Otherwise, penniless as he was, what if he actually met up with Mr. Xu and couldn’t even afford a movie?
The very thought was unacceptable to Bo Ting!
The air fell silent for a moment. Elder Wen choked a bit, then finally lowered his head. “I’ll ask Miss Du for you.”
A few minutes later, Bo Ting smoothly obtained a business card for “Beautiful Flower Shop” and got in touch with Miss Du upstairs.
Miss Du was cleaning the shop at the time. When she received the message about someone coming for an interview, she took it very seriously.
But when she saw it was Bo Ting, her expression stiffened.
Fortunately, Bo Ting broke through her gloom the next second.
After looking around, he asked enthusiastically:
“Hello, did you grow this pot of flowers?”
“It’s beautiful.”
Several pots of flowers had already been placed around the shop one after another. The most eye-catching was a pot of small blue flowers by the glass door.
He didn’t know the variety—it didn’t look particularly valuable—but under the sunlight, the color was stunning!
Bo Ting couldn’t help praising it.
Seeing that Bo Ting genuinely liked the flowers, Miss Du’s expression softened a bit.
“It’s just a wildflower, nothing special. No name.”
Miss Du, wearing a mask, had a hoarse voice. After a pause, she hesitated. “Start this afternoon. Just take care of these few pots, okay?”
“Yeah, just that?”
Bo Ting was a bit surprised.
Miss Du nodded.
Seeing the cluster of blue flowers perk up excitedly after Bo Ting’s praise, she swallowed the warnings she had been about to give.
That afternoon, Miss Du went home, and Bo Ting stood in the shop. Unable to resist, he snapped a photo and sent it to Mr. Xu.
“Guess where I am, Mr. Xu?”
The sudden photo popped up.
Xu Qinglai glanced at it, his fingertip pausing slightly.
In the photo, the young man in the black raincoat wasn’t fully visible—just a bit of his shadow.
Beyond the shadow was a cozy, exquisite glass-walled little shop.
Xu Qinglai’s gaze slowly swept over it, landing on the several pots of flowers on the table.
“Flower shop?”
“Huh?”
“Mr. Xu guessed it.”
Bo Ting was a little disappointed but still said, “A flower shop opened in the neighborhood. I just aced the interview and can help out for a while.”
“It’s my first time tending flowers, so I’m a bit inexperienced.”
Bo Ting sounded embarrassed.
He’d impulsively volunteered upstairs on a whim, but in reality, he didn’t even have a single plant at home.
It felt a bit hasty.
Xu Qinglai glanced faintly at the blue flower whose leaves kept stretching out, nearly brushing Bo Ting’s face. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I’ve tended a few pots before.”
“However.”
He lowered his gaze. “Flowers have fragile vitality. It’s best to wear gloves when caring for them.”
“And some flowers aren’t suited for direct contact with people—touching them can cause them to wither.”
“Ah?”
“Like this blue one in front of me?”
Bo Ting was surprised and instinctively turned away a bit, afraid of getting too close and wiping out Little Blue Flower on his first day.
Xu Qinglai smiled faintly. “Of course.”
No.
That frivolous blue wildflower had simply heterized and taken a liking to intimate contact with good-looking people—that was all.
