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◎Facing◎
"Don't come into my bedroom, it's scary."
Mu and Qing had nightmares all night and were in a bad mood.
"I just wanted to wake you up; you've been sleeping for a long time." Bao Yan was still wearing the shirt he'd been given yesterday, indicating he'd spent the night in the living room.
"What time is it?" Mu Heqing took out her phone and found that it was already 10 a.m. She had indeed slept for a long time.
There was another message from Deng Qian on her phone. Mu Heqing opened the message and immediately snapped out of her daze, her expression changing slightly.
The message read: Hello, I am Guo Ren, who met you at Boss Jing's shop. Could you please meet with me?
Mu Heqing's fingers trembled slightly as she looked up at the Nightmare.
"You gave your power to a man named Guo Ren and another man named Ding Bao?" she asked.
The Nightmare tilted its head: "I did lend my power to a man, but I don't know his name."
Mu and Qing quickly typed into their phones: How did you get Deng Qian's phone? What did you do to her?
The other party replied quickly: I didn't do anything, don't worry, she's fine. I just want to see you, and "him".
The use of quotation marks around "he" likely refers to the Nightmare.
"He Qing, why are you suddenly so angry?" Bao Yan asked, puzzled.
Mu Heqing gripped his phone and replied: Where shall we meet?
My phone buzzed with a message, and four words appeared on the screen: Ancheng East Park.
"Nightmare," Mu Heqing said coldly, "You're coming with me."
…………
Ancheng East Park is located in a relatively remote area with few people. Fortunately, Mu and Qing's rented house is also in a remote area, not far from Ancheng East Park, only a ten-minute walk away. Of course, Mu and Qing would get there even faster by riding their electric scooter.
As soon as Mu and Qing pushed her electric scooter out, the tall, violent man sat on it.
"What are you doing?" Mu Heqing asked.
Bao Yan seemed even more anxious than her, saying, "Hurry up, He Qing, has something happened to someone? We need to hurry!"
Mu Heqing gripped the electric scooter key, coldly saying, "Ancheng traffic regulations prohibit electric scooters from carrying passengers. You walk over there."
Bao Yan had no choice but to get out of the car, looking disappointed. But he was quick on his feet, and Mu and Qing pushed the speed to the maximum, so Bao Yan could easily keep up.
As instructed by Guo Ren, they agreed to meet at Birch Bay in the park. It was a weekday and close to noon, so there was almost no one else in the park.
Mu and Qing easily found Guo Ren; his bald head was still quite noticeable.
"Where's Qianqian?" Mu Heqing asked directly.
Guo Ren didn't look at her. He looked exhausted and stared at Bao Yan with a complicated expression. His gaze was focused, as if he were worshipping a deity in his heart.
“I’ve seen you again,” he murmured.
Bao Yan remained silent, completely unconcerned. The game between Guo Ren and Ding Bao was too boring; if it weren't for Mu and Qing, he wouldn't have even met Guo Ren.
"Where's Qianqian?" Mu Heqing asked again.
Seeing that Mu and Qing were on the verge of exploding, Bao Yan said, "Answer He Qing's question."
Guo Ren came to his senses.
"I'm sorry, Deng Qian is fine. If she wakes up, she'll come over." Guo Ren kept apologizing. "I really have no other choice. This is the only way I can think of. I'm not threatening you, I'm just begging you."
Mu and Qing softened their stance. Guo Ren didn't seem like a bad person, and coupled with the story told by Boss Jing, she temporarily believed Guo Ren.
She suppressed her anxiety and asked, "What exactly happened?"
Guo Ren looked at Bao Yan again, his hand tracing the words on his arm, unconsciously gripping them. "Could you... take back your power?"
The Nightmare raised an eyebrow.
“Mu Heqing, right? If you knew this person next to you, you would know how terrifying his power is.” Guo Ren turned to Mu Heqing and said.
Mu Heqing had a feeling that she was about to hear another story, so she sighed and said, "Let's talk somewhere else."
After walking for a while, the group sat down in a pavilion in the park.
The reason why Birch Bay in Ancheng East Park is called Birch Bay is because it is full of birch trees and has a winding stream.
The pavilion where Mu and Qing were standing faced the river, and a gentle breeze made the water ripple.
Guo Ren sat opposite her, head down. If he had hair, he would have been pulling it with his fingers, but he didn't, so he could only scratch his scalp.
Bao Yan sat next to Mu Heqing, looking bored.
“You’ve already heard Ding Bao’s story, and you must have noticed something strange about it,” Guo Ren said.
Mu Heqing glanced at Bao Yan. "It's related to him, I know."
"After gaining power, Ding Bao became extremely arrogant. He received a lot of bonuses and spent all his time loitering in clubs. I have a younger brother who works as a waiter in a club. One time, he got drunk and started throwing a tantrum. My brother tried to stop him, but Ding Bao broke my brother's leg. Afterwards, he had to pay a lot of money in compensation, but my brother's leg was completely ruined," Guo Ren said through gritted teeth.
“My brother and I depended on each other for survival. You may not know my brother. He had a strong personality. Losing his leg was more painful for him than losing his life. He committed suicide after my fortieth birthday.” As Guo Ren spoke, two lines of tears streamed down his face.
“Ding Bao and I were both boxers at that underground boxing ring. We who make a living in the dark really had no way to seek help from the light. I couldn’t beat Ding Bao, and I couldn’t find a way out until I met him.”
Guo Ren glanced at Bao Yan, who still looked uninterested.
“I once asked my brother’s colleague to inquire about Ding Bao. Once, Ding Bao got drunk and let slip that his power was aided by a divine being, that a god had come to help him. Someone asked him what a god was like. He said that a god had powerful writing on his body. As soon as I saw him, I knew that he was the god Ding Bao was talking about.”
“I think it’s ridiculous, but I had no choice for my brother. I asked him if he could take back the power you gave to Ding Bao. Of course, he ignored me. So I said, ‘You’re willing to put your power on someone like Ding Bao?’ He was indeed interested. He said, ‘I will give you less power than Ding Bao. As long as you defeat Ding Bao, I will take back the power from Ding Bao.’”
"And then?" Mu Heqing asked softly.
The result was quite obvious: Guo Ren won.
"You probably didn't expect that Ding Bao, that seemingly strong but actually weak guy, would be pitifully weak even with your power. I won without any effort at all." Guo Ren said this to Bao Yan.
With one arm draped over the railing behind Mu and Qing, Bao Yan said indifferently, "That was a really boring match, a waste of my time."
Guo Ren continued, "Ding Bao lost, and he also withdrew his power. Everything Ding Bao had relied on was power. Without that power, his fate was predictable. After I won, standing on the platform and listening to the audience cheering for me, I suddenly felt disgusted. I realized that from beginning to end, I was just a plaything in someone else's hands. So, I reported the boxing ring."
Mu Heqing frowned. "Then how did you get Qianqian's phone?"
“Last night, Ding Bao came to see Boss Jing again, and I eavesdropped. He wasn’t asking about Deng Qian, but it seemed like he was asking for your address. Boss Jing already disliked Ding Bao, so naturally she wouldn’t tell him about you and Deng Qian, she just told him to get lost. I saw that Ding Bao was persistent, so I followed him. Unexpectedly, he ran into Deng Qian, who was getting off work late at night.”
“Qianqian definitely won’t give him a friendly look,” Mu Heqing said.
“You’re right, you and Deng Qian are really close.” Guo Ren’s tone revealed a hint of envy. “Ding Bao stopped Deng Qian and asked for your address. I was just about to go up and help when Deng Qian punched Ding Bao and knocked him down.”
Qianqian is the best. Mu and Qing were also proud.
"When Ding Bao saw me, he suddenly shouted that I knew him and that I could find him through him." Guo Ren looked at Bao Yan.
How could Ding Bao know?
Mu Heqing suddenly remembered that yesterday, Bao Yan had called her name in front of Ding Bao, which might be how Ding Bao discovered her relationship with Bao Yan.
"After I told Ding Bao to get lost, Deng Qian asked me who the 'he' Ding Bao was talking about was. I didn't know how to answer, but Deng Qian was very persistent and wanted to know. She asked me many times, and I had no choice but to knock her unconscious." Guo Ren's face scrunched up.
"You knocked Qianqian unconscious?" Mu Heqing suddenly stood up.
Guo Ren also stood up and apologized: "I had no other choice. Also, I felt that even if I told her, she wouldn't tell me your whereabouts. She seems very protective of you. Don't worry, I've controlled my power. She's fine. I've left her with Boss Jing."
"You call this nothing? She's already passed out." Mu Heqing just wanted to go to Boss Jing's shop to check on Deng Qian.
"When she wakes up, I'll take her for a checkup. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."
"What can you take responsibility for?" Mu Heqing felt guilty; she didn't want her friend to be hurt in any way because of her.
She was about to go over there, and Mu and Qing turned to leave.
“I’ve told Boss Jing our location. If Deng Qian wakes up, she’ll come over. Whether you want to hit me or yell at me, before that, can I ask you for one thing? Ask him to take back the power he’s using on me.” Guo Ren looked at the words on his arm.
Mu Heqing asked, "What makes you think I can do it? Your use of power is voluntary."
How could she get involved?
Before Guo Ren could speak, Bao Yan leaned closer and said with a smile, "Of course you can. He Qing, I will grant any request you make."
Mu and Qing choked up.
“Since I gained this power, I feel like I am omnipotent.” Guo Ren raised his hands. “Those who cause me trouble, those who look down on me, those relatives who speak coldly to me, will all succumb to my violence.”
He looked at the river in the distance, its surface shimmering and flowing endlessly.
"I realized then how insignificant my power was, and how powerful this power was."
Mu and Qing asked, "Then why don't you want it?"
Guo Ren covered his face, wailing, "I feel like I'm about to become Ding Bao. No need for countless practices, no need for daily grueling training, no need for countless matches. You just need to throw a light punch, and power will naturally surge forth. I'm enjoying it, I'm ecstatic, I'm so powerful. But then, my brother's dead face will appear before me, cursing me, 'Brother, why did you become Ding Bao?'"
"So, please, take back this power. I don't want it anymore," Guo Ren said to Bao Yan.
Nightmare raised an eyebrow: "You really annoy me by attributing your incompetent self-control to my power."
“You’re right, I’m incompetent, but how many people in this world can control themselves? I can’t, and Ding Bao can’t,” Guo Ren said.
Before Mu and Qing could speak, Bao Yan had already reached out and grabbed Guo Ren by the neck. He easily lifted Guo Ren up with one arm, and black characters flowed from Guo Ren's arm to his neck and then to the back of Bao Yan's hand.
“You’re not worthy either. I won’t kill you, but yours is about to die too,” said the Nightmare.
Guo Ren collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck and coughing. Bao Yan was right; he had reported the boxing ring, and now that he was powerless, those people wouldn't let him go.
But at least he can face his brother.
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