Chapter 358: Friendship as Indifferent as a Phantom (3)
That night, he was playing games on QQ as usual. Just before he turned off his computer, he noticed a picture message from a stranger. The photo showed a beautiful girl, with a hot body, tall legs, long wavy blond hair, and compass-like high heels. She was standing among a pile of strange corpses, blowing a kiss to the camera.
Chu Hengkong was amused and replied casually: "It's a pity that you didn't apply for the female secretary position."
"Your boss has driven two secretaries crazy again this year. I can't handle such a heavy responsibility," Wang Quan said with a grimace. "Perhaps you should consider putting on an office lady's outfit and a miniskirt and helping her serve tea and water. I guarantee Velvet will enjoy it."
"Give me your address and I'll tear your mouth apart right now."
"Come on, buddy. I'm in Kenya dealing with mutant vampires. They're gonna love your indestructible muscles."
"Do you really have to type like a brainless white woman?"
"Love what you do," Wang Quan added a disgusting heart symbol. "I came here tonight to tell you some good news. The elders of the Blood Alliance are compiling a list of the world's strongest... or the world's strongest... I forgot what it's called, but it's something like that. I'm number one, and you're too new to the industry to make the list."
"There's even a ranking list, it looks like the real thing."
"It's quite a valuable reference, and there are many of your old acquaintances. I'm trying to decide who should be the No. 2 candidate. Do you think White Wolf or Two-Cut Butterfly would be suitable?"
Chu Heng laughed indifferently: "Let the schizophrenic patient be ranked second, do you want to piss off Bai Lang to death?"
"Having a double personality is better than terminal cancer."
"You're mistaken. White Wolf is powerful because he's unafraid of his impending death. Erchdie, on the other hand, sees herself as a stumbling block. She has talent but is destined to be a half-baked talent." Chu Hengkong replied, "Put her at the end of the first-rate masters as the goalkeeper. That's just right."
"Aren't you setting too high a bar for your peers? If Lyanna Barry is only considered a first-rate goalkeeper, then who is the top-tier expert?"
"You and I."
Wang Quan replied with a GIF of a man giving a crazy thumbs-up: "Great! Awesome! Shame on you, you win! I better talk to the elders and ask them to add you as number 2."
"If you're not number one, there's no need to look for me."
"opinionated!"
Wang Quan posted a GIF of a baby seal thrashing around in the snow. "By the way, tell your boss to stop investigating. She won't find anything, but the old folks don't like seeing people investigating me."
"You don't like it, don't you?"
"No, I'm just the scepter. I do whatever the king says."
It posted a few crying faces and then went offline. Chu Hengkong clicked on the QQ account and found that it belonged to a female junior high school student studying in the north. The account was full of things like convenience store snacks and horoscopes, and occasionally posted a few riddles to complain about teachers and classmates.
This bastard killer probably just hacked an account to contact him... Or maybe that "junior high school girl" was just another disguise of Wang Quan. He had countless similar identities to hide himself.
He returned to his boss's office and placed his hands on the desk. "Vilbert, stop investigating the kingship."
“I’ll stop for a moment,” Velvet said without looking up. “What do you think of No. 0?”
"What?"
Velvet turned her laptop over. A newly released ranking list appeared on an internal website. She refreshed the page, and a line of blood appeared out of nowhere at the top of the list. A caduceus seal appeared outside the photo.
"Your new nickname."
·
"Let us congratulate the strongest man in the world!"
"His new year will surely bring more... murder to the world!"
"Bullshit, that's called merit!"
The family's thugs were shouting and yelling, and the wine bottles were banging, making the restaurant waiters afraid to speak. On his 17th birthday, the whole family was celebrating, and even Velvet suggested that she might as well have a drink together.
They had reason to be happy. The reputation of the Life-Sacrificing Serpent was so great that the family's business had greatly improved this year. People said Velvet was a master of strategy, trading a false reputation for billions of dollars. Chu Hengkong knew that this had nothing to do with business; his boss was simply trying to save his reputation.
"Are you okay, Sora?"
Velvet held the wine glass in one hand. Her alcohol tolerance was still not very good, and her face began to flush after just a few sips. Infected by the party atmosphere, she looked even more lovely than usual. Chu Hengkong approached her, one hand supporting the wall behind her.
He pinched the girl's ear and said, "Your earlobes are red. Drink less."
Velvet drank the glass of wine in a huff. He thanked everyone profusely for their support, led the drunks back to the base, and then sent the boss back to her room. Only when the manor was quiet again did he breathe a sigh of relief in the corridor.
It was madness. He had almost kissed Velvet in that moment. All those years of trust would be shattered by that simple gesture. That impulse would tear their relationship apart. Velvet would never trust him again. And he would never trust himself.
"I'm quite capable," Chu Hengkong whispered to himself. He walked back to his room, ready to let off some steam and fall asleep quickly.
He was stunned the moment he turned on the light. Standing in his room was a slender figure, wearing country-style overalls and a cowboy hat, her face dotted with youthful freckles. The blonde girl jumped up and held up a large plastic sign: "Happy 17th Birthday~!"
That damn sign had a smug little snake painted on it, wearing a vulgar gold chain and smoking a cigar. Chu Hengkong gave him a middle finger and said, "Fuck you. Thanks."
"So what?" The country girl Wang Quan came closer eagerly. "You're 17 now! No longer a little boy. Have you taken this opportunity to confess your love to your beloved Velvet?"
"Get out of the way, that's my boss."
He pressed Wang Quan's forehead and pushed him aside. This bastard had disguised himself as a blonde, blue-eyed American country girl. She was a head taller than him, not to mention had a fantastic figure. Having her constantly around was truly unhealthy for both his body and mind. Wang Quan sat on his bed, covering his mouth and screaming, "Oh, oh, oh, someone's embarrassed! On the one hand, they're ashamed to face their own inner feelings, and on the other hand, they think Sister Wang Quan is too lecherous to be alone with her..."
"Do you still remember that your character was a country girl? Now you talk like those open-minded weird aunts in Japanese animation."
Wang Quan made a pistol gesture with his hands: "American country girls are more open-minded than you think. Even if you don't have a great figure, they won't mind having sex with you."
"is that so?"
"You're showing your fear! That's a sign of a lack of life experience!" Wang Quan sneered. "I couldn't believe it when I first concluded this after my investigation, but now it seems... you're still a virgin!"
"It's not surprising that you have no sexual experience at the age of 17." Chu Hengkong took off his coat.
"You're in America, boy. By the locals' standards, you're almost a loser." Wang Quan lay carefree on the bed. "Do you know how repressed you are? You almost felt aroused when you saw me just now. You smell like hormones all over your body."
"Fuck you."
"Honestly, I suggest you speed up your strategy. Your girl is getting more and more beautiful. There will be many people who like her, and she won't wait for you forever."
"I've already told you that we're not that kind of relationship." Chu Hengkong went into the bathroom and washed his face casually. "When that day comes, I'll proudly send her to church and wish her a bright future."
"What about you?" Wang Quan shouted, "What will you do?"
Chu Hengkong was splashing cold water on his face when he was startled. He had considered many things, but not this one.
He wiped his face carelessly and said casually, "I... don't know. Maybe I'll find a compatible woman as a partner when the time comes."
"Hmm?" Wang Quan lay on the edge of the bed and looked at him.
"Find someone who can protect themselves... maybe travel with them?" He shrugged. "I haven't considered it."
"Well, well..." Wang Quan nodded slowly, "What about me?"
Chu Hengkong almost choked to death: "What the hell did you say?"
"I really can't bear to see the best guy in the world being so lustful every day during his adolescence. Do you want to date me?" Wang Quan said with a smile.
“Get out, get out, get out!”
Wang Quan turned over and looked up at him: "Think about it seriously! I'm the only one in this world who can communicate with you on an equal footing. You don't have to worry about anything in front of me. And I'm the person who knows you best in the world."
It raised its hands and grabbed two strands of hair to make twin ponytails. "If you like twintails, I'll do twintails. If you like long straight black hair, I'll change to long straight black hair. If you get tired of playing the mature, big-breasted girl, no problem. The next day I'll turn into a flat-faced pretty girl! I know what you like. I can change your style every day for 365 days without repeating it. Isn't it exciting?"
Those blue eyes blinked, pure and natural, yet also concealing a hint of deliberate flattery. Chu Hengkong cursed loudly in his heart. He was actually a little touched... After all, he really liked this...
But he still didn't come closer, pulled a chair and sat down: "No need to talk."
"Why, why?" Wang Quan looked aggrieved.
"I don't even know if you're a man or a woman, what's the point of talking to you? What if you're a man? Wouldn't that make me the ultimate loser?"
"Damn, that's totally incorrect of you. True love knows no gender!"
"Fuckin' true love..." Chu Hengkong gradually calmed down and lit a cigarette. "Would you fall in love with a fake face? Say 'I love you' to an image made up entirely of lies?"
Wang Quan pinched his face and said, "If you really like it, it doesn't matter whether it's true or not."
"The love left in people's hearts is the most real. No one would give it to a mask." Chu Hengkong blew out a smoke ring. "If you want to play for real, then take off the mask. No matter what you look like, I will seriously consider you."
Wang Quan patted his cheek and said seriously, "No! It's unromantic to explore the true identity of a mysterious beautiful girl!"
"See, this is why you, a jerk, have been around for so long without any friends."
"Don't I still have you?" Wang Quan chuckled. "Everyone always speaks with a mask on. Once the hidden truth is exposed, who can look at the other person with the same attitude as before? So we must learn to play dumb and enjoy the bliss of ignorance."
Chu Hengkong sneered: "Once you become a coward, you start to say some weird things, but this can't hide the fact that you are a coward."
"Did Velvet ever tell you that you have a terrible personality?" Wang Quan retorted, "If not, let me tell you that you have a terrible personality, you conceited idiot. Enjoy your single 17 years old, Mr. Virgin."
"Next time it's your birthday, call me and help you celebrate."
"Hypocrisy!"
Wang Quan jumped out the window and left. Chu Hengkong leaned against the window and pondered for a while, wondering whether the other person was a man or a woman. This question concerned his vital interests, because if Wang Quan was really a beautiful girl, wouldn't he have thrown away the romantic encounter that was right in front of him?
But after thinking about it, he realized that whatever the masked man said was insincere. The so-called romantic encounter was just another cheap joke on his part. If he really agreed to it, within two seconds a bald middle-aged man would emerge from under the beautiful girl's disguise, and the next day, stories would spread throughout the underworld about the sacrificial snake making advances on the bald man.
This is the way the monarchy operates; anything can become a weapon in its hands. Even friends must keep their distance.
(End of this chapter)
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