180: Chapter 180 Yun Zhuo, who has three hundred ways to die
Cui Shuxian and Cui Shuyan ran out of the villa in a panic, as if their butts were on fire. Both of their faces were red to the roots of their ears, and even the tips of their ears were steaming.
They stopped in the garden.
Looking at the flowers, their gazes didn't land on the petals; their eyes were unfocused, and their thoughts had already flown elsewhere.
Suddenly, a harsh screech came from the villa behind them—the sound of table legs dragging across the floor—followed immediately by the crisp sound of tableware crashing onto the ground.
It was chaotic and intense.
Cui Shuyan was startled and her hand trembled, accidentally pulling off a dew-covered calla lily nearby.
Cui Shuxian was also so startled that her whole body stiffened. The sisters exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with hidden thoughts, but neither had the inclination to speak.
Cui Shuyan walked over to an iron chair and sat down, holding the calla lily in her hand. Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the columnar spadix in the center of the flower, and her brows were slightly furrowed as she wondered about something.
Cui Shuxian glanced at her, then bent down to pick a calla lily as well, holding it in her hand. Mimicking her sister, she stroked the petals and sat down beside her.
The sisters sat quietly like this, each lost in their own thoughts, leaving only the soft sound of the evening breeze rustling through the leaves in the garden.
The sun slowly set behind the mountains, leaving only a streak of dark purple sunset glow on the horizon, which was gradually swallowed by the night.
The streetlights in the residential area lit up one by one, casting warm yellow light onto the lawn and stone paths, illuminating this quiet and empty villa area.
In the darkness, Chen Qi slumped on the sofa, holding Piao Xiuying in his arms, his fingertips gently grazing her shoulder.
With his other hand, he reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, shook it, and took one out with his mouth.
Piao Xiuying, leaning in his arms, looked up slightly and raised her hand to tuck her short hair behind her ear.
Then she reached out, took the lighter from his hand, and pressed the switch with her fingertip.
A dim yellow flame instantly lit up in the darkness, softly illuminating their faces as they looked at each other, reflecting the composure in Chen Qi's eyes and the docility on Piao Xiuying's face.
After just two seconds, as she released the lighter, the flame instantly went out.
Darkness wrapped around the living room again, leaving only the tiny scarlet glow at the tip of the cigarette, flickering in the dim light with Chen Qi's breathing.
"You know so much; it's making me a bit reluctant to give you away now."
Chen Qi exhaled a smoke ring into the darkness.
"If you're reluctant, then keep me by your side and let me serve you."
Piao Xiuying rested her chin on Chen Qi's chest, gazing at him longingly.
Chen Qi shook his head. "A person must keep their word."
Piao Xiuying sighed inwardly and lowered her head dejectedly.
Chen Qi continued, "There is one thing I think I need to remind you of."
"What?"
"You, Cui Shuxian, and Cui Shuyan are all working for me now. You are colleagues, and you are their superior, not their mother.
If you still can't sort out your relationship, sooner or later, they will get you killed."
"But..."
"I'm just reminding you; what you do is your own business."
"My dear, if it were you, what would you do?"
"I could never be you. Don't ask such foolish questions again. Also, don't call me 'my dear'; you don't have the right."
"I understand."
"Protect yourself. Don't die so quickly before you've created value for me."
...
In the blink of an eye, five days passed. It was another sunny day, and the school's Task Management Office was as crowded as ever.
It wasn't just one Task Management Office that was crowded; all three offices were packed.
Tomorrow was the freshman placement test, and everyone wanted to take this last opportunity to earn a few more academic credits, exchange for another potion, or get another defensive item.
It is worth mentioning that the freshman placement test is different from the high school Martial Arts Examination.
During the high school Martial Arts Examination, the admission ticket carried with you was a defensive item. If you realized you were about to die, you could crush the student ID card to generate a force field shield.
Then a proctor would run over to save you.
Of course, this was equivalent to forfeiting.
However, the admission ticket for the placement test cannot be crushed; you can only press it, and a force field shield will appear. Moreover, this shield can be used multiple times.
But each use consumes three hundred academic credits.
At the same time, the shield is not an absolute defense; it can only block one fatal blow below level 35, but multiple shields can be stacked.
The more you stack, the longer you can defend, and the more chances you have to call for a proctor to save your life.
Of course, being saved by a teacher is equivalent to forfeiting, and you can pack your bags and go home for the holidays.
Therefore, all freshmen were desperately earning academic credits. Without academic credits, you wouldn't even have the right to surrender during the exam.
"Look, isn't that Li Mingxing? He just accepted a task this morning, and he's already finished it by noon?"
Li Mingxing was currently riding high.
In reality, he had been reeled in like a fish by Piao Xiuying, and the bait she used was Cui Shuxian and Cui Shuyan.
As for Piao Xiuying herself, ever since Chen Qi reminded her to protect herself that day, she hadn't let that guy touch even a finger.
At the same time, she realized that she wasn't the mother of those two idiots; she was their superior.
Thus, through strict discipline, she trained the two foolish women to be very obedient. Now, they would do almost anything she asked.
With Cui Shuxian and Cui Shuyan's external assets, combined with Piao Xiuying's experience and planning, how could a greenhorn like Li Mingxing escape from her grasp?
"Excuse me, excuse me."
Yun Zhuo was pushing his way in again, this time without Teacher Su.
Because all three Task Management Offices were overcrowded, Teacher Su and Sister Su didn't want to come to such a crowded place.
Yun Zhuo had no choice; if he didn't turn in the task today, it would expire.
"Who is it? Why are you pushing?"
The person in front turned to look at Yun Zhuo. Just as he was about to spout some harsh words, he was immediately pulled back by his companion, who whispered something in his ear.
"What? He is Yun Zhuo? That Yun Zhuo who has over three hundred ways to die?"
"Yeah, why would you want to provoke him?"
When Yun Zhuo heard this, he wondered when he had acquired over three hundred ways to die.
He grabbed the man by the shoulder and asked, "What's this about over three hundred ways to die?"
"I... it has nothing to do with me, it's what others are saying. Isn't Young Master Chen trying to get you this time? Someone opened a betting pool and listed over three hundred ways for you to die, with different odds for each."
Yun Zhuo was stunned for a moment before he realized: since he was undoubtedly going to die, the betting pool could only be on the method of death. The more ways to die, the more people would buy in, and the lower the house's chance of losing.
So he asked curiously, "Which method of death is getting the most bets right now?"
The other person was stunned and instinctively said, "Being hacked to pieces and having one's throat slit by Young Master Chen personally."
"Is there no one betting that I won't die?"
"There is, and the odds are quite high—one to a thousand."
"Are there many people buying it?"
"Not really, nobody is buying it at all."
"Damn, they look down on me that much? Where is it being sold? I want to buy some."
The man instinctively pointed into the crowd, "Yang Jing and Zhao Ming, they just went over there."
"Did they open the betting pool?"
"No, I heard it was opened by upperclassmen, and the people buying are also upperclassmen. We don't even have enough academic credits for ourselves; we don't have any to place bets."