Chapter 130: Premonition

"Qin Feng, to be honest, I was very happy when we were playing together at the amusement park."

"Our cooperation was always perfect... Many of your judgments, in hindsight, were correct, and it was I who misunderstood you..."

"Yet you still helped me, setting aside past grievances, and as a teammate, you were always more reliable than anyone else... This eased our relationship and made me trust you deeply, even after everything that happened..."

In the darkness, Ji Linmo took a step toward Qin Feng, standing beside him under the light.

At that moment, the youth’s lips curled upward uncontrollably, and he looked at the man as if impatient for him to continue.

*Damn it, I’ve run out of words...*

Ji Linmo felt his tongue going numb; he was truly cringing to death.

However, having said this much, he couldn't fail at the final hurdle. Even if he had to hold his nose and endure it, he had to keep going.

"Qin Feng, from your invitation earlier, it is clear that you also value my abilities."

"In short, what I want to say is that I am very happy we can get along well, even if these words are truly not in my nature..."

"But, Qin Feng, in this world, you are the only person I can trust. So, could you please help me restore my left hand? I will give you fair compensation."

Having finished, the man stared intently at Qin Feng and slowly smiled.

Ji Linmo rarely smiled. His face, with its sharp brows and bright eyes, was usually expressionless, carrying a cold, exclusionary aura of lethality.

But when he smiled from the heart, his eyes would curve downward, and two shallow dimples would faintly appear on his cheeks, enough to stir one’s spirit and make one instinctively drop all defenses.

Clearly, this tactic worked on Qin Feng as well.

Because the moment he saw the man’s smile, the youth froze instantly.

He stared at Ji Linmo’s smile, a flash of excitement in his eyes, along with many complex, indescribable emotions—as if he were reminiscing about something, or perhaps wanting to grasp something.

*Good! He’s hooked!*

Ji Linmo gloated inwardly. He knew that a boy who hadn't even graduated from high school would be easy for an adult to manipulate in such a precarious world.

"Mr. Ji, I would be delighted. Actually... you should have done this a long time ago~"

With that, the youth flashed a smile at Ji Linmo. He looked genuinely happy, his alluring peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents, his entire demeanor radiant.

The next second, the youth grabbed the man’s hand.

*Click—*

A crisp sound rang out, like bones snapping back into place.

"Ugh!"

The sudden, sharp agony almost prevented Ji Linmo from suppressing a groan.

*What is going on? This... this shouldn't be that painful...*

Ji Linmo frowned, a vague sense of foreboding rising as he looked up at the youth.

The youth before him paid no heed to his suffering; he simply held onto his hand, examining it under the streetlamp as if inspecting a piece of fine art.

"Mr. Ji, look, sometimes I just can't help but feel soft toward you~"

"Even though, having two fewer hands would actually make you safer for me~"

With that, the youth grabbed his hand and, with a smirk, pressed down quickly. The crisp sound rang out once more.

"Wait! Ugh—"

Another finger snapped back into place, causing Ji Linmo to instinctively double over, his body curling in pain. He desperately wanted to pull his hand back.

But the youth gripped him tightly, preventing his escape.

"Mr. Ji, I have caused you a lot of pain in the past, but you... you always seem to forget the pain once the wound has healed~"

"So, this time, please make sure you remember this pain well."

Finished, Qin Feng clamped down on the man’s wrist with a brilliant, radiant smile, gripping the final dislocated finger as if to crush it, pressing down mercilessly.

"Stop, ugh... you!"

Watching as the last finger was forced back into place in an incredibly violent manner, the veins on Ji Linmo’s forehead throbbed. A surge of fury welled up from within.

The youth before him was deliberately torturing him.

But he couldn't fathom where this malice was coming from.

"Mr. Ji, you seem to be wondering why I’m doing this?"

Qin Feng leaned close to the man’s ear, his voice filled with pleasure.

"Then let me remind you: because I absolutely loathe it when people give me fake, hypocritical smiles~"

Ji Linmo’s pupils constricted violently, and he stiffened.

The youth... had he seen through him?

How was that possible? His acting shouldn't have had any flaws, why...

"My dear Mr. Ji, this time, I will be magnanimous and forgive you~"

"But from now on, if I discover that all this fawning and insincerity was just to cover up some petty schemes, then everything you’ve accumulated over this long time will be settled by me in full~"

With that, the youth smiled brilliantly and pulled the man’s now-functional left hand toward him. He pressed a kiss to the back of the hand, light as a dragonfly skimming the water, his movements and expression tender beyond measure.

Instantly, a chill crawled up from Ji Linmo’s hand, surging through his entire body like an electric shock.

*Damn it, this little lunatic really is a complete, fickle madman!*

*It wasn't worth the effort of being so sycophantic... I might as well have just done without the left hand.*

Almost the moment Qin Feng let go, Ji Linmo wiped the back of his hand with an ashen expression.

Still, this performance had successfully bought Liu Xiao 30 minutes.

He hoped things were going smoothly for her.

Thinking of this, Ji Linmo took out his phone.

For some reason, even though half an hour had passed, Liu Xiao still hadn't sent him a message.

Had she obtained the serum and left on her own?

Or... had something happened...

After sending a text for retreat, Ji Linmo hurried to follow Qin Feng into the house.

His parents were still out at the cemetery. He watched silently as the youth returned to his room calmly, and his heart leaped into his throat.

*It seems... there is no movement inside.*

*Liu Xiao... is she not in Qin Feng’s room?*

*Or is she hiding?*

Ji Linmo hurriedly sent a text to Liu Xiao, but received nothing in return.

Rubbing his brow, the man felt that his luck had been terrible lately; nothing he did went smoothly.

He waited in his room for a while, then suddenly noticed Qin Feng leaving his bedroom and walking toward the outside of the house for no apparent reason. He quickly stepped out of his room as well.

*A perfect opportunity!*

Ji Linmo rushed to pick up his phone to call Liu Xiao.

But at that moment, a familiar ringtone drifted from Qin Feng’s bedroom.

*Ring, ring—*

*Ring, ring—*

The pleasant melody kept playing, yet no one answered, as if its owner could not hear it at all.

Ji Linmo’s brow furrowed instantly.

*No...*

*It’s not that Liu Xiao is hiding in the bedroom and refusing to answer...*

*It’s that she... can no longer answer the phone.*