After Transmigrating as the Northeast CEO's Pampered Little Husband - Chapter 38

Antonik had three floors in total, and private rooms were by reservation only. Therefore, anyone who decided to dine there on a whim had to sit in the partitioned booths on the first floor. However, since the partitions were made of heavy crystal curtains, the privacy was still quite decent.

“Master, please sit. Have a look and see what you’d like to eat.” Zhou Cheng sat down and put away his hat. However, for the sake of caution, he wouldn’t take off his mask until the waiters had finished serving all the dishes and no one could see his face.

There was still a long time before sunset. Zhou Cheng, meeting ahead of schedule, had chosen this restaurant to treat the Master, hoping to further ingratiate himself with him.

“This ‘Seven Star Treasure Stove’, ‘Beauty Under the Moon’, ‘Five Lakes and Four Seas’…” The Master sitting opposite him didn’t look very old, yet his hair and beard were silver-grey and meticulously tied up. His face was free of wrinkles and looked quite ruddy. He wasn’t wearing Daoist robes, but rather a shirt with a vintage design, and ordinary sandals on his feet.

“Take your time looking.” Zhou Cheng didn’t care about the food. Even as a food streamer, his concept of fine dining was judged solely by price. The majority of his fans followed him for the gimmick that Zhou Cheng ate what ordinary food streamers couldn’t afford.

…

“Jiji!”

“Eh, why does this hedgehog keep squeaking? is it hungry? Sis, do we have any fruit or anything? This hedgehog won’t stop making noise.”

The sister at the pet storage counter was disinfecting a used cage. Nuomi, who hadn’t been there long, started squeaking, giving the staff quite a headache.

“It probably misses its owner. There’s nothing we can do; it’ll be fine in an hour or two.” The staff member covered the cage with a thick cloth. The dim space, shielded from light, would give pets a sense of security and significantly lower their stress levels.

Nuomi had sensed the ‘old scoundrel’ he mentioned was not far from here. Unfortunately, he was stuck in pet storage and couldn’t notify the Boss in time. So, Nuomi could only squeak angrily, as if that would somehow bring retribution upon the old scoundrel.

“Jiji!” Old scoundrel, just wait until this Great Lord learns some skills from the Boss. I’ll poke your head until it bleeds!!!

Nuomi puffed up his quills in a huff and rolled around on the spot a few times.

…

“This is so sour! Gosh, you lot know Piggy can’t handle sour things the most. Here, take it, take it. Yangyang, you try it.” Zhu Zhengwen was having a blast livestreaming. He pushed the tooth-achingly sour dessert towards Gu Jiaoyang, slurping back the saliva induced by the acidity, making a rather comical sound.

“It’s alright. If you taste it carefully, there is a blueberry flavour.” Gu Jiaoyang wasn’t a picky eater at all. A long period of dietary scarcity made him feel that everything was delicious, so he was never stingy about saving space in his stomach for food that came his way.

Gu Jiaoyang finished the dessert that Zhu Zhengwen had roasted thoroughly in two or three bites. Under Zhu Zhengwen’s shocked gaze that screamed “You actually don’t think it’s sour?”, he wiped his mouth…

“Hm?” Gu Jiaoyang paused in wiping his mouth. Seeing that Zhu Zhengwen opposite him was still diligently interacting with the comments and not paying attention to him, he quietly extended a hand under the table. He slowly formed a hand seal with spiritual energy, then wrapped a napkin around his fingertip. With a flick of his finger under the table, that napkin seemed to come to life, transforming into a little paper figure the size of an eye.

The little paper figure, flicked onto the floor by Gu Jiaoyang, quickly stood up on its own. It patted non-existent dust off its shoulder in a rather human-like manner, glanced at the master who cast the spell, and then hopped away on its short paper legs, sticking to the shadows nearby.

The partitioned booths on the first floor of Antonik were dimly lit to respect the diners’ privacy. A shadow the width of a palm was more than enough for an inconspicuous paper figure to move without being detected by the camera.

“Piggy, tonight I’m taking you to do something big.” Having quietly done all this, Gu Jiaoyang gave Zhu Zhengwen a wink. It scared Zhu Zhengwen so much he didn’t know if he should be afraid of falling for the Master’s looks or terrified of the life-and-death trial he would face that evening.

“Alright, hahahaha.”

But with delicious food in front of him, who cared about all those worries!

After all, the Master was right there with him. What was there to fear?! Only by being full would he have the strength to face the tribulation!!!

…

The afternoon passed quickly. By the time Antonik began receiving dinner guests, Gu Jiaoyang and Zhu Zhengwen had eaten and drunk their fill, packed up their gear, and ended the stream.

Zhou Cheng and the Master over there had done the same.

“Let’s go, follow me.”

After putting the livestream equipment back in the car, a bewildered Zhu Zhengwen followed Gu Jiaoyang in the direction opposite to his home.

“Master, what are we going to do?”

“Top lane mage, online brawl.” Gu Jiaoyang comforted Nuomi, who was eager to go in his pocket, and glanced at Zhu Zhengwen, who was shrinking back slightly behind him.

“That sounds dangerous, Master. Can’t… can’t we just snipe from mid-doors?” Zhu Zhengwen, having played plenty of games growing up, felt a sense of danger upon hearing Gu Jiaoyang’s words. He tucked his hands into his sleeves as he spoke, evidently someone who had never engaged in a frontal confrontation.

“We don’t have the conditions to snipe from mid-doors. We have the conditions to go up and fight!”

“Don’t be a coward, let’s go together!”

“I… I think I’d better…”

“Shh, wait a moment.”

Gu Jiaoyang led Zhu Zhengwen to the main street, then turned into a convenience store to buy a bottle of soy sauce. He dragged Zhu Zhengwen back the way they came, and before they had walked halfway, he suddenly pulled Zhu Zhengwen into another side alley.

“Wait… wait, Master, how did you know there was a side alley here… Holy crap, Zhou Cheng!!!”

Gu Jiaoyang, carrying the soy sauce bottle, led Zhu Zhengwen into the alley. This was the back of the large shopping mall. Because of the giant air conditioning units hanging outside, a small passage had been left between the warehouse and the mall; one wouldn’t notice it without looking carefully.

Not far from them, Zhou Cheng and the Master had somehow ended up in there too, standing and talking.

“I have eyes.” Gu Jiaoyang flashed his trademark smile at the dumbfounded Zhu Zhengwen while clenching his fist.

“How about it? Do you know how to hit someone?” He raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes, smiling without showing his teeth.

Zhu Zhengwen hid behind Gu Jiaoyang. Looking at the Master in the shadows of the small alley like this, he inexplicably felt a wave of immense coolness radiating from him.

“Then I’ll teach you. Watch closely.” With that, Gu Jiaoyang lifted the glass soy sauce bottle and charged forward with a sudden stride.

“Don’t go, Master! The person next to Zhou Cheng also knows…”

Clang…

Crash…

“…magic.” Zhu Zhengwen didn’t even have time to stop Gu Jiaoyang before he was silenced by the sheer momentum and action of Gu Jiaoyang smashing the soy sauce bottle over the head of the man next to Zhou Cheng. The remaining word in his mouth turned into a quiet whisper.

Blimey… even the best magic can’t withstand physical salvation…

“What are you staring at? Opportunities like this are rare, get in there!” Gu Jiaoyang smashed the bottle on the old scoundrel’s head, then punched him directly on the bridge of the nose. Following that, he delivered a series of skilled hooks and side kicks. That sharp, forceful style paired with a serious, cute shota face made it impossible to look away.

“But… but I don’t know how to fight…” Zhu Zhengwen stood rooted to the spot, wanting only to cheer for the Master like a fangirl.

“Not you. You just watch and learn. I’m letting her hit him.” Gu Jiaoyang finished a punch and looked back at Zhu Zhengwen, flashing his little canine teeth in delight. “The young lady next to you… well? Are you going to waste such a perfect opportunity?”

“What… young… young lady… Ahhh!!!” Zhu Zhengwen’s hair stood on end at Gu Jiaoyang’s words. As Gu Jiaoyang’s voice fell, Zhu Zhengwen felt a cold gust of wind blow past his back. The light in the entire alley seemed to dim instantly, and even the air conditioning units blowing hot air nearby couldn’t withstand this sinister wind.

“Liu… Liu Suya…” His heart skipped a beat. Zhu Zhengwen hugged his arms tight and watched helplessly as bloody scratches began to appear one after another on the face of Zhou Cheng, who was standing nearby. Zhou Cheng himself stood motionless, as if petrified.

“Holy crap, Amitabha, Tathagata Buddha, Jesus, Jehovah… pfft, Master bless me…” Watching this bizarre scene unfold, Zhu Zhengwen hurriedly put his palms together. Although scared, he didn’t close his eyes. Seeing Zhou Cheng looking increasingly terrified actually emboldened him, and he felt increasingly vindicated inside.

“Tch, couldn’t withstand a single blow.” Having finished with the old scoundrel, Gu Jiaoyang rubbed his wrist and waved Zhu Zhengwen over to hit Zhou Cheng a few times to vent his anger.

“About that… Grand-auntie…”

“She’s gone inside him. She can’t touch you, it’s fine.”

“Inside what?”

“The vengeful spirit has entered Zhou Cheng’s body. Unless Zhou Cheng finds a Golden Core cultivator to guide the soul, he won’t be free until the spirit’s anger has dissipated.” Gu Jiaoyang pulled the shrinking Zhu Zhengwen over and kicked the still stupefied Zhou Cheng.

Zhu Zhengwen was dragged closer and finally noticed a white paper figure stuck to the backs of both men. No wonder neither of them reacted when hit; they were like wooden stakes.

“Then… then I won’t be polite…”

“Ha… so you have your day too, Zhou Cheng…”

Thud!

“Weren’t you acting all high and mighty! Get up and hit me! That’s for getting people to harm me! The person I found is more powerful than yours! Hehe!”

“That’s for lying to me! That’s for bullying me!”

…

Zhu Zhengwen, having been oppressed for years, looked at the bloodied Zhou Cheng. Finally, he gritted his teeth, delivered a few fierce kicks, and slapped him across the face several times.

“Brilliant!!! Hahahaha!!! I’ve never felt this good in my life!!!”

“Now that’s settled, let’s clean up the aftermath. Here, let’s get our story straight first.” Gu Jiaoyang took out his phone and released Nuomi, letting him vent his anger on the bruised and battered old scoundrel. He then very cooperatively took a few photos of Nuomi ‘heroically battling the old Daoist’.

“What story?”

“Are you stupid? This is modern society, alright? Hitting people is illegal. Especially in a bustling place like Changjing, there are cameras everywhere. No matter how powerful we cultivators are, we can’t just delete people’s CCTV footage, can we? So we have to call the police. Act like we were being Good Samaritans.”

Zhu Zhengwen: Master, so you do know hitting people is illegal… but damn, that felt good.

“Hello? Police Uncle? I want to report a crime! Sob sob…”

After coordinating their story, Zhu Zhengwen shut his mouth and huddled to the side. He watched Gu Jiaoyang’s live performance grinning on the face but sobbing “ying ying ying” from his mouth coaxing the police officer on the other end into a frenzy of paternal comfort. Zhu Zhengwen silently gave a thumbs up.

Badass. Truly a Master.

…

However, after arriving at the station and giving their statement about how they finished eating, went to buy soy sauce, coincidentally met fraudsters committing a crime on the way back, and engaged in heroic acts and self-defence… Gu Jiaoyang was detained at the police station.

The reason was simple: Gu Jiaoyang’s likeability was maxed out, and his face was too youthful. The police officer, overflowing with paternal love, didn’t believe he was an adult. Out of concern for his safety going home at night, they insisted his guardian come to pick him up.

“If I’d known, this Young Master wouldn’t have called the police!” Gu Jiaoyang crossed his arms, fuming.

“…I feel offended. What do you mean I don’t look like your friend, and you’re worried he’s been abducted?” Zhu Zhengwen touched his own fleshy face that looked distinctly un-good-natured and fell into deep thought.

And so, Mr Dai, who had just finished signing documents and hadn’t even gone home yet, received a call from the police station.

“Hello? Good evening, this is the Changjing Front Third Police Station. Is this Mr Dai? Could you please come and collect your fiancé? And while you’re here, perhaps receive some detailed education regarding marriage laws…”

Mr Dai: ?

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