Chapter 39: Younger Cousin

"Yu Qingqing, I am not your cousin." Xu Huo hung up the phone, but the next second she called back again.

"Xu Huo! Even if we are distant relatives, you're being way too cold-blooded..."

Hang up.

Another call: "Can you just let me finish? Men are all heartless scum..."

Hang up again.

After repeating this a few times, Xu Huo finally spoke into the phone, "Speak properly, or I'll turn off my phone."

There was a silence for a few seconds before a low voice came through, "I was bullied. My manager tricked me into accompanying a client."

"Where are you?" Xu Huo grabbed his room card and walked out.

"Ruixi Hotel, ninth floor."

Xu Huo paused, turned around, and walked upstairs. After going up a couple of floors, he happened to see a slim figure sitting on the stairs of the fire exit. The foundation on her face was smeared into streaks, and she was wiping away tears while sending a voice message to someone.

"That damn fatso even dared to touch me, I kicked him right where it hurts!"

"...My manager isn't any better. If I'd known, I would've listened to my cousin and gone back to inherit the family estate, since my family is so rich after all."

"Good to know." Xu Huo stepped forward, pulled her up, and looked her over carefully. Although her makeup was ruined, her mental state seemed quite good.

Yu Qingqing looked up at him with bright eyes. "Cousin, you're amazing! How did you manage to get here in five minutes?"

"I'm staying here today." Hearing footsteps in the corridor, he said with a straight face, "When something happens, why didn't you leave immediately? When you hit someone, didn't you think they would retaliate?"

Before Yu Qingqing could say anything, the fire exit door was kicked open. A plump middle-aged man rushed out with her manager and two bodyguards. The moment he saw her, the middle-aged man reached out in a rage to grab her, roaring, "You stinking bitch!"

Xu Huo intercepted his hand and pushed it back, causing the man to stagger a couple of steps before being caught by the bodyguards behind him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are! How dare you meddle in my business!"

"He's Yu Qingqing's cousin, just an extra." The manager didn't even look at Xu Huo, turning directly to Yu Qingqing, "What are you standing there for? Get over here and apologize to President Zhu right now!"

"Apologies won't be necessary, and you!" President Zhu pointed at Xu Huo. "Now, get Yu Qingqing cleaned up and send her to my bed. Once I'm satisfied, we'll call it even. Otherwise, don't even think about surviving in Tingcheng!"

Xu Huo backhanded him across the face. With a crisp "crack," President Zhu clutched his hand, screaming in agony as he retreated and roared, "Beat him to death!"

The bodyguards rushed forward, but Xu Huo effortlessly grabbed one of them by the arm and flung him toward the lower stairs. Before the man could even roll down, Xu Huo pinned the other bodyguard's head and slammed it against the wall!

Two cries of anguish echoed in succession. Xu Huo remained standing in the exact same spot, having not even moved his feet.

"Y-y-you don't come any closer!" The manager looked at the man walking toward him. "Assault is illegal!"

Xu Huo casually slapped him across the face. The manager collapsed to his knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with broken teeth.

Dragging President Zhu over, Xu Huo sat down on the steps, staring at the two men kneeling side by side, and leisurely lit a cigarette. For a long while, he said nothing.

Compared to President Zhu, the manager was much better at reading the room. Trembling, he said, "Brother Xu, everything is negotiable. It's not worth dragging yourself to the police station over scum like me!"

Xu Huo smiled. "Have you ever heard of Evolvers?"

"Although most Evolvers don't eat people, there are some who do. While you were committing crimes, they were still starving, hiding in some corner of this city, dying of hunger for a single bite."

News about Evolvers had not been made public yet, but with the widespread use of the internet, any disturbance left a trace online.

Although they had never seen an Evolver, President Zhu and the others had heard rumors. They only knew that Evolvers possessed immense strength and speed, and were nearly impossible to catch after committing a crime. President Zhu's two bodyguards were hired with monthly salaries of twenty to thirty thousand, and their combat skills weren't poor, yet in front of Xu Huo, they were like helpless children, unable to even fight back. Moreover, he knew so much about Evolvers—he was an Evolver!

And Evolvers actually ate people!

The group instantly felt their legs turn to jelly.

"What do you want? There are security cameras everywhere in this hotel, you won't get away!" President Zhu's teeth chattered, terrified that Xu Huo would pounce and eat him alive the next second!

"Don't worry, I'll go burn down the surveillance room later." Xu Huo flicked the ash off his cigarette.

At this, even the two bodyguards began to tremble.

"Brother Xu! Brother Xu!" The manager hugged his legs. "This really isn't my fault! It was Zhu here who took a liking to Qingqing, cleared it with the company's vice president, and forced me to bring her over, or else I'd be fired. My wife is heavily pregnant and I can't lose my livelihood, otherwise who would want to do such a morally bankrupt thing!"

President Zhu glared venomously at the manager's back, but at this moment he had no time to settle scores. He shoved Yu Qingqing toward Xu Huo, wrenched open the fire exit door, and fled!

The two bodyguards were also tempted to run, but the next second, the security door swung open again. President Zhu came stumbling backward, clutching his throat with both hands and choking, as if he were being hoisted and dragged toward the wall by an invisible force. His bulky body was lifted straight up, with only the tips of his toes barely grazing the floor, just enough to keep him from being strangled to death by his own weight!

"S-save..." He stared at the bodyguards, but they were too terrified to move, shrinking into the corner like they had seen a ghost, not even daring to look at Xu Huo.

Blood rushed to President Zhu's head, soaking his pants as tears and snot streamed down his face. His eyes rolled toward Xu Huo, and he managed to squeeze out two gasping sounds: "Spare... me..."

Only then did Xu Huo raise a hand to release him. Glancing at the man crumpled on the floor like a dead pig, he said, "Commit fewer evil deeds from now on. Things are different now than they used to be."

With that, he turned back to the manager. "Tomorrow, Yu Qingqing is terminating her contract. Any problems?"

Regaining his wits, the manager immediately replied, "No problem at all! I'll go prepare the contract right away and convince the company to waive the breach-of-contract fee!"

Xu Huo nodded and beckoned Yu Qingqing to follow him downstairs.

Back in his room, Yu Qingqing stood carefully pressed against the door. "Cousin... you're not hungry right now, are you?"

Xu Huo turned his head and looked at her with a half-smile. "You're right. Girls probably smell much sweeter than middle-aged men."

Yu Qingqing's pretty eyes widened. "Bro, we're relatives! Blood is thicker than water!"

"Do you know why zombies in horror movies always go after the blood of their own family first after coming out of the coffin?"

"Why?"

"Because blood is thicker than water. It's more to their taste."

Yu Qingqing let out a massive sigh of relief, patted her chest, and said, "That's fantastic! We aren't actually blood-related."

"Go wash up. Once the contract is canceled tomorrow, catch a flight back." Xu Huo smiled faintly.

"I won't." Yu Qingqing ran over, grabbed his arm, and acted spoiled. "Even if I quit acting, I can stay and take care of you! If you get hungry, I'll go out and lure bad guys back for you to eat. How's that? Am I a loyal cousin or what?"

Xu Huo's expression shifted slightly. He grabbed her shoulders, turned her around, and forcefully pulled down the back collar of her shirt.