Start with push-ups to gain experience

Sunday in Tokyo was sunny and breezy, a perfect time for an outing.

However, on the overpass, countless vehicles lined up end to end, forming a long, winding steel dragon.

The midday sun streamed through the car windows, making the interior warm and cozy, but also adding to the heat of the wait.

Fang Cheng sat in the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel, slowly inching forward following the taillights of the car in front.

Start, brake, start again, brake again.

The accelerator and brake pedals under my feet seem to be two monotonous notes, playing a unique traffic rhapsody of the metropolis in repeated alternation.

"Brother Cheng...aren't we going to be late?"

A soft, weak voice sounded beside me, filled with obvious worry.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhou Xiumei wore a light blue fitted dress, her long hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders.

In the sunlight, her jade-like profile shone brightly, radiating a dazzling light.

Today, she wore a rare, delicate makeup look, with even the corners of her eyes and eyebrows carefully drawn.

The light pink lip gloss makes the lips look crystal clear and luscious.

If this appearance were in a teen idol drama, she would definitely be the kind of white moonlight that makes people fall in love at first sight.

At this moment, however, her black, gem-like eyes were filled with unease, her delicate nose was slightly wrinkled, and she would occasionally glance down at the time on her phone.

"Do not worry."

Fang Cheng turned his head and gave her a reassuring smile:

"It's only 10:30. The preliminary auditions don't start until 12:00. Even if we walk slowly, we'll have plenty of time."

"Really? But it seems like the road ahead is completely jammed and we can't move at all..."

Zhou Xiumei bit her lower lip and gently twisted the hem of her skirt with her fingers.

"Sister Zhou, please don't worry!"

A clear, childlike voice came from the back seat.

Like a restless little monkey, Wen Xin touched and explored everything in the spacious back seat, filled with curiosity about the car's luxurious interior.

"Don't you trust your brother's abilities? Even if the road is completely blocked, he can still carry you to the stadium."

In her words, the girl seemed to have a blind trust in Fang Cheng.

As she spoke, she leaned her little face close to the middle of the front seat and asked with a grin:

"But brother, although your car is quite comfortable, the color is a bit too much, isn't it? It's all pink and tender, and it doesn't match your handsome image at all."

Fang Cheng glanced at the Panamera's extremely flashy cherry blossom pink interior, and his lips twitched slightly:
"There's nothing I can do. My Land Rover is in for maintenance, so I'll have to borrow a friend's car to make do for now."

That's obviously an excuse.

Last night, after the party at the Midnight Forest bar, to avoid drawing too much attention to the Land Rover stained with the smoke of the explosion.

Fang Cheng deliberately left it in a nearby underground parking lot and instead took Xu Hao's car, which he usually used to pick up girls.

"Sister Zhou, if you're really nervous, just take a deep breath!"

Wen Xin then looked at Zhou Xiumei and gestured with her little hands in a serious manner:
“I used to get nervous during exams, and this is what my brother taught me, and it really worked.”

Zhou Xiumei managed a forced smile, but a hint of sadness lingered in her eyes.
"I wish Mom and Dad could come today too..."

"Unfortunately, my dad had an emergency mission, and my mom had to take care of my grandma and younger brother..."

"It's fine."

Fang Cheng freed one hand and gently patted her shoulder, his tone gentle:
"Aunt He and Uncle Zhou had no choice but to do that because of their work and family."

"With Wen Xin and me cheering you on today, we'll be just as impressive as anyone else."

As he spoke, he turned his head:
"Right, Wen Xin?"

"Absolutely!"

Wen Xin immediately puffed out her small chest and confidently cooperated:

"My mom is too busy at the store to leave, so I'm here today on behalf of my whole family to cheer on Sister Zhou."

"I'll shout the loudest I can, and I'll make those judges gasp in shock!"

Looking at the two lively children, one big and one small, Zhou Xiumei finally felt a little relieved.

She nodded gently, a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

Fang Cheng smiled, turned his head back to stare at the slowly moving traffic ahead.

Beneath his seemingly relaxed and leisurely expression, his thoughts were constantly racing.

After leaving the unfinished building area in the eastern suburbs last night, he met up with Lin Chuqiao, Xu Hao, and Xiao Sa at the Midnight Forest Bar.

Afterwards, he also had a phone call with the professor who was recruiting people in another city, and held a small "Illuminati" internal meeting.

The core issue of the meeting was singular: how to deal with possible retaliation from Utopia.

Everyone agreed with Fang Cheng's strategy of "shifting the blame eastward".

Since the water has already been stirred up, let's just muddy it completely.

Xu Hao and Xiao Sa were responsible for spreading rumors about "White Owl" in the underground world.

It is claimed that this serial killer has reappeared in Dongdu and has killed Black Shark's ace assassin, thwarting a terrorist operation planned by a certain organization.

The purpose of this was to draw the attention of both the Special Investigation Team and Utopia to each other.

This creates a chaotic situation of mutual suspicion and blind spots.

As for Fang Cheng himself, he returned to the life of an ordinary person, keeping a low profile and lying low.

During the meeting, everyone also briefly discussed the current status of the Illuminati's preparations and the problems it faces.

Issues such as manpower shortages and the lack of an established intelligence network require time to resolve gradually.

The discussion continued until late at night.

Fang Cheng told Lin Chuqiao to go home and catch up on her sleep, while he spent the night at a bar.

It wasn't until dawn that he drove the pink sports car back to Old Factory Street to pick up his passenger.

"By the way, Wen Xin."

As Fang Cheng gently pressed the accelerator to catch up with the car in front, he glanced at the little girl in the back seat through the rearview mirror:

"I've been too busy lately to keep an eye on your studies."

"I was planning to let you stay home and study today, but you insisted on coming along. Now I'll test you to see if you've fallen behind on your studies lately."

Upon hearing this, Wen Xin immediately sat up straight, her face full of confidence:

"Brother, go ahead and take the test. I've been studying really hard lately, and even that stern math teacher praised my progress!"

"Row."

Fang Cheng's lips curled into a mischievous smile, and he casually made up a question:

"Let's start with a simple arithmetic problem."

"Listen carefully, if there's a monkey riding in a tree and another monkey on the ground, how many monkeys are there in total?"

"This is not easy!"

Without thinking, Wen Xin blurted out:

"Eight monkeys, huh? 7 plus 1 equals 8, right? Brother, you underestimate me. This is a first-grade elementary school problem."

"wrong."

Fang Cheng shook his head, resolutely denying it:
"They are two monkeys."

Upon hearing this, Wen Xin's mouth opened slightly, her face full of confusion:

"Why?"

Fang Cheng explained in a very serious tone:
"Because there's a monkey riding in the tree and a monkey squatting on the ground, that's two monkeys in total. When did I say it was the number seven?"

"what?"

Wen Xin was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and her little face instantly scrunched up into a puffy mess:
"Brother, you're cheating! This is clearly a riddle, not a math problem. You're deliberately setting a trap for me."

Fang Cheng shrugged:

"All's fair in war, silly girl. This is your brother teaching you to always think things through and not be fooled by appearances."

"Hmph, I'm not stupid... Bad brother, I'm ignoring you."

Wen Xin turned her head away angrily, her cheeks puffed out like a little pufferfish. But there was no real anger in her eyes, more of a coquettish look after being teased by someone close to her.

Zhou Xiumei watched this scene from the side and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

Wen Xin was sulking when she suddenly noticed the necklace on Zhou Xiumei's neck.

Under the sunlight, the sapphire shimmered with a deep and captivating light, its four-leaf clover shape exquisite and elegant.

"Wow, Sister Zhou, your necklace is so pretty today! What shape is it?"

Wen Xin's eyes lit up instantly, and she leaned closer to take a closer look.

Upon hearing Wen Xin mention this, Zhou Xiumei's originally fair face instantly flushed red.

She reached up and touched the pendant between her collarbones, glancing at Fang Cheng with a somewhat evasive look, her voice barely audible:

"Um...this is...a gift that your brother Fang Cheng gave me before."

"He said that four-leaf clovers represent good luck, and he hoped they would bring me good luck in today's game."

"So beautiful..."

Wen Xin drawled out her words, staring at the necklace with envy, unable to look away.

Clearly, these sparkly accessories are incredibly appealing to women, regardless of age.

Fang Cheng glanced at the two of them through the rearview mirror, couldn't help but smile, and then interjected:
"Wen Xin, if you can get into the top three in your class after your final exams this semester, I'll give you a big gift too."

"Really? What gift?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Xin excitedly gripped the back of the seat.

The annoyance she felt earlier vanished instantly, and she looked at Fang Cheng with expectant eyes.

Fang Cheng cleared his throat and said slowly:

"Here's a deluxe edition of 'Five Years of Middle School Entrance Exams and Three Years of Mock Exams,' plus a matching set of Huanggang practice papers. How about that? Is that big enough?"

"what?!"

Wen Xin's face instantly fell, and she slumped into the back seat, utterly dejected, letting out a wail:
"Brother, are you a devil...?"

"Pfft."

Zhou Xiumei finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, her eyes crinkling into crescents.

In that instant, even the sunlight outside the window seemed to brighten a bit.

The carriage was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, as cozy as any ordinary family outing on a weekend.

As Fang Cheng listened to the laughter and chatter around him, the gloom that had been weighing on his mind dissipated considerably.

In truth, what he was most worried about was never his own safety.

Rather, they were afraid that their own situation would implicate their family and friends.

After Lin Chuqiao issued her warning yesterday, Fang Cheng took all necessary precautions in advance.

To avoid a massive explosion in the tenement building as predicted.

He sent all his relatives and friends away before the operation began.

Needless to say, my mother went to Wanghu Town to take care of my grandfather a long time ago.

Wen Huiyi was helping out at Master Lin's shop, so he asked Wen Xin to go to the shop to keep her mother company while she did her homework.

As for Zhou Xiumei's family, Fang Cheng even secretly gave Aunt He a sum of money out of his own pocket.

He said it was a small token of his appreciation and asked her not to tell anyone. He then took the whole family out for a meal as a pre-competition celebration.

Only after all his relatives and friends were settled did he stay at home alone to take a gamble.

Fortunately, last night's battle not only resulted in the successful killing of Oni-Scythe, but also scared away the reinforcements from Night Owl.

Fang Cheng secretly made his own plans.

Although the current situation appears calm on the surface, undercurrents are actually surging.

The worst outcome would be if the enemy, cornered and unable to deal with me, resorted to using the people around me to threaten me.

Fortunately, based on the intelligence we have so far, Utopia doesn't seem to be in a hurry to retaliate.

Perhaps because there is indeed a lack of high-end combat power available in Dongdu, they are holding back for the time being out of caution.

Or perhaps they actually believed the "truth" they had fabricated, and turned their attention to the special investigation team, busy investigating the facts.

At least, Big Hammer and Monkey had been guarding outside the tenement building all night, and when they went out just now, they didn't see any suspicious people approaching.

This undoubtedly bought Fang Cheng valuable breathing space, enough time to take further measures and eliminate potential risks.

"We're here! Brother, look! There are so many people!"

Wen Xin's exclamation interrupted Fang Cheng's thoughts.

The car finally managed to get off the ramp of the Second Ring Road elevated highway and turned into a wide main urban road following the congested traffic.

This is the central business district of Dongdu, where land is extremely valuable and traffic is usually heavy, but today it's completely congested.

The original eight-lane asphalt road was now jammed with all sorts of vehicles.

Besides private cars, there were also many buses and vans covered with support stickers, like a group of slowly moving beetles.

Looking up, the view ahead was even more spectacular.

In the distance, a skyscraper with a silver wave-like curtain wall stands in the square.

The logo of "Dongdu TV" at the top gleamed in the sunlight.

Several huge red banners hung down from the middle of the building, fluttering in the wind, with the large characters on them standing out prominently.

[Scene from the preliminary rounds of the National New Talent Singing Competition, Dongdu Division]

The plaza in front of the building was already packed with people.

A long-haired young man carrying a guitar, a girl reciting lyrics while holding sheet music, a fan group holding up light sticks, and a security guard sweating profusely while maintaining order.

The crowds packed shoulder to shoulder completely blocked the entrance, and the noise could be heard from a great distance.

Looking at the lively scene, Fang Cheng immediately concealed the deep look in his eyes and put on a cheerful smile:

"Alright, future superstar, are you ready to take the stage?"

"Well, you're ready!"

Zhou Xiumei nodded vigorously and clenched her fists to encourage herself.

But the hand resting on her knee was trembling slightly.

Clearly, the overwhelming atmosphere of the competition instilled an instinctive fear in the girl who had never seen such a scene before.

As the pink Panamera followed the flow of traffic, it slowly approached the TV station building parking lot.

Fang Cheng's gaze was suddenly drawn to a huge promotional poster standing in the center of the square.

It was a solo poster that occupied the center position.

The image shows a young man in a white suit, extremely handsome with skin so fair that it would make even women jealous.

He wore exquisite eye makeup, his eyes were melancholic and affectionate, and he was holding a microphone, striking a pose of rapture.

Below, a line of large characters was prominently displayed:
Special guest celebrity mentor, Cheng Jiashu.

Below the poster, a large group of young girls were excitedly taking photos with the portrait of "Mentor Cheng" using their phones.

Fang Cheng was slightly taken aback, and his eyes became somewhat strange.

Then he turned to look at Zhou Xiumei, who was sitting beside him, breathing on her palms to calm herself down:
"Is Cheng Jiashu one of the judges for this audition?"

"Yeah, Cheng-ge, didn't you know?"

Upon hearing this name, Zhou Xiumei's eyes lit up, and she even forgot her nervousness somewhat:
"He was the champion of the talent show five years ago! Everyone says he's a man kissed by an angel, with amazing singing ability."

"How wonderful it would be if I could get his personal guidance in this competition."

"Kissed by an angel..."

Fang Cheng's lips twitched slightly.

It's been a while since I've seen this guy.

At this moment, what came to Fang Cheng's mind was not an image of a melancholy prince holding a microphone and singing passionately.

Instead, it's a scene of a madman with a beautiful face, humming opera while using his long, slender fingers—like those used for playing the piano—to disembowel people. (End of Chapter)