CHAPTER 608: CHAPTER 338:

"Fang, your name might not be that impressive, but you’re really generous!"

He grabbed the money, stuffed it into his pocket, then waved contentedly at Fang Cheng.

"Thanks! See you, friend!"

Fang Cheng watched his back as he bounced down the stairs in flip-flops, humming a tune, and all Fang Cheng could think of was:

"Weirdo."

Retracting his gaze, Fang Cheng furrowed his brow slightly and smacked his lips.

For some reason, he felt this overly familiar guy seemed to have a strong interest in him.

That feeling... it was like meeting an old friend he had known for years.

In his mind flashed that excessively handsome face.

Suddenly, Fang Cheng thought of a possibility, his body shivered, and he quickly extinguished that ridiculous thought.

Whoever he is, if he dares to mess with me, he’s going to meet my fists.

Bam!

The sturdy security door slammed shut, isolating everything from the outside world.

Fang Cheng exhaled lightly and carried the four bags of food into the kitchen.

Then, he opened the lid of the large freezer.

Cold air rose, revealing a storage area already filled with plenty of food.

He began sorting and organizing all the supplies he bought.

The top layer was filled with ready-to-eat delicacies and frozen foods, like marinated beef, pork pies, custard buns, and dumplings.

The middle layer had rows of milk, freshly squeezed juice, eggs, and various vegetables.

The bottom layer was packed with raw meat and seafood, wrapped layer by layer in cling film—beef shank, pork ribs, chicken breast, chilled prawns, and more.

An array of delicacies, beautiful beyond words.

Looking at the fully-packed freezer, a sense of security and fulfillment spontaneously arose.

After finishing all this, Fang Cheng casually grabbed a chilled bottle of fresh orange juice from the freezer, twisted off the cap, and gulped it down in one go.

He tossed the empty bottle over his shoulder.

Clang.

The bottle traced a parabola in the air, landing precisely in the black trash bin in the corner of the living room.

The clock on the wall indicated that the hour hand had now moved past three o’clock.

The room was well-lit, bright and clear even in the afternoon.

Fang Cheng took a chair and sat before the wide floor-to-ceiling window, casting his gaze outside.

From this height, the view was open and splendid.

Nearly a kilometer away, the golden beach was dotted with scattered visitors.

Further away, on the seaside cliff, the long-abandoned white lighthouse stood like a lonely sentinel, watching over the sea and sky in silence.

After a moment of observation, Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze and picked up a newspaper he had casually bought at the supermarket.

He directly skipped the front page political news and turned to the third page entertainment section.

The entire page was filled with various rumors, with each headline more sensational than the last.

Like "Director Looking for Female Leads on Set," or "Actress’s Slightly Bulged Belly, Already Ten Months Pregnant"

Fang Cheng’s eyes quickly scanned past the uninteresting headlines.

Eventually, he focused on one particular piece of news.

"Former ’Smile Boy’ member Cheng Jiashu mysteriously missing, rumored to have eloped due to love?"

After thoroughly reading the news report, Fang Cheng thoughtfully rubbed his chin and murmured:

"It’s been six days now..."

He put down the newspaper, his gaze deepening.

His eyes turned back to the outside, but his thoughts drifted back to that Saturday night.

Everything witnessed secretly at the orphanage that night was still vivid in his mind.

With Cheng Jiashu’s almost space-traveling ability, the Noah Organization trying to catch him was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Fang Cheng could even imagine a scene.

At this moment, Cheng Jiashu might be hiding in some unknown dark corner, watching the news about himself on TV, sneering and mocking those hunters like headless chicken.

Of course, the Noah Organization would not let it slide.

They were probably planning a more thorough capture plan or searching for the mole who leaked the information.

Fang Cheng pondered while casually flipping through the newspaper.

Unintentionally, his eyes fell on the weather forecast section on the last page of the newspaper.

The forecast stated:

"Due to the southwest airflow, East City will have continuous rain for the next two days, accompanied by lightning..."

Thunderstorm weather, huh?

Fang Cheng’s eyes slightly flickered, his fingers lightly caressing the edge of the newspaper, seemingly weighing something.

The next moment, his caressing stopped abruptly, and his eyes became sharply focused.

Having made a decision, his consciousness quickly retracted like a tide, diving into the depths of his mind.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself in the Memory Palace, floating with golden light orbs.

Fang Cheng’s mind locked onto that particularly bright star among the dozens in the dome above.

"Unidirectional projection."

As he silently intoned, an invisible channel instantly stretched across space towards another part of the city.

The scenes in his view began to flash by rapidly.

Tall buildings, streets, traffic...

It was as if countless shots were continuously switching in front of his eyes.

Finally, his view penetrated layers of light and shadow mist and landed on a dusty demolition site.

Xiao Shuai, wearing a vest with holes, was lifting a heavy iron hammer with both arms, vigorously smashing it against a crumbling wall.

Debris flew, dust billowed.

He was drenched in sweat, his bronze skin gleaming under the sun, now darker and much thinner than before.

Suddenly, his arm holding the hammer trembled slightly, and the hammer almost slipped, falling on a coworker carrying bricks next to him.

"Damn! You weakling!"

The coworker jumped in fright and cursed.

"Sorry, sorry."

Xiao Shuai quickly apologized, his expression complex.

He set down the hammer and swiftly moved aside to rest, wiping the sweat off his face.

Then, his eyes sharpened suddenly, carefully responding to the abrupt voice in his mind.

"Ex... Expert? Boss? Is that you? Where are you?"

He muttered softly, his gaze warily scanning the surroundings with a touch of anticipation and a bit of apprehension.

However, on the site, apart from the roaring machinery and the working coworkers, he could not find the anticipated figure.

Fang Cheng’s voice sounded again in his mind, calm and authoritative:

"I’m unable to show up for now. From now on, you will replace me to contact Chen Chen’s side."

"What?!"

Xiao Shuai exclaimed in disbelief.

Nearby coworkers turned to look, whispering and pointing at him.

From their lip-reading, it seemed they were all calling him a "dumbass."

"You don’t want to?"

Fang Cheng’s voice bore no discernible emotion.

Xiao Shuai shivered, seemingly recalling what happened that night at the Yuanchen Group Building.

He quickly covered his mouth and frantically replied in his mind using silent thoughts:

"I do! I do! Boss, rest assured, I’m one hundred percent willing!"

"As long as you command, I’ll do anything! I swear I will never betray you. If I leak even half a word, let the heavens strike me down, no..."

"Enough."

Fang Cheng interrupted his excitedly rambling oath.

"You have Chen Chen’s contact, right?"

"Tell him I’ve agreed to cooperate. You meet him tonight for a talk and tell him to prepare the intel thoroughly."

"Remember, show your presence. You represent me, don’t let him underestimate..."

Xiao Shuai listened to the instructions in his mind, nodding repeatedly in agreement.

When the brief secret communication ended, he was still in a state of mixed excitement and nervousness.

The excitement stemmed from the fact that this enigmatic powerhouse truly considered him a confidant to command!

The nervousness came from the fear of not doing the job well, messing up the first task entrusted by the Boss, and losing his prestige.

Xiao Shuai clenched his fists, his eyes becoming incredibly determined.

He must do this beautifully!

He must accomplish this task wonderfully!

Determined, he ran off into the distance without a second glance.

"Where are you going, Xiao Shuai? We’re not done here yet!"

Asked a coworker when he saw Xiao Shuai running off.

"I have something urgent, going to make a call!"

Xiao Shuai dashed off as he shouted back, disappearing quickly out of sight.