Pain So much pain.

They started fighting?

Not really, but everyone's still on your side.

Fang Jun sat in the classroom after evening self-study. He was on duty today, so he took the chance to make a call.

It doesn't matter if they're on my side or not. As long as there's no fight. I'm not there, so I can't protect you guys.

Lin Mo's tone was calm.

It won't come to blows. Nobody wants to get chewed out. Even though Su Mingzhao isn’t scared of that, if it really got violent, Ma Li and the others would definitely help.

After thinking it over, Fang Jun added, "And we'd help too."

Then try to keep the peace, don’t let it escalate. If you’re going to fight, wait until I’m back. Otherwise I can't cover for you. If I were there, at least you wouldn't get suspended.

Lin Mo's words made Fang Jun laugh.

Come on, who would dare fight you while you're standing there?

After they chatted a bit, the classroom was empty.

Fang Jun let out a sigh of frustration and slumped into his chair like a pile of mud.

She hasn't been talking to me much lately. She's exhausted every day—goes straight from school to dance practice, comes home late, and crashes right away.

Lin Mo didn't need a brain to guess who "she" was. It could only be Cai Junhuang.

Little Junjun was completely smitten.

But Lin Mo poured cold water on him.

She has her own dreams. And you? You’re just a lovesick fool. Besides, you don't have enough charm to make her stay.

The barrage of soul-searching questions hit Fang Jun right in his weak spots. He fell silent on the spot.

I know... I know all that...

Fang Jun's voice dropped even lower. "I support her dreams, I really do. But... she can't treat me like this..."

They were fine just a while ago. Why had she suddenly gone cold?

That deliberate distance she was creating pricked Fang Jun's heart like a thorn, stinging and aching at the same time.

Lin Mo saw it clearly. Fang Jun just couldn't let go.

Frankly, even if Cai Junhuang had given him the title of "ex-boyfriend" before kicking him to the curb, he'd probably feel better than now.

But here they were—just starting to get somewhere, and suddenly a wall appeared between them.

Fang Jun could feel Cai Junhuang pulling away on purpose.

What was this now? Neither here nor there, dangling in mid-air.

That's why he was suffering and came to Lin Mo to vent.

I'll say it again: are you willing to wait for her?

I don't know. She hasn't asked me to wait. I feel like it would make me look...

Fang Jun hesitated, unable to find the right word.

Like a simp? Lin Mo finished for him.

No, not that. It's more like... I'm afraid I'll wait for nothing.

It was clear that Fang Jun really, truly liked Cai Junhuang.

It wasn't that he didn't want to wait. He was just scared there'd be no payoff at the end.

All that "I just want her to be happy" was fake. If you truly love someone, you think: without you, no one else can give her real happiness.

Lin Mo could feel the hollow ache inside Fang Jun.

In that situation, there wasn't much to be done.

He could only try to calm Fang Jun's nerves. "Maybe she'll fail. And when she needs someone, you'll be there."

It was a dirty thought, but people couldn't help thinking like that sometimes.

Screw you! Fang Jun laughed and cursed, seeming to feel a little better.

"Forget it, Old Mo. Pretend I never said anything."

Fang Jun said it was over, but Lin Mo knew it wouldn't be that easy.

After hanging up, Fang Jun packed up to head home.

But on a whim, he still walked toward Cai Junhuang's dance studio.

As soon as he arrived, he saw her coming downstairs.

Cai Junhuang was startled to see Fang Jun. Her expression stiffened.

For a moment, they stood there wordless.

Whether it was some kind of understanding or not, neither spoke first. They just stood there for a full minute.

Finally, Cai Junhuang broke the silence.

"You really don't have to come pick me up."

Hearing that, Fang Jun's heart clenched. A fine, stabbing pain spread through his chest.

It felt like a thousand ants crawling and gnawing at his heart at the same time.

An ache mixed with an itch.

He took a deep breath. When he should have mustered his courage, he suddenly lost it instead.

"I... wasn't here to pick you up. Don't flatter yourself."

Fang Jun forced an unnatural smile, then walked straight past Cai Junhuang, their shoulders brushing.

He kept moving forward, hoping deep down that a voice would call him back.

But it didn't.

When he finally reached the street corner and turned around, the space behind him was empty.

A fierce pain invaded his heart.

Suffering was just part of life. His nose stung, his eyes blurred with tears, but he still turned and walked away into the distance.

"It hurts! It hurts so much!"

His cries echoed through the street.

Cai Junhuang hid in the corner, covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

Somewhere on an island in West Africa.

"Every agent we placed in China has been eliminated. Not a single contact person survived."

A man knelt on one knee, reporting recent events.

At the head of the room, a seat was completely hidden in shadow.

"Any specific details?"

"According to intelligence feedback, the first to lose contact was Qian Run, the head contact in Tianjing. He was also the regional director for all of China, knowing the identities of contacts in other provinces and cities, so..."

"So one person being compromised burned everyone. Who was behind it?"

"Further investigation showed a man named Lin Mo was responsible."

At the name "Lin Mo," the figure sitting above shifted slightly.

"The same one who destroyed the ability-transfer technology?"

"Yes. He also wiped out a major family in Tianjing. Extremely powerful. Qian Run fell into his hands."

"I see. Send new agents to infiltrate China again. Discard all previous contact methods for the China region—they're compromised."

"Yes, I understand. Already changed. The new personnel are going into hiding. But we won't be able to carry out many operations in the China region for a short time."

"Then continue operations in other countries. The location doesn't matter. What we need is gold."

As he spoke, a hand in the shadows picked up a gold brick, then brought it to its mouth and began chewing.

The gold brick was being consumed like food.

The kneeling man was clearly used to the sight.

"Very well, I'll make the arrangements. Teams in the Weimar Empire are organizing a new round of looting."

"Good. Hurry. I need more gold. The sooner, the easier Heaven will open."

"Yes, my Master. Everything is in your service."

With that, the man stood and walked out.

Once he left the room,

The lights inside suddenly turned on.

The figure on the throne was revealed—a man made of gold.

At least sixty percent of his skin was gold.

The remaining forty percent was yellow.

So, he was actually of Chinese descent.