Can't You Hear Me Asking You to Light the Fire

"What's wrong, An Yi?" Lan Ruoxi asked curiously, noticing his dazed expression.

An Yi frowned slightly. "You haven't used this, have you?"

Lan Ruoxi shook her head. "Not yet. I was just about to try it when you showed up."

Holding the bottle in his hand, An Yi poured a little onto his palm, rubbed it lightly, and sniffed. His voice was calm but grave. "This is poisonous. It can temporarily maintain a youthful appearance when applied to the face, but within two years, the skin will rot."

Lan Ruoxi's face instantly paled. "Th-that’s horrifying!"

Her heart pounded as she stared at the bottle.

Thankfully, An Yi had arrived just in time—otherwise, she would have used it.

An Yi picked up another bottle of medicine.

Inside were small pills that, when swallowed, could rapidly dissolve fat.

Though the effects weren’t immediately visible, the internal damage to the digestive system would be irreversible.

"They’re practically killing people!" Lan Ruoxi said angrily.

"A gentleman may love wealth, but he takes it the right way."

Lan Ruoxi had never imagined someone could be so wicked.

This "Youth Elixir" and "Slimming Pills" were outright murder!

An Yi mused, "These came from the Hundred Ghost Sect. 'Five Degrees'—more like 'Five Poisons.' How fitting."

Since they’ve broken the rules...

They won’t be allowed to run wild anymore!

"Hey, Officer Yan!"

An Yi pulled out his phone and dialed Yan Zhi’s number.

Her weary voice came through the receiver. "What is it?"

"As a law-abiding citizen, I can’t suppress my sense of justice and my heaven-worthy conscience!" An Yi declared dramatically. "I want to report that Five Degrees Cosmetics’ products are toxic!"

"What? Why are you getting involved in this too?" Yan Zhi’s tone turned serious.

An Yi replied firmly, "Yan Zhi, you need to arrest them as soon as possible. These cosmetics will kill people."

"We’re already handling the Five Degrees case. Many people have reported that their products have abnormal effects, but after thorough testing by our research team, they’ve been confirmed to contain only natural botanical extracts—nothing harmful. So far, there haven’t been any reports of adverse effects," Yan Zhi said solemnly.

"Youth restoration! Weight loss!"

"Even men would be tempted, let alone women!"

"Anything too good to be true must be suspicious. Everyone thinks there’s something wrong with this stuff."

"But after repeated investigations by professional researchers, the ingredients check out—no issues at all!"

After the controversy, it turned into an insane marketing boost.

No harmful ingredients.

Miraculous effects!

Even if the price doubled, it’d still be worth it!

"Those so-called experts are idiots! Since when does 'natural botanical' mean harmless? Ancient poisons were all made from toxic herbs!"

An Yi was furious.

"A bunch of tumor-headed morons! What gives them the right to call themselves experts?"

"The tests already confirmed the ingredients are safe," Yan Zhi said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And... higher-ups don’t want us digging too deep into this."

"This is seriously dangerous," An Yi insisted through gritted teeth.

Hearing his agitation, Yan Zhi suddenly grew curious. "Wait, why are you so worked up about this?"

An Yi declared righteously, "For the sake of justice! For the greater good! These products are poisoning people—I have proof!"

"You’re insane."

Yan Zhi muttered and hung up.

This guy was nothing but trouble. If he could just stay out of things and not cause chaos, she’d be grateful to his ancestors for generations.

Now he was suddenly playing the patriot?

That wasn’t An Yi’s style at all.

Still, Yan Zhi’s expression darkened as she ordered, "Get Liu Wei here. Five Degrees Cosmetics is suspicious—we’re launching a deeper investigation."

An Yi might be unreliable, but...

His medical skills were among the best in the entire country.

If he said there was a problem, there was probably some truth to it.

Something about this didn’t sit right with her. If things went wrong, it’d be a massive blow to law enforcement.

Better to overreact than to let a single one slip through!

"But didn’t we just investigate them yesterday?"

A hesitant officer spoke up timidly.

"Are you questioning my orders?"

Yan Zhi’s sharp phoenix eyes glinted coldly.

The officer broke into a cold sweat. "I-I’ll go get Captain Liu right away!"

After ending the call with Yan Zhi, An Yi rubbed his temples, realizing the situation was more complicated than he thought.

Not only had the ingredients slipped past scrutiny...

But from the sound of it, someone powerful was backing them?

---

Ding Renfeng’s Office

Ding Renfeng puffed on his cigar while watching a livestream of a dancing girl, his brows furrowed in dissatisfaction.

"Quality’s dropping... She’s dressed too modestly!"

Definitely not suitable for a partnership with An Corporation.

"Next!"

As he scrolled through the sales data of various influencers, he noticed the black dog beside him staring intently at his cigar.

"What, you want one too?"

Ding Renfeng took a sip of his milk and dangled a cigar in front of the dog.

To his shock, the dog opened its mouth and neatly caught the cigar between its teeth.

"Light it."

Hongtian spoke, the cigar still in his mouth.

Pfft—

Ding Renfeng spat out his milk in disbelief.

Had he imagined it?

Dogs couldn’t talk.

"I said light it. Are you deaf?" Hongtian tilted his head up, his tone commanding.

Ding Renfeng: "..."

Hongtian sat back in the chair, puffing on the cigar like a seasoned smoker.

With surprising dexterity, he used his paw to click open a documentary about canine reproduction.

After a moment, he released the mouse.

"Longhair."

"Y-yes, Dog Lord?" Ding Renfeng stammered, his face pale.

This is going to haunt my parents for the next three centuries.

Even after half an hour, he still couldn’t wrap his head around it.

A dog was sitting in his chair, smoking his cigar, and using his computer.

Hongtian exhaled a cloud of smoke. "You seem like a decent guy, so I’ll give you a heads-up—these knockoff cigars are toxic. If you want to live, stop smoking them. Stick to Cohiba."

"Toxic?"

Ding Renfeng was stunned.

That explains it!

No wonder he’d become addicted to these foul-smelling things.

---

Five Degrees Cosmetics Storefront

"Give it to me! I was here first—I want the slimming pills!"

"Please, please, sell them to me! I’ve been overweight for twenty years—I just want to know what it’s like to have a normal body!"

"I have money! I even took my boyfriend’s pension savings—I can pay! Sell to me first!"

A frenzied crowd of women shoved and clawed at the entrance of the Five Degrees store, desperate to get their hands on the products.

After yesterday’s media frenzy, the "Youth Elixir" and "Slimming Pills" had completely sold out.

On the black market, prices had skyrocketed to terrifying levels.

With aggressive marketing and word-of-mouth hype, Five Degrees Cosmetics had become an overnight sensation.

Compared to the previously popular "Jade Beauty Serum," their products not only worked better but were also ten times cheaper!

Why bother with anything else when the "Youth Elixir" delivered instant, affordable results?

"Get the hell out of here! Stop shoving—you’re breaking the counter!"

"You fat cow! Try cutting in line again, and I’ll make sure you never get to buy this!"

The store clerks, Xue Dong and Xue Xia, barked insults at the customers.

But the crowd ignored them, pushing forward like a stampede, each person desperate to be the first to buy.

"Customers are gods, Xue Dong, Xue Xia—mind your manners!"

A young man with greenish, shoulder-length hair gazed at the chaotic scene before him and smiled warmly as he spoke.