Beating him up is the least I could do.

Xu Mu also noticed Jiang Huihui’s gaze. Could it be that she had seen Meng Wanyue before?

That didn’t quite add up. Jiang Huihui worked as a cleaner, mainly responsible for domestic duties.

But Meng Wanyue was mostly abroad.

“Xu Mu! Do you know how annoying you’re making me?”

Jiang Huihui said calmly, hands tucked into her pockets.

Xu Mu looked utterly confused. “When did I ever bother you?”

Whoosh!

Before Xu Mu could finish his sentence, the bubble Jiang Huihui had just blown suddenly burst.

In an instant, her figure appeared right in front of Xu Mu.

Jiang Huihui still had her hands in her pockets, but one of her long legs was already sweeping toward Xu Mu’s shoulder.

Seeing this, Meng Wanyue immediately stepped in front of Xu Mu, raising her arm.

Boom!

The courtyard shook from the impact.

Meng Wanyue blocked Jiang Huihui’s kick with her arm, staggering back a few steps before regaining her balance.

“Wanyue, are you okay?” Xu Mu asked anxiously.

“I’m fine.”

Still wearing her work uniform and high heels, Meng Wanyue quickly kicked off her heels, her eyes sharp and alert as she stared at Jiang Huihui.

“Jiang Huihui, have you lost your mind?” Xu Mu frowned and snapped.

“Just kidding. I didn’t realize until just now that there’s a master following you around,” Jiang Huihui said, blowing another bubble. She looked at Meng Wanyue and asked, “Which faction are you from?”

“She’s obviously from our Xu family,” Xu Mu said, putting his arm around Meng Wanyue’s shoulders. “I saved her life before, so she stayed on as my bodyguard.”

“With your skill level, you should take some time to register with the sanitation department,” Jiang Huihui said lightly.

“Sanitation department? What’s that?” Xu Mu feigned ignorance.

“This woman should know. If she doesn’t, I’ll take you both there when we meet in Yang City today,” Jiang Huihui said, glancing at Meng Wanyue.

“Will she hurt Wanyue?” Xu Mu asked.

“Of course not. Registration is actually a form of protection,” Jiang Huihui explained. “When I take you there, someone will give you a proper briefing.”

“Alright then.”

Xu Mu bowed slightly to Wei Jingzhi. “Old Wei, we’ll be heading back now.”

“Alright. That girl’s approach was a bit off just now. Don’t take it personally; she means no harm,” Wei Jingzhi said with a smile, sipping his goji berry tea.

“I didn’t take it to heart,” Xu Mu shook his head. “Wanyue, let’s go.”

Meng Wanyue put her high heels back on and followed closely behind Xu Mu.

After watching them leave, Wei Jingzhi chuckled, “That stubborn girl of yours went a bit too far just now. There’s no reason to resort to violence right away.”

“I’m looking out for Xu Mu. Suddenly, there’s a master by his side—who knows what her intentions are?” Jiang Huihui said calmly, looking at Wei Jingzhi. “That’s why I targeted Xu Mu first, not that woman.”

“You’re pretty smart, little girl. If she’s willing to reveal her identity and stand up for Xu Mu, it means she has no ill intent. Otherwise, her motives are questionable,” Wei Jingzhi said with a grin.

“Exactly. Judging by her behavior, she’s definitely protecting Xu Mu,” Jiang Huihui nodded.

“What if she hadn’t stepped forward? Even if you held back just now, Xu Mu would’ve still taken a kick, right?” Wei Jingzhi asked.

“Then he deserved it! I’ve looked into his past—beating him up is the least he gets,” Jiang Huihui said with a sneer.

Still, she knew Xu Mu hadn’t really done anything major.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t even bother with him.

…

Xu Mu and Meng Wanyue got into the car together.

Meng Wanyue looked at him apologetically. “President Xu, I embarrassed you just now.”

“What embarrassment? You were protecting me,” Xu Mu said, grabbing her wrist. “Is your arm okay?”

[Affection +10]

“I’m fine.”

A warmth spread through Meng Wanyue’s heart as she shook her head gently.

“Let’s head straight to Yang City. I’ll drive this time,” Xu Mu said with a smile toward Meng Wanyue.

Along the way,

Xu Mu asked about the sanitation department. He knew quite a bit about the situation but suspected there were gaps in his knowledge.

After all, this world had changed because of his presence.

“If nothing’s wrong, that woman should be a cleaner,” Meng Wanyue said, glancing at Xu Mu before looking away. “You can think of the cleaners as the enforcers in the martial arts world—like the police maintaining order.”

“I see. What did she mean by ‘registration’?” Xu Mu continued. He recalled the story didn’t mention this.

“They keep records on martial artists—photos, blood samples—to make investigations easier,” Meng Wanyue explained. “But many experts avoid registering to not leave any weaknesses.”

Xu Mu nodded lightly.

…

Yang City.

Xu Mu drove to the branch office of the Xu Group.

The branch was located on the outskirts of Yang City, near Jiang City.

Taking the highway, it was about an hour and a half drive.

After exiting the highway, just a few kilometers more and they’d arrive.

In recent years, the Yang City branch had been operating at a loss.

To keep it afloat, Xu Shou had relocated many Jiang City industries here.

But it still hadn’t turned around, and with the higher labor costs in Yang City, it was always on the verge of shutting down.

Today, the company’s entrance looked different—red banners hung everywhere, and several huge balloons floated above.

Xu Mu and Meng Wanyue got out of the car and walked inside.

He looked to the other side where a long line stretched out—it was the recruitment area.

In recent years, to save costs, they had been laying off staff continuously.

But now things were different. Relying on the terrifying prospects of the weight-loss drug, the existing employees were no longer enough.

Xu Shou was even planning to open the doors to foreign markets, aiming to make money from the drug overseas.

“Dad!”

Just as Xu Mu stepped into the building, he saw Xu Shou chatting with the branch’s managers.

“Young Master Xu,”

The managers hurriedly greeted Xu Mu when they saw him.

He was the big boss now—no more easy days ahead for them.

Since the Yang City branch had been failing, Xu Mu hadn’t come here. Now that he was back and strong, they had to watch out.

“This place isn’t your concern yet. Go have fun,” Xu Shou waved him off.

“All right. It’s just about noon. Wanyue and I will go grab lunch,” Xu Mu nodded.

He and Meng Wanyue got back in the car and left.

At the front of the distant line stood a mature woman dressed in a black uniform, her gaze fixed on the direction where Xu Mu had just left.

The buttons on her uniform were stretched tight, as if a terrifying power was ready to break free at any moment.

This woman was none other than Li Yun, Zhao Yingying’s mother.

“Li Yun, what are you looking at?”

Beside Li Yun stood another woman, also in uniform.

She was about the same age as Li Yun, with short hair and a slender figure.

But even with heavy makeup, she couldn’t compare to Li Yun’s presence.

“Oh, that silhouette over there looked kind of familiar,” Li Yun finally turned her head and smiled as she spoke.

“Don’t worry about others. Just remember to smile more later—I’ve managed to find someone we know, the supervisor himself.”

The short-haired woman glanced at Li Yun. “Besides frontline workers, big companies rarely hire anyone over thirty-five. They made an exception to take us in.”

Just as they were talking, a slightly overweight man in a suit approached from afar.

He looked to be around fifty years old, with a bald spot on the top of his head.

“Brother Wu, you’re here,” the short-haired woman greeted him immediately.

The man smiled as he walked over, and when his eyes landed on Li Yun, they practically lit up.

Well, well, what a lucky find.