A mighty king of soldiers, can't even handle a little girl like you

"Hahaha! Never thought you'd have this kind of talent!"

Xu Shou threw his head back in laughter.

He was genuinely thrilled, having long believed his account—his son—was a lost cause.

To his surprise, Xu Mu had proven to be a dark horse, shocking everyone with his sudden brilliance.

"Go on, get back to work."

Xu Shou waved the two off before closing his eyes again, letting the piano melody from his phone wash over him.

The pair left the office.

Xu Ningbing and Xu Mu stepped into the elevator together.

"Sis, you should smile at me more from now on," Xu Mu reminded her. "Stop scowling all the time."

"Why should I smile at you?"

Xu Ningbing replied coolly.

"What the—? Going back on your word now?"

"When did I ever agree? Dad was the one who promised. I never said yes."

As soon as she finished speaking, the elevator stopped at the next floor.

She strode out, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor.

But hidden beneath her icy demeanor, the faintest hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

Xu Mu rolled his eyes at the sight of Xu Ningbing’s alluring retreating figure.

[Affection +5]

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, he noticed the black text floating above Xu Ningbing’s head and finally allowed himself a smirk.

"Old woman, you’re quite the actress."

Xu Mu shook his head slightly.

……

Xu Mu spent the afternoon in his office before driving home.

Compared to others, squeezing more affection out of his wife, Ye Tong, was far more rewarding.

On the way back, an idea struck him.

Relying solely on words to raise affection had its limits—he needed something more substantial to boost his standing.

Remembering his status as a master chef, he decided to put his culinary skills on display.

That ought to earn him a decent chunk of affection points.

He could already tell that Lin Yang, the so-called "King of Soldiers," had a grudge against him.

Just as Xu Mu was about to turn into a nearby mall, he spotted someone.

The timing felt almost too perfect—he’d just been thinking about Lin Yang, and there the man was.

Lin Yang was skulking behind a car, clearly spying on something.

Xu Mu activated his Divine Eye, scanning the crowd until a dazzling status panel appeared before him.

It belonged to Su Yaya.

Su Yaya and another woman had just stepped out of an Ideal car and were heading into the mall.

Xu Mu smirked. So, the protagonist was stalking Su Yaya.

Maybe he was still sore about being upstaged at the Su family gathering earlier.

Now, he was resorting to underhanded tactics to win back his "white moonlight’s" favor.

At first, Xu Mu didn’t pay it much mind—until he noticed two burly men lurking near Lin Yang.

The pair seemed terrified of him, likely having already been on the receiving end of his fists.

Curious about their conversation, Xu Mu parked his car one space over, leaving a narrow gap in the window to eavesdrop.

After listening in, he shook his head in disbelief.

This so-called protagonist was willing to stoop this low just to farm affection points?

Seemed like Xu Mu would have to step in.

……

Lin Yang adjusted his cap, keeping his disguise simple.

His original plan had been a "chance encounter" with Su Yaya.

But fate had other ideas—he’d run into the same two thugs he’d beaten up at the bar last night.

As the King of Soldiers, hitting up bars for a casual hookup was perfectly reasonable.

But these idiots had the nerve to pick a fight with him.

A few quick moves later, they’d been sent to the hospital.

Now, the two men trembled in his presence, not daring to make a sound.

A new scheme formed in Lin Yang’s mind.

He’d wait by Su Yaya’s car.

After Su Yaya returned, she sent these two men to stir up trouble.

At that moment, he happened to appear, helping Su Yaya out of the situation—wasn’t this much better than a mere coincidence?

Over the years abroad, he had seen plenty of beautiful women and played around with many of them.

But Su Yaya was his white moonlight, the one who could make up for his past cowardice.

He was determined to have this woman.

Xu Mu had originally planned to step out of the car, but Lin Yang and the two burly men happened to walk right past his vehicle.

He immediately lowered his head, pretending to fiddle with his phone.

Luckily, he hadn’t been noticed.

Suddenly, Xu Mu froze, remembering his car’s dashcam. He quickly connected his phone to the device.

The footage clearly captured Lin Yang and the two thugs, who were now trailing behind him like obedient lackeys.

Seeing this, Xu Mu smirked in satisfaction.

After waiting in the car for a while, Xu Mu headed to the underground supermarket in the mall.

Ye Tong hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, so Xu Mu bought plenty this time, planning to treat him.

After all, both he and Ye Tong still had physical labor to do—they needed the extra nutrients.

Meanwhile, Lin Yang and the two thugs lurked behind a car.

From there, they had a clear view of Su Yaya’s car as well as the mall’s entrance.

Lin Yang waited patiently for twenty minutes before his eyes suddenly lit up. "There she is! The one wearing the hat!"

The two thugs nodded and strode toward the two women.

"Yaya, are you in love or something? Since when do you buy men’s razors?"

Beside Su Yaya stood an equally young and attractive woman, slightly plump with a round, cherubic face.

Her name was Wang Ying, Su Yaya’s college friend and closest confidante.

"Stop talking nonsense! He’s like family to me!"

Su Yaya’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Her mentor, Zhou Hening, had insisted that she get closer to Xu Mu.

Xu Mu was the real master, he’d said, and she should seek his guidance whenever possible.

That’s why Su Yaya had decided to buy him a gift first—she couldn’t very well visit empty-handed.

Just then, the two thugs approached them.

One of them deliberately brushed against Wang Ying as he passed.

Wang Ying’s expression darkened instantly. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Whoa, didn’t notice before—you two are real lookers!"

The bald one leered at them. "How about giving us your numbers? We’ll treat you to drinks later."

"Ying, just let it go," Su Yaya whispered, tugging at Wang Ying’s hand.

They were just two girls—it wasn’t worth provoking trouble.

Wang Ying scoffed but reluctantly swallowed her anger.

But as they tried to leave, the other thug blocked their path.

"What’s the hurry? You think you can just bump into us and walk away? Do we look that easygoing?"

The one with hair smirked coldly. "Call us ‘big brother,’ pay us five hundred, and we’ll forget this ever happened."

"Just wait—I’m calling the police right now!"

Wang Ying angrily pulled out her phone, but the bald thug snatched it away.

"You dare call the cops? You got a death wish or something?"

"Hey! Leave those girls alone!"

Lin Yang strode over from a distance.

Su Yaya frowned slightly when she saw it was him.

"Huh? Well, well—if it isn’t you, beautiful?"

Lin Yang feigned surprise upon seeing Su Yaya, then pointed at the bald thug. "Give her back her phone!"

"You little punk! You asking for a beating?"

The bald thug glared at him.

"I said, give them back their phones!"

Lin Yang's expression turned cold as he reached out to snatch the phone.

"Damn it!"

The bald thug swung a fist straight at Lin Yang's face.

Thud.

The punch landed squarely on Lin Yang's chin.

The bald man froze in confusion. What the hell just happened?

This wasn't part of the plan.

Weren't they supposed to let him play the hero?

Lin Yang smirked inwardly. He had just thought of a far more effective strategy.

Getting hurt.

Compared to a simple heroic rescue, getting injured while saving Su Yaya would leave a much deeper impression on her.

Of course, the latter would work better.

Lin Yang tightened his grip on the phone and yanked it back.

He shoved it into Su Yaya's hands, then clutched his head and lunged at the bald thug.

"Run! Get out of here!" he shouted, putting on a righteous front.

"You little bastard! You’re asking for it!"

Another thug swung at Lin Yang.

Seeing this, Su Yaya finally showed a flicker of concern. "Stop! Don’t hit him! I’ll give you money!"

Lin Yang’s heart swelled with satisfaction.

As a former elite soldier, how could I not have a little girl like you wrapped around my finger?

All he wanted now was for them to hit him harder.

No pain, no gain.

"What the hell is going on here?"

A sharp voice cut through the chaos. Xu Mu stood in the distance, arms laden with shopping bags, his gaze icy.

"Mind your own damn business, kid—"

The bald man’s words died in his throat as he recognized Xu Mu. "X-Xu… Young Master Xu."

"Who are you?" Xu Mu frowned.

"We—"

The bald man exchanged a glance with his companion, then blurted, "Let’s go, now!"

Anyone who frequented the bars in this city knew Xu Mu—the heir to the Xu Corporation.

Every time he showed up, the party escalated, because Xu Mu was the kind of guy who picked up the tab for the entire venue.

People like him? Not someone they could afford to mess with.

Lin Yang’s eyes darkened with resentment.

That damn brat again.