Is this woman being too forward

Up to now, Xu Mu had never seen the tag "villain."

The most common tag was naturally "female lead," followed by "supporting character."

These supporting characters were almost all on the male lead's side, essentially following his lead.

He hadn’t expected to see a villain today.

Even Wang Hun from earlier hadn’t carried that tag.

Thinking back to the storyline, after Ye Chen stumbled at the Grand Beginning Hall, he began crushing everything in his path.

The Eternal Research Institute was also taken care of easily, though Wang Hun escaped and didn’t die.

It could be said that Wang Hun was a villain, but not the main villain.

Could this person in front of him be the big boss the evil god had been hinting at throughout the entire story?

Checking the other’s filial piety value toward him, he found it was -3, but the favorability was currently 0.

That only meant one thing: he had no feelings toward him, but if danger arose, he would have no hesitation in throwing him under the bus.

"Hello, I didn’t expect a council member to be so young. Without even thinking, I know you’re a genius,"

Xu Mu said with a smile.

He had no intention of getting involved with this person, but if they ever had to take on the male lead, cooperation was certainly worth considering.

Generally speaking, there were only two types of major villains.

The first was pure evil, and the second was someone whose ideals conflicted with the protagonist’s.

If this man was the second type, Xu Mu could probably strike up a simple connection.

"Hah, I’m far from your level,"

Geng Yanlin waved his hand. "Young people nowadays are scarier than the last."

"You’re being too modest, big brother,"

Xu Mu said as he took a sip of his drink with a smile.

As they chatted, two people walked in through the main door.

One was an old man wearing black trousers and a white tank top.

The muscles on his arms hung loose, making him look quite gaunt.

His face was deeply wrinkled, and his gray-white hair was tied into a simple bun.

Beside him was a middle-aged woman in a suit with short hair.

The people around them all bowed in greeting when they saw the old man.

Geng Yanlin, sitting next to Xu Mu, immediately stood up as well.

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan exchanged glances—without a doubt, a big shot had arrived.

Using his God’s Eye, Xu Mu checked this person’s identity.

Name: Ji Liang

Title: Chairman of the Sanitation Committee

Favorability: 5

Destiny Level: 7 (out of 10)

Xu Mu nodded to himself. Truly a major figure.

"Everyone, sit down. No need to be so formal,"

Ji Liang came over to Xu Mu’s table and actively sat down with them.

The surrounding crowd found seats, and Yang Lielan, who had been chatting with others elsewhere, also sat down at Xu Mu’s table.

Afterward, another old man took a seat at the same table.

When his eyes met Xu Mu’s, he simply smiled without greeting him.

Xu Mu understood that well enough. Everyone here was a big shot.

Most of these people valued their pride; in their eyes, greeting someone first was a sign of lowering oneself.

Since the proper etiquette called for newcomers or juniors to make the first move, Xu Mu didn’t greet them, and they naturally didn’t humble themselves.

Of course, some didn’t care about that kind of thing—like the major villain sitting beside Xu Mu.

"Ruoshi, isn’t there an empty seat over here? Come sit!"

Ji Liang looked toward a woman standing alone in a corner.

"Ah… sure!"

The woman nodded immediately and nervously took the empty seat at Xu Mu’s table.

Xu Mu sized her up. She wore a white blouse and a pleated skirt, about the same age as him.

Her black hair reached down to her waist, and her features were sweet, giving her a very cute appearance.

Her lively eyes were constantly in a state of tension. From her demeanor, Xu Mu could roughly guess her personality.

She had social anxiety.

Xu Mu checked her information with his God’s Eye.

Name: Lin Ruoshi

Tag: Cleaner, Female Lead of "Returning from Cultivation to Be a Dad"

Favorability: 4

Destiny Level: 9 (out of 10)

Xu Mu marveled inwardly. She really was the female lead, and at level nine no less.

"Since everyone’s here, let’s have the food brought out,"

Ji Liang said to the middle-aged woman beside him.

"Alright."

The woman took out her phone and sent a message.

Within moments, the dishes were served. Xu Mu glanced over them—the portions were generous, clearly not just for show.

Ji Liang smiled and said, "Same as always, let’s eat and talk. Treat it like a meal at home."

The people around picked up their chopsticks and began eating, though everyone remained cautious.

"Lielan, your sect worked hard this time,"

Ji Liang said as the middle-aged woman next to him took out a ninth-grade heavenly treasure and placed it in front of Yang Lielan.

"Thank you, Elder Ji,"

Yang Lielan replied with a smile, putting the heavenly treasure away.

"Xiao Liu, you did well on this mission too, especially your grandson. I watched the battle footage—truly fierce,"

Ji Liang said, turning to the old man beside him.

"Elder, it was his duty,"

the old man said respectfully.

The middle-aged woman took out another heavenly treasure from her spatial ring.

One ninth-grade and one eighth-grade.

"The ninth-grade is the reward for the mission. As for this eighth-grade fire jujube, use it to boost your junior’s cultivation,"

Ji Liang said with a light laugh.

"Thank you, Elder Ji."

The old man’s face lit up, and he looked toward a young man at a distant table. "What are you standing there for? Thank Elder Ji!"

"Thank you, Elder Ji,"

the young man immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.

At this point, Ji Liang was like a generous gift-giver. Finally, he turned his gaze to Geng Yanlin and Lin Ruoshi.

"I want to give special praise to you two this time. The mission was completed excellently—especially Lin Ruoshi. You were originally just an assistant, but you played a key role. Well done, as expected of the leader of the First Squad,"

Ji Liang said, smiling at Lin Ruoshi.

"Thank you, Elder Ji. You flatter me."

Lin Ruoshi immediately stood up and bowed three times to Ji Liang.

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan were both stunned when they heard this.

What was going on?

This socially anxious woman was the captain of the First Squad?

"Sit down,"

Ji Liang said with a wave.

Then, two ninth-grade heavenly treasures were placed in front of the two of them.

"Alright, most of the faces here are familiar, so I didn’t do much introduction. But these last two are newcomers, so I need to highlight them,"

Ji Liang smiled, looking at the pair. "Xu Mu, Chen Xuan, I think many people here don’t know what they’ve done. Lielan, Old Wei must have told you. Why don’t you explain?"

With that, Ji Liang started eating.

Yang Lielan nodded. "Earlier, the Baishi Clan sent people to cause trouble in our territory. They went to the inner realm, united with other Baishi Clan branches, and with combined efforts, killed a fifth-rank master, Lao Jiexiang. They elected a new chief, who personally came to sign a pact with us, vowing never to trespass again."

Hearing this, everyone present was shocked.

A fifth-rank powerhouse who broke through the boundary—someone who could easily enter the ranks of high-level cleaners.

And what was Xu Mu’s cultivation level again?

And he even made the clan leader come personally to sign the contract. Normally, for a task like this, even an ordinary high-level cleaner would find it difficult to complete.

[Affection +5]

At that moment, a heart score appeared above Lin Ruoshi’s head.

Xu Mu frowned slightly. What was up with this woman? Was she just being friendly out of nowhere?

Lin Ruoshi noticed Xu Mu staring at her, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly lowered her head.