Chapter 148: I Was Followed

At first, Hu Yu and his two companions thought Lin Xiao was chatting with some girl. However, upon realizing he was conversing with people from the nursing home—and recognizing some of their own elders among them—they quietly backed away. It was better to keep their mouths shut at a time like this.

Hu Yu had long since seen the message from Luo Yao. Thinking that since they were only going shopping, there was nothing significant to report, he chose not to update her. While he was an "inside man," he couldn't report every single thing; he still had his principles.

Feeling that it was getting late, Lin Xiao forcibly ended the chat for the sake of the elders' health. Once it was over, he felt a lingering sense of relief. It seemed he couldn't chat like that with the seniors too often; with a ratio of one to one hundred and seven, even with his fast typing speed, he was struggling to keep up. If conditions allowed in the future, a simple greeting in the morning and evening would suffice. If he kept chatting like this, he would truly lose track of where all his time went.

...

In a villa near the Kyoto Spirit Martial University, Luo Yao was also staring at her phone. On the screen was a reply from her father: "Yao'er, the matter you asked me to handle is done. Why the sudden desire to become a mercenary? It’s so dangerous. For your safety, I’ve found you a mercenary group with solid strength. They have a mission the day after tomorrow, so you can go find them then. I know you might be reluctant, but it's your first mission, and it's better to have experienced people leading the way."

Luo Yao curled her lip as she read the message. Her father had once again made decisions for her without her consent. She wasn't about to listen obediently. Her goal was clear: to follow Lin Xiao. Wherever he went, she would go. As for the mercenary group her father found, whoever wanted to join could go!

With nothing to do, she felt a bit bored. She needed something to occupy her time—perhaps teasing Lin Xiao? That was a viable option! But it seemed she didn't have that guy's contact information. Wait, didn't she have Hu Yu?

She immediately edited a message and sent it: "Give me Lin Xiao's contact info!"

Hu Yu, who was in the middle of a game, was startled by the sudden notification, and his almost-secured "penta-kill" vanished instantly. He was about to spout some profanity, but realized the sender was his major benefactor. He glanced guiltily at Lin Xiao, and seeing that he was already resting, he felt relieved.

"No way! I have no obligation to give you Brother Xiao's contact details."
"A ten-billion-dollar project!"
"Deal!"

Hu Yu: ╮( ╯w╰ )╭
Brother Xiao, I’m sorry, but she offered way too much!

Hu Yu promptly shared Lin Xiao’s social media handle with Luo Yao. As for whether Lin Xiao would agree, that was no longer his concern. Armed with the handle, Luo Yao eagerly sent a friend request. Unfortunately, Lin Xiao was already resting and was unlikely to accept. Luo Yao applied several times, but received no response. Her fists tightened; she would make this guy pay sooner or later!

...

The next day, military training resumed. Lin Xiao began to feel bored. Not knowing what else to do, he rested in his dorm for a while before heading out to watch Hu Yu and the others train. Murong Jing was stunned when he saw Lin Xiao. Had this kid had a change of heart? Was he here to train? But when he saw Lin Xiao carrying a parasol and a lounge chair, he realized he had thought too much.

Lin Xiao set up his parasol and chair not far from his class. He watched the freshmen train with leisure, even enjoying some iced watermelon. If a senior doing this previously might have annoyed the freshmen, Lin Xiao was now dialing his taunt level to the maximum. Watching their angry gazes, Lin Xiao felt incredibly satisfied.

During a lull, Lin Xiao opened his phone and saw the friend request. At first, he didn't pay it much mind and wasn't planning to acknowledge it—he didn't just add anyone. However, when he saw the note on the request saying, "I'm Luo Yao, hurry up and accept," he immediately clicked "Ignore." As if! Nothing good could come from this enchantress adding him; he absolutely could not agree!

The leisurely day passed quickly. That evening, Zi Shu sent him a message: "Meet at the Mercenary Headquarters at 8:00 AM tomorrow."
"OK!"

Finally, he had something to do. He couldn't just keep provoking people forever. While it was satisfying, it was starting to feel a bit dull after a while.

Luo Yao had missed military training that day due to being delayed by other matters, so she couldn't go to school. After waiting all day without Lin Xiao accepting her friend request, her mood was far from pleasant. Especially after learning that Lin Xiao had been flaunting his leisure at school all day, she was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Lin Xiao! You just wait!"

Back in his dorm, Lin Xiao sneezed. "Sigh, it must be the brothers and sisters at the nursing home missing me again."

After giving it some thought, he sent a greeting to the group chat, chatted with the elders for a bit, and then turned in. Before resting, he informed Hu Yu and the others that he would be leaving the next day. Upon receiving this news, Hu Yu immediately relayed it to Luo Yao. When she saw the message, her mood improved instantly.

"Heh, you can't run away this time!"

...

On the way to the Mercenary Headquarters, Lin Xiao kept checking his rearview mirror. Ever since leaving the university, he had felt like a car was tailing him. At first, he thought it was just a coincidence, but since it had been following him for so long, something was definitely off. Was it just going the same way?

While waiting at a red light, he specifically looked back and immediately recognized that the driver was Luo Yao! This Luo Yao was truly like a ghost that wouldn't go away! Lin Xiao tried to shake her off several times, but the traffic conditions in Kyoto made it impossible, leaving him with no choice but to let her follow.

Once he reached the underground parking garage of the Mercenary Headquarters, Lin Xiao finally seized the opportunity to put some distance between them. Taking advantage of the time it took for Luo Yao to park, he quickly altered his appearance and even changed his clothes before strolling out. He even walked right past Luo Yao as she hurriedly exited her car.

Luo Yao caught a glimpse of the transformed Lin Xiao and hesitated for a moment. For some reason, she felt a familiar aura coming from the man before her. She tried to recall where she might have seen him, but found no impression. Perhaps she had seen him somewhere before and simply forgotten. Now was not the time to worry about that; she couldn't afford to lose Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao let out a long sigh of relief. When Luo Yao’s gaze had landed on him, he hadn't dared to breathe, terrified she might recognize him. Now, he could finally rest easy.

After Lin Xiao disappeared, Luo Yao anxiously scanned her surroundings. With the many people coming and going in the parking lot, she couldn't find a trace of him. She even ran to Lin Xiao's car to confirm—he was long gone.

"Damn it! Did this guy just vanish into thin air? He must have spotted me! Trying to shake me off? It’s not going to be that easy! I will find you!"