"It's probably because we passed his car just now and bruised his ego," Meng Wanyue said calmly, not the least bit angry.
As a professional killer, you never act on impulse—unless you want an early grave.
"These people think the whole road belongs to them. Brains full of potholes," Xu Mu muttered. Though, by the memories in his head, the former villain Xu Mu had been exactly like that—whenever someone passed him, he'd get furious, convinced they were looking down on him. I'm driving an expensive car—who said you could pass me? Then he'd floor it to overtake them again.
At least the old Xu Mu hadn't sunk to the level of chasing people down to curse at them and brake-checking in front.
Meng Wanyue didn't engage, and Xu Mu stayed even-tempered as well.
"Forget it, Wanyue—change lanes," Xu Mu said with a smile.
"Okay."
She signaled and moved over—but the red Ferrari ahead also changed lanes, continuing to brake-check right in front of them.
"President Xu, what now?" Meng Wanyue glanced over. "This highway is mostly straight. Our SUV can't match a Ferrari in straight-line acceleration. If there were bends, I could pass him anytime."
Xu Mu took a deep breath. "Keep changing lanes. Give them one more chance."
"Got it."
She switched lanes again—and the Ferrari still wouldn't let up, darting in front and tapping the brakes.
"Wanyue, hit him. I don't believe our full-size rig can't outmuscle a tiny sports car," Xu Mu said coldly.
"A direct impact is risky for us too. Leave it to me."
Meng Wanyue suddenly slowed, forcing the Ferrari to slow as well—then she cut straight to the far-left passing lane and stomped the gas.
The Ferrari also swerved over, but this time she didn't brake—she went in and clipped him. The SUV's right front fender scraped the Ferrari's tail.
The Ferrari's balance snapped; it spun wildly and then—boom—slammed into the median greenery. Its front end shattered on impact, finally skidding to a stop a hundred meters ahead, debris littering the asphalt.
Meng Wanyue flipped on the hazards and brought the SUV to a steady halt.
Xu Mu stepped out and checked their side panel—only a little paint had been scuffed.
"Not bad, Wanyue," he said, then walked toward the wrecked sports car. "Hey, driver—watch it when you're on the road! Careless much?"
The dyed-hair kid from the passenger seat tumbled out, forehead streaming blood.He pointed at Xu Mu and snarled, "You punk! Do you even know who's in that car? If anything happens to him, your whole family's going to the grave with you!"
"Ah! My leg—my leg's pinned! Help me!" A pig-squeal cry came from the driver's side.
"Young Master Sun, are you okay?" The dyed-hair youth rushed over, but the driver's leg was clamped tight—no way to pull him free by hand.
"Damn it! Are you stupid? Call the police! Call an ambulance! My leg!" the driver howled.
"R-right!"
The youth fumbled for his phone, but still had the nerve to jab a finger at Xu Mu: "You're in big trouble. Just wait!"
Xu Mu smiled faintly. With a sweep of his senses, he recognized the driver: an old acquaintance—Sun Zhanji, rich scion of the Sun Group.
The Sun family's businesses were based in Yang City; across all of Jiangbei, they ranked around tenth. Sun Zhanji was tight with several Feng-family young masters and had humiliated the former villain Xu Mu in the past.
Xu Mu walked over. Seeing Sun Zhanji's blood-smeared face pinned in the wreck, he feigned surprise. "Young Master Sun! What a coincidence."
"You're… Xu Mu?"Sun Zhanji wore a little topknot; a tattoo snaked along his neck.
Xu Mu pointed at the dyed-hair youth. "Who's he?"
"What are you going to do?" Sun Zhanji snorted.
"Kill him. He cursed me just now—let him be the first to meet his maker," Xu Mu said icily, staring the kid down.
The kid froze, nearly dropping his phone. Of course he knew the name Xu Mu. A few years back, the Xu Group had been top-five in Jiangbei, and in Yang City, Xu Mu had been a storm on two legs. Even if the Xu family had declined, they weren't someone a small-time company brat like him could compare to. And a hard-headed guy like Xu Mu—he might actually hire someone to take him out.
"B-Brother Xu… I—I didn't know it was you," the youth stammered, legs shaking.
"Hahaha, relax—I'm kidding. This is a law-governed society," Xu Mu said with a sudden smile. Then he looked at Sun Zhanji. "Young Master Sun, my dashcam got everything. You were driving dangerously, so this one's on you. If I hand the footage over, you're spending a few days inside."
Sun Zhanji ground his teeth. If it were anyone else, he could crush them. But this was Xu Mu—and worse, Xu Mu was in the right. He'd have to swallow this one.
"Heh… Brother Xu, do me a favor. I had a bout of road rage—please don't turn in the dashcam. I'll take full responsibility. Nothing to do with you," Sun said with a forced grin.
"Since you're at fault, my car lost some paint. Shouldn't you compensate me?" Xu Mu asked coolly.
Rage made Sun Zhanji tremble. He growled, "What are you standing there for? Transfer him ten thousand!"
"Y-yes!" the dyed-hair youth bobbed his head repeatedly.
About ten minutes later, highway enforcement arrived.With Sun Zhanji admitting full responsibility, there was nothing left to pin on Xu Mu.
Watching Xu Mu leave, the dyed-hair youth moved back to Sun Zhanji. "Young Master Sun, that Xu Mu actually dared come to Yang City."
"Damn it—ow, damn that hurts," Sun Zhanji cursed, then hissed, "Notify Young Master Feng now. We're going to find a way to ruin that bastard."
…
"Wanyue, it's great having you around," Xu Mu said with a smile.
[Favorability +10]
Her eyes fluttered for a moment before settling back into calm. "President Xu, it's what I should do."
"Alright, let's drive."
Looking out the window again, Xu Mu reflected that with just a few words, Meng Wanyue had given him eighty Fate Points today.And earlier, using a Self-Healing Pill on Li Yun and Zhao Yingying had netted him a huge haul; he could already afford another ten-draw.
Still, according to the navigation, they were almost there—best to meet Zhou Henning first.
…
Meanwhile—
Outside the Yang City Grand Theater, Zhou Henning waited at the entrance with two women. One was Su Yaya, performing on such a large stage for the first time today.The other was a tall beauty with long, straight black hair, wearing a mask and a white sunhat—slim and elegant.
"Teacher, we've been waiting over ten minutes. Who is it, exactly? What a big shot," the long-haired woman muttered under her breath.
"Alright, no more suspense. His name is Xu Mu," Zhou Henning said with a smile.
"What? That wastrel?" The long-haired beauty froze on the spot.