It wasn’t just him. After Chen Peiyue boarded the bus, the other men on board couldn’t help but sneak glances her way. However, compared to the yellow-haired man, the other young men were far more restrained—only daring to steal a few furtive looks, too embarrassed to stare openly.
The yellow-haired man, on the other hand, kept his eyes locked on Chen Peiyue as he shoved his way through the crowd toward her.
"Hey, what’s with the pushing—"
A passenger’s complaint was cut short when the yellow-haired man shot him a glare, forcing the rest of the words back down his throat. The man averted his gaze, and just like that, the yellow-haired brute squeezed his way to Chen Peiyue’s side.
At the moment, Chen Pao and the others were focused on the two troublemakers arguing with the driver and didn’t notice the commotion behind them.
*Damn, when did a girl like this show up around here? If I can bring her back to the boss, I’ll be set for a year’s salary!*
Si Gou—the yellow-haired man—licked his lips as he eyed Chen Peiyue’s curvaceous figure. The two guys who’d boarded with him were his lackeys. The trio had dropped out of middle school and been drifting through the underworld ever since.
They’d finally managed to latch onto a gang leader, but not long ago, they’d gotten drunk and caused a scene, losing their car and getting their licenses revoked in the process.
If their boss hadn’t pulled strings to bail them out, they’d still be rotting in jail!
But Si Gou wasn’t willing to accept this. A screw-up like that would tank their standing in the gang.
Their rank didn’t matter much to them—what *did* matter was that their rank directly affected their pay. And *that* was a problem.
Luckily, they all knew their boss had a particular weakness—a voracious appetite for women, especially beautiful ones. If they could serve him a tasty dish, they might even skip a few rungs up the ladder!
The thought made Si Gou rub his hands together eagerly. With a lecherous grin, he sidled up next to Chen Peiyue.
In situations like this, there was a standard playbook for targeting women in their circle. The first step was testing the waters—gauging her reaction.
If she was tough, they’d have to either find another approach or give up entirely.
But if she was meek or even scared? That opened the door to all kinds of possibilities.
*Might as well give it a shot. And if I get to cop a feel first, even better!*
His mind made up, Si Gou couldn’t resist acting on his impulses. As the bus slowed to let another vehicle pass, he seized the opportunity—his right hand darting toward Chen Peiyue’s backside.
This wasn’t just an accidental brush. His fingers curled into a deliberate, predatory grab.
But the next moment, his expression froze.
*Huh? Nothing?*
Confused, he glanced down and realized Chen Peiyue had sidestepped his advance.
When he looked up, he found her glaring at him, her delicate brows furrowed.
She’d noticed!
But she hadn’t said a word—just moved away.
Si Gou’s heart leaped. *Avoidance? That’s fear!*
This was his chance!
Grinning shamelessly, he shot her a leer dripping with innuendo.
But in his excitement, he failed to notice the icy glint that flashed in Chen Peiyue’s eyes.
This time, his target was even more brazen—her most private area.
*If she doesn’t even scream at this, I’m taking her no matter what!*
*And even if she does, I can just claim it was the crowd jostling me. What’s she gonna do, call the cops? Like they’d believe her!*
Si Gou smirked, a cold satisfaction settling over his features. Just then, a car cut in front of the bus, forcing the driver to tap the brakes again.
*Screech!*
Passengers lurched forward with the sudden deceleration—and Si Gou seized the moment, his hand shooting toward its target.
To the other passengers, it should’ve been just another mundane moment on public transit.
But in the next second, those standing near Chen Peiyue saw a blur—followed by Si Gou’s head twisting a full, horrifying 180 degrees.
*"AHHH!"*
A middle-aged woman shrieked in terror.
The rest of the passengers jumped at the sound—but when they turned and saw Si Gou’s lifeless body, his head grotesquely twisted backward, their faces drained of color.
*"Holy shit!"*
His two yellow-haired companions paled as well. But unlike the others, they didn’t freeze. Bolstered by bravado, they rushed to their friend’s side, bellowing,
*"Who the hell did this? Who killed him?!"*
By the time Chen Pao and the others realized what had happened, Yue Hai was already barking at the driver:
*"Stop the bus! Open the doors!"*
His voice carried a thread of internal force, reverberating through the cabin like a thunderclap. Passengers clutched their heads, dizzy from the sonic impact.
The driver, especially, reacted on instinct—as if the command had bypassed his brain entirely.
Brakes. Doors. All in one fluid motion.
By the time the passengers recovered, Chen Peiyue and the others had vanished.
The driver, still in shock, belatedly noticed the bus’s surveillance camera had been mysteriously disabled…
*"Where’d they go? There was someone standing right here! Did we just see a ghost?!"*
Panic erupted. Passengers stampeded for the exits, the driver himself unbuckling and leaping out the door.
Who *wouldn’t* run from something like this?
---
Meanwhile, Yue Hai had already dragged Chen Peiyue into a nearby alley. Chen Pao and the other two followed, bewildered, until Yue Hai finally stopped.
*"Xiao Yue, what happened?"*
Their attention had been on the two troublemakers at the front of the bus. None of them had seen what went down in the back—but given the outcome, Yue Hai could guess.
*"He tried to touch me."*
Chen Peiyue’s tone was eerily calm, as if she hadn’t just killed a man.
Yue Hai blinked at her response, but Chen Pao caught on immediately. His opinion of the new girl instantly rose.
*"Xiao Yue, right? Don’t do that again. As people from our world, we can’t just casually kill civilians. Didn’t the boss explain that to you?"*
Chen Peiyue frowned. *"So if someone tries to assault me, I’m not allowed to fight back?"*
Chen Pao coughed. *"Of course you can defend yourself. I just mean… try not to kill unless you have to."*
Eagle Eye chimed in, *"He’s right, Xiao Yue. Shangjing’s cracking down hard these days. This might cause us some trouble."*
Chen Peiyue’s frown deepened. She *did* remember Li Zhonglou warning her against unnecessary killing. But the look in that man’s eyes had made her blood boil.
Yue Hai sighed. *"Xiao Yue, our status is different now. Outside, we have to follow the rules."*
Only then did Chen Peiyue nod—albeit reluctantly.