Chapter 18: Bai Suzhen

At this moment, Wang Hong's face had turned pale. Forced relentlessly by Situ Dao, she retreated step by step until her back was pressed against the wall. Situ Dao toyed with the dagger in his hand, his eyes narrowed to slits as he sized up the prey he was about to seize.

Suddenly, he pointed the dagger at Wang Hong, gesturing threateningly. "Speak. Where is Shu Yue's file?"

It turned out that although Situ Dao had already acquired the documents from the laboratory on the nineteenth floor, he had searched the Human Resources department for a long time without finding Shu Yue's personnel file. Just then, Wang Hong had walked in of her own accord. It was as if, just as he was feeling drowsy, someone had handed him a pillow—an exceptionally beautiful one at that. Situ Dao felt he had chosen the perfect day to act.

His excitement mounting, Situ Dao slowly advanced toward Wang Hong.

Wang Hong now understood his intentions. She knew that the nineteenth floor's laboratory was the core facility of Swan International Group, and Shu Yue was its director. Although she was unaware of the precise projects conducted there, stealing Shu Yue's file was clearly an attack on the entire company.

Swan International Group was her first employer. Both Liang Hui and Wei Xueying treated the staff well, and Wang Hong felt a sincere affection for the company. She was determined not to let him succeed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the fire alarm on the wall. She knew that if she pressed the button, the security office would receive the alert and security would rush up to investigate. Moreover, Hua Tianyu was also in the building—perhaps he would hear the alarm. Recalling the agility he had displayed when he first saved her, Wang Hong felt a sudden surge of courage.

"Shu Yue's file is over there!" she cried, pointing vaguely behind Situ Dao. Then, without hesitation, she darted to the right, reaching to press the fire alarm.

But Situ Dao was not fooled in the slightest. With years of professional thievery behind him, he had more than mastered the art of reading people—he would not have come this far otherwise.

His expression darkened. In a flash, he seized Wang Hong's right hand, sneering, "Ha! You really think you can trick me with such petty tricks?"

Then, pressing the dagger under Wang Hong's chin, his gaze roved over her graceful figure.

"Pretty girl, it seems I'll have to use some real methods today, or you won't talk!"

A flash of cruelty flickered in his eyes. "This is your last chance. If you don't tell me, don't blame me for being ruthless. Where is Shu Yue's file? Speak!"

Wang Hong parted her lips, about to curse him, when suddenly a man appeared at the door of the Human Resources office, his expression relaxed, his voice lazy: "Looking for something? Need a hand?"

Situ Dao jumped in fright. In his line of work, being alert to every sound and movement was essential.

Yet he had not noticed at all when Hua Tianyu appeared at the door. This could only mean one thing: this newcomer was a master.

"Who are you? Mind your own business!" With a new threat in the room, Situ Dao grew uneasy, his eyes darting around as he began to consider his escape. Still, with his skill in scaling walls and Wang Hong in his grasp, he was confident he could get away.

Hua Tianyu pondered for a moment. "I'm Bai Suzhen?"

"Bai Suzhen?" Situ Dao, distracted by thoughts of escape, was momentarily thrown off by the image of a giant white serpent.

What? Bai Suzhen? Seriously? Why not say you're Master Fahai while you're at it?

In fact, Hua Tianyu had intended to say he was Fahai, but just yesterday at Shangjiang College, after using that persona in the women's restroom, it had collapsed spectacularly in the hallway. A persona once broken is useless now.

By the time Situ Dao snapped out of his confusion, he realized, "Are you messing with me—" But before he could finish, Hua Tianyu, taking advantage of his distraction, flicked a small white stone—just snatched from a succulent planter—at lightning speed toward the pressure point on Situ Dao's arm.

If an ordinary person's pressure point were struck, their arm would go numb for a while. But Hua Tianyu's skill was so refined that his flick almost pierced right through the nerve cluster.

Situ Dao yelped, his right arm instantly losing all feeling, the dagger slipping from his grasp to the floor.

In that instant, Hua Tianyu closed in, delivering a swift kick to Situ Dao's side, and deftly catching the falling dagger with one hand.

The force of the kick sent Situ Dao crashing into the first desk, then skidding into the third before finally coming to a stop.

With his other hand, Hua Tianyu gently pulled the terrified Wang Hong into his arms. "Are you hurt?" he asked with concern.

Whether from lingering fear or from being held by Hua Tianyu, Wang Hong felt her heart racing. In a soft, trembling voice, she replied, "I'm fine. Thank goodness you came."

"Really?" Hua Tianyu grinned mischievously. "I don't believe it. Maybe I should give you a full checkup? If you have any hidden injuries, I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life."

Wang Hong's face, already flushed, now turned crimson. She tried to push herself free, but could not escape his embrace.

"You little scoundrel!" she scolded, then pointed to Situ Dao sprawled on the ground. "What should we do about him?"

Hua Tianyu slapped his forehead and laughed. "Almost forgot about that scoundrel! He nearly got to watch a romantic drama for free. Let's see what he was actually after."

Situ Dao was beside himself with frustration. After being knocked down, he'd tried to get up, but found the numbness spreading from his right arm to half his body. He was no ordinary man—his reputation was built on real skill, or he'd have been dead long ago. But the loss of sensation had destroyed his balance; he couldn't even rise from the floor.

That was bad enough, but now these two were flirting openly right in front of him. Wasn't this supposed to be a life-and-death struggle between the two sides? How had it turned into a lovers' tryst?

Not that he dared voice any of this. The way Hua Tianyu had struck his pressure point convinced him he was no match.

Moreover, the technique was bizarre: Situ Dao felt his blood and energy on one side of his body completely blocked, the numbness so severe he had lost all control over half his body.

Hua Tianyu squatted before him, smiling. "Now, would you mind telling me what you were actually looking for?"

Situ Dao didn't hesitate, giving the answer he'd prepared in advance. "Money. I was just passing by, got greedy, so I thought I'd come up and steal some cash."