Chapter 25 — TVF Chapter 25

The Unlucky One in a Crematorium-Style Story (6) In Qin Jingzhou’s eyes, Jiang Ruitong first looked at Xiao Min, who was curled up in Jiang Bowu’s arms, crying so hard her face was soaked with tears. Then he looked at Jiang Bowu. A whole spectrum of emotions flickered across his face—anger, excitement, pleasure, sorrow—everything mixed together.

But when Jiang Ruitong faced him, what was written plainly on his face was contempt, while what filled his eyes was wariness.

Jiang Ruitong’s intentions weren’t hard to guess. His personal appearance here served two purposes: first, to take back his girlfriend Xiao Min, who had “run away”; second, to properly weigh Qin Jingzhou’s worth.

Jiang Ruitong went after Jiang Bowu because Jiang Bowu had the potential to “steal his woman and steal his position.” As for Qin Jingzhou—setting aside Weng Zhenghe’s commission—it was because Qin Jingzhou had ruined his plans in Eastern Europe and might even know some secrets that could never see the light of day. That was why Jiang Ruitong had murderous intent.

So here came the problem. Qin Jingzhou asked the system, “He doesn’t look like what you described—insane, but not completely insane.” The system sounded a little aggrieved: “That’s really how it was written in the plot…” “I believe you.” Qin Jingzhou lit a cigarette and said leisurely, “I just don’t want him to have any mental issues. Otherwise, how am I supposed to send him off to eat peanuts?” The system relaxed and echoed: “Exactly.” While Qin Jingzhou was talking to the system, Jiang Bowu tightened his hold on the sobbing Xiao Min. “You said you’d treat her well. And you actually laid hands on her?!”

Jiang Ruitong appeared calm. “Our business isn’t for you to meddle in.” He turned his head and instructed the bodyguards, “Take Minmin.”

Two burly bodyguards stepped forward, their tone still relatively polite. “Miss Xiao, don’t make things difficult for us, alright? You’ve run away from home more than once.”

Jiang Bowu shifted sideways, sheltering Xiao Min in his arms, and coldly stared at the two bodyguards.

Before coming, the bodyguards had done their homework. With Jiang Bowu’s biological father sitting in a rocking chair nearby, they didn’t dare act rashly.

The atmosphere was off…

At that moment, the male assistant beside Jiang Ruitong spoke up, deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear. “Miss Xiao, it was clearly the boss who begged for your forgiveness and punished himself. You suddenly rushed forward to stop him—that’s how you got hurt by accident… Fine, it’s all the boss’s fault. But the boss has already knelt and begged. You should at least listen to what he has to say. Don’t… let so many people laugh at this.”

Qin Jingzhou was amused again. Well done—straight to moral coercion.

Jiang Ruitong and Xiao Min were a genuine couple. If the man wanted the woman to go home and she refused, even if they argued and tugged at each other, calling 110 would at best result in mediation. Domestic disputes were notoriously hard to handle.

And Xiao Min was only crying, not arguing back. Jiang Ruitong probably hadn’t yet crossed the line of deliberately hitting her. But Xiao Min clearly sensed something was very wrong—her unease was intense.

The system added promptly: “In the original plot, it’s also after Jiang Bowu graduates and enters the group that Jiang Ruitong gets repeatedly stimulated and becomes increasingly harsh toward Xiao Min. From this point on, Xiao Min starts doubting their relationship. When breaking up fails, she can only run far away first.” “The timing lines up.” Qin Jingzhou flicked ash from his cigarette and looked at the story’s female lead. “Xiao Min? This really isn’t your first time running away from home?”

Before Xiao Min could speak, Jiang Bowu rushed to defend her. “Dad, what do you mean running away from home? Can a place like Jiang Ruitong’s even be called a home—” Before he could finish, a fist slammed into his face.

Jiang Bowu released Xiao Min and decisively punched back.

The original male lead and male supporting character thus staged a rookie-on-rookie brawl, with punches and kicks utterly lacking technique.

With one leg broken, Jiang Bowu was naturally at a disadvantage.

Xiao Min stopped crying, grabbed the nearby crutch, and swung it wildly at Jiang Ruitong’s back.

From the moment their boss struck out, Jiang Ruitong’s men had “here we go again” written all over them—I knew it, the moment Miss Xiao is involved, the boss loses his mind. But when Jiang Bowu and Xiao Min teamed up, even the bodyguards couldn’t hold it together and moved to intervene.

One bodyguard had just taken a step forward when a cold glint flew toward him. He instinctively dodged and followed the trajectory—half embedded in the pillar was… a cigarette case!

Even though the pillar was wrapped in cork, that layer wasn’t something a cigarette case could easily pierce through.

Though the three of them were fighting heatedly, they all sensed that something was very wrong.

They spotted the cigarette case—and all stopped.

With everyone’s eyes on him, Qin Jingzhou smiled. “They’re fighting for love. Outsiders shouldn’t interfere.”

Jiang Ruitong stood up, straightened his messy hair, and—relying on his “madness”—roared, “Get lost!” before charging red-eyed at Qin Jingzhou.

With the boss leading the charge, the bodyguards couldn’t just stand by, guilt or not. They hurried to follow.

Qin Jingzhou dropped Jiang Ruitong with a single knee strike. As for the bodyguards who had been brimming with killing intent moments ago, he gave each of them a slap.

It wasn’t good to spill blood inside his martial arts hall—dirty, and he’d have to clean it up himself.

In just a few seconds, only the assistant remained standing.

Cold sweat drenched the assistant as his mind raced: the boss’s former uncle-by-marriage really was a newly registered martial artist—but he was probably close to, or outright, a top-tier martial artist before registering!

To cultivate in peace, he’d even been willing to pretend to live off a woman! And the key was—no one had noticed!

No wonder servants resemble their masters. Lying on the ground, Jiang Ruitong was thinking the same thing—he even cursed that old scheming bastard in his heart. Gathering registered martial artists, even top-tier ones, to surround and kill this former uncle? Hard.

But not eliminating this old schemer was impossible. The man knew about his overseas layout, was Jiang Bowu’s biological father, and now even refused to return Xiao Min to him…

So he needed another path.

Jiang Ruitong silently climbed to his feet, deliberately shot Jiang Bowu a vicious glare, then instantly changed expressions and looked at Xiao Min. “Minmin, wait for me.” With that, he slunk away with his men.

The moment Jiang Ruitong left, Xiao Min covered her face and cried. “So I was just a trophy!” After venting, she looked at Jiang Bowu. “How’s your leg? Should we go to the hospital?”

Jiang Bowu shook his head and grinned. “I’m fine. You… thinking of me first makes me really happy.”

Xiao Min’s voice choked. “I have to thank you for taking me in.” She muttered softly, “The injury on my face really was an accident, but I always feel… he was emotional, yes, but more than that, he was acting—for me—to test my limits. We’ve been childhood sweethearts. Letting things get to this point is really meaningless…”

Jiang Bowu was relieved by how perceptive she was, but felt that taking advantage of the moment would be too shameless. He could only say stiffly, “Why don’t you calm down first?”

Xiao Min wiped her tears, then turned and solemnly thanked Qin Jingzhou. “Uncle, thank you. If there’s ever anything you need me for, just tell me.”

Qin Jingzhou waved it off. “No need to take it to heart.”

Xiao Min blushed faintly, greeted them, and went straight to the bathroom.

Jiang Bowu turned to his dad, his face slightly red. “Thanks, Dad.” Without his father, he wouldn’t have been able to protect Xiao Min or keep her here today.

Qin Jingzhou lit another cigarette. “Good girl.” Xiao Min hadn’t really been PUA’d by Jiang Ruitong yet. She loved Jiang Ruitong, but loved herself more—decisive and clear-headed.

At this point, the system explained: “Xiao Min isn’t a player. In the plot, the only men she has real emotional entanglements with are the male lead and the male supporting character.” After a pause, it added, “In a small world like this, you can’t let both leads collapse together. Like last time, there’s still leeway to transfer the protagonist halo.” Qin Jingzhou smiled. “I’m not interested in breaking up couples this time.” He said to his cheap son, who was sitting on the sofa with his thoughts practically glued to Xiao Min through the wall, “I’m going to buy cigarettes.”

He deliberately made space for the two youngsters to pour their hearts out.

Coming out of the convenience store, he decided to pick up groceries as well. The moment he stepped into the supermarket, he received a call from the original owner’s ex-wife, Miss Jiang.

This time, Miss Jiang’s tone was especially gentle, her posture very low. “I heard Ruitong quarreled with his little girlfriend, made a scene in front of you, and even hit our son?”

Qin Jingzhou didn’t bother correcting her feigned ignorance. “Mm.”

“That’s really embarrassing. Are you free tomorrow? Ruitong’s father will bring him to apologize to you.”

“Sure.” Knowing she just wanted to lower his guard, Qin Jingzhou casually asked, “You coming too?”

Miss Jiang replied, “I’m the mediator. Of course I’ll be there.”

They set it for the next evening.

Qin Jingzhou took his son and Xiao Min to the appointment on time. Since Chairman Jiang was hosting dinner to apologize on behalf of his son, he naturally booked out an entire floor of a five-star hotel. Stepping out of the elevator and facing Chairman Jiang, Qin Jingzhou felt that the intimidating presence remembered from the original owner’s memories was… rather unremarkable.

Seeing him, Chairman Jiang smiled sincerely. “My sister and I misjudged. Brother Shangguan is magnanimous—please don’t lower yourself to the level of us mortals.”

Who would believe that?

Even a top-tier martial artist was still just one person. He couldn’t decide the fate of a trillion-level conglomerate chairman—at most, he could cause some trouble, the kind money could solve.

So Chairman Jiang wasn’t afraid of him. It was simply that smoothness was etched into a businessman’s bones. Not fearing trouble didn’t mean being willing to offend people with reckless words.

Qin Jingzhou didn’t respond, maintaining a neutral smile as he followed Chairman Jiang to the large round table in the center of the sky restaurant.

Jiang Ruitong, Miss Jiang, and Weng Zhenghe were already waiting. Seeing them arrive, Jiang Ruitong—urged by Weng Zhenghe—reluctantly stood up. “Uncle Shangguan, I acted on impulse. It was all my fault!”

Qin Jingzhou sat down and said pointedly, “Young people dating shouldn’t be using their fists.”

Chairman Jiang slapped his son’s shoulder. “Why aren’t you apologizing to your cousin?” He deliberately ignored Xiao Min.

Miss Jiang chimed in smoothly. “We’re family—talk it out and it’s fine. But Ruitong, you struck first, and you’re the older one. You should apologize.”

Xiao Min had just sat down beside Jiang Bowu. Seeing Jiang Ruitong again stirred complicated emotions. Hearing the Jiang siblings sing in tacit opposition, her nose stung. She and Ruitong had been childhood sweethearts for so many years—the Jiang family had seen it all. So they’d never even considered her marrying Ruitong. Ruitong himself had been completely ignorant of the elders’ attitudes…

Stop fooling yourself.

Sensing her emotions, Jiang Bowu gently placed his hand over the back of hers and thoughtfully passed her a tissue.

Xiao Min took it and smiled at him.

Jiang Ruitong, who was bowing his head and being scolded, didn’t miss that smile. His pupils shrank, and murderous intent surged again.

Qin Jingzhou caught it from the corner of his eye and thought: Hurry up and make a move. Once you’re dealt with, I can finally let my bargain son go out alone with peace of mind. Though they claimed it was an apology dinner, the Jiang siblings had no sincerity—aside from the meal, they offered no real compensation.

After the banquet, the Jiang siblings personally saw Qin Jingzhou off at the hotel entrance. As he got into the car, Weng Zhenghe—who’d been background decoration the whole time—helped close the door, his smile slightly twisted.

Qin Jingzhou directly reminded his son and Xiao Min, “Be careful lately. Try not to stray too far from me.”

Both Jiang Bowu and Xiao Min knew how unscrupulous Jiang Ruitong could be and felt they had completely offended him today. They nodded in unison. “Okay.”

Speaking of which, Jiang Ruitong had many flaws—but one trait was strangely admirable: he acted decisively and didn’t like to delay revenge for too many nights.

On the very day the pain-relief soup patent was officially approved, Jiang Bowu and Xiao Min went out together to buy things to celebrate—and something happened.

Qin Jingzhou received a call from the Martial Artist Association: his son and his son’s female companion had been kidnapped.

Following the location they sent, he arrived to find not only Association staff on site, but also 110 already deployed.

His bargain son and the female lead Xiao Min were each held by a red-eyed, helmeted brute, a knife pressed against each of their throats. The two men were clearly on secret drugs.

Secret drugs could stimulate human potential but came with severe side effects, with bodily strain increasing over time. Qin Jingzhou asked the staff member who had rushed over to receive him, “How long has the standoff lasted?”

The man knew the stakes. “Almost an hour. Among registered secret drugs, none can last that long.”

Qin Jingzhou nodded. “Then it’s a compound formula.”

The staff member looked troubled. “Judging by their state, ordinary weapons may have limited effect and might provoke them. Mobilizing experts and special equipment takes time, so… please stay calm.”

Qin Jingzhou scanned the surroundings and pointed at empty crates in a specialized vehicle by the roadside. “Mind if I borrow those?”

The crates were originally for parts, reinforced with metal at the corners—very sturdy, yet not heavy.

He drew on all the strength he could use in this world, focused, calculated for a moment, then walked forward holding four crates in one hand.

Knowing he was about to act, the staff didn’t know whether to stop him or not and could only hurry after him.

Before everyone’s eyes, Qin Jingzhou lightly leapt onto the car roof, then jumped again—performing a Heavenly Man Scattering Boxes.

Through precise calculation and exact force, two crates, rebounding off the others, curved bizarrely in midair and struck the two brutes squarely in the spine.

No matter how strong their compound drugs were, in a world without true superpowers, a shattered spine meant everything was over.

The two men collapsed instantly. Jiang Bowu shoved away the now-uncontrollable kidnapper, helped Xiao Min free herself, and limped toward his father.

Wasn’t this… just like opening the door after work and having an excited kitten dash into your arms?

Qin Jingzhou felt a little happy. His foolish son threw himself into his arms. Looking down—ah, he was crying. Qin Jingzhou patted his back gently and said softly, “Dad’s here.”

Jiang Bowu sobbed. “I’m not a kid anymore.” Both hands clutched his dad’s sleeves, refusing to let go.

Xiao Min hurried over as well and thanked him softly. “You’ve saved me twice.”

“Good girl. Go get your wounds treated.” Qin Jingzhou smiled, his meaning clear: just treat my foolish son well.

Then he looked at the staff, whose eyes were shining with newfound understanding, and deliberately said, “Want to learn? Minimum requirement is a STEM master’s degree. Physical condition and comprehension both have to pass.”

Everyone: …Since when was the bar for martial artists this high?

That night, while Qin Jingzhou was at home coaxing his son, he received a message from the Martial Artist Association: large amounts of a new type of LSD were detected in the two brutes.

So far, all the witnesses and evidence pointed to Miss Jiang’s current husband, Weng Zhenghe.

Traces of LSD were indeed found in Weng Zhenghe’s blood.

Wasn’t this just sacrificing the chariot to save the king?

The problem was, Qin Jingzhou could see through it—and the authorities weren’t that easy to fool. A case involving a new type of LSD was ironclad and major. But the bigger the case, the more cautious the authorities had to be—they needed evidence.

Qin Jingzhou, however, didn’t want to let Jiang Ruitong off again. The speed at which that man escalated his ruthlessness was something even he found hard to accept.

He contacted the Eastern European local tyrant he’d met shortly after transmigrating—the middle-aged man whose life he had once saved. “You’ve been investigating for so long. Why is there still no result?”

The other party seemed able to ignore time zones. Five minutes later, a massive batch of information arrived. “Found it, but it’s not complete. By your Huaguo standards, I was afraid of alerting the snake.”

Qin Jingzhou flipped through it, satisfied, and forwarded the materials to the authorities and his assigned liaison: Jiang Ruitong’s overseas mercenary force controlled a large-scale LSD production facility.

The authorities’ efficiency was beyond doubt. After verification, Jiang Ruitong was arrested inside Jiang Group’s Beijing headquarters.

Chairman Jiang and Miss Jiang were both taken in for investigation.

That day, Qin Jingzhou personally went grocery shopping and by the way paid Jiang Ruitong a visit.

Looking at Jiang Ruitong—his eyes darting, shoulders trembling nonstop—Qin Jingzhou went straight to the point. “I’ve rarely seen a young man with better acting skills than you.” He smiled. “You used my son to threaten me, so I sent your family to reunite in the station. Mm—cherish your final moments.”

Jiang Ruitong suddenly sprang up, slammed against the barrier, and howled hoarsely, “No! It shouldn’t be like this!” After the roar, he collapsed backward.

At that moment, the system reminded him: “The male lead’s halo is now being split between your bargain son and your bargain adopted son.” Qin Jingzhou: …

“That works too?”