The crew-cut man quickly returned to the adjacent room, where several other men, all looking fierce and menacing, were waiting.
"How's it going? Still not there? Doesn't make sense, Little Luo just said the car in the parking lot was driven away," a burly man asked.
The crew-cut man hurriedly replied, "Boss, he's there! He just opened the door. A fair-skinned, scholarly-looking guy, but his mouth's a bit foul."
"Haha, finally came out. If he didn't, I was about to break in and check myself."
The burly man laughed heartily.
"Just not sure if it's really him. The boss said this guy is very cunning. The property management didn't keep a photo, and the school database photos were deleted by him."
The burly man chuckled, "Shows he's very cautious. The house and car have both been moved, and Little Luo said he's fair-skinned with a foul mouth. Isn't that exactly how Lin Jichen behaves? It must be him."
The underlings nodded in agreement. They had experienced Lin Jichen's foul mouth before and wished they could sew it shut.
Now that they had confirmed it was him, things would be easier.
"Boss, what should we do? Should we take him out tonight?" the crew-cut man asked viciously.
The burly man shook his head and smiled, "No, the boss said to torture him slowly. He's our Blood Fiend Guild's number one enemy. We can't let him die so cleanly. I have a perfect plan. You guys get ready..."
Xu Zikuai had no idea he was already being watched, and misfortune was quietly approaching.
In another apartment complex, a two-bedroom unit.
Lin Jichen lay in the gaming pod, watching the surveillance video, sneering.
He knew this group had no good intentions, so he had Xu Zikuai take the fall for him. It would keep these people occupied and also serve as his revenge.
If Xu Zikuai really got killed, it would save him the trouble, and he wouldn't have to wait for the worlds to merge.
Seeing that it was almost time for Niu Naitang to get out of school, Lin Jichen temporarily ignored the surveillance, left the room, and called Ren Lan to pick her up from school.
At the school gate, after waiting for a while, the school bell rang, and the children started to come out.
Niu Naitang was the first to rush out of the gate.
Ren Lan laughed and said, "This little one must have been eagerly waiting for school to end. She's so eager to go home."
Lin Jichen chuckled, "You talk about Tang Tang, but you're faster than her when it comes to rushing to the cafeteria."
"How can a foodie not be eager?" Ren Lan replied proudly.
As soon as Niu Naitang saw Lin Jichen waiting for her, she happily skipped over and jumped into his arms.
"Hey, hey, hey, can you only see Brother Lin? Am I invisible or what?" Ren Lan said discontentedly.
Niu Naitang smiled sheepishly, "Sister Ren~"
"That's more like it, you little ingrate." Ren Lan playfully tapped her nose.
"Tang Tang, how was school today?" Lin Jichen asked.
"Not good at all..." Niu Naitang's head drooped suddenly, looking dejected.
Just as Lin Jichen was about to ask, a voice came from the school gate.
"Tang Tang, wait a moment."
Lin Jichen looked over and saw it was Yan Ruyu, Niu Naitang's homeroom teacher, whom he had met this morning.
Yan Ruyu walked quickly towards them.
"Hello, Senior Yan," Lin Jichen and Ren Lan greeted her.
Seeing Lin Jichen, Yan Ruyu seemed a bit uneasy but smiled, "Hello, Junior Lin."
"Senior, is there something you need with Tang Tang? Did this little one skip class?" Ren Lan asked gleefully.
Yan Ruyu shook her head, her brows furrowing slightly, and sighed, "It's worse than that."
Lin Jichen and Ren Lan were stunned. Worse than skipping class? Could Tang Tang have been playing games in class with a gaming ring?
"Senior Yan, what happened? Please tell us," Lin Jichen asked curiously.
Yan Ruyu said worriedly, "If Mrs. Qin finds out about this, she'll be very angry."
"Uh... Senior Yan, Tang Tang is still young. If she made a mistake, please be lenient and don't tell her parents. Tell us, and we'll cooperate as much as possible," Ren Lan quickly spoke up for Niu Naitang.
Yan Ruyu nodded and said, "Alright, I'll tell you. It's , Tang Tang's holiday homework was done very poorly."
Lin Jichen's eyes glazed over upon hearing this.
Yan Ruyu continued, "Tang Tang's homework was very sloppy, with many mistakes. She failed in every subject. I think she regressed a lot over the holiday. Is there something wrong with her brain? I suggest getting her checked."
"Really? I haven't heard Sister Xiaowei mention it. This is serious. Little Lin, should we go to the hospital?" Ren Lan said in surprise.
Lin Jichen, holding Niu Naitang, blushed deeply, feeling utterly embarrassed.
No way, he, the top scorer in the College Entrance Examination, couldn't even pass elementary school homework? This was too humiliating!
Niu Naitang remained silent in Lin Jichen's arms, quietly enduring.
She whispered to Lin Jichen, "Brother Lin, don't worry, Tang Tang won't rat you out."
Lin Jichen gave her a grateful look. This kid was so considerate, sniff...
Yan Ruyu continued, "Tang Tang has always been top of her class every year. This holiday homework really shocked me. If I hadn't carefully checked the handwriting, I would have thought someone else did it."
"Little Lin, say something. Should we go to the hospital?" Ren Lan, still clueless, feared Niu Naitang might really be sick.
Lin Jichen snapped out of it, his eyes darting around as he stammered, "Oh, I think it's nothing serious. She probably just played too much and wasn't serious about the homework. Teacher Yan, do you think that's possible?"
Yan Ruyu thought for a moment and nodded, "It's possible. How about this, I'll give Tang Tang a pop quiz tomorrow to see how she does."
"Okay, a quiz tomorrow. I'm sure Tang Tang will do fine."
"Let's hope so. If her performance is still poor, I'll have to report to Mrs. Qin. After all, a child's brain and intelligence are very important and need timely attention if there's a problem," Yan Ruyu agreed.
But her last words made Lin Jichen feel even more heartbroken.
What do you mean brain and intelligence are very important?
Just because he didn't pass the homework...
On the way home, Lin Jichen remained silent, feeling utterly humiliated today.
He wanted to be alone.
As they neared home, Lin Jichen took the chance while Ren Lan was opening the door to whisper to Tang Tang.
"Tang Tang, I think I should stop doing your homework..."
Tang Tang nodded understandingly, "Yes, if you keep doing it, you'll get exposed."
Lin Jichen: heartbroken...