Tung Garden residential area, in a secluded corner of the underground parking garage.
This was a blind spot not covered by the security cameras.
Xu Mo sat in the car, smoking.
While smoking, he looked around patiently, waiting until he was sure no one else was around before putting out his cigarette and getting out of the car. He headed towards the trunk.
After a few steps, Xu Mo stopped by the trunk.
He looked around again.
Still no one there.
Only then did he open the trunk.
"Mmm... Mmm..."
As soon as he opened the trunk, the actress Yang Jingxuan tied up inside made muffled noises, her forehead and dainty nose covered in sweat.
At this time, the scene on the show's livestream suddenly changed.
It switched to a view that was only the size of the car trunk.
Clearly, this was Yang Jingxuan's perspective.
On the livestream, the host's voice provided appropriate narration:
"We installed a miniature camera on Yang Jingxuan."
"I knew it!"
"Wait... Yang Jingxuan?"
"The currently popular rising starlet Yang Jingxuan?"
"Damn, isn't this a bit too awesome? Isn't she super popular right now? How did she end up here playing the hostage?"
"Who would mind being more popular? This show and the production team are so hot right now, and have connections with officials, lots of celebrities are clamoring to squeeze their way in."
"This plot is getting more and more intense!"
From the perspective shown on the livestream, the audience could see and hear Xu Mo's voice.
Xu Mo's low voice said:
"Later I'll help you undo the ropes and tape over your mouth, but first I have two conditions."
Although his voice was low, it was steady and powerful, giving off a sense of calm.
The viewers in the live chat were clearly somewhat surprised by Xu Mo's state.
"This guy can still remain calm now?"
"I judged wrongly, I judged wrongly. Over these three episodes, I'm suddenly starting to feel that this Xu Mo could be a dark horse."
"He does seem a bit stronger than the previous two challengers."
Amidst the viewers' surprise, Xu Mo stated his conditions:
"First, when I help peel the tape off of your mouth later, it'd be best if you don't scream or shout. If I sense you're about to start shouting, I'll immediately gag you back up again, got it?"
The scene on the livestream shook up and down, clearly Yang Jingxuan nodding her head.
"Very good. The second condition is, after I untie you later, you'd best not move around randomly or try to escape. Otherwise, it's very likely you'll end up tied back up in the trunk again. At that time, I won't care about you anymore, and I'll abandon this car too. If you're lucky the police might find you within a day, if you're unlucky you might starve to death in there before the police even find you. Understand?"
The scene on the livestream shook up and down again.
The viewers were dumbfounded.
"Damn, this is the celebrity Yang Jingxuan! Such a beautiful woman, and Xu Mo can actually say such ruthless words to her!"
"6666!"
"Saying stuff like this, could he be planning to go through with it for real?"
"If he actually follows through, then holy shit, this would be epic!"
"This is the first time I've seen a challenger like this, pretty impressive."
...
Seeing that Yang Jingxuan nodded, Xu Mo slowly peeled off the black tape over her mouth. He could have ripped it off quickly in one go, but was afraid she would start screaming as soon as the tape came off, so he removed it slowly to prevent that situation.
Fortunately, the actress was very obedient.
Until Xu Mo removed the black tape from her mouth, she did not let out a scream.
"Very good."
Xu Mo looked at Yang Jingxuan, her face pale and her pretty eyes full of terror.
He felt like he had changed.
If this had happened before, there was no way Xu Mo could have remained so calm, but now he was able to force himself to stay composed and get into character.
Was this the effect of the 2 point increase to his Cell Activity Level?
He really liked being in this state, it gave him a feeling of having control over the situation.
He thought of that game of cat and mouse again.
This was just a beginner's reward of sorts, and it could already do this much, what about the subsequent rewards?
For a moment, Xu Mo felt his heart race a little faster.
If the rewards were all like this...
Then what was wrong with playing a round of cat and mouse with the incoming police?
But the most important thing right now was still getting some information out of this actress' mouth.
Thinking of this, after freeing Yang Jingxuan from her bonds, Xu Mo pinched her slender, fair right wrist and twisted it behind her back. This would allow him to easily control Yang Jingxuan if she tried anything funny.
Xu Mo truly felt like he was a changed man.
Feeling her right wrist controlled by Xu Mo, Yang Jingxuan felt a slight pain.
She thought to herself that this guy sure had a lot of strength.
But outwardly, she maintained an expression of extreme panic.
Half of it was an act, and half was real, because Xu Mo gave off a very different vibe.
The mix of real and fake made Yang Jingxuan's acting extremely natural.
"Come with me upstairs, don't make any shouting or screaming sounds on the way, and don't think about running away either."
Xu Mo whispered into Yang Jingxuan's ear.
Naturally, Yang Jingxuan would not scream or try to escape.
She knew this was just a variety show.
Her role was to act as an actress kidnapped by Xu Mo.
So she trembled and nodded.
Only then did Xu Mo bring Yang Jingxuan back to the rental apartment he was staying in.
Why did he return to the apartment?
Firstly, Xu Mo did not see himself as an actual kidnapper.
Secondly, to him, having Yang Jingxuan tied up in the car trunk was like a ticking time bomb, bound to cause trouble if they wandered outside for too long.
That was why he brought her back here.
But he would not stay for long. After asking Yang Jingxuan some questions, Xu Mo did not plan on continuing to stay in this apartment.
Once they entered the apartment, Xu Mo reflexively locked the door.
He motioned for Yang Jingxuan to sit on the sofa, while he sat down beside her. He placed his lighter and cigarette pack on the coffee table, about to question Yang Jingxuan.
Just then...
A thin, long strand of hair on the coffee table caught Xu Mo's attention.
Xu Mo's eyes narrowed as he looked up at Yang Jingxuan and said, "Come here!"
Yang Jingxuan was somewhat confused for a moment.
Then she realized Xu Mo was leaning in, practically pressing his head against hers. At the same time, he reached out to comb through her hair.
The viewers in the livestream chat were flabbergasted by this scene!
"What the hell, what's he trying to do?"
"F*ck, could he be going through with it for real?"