In front of the "Al Basma" café, two black cars stopped, one behind the other. Jo Shiner got out of her car and stood in front of the café, admiring the facade with a look full of appreciation.
"Nice place," she whispered quietly.
She walked confidently towards the door, but suddenly stopped and turned around to see Chayo Fan walking behind her with steady steps. She told him in a firm but calm tone:
"Wait here."
Chayo Fan hesitated a little, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he nodded and returned to his car, where he sat inside, watching from a distance.
After making sure he left, Jo Shiner pushed the door and entered the café. She began examining the place with her eyes, searching for something specific. But Alex was nowhere to be seen.
"Welcome, ma'am, to Al Basma Café," a quiet voice came from one of the corners.
Jo Shiner turned to find a waitress standing there, her face half-covered by a slight smile. She asked her in a calm but direct tone:
"Is the café open?"
The waitress replied with a warm smile: "Yes, ma'am. Do you need anything?"
Jo Shiner sat on one of the chairs and answered in a calm tone: "Give me the menu, please."
The waitress elegantly handed her the menu and said, "Here is our menu."
After reviewing the menu for a few moments, Jo Shiner looked up and confidently said, "I want a cup of coffee without sugar and a mooncake."
The waitress smiled gently and replied, "I'm sorry, ma'am, the manager makes the coffee, but he's not here right now. He'll be here in a few minutes."
Jo Shiner responded indifferently, "It's okay, I'll wait. You can bring me the cake now."
"Okay, ma'am," the waitress responded politely.
Jo Shiner sat back in her seat, taking in the place and thinking to herself: not bad, it's really an elegant place. But this moment of contemplation was suddenly interrupted by a scream from outside, tearing through the café's tranquility.
"Alex, you bastard! Are you spying on Shiner?!"
When the words reached Jo Shiner's ears, she jumped up and rushed outside quickly, eager to find out what was happening.
*Yun Flower Shop*
In Yun Flower Shop, the air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers, and a calmness settled over the place. Alex and Yun Era stood amidst this serene atmosphere, conversing in low voices.
"How are you feeling now?" Alex asked with a concerned tone that carried genuine care.
Yuan Era smiled faintly and said, "I feel a slight tingling."
Alex thought for a moment, then said with gentle firmness, "Hmm, I'll give you a recipe. Use it before bedtime, it will help circulate the energy in your body and alleviate this feeling."
She looked at him with grateful eyes and replied softly, "Thank you, Alex. I'll make sure to do that."
Alex smiled slightly and said, "Okay, I'll leave now. If you need anything, call me."
Yun Era smiled at him as she said, "Okay, I'll be sure to call you. Let me walk you out."
*Xiao Fan POV*
I was sitting in the car, silently watching the street, my thoughts tangled as I waited for Shiner. The silence enveloped the place, but suddenly, I felt something disturbing my calm. I looked towards the café that Shiner had entered, and saw the person I hated most in my life standing in front of it.
"Alex? What is he doing here?" I muttered to myself, anger beginning to rise within me. Could he have come to meet Shiner? "No, no, that's impossible."
Then the thoughts started racing through my mind quickly. "Could he be spying on Shiner? Yes, it must be that. Maybe he's working with the enemies of the Jo family, trying to win her trust by protecting her." This thought was like a spark that ignited the flames of doubt and madness inside me.
"Of course! How did I not think of this before? Alex, you bastard, I've discovered your plan!" I couldn't control myself any longer. My emotions exploded all at once. I slammed the car door open and stormed out with force, then yelled at the top of my lungs, "Alex, you bastard!"
*End of Chayo Fan POV*
After leaving "Yun Era" shop, Alex headed to the café, and as he was about to enter, he heard shouting behind him:
"Alex, you bastard! Are you spying on Shiner?"
Alex turned to find Chayo Fan, with a question mark forming on his face, and asked him:
"What do you mean?"
Chayo Fan shouted angrily:
"You know exactly what I mean! Didn't you come here to spy on Shiner?"
Before Alex could respond, the door opened and a cold voice was heard:
"Chayo Fan, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you not to follow me?"
Chayo Fan replied awkwardly:
"Shiner, this bastard was spying on you, so I was trying to discipline him!"
Jo Shiner felt embarrassed and angry, so she yelled:
"Shut up!"
But Chayo Fan continued:
"But this bastard is trying to spy on you and came to this café to make the meeting look like a coincidence."
Jo Shiner wanted to speak, but she was interrupted by Alex's firm voice:
"If you don't keep your mouth clean, I'll make sure to break your teeth."
Chayo Fan scoffed and laughed:
"Haha, try if you can..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he received a punch in the stomach that almost made him kneel to the ground. Alex didn't give him a chance to rest, hitting him with his knee to the head, but Chayo Fan raised his hands in an "X" shape to block the hit and pushed Alex back. Then he screamed in anger:
"You bastard, I'll kill you!"
Chayo Fan's eyes turned red, and he unleashed his killing intent and started circulating chi within his body. When Jo Shiner saw that, she wanted to intervene, but Alex took off his glasses and told her:
"Step back, I can't guarantee your safety."
"But…"
"Look at him, he's completely lost his mind and won't listen to you, so step back."
Jo Shiner turned towards Chayo Fan and saw his eyes bloodshot, feeling the murderous intent emanating from him. She took a step back and said:
"Be careful."
Alex nodded and looked at Chayo Fan:
"System, what's wrong with him?"
[Ding! The Hero of Destiny feels humiliated and enters a state of madness. Host, be careful.]
Alex raised his head to the sky and said:
"Why…? I just want some peace."
Chayo Fan yelled:
"You bastard, I'll kill you today!"
Alex replied indifferently:
"Yes, yes, you'll kill me. Can you hurry up? I have a café to run."
Chayo Fan's anger flared up and he rushed towards Alex, targeting his neck. But when Alex raised his hand to block the blow, Chayo Fan smiled and said cunningly:
"You think it's just a normal punch? It's filled with chi energy, even if you block it, your hand will break."
But after Chayo Fan's hand collided with Alex's, he felt the chi in his hand disappear. He was shocked and muttered:
"What's happening? Why can't I feel the chi?"
He tried to retreat but couldn't; Alex grabbed his hand firmly, then delivered a strong blow to his left side. Chayo Fan tried to block the blow, but it was in vain. Alex grabbed his wrist with one hand and his shoulder with the other, pulling him forcefully, and Chayo Fan found himself flipped upside down, landing hard on his back, causing severe pain in his spine. As he tried to get up, Alex punched him in the mouth, knocking out his teeth, then punch after punch followed relentlessly. Chayo Fan could only shield his head with his hands.
Alex said:
"Didn't I say I would break your teeth?"
Alex wanted to continue punching, but he sensed danger behind him, so he quickly stepped back. A staff fell in the spot where he was standing. Alex followed the source of the staff with his eyes and found an old man with a long beard, dressed in a white robe.
"Who are you, old man?"