Originally, Xiang Ri had planned for Monkey and his group to escort the two girls home, but the girls insisted that he accompany them instead. Left with no other choice, Xiang Ri had to make the trip himself.
By the time both girls were safely dropped off at their homes, Xiang Ri glanced at his watch—it was already 1 a.m. Fortunately, he had risen at nearly 9 a.m. that morning, so he felt neither tired nor drowsy, his energy still remarkably abundant.
However, the same could not be said for the four-person group tailing him. Unlike him, they hadn't had any rest in the afternoon, spending their time taking shifts to monitor his movements. Now, exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, each of them visibly worn out.
When fatigue sets in, mistakes are bound to happen. Xiang Ri had already sensed something amiss when he dropped off the first girl—an inexplicable feeling of being followed. By the time he left the second girl's house, this sensation had grown even stronger.
Xiann Ri wasn't one to jump to conclusions without cause, but he placed great faith in his instincts—instincts that had once allowed him to evade a sniper's bullet locked onto him.
On a secluded street just a couple of miles from his home, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, eager to unmask the identity of his shadowy pursuers. Were they foes harboring ill intent? If so, he would deal with them decisively. If not, he could at least be at ease.
"You've been following me for quite some time. Why not come out and show yourselves?" Xiang Ri's voice, though calm and measured, carried easily through the deserted street, ensuring his pursuers could hear him.
After a moment of silence, with no one emerging, Xiang Ri grew impatient. "If you don't intend to show yourselves, then I won't waste my time entertaining you," he remarked before resuming his pace.
Yet internally, he couldn't help but admire their tracking skills. After all this time, he still couldn't pinpoint their exact location—not their proximity or even the direction they were trailing from. The only plausible explanation was that these individuals were masters of the art of shadowing.
"Wait!" A voice finally called out, breaking the silence. From a dimly lit alley diagonally to his left, three figures emerged.
"Three of you?" Xiang Ri's interest piqued as he observed the trio. It was unusual enough for three people to be working together in such close coordination without giving themselves away. This warranted his vigilance.
Typically, fewer trackers are better, with one being ideal for minimizing detection risk. But here were three individuals—walking forward together, no less.
The first figure was a dashing young man in a suit, sporting rimless glasses. To his left was an eccentric youth with fiery red hair and flip-flops, while the man on his right towered over the others, his muscular frame intimidatingly well-defined.
Had he encountered any of them individually, Xiang Ri wouldn't have found them particularly remarkable. Yet, seeing such disparate individuals acting in unison struck him as highly peculiar.
"Do we know each other?" Xiang Ri asked cautiously, probing their intentions.
"It's our first meeting," replied the bespectacled young man, his tone carrying a persuasive authority. "Although you don't know us, we know you well."
"Oh?" Xiang Ri feigned surprise, though this was precisely what he had expected. If they had taken the trouble to tail him, they would have undoubtedly gathered intelligence beforehand. Cutting to the chase, he asked, "What is your purpose?"
"If I told you it was to protect you, would you believe me?" the young man answered with a faint smile.
"I believe you," Xiang Ri said without hesitation. He had already sensed no malice from the trio when they first appeared. Moreover, he immediately linked their presence to the woman who had tried to plant a bug on him earlier that day. It seemed likely their role was as much surveillance as it was protection.
"Ha!" The bespectacled man chuckled, clearly unsurprised by Xiang Ri's reply. Extending his hand toward him, he introduced himself: "Mu Zizhong, codename White."
"Pleased to meet you." Xiang Ri reciprocated with a mock handshake in the air. "Xiang Kui, as I'm sure you already know. Since you're here to protect me, I'll leave my safety in your capable hands."
"Of course," Mu Zizhong replied with a faint smile, proceeding to introduce his companions. The red-haired eccentric was named Conan, codename Red, while the towering man was Wei Shu, codename Black.
After the introductions, Xiang Ri abruptly asked, "I imagine you're not just the three of you. Don't you have a female colleague as well?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Mu Zizhong's face, but he quickly masked it, impressed by Xiang Ri's sharpness. He realized that Xiang Ri had likely deduced their monitoring role from this observation alone.
This is going to be a formidable opponent, Mu Zizhong thought to himself. No longer bothering to conceal the truth, he called out to the alley they had emerged from: "Lan, come out."
A cold snort broke the silence, and the woman hidden in the shadows finally emerged. It was indeed the stunning beauty from earlier that afternoon, her long ponytail cascading down to her waist.
However, she was different now—her entire presence exuded an icy aura. With just one glance, Xiang Ri felt a chill creep across his body. Her piercing gaze unsettled him, and he couldn't help but tease, "Well, well, fancy meeting you again, gorgeous."
"Liu Yiyi. Codename: Blue," the ice-cold beauty retorted with another snort. Her teeth clenched audibly, as if grinding away her fury. This was the very man who not only took liberties with her but also treated her like a fool. Confronting her adversary now, how could she not seethe with hatred?
"So it's Miss Liu. Not only are you beautiful, but your name is equally exquisite," Xiang Ri began, but Liu Yiyi cut him off sharply. "Spare me your flattery! My beauty is none of your concern!"
"Alright, fair enough." His warm enthusiasm met with her icy disdain, Xiang Ri could only feign innocence, awkwardly rubbing his nose.
"Xiang Ri, is it? There's something I need to ask you," Liu Yiyi said, stepping forward just as Xiang Ri was about to make his retreat.
Her sudden movement caused the trio nearby to exchange worried glances. Mu Zizhong opened his mouth as if to intervene but thought better of it. Meanwhile, Conan and Wei Shu—the "Red" and "Black" of the group—watched with expressions of barely concealed amusement. They were all too familiar with Liu Yiyi's fierce nature and knew that anyone within her reach was treading dangerous ground. Judging by her demeanor, she was clearly out for revenge over her humiliation that afternoon.
Xiang Ri noticed the unease in their expressions, and a sense of foreboding grew within him. He instinctively took a step back, only to hear Liu Yiyi suddenly shout, "Look into my eyes!"
Startled, Xiang Ri found himself involuntarily locking eyes with her. In that moment, he was utterly captivated, unable to pull away.
Her eyes were the most mesmerizing he had ever seen—pure and untainted, as if the entire world had melted away, leaving only her gaze behind. All other sights and sounds faded into oblivion.
He didn't know how long he remained entranced—perhaps a second, perhaps an eternity. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his head, and his senses returned. Standing before him, Liu Yiyi was muttering something under her breath: "Xiang Ri, from now on, you are my dog, raised and trained by me. You'll obey no one but me."
At her words, Xiang Ri felt an instant surge of indignation. He was about to explode in protest but stopped himself just in time. Curious to see where this was going, he decided to play along, feigning submission as he studied her intentions.
Inside, however, his mind was in turmoil. If his guess was correct, he had just fallen victim to some kind of hypnosis—a skill so potent that a single glance into her eyes had rendered him helpless.
He had heard rumors of master hypnotists who could control others with just a look, compelling them to carry out any command, even to the point of self-destruction. Though skeptical before, he now had no choice but to believe—he was living proof.
Yet one thing puzzled him: if he had truly been hypnotized, why was he able to regain his consciousness? Could it be due to his extraordinary mental strength? Reflecting on his unique dual-souled existence, Xiang Ri found this theory plausible.
Meanwhile, Liu Yiyi, basking in her apparent victory, decided to test her control. "Squat down!" she ordered.
Suppressing his irritation, Xiang Ri complied, all the while plotting his next move.
"Wow, Blue, you're incredible! You actually turned this guy into a dog?" Conan exclaimed gleefully, ever the one to stir the pot.
"Of course!" Liu Yiyi raised her chin proudly. "This scoundrel, with his shameless behavior and all those women around him, must have used underhanded means to win them over. He dared to take advantage of me and make a fool of me—teaching him a lesson is only justice!"
Xiang Ri silently cursed his bad luck. "Shameless? Underhanded? My relationships are built on genuine emotion, thank you very much!" he thought indignantly. Still, he swallowed his grievances and continued his act.
"Come to me!" Liu Yiyi commanded.
Seizing the opportunity, Xiang Ri lunged forward, but instead of acting like a loyal dog at her feet, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, his tongue darting out in exaggerated motions.
"What are you doing?!" Liu Yiyi shrieked in panic, forgetting that she had supposedly hypnotized him. She struggled desperately, but it was too late—her face was already smeared with his saliva. Furious, she kicked out, but Xiang Ri clung on stubbornly.
Then, to her shock, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
For a moment, her mind went blank. The three onlookers, who had been relishing the spectacle, were equally stunned, frozen in disbelief.
"Miss Liu, should you ever have such a request again, do remember to find me," Xiang Ri quipped with a cheeky grin before darting away at full speed, leaving the fuming Liu Yiyi behind.
"I'll kill you!" she screamed, enraged beyond reason. Not only had she been humiliated again, but she had also lost her first kiss to this scoundrel. She was ready to give chase when Conan, quick on his feet, held her back.
"What an interesting man," Mu Zizhong remarked, his eyes gleaming with intrigue. To escape Liu Yiyi's hypnotic "Soul Ensnaring Eyes" was a feat accomplished by only one other person before.