Chapter 338: Delivering the Punch!
"Lin Mu..." Su Ke’er began as they walked out of the bar, but she trailed off. She bit her lip, then finally asked, "Did you really get married?" She wanted to hear the answer directly from him.
"Yes, I did," Lin Mu confirmed, a smile involuntarily touching his lips as he thought of Qin Luoli.
"That’s wonderful." Su Ke’er forced a smile, though it was tinged with bitterness. Suddenly, she tilted her head and looked at him. "Lin Mu, could you walk me home?"
A pleading look crossed her face as she held up a single finger. "Just this once."
Remembering that Su Ke’er had also been frightened that evening, Lin Mu agreed.
"Thank you." Su Ke’er appeared delighted, a genuine smile finally emerging on her face.
She was beautiful when she smiled. Combined with her tall, perfect figure, she was, to be honest, one of the most stunning women Lin Mu had ever seen.
Of course, she still couldn’t quite compare to Qin Luoli. After all, in his heart, Qin Luoli was irreplaceable.
They didn’t take a car, walking along the main road instead while they chatted about company matters. Boheng Pharma was now on the right track. It had launched various projects, developed several new drugs, and received countless accolades. For that, Su Ke’er was very proud.
"By the way, Liu Zijian is now the company’s deputy manager," she said. "He’s very capable, and that position will allow him to better utilize his talents."
Of course, Su Ke’er left out the most important point: Liu Zijian was extremely loyal to Lin Mu. This was clear from the last incident, where Liu Zijian had allowed himself to be beaten half to death rather than let anyone harm Boheng Pharma. Nowadays, most people in the company both feared and respected Lin Mu, so no one dared to say a word about Liu Zijian’s exceptional promotion.
"Mhm. Since I’m not around much, you two can just handle things at the company," Lin Mu said. He knew he didn’t have much time to manage the business. He felt much more at ease with Zijian there.
Of course, Su Ke’er was also competent and capable, but she was, after all, a woman, and there were many matters that were inconvenient for her to handle personally.
With that in mind, Lin Mu took out a bracelet and handed it to Su Ke’er. "Wear this bracelet and never take it off, no matter what you do."
This was a Defensive Magical Artifact Lin Mu had refined. He had made several before; Qin Luoli, his mother, and Zijian each had one. Since Su Ke’er managed the company for him, her hard work and contributions were undeniable. Lin Mu wasn’t a stingy person, so giving her a Defensive Magical Artifact was no big deal.
"Is this... for me?" Su Ke’er’s eyes lit up, her heart filled with excitement. This was the first gift Lin Mu had ever given her.
Lin Mu explained, "Keep it safe. At a critical moment, it could save your life."
Clearly, Su Ke’er didn’t take his words to heart. She eagerly put the bracelet on, gave it a little shake, and looked up at him to ask, "Does it look nice?"
Lin Mu found it somewhat amusing. The bracelet was just made from ordinary cat’s eye stones, but he had inscribed several Formations on it that would automatically activate in a crisis. This Magic Artifact would make countless powerful Martial Artists green with envy. Yet for Su Ke’er, the only thing that seemed to matter was whether it was pretty.
When Lin Mu didn’t respond, Su Ke’er muttered to herself, "Anyway, I think it’s very pretty. Since it’s a gift from you, I’ll definitely take good care of it."
Lin Mu didn’t bother explaining further. In time, Su Ke’er would understand the item’s importance.
And so it was. During a later crisis, just when Su Ke’er thought she was about to die, the bracelet on her wrist suddenly emitted a glow that enveloped her and saved her life. Only then did Su Ke’er realize just how precious the gift Lin Mu had given her truly was.
「Half an hour later.」
"Alright, you’re home. I’ll head back now," Lin Mu said, stopping in front of her residential complex with no intention of going inside.
Su Ke’er was still basking in the joy of receiving a gift from Lin Mu and only realized they had arrived when he spoke. For the first time, she found herself wishing her home was further away. She felt a pang of discontent but didn’t know what to say.
"So... would you like to come up for a bit?" Su Ke’er’s beautiful eyes sparkled with a hint of nervousness and anticipation.
Lin Mu shook his head with a smile. "No, my wife is waiting for me at home."
His meaning was clear without needing to say more.
Her eyelids drooped for a moment before she looked up at him again and suddenly did something that shocked him.
She rose onto her tiptoes, her red lips brushed against the corner of Lin Mu’s mouth, and then she pulled away as fast as lightning. Her glistening eyes held a trace of shyness as she quickly jumped back.
"Don’t... don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just thanking you for helping me today." Su Ke’er’s face was as red as an apple, and she bowed her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Alright, you should go in." Lin Mu smiled, instinctively ruffling her hair with a gentle expression.
Su Ke’er shuddered and lifted her beautiful eyes to look at him.
Lin Mu felt that staying any longer might be dangerous; it was better to leave. "Okay, hurry and get inside. I’m off."
Waving, Lin Mu turned and slowly walked away.
Watching his retreating back, Su Ke’er suddenly felt an emptiness inside, a sense of loss. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Lin Mu, I wish you happiness!"
With his back still to her, Lin Mu waved an arm to show he’d heard.
"Lin Mu, I like you..." Covering her mouth with her hand, a faint smile graced Su Ke’er’s lips.
「...」
A figure slowly emerged at the entrance to the residential complex, just as the lights in Su Ke’er’s room flicked on.
Lin Mu waited for a few minutes before his gaze fell upon a dark corner.
"Come out."
Under the dim streetlight, the dark corner remained still.
"What? Do I have to invite you out personally?" A chill crept into Lin Mu’s voice.
"Don’t be nervous. I mean no harm."
From the empty corner, a figure slowly walked out. He was a young man dressed in ordinary casual clothes, with a simple and somewhat dopey look on his face as he scratched his head. It was hard to tell if this was just his personality or if he was embarrassed about being discovered.
Lin Mu’s indifferent gaze went past the young man to the corner behind him.
The young man moved to block Lin Mu’s line of sight. "Don’t worry," he said. "They won’t wake up for a while, and they pose no danger to the woman upstairs. There’s no need to kill them."
In the corner lay several unconscious thugs. From the looks of it, they had all been taken down in a single move.
Gao Xing had sent these men on Xue Lang’s behalf to teach Lin Mu a lesson. They were lying in wait beneath Su Ke’er’s apartment when the young man discovered them and knocked them all out.
"I don’t like leaving loose ends. So why should I trust you?" Lin Mu remained unmoved, the killing intent in his eyes not diminishing in the slightest.
He knew perfectly well why those men were here; it was the very reason he had come back—to deal with them himself. He was surprised that this young man had acted in an instant, effortlessly subduing a dozen or so thugs. This made Lin Mu curious.
This person had followed him all the way from the bar, yet Lin Mu couldn’t sense any killing intent from him. He clearly wasn’t here to kill him. So what did he want?
"You’ll believe me." The young man scratched his head with a goofy expression. "I’m here to deliver a message."
"Of course, before that, I have something for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the simple-looking young man slowly advanced on Lin Mu, wearing his trademark goofy smile.
Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"My fist, of course!" The young man let out a foolish laugh and suddenly threw a punch.
The single blow seemed to make the air thunder