Chapter 13: Deadly Avoidance

After Tianxiao left, the atmosphere among Wang Jingyi and her group became undeniably awkward.

After all, Tianxiao was widely regarded as Wang Jingyi's rumored boyfriend, at least in the eyes of the public. His brusque departure not only fueled speculation about their relationship but also raised questions about the dynamic between Wang Jingyi and Li Ying.

Li Ying, naturally, felt extremely uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Gao Chong was called over, and his presence, coupled with casual conversation, helped dissipate the tension over time.

When they arrived at the karaoke venue, Li Ying's connections were on full display. From the greeters, sales managers, and floor supervisors to the hostesses along the way, everyone greeted him with respect.

Li Ying regained his sense of dominance.

Then came the grand spectacle: a nine-layered cake, extravagantly pushed in by a group of attractive men and women. A bouquet of fresh flowers was handed to Wang Jingyi, instantly lighting up the faces of her friends with enthusiasm.

Compared to Tianxiao, Li Ying's gestures were undeniably more romantic and impressive.

"A match made in heaven," someone remarked, their eyes gleaming at the sight of the well-dressed pair.

As Wang Jingyi leaned closer to Li Ying with a bouquet in hand, Zhu Xiaotian's mind became a whirlpool of thoughts. Tianxiao's cryptic words lingered in her ears:

"Why would I give up conquering the stars for a mere vase?"

Compared to Li Ying's wealth and poise, Tianxiao's rhetoric as a freshly graduated, penniless student seemed almost like sour grapes.

Yet, the text message she received from him after he left painted a murkier picture:

*Be careful of Gao Chong.*

Gao Chong, Li Ying's friend, had been introduced by Wang Jingyi as a tower controller, someone they regularly interacted with professionally—a rank above miners.

But how did Tianxiao know Gao Chong? And how did he know that Wang Jingyi intended to introduce him to Zhu Xiaotian?

Her demeanor grew increasingly cautious throughout the evening. Though she wanted to call Tianxiao to clarify, the lively atmosphere and her desire to support her friend's big night held her back.

Eventually, Zhu Xiaotian found a chance to slip out, using the pretext of needing the restroom while Wang Jingyi and Li Ying sang a duet.

Gao Chong, who had been gentlemanly all evening, glanced at Zhu Xiaotian's half-empty drink and smirked faintly. He stood, announcing, "The next song is mine!"

Zhu Xiaotian hesitated outside the restroom. Calling Tianxiao now… what if he asked about the situation here? What could she say? Besides, Gao Chong had been nothing but polite all evening. Surely, she was overthinking things.

After lingering for a while, she decided against making the call and returned to the private room.

Inside, Gao Chong had just finished his song and raised his glass in a toast. Zhu Xiaotian, attempting to play along, took a sip of her drink.

Immediately, something felt wrong.

Her vision blurred. Her head felt heavy. The glass in her hand wobbled as her grip faltered.

*Something's wrong!*

The realization struck her like lightning. Her drink had been tampered with.

"Butler, call the police," she commanded through her neural chip.

No response.

It was as if her chip had been jammed.

As she slumped weakly onto the sofa, she used the last ounce of her consciousness to press the emergency contact on her smartwatch—Tianxiao's name.

"Help me," she whispered faintly. The voice command was recognized, and the message was sent successfully before she blacked out completely.

In the corner, Gao Chong's smirk deepened as he watched Zhu Xiaotian collapse. Confident that no one had noticed, he reveled in his cunning. The drug he used temporarily disrupted neural chip functionality, rendering automatic alerts ineffective. Only a few manual commands could bypass the interference.

Li Ying was the first to notice something amiss. After a brief exchange of glances with Gao Chong, he approached Wang Jingyi.

"Jingyi, let's turn off the lights for the cake," he suggested.

"Sure!" Wang Jingyi, slightly tipsy, leaned against him and readily agreed, oblivious to her friend's predicament.

As the lights dimmed, no one noticed that two people had left the room.

Gao Chong dragged Zhu Xiaotian to an adjacent private room. He looked at her flushed face and chuckled darkly. "Fresh graduates… always the most fun."

Just as he reached for her dress, the door was violently kicked open with a resounding *boom*.

The sheer force of the H5-class kick sent the door flying inward, exposing the scene inside.

Gao Chong froze, stunned. Standing at the entrance was Tianxiao, striding in with determination.

"D*mn it!" Gao Chong cursed. "A broke student like you dares to ruin my plans?"

Despite being caught red-handed, Gao Chong was audacious. He knew that if he didn't quickly regain control, the fallout—losing his job, facing public disgrace, or being convicted for assault—would be catastrophic.

In one swift motion, he threw a knife toward Tianxiao.

Ordinarily, a student like Tianxiao might have been caught off guard, but his reborn experiences in countless battles had honed his instincts. He'd already anticipated the move the moment Gao Chong reached for his side.

Tilting his head, he dodged. The knife embedded itself in the doorframe.

In three quick strides, Tianxiao closed the gap and unleashed a powerful punch.

In close combat, ferocity was key. Gao Chong didn't stand a chance. The blow landed squarely on his eye socket, sending him reeling backward and crashing into a table.

The commotion drew attention from the other private room. By the time onlookers arrived, they found a shocking scene: Zhu Xiaotian unconscious on the sofa, Gao Chong bloodied on the floor, and Tianxiao towering over him, fists clenched in rage.

Li Ying rushed in, trying to defuse the situation. "Stop it! Are you insane?"

"Who are you?" A man blocked Li Ying's path. It was Chen Wuling from the base's security team.

Li Ying recognized him instantly. Cold sweat broke out as he realized how dire the situation had become.

"They're my friends," Li Ying stammered. "Just a misunderstanding."

Chen Wuling glanced at him and pointed to Zhu Xiaotian. "Misunderstanding or not, it depends on what she has to say."

Li Ying's face went pale.

With the security team involved, there was no covering this up. Chen Wuling's presence alone meant the matter would escalate.

"Enough, Tianxiao," Chen Wuling called out. "Don't kill him. We'll let headquarters handle this. Rest assured, he won't get less than three years."

Tianxiao relented slightly but didn't let go entirely. Holding Gao Chong by his collar, he sneered.

"Don't worry," he said coldly. "I've avoided anything fatal."

His words sent chills through the crowd. Even those who knew him couldn't suppress their unease.