QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots-Chapter 341 - 11.14

While Zhou Mushen and Jiang Jiamian slept in the same bed, in another place, Li Zhe lay on a cold floor, waking and blacking out repeatedly from pain.

He didn’t know if it was the third or fourth time he regained consciousness before he finally found a little strength. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Enduring the still-intense pain, he dragged himself forward half a meter.

He knew he had no choice but to call for help.

This was his home.

The rent was paid yearly. Unless something happened, the landlord wouldn’t come.

No one would find him.

He couldn’t, absolutely couldn’t, die alone in a rented room like in his previous life, only to be discovered after his body decomposed.

The thought, eerily similar to his former ending, made his mind blur. Past and present overlapped, leaving him doubting whether his rebirth had ever been real or just a dying hallucination.

A powerful will to survive surged inside him.

He struggled desperately toward the door.

As if the heavens had heard him, or perhaps it was another illusion, just as he crawled over a meter closer, the faint sound of an ambulance siren reached his ears.

Li Zhe froze.

Was he hallucinating again?

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

Zhou Mushen, half-asleep, felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out from beneath his pillow, glanced at the screen, and instinctively turned off the vibration.

He turned his head slightly to look beside him. Jiang Jiamian’s breathing had already settled into a steady, even rhythm.

Through the faint moonlight seeping in through the cracks of the window, Zhou Mushen could see a peaceful face, already deep in sleep.

That calm sleeping expression seemed to be wrapped in a soft halo, dulling the sharp edges and sly playfulness Jiang Jiamian usually carried when awake during the day.

Zhou Mushen tightened his grip on the phone. He had only intended to quietly get up and answer the call, but at this moment, he seemed bewitched, forgetting his original intention entirely.

In the swirling night, a fleeting kiss, like a fingertip brushing the surface of water, landed softly on Jiang Jiamian’s lips. Zhou Mushen did not linger. It was brief, far from satisfying, but he did not dare go any further.

If he really woke him up, he estimated he wouldn’t even last until tomorrow; he’d be forced to pack his bags and leave tonight.

That light kiss sent a shiver straight down Zhou Mushen’s spine. Using nearly all of his self-control, he stopped himself from doing anything more. Gripping his phone tightly, he quietly slipped out of the bedroom.

Only after going downstairs, entering the room on the first floor, closing the door, and ensuring that the call wouldn’t disturb Jiang Jiamian did Zhou Mushen finally call back the number.

The call connected almost immediately.

"Boss. As instructed, Li Zhe has been dealt with. He’s injured, but not fatally. Following your orders, we left him half-dead in his apartment for most of the day before anonymously calling an ambulance at night."

"Well done." Zhou Mushen replied calmly.

There was no trace left of the weakness he had feigned while sick.

His eyes, unfathomable and cold, glinted sharply in the moonlight filtering through the window. "Tomorrow, leak his personal information to all major websites. Make it impossible for him to remain in this industry."

That Li Zhe had apparently used some unknown means to obtain unpublished material.

This time, he had struck a wall. And judging by his refusal even to apologize, he clearly had no intention of stopping. He was likely still dreaming of switching platforms and continuing his so-called career.

Unfortunately, after doing something like this, he deserved to be blacklisted by the entire novelkiss community.

Changing identities and pretending nothing happened?

Don’t even think about it.

His real information would be exposed everywhere, ensuring complete rejection by all platforms. That was the outcome he deserved.

"Yes, boss. I’ll handle it immediately."

After a brief pause, the voice continued, "Also, boss, the acquisition of the game rights for a Drunken Song of Swords has been arranged. We’re just waiting to contact the author. Should we proceed?"

Zhou Mushen’s lips curved slightly. Even through the walls and doors, his gaze unconsciously flicked toward the second-floor bedroom before he quickly looked away.

The author?

The author was currently sleeping in the same bed as him.

"I’ll handle this myself." Zhou Mushen said. "You don’t need to interfere."

"Understood, boss."

Zhou Mushen did not know that the moment he left the bed, Jiang Jiamian, who appeared to be in deep sleep, had already opened his eyes.

Those eyes were clear and sharp, without the slightest trace of drowsiness.

He raised a hand, lightly touching his lips, and smiled faintly. "This guy really is timid. He only dared to steal a kiss."

He had originally thought that since Zhou Mushen had already found an excuse to crawl into bed, he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself from doing something more... ahem.

Yet in the end, Zhou Mushen’s self-control far exceeded his expectations.

"System." Jiang Jiamian said quietly, "Give me a hearing amplification skill. Let me see what that sneaky guy went downstairs to talk about."

Silence.

"System?"

Jiang Jiamian paused, then realized, earlier Zhou Mushen had kissed him, and he had sealed the system on impulse.

Hmph.

So that guy really only skimmed the surface.

"Host, host, what’s wrong?"

The system’s voice finally resurfaced as soon as it was unsealed.

Jiang Jiamian sat up slightly without turning on the light, tapping the bedside table impatiently. "Hurry. Give me the hearing enhancement. I want to hear what that guy is secretly doing on the phone."

Jiang Jiamian had a strong feeling that the call was related to him. However, although his soul power was strong, using it recklessly in this small world would easily trigger the world’s laws.

System-enhanced skills were different.

As long as he had enough points, those abilities were permitted.

"Alright, activating now."

A few minutes later...

Through one building and two solid walls, Jiang Jiamian clearly heard every word of Zhou Mushen’s call.

And he fell into a long silence.

Zhou Mushen had actually sent someone to beat up the protagonist.

Not only that, he left him half-dead for most of the day before arranging rescue.

With a single phone call, Li Zhe’s real identity would be exposed across the industry, effectively blacklisting him from the entire web novel world.

After all, no legitimate platform could sign a contract without real identity verification.

Exposing Li Zhe’s information meant he could no longer simply change pen names or platforms and continue plagiarizing.

Though... if he used someone else’s identity, some poorly regulated sites might still fall for it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Heavy footsteps thundered into Jiang Jiamian’s enhanced hearing.

He hissed and quickly covered his ears. "System, withdraw!"

"Yes, host!"

The world fell silent again.

Jiang Jiamian immediately lay back down, closed his eyes, and resumed slow, even breathing, as if he had never woken up.

Moments later, the bedroom door was carefully pushed open. A thin stream of cool air slipped inside.

Zhou Mushen quickly shut the door, clearly afraid of letting in too much cold air.

He walked silently to the bedside, his gaze lingering briefly on Jiang Jiamian’s face before leaning down and placing another gentle kiss on his lips.

The night was cool. Moonlight spilled softly across the bed.

One lay asleep. One stood awake.

That subtle touch, restrained and quiet, was far more intoxicating than any unrestrained passion.