Chapter 107
At the same time that the black-clad men surrounded the apartment complex, Jian Yunlan’s little genius smartwatch suddenly chimed with a “ding dong” sound.
It was a new notification from the Chef System:
[Alert! Alert! Something’s wrong! The key plot of “Genius Baby at Three and a Half” has been triggered. The black-clad men sent by the main character, Huo Ye, have surrounded the apartment and are here to take the baby back to the Huo family to inherit the billions!]
[To escape the tragic fate of inheriting the family fortune and fulfill the dream of running a food stall, please complete the newly issued side quest within one hour~]
[Side Quest: Sell fifty roast ducks at your stall in one hour.]
[Quest Success Reward: ??? (Stay tuned)]
[Quest Failure Penalty: Inherit the billions, trapped in the “Genius Baby at Three and a Half” universe for fifty years, during which the host will be prohibited from engaging in any food stall-related activities.]
[Do you accept this quest? Yes/No]
Looking at the message popping up on the smartwatch, Jian Yunlan couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
…What???!!
The penalty for failing the quest was being forced to inherit billions and trapped in this universe, unable to run a food stall for fifty years.
It wasn’t about being arrogant—Jian Yunlan didn’t mind inheriting billions, but being banned from running a food stall for fifty years? That was the equivalent of taking his life away!
His feeding addiction could only be satisfied by running a stall. The stall was his ??, the fire of destiny.
This punishment was simply terrifying!
*
In the “Multiverse Live Stream Room,” many viewers, upon seeing this ‘terrifying’ penalty, sent out a flurry of messages:
[So terrifying, streamer, I’m willing to bear all of this for you ;;]
[??? You call this a punishment? Why are you rewarding him?]
[…Jealousy is distorting my face]
…In the “Genius Baby” universe, Jian Yunlan was so scared he started to shiver, repeatedly pressing the smartwatch:
“Accept, accept, accept, accept.”
Soon, a “ding dong” sound rang out, accompanied by a pop-up message:
[Quest Progress: 0/50]
[Countdown: 59:59]
[Please, host, work hard to sell roasted ducks!]
Fortunately, before the urgent quest was issued, Jian Yunlan had already placed over twenty ducks in the oven of his tricycle roaster, and the ducks were nearly cooked.
Quickly, Jian Yunlan hopped on the tricycle and rode from the backyard to the front door.
Time to set up his stall!
“…”
At the front gate of Ye Qingquan’s apartment.
Ye Qingquan, with his slender figure blocking the door, had red eyes and was trembling slightly:
“You… you are sent by Huo Ye? I have nothing to do with Huo Ye! Why is he sending people to block me and the baby?!”
He had a delicate and beautiful face, with a cold and stubborn expression. In the afternoon sunlight, there was a trace of vulnerability that made anyone who saw him feel an instinctive sympathy.
He was practically the textbook example of a cold, aloof protagonist, running away with the ball!
The black-clad men blocking the door couldn’t help but silently think.
“Mr. Ye, this is the age of law, and we are all civilized people,” the leader of the black-clad men said politely. “Please take us to see the young master now.”
“Otherwise… don’t blame us for using less polite methods.”
With that, the leader of the black-clad men showed a meaningful smile.
The air grew completely still.
You could hear a pin drop.
The invisible pressure and coercion emanating from the black-clad men were enough to make anyone want to comply, even without them needing to speak or act.
They gave off the same feeling as Huo Ye—an elegant surface but domineering underneath.
It made people feel deeply terrified yet unable to break free.
Ye Qingquan was just starting to feel scared when suddenly, a whisper reached his ears:
“Boss, you did it!” The second black-clad man, standing behind, clenched his fists and almost jumped in excitement, “We knew you could do it. All those lines, eye expressions, and basic skills we’ve practiced for so long finally paid off.”
Other black-clad men nodded in agreement:
“Yeah, ‘don’t blame us for using less polite methods,’ that line was so awkward, no normal person could say that.”
“Boss, you’re our pride. Not just the lines, your eye expressions were perfect—giving off both intimidation and gentleness, haha.”
“What are you guys getting all excited about?! The boss has been practicing his lines every night after work, practicing until late. Isn’t it obvious that he would nail it?”
The black-clad men were genuinely happy for their leader.
…Since they were hired by the Huo family, they had been preparing for this day.
The Huo family had offered them an incredibly high salary, so the black-clad men were extremely cautious. In order not to lose their jobs, they were always ready to give their best performance, prepared to make an appearance at any moment.
However, in this age of law and order, there weren’t many opportunities for the black-clad men to be called upon. They waited for a long time, but their moment never came.
What kind of situation would a top-tier family in the capital need black-clad men?
After reading numerous novels across various genres, the black-clad men concluded:
The highest frequency of black-clad men appearances was when the rich young master, with a fragile little wife, faced a dramatic moment, such as when the wife’s identity was exposed! And it just so happened that Young Master Huo had a past lover, who was a delicate flower, and that lover had disappeared without a trace after going abroad three years ago.
Three years. What a significant year!
Sure enough, after their daily anticipation, the day finally arrived.
Since they were hired, the black-clad men had been practicing diligently every day, preparing for this very moment.
And now, as the leader of the black-clad men successfully delivered the classic lines and created a tense atmosphere, just as they had hoped, the delicate little flower protagonist stood with red eyes, staring at them stubbornly, unwilling to give in. They had succeeded!
They had completed their mission as black-clad men!
Now, all they needed to do was wait for Young Master Huo to make his appearance, meet Ye Qingquan, and have their dramatic reunion. After that, their mission would be complete.
Perhaps it was because they had carried this pressure for so long, or perhaps because they were so excited after completing their task…
Before Young Master Huo could even appear, they couldn’t help but quietly start celebrating.
Of course, they thought they were being discreet, but a group of nearly two-meter-tall men totally misjudged the volume of their voices, and everything they said was clearly heard by Ye Qingquan:
“With how professional we are, do you think we can ask for a raise when we go back?”
“Congratulations, boss! After the mission ends, let’s go to the bar and celebrate, hehe.”
“By the way, how come Young Master Huo hasn’t shown up yet? It’s time for him to make his entrance!”
“…Wait a minute, Ye Qingquan seems to be looking at us strangely, did he hear us?”
As soon as these words were spoken, all the black-clad men immediately fell silent.
They looked at Ye Qingquan with a hint of panic in their eyes.
Ye Qingquan: “…”
Ye Qingquan: “?”
What should he do? Can he admit that he heard everything?
Well, it was… a little embarrassing.
The air grew completely still.
After half a second of silence, the leader of the black-clad men put on a stern face and said coldly:
“Mr. Ye, since you refuse to cooperate, I’m afraid we’ll have to take emergency measures!”
With that, he waved his hand:
“Search! Dig three feet into the ground if necessary, but we need to find the young master and send him back to the Huo family!”
A few black-clad men stepped forward and firmly restrained Ye Qingquan, including the one who had just mentioned asking for a raise and the one who had congratulated the boss for his hard work.
The remaining black-clad men also entered the apartment, searching everywhere.
Seeing their actions, Ye Qingquan’s heart leapt to his throat. He couldn’t think of anything else. His eyes welled up, and in a panic, he pleaded:
“Please, don’t touch my child. I’ll agree to anything else, just don’t hurt my child…”
Upon hearing this, all the black-clad men stumbled.
This was not good!
They were the black-clad men from a wealthy family drama, not the big, rough men from a tragedy. The protagonist saying such things would definitely cause misunderstandings!
The leader of the black-clad men almost spat blood. He coughed several times before he managed to recover:
“Mr. Ye, we are a professional team that abides by the law. We are here simply to take you and the young master back to the Huo family. We won’t harm you. Please, rest assured.”
He then darkened his face and instructed the other black-clad men: “Continue searching. Hurry up!”
The black-clad men worked together more efficiently.
Although their methods seemed a bit unreliable, they were a trained team. Once they took things seriously, their efficiency was high.
But no matter how efficient they were, with so many people, a few of them inevitably slacked off.
“Do you smell roast duck?” Black-clad man No. 3 casually asked Black-clad man No. 4 as he rummaged through a storage room.
Black-clad man No. 4, wearing a mask due to a seasonal cold that had dulled his sense of smell, denied it: “Roast duck? There’s no roast duck seller in this residential area. Are you out of your mind?”
“Even if there was roast duck, it’s none of our business. Focus on the search!”
Black-clad man No. 3 thought about it and stopped talking, burying himself back into his work.
The smell of roast duck with a hint of fruity wood smoke drifted from some direction, quietly surrounding the entire apartment.
The black-clad men were still diligently searching.
Although some of them smelled the roast duck and were momentarily puzzled, no one stopped what they were doing.
Black-clad man No. 1 didn’t go looking for the young master. Instead, he stood in place, watching Ye Qingquan closely to prevent him from making any escape attempts.
After smelling the faint scent of the roast duck, No. 1 couldn’t help but hum and sneer:
“Mr. Ye, what are you trying to do?”
“You don’t seriously think this little trick will disturb our resolve and give you and the baby a chance to escape, do you?”
Ye Qingquan looked confused: “…What?”
Seeing Ye Qingquan’s expression, No. 1 became even more certain of his guess.
– Ye Qingquan seemed bewildered, but he was definitely pretending to be clueless. His mind must be full of schemes!
The sudden appearance of the roast duck scent was probably something Ye Qingquan arranged to try to lure them, hoping that they would be distracted by the smell and that he could use the opportunity to run away with the baby.
But they were trained professionals, and they wouldn’t be fooled.
“It’s just roast duck. We wouldn’t even care about it!”
The black-clad men laughed coldly.
So Jian Yunlan going be speeding down through the streets of the residental area selling off his roasted ducks in the oven and amass a chasing crowd of hungry people that will block the black cladded men?