14 Is It Cheating?

In a not-so-distant corner behind Fang Yuan, Eric—who had, about a month ago, "coincidentally" met her on a plane and then come together to Saint Martin's College, and was now half a friend to her—couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his forehead fiercely once more.

He truly couldn't fathom what on earth Dracula was thinking, arranging such a hackneyed "hero saves the beauty" scenario.

And the target was Fang Yuan!

For heaven's sake, that was Fang Yuan—the queen of violence herself! A hero saving her? Chances were, before the hero could even make his entrance, Fang Yuan would have already flattened the troublemaker.

Although Fang Yuan's memories were still locked away, that certainly didn't mean she couldn't throw a punch.

Eric felt his scalp prickle; he dared not imagine what would happen if Fang Yuan ever found out about this...

Yikes! She'd skin him alive!

"Man, that's enough, seriously—don't go too far, or you'll get beaten up," Eric took a deep breath, silently mourning for the poor soul still pestering Fang Yuan.

At last, the signal for the hero's intervention was given.

Eric saw it and, bracing himself, strode boldly toward Fang Yuan: one step, two steps, three steps—then stopped abruptly!

There, looking a bit impatient—having planned to rest at the hotel before heading out to a renowned restaurant she had reserved—Fang Yuan smiled lightly, lifting her foot with grace. Her delicate heel landed gently on the instigator's foot.

In an instant, the young man's handsome face twisted in agony, his body doubling over in pain...

"Mister, are you feeling unwell? In that case, I'll be on my way. Perhaps we'll meet again if fate allows."

Cradling her books, Fang Yuan flashed a charming smile at the man now sitting on the ground, clutching his foot as tears streamed down his face, then continued on, her steps light and her dress swirling as if proclaiming her happiness.

...

Eric sucked in a breath and, wisely, remained hidden until Fang Yuan's figure vanished around the corner, only then hurrying over to his sniveling comrade.

His friend had already removed his shoe and sock, staring mournfully at two toes on his right foot, swollen like sausages.

He looked utterly wronged.

"Eric, you bastard, why, why, why did you do this to me..." his friend wailed.

Eric, staring at those unsightly toes, felt a chill shoot straight up his spine.

"Whew, thank goodness it wasn't me!"

"Eric, you idiot, what are you muttering about?" his friend snapped.

Eric panicked, realizing his words were ill-timed. "Brother, you know we’re carrying out a glorious and noble mission... Sacrifice is inevitable."

"Don't be sad, don't be upset. Hope is just ahead. We will succeed!"

His friend: "????????"

"Eric, you moron, are you just spouting nonsense? I'm asking what I'm supposed to do about my toes!"

"Uh... brother, have you ever heard of the ruse of self-injury? Your toes won't be injured in vain. Listen to me: stop crying now. Hold it in, and when you get back to the office, bawl your eyes out in front of the boss. Make sure he sees the noble sacrifice of your two toes."

"Trust me, if you cry hard enough, you'll definitely get an even better sports car out of this!"

The Lamborghini roared away.

Behind the wheel, still streaked with tears, his comrade broke into a brilliant grin.

"Two toes for a new sports car. Worth it!"

He thought cheerfully.

Back on the street where he'd been weeping moments before, Eric watched the Lamborghini disappear into the distance, let out a long sigh of relief, and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

He had clearly seen Fang Yuan gently lift her foot and lightly step on his friend.

Just a gentle touch—how could it have such devastating effect?

Wasn't Fang Yuan supposed to be a normal person now?

Could it be...

Fang Yuan had really cheated, and her memory hadn't been blocked at all?

Yikes!

At this possibility, Eric shuddered and involuntarily inhaled sharply.

"If she cheated, then she must know who I am... Over the past month..."

"Oh god, what have I done?"

------------------------

After hearing Eric's report, Dracula could not stay still.

Was this a joke?

Fang Yuan had cheated!

If Eric was doomed, did that mean he himself would escape unscathed?

No way—absolutely not. This was shameless trickery!

Dracula hurriedly initiated a video call to Wang Fu. The moment the call connected, he voiced his discontent with vehemence.

"Wang Fu, you need to give me an explanation. What's going on here? Fang Yuan has cheated! That means Jiang Bei can’t possibly win, so what about the several hundred billion dollars I’ve bet on Jiang Bei?"

Just thinking about those hundreds of billions made Dracula's heart ache.

Though he managed a vast conglomerate with considerable annual revenue, compared to the astronomical sum he still owed Jiang Bei, it was like an ant facing an elephant.

He was relying on those hundreds of billions to turn things around, pay off a portion of his debts, and finally breathe easier.

Now, with Fang Yuan cheating and Jiang Bei having no chance of winning?

That meant he’d owe yet another several hundred billion.

Who could endure such a thing?

Dracula was frantic.

Wang Fu, lighting a cigar, could only shake his head helplessly at the news. "Dracula, you mustn’t say things like that, understand?"

"Have you considered what Fang Yuan would do to you if she knew you accused her of cheating?"

Dracula fell silent.

The head of the Vampire Syndicate, the great Dracula himself, was on the verge of tears. "Wang Fu, let's be reasonable—it's the twenty-first century; how can you still be running scams like this..."

"Enough, enough!" Wang Fu choked on his cigar, coughing several times. "Dracula, your big mouth has gotten you into enough trouble. How dare you keep running it?"

"Stop whining and listen."

Wang Fu took a deep breath.

Had Fang Yuan cheated?

Honestly, he couldn't be sure. After all, Fang Yuan... well, cheating wasn't new to her, and he suspected Jiang Bei was well aware she was likely to cheat.

But the real problem wasn’t whether Fang Yuan had cheated or not, but how the game should proceed from here.

"First, you have no proof. I have subordinates watching Jiang Bei and Fang Yuan around the clock, and they've reported everything to me."

"Your guy just got his foot stepped on. If Fang Yuan had really cheated, he wouldn't be walking away so easily—he'd at least be in the hospital."

"As for why such a light step could cause so much pain... All I can say is, blocking memories doesn’t erase ability."

"Whether it’s Jiang Bei or Fang Yuan, their skills have become instinctive since the game began, for self-preservation... If you don’t believe me, send someone to try Jiang Bei. I bet the result would be the same."

"So you can't accuse Fang Yuan of cheating because of this."

"Second..." Wang Fu took another deep breath. "My people have been shadowing Fang Yuan for years and have never reported any sign of cheating."

"So, if we assume Fang Yuan really did cheat, that means she doesn’t want anyone to know."

"Dracula, do you understand what I’m saying?"