When Chen Ce Bai arrived by car, the sky had darkened, and a light rain had begun to fall.
Mist hung in the air, and the headlights pierced through it like a pair of sharp, unwavering eyes staring straight at her.
Qiu Yu instinctively shielded her eyes.
The car pulled up in front of the office building.
The driver's door opened.
Chen Ce Bai stepped out, dressed in a long black coat. His tall figure looked even more imposing under the gloomy sky. Holding a black umbrella, he walked toward her through the rain-soaked haze.
Behind him, the damaged neon sign flickered erratically. Although emergency repairs had brought the holograms and giant billboards back online, the neon tubing remained partially broken—impossible to replace on such short notice.
Rain and light. Hollow, mechanical ad voiceovers. The noise of passing vehicles.
Everything felt surreal and distorted.
Qiu Yu watched the scene unfold, a strange sense of unease rising in her chest—like something was about to swallow her whole.
She rushed over and tucked herself under his umbrella, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
Chen Ce Bai reached out and cupped the back of her head.
"Scared?"
Qiu Yu shook her head. "...I just don't understand—why me?"
"Don't overthink it," he murmured, his hand sliding down to the nape of her neck, guiding her fully under the umbrella. He was so much taller than her, she had to tilt her head back just to glimpse his sharp jawline. "It might not even be about you."
Qiu Yu blinked. "What?"
Chen Ce Bai explained calmly, "Hacking the downtown advertisement screens isn't that easy. Each one has anti-intrusion protocols. If a hacker even tries, those systems will cut off all their neural connections. Unless someone's skills are far beyond the original system designers, breaking in is virtually impossible."
"The protocols were designed by biotech network specialists—only a handful of people in the world could bypass them." He paused. "So again, don't let it get to you."
Qiu Yu looked over at the rain-soaked neon sign in the distance. It used to advertise a bar, with Chinese, English, and Japanese text. Now, the intruder had spliced the languages together to form the eerie phrase: "Stay away from her." The mismatched characters looked distorted and disturbing.
Something about it still felt off. But Chen Ce Bai had no reason to lie to her. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded slightly.
Chen Ce Bai's thumb pressed against the artery on the side of her neck, tracing it subtly—a dominating gesture she didn't even register.
He glanced at the drone hovering behind her.
"You still have an interview?"
The topic shift was so natural, Qiu Yu took a second to catch up. "Oh… yeah."
"You still going?"
She made a face. "If it's not aimed at me, then of course I'm going. Those scientists are swamped—we're lucky they even made time for us. I can't back out now."
Chen Ce Bai lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
"Alright. I'll go with you."
"What about your work?"
"I can guide them remotely," he said flatly.
Qiu Yu breathed a sigh of relief. With Chen Ce Bai there, she didn't have to worry about her safety as much.
Still rattled, she hugged him tighter, practically clinging to him.
Chen Ce Bai paused, gaze flicking down to her face.
"How am I supposed to walk like this?"
Qiu Yu mumbled, "Don't care. I just want to hold you."
He said nothing.
A few seconds later, his arm suddenly dropped lower and locked tightly around her waist. The grip was firm—so firm that even through the thin cashmere of her coat, she could feel the pressure, the dominance.
Qiu Yu froze. Her ears burned red with embarrassment. She quickly pulled back. "Okay, I'll walk on my own."
Chen Ce Bai chuckled softly.
His cold breath brushed the top of her head. Even her hair stood on end as her face turned crimson.
But she quickly realized he wasn't being flirtatious. Maybe he just wanted to help her relax.
And, for a moment, it worked—she forgot the terror of the hacked signs.
Until she met Pei Xi's startled gaze and was jolted back into reality.
Pei Xi had already calmed down.
What shocked him wasn't the intrusion—it was Qiu Yu's reliance on Chen Ce Bai, and the way Chen Ce Bai held her.
He'd never seen Chen Ce Bai act possessive like this.
In Pei Xi's mind, Chen Ce Bai was a man cold to the point of being inhuman—devoid of emotion or instinct. Someone who only saw data.
He'd worked with him on experiments and had seen him calculate outcomes faster than a computer.
Biologically, the human brain—with its 85 billion neurons—has more potential connections than any machine.
And while AI can't yet evolve independently or become sentient, it can easily outperform the brain in raw computing.
Yet somehow, Chen Ce Bai surpassed even that.
Pei Xi's first reaction was jealousy.
In nature, females choose the strongest males.
And Chen Ce Bai—despite his lowly origins—had the looks, intelligence, and height to outshine him in every way.
That jealousy grew deeper over time.
Fortunately, Chen Ce Bai didn't seem interested in Qiu Yu. Even when Pei Xi visited her and played the role of a potential partner, Chen Ce Bai never batted an eye.
Pei Xi believed he could eventually win Qiu Yu back.
But now… it had only been a week since their last meeting, and everything had changed.
Chen Ce Bai's eyes weren't indifferent anymore. They were dark, unreadable, intense.
One arm rested protectively around Qiu Yu's shoulders.
Pei Xi suddenly sensed something terrifying: this wasn't mere affection—it was obsession.
Protectiveness taken to an extreme always becomes possessiveness. Control.
Because a man like Chen Ce Bai would believe only he could truly protect her. And that belief would justify keeping her entirely under his control.
Pei Xi's heart sank. Had Chen Ce Bai really figured out his feelings for Qiu Yu… and already started acting on them?
No.
He watched more closely and realized—Chen Ce Bai avoided prolonged eye contact. His hugs, his kisses, were quick and restrained.
Like he was afraid to let her see what was really in his eyes.
Pei Xi smiled faintly.
So he hadn't confessed yet.
That meant there was still time.
He straightened his coat and took a step forward.
But Chen Ce Bai suddenly tilted the umbrella to block his view of Qiu Yu.
Then, calmly, he handed the umbrella to her and gestured toward the car.
"Wait for me inside. The intruder might not have been targeting you—but just in case, keep your distance from Mr. Pei for now. We don't want any unnecessary risks."
Pei Xi's smile vanished. "Why should she keep her distance from me? Wouldn't staying close actually help her catch the intruder?"
Chen Ce Bai glanced at him, the look behind his glasses suddenly cold and sharp.
"First of all, she's my wife. I'm not risking her safety to catch anyone. Second, the intruder may not have been after her."
Pei Xi scoffed. "Then who? When I so much as stepped toward her, every screen, every neon light—even the traffic lights—started flashing like crazy. If not her, then who else?"
Qiu Yu suddenly realized—
What if the intruder wasn't watching her? What if they were obsessed with Pei Xi?
What if it was someone warning him to stay away?
Chen Ce Bai's logic wasn't impossible after all.
Qiu Yu thought for a moment, then said, "Pei Xi, maybe we shouldn't see each other for a while… You showing up without warning today really disrupted my work."
She bit her lip, then continued, "And honestly, some of your actions have crossed the line. If you still see me as a friend, please respect my boundaries."
Pei Xi froze. His first reaction wasn't guilt—it was disbelief.
"…Did Chen Ce Bai tell you to say that?"
Qiu Yu was taken aback. "Why would you think that?"
He said lowly, "Because I remember what kind of girl you used to be. You always did what your parents told you. What your boss told you. Even if someone canceled your interview, you never complained."
He stepped closer, eyes intense. "You were always the good girl. Since when did you start saying things like this?"
Qiu Yu was stunned—then saddened. Then, utterly disappointed.
She couldn't believe Pei Xi, of all people—her best friend—had never really known her.
The moment she asserted herself, he responded just like her parents: as if she wasn't allowed to say no.
She opened her mouth to say something—but what was the point?
She took a step back.
"I'm going to wait in the car," she told Chen Ce Bai.
He nodded.
Just then, Pei Xi called after her again. "Qiu Yu—answer me!"
She gripped the umbrella and quickened her pace.
"—Qiu Yu, do you even know how much I like you?"
She stopped.
Turned around and looked at him.
Pei Xi took a step closer to her.
"I don't even care that you've been married before—married to a man who grew up in a garbage heap. I've been waiting for you all this time. Waiting for you to turn around and see me. Waiting for you to realize that I'm the one who should've been your husband."
He paused, his voice sinking cold and hard.
"But your behavior today… it really disappointed me. You have no idea what kind of choice you've made—betraying us, choosing another class."
Qiu Yu said nothing.
"Don't be fooled by how Chen Ce Bai seems to have a bright future, all the praise he's getting. You and I both know it ends here for him." Pei Xi's voice was icy. "He'll never make it into the upper ranks of the company. He'll only ever be a tool for those ranks. And you know what happens to tools when they're no longer useful. He may have clawed his way out of the trash, but he'll die in it too. That's his fate."
"Your parents married you off to him because they thought the neural inhibitor drug would go global—mass-produced and distributed worldwide. But he selfishly clutched the patent, limited access to upper-tier employees only. That man might be a genius, but he understands nothing about how the company works."
Pei Xi looked at her intently.
"Qiu Yu, I'm giving you one last chance—come back to me. Divorce Chen Ce Bai. You still have a shot at changing your fate. Don't let momentary feelings cloud your judgment. I'm the one who truly suits you."
Qiu Yu remained silent for a long time.
So long that Chen Ce Bai's expression didn't change, but his fingers—hanging loosely at his side—trembled ever so slightly.
Finally, Qiu Yu let out a quiet laugh.
"Thank you, Pei Xi," she said lightly. "Thanks for finally admitting you were never really my friend."
With that, she turned without a second glance, opened the car door, and climbed into the passenger seat.
Rain misted over the city, veiling everything in gray.
In front of the office building, only Chen Ce Bai and Pei Xi remained.
Pei Xi gave a bitter smile, pulled out a cigarette, bit it, and lit it. Smoke curled around his lips as he muttered,
"She's yours now. So what are you still standing here for? What did you give her, some kind of spell, some brainwashing drug? She gave up everything—for you."
Chen Ce Bai didn't reply. He calmly removed his glasses and slid them into his coat pocket.
Pei Xi narrowed his eyes, noticing something strange in the gesture.
Then he looked up.
And what he saw sent a chill screaming up his spine. A primal, biological terror gripped him, every nerve in his body screaming the same thing:
Run.
Run now.
Pei Xi refused to admit fear. He forced a cold smile, though his face had gone pale.
"What, you planning to gloat now that you've won the girl, Professor?"
But his voice trembled.
Chen Ce Bai stepped forward.
Without the lenses to shield them, his eyes appeared sharp—narrow and ice-cold.
It was a face designed for violence. The kind of face that belonged to a predator at the top of the evolutionary chain. Other men would recoil instinctively from a face like this.
But the eyes—God—their pupils had narrowed into slits.
No longer human.
Something feral. Alien.
Pei Xi instinctively backed away.
"What's with your eyes? Are those implants? Did you undergo gene modification? Does Qiu Yu know about this?"
"You slum-born lunatics—do you even understand what gene surgery does? It shreds your DNA chains. You could melt into a pile of blood and meat any day now. Qiu Yu needs to know."
He crushed his cigarette and turned, ready to head for her.
But the moment he tried to move, he couldn't.
Nothing bound his legs. But they refused to lift. Something invisible was pinning him in place, holding him down like lead weights driven through bone.
Terror prickled down his spine. Cold sweat soaked his back.
"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed. "What are you? A genetically modified freak?!"
Chen Ce Bai looked at him.
And it wasn't a look you gave a person.
It wasn't even a look you gave an object.
It was the look you gave trash—something beneath even contempt.
Fury flared in Pei Xi's chest. "Chen Ce Bai, you—"
Before he could finish, Chen Ce Bai moved.
He raised his hand—long, veined fingers clearly visible.
Then, before Pei Xi's eyes, something black and metallic began to ripple across that hand. A liquid metal, cold and gleaming, coating his skin like a second, inhuman glove.
The fingers lengthened, curved slightly, becoming wicked hooks. The hand now looked like it belonged to a creature out of a nightmare.
And worse—
Pei Xi saw it clearly—
That liquid didn't come from a device. It wasn't an external exoskeleton. It had grown out of Chen Ce Bai's body—an autonomous, living substance.
He could see it pulse, shift, morph from fluid to armor in real time.
Chen Ce Bai… what the hell was he?
Was he even human anymore?
Pei Xi's mind spun in horror. He tried to back away—but his feet still wouldn't move.
Then, Chen Ce Bai's clawed hand closed around his neck.
The metal was wet. Cold. Vile.
Its touch raised goosebumps all down Pei Xi's spine.
A shallow sting bit into his skin, and blood began to bead along his neck.
He froze, paralyzed.
Then Chen Ce Bai spoke.
His voice had taken on a metallic resonance—low, magnetic, unnerving.
"You should be grateful Qiu Yu still considers you a friend. Otherwise, you'd already be dead."
Pei Xi wanted to laugh it off, but nothing about this felt like a joke.
His throat tightened. His breath caught. His limbs felt numb with dread.
Behind Chen Ce Bai, people passed in and out of the building.
The city pulsed in the background—neon signs blinking through the fog and rain. A massive billboard flickered through dozens of languages.
STAY AWAY FROM HER.
The words were chilling.
But not nearly as chilling as the man standing before him.
From the outside, Chen Ce Bai still looked mostly normal: long black coat, white shirt, tailored black pants.
Aside from the slitted pupils and liquid metal, there were no other visible mutations.
But the pressure… the presence… it was overwhelming.
Pei Xi had only felt this before in the lab—when Chen Ce Bai got serious.
But now, just standing near him was enough to make your soul want to crawl out of your body and hide.
Chen Ce Bai could kill him. Easily.
And there was nothing he could do.
Pei Xi swallowed hard, over and over, trying to breathe normally.
His voice shook when he finally spoke again: "W-What… what do you want?"
Chen Ce Bai looked down at him.
The black metal receded, slowly fading to a translucent shimmer, then vanishing into his skin.
It looked like he'd let Pei Xi go.
But his next words froze the blood in Pei Xi's veins:
"Stay away from her."
That was when Pei Xi realized the truth.
Chen Ce Bai… was the one who'd hijacked the city's billboard system.