This time, Huang Lianshu was truly dumbfounded. One moment it was Zhao Zhongsheng, and the next it was Li Liang. This... this was too unbelievable! If Zhou Ziwei had really used some kind of makeup technique, then Huang Lianshu wouldn't have taken it too seriously. After all, with the development of the film and television industry, makeup techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Even men can be transformed into women. What in this world can't be painted? But the problem is... Zhou Ziwei hadn't even touched his own face, yet right before his eyes, that face naturally transformed into another person's appearance. Moreover, the transformation was far from ordinary. If Huang Lianshu only looked at that face, he absolutely couldn't tell the difference between the real and the fake. And this... was terrifying. Just thinking about it made Huang Lianshu's scalp tingle.
Next, Zhou Ziwei changed his appearance three or four more times, one of which he even transformed into a woman.
Each time, the face that changed was someone Huang Lianshu was extremely familiar with. Even though he was so familiar with him, he couldn't find the slightest flaw in Zhou Ziwei's face. This made Huang Lianshu feel like he was going to collapse. If Zhou Ziwei really had this ability to transform into the faces of his confidants at any time, then it would really be... taking his life would be easier than taking something out of a bag.
Even if Huang Lianshu was extremely careful, he couldn't possibly avoid contact with anyone other than his bodyguards, could he? In fact... Zhou Ziwei could simply become his personal bodyguard. God... The thought that the person responsible for protecting his life could be a terrifying figure who wanted him dead at any moment filled Huang Lianshu with an utterly absurd feeling.
This means that if Huang Lianshu offends this devil in front of him, then everyone he encounters in the future could be a manifestation of this devil... How can anyone live like this...?
Thinking of this, Huang Lianshu could no longer maintain his composure as the richest man in Zhongdu. He knelt down in front of Zhou Ziwei with a thud, pleading in a trembling voice, "I'm sorry... I know I was wrong. Please spare my life. From now on, I, Huang Lianshu, will be your servant, your dog at your feet. As long as it's within my power, I will do whatever you command, even if it means going bankrupt. And... I will never have the slightest thought of revenge afterward. Please... let me go this time!"
In Huang Lianshu's mind, since the other party had such strength, but did not easily crush him, who was like an ant in their eyes, then there must be a reason why they needed to rely on him. In that case, what else was there to say? He would do whatever the other party said.
Moreover, Huang Lianshu has now come to a realization. In any case, the other party is someone he can never contend with in his lifetime, a god-like being. Since he can't contend with them, he might as well try to befriend them! Even if he can't befriend them on equal terms, even if he has to serve them like a servant, it would still be a good thing. If Huang Lianshu can really climb onto such a powerful backer because of this, then what else will he have to worry about besides this great god in front of him?
Zhou Ziwei chuckled upon hearing this… Unbelievable… Unbelievable that the arrogant and domineering Huang Lianshu would actually be like this, kneeling before him like a dog. This was something Zhou Ziwei could never have imagined in his past life, when he was still Yang Hongtao. But now… Zhou Ziwei raised his foot and kicked Huang Lianshu hard in the face, then snorted coldly, saying, “You… you’re not even worthy to be my dog! I won’t kill you today, not because I need to hold anything back, but simply because I’m in a good mood these days and don’t want to kill anyone… Otherwise, I could kill a hundred more scum like you without hesitation.”
Zhou Ziwei grabbed Huang Lianshu again and whispered in his ear, "Yu Xiaoru is the woman I've got my eye on, which is why I disguised myself as her relative to get close to her. But it seems you've messed things up, and I can't use that identity to get close to her anymore... You deserve to die... Alright... I have things to do, so I'll let you off this time for now. But... when I find out you dare to do anything to Yu Xiaoru or anyone related to her... you should know the consequences very well... Don't expect me to look the same next time we meet. To avoid you mistaking me for someone else, how about we agree on a code? Hmm... you look like a natural idiot, so... next time I see you, I'll say two words to you—'idiot.' When you hear those two words, you should know it's me coming to find you."
"Yes, yes, yes... Thank you... Thank you for your magnanimity in letting me go. Rest assured, as long as I, Huang Lianshu, live, I will never let anyone harm Miss Yu. I... I swear to God."
This time, Huang Lianshu truly didn't dare harbor any intention of teasing or being perfunctory. Even if Yu Xiaoru was someone Zhou Ziwei cared about, so what? She was just a woman. Did Huang Lianshu dare to use this woman to threaten Zhou Ziwei? And if he missed today, even if Huang Lianshu wanted to threaten Zhou Ziwei, he would first have to find out who Zhou Ziwei really was... Perhaps if he showed the slightest disrespect to Yu Xiaoru, Zhou Ziwei might transform into his father and slap him across the face, and he wouldn't even dare to fight back, or he might directly transform into the police chief and issue an order to kill him...
Damn... encountering such a monstrous genius who can change in a thousand ways, it's really impossible to muster even the slightest courage to resist... and anyone who has even the slightest connection with this genius can only try their best to flatter and fawn over him. Trying to take advantage of Yu Xiaoru... unless Huang Lianshu wants to die with his whole family.
And if someone else were to make a move on Yu Xiaoru? That would be far more infuriating for Huang Lianshu than if someone had sexually assaulted his mother… That damned monster has his eye on him, and if Yu Xiaoru does anything even slightly wrong, he, Huang Lianshu, would likely be held responsible for all the mess. He doesn't want to die…
Only then could Zhou Ziwei finally relax.
He had just considered whether to kill this enemy from two lifetimes immediately, but after thinking about it, he decided not to. After all, this was a public place. He was not afraid of killing Huang Lianshu and could just leave immediately, but Yu Xiaoru and his parents might not have time... and might not be willing to leave with him.
Even if Huang Lianshu is dead, he still has the power behind him. When Huang Lianshu's wife and father-in-law are furious, they will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. Yu Xiaoru will inevitably be implicated. If they don't take their anger out on Yu Xiaoru and Yang's parents when they can't find the real culprit, that would be strange...
Therefore, without a detailed plan and without the absolute guarantee of his family's safety, Zhou Ziwei still could not kill Huang Lianshu immediately.
Moreover... Zhou Ziwei really felt that killing this enemy from two lifetimes so casually was too lenient with Huang Lianshu. If possible, he should keep him alive and play with him slowly! He should keep him living in fear and anxiety for a while, making him suspicious at all times. This way... it would surely torment him to no end!
However… if Huang Lianshu were simply let go like this, Huang Lianshu might not be able to instill Zhou Ziwei's fear in his very bones. So… after Zhou Ziwei finally told Yu Xiaoru to help Xiaomei out of the hotel, he still gave a sinister laugh and said, “I can spare your life for now… but I can’t just let you off so easily when you tried to break my arms and legs… You’ll at least have to leave me with one arm, right?”
After Zhou Ziwei finished speaking, Huang Lianshu had no choice but to agree. He immediately pressed down on Huang Lianshu's shoulder with one hand and grabbed Huang Lianshu's arm with the other. With a strong twist, a crisp "crack" was heard, and Huang Lianshu's arm was indeed torn off.
"Ah—" Watching helplessly as one of his arms suddenly detached from his body and was tossed into a trash can by Zhou Ziwei like a piece of garbage, Huang Lianshu screamed in terror...
But then, Huang Lianshu was surprised to find that... he didn't feel any pain in his shoulder at all, as if the severed arm hadn't been broken off from him at all.
What's going on? Could it be that this master is playing a joke on me, and what he just did was just an illusion, and my arm didn't actually fall off? Otherwise, how could I not feel any pain at all?
But when Huang Lianshu looked down at his shoulder again, he saw a pool of blood flowing freely, and clearly, the entire arm was long gone. Huang Lianshu suddenly felt his mind was going haywire, and even wondered if he was dreaming. Hmm... if only this were just a dream...
It turned out that Zhou Ziwei was worried that if Huang Lianshu lost an arm, given Huang Lianshu's willpower, he would probably immediately lose consciousness from the pain, which would be extremely boring. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei specially used his soul power to temporarily block the nerves in Huang Lianshu's shoulder, so that he would not feel anything even if his arm was lost.
"This arm is the interest I took first. As for your dog's life... I'll leave it with you for now! Hehe... If you want to keep playing with me, then you should call the police and have them arrest me right now! I'll be waiting for you."
After saying that, Zhou Ziwei immediately snorted disdainfully, turned around and walked out of the hotel, leaving everyone with a back view that inspired fear in everyone, like that of a god or demon...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 248: Fatal Temptation
Huang Lianshu certainly didn't dare to call the police, and he also understood that calling the police would be of no use whatsoever to that monstrous man.
After witnessing firsthand Zhou Ziwei's face, which could change in an instant, Huang Lianshu had completely made up his mind.
Even if Zhou Ziwei wasn't invincible, and even if a large number of police surrounded him, it was still possible to kill him, but Huang Lianshu absolutely wouldn't dare take that risk.
You see... even if the police could surround Zhou Ziwei and leave him with nowhere to retreat, but... if Zhou Ziwei suddenly transformed into the police chief or the mayor of Zhongdu City and swaggered out... even if those police officers knew he might be an imposter, who would actually dare to shoot him?
What made Huang Lianshu even more terrified was that... although this man had only shown him a limited amount of power, how could Huang Lianshu know if Zhou Ziwei only possessed the abilities he could see? Huang Lianshu even doubted whether Zhou Ziwei could still be killed by worldly forces. If Zhou Ziwei was already a monster that even guns and cannons couldn't kill... then if he dared to call the police and continue to oppose Zhou Ziwei, wouldn't that be tantamount to courting death?
Even long after Zhou Ziwei left, the entire hotel lobby remained completely silent. Everyone, including Huang Lianshu, stood there blankly, not daring to move, still deeply shocked by everything they had seen and experienced that day.
"Ah—" Suddenly, a miserable scream rang out. Huang Lianshu had not felt any pain and had even forgotten that someone had torn off his arm.
In reality, Zhou Ziwei certainly wouldn't be so kind as to relieve Huang Lianshu's pain from his severed arm. He had only temporarily blocked the nerve system near Huang Lianshu's severed arm, making Huang Lianshu feel no pain for a while. But that was only temporary. As the limited amount of soul power that Zhou Ziwei had injected into his body to suppress the nerve system slowly dissipated, the previously completely numb shoulder suddenly started to feel pain, and this pain was becoming more and more intense. Huang Lianshu had never suffered so much before, and immediately began to howl like a pig being slaughtered.
"Chairman... Chairman, what's wrong?"
General Manager Zeng of Yunzhong Hotel had just received news of the conflict in the hotel lobby and immediately rushed down from his office upstairs. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw the horrific scene of injured people scattered all over the lobby.
His boss, Huang Lianshu, had lost an arm and was covered in blood. He stood in the middle of the lobby, screaming pitifully. Strangely, although so many employees of the Yunzhong Hotel were present, not a single person went to help Huang Lianshu.
Upon receiving the news at the beginning of the incident, General Manager Zeng rushed to the lobby. However, he remained in the elevator throughout the most dramatic moment, so he had no idea what was happening. Fortunately, he was quick-witted and looked around. Finding no apparent danger, he realized that although a large number of his hotel's security guards and Huang Lianshu's bodyguards had been taken down, he did not see any sign of the enemy, which put him at ease.
Since there was no danger, he naturally couldn't miss this good opportunity to flatter his boss, so he rushed over to help Huang Lianshu up and greeted him repeatedly.
In his view, people are always more vulnerable when they are hurt, and when they are vulnerable, they are more easily moved by the care of others. That's why he hopes to perform well and try to win the boss's favor at such a moment.
However, General Manager Zeng forgot that while people are more vulnerable when they are injured, their temper may also be worse, especially Huang Lianshu... It seems that he was never a good-tempered person to begin with, and now that he has just experienced both mental and physical torment, his temper is naturally even worse.
He dared not vent his bad temper on Zhou Ziwei, but he was naturally less polite to his subordinates. When he saw General Manager Zeng standing there, groveling and helping him up, asking him questions in a daze, he immediately flew into a rage and yelled, "What do you think I am? Are you blind? Can't you see what happened? What are you... standing there for? Were you raised on shit? Do I have to teach you what to do at a time like this? Hurry up and make a call!"
"Yes... Chairman, I'll make the call right away..."
General Manager Zeng was inexplicably berated by Huang Lianshu, but dared not argue. He could only wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, give a reply, and hurriedly pull out his phone to dial: "Hello... 110? This is the general manager of Yunzhong Hotel... There are terrorists here... Just now..."
"Slap—" Before General Manager Zeng could finish speaking, Zhou Ziwei slapped him hard across the face with his only remaining hand. Before General Manager Zeng could even understand what was happening, Huang Lianshu snatched his phone away. Then he heard Huang Lianshu, gritting his teeth and enduring the excruciating pain of his broken arm, manage to let out a series of ingratiating laughs as he said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... My friend was drunk and made a random call to bother you. I'm so sorry, please forgive me..."
After hanging up the phone, Huang Lianshu smashed the phone with all his might into General Manager Zeng's face without saying a word, causing General Manager Zeng's face to bleed profusely and he fell to the ground screaming in pain.
But Huang Lianshu was still not satisfied. He chased after General Manager Zeng and kicked him several times, cursing as he did so: "You pig-headed bastard... Who the hell told you to call the police? If you want to die, go jump into the sea on the Bund. Nobody's stopping you. But if you want to die, don't drag me down with you... Get out... Get out of here right now. Write a resignation letter and submit it to the HR department. Hurry... I want to hear that you've left Yunzhong International by tomorrow, or else... You can just wait to report to the crematorium! Also... Tell those two bastards, Zhao Zhongsheng and Niu Wei, to submit their resignation letters too. Don't wait until I can't hold back and chop those two bastards up."
Huang Lianshu was truly furious. Now he didn't blame himself for being blind and running headfirst into a brick wall, but could only blame everyone involved. Fortunately, Zhao Zhongsheng wasn't in front of him, otherwise he might have really skinned that guy alive. If it weren't for that guy, how could he have run into this plague?
However, Huang Lianshu's punches and kicks at General Manager Zeng's car unintentionally accelerated his blood circulation, causing the blood from his severed arm to gush out like a fountain.
Soon, Huang Lianshu felt all his strength drain away along with the bright red blood. He finally collapsed weakly to the ground, then pointed at the barista and said feebly, "Quick...call...an ambulance...my arm...it's still in the trash can..." After saying that, Huang Lianshu, amidst the increasingly intense pain and dizziness from excessive blood loss, completely lost consciousness...
The taxi arrived at the hotel where Zhou Ziwei was staying. Zhou Ziwei pulled the drowsy Xiao Mei out of the car. He wanted Yu Xiaoru to take a taxi home directly, but Yu Xiaoru had already paid the fare and sent the taxi away.
Zhou Ziwei knew that Yu Xiaoru must have a lot of questions to ask him, so he didn't say anything more and let Yu Xiaoru follow behind in silence. The three of them walked silently toward the room that Zhou Ziwei had opened.
"Damn... that guy is amazing. He managed to find two beautiful women in one room, and they're both top-tier beauties... Wow, that's incredible... I wonder where he found such gorgeous girls. I'll definitely have to ask him about it later... They're amazing. I've never seen such beautiful girls before."
Just as Zhou Ziwei was unlocking the room door, two other guests who had just returned from outside saw the two beautiful women behind Zhou Ziwei and were so envious that they almost drooled.
Despite being far away, their whispered conversations still reached Zhou Ziwei's ears. Zhou Ziwei immediately frowned. It didn't matter that people thought he was going to a hotel to find prostitutes, but they actually mistook Yu Xiaoru and Xiaomei for those kinds of prostitutes, which made Zhou Ziwei very unhappy. He immediately turned around and glared at the two of them.
The two, who were still swallowing hard, suddenly felt Zhou Ziwei's gaze as sharp as two knives, piercing their eyes and causing a sharp pain. It was as if an invisible pressure was penetrating their hearts through his gaze, which immediately startled them so much that they shuddered involuntarily. They dared not look in their direction again and hurriedly fled into their room, slamming the door shut with a "bang".
Zhou Ziwei gave a soft hum, ignored the two guys, opened the door, and pulled Xiaomei inside.
"Please make yourself at home! Would you like something to drink? I'll call the waiter and have them bring it to you."
While exchanging polite pleasantries with Yu Xiaoru, Zhou Ziwei carefully helped Xiaomei to the bed and took off her shoes, allowing the still half-asleep Xiaomei to lie comfortably on the big bed.
"I...I'm not thirsty, you...you don't need to be so polite..." After witnessing Zhou Ziwei's terror and ruthlessness, Yu Xiaoru could no longer be as casual in front of him as before. After entering the room, she stood there awkwardly. When she saw Zhou Ziwei about to cover Xiaomei with the blanket, she quickly went over and said, "It's hot, it's not good for her to sleep like this...um...let me help her take off her coat!"
Zhou Ziwei nodded and did not refuse Yu Xiaoru's help. In fact, he knew that he would sleep more comfortably if he helped Xiaomei take off her clothes, but... it always felt a little strange for him to take off another woman's clothes in front of her.
After Yu Xiaoru finally finished fixing Xiao Mei, Zhou Ziwei looked at Yu Xiaoru, who still seemed very uneasy, with a wry smile and said, "I know you have a lot of questions. If you want to ask, just ask! It's hard to keep them to yourself...hehe...but I might not be able to answer you!"
Yu Xiaoru hesitated for a moment before finally mustering her courage to ask, "Who...who are you? I don't believe you're really Hong Tao's classmate, but...you seem very familiar with Hong Tao's parents, and your feelings for them don't seem fake. I...I'm really confused."
Zhou Ziwei smiled and said, "Who I am is not important. You just need to know that I will not hurt you, and I will not allow anyone to hurt Yang Hongtao's parents... That's enough... Let me put it this way! I have an extraordinary relationship with Yang Hongtao. His parents are like my own parents, and his family is like my family... Do you understand?"
Yu Xiaoru nodded and said, "I understand. He's a brother in arms, right? He saved your life before, or... helped you a lot? Is that right?"
"Hmm... that's about it... roughly... that's it!"
Although Yu Xiaoru's imagination seems a bit limited, this is the only speculation that a normal person can make. After all, reincarnation is too mysterious. If Zhou Ziwei hadn't experienced it firsthand, he probably wouldn't have believed that such a ridiculous thing existed in the world.
“That’s really true.” Upon receiving Zhou Ziwei’s affirmative answer, Yu Xiaoru became excited again. She gently bit her lip, then looked up into Zhou Ziwei’s eyes and said, “Then… I… as Yang Hongtao’s wife, can… can I make a request on behalf of the deceased Hongtao… is that alright?”
"One request?" Zhou Ziwei frowned slightly, feigning hesitation, then nodded gently and said, "Alright! For Yang Hongtao's sake, I'll grant you one request. Hmm... but remember, you can only have one request, and it can't be too unreasonable... Let me put it this way! If you want wealth, I can at most make you the richest person in Zhongdu, but I can't, and don't have the ability to, make you the richest person in the world. If you want life and health, I can at most keep you young, but I can't make you immortal... Hmm... think about it carefully! Remember... you only have one chance. Once you've made a request, you can't change it, so... be cautious!"
In fact, Zhou Ziwei could roughly guess what kind of request Yu Xiaoru wanted to make. It was probably related to him, or she wanted him to clear her name of the injustice in her past life, or she wanted him to avenge her past life.
However, he deliberately said these words, mainly to test how much Yu Xiaoru felt for him... or rather, for his past life, and whether it could outweigh the irresistible temptation for everyone.
Whether it's becoming the richest woman in Zhongdu or maintaining eternal youth, it's a fatal temptation for any woman, especially for a woman who is already beautiful. To be able to maintain her beautiful and youthful appearance throughout her life is an even more irresistible temptation than extending her life by a hundred years.
So... Zhou Ziwei was really curious whether Yu Xiaoru could withstand such a test.
In fact, Zhou Ziwei was not lying to Yu Xiaoru. Although he was not very rich at the moment, with his unique advantages, accumulating wealth was only a matter of time. Anyway, he did not say that he could make Yu Xiaoru the richest man in Zhongdu immediately. If Yu Xiaoru really chose this request, then he was confident that he could help her fulfill this wish within a few years to repay her for taking care of his parents over the past three years.
If Yu Xiaoru chooses to maintain her youthful appearance... then it wouldn't be too difficult for Zhou Ziwei.
He could easily use his soul power to stimulate Yu Xiaoru's skin cells every few years to maintain their vitality and thus significantly delay aging.
According to Zhou Ziwei's estimate, it shouldn't be impossible for Yu Xiaoru to maintain her current appearance until she turns fifty.
"Ah...I..."
Yu Xiaoru never expected Zhou Ziwei to say such a thing or give her such a hint. Just as Zhou Ziwei thought, probably few women could resist such temptation.
Although the two hints Zhou Ziwei gave sounded like a fantasy to normal people, Yu Xiaoru didn't have much doubt about them after witnessing Zhou Ziwei's miraculous abilities tonight. She just hadn't thought that she could make such a request to Zhou Ziwei at first.
So... at this moment, she really hesitated...
Seeing Yu Xiaoru's hesitation, Zhou Ziwei sighed inwardly, then waved his hand somewhat dejectedly, saying, "I know you might not be able to make a decision right now, so... go back and think it over carefully tonight! As long as you make your request to me before tomorrow night, it will be valid. Hmm... you can go now..."
However, Yu Xiaoru seemed not to hear his words this time. She just stood there blankly, motionless, with her eyes slightly closed, her lips tightly bitten, and her body trembling slightly. She was obviously having an extremely intense internal struggle.
Seeing Yu Xiaoru in such pain, Zhou Ziwei felt a pang of regret and immediately regretted the so-called test he had designed for her.
Why am I doing this to myself? It's already quite remarkable that Yu Xiaoru could still give so much to me and her parents under those circumstances. You might not find a girl like that in a million people. Why am I torturing this poor and lovely girl with such an irresistible temptation? In fact... it's already quite remarkable that she didn't immediately choose the two requests I suggested. Enough is enough!
Thinking of this, Zhou Ziwei coughed lightly, about to say something, when he saw Yu Xiaoru suddenly open her eyes, looking at him with an extremely firm gaze, and say, "I've made up my mind... I want to..."
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 249: A Wish
After hearing Yu Xiaoru say "I want," Zhou Ziwei waited for a long time but didn't hear anything more. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and asked, "What do you want? Please, can you finish your sentence? Uh... this is really torturous."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaoru bit her lip hard again, but still did not answer immediately.
Looking at Yu Xiaoru's lips, which were bitten red, and her pearly white teeth, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but have some impure thoughts.
Zhou Ziwei quickly shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the unhealthy thoughts from his mind, and cursed himself inwardly for being a beast.
But another voice kept clamoring in his mind: What's there to be afraid of? Isn't she my wife? She said it herself... Hmm, imagine being with your wife... well... what's wrong with that?
As a result, those unhealthy things that had just been shaken out of my mind suddenly reappeared from somewhere, and they seemed to be getting even more unhealthy.