Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 78 - It's You, Uncle

minute, after the initial surprise, Tang Jie noticed something even more shocking: Chen Shuran was wearing… an incredibly sexy piece of sleepwear!

Thin as a cicada’s wing and as transparent as gauze, it barely covered the essentials, leaving only the most important bits concealed by the scant fabric. The delicate pink color against her fair skin was simply breathtaking!

At that moment, Chen Shuran’s delicate little hands were tightly clenched into fists, her expression conveying deep sorrow, almost like a wronged woman. Tears shimmered in her big, dark eyes.

What… what was going on? It took Tang Jie a while to regain his composure. Forget how Chen Shuran got in here and why she was wearing such revealing sleepwear-why was she crying?

As he looked at Chen Shuran, he suddenly remembered the dream he’d just had while lying in the bathtub, and instantly understood what was happening.

“Uh… are you okay? I just… just…” Tang Jie wanted to explain, but the words caught in his throat. He wasn’t wearing any clothes, and since he was still in the water, there was no way for him to get out. He could only watch as Chen Shuran stood there, tears rolling silently down her delicate pink face, her teeth biting into her rosy lips, that heart-wrenching expression making him feel a pang of sorrow.

The worst part was how she looked right now. Tang Jie felt something run from his nose; instinctively, he reached up to touch it, only to find that it was blood. He had a nosebleed.

Seeing the blood, he wanted to ask Chen Shuran to pass him the toilet paper nearby, but before he could say a word, she had already dashed out of the bathroom. With a loud “bang!” the bathroom door slammed shut, and then he heard the sound of her quietly sobbing from her bedroom.

“What… what did I do to upset her?”

Listening to Chen Shuran’s cries, Tang Jie suddenly felt inexplicably troubled. But when he remembered her resentful gaze from just moments before and the way her little hands had been kneading his shoulder, he felt a twinge of remorse in his heart.

He quickly got out of the bathtub, hastily putting on his clothes while pondering how Miss Chen had snuck into the bathroom and even given him a massage.

Could it be that she had feelings for him? The thought startled him for a moment, followed by a sweet yet awkward feeling inside. Regardless, he had to make things right with Chen Shuran; if he continued to hear her sobs, there would be no peace for him.

Tang Jie put on his shirt and the clean jeans he had just pulled out before stepping out of the bathroom. He approached the door to Chen Shuran’s room and knocked lightly.

The sound of crying inside suddenly stopped, but Chen Shuran didn’t come to open the door.

Tang Jie knocked again, and again, Chen Shuran didn’t respond. After waiting for a moment, he was about to turn and leave when the door suddenly swung open.

With red eyes, Chen Shuran stood in the doorway, now draped in a jacket. She didn’t even glance at Tang Jie and turned to sit down on the bed.

Tang Jie followed her in, his damp hair still dripping. He wiped it with the cuff of his shirt and looked at Chen Shuran. “What’s wrong? Did I… did I upset you just now?”

Hearing this, Chen Shuran’s tears started to fall again. Tang Jie felt helpless; he truly didn’t know how to comfort a girl and could only stand there, frozen.

“Don’t cry; you’ll only look worse when you do.”

“Do you think she’s prettier than me?” Chen Shuran looked at Tang Jie, her eyes shimmering with tears, making it impossible for him to bear.

Tang Jie paused for a moment, realizing that Chen Shuran must have taken his earlier dream talk seriously. He quickly forced a smile. “You misunderstood. I was just… just a bit dazed and didn’t realize you were behind me, giving me a massage.”

Chen Shuran stared at Tang Jie. Tang Jie was wearing a clean white shirt, casually buttoned, with his hair neatly arranged over his forehead. His features had never looked so handsome under the light before. Was it because he had just taken a shower, or was it that she hadn’t paid much attention before?

Noticing Chen Shuran was gazing at him intently, he felt a little confused and looked down at himself; he was dressed reasonably well, and there was nothing wrong. When he looked up again, he found that Chen Shuran had turned her face away, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly shy. Even he, though somewhat slow on the uptake, understood what she meant. Just as he was about to excuse himself and leave, he hesitated, feeling it wasn’t quite right.

While he stood there in his thoughts, Chen Shuran unexpectedly approached him from behind and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Tang Jie felt the soft body pressed against his back, warmth flooding through him. He wanted to pull away but felt too scared to move; he could only stand there like a wooden statue.

“Tang Jie, tell me-do you like me?”

Chen Shuran’s sudden question from behind him caught Tang Jie off guard. Her voice seemed to carry a hint of tears, leaving him unsure of how to respond.

If he were to say he liked her… he did, somewhat, but he felt it was too early to call it something deeper. He had always kept his responsibilities in mind and understood their respective roles; he was her bodyguard, and she was the daughter of his employer. Besides, he hadn’t had a spare moment to think about such matters.

When Chen Shuran heard that Tang Jie hadn’t answered for quite some time, her body stiffened, and the arms that had been wrapped around him suddenly relaxed. Sensing something was off, Tang Jie quickly turned around. “Young Miss, let me explain…”

Tang Jie stumbled over his words as he looked at Chen Shuran, who gazed back at him with hopeful eyes.

“I… I do like you.” After thinking for a while, he decided to speak honestly, and he watched as a look of joy spread across Chen Shuran’s face.

“However, I think you might have misunderstood. We…” Tang Jie struggled to find the right words, and as he did, he saw the joy on Chen Shuran’s face fade away.

“You like Wang Qianya, don’t you?” Chen Shuran’s gaze suddenly dimmed, and a hint of sadness crept into her voice.

Tang Jie was taken aback for a moment, staring at Chen Shuran without responding. He did have feelings for Wang Qianya; after all, she shared his background as an ancient martial arts master, and they had fought alongside each other. In contrast, while Chen Shuran was indeed a beauty, she was still his employer’s daughter, and he knew his boundaries. The affection he felt for her was a respectful admiration from a distance.

“Get out! Just leave!”

Before Tang Jie could fully comprehend the situation, Chen Shuran suddenly lost her temper and pushed him out of the room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind her.

Tang Jie exhaled deeply, standing outside the door feeling a mix of confusion and frustration. It was fine; she was safe inside, and nothing bad would happen.

He ran a hand through his hair as he returned to his own bedroom, glancing at the clock on the wall-it was half-past seven.

Walking to the window, he looked out at the scenery. The sky was dark, adorned with twinkling stars. His encounter with Chen Shuran earlier left a strange sensation in his heart, as if something wasn’t quite right.

Standing at the window, letting the cool breeze wash over him, he suddenly remembered what had happened earlier in the day-the boss who had wanted to meet him. He hadn’t planned to get involved, but after Chen Shuran’s outburst, he thought to himself that since sleep was eluding him, perhaps it would be better to see who this person was.

Deciding on a whim, he put on a jacket and took one last look at Chen Shuran’s room, noticing that the light had been turned off.

She would probably sleep it off; that was just like her! He chuckled softly. Let her calm down on her own.

Tang Jie gently closed the door to his room and, with a determined leap from the window, landed smoothly on the ground below. Stepping out of the apartment building, he hailed a taxi.

“City center stadium,” he told the driver when he got in, then turned to gaze out at the bustling streets outside.

The cool night breeze, mingling with the city’s dazzling neon lights, created a mysterious atmosphere.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi arrived at the stadium entrance. Tang Jie paid the fare and got out, looking up at the stadium. The round, nest-like structure loomed darkly before him, and after scanning the area for a while, he couldn’t find the entrance. Just then, a figure suddenly appeared from nowhere and walked up to him.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Tang Jie recognized him immediately; it was the buzz-cut guy he’d seen earlier at No. 2 High School. A taxi was parked behind him, clearly having just arrived.

The buzz-cut guy’s eyes still bore a hint of disdain as Tang Jie smiled slightly, attempting to project a friendly demeanor.

“Something held me up, but since I’m here, lead the way. Where’s your boss?”

The buzz-cut guy huffed at Tang Jie’s statement but didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and headed toward a side entrance beneath the stadium.

Tang Jie followed closely behind, his mind racing with speculation about the kind of people he would encounter.

Once inside with the buzz-cut guy, Tang Jie realized this was not a place open for casual entry. They entered through a tunnel and, remarkably, the buzz-cut guy had a remote key for that door.

As the buzz-cut guy closed the door behind them, Tang Jie couldn’t help but be puzzled. This stadium was meant for performances and sports events, and he figured it would be managed by city officials. Yet here was just a streetwise student with access to the key.

“Boss, he’s here,” the buzz-cut guy announced.

As Tang Jie followed him further inside, he stepped into the vast expanse of the stadium. Surrounding the central field were the stands, shrouded in darkness without lights.

As soon as the buzz-cut guy delivered his message, the lights flickered on, revealing a group of people seated in the stands directly in front of Tang Jie. He squinted to recognize a few familiar faces; they were some of those he had seen at No. 2 High School with the buzz-cut guy earlier. The others, however, were strangers.

With that, the buzz-cut guy walked toward the group, leaving Tang Jie standing alone.

Tang Jie began scanning the crowd with his eyes, trying to locate the “boss” referenced by the buzz-cut guy. But after searching, all he saw were a bunch of troublemakers. There didn’t seem to be anyone who resembled a boss at all.