Chapter 8: Did This Guy Actually Take the Fake Act Seriously?

Tangdong, Garden Community, in a secluded corner of the underground parking garage.

This is a blind spot for the surveillance camera.

Xu Mo sits inside the car, smoking.

He smokes while scanning his surroundings, patiently waiting until he confirms no one is nearby; then he extinguishes the cigarette, opens the door, steps out, and heads toward the car trunk.

After a few steps.

Xu Mo stops at the location of the car trunk.

He looks around again.

There is still no one.

Only then does he open the car trunk.

Mmm... Mmm...

When the trunk is opened, the female star, tightly bound, lets out strained "mmm" sounds, her forehead and delicate nostrils slick with sweat.

At that moment.

The Program Crew's Live Broadcast Room feed instantly changes.

It switches to a view the size of the car trunk.

Obviously, this is the perspective of the female star Yang Jingxuan.

In the broadcast, the host's voice provides commentary.

"We installed a miniature camera on Yang Jingxuan."

"I knew it!"

"Wait… Yang Jingxuan?"

"Is it the currently popular young actress Yang Jingxuan?"

"Damn, that's so impressive; she's at the height of fame right now, why is she playing a hostage?"

"Who would mind becoming even more famous? This Program Crew is so hot and has official ties; many stars are scrambling to get in."

"This act is getting more and more exciting!"

From the broadcast view, the audience can see Xu Mo and hear his voice.

Xu Mo's deep voice says:

"Later I will help you untie the ropes and remove the tape from your mouth, but only if you meet two conditions."

His voice, though low, is steady and strong, giving a sense of calm.

The Water Friends in the broadcast clearly find Xu Mo's demeanor surprising.

"This kid can still stay calm now?"

"Got it wrong, got it wrong—after these three episodes, I suddenly think Xu Mo could be a dark horse."

"Indeed, compared with the previous two Challengers, Xu Mo is a bit stronger."

Amid the Water Friends' surprise, Xu Mo presents his conditions.

"First, when I remove the tape later, you must not scream; if I detect any sign of you shouting, I will immediately seal your mouth again, understand?"

The broadcast image jolts up and down, clearly showing Yang Jingxuan nodding.

"Fine. The second condition: after I untie you, you must not move erratically or try to run; otherwise you may be shoved back into the car trunk. Then I won't care about you, I'll discard the car. If you're lucky, a police officer might find you within a day; if unlucky, you could starve to death here with no officer finding you. Got it?"

The broadcast view continues to sway up and down.

The Water Friends are left stunned.

"Damn, that's the female star Yang Jingxuan—such a beautiful woman, and Xu Mo can say such ruthless words!"

"6666!"

"This guy saying that, he can't be serious, right?"

"Awesome, if this guy is actually doing it for real, that's like a little cow standing on its head, unstoppable!"

"This is the first time I've seen such a Challenger; pretty impressive."

…

After seeing Yang Jingxuan nod, Xu Mo finally steps forward and slowly tears off the black tape from her mouth; he could have ripped it off in one quick motion, but he truly feared that once the tape was removed she would scream, so he tears it slowly to prevent that.

Fortunately, the female star is obedient.

Until Xu Mo removes the black tape from her mouth, she makes no shout.

"Very good."

Xu Mo glances at Yang Jingxuan; her complexion is pale, and her beautiful eyes are filled with terror.

He feels that he has changed.

If before, Xu Mo would never have been so composed in such a situation, but now he can strive to stay calm and get into the zone.

"Is this the increase of cellular activity by two points?"

This state Xu Mo quite likes; it gives him a sense of controlling the situation.

He again thinks of the Cat and Mouse Game.

"This is just a reward akin to a beginner's pack, and it already works like this—what about later rewards?"

For a moment, Xu Mo feels his heart beating faster.

"If all rewards were like this."

"He wonders how it would be to play the Cat and Mouse Game with the police officers who are about to arrive!"

However, the most urgent thing now is to extract information from this female star's mouth.

He thinks of this, and after untying Yang Jingxuan, Xu Mo grabs the back of her delicate right wrist with the pad of his right hand, which could let him easily control her if she behaves erratically.

Xu Mo truly feels he has changed.

Yang Jingxuan felt her right wrist being held by Xu Mo, and the wrist ached slightly.

She thought this man's strength was truly impressive.

Her face, however, showed an extremely panicked expression.

Half of it was acting, half was real, because Xu Mo gave a very different impression.

The mix of truth and falsehood made Yang Jingxuan's acting become extremely natural.

"Come with me upstairs; don't make any shout on the way, and don't even think about escaping..."

Xu Mo leaned close to Yang Jingxuan's ear and said.

Yang Jingxuan naturally wouldn't shout, nor would she think of escaping.

She knew this was just a variety show.

All she had to play was a female star kidnapped by Xu Mo.

So she nodded shakily.

Only then did Xu Mo lead Yang Jingxuan from the hallway back into his rented room.

Why did he want to go back into the room?

First, Xu Mo didn't consider himself a real kidnapper.

Second, because Yang Jingxuan in the trunk seemed like a Timed Bomb to him; after wandering outside for too long, she would eventually cause trouble.

So he brought Yang Jingxuan over.

But he wouldn't stay long; after questioning Yang Jingxuan, Xu Mo had no intention of remaining in the house.

When they entered the room.

Xu Mo casually re‑locked the door.

He gestured for Yang Jingxuan to sit on the sofa, and he sat there as well, placing a lighter and a pack of cigarettes on the coffee table, ready to question Yang Jingxuan.

At that moment...

A fine strand of long hair on the coffee table caught Xu Mo's attention.

Xu Mo narrowed his eyes, looked up, and said to Yang Jingxuan, "Come here!"

Yang Jingxuan was momentarily confused.

She then saw Xu Mo lean in, almost pressing his head against hers, while reaching out to flick her hair.

The Water Friends in the Live Broadcast Room were stunned by the scene!

"Damn, what is this guy trying to do?"

"Nima, did the fake act become real?"