Chapter 45

Fang Zhao had actually used a dog on him .

Fang Sheng was so mad he wanted to smash his bracelet, but luckily, he held back . He had just been fired . He wouldn’t be receiving any income for some time . His severance pay was still being processed—it hadn’t been wired to him yet . There wasn’t much left of his cut from the revenue from song downloads during the new talent contest after he had bought his new apartment . The bracelet had cost him tens of thousands of dollars . He couldn’t afford to trash it now .

Fang Sheng wanted to vent his anger from losing his job . He didn’t dare take aim at the folks at Neon Culture . All he could settle for now was Fang Zhao, the person who had “set him up . ” Little did he expect Fang Zhao to not answer altogether and put his dog on instead . Was Fang Zhao mocking him?

Knowing full well that his tirade would only be answered with dog barks, Fang Sheng took a few deep breaths and hung up . He was going to bottle up his frustration and take off, but after taking two steps, he stopped suddenly to look at his bracelet .

He was so angry he had let his guard down . He reviewed what he had just said . He didn’t think he had confessed to stealing the songs outright, so even if Fang Zhao had recorded the conversation, it wouldn’t amount to much proof . He wouldn’t lose in a court of law .

Good thing he had restrained himself . If he was thrown off by a few dog barks and confessed to stealing the songs, then it would all be over .

So that was what Fang Zhao was up to?

“You wanted to set me up again!”

Fang Sheng stared at the end of the road, eyes burning .

Fang Sheng was being paranoid . Fang Zhao knew that he wouldn’t fess up to stealing the songs that easily . Here was someone savvy enough to steal the three songs without the original host of his body noticing and without leaving a trace of evidence . He wouldn’t be easily duped into a confession .

There were always people who felt that they were entitled to your generosity . Even if there was a falling out and they were clearly in the wrong, they wouldn’t own up to their mistakes . They would even play the victim .

Personal interest and temptation distorted the human heart .

Fang Zhao had seen so many examples and heard of so many during the end of days . Fang Sheng acted purely out of self-interest . If it were the end of days, Fang Zhao would have delivered a bullet to his head, but the rule of law prevailed in the New Era . Fang Zhao didn’t want to run afoul of the law on account of Fang Sheng and squander the rare opportunity of a rebirth .

“Good job . ” Fang Zhao picked up his bracelet and fondled Curly Hair’s head . He grabbed a handful of dog food and placed it on the dog’s plate .

Fang Zhao returned to the lobby of the 50th floor after making sure the technicians had installed the gaming equipment properly .

The department was on vacation, so no one else was in the lobby . Zeng Huang and Wan Yue were spending time as a couple . They wouldn’t be showing up during the vacation . Pang Pusong was traveling with his family . Song Miao was gone too . The only people left were Zu Wen and company . They gathered in their studio to game every day . If all you were doing is gaming, then you might as well live out of the office . You wouldn’t have to worry about the utilities bill, and the cafeteria food wasn’t that bad . It was also quite cheap .

When Fang Zhao approached, Zu Wen’s group had just wrapped up a gaming session and they were deep in discussion .

Neon Culture had reached out to Zu Wen and company as well, but not through an agent . A few of their technicians knew Zu Wen and his team and put out feelers, but the Silver Wing crew rejected the overtures .

Their reasoning?

Setting aside the tremendous potential of the Polar Light project, they had landed the unlikely boss who was addicted to gaming . It didn’t make sense to give that up . For folks like them, as long as they weren’t in a pinch, bonus size was secondary . The key issue was whether they could partake in their preferred form of entertainment during office hours .

Why had Zu Wen stayed when the entire virtual projects department was purged last year? It wasn’t that he was lazy . He was lured by the prospect of gaming all day if the department no longer received any assignments .

The group stopped talking when Fang Zhao entered the room .

“I’m going to head home for a bit . Are you guys going to stick around?” Fang Zhao asked .

“Yup . But we’re going to head out later in the day to check out a gaming trade show . Will you be using the flying car, boss?” Zu Wen asked .

The department had two flying cars . Zeng Huang and Wan Yue had taken one of them and one was left .

Zu Wen and company leered at him, which gave Fang Zhao a kick . “No . I’ll take public transportation . Knock yourselves out . “

“Thanks, Boss!” Zu Wen hooted .

“We’ll bring back some samples for you,” the others said .

Fang Zhao left the office after reminding Zu Wen and company to lock the door to the 50th floor before heading out for the trade show . He didn’t bring Curly Hair . All he had to do was pick up a few things from his black street apartment . He would be back first thing in the morning .

He could already afford a place in downtown Qi’an . Barring massive, extravagant properties, he could pay in cash .

But it was hard to find quality real estate in Qi’an these days . And folks who owned prime properties were reluctant to part with them . Fang Zhao hadn’t been looking online because Duan Qianji had promised to introduce him to a homeowner looking to sell, a veteran composer . The composer rarely lived in his home but didn’t want to sell it to a stranger either . Duan Qianji knew that Fang Zhao was in the market, so she had approached the elderly composer . But the owner wasn’t in Yanzhou . He would return in a few days to handle the paperwork and meet Fang Zhao at the same time . It was only a matter of days . Fang Zhao could wait .

Evenings on black streets were still the same . Loud dance music mixed with laid-back tunes . Drunks shot the breeze in clusters . Young punks new to the life were plying their trade .

Fang Zhao bought two boxes of barbecued meat for Yue Qing, who ran the shop downstairs from his apartment, and the drug store owner, Ai Wan .

“Thanks . Not much to report . A few days ago a drunk wanted to toss a bottle at your window . I got rid of him,” Yue Qing said as he took the boxes . He grabbed a piece of meat and started chewing away . “Are you moving?” he asked .

Yue Qing didn’t know how the entertainment industry operated, but he had watched the music videos for the two movements . And he knew from news reports that the two songs were a big hit . Regardless of whether or not Fang Zhao was the actual composer of the two movements, judging from his official credit, he stood to benefit in a major way . It was time for him leave .

“Soon, but I’m not going to give up my apartment in the coming weeks,” Fang Zhao said .

“Please make sure you give me a heads up when you move out so I can buy your apartment,” Yue Qing blurted . He had been eyeing the flat above his shop for some time . Tenant records were kept electronically . Once Fang Zhao gave up his flat, it would be up for grabs . If another tenant moved in, Yue Qing wouldn’t be able to buy it .

“Planning an expansion?” Fang Zhao asked .

“It’s about time . I’ve also been in touch with the tenants on the two floors above yours . I should be able to buy those flats next year . I’ve been laying the groundwork for some time, haha . ” Now that he had saved enough, Yue Qing could proceed with his shop expansion . Naturally, he was in a good mood . Of course, folks like him couldn’t compare to Fang Zhao, who could earn more than 1 million on one song alone . But average folks had their own way of life . Yue Qing was quite happy with his life right now .

“Got it . I’ll give you a heads up before I give up the flat . “

Yue Qing’s shop was swarmed with customers, so Fang Zhao got out of the way . He left the shop and headed up the staircase .

But once he got to his apartment, Fang Zhao could tell that something was wrong .

When he lifted his head, he saw someone standing in front of his flat . Another approached from behind on the staircase . The sandwich approach signaled premeditation and professionals .

The staircase was dimly lit . To cut costs, public areas like this either had faulty lighting or were dimly lit .

Fang Zhao didn’t look back and continued walking until he was two steps away from the man standing in front of his apartment .

He looked perhaps a few years older than Fang Zhao . He had a crew cut except for a crown-shaped hairdo in the middle, which was dyed half red and half blue . His right cheek sported a tattoo of a snarling beast .

Fang Zhao remembered Yue Qing mentioning once that black street thugs with a beast tattoo on their right cheek were typically hired guns and not young punks who engaged in random petty crime .

In other words, someone had paid them to show up .

When the man scanned Fang Zhao’s bracelet, Fang Zhao had a hunch who their employer was .

“Fang Zhao?” The man standing in front of the door gauged Fang Zhao like a quality control inspector . His teeth were dyed neon green . The beast tattoo on his cheek became even snarlier .

A fellow resident on the second floor was about to head downstairs . He turned around immediately after noticing the impending conflict, too terrified to even fart .

Zap .

The man standing in front of Fang Zhao’s door was holding an electric rod that emitted a live current . The sound echoed clearly in the corridor . He took a step toward Fang Zhao and said, “Don’t be afraid . Just hand over your bracelet and we’ll be outta here in no time . There’s no point in blocking traffic . “

But before he could finish, Fang Zhao had pulled a gun and trained it on him .

Fang Zhao could hear the trailing footsteps cease . He flashed a warm smile and told the man in front of him:

“Don’t be afraid . You’ve made a long trip, so why don’t you step inside for a chat . There’s no point in blocking traffic . “