Chapter 50: The Little Chubby One

When the topic of Shi Chengjin came up, Katerina's expression suddenly turned a little strange. She simply told Chang Yu, "Shi Chengjin said he's got something else to deal with right now, so he'll be late."

"Shi Chengjin's master is the Elder Heretic God. If it weren't for the old man's sake, I wouldn't be so tolerant of him," Katerina added, brushing off the subject of Shi Chengjin with a single, casual remark.

Ah... Chang Yu couldn't help but feel envious. It was obvious that no matter where you were, having connections up top made everything easier. Even being late for a mission was permissible—Chang Yu truly admired him.

Before long, the group reached the end of the central avenue. Standing there, Chang Yu could clearly feel the gentle river breeze wafting in from the water. They had arrived at the riverside, at the mother river of H City: the Songjiang.

From ancient times to the present, H City had always been a city built beside the river; all its water for daily life came from this vast river. One could say that without the Songjiang, there would be no H City as it existed now.

"That high-rise over there is where we're heading," Katerina said, pointing to a tall building not far ahead.

It was a tower situated on the riverbank, bathed in dazzling light from the searchlamps and glowing with a brilliant, shifting radiance. The entire structure was built in the European style, with the top two floors designed in a tiered, narrowing fashion.

"Wow, that's a river-view apartment! Seems that guy's got some style," Chang Yu said in surprise.

The price of river-view apartments in H City was outrageously high. Every large suite built by the river was as expensive as a villa. After all, the view from high above, looking out over the water and city lights, was breathtaking. Living at the top offered a sweeping panorama of half the city’s beauty. That alone was enough to make the wealthy flock to buy such places.

As they entered the high-rise, Katerina calmly pulled an elevator card from her purse and led Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao into the elevator. She swiped the card with practiced ease and pressed the button for the 47th floor. Something about her movements struck Chang Yu with an indescribable sense of familiarity—as if she had done this countless times before.

Whether it was the fact that Katerina had the elevator card or her deft handling of the controls, it all proved she was no stranger to this place. Chang Yu couldn't help but wonder: what exactly was the relationship between Katerina and the owner? Why did she have the elevator card? Judging by her previous words, the owner seemed to be a man...

Damn! Could it be... they were a couple?

For a moment, Chang Yu’s heart was in turmoil and his thoughts tangled in confusion. He followed Katerina out of the elevator in a daze, and the group soon stood before a security door. The door’s keypad lock was now the final barrier.

"Surely we have to knock now? She can't possibly know the password to someone else's place, can she?" Chang Yu mused.

If she did, then his earlier suspicions would be confirmed—they must already be living together as a couple.

To his dismay, Katerina briskly entered a string of digits on the keypad, the entire process smooth and unhesitating. She had clearly memorized the code by heart.

"How do you know the door code to someone else's home?" Feng Sanpao asked, more direct than Chang Yu, who kept his questions to himself.

"Because this is my home too. Of course I know it," Katerina replied, utterly composed.

A thunderous crash erupted in Chang Yu’s mind; his world collapsed in an instant. It was over—their relationship was definitely not ordinary. They must be living together as a couple! Katerina herself had admitted this was her home. Chang Yu’s heart bled with silent tears.

Oh, heavens, why must you be so cruel? Why bring a beautiful woman before me only to make her someone else’s girlfriend? Worse still, her boyfriend was so wealthy he could own a river-view apartment. And as for himself... heh. The pain was almost unbearable, and he felt like crying.

With a soft click, the door swung open to reveal an elegantly decorated home, filled with valuable rosewood furniture and European-style ornamentation. Even someone as wealthy as Fatty Wang would have to give a thumbs-up and praise the taste.

But in this splendidly furnished home, garbage was piled everywhere. Large and small trash bags were heaped haphazardly on the rosewood floor, crowding the entryway so that there was nowhere to step. Countless instant noodle cups, takeout boxes, and soda cans were stacked together, bulging out the trash bags. Some bags, placed at odd angles, had leaked oily soup onto the floor, staining the wood. Yet the owner of this house apparently never bothered to clean, utterly ignoring the mess.

A thick stench emanated from the trash bags—a moldy odor from rotting food. Now it spread through every corner of the house, assaulting everyone’s nose.

"Ah...choo!" Chang Yu was the first to succumb to the odor, sneezing loudly.

"This is absolutely the best-furnished house I’ve ever seen—and, of course, the dirtiest," he muttered, rubbing his nose. The luxury of the décor no longer impressed him; facing such a sea of garbage, no one could muster any admiration.

What kind of person could be so slovenly as to let trash pile up like a mountain and not bother to throw it out? Chang Yu felt a surge of curiosity about the owner.

Katerina’s face darkened as she entered, the stench making her feel sick. But thinking of how that guy had turned the place into such a mess, she ground her teeth in fury. Carefully avoiding the "landmines," Katerina picked her way through the garbage as if navigating a maze. With a series of nimble maneuvers, she finally reached a safe haven.

Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao, seeing Katerina cross the trash mountain, imitated her steps and joined her. Chang Yu managed all right, but poor Feng Sanpao, already frail, was so exhausted by the climb that he stood beside Chang Yu, panting heavily.

"That guy is too much—doesn’t even take out the trash," Katerina fumed, on the verge of exploding.

She stormed further inside and flung open the bedroom door, ready to demand answers. But as the door opened, Katerina was stunned into stillness.

"Hehehe... My dear Rin-chan, oh, my beloved Rin-chan, how adorable you are!" came a shrill, exuberant wail from within. A chubby boy with chestnut hair was huddled under the covers, watching some anime from a certain island nation.

"Yay~ yay yay~ She’s transforming, she’s transforming! My magical girl Rin-chan is finally transforming~" he squealed, his face twisted into a perverse grin as he licked the image of the anime girl on his phone. The bizarre laughter sent chills through Chang Yu.

From the trembling, ball-shaped duvet and the fat boy's hand moving rapidly beneath it, it wasn’t hard to guess what he was up to. Crumpled tissues littered the tatami beside the bed, densely packed and seemingly endless.

Perhaps he was so absorbed, or perhaps the animation was too loud, but the chubby boy didn’t notice the crowd standing at the door. Being caught like this would probably traumatize him for life.

"Zhen Youcai! What the hell are you doing?" Katerina roared, her voice piercingly sharp.

The boy, startled in the midst of his excitement, shuddered violently. Then he hunched over and let out a sigh that was both joyful and pained. When it ended, Chang Yu saw a blissful, relieved smile on his face—like a drought-stricken man who finally found rain, a starving soul who finally found food, a weary traveler who at last found grasslands.

It was the smile of liberation.

Afterward, the chubby boy finally turned to look at Katerina’s ashen face. The two stared at each other for a long moment before the boy realized what had happened.

"Sis! What are you doing here?" he blurted, forcing a sheepish smile as he fumbled to turn the phone’s volume down.

"If I hadn’t come, you’d have flipped the house by now!" Katerina was so angry her forehead throbbed.

How humiliating! How could her subordinates witness her own younger brother in such an embarrassing state? What a disaster!

At this point, the chubby boy noticed Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao behind Katerina, and the scene grew even more awkward.

"Um, sis... so many people are watching, maybe you could close the door first?" the boy pleaded, looking pitiful, weak, and helpless.

Chang Yu caught his drift and quickly pulled Katerina away from the doorway. Then he called to the chubby boy, "Hurry up and get dressed before you come out to see your sister!"

With that, Chang Yu shut the bedroom door with a bang, giving the boy some privacy.

The moment Chang Yu learned that the owner of the apartment was Katerina’s younger brother, his mood instantly recovered. So when Katerina said, "This is my home too," she had meant it literally. This was her brother’s home, so naturally it was hers as well. Was there anything wrong with her coming here often? Was there anything wrong with having her brother’s elevator card? With knowing the door code?

Not a thing!

"Hey, Sassy-ge, what was that brother doing just now?" Feng Sanpao, ever curious, asked.

"Oh, why are you asking about that? You’re too young—don’t ask so many questions," Chang Yu replied, exasperated. This kid always managed to hit the most awkward topics.

"I remember Lord Hokage did the same thing once. I even watched through the crack in the door for ages," Feng Sanpao mused, scratching his head.

"Go, go, go, go play somewhere else. You’ll understand when you’re older," Chang Yu said, seeing Katerina’s expression growing darker. He quickly hustled Feng Sanpao aside.

As if things weren’t chaotic enough, Feng Sanpao just had to make it worse.

"How did I end up with such a brother? What an ill-fated family," Katerina muttered, both frustrated and helpless.

"Everyone has their wild days when they’re young," Chang Yu said, touching his chest as if to comfort himself.

Now that he knew the chubby boy was Katerina’s little brother, Chang Yu found himself unexpectedly tolerant.

His consolation had a soothing effect; Katerina regained her composure. On reflection, Chang Yu had a point. Her brother was just a teenager, after all. It was understandable for a boy in adolescence to make mistakes.

Had there been no more twists, the matter would have passed quietly. But who could have guessed that Feng Sanpao’s offhand comment would reignite the fire, this time aimed at Chang Yu.

"I bet Sassy-ge has done that kind of thing too, right?" Feng Sanpao asked, his eyes innocent and sincere, as if it were the most natural question in the world.

Feng Sanpao’s words caught Katerina’s attention. Recalling Chang Yu’s earlier "bold speech," Katerina immediately shot him a suspicious look, as if to ask, "You’ve done that too, haven’t you?"

Damn it, Feng Sanpao, you little brat!

Chang Yu ground his teeth in frustration. Why did this kid have to wreck his standing at such a critical moment? Didn’t he see Katerina right next to him?

Oh, mother—if he couldn’t explain this, his noble, heroic image in Katerina’s eyes would be ruined!