55: A Tad Absurd, Perhaps

Liu Xiaoxiao (a prominent figure) froze. What kind of bizarre last wish was this? Even if he died, he couldn’t take money with him, could he?

“Oh… it’s like this. I’ve been terrified of poverty my whole life… My lifelong dream is to become a millionaire…” Shen Yifei (the protagonist) muttered, his voice barely audible, playing the part with astonishing conviction.

“Alright, say no more! I promise you!” Liu Xiaoxiao hastily wiped away her tears and pulled out her phone from Shen Yifei’s pocket.

A million could never buy back a human life, and for Liu Xiaoxiao, a million was hardly anything.

She dialed her assistant. Liu Xiaoxiao had transferred money to Shen Yifei before, so she knew his bank account details.

Following her instructions, someone quickly transferred the money to Shen Yifei’s account.

“I’ve transferred the money to you, but you must hold on! The stronger your will to live, the less likely you are to die!” Liu Xiaoxiao was about to dial the emergency number (like 911 in the West).

Shen Yifei quickly asked, “How much did you transfer?”

He was practically at death’s door, yet he was still concerned about money. Liu Xiaoxiao was speechless. Perhaps Shen Yifei really was traumatized by poverty, she thought, and softly replied, “One million.”

Shen Yifei rolled his eyes, a little displeased. So, his life was only worth a million? He’d said he wanted to be a millionaire before he died, and this woman actually just gave him *only* a million?

But then he thought again. Snagging a million out of thin air still felt pretty good.

However, Shen Yifei’s mind was racing, trying to figure out how he was going to wrap this up.

Just then.

A group of delinquents, their hair wildly dyed in various neon shades, revved their customized motorcycles closer.

“Holy cow, a beauty!”

“Woman on top of man, what kind of *play* is this?”

“Big breasts, round ass—this chick’s a knockout!”

Several of the punks parked their bikes and fixed their gaze on Liu Xiaoxiao, their expressions a mix of awe and predatory hunger.

Beauties of this caliber were rare in Donghua City (a bustling metropolis). Liu Xiaoxiao’s perfect figure, exquisite face, and fair skin seemed to shimmer with a white glow under the streetlights—she was simply a goddess!

The punks swallowed in unison, their lust immediately ignited.

These street youths typically spent their time fighting, drag racing, and chasing women. On such a dark and windy night, with a goddess like this suddenly appearing, not doing *something* would be a betrayal of their delinquent creed.

Liu Xiaoxiao, however, exploded in rage, snapping, “Get lost! Do you big men have no humanity left? Can’t you see he’s been hit by a car?!”

Shen Yifei rolled his eyes. This Liu Xiaoxiao, accustomed to the upper echelons of society, was utterly ignorant of the chaos in the lower strata. Reasoning with thugs—that was simply too naive.

“Humanity? No. Sexuality? Plenty, hahaha. Beautiful lady, you don’t know my ‘length,’ and I don’t know your ‘depth.’ How about we give it a try?” A yellow-haired thug flicked his flowing, outlandish hairstyle (a characteristic of the 'Kill Matt' subculture) and spoke with a lecherous grin.

“You scoundrels!” Liu Xiaoxiao’s pretty face flushed crimson, naturally understanding the implication of his words.

“Hahahaha, swear at me, beautiful! Keep swearing! It turns me on even more!” A red-haired punk chuckled, approaching with a look of perverse pleasure.

Even Shen Yifei felt disgusted by this man.

Liu Xiaoxiao stood up and slapped him directly.

“Slap!”

The loud sound echoed, and the red-haired punk howled, “Ow!” as he stumbled back half a step.

“Damn it, you stinking bitch, how dare you hit me!” The red-haired man roared in fury, reaching for Liu Xiaoxiao.

Liu Xiaoxiao showed no mercy, swinging her delicate fist and smashing it into the red-haired man’s nose.

“Aargh!” The red-haired man shrieked, blood gushing from his nose.

Liu Xiaoxiao, after all, had trained in Taekwondo (a Korean martial art). These punks, beyond their posturing and bravado, were useless; their fighting skills were even inferior to a woman like Liu Xiaoxiao.

“Holy hell, you little bitch is tough, aren’t you? Bros, go for it, let’s have our way with her!”

The rest of the punks swarmed her.

There were five or six of them, and Liu Xiaoxiao’s pretty face paled. Lying on the ground, Shen Yifei knew instantly that Liu Xiaoxiao couldn’t handle this situation.

Liu Xiaoxiao could have chosen to flee, but she couldn’t abandon Shen Yifei. She immediately shielded him, standing in front of him and snapping, “I am Liu Xiaoxiao, Director of Ayana International! My father is Liu Jianguo, the District Committee Director (a high-ranking local government official)!”

The thugs stopped short at her words. A yellow-haired punk stepped forward, putting on a defiant, “I’m a thug, who fears me?” expression, and sneered, “We don’t care who you are. We’ll have our fun, then toss you in the wilderness. Who the hell would know it was us, bros?”

“Exactly, exactly!” Hearing the word “fun,” the other punks’ lust flared uncontrollably, and they surged towards Liu Xiaoxiao.

Liu Xiaoxiao finally panicked. She was, after all, just a woman, and being subjected to *that* by these thugs—she’d rather be dead!

Shen Yifei sighed inwardly. It seemed he couldn’t keep up the charade any longer.

But then, a flash of inspiration struck Shen Yifei. He suddenly thought of a plan, even if it was a tad absurd.

True to his word, Shen Yifei suddenly sprang up from the ground.

“Holy hell! He’s back from the dead!” A punk shivered, pointing at Shen Yifei, scared half to death.

“Back from what? This kid wasn’t even dead, was he? He wasn’t bleeding at all!” another green-haired punk yelled.

Liu Xiaoxiao turned her head and was also startled. Wasn’t Shen Yifei on the verge of death? How did he suddenly spring up?

Good heavens, could he really be a zombie? It didn’t quite seem so. Liu Xiaoxiao felt Shen Yifei’s complexion looked a bit off.

Shen Yifei blankly surveyed his surroundings, then let out a startled cry, as if genuinely terrified.

“What’s wrong with me? How did I get here…?” Shen Yifei murmured to himself.

Such a plot device typically appeared in web novels (popular online fantasy stories) where protagonists suddenly transmigrate (travel through time or dimensions) to another world. However, Shen Yifei was pretending to have transmigrated from ancient times to the modern era.

“Lady, why do you stare at me so? And you all! Is this truly beyond the borders of the Great Ming Dynasty (a powerful historical empire in China)? Your appearances are not like those from the Western Regions (Central Asian lands), and why do you wear such bizarre attire?” Shen Yifei asked with a clear, resonant voice, completely unlike someone at death’s door.

Shen Yifei had come up with this rotten idea, intending to impersonate a Jinyiwei (the Imperial Secret Police, an elite military and spy agency) from the Ming Dynasty who had just transmigrated. This way, he could avoid Liu Xiaoxiao’s suspicion and still keep the million he’d conned.

Tomorrow, he would just claim he had transmigrated back. While it was a bit crazy, it was better than being unable to back out, and he could conveniently save Liu Xiaoxiao (the woman) in the process.

As soon as Shen Yifei spoke, everyone was stunned.

“You! Shen Yifei, you don’t recognize me?” Liu Xiaoxiao asked, her pretty face bewildered.

“Maiden, I appear to have never met you before! I am Gao Sheng (Shen Yifei’s assumed name), a Jinyiwei Imperial Guard (a high-ranking official within the elite secret police force), holding the third-rank position. I was pursuing members of a Demonic Cult (a villainous organization in martial arts stories) when I accidentally fell into a cold pond. My mind was dizzy and disoriented, and now I awaken here. Why am I in this place? I beg you, maiden, to enlighten me!” Shen Yifei clasped his fists (a traditional Chinese gesture of respect) slightly towards Liu Xiaoxiao.

Liu Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded. What was happening? Had Shen Yifei been hit so hard he became insane? But his speech sounded quite convincing; it didn’t seem like it.

Could he really have transmigrated?

“Holy hell, did this kid’s brain get flattened by a car door?” The yellow-haired punk stared blankly at Shen Yifei.

“Bro, I think we’ve run into a lunatic.”

Shen Yifei’s eyes narrowed, and he declared with gravitas, “Why are your outfits so strange, all of you? Are you remnants of the Demonic Cult? I just witnessed you bullying a helpless woman. I advise you to retreat at once, or this official will surely apprehend you!”

“Dude, I think something’s really off here. What if this guy actually *did* transmigrate?” The red-haired punk muttered like a simpleton, staring blankly at Shen Yifei.

“Transmigrate my ass! This isn’t some web novel! Hurry up and kill or cripple this lunatic!” The yellow-haired punk roared.

As his voice fell, the group of punks exchanged uneasy glances, but still charged towards Shen Yifei.