Salted Fish is a Rebellious Person – Chapter 58

Chai Xiaoyu felt a chill from head to toe. Goosebumps prickled up along his arms.

It was late autumn, and darkness fell early.

They had driven for nearly an hour and a half to get here from the city. It was already dark outside, and the light inside the car was dim. Only the dashboard and central control screen emitted a faint glow. He couldn’t clearly see Fu Xiuning’s expression.

There were streetlights, and Fu Xiuning was right beside him, yet it felt as though the man was completely shrouded in darkness.

It took several seconds for Chai Xiaoyu to find his voice. He forced out nervously, “I understand, Brother. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Trying to defuse the tension, he changed the topic. “By the way, how much longer until we arrive? What do you need me to help with for the surprise event tonight?”

Fu Xiuning replied gently, “The second thing is—only Sui Sui is allowed to call me ‘Brother.’ That’s something I enjoy.”

Chai Xiaoyu froze again.

He had never encountered a situation like this before.

He was easygoing and warm-hearted, and could get along with nearly anyone. Even classmates with extreme personalities could coexist with him peacefully—and their outbursts usually came with signs.

But Fu Xiuning wasn’t like that. One moment, he was a friendly companion, and the next, his demeanor shifted completely. His tone remained polite, even gentle, making it impossible to predict what he might say—or do—next.

Fu Xiuning turned the wheel smoothly, eyes on the road ahead, and asked, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Chai Xiaoyu hesitated, then replied, “…I understand.”

Fu Xiuning said with satisfaction, “Good. Then remember to stay away from Sui Sui from now on. Try not to show up in front of him. Having me around is enough for him.”

Chai Xiaoyu couldn’t hold back. “But my boss needs normal social interaction. He’s an independent person, not your possession.”

Fu Xiuning let out a soft laugh.

Chai Xiaoyu braced himself. “What are you laughing at?”

Fu Xiuning replied calmly, “I’m laughing at how naive you are.”

Chai Xiaoyu snapped, “I’m telling the truth! My boss would never let you do anything to me!”

“Oh, really?” Fu Xiuning said casually.

The system was terrified. “Dear, don’t provoke him!”

Chai Xiaoyu retorted, “What else am I supposed to do?! I tried reasoning with him, he’s not listening!”

The system was panicking now—its earlier analysis had labeled Fu Xiuning as someone with antisocial personality traits, but now he was exhibiting signs of paranoid possessiveness. It didn’t know how to handle that.

One thing was certain: Fu Xiuning’s achievements over the years weren’t fake. This man was genuinely terrifying.

It stammered, “Anyway… don’t provoke him anymore. Let’s focus on staying alive.”

Chai Xiaoyu: “?”

He immediately caught the implication. “What do you mean—he wants to kill me?!”

The system answered nervously, “Or… maybe…”

Chai Xiaoyu’s expression changed completely. “Check where he’s taking me!”

The system immediately checked—and panicked. “He didn’t turn on navigation. There’s no mention of any ‘surprise’ in his recent activity or phone records. If he didn’t verbally tell us, then… there’s no surprise at all!”

Chai Xiaoyu’s mind went blank.

He had come here with the pure intention of helping—and now, was he not going back?

His blood froze. His chest felt tight and cold. For a moment, he had no strength at all.

After a long pause, he finally reached for his phone.

Fu Xiuning caught the movement from the corner of his eye and asked casually, “Who are you trying to call?”

Chai Xiaoyu’s hand trembled, and the phone slipped onto his lap.

Fu Xiuning smiled. “Want to tell Sui Sui? I’m afraid you won’t get the chance.”

Chai Xiaoyu’s mind buzzed. “What… what does that mean?”

Fu Xiuning replied, “Like I said earlier—I don’t like you contacting Sui Sui all the time.”

Chai Xiaoyu stammered, “I said I’d be more careful in the future!”

Fu Xiuning said calmly, “But judging by your attitude just now, it doesn’t seem like you’ll really change. So how can I feel at ease?”

He cracked the window slightly. No longer focused on the road, he turned his head to look directly at Chai Xiaoyu. “Do you know what lies ahead?”

Before Chai Xiaoyu could speak, the system shouted.

Because while checking the route earlier, it had scanned the terrain up ahead.

Now, it was crying in fear. “There’s a cliff ahead—straight into the sea! It’s about ten meters down, and there are nothing but sharp rocks at the bottom! This road is remote. Few cars come by at night. If you fall, no one’s going to find you! Stop him—please!”

Chai Xiaoyu’s face went pale. He turned to Fu Xiuning and asked, “What are you trying to do?”

Fu Xiuning had arrived at the location he’d chosen.

Even without a system’s warning, his intentions were crystal clear.

His left hand rested casually on the steering wheel as he stared at Chai Xiaoyu and said, “I like to gamble lives with people. Below us is the ocean. Let’s drive off the edge. If you’re still alive after that, I’ll consider letting you keep in touch with Sui Sui once in a while. How about it?”

Chai Xiaoyu’s face twisted, and he forced the words out of his throat: “You… you’re not serious, are you?”

Fu Xiuning asked, “Do I look like I’m joking?”

Chai Xiaoyu trembled. “But… what if you die?”

Fu Xiuning smiled. “Wouldn’t that be great? Your boss would finally be free.”

That was the final blow. Chai Xiaoyu completely broke down. “Brother, please… don’t do this. I know your past wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t your fault…”

Fu Xiuning cut him off. “You know? And how exactly do you know that?”

The system screamed: “You can’t tell him about us! If he finds out about our existence, you’ll die!”

It didn’t even care about maintaining secrecy anymore—just pure fear now. “Stop talking! Stop right now! We’re seriously about to die!”

As it spoke, the car continued inching forward—getting closer and closer to the edge of the guardrail.

Seeing that Fu Xiuning wasn’t changing course, Chai Xiaoyu’s nerves snapped. On pure instinct, he lunged toward the steering wheel to yank it away.

Fu Xiuning slammed on the brakes as the system shrieked in terror. Following the momentum, he spun the wheel hard to the left, swerving the car away from the guardrail—only to aim it straight at the opposite mountain slope.

Chai Xiaoyu was flung back into his seat from the impact. When he looked up and saw where they were heading, his pupils shrank.

The next second, the car crashed—bang—into the mountain wall.

Fu Xiuning remained calm throughout. He turned the wheel to the right just before the collision. The car scraped along the rock face, then swerved down the side road. He finally stomped on the brakes beneath a streetlight, the vehicle halting diagonally across the pavement.

Chai Xiaoyu was tossed about violently, his mind in a fog.

Everything had happened too fast, too chaotically. He sat there, stunned, until he finally realized—he was still alive. And then he collapsed in his seat, his whole body soaked in cold sweat.

He looked at Fu Xiuning with terror still clinging to his face.

Fu Xiuning pressed his left hand to his forehead and turned to look at him calmly.

Under the streetlight, the interior of the car was no longer engulfed in shadows.

Chai Xiaoyu noticed what looked like blood on Fu Xiuning’s hand—and instantly panicked. Afraid of making things worse, he fumbled with shaking hands to unbuckle his seatbelt and pull open the car door—but it wouldn’t budge.

Fu Xiuning asked, “Trying to run?”

Chai Xiaoyu shrank back against the door, lips trembling, unable to speak.

He was just an ordinary person. Facing a madman like this, every cell in his body screamed at him to escape.

Fu Xiuning glanced behind him. No cars were coming.

Seeing they were stuck in a tense standoff, he decided to give both the host and the system a bit of breathing room. He spoke gently, “Don’t be scared. I was just messing with you.”

Chai Xiaoyu’s face went completely pale, his horrified gaze never leaving Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning continued calmly, “With the window slightly open, the sound of the wind gives the illusion of speed, but the car wasn’t going fast. The airbags didn’t even deploy. If the emergency braking system hadn’t been disabled, we wouldn’t have hit anything at all. And as for the steering wheel—you barely touched it. I was the one who pulled us away from the guardrail.”

Chai Xiaoyu struggled to process it all. “Why… why do this?”

Fu Xiuning said, “I suspected you had ulterior motives for getting close to Sui Sui. If that were true, even facing death you’d stay silent just to protect yourself. But you didn’t—you didn’t beg, you didn’t spill anything. Seems I overthought things.”

His voice softened: “Sorry. Did I scare you?”

Chai Xiaoyu let out a breath like a balloon deflating, collapsing weakly into his seat as tears began streaming down his cheeks.

The system was also crying, relieved that the worst hadn’t happened.

After a while, Chai Xiaoyu managed to calm down and asked, his voice still shaking, “Are you… are you okay?”

Just then, a car came around the bend in the road.

Using the distant streetlight, Fu Xiuning easily identified the vehicle type and color—it was Xing Shi.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and gave Chai Xiaoyu a calm smile. “You won’t believe anything I say anymore, will you?”

Chai Xiaoyu: “!”

System: “!!!”

Fu Xiuning added, “I wasn’t going that fast. I could’ve easily made the turn. But you panicked and caused the crash. I got hurt because of you. And my car isn’t cheap—you can expect a bill.”

Chai Xiaoyu opened his mouth. “But—this was your fault! You started it!”

Fu Xiuning replied, “The dashcam was turned off. No one can verify your version of events. But the roadside surveillance camera will show you lunging toward me. If you want to sue, go ahead. Just see if you can beat my lawyers.”

He smiled gently. “Most importantly, once Sui Sui hears that you ‘hurt’ me… he’ll never see you again.”

He raised his hand and tapped the side of the car. “So, congratulations. From now on, you’ll be stuck with a huge compensation bill, and Sui Sui will cut ties with you. You’re finished.”

Just as he finished speaking, a new car pulled up in front of them.

Fu Xiuning unlocked the doors, opened his, and stepped out.

Xing Shi got out of the other car at the same time. The moment he saw the blood on Fu Xiuning’s forehead, his face changed.

Xiao Qin, the assistant, also noticed and was clearly shocked.

He didn’t know anything about what had happened. He’d simply been told earlier that Fu Xiuning had a social engagement and would need to be picked up after class. After waiting a few minutes, he was brought along under that pretense.

He knew the boss had feelings for Xing Shi and assumed this was part of some romantic surprise. But now that the boss was injured, he rushed out of the car in alarm.

Fu Xiuning walked around the front of the car and approached Xing Shi. Then he reached back and opened the passenger door.

When Chai Xiaoyu looked up at Xing Shi, grievance and fear surged in all at once, and his eyes turned red. “Boss, listen to me, I…”

But before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly swayed.

The system instantly analyzed the situation.

If Xing Shi believed Fu Xiuning, then Chai Xiaoyu was doomed. If Xing Shi didn’t believe Fu Xiuning, their relationship would fall apart, and Chai Xiaoyu would no longer be able to get close to him—which also meant failure.

Knowing Chai Xiaoyu’s personality, it was certain he wouldn’t lie to Xing Shi. So the system made a swift decision: it deleted his recent memories and disconnected.

Xing Shi immediately detected the fluctuation of energy and raised a hand to press Chai Xiaoyu’s forehead.

With practiced ease, he absorbed the residual energy—then turned back to look at Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning had been enjoying the scene the entire time. When his gaze met Xing Shi’s, the emotion in his eyes settled a little.

Xing Shi stepped forward, gently lifted Fu Xiuning’s bangs, and examined the wound on his forehead.

Shang Shang Qian and 99 watched Fu Xiuning’s face loom larger and larger in their shared vision, and silently drifted backward in their interface.

This was the capture target who had given the main system a headache for years. The oppressive aura was undeniable.

Even though 99 had heard the explanation during the drive over and knew this was someone on their side, it was still a little terrified.

It muttered, “How many times have they met now? This is the third time, right? Only three times… and he took him away already?”

The Best Fortune was silent.

Fu Xiuning couldn’t hear the system’s voices. He gently grabbed Xing Shi’s wrist with his clean right hand and said softly, “I’m not hurt.”

Xing Shi stared at the blood on his skin. “Then what’s this?”

Fu Xiuning opened his left hand to reveal a small, crushed blood bag—just enough to make himself look injured and scare people a little.

Seeing blood on Xing Shi’s fingertips, he asked Xiao Qin for some disinfectant wipes.

Chai Xiaoyu, slowly regaining his senses from the chaos, turned to see Fu Xiuning with blood on his forehead, and gently holding Xing Shi’s wrist as he cleaned his fingers.

His memories were jumbled, but gradually began to reassemble.

He remembered meeting Xing Shi at Z University. Then, deciding to settle in Z City and successfully landing a job. He remembered inviting Xing Shi out to dinner, and learning that Fu Xiuning was his childhood “older brother.” He’d been delighted.

Then, he’d gradually discovered Fu Xiuning’s intense possessiveness toward Xing Shi, and couldn’t help but worry.

Tonight, they’d had dinner again—and afterward, Fu Xiuning had driven him out here.

The near-death moment just now flickered through his mind and made him shiver all over. Then, seeing this scene before him, his expression twisted with realization—Fu Xiuning was not right. He rushed out of the car.

“Boss!”

He staggered over, reaching out to pull Xing Shi away—only for Fu Xiuning to block him.

Glaring at him, Chai Xiaoyu cried out, “Boss, stay away from him! He’s not normal—he’s insane! A lunatic! He wants to lock you up!”

Xing Shi blinked, looking surprised. “Is that true?”

Chai Xiaoyu nodded firmly. “Yes! He admitted it himself. I swear on my life!”

Xing Shi suddenly smiled. “What a coincidence—because I want to lock him up too.”

Chai Xiaoyu was stunned. His face went blank. “…Huh?”

Xing Shi said seriously, “I’ve had this feeling since I met him—that I wanted to hide him away, not let anyone else see him.”

Chai Xiaoyu: “???”

His mouth opened, then closed again, finally stammering, “But… but thinking it and doing it are two different things!”

Xing Shi replied, “That’s why I’ve been controlling myself—so I don’t turn into a total pervert.”

He turned to Fu Xiuning with a bright smile. “I’ve always worried you’d find out and be scared off. So… you feel the same way?”

Fu Xiuning looked at him deeply and replied, “Yeah.”

Xing Shi’s eyes lit up. “Awesome! We really are a perfect couple!”

Fu Xiuning gave a soft hum and couldn’t help leaning in to kiss him lightly on the lips.

Chai Xiaoyu: “???”

Who am I? Where am I? What is happening?

He thought he was here to save his boss, but it turned out his boss was no less twisted than the other guy!

What do you call this? A perfect match between lunatics?

Xing Shi glanced over at him. “Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

Chai Xiaoyu’s brain wasn’t functioning, but he still answered instinctively, “Oh… congratulations, Boss.”

Xing Shi smiled. “Great. I’ll send you an invitation when we get married.”

Chai Xiaoyu nodded blankly.

His nerves had been strung up all day. So many emotional ups and downs. The system had already unbound itself without him realizing it. And now, this final blow—

His eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

The last thought that crossed his mind before losing consciousness was:

Never get involved in a young couple’s business again… or the heavens will strike you down.