​​Chapter 162: The Invitation

​Yan Feishu wasn’t surprised that she had guessed his identity. He had been following Li Zhi for a long time and was well aware of her intelligence and capabilities. If she hadn’t figured it out, that would have been strange.

The others in the room, however, were stunned. "Peacock? That professional dungeon-running organization? He’s the founder of Peacock?"

Li Zhi walked downstairs and smiled at Yan Feishu. "I made myself clear to Jiao Shen in the safehouse. Didn’t he relay my message to you?"

Yan Feishu grinned, his expression deep and unreadable. "In ancient times, Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times to secure his service. If I didn’t come in person, how could I properly express my sincerity?"

Everyone immediately understood his intentions.

Owen Dong gasped. "You want to poach our Zhi-jie to work like a dog for Peacock?"

Yan Feishu shot him an annoyed look. "What kind of phrasing is that? It’s called joining Peacock to live a life of luxury—endless money, endless comfort." He turned back to Li Zhi, his expression earnest. "Just say the word, and the position of second-in-command at Peacock is yours."

Owen Dong, hiding behind Han Wenlin, pinched his nose and shouted, "If our Zhi-jie joins, she’ll be the boss! Giving her second-in-command is an insult!"

Yan Feishu rubbed his temple and chuckled. "If Li Zhi agrees, then sure, the top position isn’t off the table."

The entire room fell silent in shock.

Huh? Just to recruit someone, he’s willing to hand over the organization he built from the ground up?

Han Wenlin couldn’t help but ask, "Is your organization in some kind of trouble? Like when a company’s about to go bankrupt and they change the legal representative—are you trying to trick Zhi-jie into taking on a mess?"

Yan Feishu clicked his tongue and glanced at Li Zhi. "Your friends are hilarious." Suddenly, he sniffed the air. "What’s burning?"

Owen Dong bolted toward the kitchen. "My soup!!!"

Five minutes later, everyone sat around the dining table. Yan Feishu picked up his chopsticks with a cheeky grin. "Well, I won’t stand on ceremony. Thanks for the warm hospitality."

Everyone: "..."

Who said anything about hospitality?

Yan Feishu waved his chopsticks. "Don’t just sit there. Come on, dig in."

Chi Yi: "..." She sighed. "Mr. Yan, finish your meal and leave quickly. It’s getting dark, and it’s not safe outside. If something happens to you on the way back, we can’t exactly hand you over to Peacock in one piece."

Yan Feishu raised an eyebrow, his sharp, single-lidded eyes brimming with arrogance. "Relax. There aren’t many people out there who can take me on. If it really comes down to it, I can just stay the night here." He grinned at Li Zhi. "That okay with you?"

Chi Yi thought he had some nerve.

Li Zhi smiled. "Of course. If you like it here, you’re welcome to join us anytime."

Yan Feishu scoffed. "So I came to poach you, and now you’re poaching me instead?"

With Yan Feishu joining them, the meal was lively and chaotic. By the time they finished, night had fallen. While the others cleaned up, Li Zhi was pulled aside by Yan Feishu into the garden—clearly, he wasn’t giving up on convincing her to join Peacock.

Chi Yi rolled her eyes at his retreating figure.

Han Wenlin couldn’t resist asking, "Yi-jie, why do you dislike him so much?"

He didn’t think Yan Feishu was that bad. After all, he was ranked seventh on the leaderboard—a top-tier player who had won over countless fans with his charisma. How could he fail to win over the "Nation’s First Love"?

Chi Yi huffed. "It’s not that I dislike him. I dislike anyone ranked above Zhi-jie! What gives them the right to try and recruit her as their lackey?"

Han Wenlin: Ah. A hardcore stan.

The garden behind the villa had been replanted with flowers, but with winter approaching, the growth was lackluster, looking wilted under the night sky. Yan Feishu sat on the swing, rocking back and forth, and clicked his tongue. "You guys really know how to live. I should get one of these when I go back."

Li Zhi leaned against the swing’s frame, arms crossed. "What kind of trouble is Peacock in?"

Yan Feishu lowered his head, still swinging, then suddenly chuckled. "Sometimes, I really think people like you are terrifying."

Li Zhi smiled. "You’re not so bad yourself."

Yan Feishu planted his feet on the ground, stopping the swing, and turned to look at her. His usual carefree expression was uncharacteristically serious. "We are in some trouble. Tianwen has been poaching a lot of our business. A few days ago, their people killed a client we were escorting in a dungeon."

Professional dungeon-running organizations like theirs didn’t just retrieve items for clients—they also escorted thrill-seekers who wanted to experience dungeons firsthand. These jobs paid much better but required absolute safety guarantees. They typically used at least two team cards, assigning five high-level players to protect the client.

Li Zhi was familiar with Tianwen—another top-tier dungeon-running organization in the country and Peacock’s direct competitor.

Yan Feishu cursed under his breath. "Those bastards have no shame. They let our players go but killed the client. The client was the youngest son of a foreign business tycoon. Now the family’s demanding my head in return."

Li Zhi burst out laughing. "Your head?"

Yan Feishu gave her a wounded look. "Could you at least pretend to sympathize? How can you laugh at this?" He paused, then exploded. "I’m pissed too! It’s not like I killed him! Why the hell should I take the blame? These foreigners have no sense of fairness!"

Li Zhi stifled her laughter. "Don’t they know who the real killer is? Why target you instead?"

Yan Feishu’s expression darkened. "Tianwen didn’t do it directly. They used tricks, and at the critical moment, they activated a signal jammer. We don’t have concrete evidence. The family’s stance is clear—Tianwen, who killed their son, has to pay, and so does the 'bodyguard'—meaning me."

Li Zhi nodded. "That is unreasonable. So, what do you want from me?"

Yan Feishu turned serious again, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Those foreigners don’t scare me. They don’t have what it takes to kill me. But Tianwen screwed us over, and I have to make them pay."

He met Li Zhi’s gaze. "I’ve always admired you—that’s not just lip service. I’ve been watching you since your first dungeon. I know tenth place is just a stepping stone for you. You’ll break into the top three sooner or later. Right now, Peacock only has one top-ten player—me. But Tianwen has two."

This was insider information. Li Zhi asked curiously, "Which two?"

Yan Feishu said, "Hou Shao and Shu Xinglan."

Ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. No wonder—both were above Yan Feishu. With two top players working together, the effect was greater than the sum of its parts. It made sense that Tianwen was gradually overtaking Peacock.

Li Zhi asked, "Why not go to Xie Qiong, ranked second? His influence far surpasses mine."

Yan Feishu scoffed. "Xie Qiong is a lone wolf. Anyone who tries to recruit him gets shut down. Besides, I think you’ll surpass him sooner or later." He winked at her. "Consider this an early investment."

Li Zhi chuckled, then said slowly, "If you really wanted to invest early, you should’ve come to me a long time ago."

The fact that he only approached her after she entered the top ten proved that the top ten were the minimum requirement to enter their circle.

Caught red-handed, Yan Feishu scratched his head awkwardly. "You smart people are really..." He straightened. "I’m serious about inviting you to join Peacock. What I said earlier about giving you the top position wasn’t a joke. If you’re willing to join, from now on, you and I will be equals at Peacock."

Li Zhi shook her head. "I won’t join you." She paused. "But I’m open to collaboration."

Yan Feishu: "What kind of collaboration?"

Li Zhi: "I can help you escort clients. If Tianwen targets your people, I’ll step in."

She would help, but she wouldn’t actively go after Tianwen. She had always respected life, and Yan Feishu knew that.

Yan Feishu fell silent for a moment, then looked at her in confusion. "Honestly, I don’t understand why you’re refusing. Given the current climate, joining us would be the safer, better choice—for you and your friends."

He added, "I don’t think you realize how the outside world sees you. Countless people want to curry favor with you, and just as many want you dead. Do you really think this—"

He jerked a thumb toward the villa. "—this flimsy little house can protect you? If I could track down your address so easily, others can too. Things are only going to get worse. Without a strong backing, I don’t think you can survive on your own."

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Who said I don’t have backing?"

Yan Feishu froze. "You have an organization? Which one?"

Li Zhi smiled. "Thanks for your concern, but my support system is far stronger than you think. The reason I won’t join you is that our beliefs are fundamentally opposed. We’re not the same kind of people."

Yan Feishu studied her for a long moment before asking, "What’s your condition?"

If they weren’t the same kind of people, why agree to collaborate? Did Peacock have something she wanted?

Li Zhi’s gaze was steady. "There’s something I need to do in the future. When the time comes, I hope you’ll help me."

Yan Feishu: "What is it?"

Li Zhi smiled. "I can’t tell you yet. But it won’t endanger anyone’s life, and it won’t violate morality or the law."

Yan Feishu: "..." He scowled. "This is no different from Zhao Min making Zhang Wuji promise her three favors!"

Li Zhi grinned. "There is a difference. I would never force you to marry me."

Yan Feishu: "..." After a long silence, he asked, "Does this have to do with the 'beliefs' you mentioned?"

Li Zhi nodded. "Yes."

Under the night sky, Yan Feishu’s expression shifted several times. Li Zhi remained calm throughout.

She seemed to be telling him that whether he agreed or not, whether he helped or not, she would do what she had planned—and she was confident she would succeed.

Now was the time for Yan Feishu to make his investment.

Finally, Yan Feishu made up his mind. "Fine. I accept."

Li Zhi extended her hand. "Pleasure doing business."

Yan Feishu shook it, then asked, "Should we draw up a contract or something?"

"No need. I trust your integrity." Li Zhi’s eyes sparkled with amusement, her voice warm. "And I trust you won’t gamble Peacock’s survival by breaking our agreement. Right?"

Yan Feishu sucked in a breath. "Was that a threat? If I break my word, you’ll destroy Peacock?"

Li Zhi patted his shoulder cheerfully. "I would never."

Yan Feishu shuddered.