High-Altitude Crisis

Wen Xingcheng and Pei Yihan checked into the city’s finest hotel to recover from their jet lag.

Ji Fengjing booked a room at a hotel right next door. There was no helping it; although his unit would cover expenses, the hotel where Brother Dong and his crew were staying was simply too exorbitant. Ji Fengjing could only opt for the one across the street. He comforted himself with the thought that he probably wouldn’t have much time to sleep anyway.

Before checking in, he meticulously scouted the perimeter and interior of Wen Xingcheng’s hotel. Once he was certain everything was secure, he finally returned to his own room.

Ji Fengjing stood in front of the bathroom mirror, inspecting his reflection. He squeezed his own biceps, then looked down at his legs.

“Scrawny arms and legs?” Did his arms and legs really look small? Did he look that incapable of providing a sense of security?

Or could it be that Pei Yihan—who looked completely slender and lightweight—was actually a hidden martial arts master? Come to think of it, Pei Yihan was Brother Dong’s cousin, and his family background was clearly well-off. Some wealthy families, out of concern for their children’s personal safety, would enroll them in Taekwondo or combat training from a very young age.

At this thought, Ji Fengjing pulled out his phone and fired off a WeChat message to Pei Yihan.

【 Ji Fengjing: Let’s find an opportunity to spar sometime. 】

Pei Yihan was clearly messing around on his phone, as he replied instantly.

【 Pei Yihan: Spar what? [Confused_Cat_1.JPG] 】 【 Pei Yihan: Are we practicing a new hero?! 】 【 Pei Yihan: Come on, come on! I can’t sleep right now anyway, let’s practice right now! 】

【 Ji Fengjing: Not the game. 】 【 Ji Fengjing: A real-life match. Just a friendly spar to exchange a few blows. 】

Reading this message, Pei Yihan was utterly bewildered. What was wrong with this guy? Why did he suddenly want to throw hands in real life? Just because he hadn’t carried him in the rankings today?! Was it really that serious?!

Before he could complain, another message from Ji Fengjing popped up.

【 Ji Fengjing: Brother Dong said you’re highly capable. 】

Pei Yihan: “…?” My cousin actually praised me for being capable? Fake news, right?!

Even so, having rarely received praise from his cousin, he couldn’t stop his little tail from wagging high in the air.

【 Pei Yihan: Well, since you’ve already found out… 】 【 Pei Yihan: [Cool] 】 【 Pei Yihan: Then let’s trade a few moves when we get back! 】

With the appointment set, Ji Fengjing put away his phone with satisfaction, intending to head over to Wen Xingcheng’s hotel to stand guard. He knew that after his body’s mutation, his physical constitution was entirely unique.

When he sparred with Pei Yihan, he would make sure to suppress his abilities. His sole purpose was simply to put on a demonstration in front of Brother Dong so the actor would know he was perfectly qualified to be a bodyguard.

The film awards ceremony was scheduled for the following day. On the first day, the nominated films would be screened across various major exhibition halls before the formal awards took place.

The movie Wen Xingcheng had filmed last year, The Master Behind the Scenes, was one of the nominees.

The host venue was located inside the city’s most renowned commercial skyscraper. It was rumored that the organizers had rented out the entire building. The skyscraper stood eighty-eight stories tall, consolidating business, shopping, dining, and luxury recreation all within one massive complex.

Most of the celebrities arriving from all corners of the globe for the event chose to stay inside this very building.

The topmost floor housed a sky restaurant. This wasn’t Pei Yihan’s first time dining there, so he had booked a table well in advance.

“I missed the lobster here so much. I’ve been craving it ever since I ate it that one time. I’m definitely going to devour five of them later!” While waiting for the elevator, Pei Yihan was already salivating.

Wen Xingcheng replied flatly, “People with weak stomachs should practice moderation with everything they eat.”

Pei Yihan huffed. “My stomach is a bottomless pit!”

“Boss.” At that moment, one of the bodyguards suddenly stepped forward, lowering his voice right next to Wen Xingcheng’s ear. “Someone has been tracking us from the shadows.”

Wen Xingcheng’s expression remained entirely unchanged. He didn’t even turn his head, merely asking in a calm voice, “Did you get a clear look?”

The bodyguard replied, “We didn’t spot the exact person, but someone is definitely there.”

As former mercenaries, they were exceptionally sensitive to their surroundings. They could acutely sense that someone was covertly monitoring them from the dark. However, the target was perfectly camouflaged, preventing them from pinpointing the source.

Wen Xingcheng offered a flat “Mhm” before raising his eyes to scan the area.

Many of the people bustling through the grand lobby were major stars frequently seen on television. Some were well-acquainted with Wen Xingcheng and even smiled or nodded in greeting upon catching his gaze.

Wen Xingcheng saw nothing suspicious. Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, his eyes paused slightly, landing on a man sitting on a sofa in the lobby, reading a newspaper.

The man was sitting with his back toward them. He was tall, and even while seated, his posture was rigidly straight. It seemed an ingrained habit forced him to sit as though he were standing at military attention, his lean silhouette exceptionally upright and commanding.

Wen Xingcheng stared at that back. Then, his dark brows arched slightly, and an imperceptible curve surfaced at the corner of his lips.

Ji Fengjing.

Wen Xingcheng didn’t quite know what to make of his own emotions at this moment; a surge of inexplicable delight washed over him. He really did stealthily follow me here again.

Yet, he felt absolutely no aversion toward this sasaeng fan-like behavior. Instead, he actually tasted a hint of sweetness.

Honestly… he can’t bear to leave my side for even a single moment.

“Brother Dong, the elevator is here.”

Right then, the elevator arrived with a sharp ding.

The massive skyscraper featured over a dozen elevators. Since every celebrity traveled with their own entourage and security details, there was no crowding or fighting over the lifts.

Wen Xingcheng stole another glance at Ji Fengjing’s back. The upward tilt of his thin lips was impossible to suppress. Looking at the other man’s carefully concealed, “slender” frame, Wen Xingcheng couldn’t bring himself to expose his cover.

Whipping out his phone, Wen Xingcheng stepped into the elevator, fully intending to strike up a conversation with Ji Fengjing on WeChat.

Ji Fengjing waited until Wen Xingcheng and his crew entered the elevator before he casually turned around.

Naturally, he had noticed that the two bodyguards beside Brother Dong had sensed his presence. In fact, he had intentionally let them spot him just to keep them on high alert.

Ji Fengjing stood up, stretching his long legs as he walked over to wait by the elevator bank Wen Xingcheng had just used. He watched the digital floor indicator ascend, knowing they were heading to the sky restaurant on the 88th floor. Entry required a reservation, so he could only choose to wait on the floor directly beneath it.

As the elevator continued its rapid ascent, Ji Fengjing’s acute hearing suddenly caught a sharp, crackling hiss of electrical current.

The lobby lights flickered once before returning to normal. No one in the hall thought anything of it, but Ji Fengjing’s face instantly paled.

Through his heightened senses, he discovered that the elevator—which had already reached past the 70th floor—was suddenly plunging downward at a terrifying velocity!

Inside the elevator car.

Wen Xingcheng was carefully deliberating his words to text Ji Fengjing. Before the message could even be sent, the elevator shuddered violently and began to drop at terminal velocity!

The overhead lights flickered frantically twice before sputtering out completely, plunging the elevator into absolute pitch darkness.

Pei Yihan gasped in panic, “What’s happening?! Why did the power suddenly cut out?!”

As the elevator went into a freefall, the terrifying weightlessness of the drop gripped their hearts. “Cousin! The elevator is falling!!”

The skyscraper was 88 stories tall, and they had already ascended to the 76th floor. With the elevator plunging, it meant they were dropping from a height of the 76th floor! This was a drop of nearly several hundred meters in the air!

“Cousin!” Pei Yihan was scared out of his wits, frantically reaching out to grab onto Wen Xingcheng. But because the elevator was completely dark, he didn’t realize he had actually latched onto one of the bodyguards instead.

“Young Master Pei, please do not panic. The building is equipped with backup generators and emergency motors,” one of the bodyguards immediately spoke up to soothe him.

The other bodyguard chimed in, “Modern elevator shafts are equipped with decelerating air cushions at the base, the cables have braking buffers, and there is an internal air circulation system. We won’t suffocate.”

However, the words had barely left the bodyguard’s mouth when the elevator’s air circulation system suddenly ground to a halt.

“Damn it,” the first bodyguard’s voice finally spiked with genuine panic. “The circulation system has been manually shut down.”

But that wasn’t the worst part. What truly terrified the bodyguards was the realization that if the enemy had the access to sabotage the circulation system, they had likely tampered with the safety air cushions at the bottom of the shaft as well!

Plunging from such a height meant absolute, certain death!