Has a thief broken into the house?

"Two hundred kilograms on a dumbbell! Are you sure you didn't see it wrong? Did you try to lift it?" The young man's brows furrowed slightly, seeking confirmation once more.

"I tried a few times! I used all my strength but it wouldn't budge—it must really be two hundred kilos." The crew-cut bodyguard nodded hastily.

The young man's expression finally changed, his hand leaving his chin as he extended a finger and began tapping lightly on the desk in the adjacent room, clearly deep in thought.

"Two hundred kilos, and it's a single-handed dumbbell! With that kind of weight, even if my master came, using both internal and external strength together, he might not be able to lift it with one hand."

"Is this person treating a dumbbell like a two-handed barbell?"

"If someone can raise that with one hand, imagine the force of a blow like that landing on a person..."

"I've never heard of such a terrifying expert in this area before! Once I return, I'll have to ask some people about it." The young man tapped the desk, thoughts racing, before suddenly leaping up from his seat and instructing the crew-cut bodyguard, "Pack up! We're leaving tonight!"

"Ah? Boss, you mean right now?" The bodyguard was startled; they'd only just settled in a few hours ago and were preparing to rest for the night.

"Yes, right now! Move quickly. Contact a few cars to come. Once we reach the county, we'll switch vehicles and drive straight to the Metropolis. If we hurry, it's only seven or eight hours by car; we can sleep on the way and arrive before dawn. Leave the yacht here—have Xiao He stay in town for a few days, and after the typhoon passes, bring the yacht back." The young man's tone was grave, gone was the previous air of composure.

He had thought the neighbor—a self-trained martial artist—was just a coincidence. But now, confronted with such unfathomable martial skill, a chill crept into his heart, tinged with fear.

With an unpredictable and potentially hostile expert living next door, there was no way his father could sleep soundly—and neither could he.

After all, their family was wealthy and influential. While studying abroad, he had joined an overseas martial sect and lived for a long time with his life hanging by a thread, making many hidden enemies.

To eliminate risk, the family never traveled without bodyguards, always using a private yacht, never disclosing their route, and maintaining the highest level of security.

If Chen Jue knew about the young man's wild suspicions, he would surely pout and protest his innocence—he was nothing more than a harmless novice, after all!

Was all this caution really necessary?

But the thought patterns of the rich and powerful often diverged from those of ordinary people. Given the circles they moved in, it was only natural for them to complicate even simple matters.

Even knowing Chen Jue bore no ill will towards his family, the young man still insisted on leaving overnight, purely for the sake of their safety.

"Understood, boss! I’ll contact the cars right away!" The crew-cut bodyguard, sensing the urgency in his employer's tone, spoke quietly into the microphone at his collar, then hurried downstairs to set things in motion.

Soon, both villas—only just occupied—were abuzz with hurried activity.

The wealthy family, who had been enjoying their meal, immediately lost all interest in vacationing, seeing their eldest son so serious and anxious to return to the Metropolis. In less than fifteen minutes, they packed, changed clothes, and boarded several business vehicles summoned from the county, leaving the seaside fishing village in haste.

Chen Jue, meanwhile, had no idea that a dumbbell he’d brought for exercise had so thoroughly frightened the suspicious wealthy family next door, driving them to check out in the middle of the night.

At that moment, he was practicing his forms on a fishing boat at sea, spending over half an hour perfecting the first martial skill he’d learned.

Still feeling energetic, he carried a stone ball ashore, submerged himself underwater to practice Tai Chi stances for seven or eight minutes, then climbed back onto the beach.

Glancing at his skill progress, he saw both were stuck at (1999/2000). Deciding to rest for the night, he planned to brew a tonic stew with fish maw the next day and break through his stances in the villa, lest he deplete himself during the "siphon effect."

After putting the stone ball away, he wrapped himself in a towel and strolled leisurely along the path back to his villa.

Before he got close, he noticed his supposedly dark villa was fully lit, with a shadow moving about in an upstairs room.

"Who is that? Entering without a word?"

Puzzled, Chen Jue crept to the back door, eased it open, and peered inside. The living room lights were blazing, the main door wide open to the salty sea breeze that rattled the potted plants.

A quick glance at the coffee table and TV cabinet revealed his wallet and charging phone were missing. Just as he started upstairs to investigate, the landlady descended, carrying a bundle of dirty linens. Seeing Chen Jue in swim trunks, she called out with concern, "Oh! Jue, where’ve you been? Swimming at this hour? Hurry and put on some clothes before you catch a cold!"

"Auntie, it’s you! Where are my wallet and phone?" Chen Jue relaxed, recognizing her.

"I saw you weren’t home, so I put your wallet and phone in the bedside drawer in your room! Remember, when you’re away, always keep valuables safe!" she advised kindly.

"The rich family next door must’ve lost their minds—they checked out in the middle of the night after only a few hours. Now I have to clean everything at this hour! Since I had to change the sheets, I tidied up your room too—dusted upstairs, cleared out the empty rooms you haven’t used, because a typhoon’s coming the day after tomorrow and I won’t be able to clean then. Now you’ll have a fresh, comfortable place to stay."

She explained, grumbling a bit—it was the first time she’d encountered such eccentric guests! Ruining her peace in the middle of the night.

After dropping the dirty linens on the sofa, the landlady grabbed her broom, feather duster, and cloth, cleaning the living room and kitchen. Reaching the corner where the dumbbell lay, she paused in surprise, glanced at Chen Jue’s defined physique, and, recognizing it as his exercise equipment, dusted it off with the feather duster.

Appreciating her thoughtfulness, Chen Jue smiled, "Thank you, Auntie! I’ll go shower—just finished swimming and I’m a bit cold."

He went upstairs to check his drawer—sure enough, both phone and wallet were there, with money and documents untouched. All the clothes he’d left scattered were now neatly folded in the wardrobe, and the freshly changed sheets gave off a pleasant scent of laundry detergent.

On the rooftop, he glanced at the neighboring villa. The wealthy family who’d moved in that afternoon were now gone, bodyguards and all, just as the landlady had said.

"Forget it, not my concern. Time for a shower! The sea salt dries sticky and reeks," he muttered, still puzzled by the hasty departure.

Though signs of disturbance lingered in the villa, he assumed they were from the landlady’s cleaning, and thought nothing of it.

He had no inkling that his villa had been thoroughly searched inside and out, with even his ID information recorded.