Chapter Sixty: Peeping, Counter-Peeping

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“Huff… huff… huff~!”

The boxing classroom was so quiet that one could hear the pounding of their own heart, accompanied only by the heavy breathing of a man.

Wang Zheng stared at the punching bag he had just torn through, slowly withdrawing his fist. Why was venting so difficult? Hit a person hard enough and they would drop. Hit a bag and the bag would break. The old frustration hadn't been expelled, and now new irritation piled on top. If things continued like this, he would suffocate in his own gloom here today.

With a dull thud, Wang Zheng dropped to his knees, suddenly raised his right fist, and slammed it fiercely against the floor.

Bang! The thunderous sound echoed throughout the boxing classroom. Wang Zheng drew back his fist and sprawled out on the floor, the stinging pain radiating from his knuckles reminding him he was still alive, still possessed a soul and desire—not merely a walking corpse.

The chill of the floor cleared his mind. After several minutes, Wang Zheng rose, wiped the sweat from his body with a towel, and strode out of the boxing classroom. Sorrow was not a performance but a mood; it was best not to show it.

At the doorway, a crowd of women had gathered, their eyes fixed intently on Wang Zheng, filled with an inexplicable longing. Even as he approached, they remained rooted to the spot, watching this man whose gaze carried indifference and a mysterious sadness.

His path was blocked. Raising his head to push his way through, Wang Zheng saw an array of beautiful women in tight, athletic wear—dominant ladies, mature women, married beauties, queens, bespectacled ones, and even those with subtle sapphic airs. What were they planning? Recently, Wang Zheng had been cautious in all his dealings, not only avoiding any violation of the United Nations’ Women’s Rights Protection Charter, but also creating many employment opportunities for them. He was the UN-recommended good man, the designated product for International Women’s Day, certified by the GF International Quality and Service System—yet why were these women so intent on watching him?

Their gazes were unsettling. What if they demanded his virtue? With so many women, wouldn’t they drain him dry? Well, he was already despondent; might as well let them have him. Alas, he had no choice—such was the fate of a lonely man.

“Ladies, please make way. If you haven’t had your fill, you can head to the men’s bath—I’ll wait for you there. Time is limited, first come, first served, the more the merrier. This offer is valid for twenty-four hours, after that it’s void!” Wang Zheng announced loudly to the women before him. A pitiable vendor selling goods that brought women joy—nothing more.

At his words, the women snapped out of their daze, their cheeks flushing red as if they’d wandered into a tomato garden, not only witnessing an alluring spectacle but catching a whiff of something intoxicating.

The gym really was a wonderful place—soothing to the mind. It seemed worthwhile to visit more often in the future.

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He went to the shower and rinsed off quickly… If only this were a co-ed bath, it would be perfect. But reality proved that, despite women’s rising status, their courage hadn’t increased much; not a single woman entered while Wang Zheng bathed, making his earlier bravado pointless. He emerged, changed clothes from his bag, completed the transformation from machine to human. Glancing in the mirror—he looked like a real person!

For a machine to hide and survive in human society, what a daunting task!

Standing outside the gym, Wang Zheng stretched his arms and yawned, feeling much better—his sweat had not been shed in vain.

It was a five-minute walk from the gym to Building No. 5 where Wang Zheng lived. Today, though walking alone, he didn’t feel lonely. He could sense someone following him—more than one, in fact. The clicking of high heels on the pavement, and the occasional whisper, made it easy for Wang Zheng to guess their identity—women, and a group of them!

Here, over ninety percent of the women were single, beautiful, pursued by admirers from every industry and social stratum in Jinghua City. Privileged, they weren’t chasing after rich men, but searching for a fairy-tale romance. In this era where monks outnumber princes, they preferred quality over quantity. But once they set their sights on someone, they became wild horses, impossible to rein in. Independent, self-reliant, and confident, they didn’t see obstacles—they only made their quest for love more dramatic, more perfect.

Wang Zheng whistled as he walked home, his mood improved—at least he had something to distract from his pain. The feeling of being followed by women—exhilarating!

From seven fifteen onward, Unit Two, fourth floor of Building No. 5, had become the target for all the single women, even written into their unofficial charter.

When Wang Zheng arrived home, Su Xue and Chu Jun had not returned; the house remained bleak and desolate. It really was better to have a woman at home to relieve one’s boredom. Give me a girl and I could create a nation—then I wouldn’t be so miserable and forlorn.

Clearly, he needed to speed things up on that front.

Wang Zheng went to the balcony, opened the window, and leaned his arms on the sill, scanning the building opposite with hawk-like vision. He remembered a few days ago a woman had changed clothes by the window without drawing the curtains—would he be lucky enough to witness such a scene again today?

Perhaps because this was a famous beauty enclave, not only were there many women, but most were single. If you weren’t lucky, you might not encounter a single man in days. This had led the women to drop their guard—changing without closing the curtains, bathing without wrapping in towels, wearing lingerie or sometimes walking about in nothing at all… There was no “most daring,” only “more daring.” No “most revealing,” only “more revealing.”

“Hm?” Wang Zheng frowned slightly; the fifth floor across the way caught his attention.

It was just past seven, not yet dark—why were the curtains drawn so early? When did the women of this complex become so cautious? If that was all that caught his eye, Wang Zheng would be too bored—there were plenty of other windows without curtains waiting for him.

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No lights on inside, sleeping so early was suspicious. If there was no one, why were the curtains drawn?

The curtain stirred slightly.

Peeping? Wang Zheng was startled—could the resident opposite on the fifth floor be a man?

Damn it, if you want to look, do it openly like me, leaning right out on the sill. Why hide behind the curtain? What a shady character. Wang Zheng was determined to defend the honor of the women against such despicable, shameless types.

He spun and went to the bedroom, rummaging through the drawer beneath the wardrobe, finally pulling out a black box from the gap between the drawer and the wardrobe—a box containing the binoculars Su Xue had searched for endlessly but never found! Wang Zheng did not go to the balcony off the living room—too exposed. A good voyeur always possessed extraordinary observation skills, lest all the “effort” spent before the key moment be wasted. After all, eye drops cost money, and he didn’t want it spent in vain.

Wang Zheng hid at one end of the bedroom window, camouflaged by the curtain, raised the binoculars, and focused on the fifth floor window opposite… Did the curtain really block his view?

Just as he expected, through the gap in the curtain, a cylindrical lens was peering out. Behind it, hidden tightly by the curtain, not a single crack could be seen. Judging by these details, Wang Zheng realized the other was a seasoned voyeur.

Or… perhaps the person was targeting Wang Zheng himself—in that case, it could well be someone from the organization.

Wang Zheng glared at the fifth floor opposite, thinking they could live their own lives without interfering. Who would have thought, just after Bai Bing had left, another wave of people came to surveil him—his mood soured once more. He clipped the binoculars to his waist, slipped on his shoes, and stormed out.

“Damn it, surveilling me, drawing the curtains—I'll catch you all the same!”