When Zhou Ruo An got into the luxury car, nearly half the people in the urban village came out to watch.
The road was already narrow, and with so many people crowding it, the car could only slow down, inching forward over the uneven surface.
Zhou Ruo An looked out through the window. Some gazed with envy, some with jealousy, and some raised their pinkies in disdain—like the hair salon owner wearing a fox-fur coat.
For the first time, Zhou Ruo An realized that even this dull, gray place could produce such exquisitely varied expressions. Tasting the pleasure of being envied for the first time, he rubbed the coin between his fingers, watching with interest.
Perhaps he was too absorbed in it, because a soft cough sounded beside him.
Seated next to him was a servant of the Zhou family, a man in his fifties wearing a peaked-lapel suit. Though called a housekeeper, he carried himself with even more authority than Bai Jiu.
The Zhou family’s attitude toward Zhou Ruo An was clear from the fact that they had only sent a single servant to bring him home.
They didn’t care—but Zhou Ruo An didn’t mind either. As Old Man Ding used to say, once you’ve grabbed hold of the ladder, you climb it step by step.
At the hinting cough, Zhou Ruo An withdrew his gaze. Leaning back into the genuine leather seat, he lowered his eyelids—and in that posture, he even seemed to carry a trace of refined nobility…
After leaving the urban village, there was a stretch of willow trees by the roadside. The thickest one had been struck by lightning, standing charred and black.
Beneath the old willow was parked a plain commuter car. A buzz-cut young man leaned casually against it, while Bai Ban, with the same haircut, squatted at his feet.
The luxury car had already picked up speed. Its wheels swept up the fresh snow as it passed the commuter car in an instant.
In that fleeting moment, the gazes from inside and outside the car met. Both pairs of eyes were calm, without much ripple—yet they lingered, stretched taut, until they were forcibly torn apart.
“Do you know him?” the housekeeper asked.
Zhou Ruo An turned his head back and replied with a smile, “No.”
The phone in his hand vibrated lightly. As soon as he unlocked it, a message popped up.
“Zhou Ruo An, be careful in everything.”
Above that line was a message Lin Yi had sent half a month earlier: The plan is in motion. The nurse drawing blood will replace your sample with Zhang Jin’s.
Sitting in the car, the young man read the words “be careful in everything” several times. Then he cleared the entire chat history and turned off the screen.
He lifted his gaze and looked ahead at the road—a desolate stretch connecting two worlds. It was still blanketed in snow, weeds growing thick along its sides. Yet now, it seemed like the only path forward—not a smooth road, but not a dead end either. Once you crossed it, who was to say you couldn’t overturn everything?
Night fell. In the city’s liveliest bar, the surging waves of music had already become pure noise.
Lin Yi sat in a corner wearing noise-canceling earplugs, his gaze sweeping faintly across the entire room before dropping back down to the phone in his hand.
In his pinned WeChat conversation, messages of varying lengths were lined up neatly, like piano keys, glowing green.
He lowered his eyes, staring at the screen for a while, then sent another message—short, consisting mostly of insults directed at the other party’s ancestors.
Even after the screen dimmed and went dark, no reply came. Lin Yi seemed to have expected this outcome; without expression, he put away his phone. As he looked up, he saw the VIP room floor manager rushing toward him in a panic.
“Something’s wrong—Bai Ban got beaten up,” the manager shouted over the deafening music. “They’re saying he stole something. Go take a look.”
After following Bai Jiu, Lin Yi had been assigned to watch over this bar, in which Bai Jiu held shares. Besides handling disputes, Lin Yi effectively acted as half the bar’s manager. In the month he had worked there, Bai Jiu had rewarded him twice with cigarettes—like tossing a couple of bones into a bowl, then patting his head and calling him a “good dog.”
Where Lin Yi was, Bai Ban naturally followed. Bai Ban was eighteen this year, and had been stealing for over ten years. From the age of five or six to fifteen or sixteen, he was either stealing or thinking about how to steal. Only after following Lin Yi did he quit that line of work—though it was merely trading one crooked path for another.
Hearing that Bai Ban had gotten into trouble, Lin Yi frowned slightly. Removing his earplugs, he asked, “Where is he now?”
“They dragged him into a private room. The other party has a big background—I went in to apologize, but they wouldn’t even acknowledge me.”
Stepping past the manager, Lin Yi entered the dance floor, weaving through swaying bodies as he asked, “Who are they?”
“The Zhou family—members from the third branch.”
Lin Yi halted mid-step and turned his head. “Who?”
“The Zhou family from Shengkai Foreign Trade, the third branch.”
The dance floor was chaotic—someone, eyes closed and swaying wildly, bumped into Lin Yi’s shoulder. It was nothing unusual; in such a cramped space packed with over a hundred people, collisions were inevitable. But the manager saw something rare—Lin Yi, who usually avoided unnecessary violence, grabbed the man’s head mid-spasm and shoved him aside with a cold, expressionless force.
Zhou Ruo An sat on the sofa in the private room, not even glancing at Bai Ban, who was curled up in the corner.
He lit cigarettes and poured drinks for those around him. When he sang, the melody was off and every line went astray, drawing quiet laughter from everyone in the room.
Bai Ban spat and muttered under his breath, “When did you ever sing off-key before? Fuck, you’re born to be a dog—change your skin and you’re still begging with a bowl.”
A tall bodyguard planted a foot on Bai Ban’s face. “Who the hell are you muttering about?”
Bai Ban glared but said nothing. The sole of the shoe pressed down harder, until broken cries finally slipped out.
Zhou Ruo An continued pouring alcohol. The amber liquor flowed steadily over a sphere of ice amid the cries. He pushed the glass forward and said with a smile, “Big brother, have a taste of the drink I mixed.”
The hand reaching for the glass paused slightly as the private room door was pushed open. The floor manager who had left earlier returned, bending slightly with a fawning smile. “Gentlemen, this is the head of our bar’s security department. He’s here to apologize to you all.”
Seven or eight people in the room—some standing, some seated—turned their attention to the tall man beside the manager.
Only Zhou Ruo An didn’t look up. He watched as that pair of black leather shoes approached, then slowly poured him a drink.
Lin Yi was usually a man of few words, but when he did speak, he was precise and measured. After offering a few polite, impeccable pleasantries, he walked over to Bai Ban and asked, “What did you steal?”
The face beneath the leather shoe was twisted with fury. “The diamond cufflink was something I picked up—I didn’t steal it!”
“Can’t you check the surveillance footage?” Lin Yi asked the floor manager.
The manager stepped closer, looking troubled. “It happened in the restroom—there’s no surveillance there.”
On the bar counter lay a diamond cufflink, its brilliance made even more striking against the dark marble surface.
The hand that had paused midway earlier finally picked up the glass and brought it to his lips with a faint smile. His voice was light and sparse, laced with undisguised contempt. “You think I’d wrongly accuse him?”
The man speaking was Zhou Bin, the eldest son of the Zhou family’s third branch. Tall and well-presented, he took a sip of his drink and raised his brows slightly. “Fourth brother, your drink mixing isn’t bad. Didn’t expect you had that skill.”
“Just threw it together. Big brother, you flatter me.”
Bai Ban spat again, the shoe print on his face deepening further.
Lin Yi took a bottle of liquor from the manager’s hands and bent slightly as he presented it to Zhou Bin. “Boss Zhou, it was my negligence—I failed to discipline my subordinate. Please be magnanimous and spare him this once. This bottle is a fine vintage—if you don’t mind, please accept it as my apology.”
The bottle hung in the air for a long moment before Zhou Bin spoke lightly, “Fourth brother, do you think this matter should be forgiven?”
Zhou Ruo An, who had not lifted his gaze until now, curved his eyes into a gentle arc. He looked exceedingly obedient, like a pet dog wagging its tail. “I’ll follow big brother’s decision.”
“Zhou Ruo—mmph—” Bai Ban’s face turned blue with anger, then pale again under the pressure of the shoe. His fingers clawed at the floor as he glared viciously at Zhou Ruo An.
Hearing the muffled cry, Zhou Bin grew interested and leaned closer to Zhou Ruo An. “What is it, fourth brother? You know this thief?”
Zhou Ruo An pulled a cigarette from the pack and held it between his fingers, replying without hesitation, “I don’t know him.”
“And this one?” Zhou Bin’s finger traced upward along the line of black leather shoes, pointing at Lin Yi. “You don’t know him either?”
Zhou Ruo An lit his cigarette before slowly lifting his eyes. Lin Yi’s steady, composed face entered his view. He watched for a moment, then exhaled a slow stream of smoke.
“He looks a bit familiar, but I don’t know him.”
“Don’t know him? You’re all from the same place—what was it called… the shantytown…”
“The urban village,” someone supplied.
The speaker had slightly curled, shoulder-length hair—it was Zhou Zhe, the second son of the Zhou family’s third branch.
He had been watching the scene all along and only now spoke. “It’s normal that fourth brother doesn’t know them. After all, they weren’t on the same path before.”
One loading the gun, the other firing the shot—Zhou Bin leaned back broadly, crossing his legs. “True. After all, robbery and fraud are still different things.”
“Big brother, don’t put it that way.” Zhou Zhe, dressed in rough cloth worth tens of thousands and fingering a string of prayer beads, spoke with a tone faintly resembling Buddhist calm. “Fourth brother had no one looking out for him before—he didn’t have it easy.”
“Fourth brother didn’t have it easy—but did I have it easy?” Zhou Bin tugged at his suit sleeve. “I had to scrimp and save just to buy a diamond cufflink for appearances, and today it almost got stolen.”
That was pure nonsense. The manager standing behind Lin Yi rolled his eyes—anyone sitting in a private room that cost eighty-eight thousand at minimum wasn’t about to cry poor over a cufflink.
“Let it be a light punishment as a warning, big brother,” Zhou Zhe said slowly. His voice sounded out of place in this filthy, chaotic environment—but upon closer listening, it wasn’t all that different after all.
Zhou Bin glanced at the bottle Lin Yi was still holding. “Good wine. I’ll take it. Let’s call it here for today. Head of security, is it? I’ll toast you.”
He raised his own glass—but did not offer one to Lin Yi. The liquor slid slowly down his throat. Zhou Bin tipped his glass to show it empty. “I’ve finished mine. Now it’s your turn.”
The moment his words fell, someone stepped up beside Lin Yi, grabbed the bottle he had been holding, lifted it high—and smashed it down hard onto Lin Yi’s head!
The bottle shattered instantly, shards flying in all directions. Wine mixed with blood soaked half of Lin Yi’s body, and the private room was suddenly filled with the thick scent of alcohol.
Zhou Ruo An kept his eyes on the giant screen where lyrics scrolled past. The shifting light was harsh—his eyes tensed slightly as he slowly brought the cigarette to his lips.
“Fuck your mother!” Bai Ban exploded in rage. He shoved the person pinning him down aside and rushed forward as if ready to fight to the death, only to be grabbed by Lin Yi and dragged back behind him. “Lu Yao, shut up!”
Blood covered half of Lin Yi’s vision. He grabbed a few napkins from the bar and wiped his face, then said respectfully, “Thank you, Boss, for the drink. Can we leave now?”
“Don’t rush—good things come in pairs.” Zhou Bin leaned toward Zhou Ruo An and asked, “He’s really not your friend? If he is, we can forget the second round.”
Zhou Ruo An took the cigarette from his lips and tapped off the ash—only to realize it had already fallen into the glass.
“There are thousands of people in the urban village. Not everyone becomes a friend. I’ve seen him around, maybe exchanged greetings.”
“So not a friend, then?”
Zhou Ruo An smiled and nodded. “No. Not a friend.”
“Zhou—!” Bai Ban’s face was suddenly covered by a large hand and shoved back violently. Then Lin Yi picked up another bottle from the bar, curling his lips slightly as he looked at Zhou Bin. “Boss, I’ll drink this one myself.”
Before anyone could react, he swung the bottle backward and smashed it against his own head. When his other eye was also smeared with blood, he asked again, “Boss, can we leave now?”
The prayer beads in Zhou Zhe’s hand rattled softly as he murmured, “Amitabha.” Through the blood, Zhou Bin caught the cold glint in Lin Yi’s eyes. After a brief consideration, he relented. “Next time, discipline your subordinate properly. If there’s a next time, you won’t get off this easily.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Boss Zhou.”
Lin Yi turned and left with Bai Ban. As the private room door closed, Zhou Ruo An once again put on a smile. “Enough drinking—let’s sing.”
One of Zhou Bin’s bodyguards, needing to relieve himself, hurried into the restroom. As the water ran its course, he stamped his heel lightly against the floor, a shiver running through him as relief set in.
After washing his hands, he lit a cigarette and leaned against the sink, exhaling smoke lazily.
The men and women’s restrooms were separated by a single wall, sharing a lavish common wash area.
The sharp click of high heels echoed across the marble floor, approaching from a distance before turning into the restroom.
A beautiful woman wore red earphones, each graceful step she took seeming to land upon smooth musical notes.
The washroom was empty, yet she deliberately squeezed in beside the bodyguard to wash her hands. Turning off the water, her damp fingertips brushed through her flowing hair.
As she turned, she revealed the elegant curve of her back.
“Sir, could you help me pull up my zipper?”
Her hair was gently swept aside, offering the bodyguard an enticing view.
With a cigarette between his lips, he glanced at her sidelong. “The young master just picked you.”
The woman lowered her earphones to hang around her neck, tilting her head slightly. “But he’s chosen someone else now.”
Her graceful back leaned against him, nearly melting into his embrace. “You looked so handsome just now when you smashed that bottle,” she murmured. “Honestly, even though I was in your young master’s arms at the time…” She brushed her cheek lightly against his lips, her breath warm and fragrant, “…my body softened for you.”
A hand suddenly clasped her slender waist. The bodyguard lowered himself slightly, pressing his lips against hers. “So you came here to tease me?”
Like a snake, the woman slipped into his arms, slowly placing the earphones over his ears. “Yes… I want you to listen to my favorite symphony while you have your way with me.”
The bodyguard lifted her up and kissed her fiercely.
That night, Zhou Bin’s bodyguard ended up in a restroom stall with the escort his master had ordered. In the midst of it, Zhou Bin himself came in and caught them red-handed.
Zhou Ruo An happened to be there as well.
“Big brother, is this our family’s rule?” he asked with a troubled expression. “Women can be shared with bodyguards? Then maybe I shouldn’t have one in the future.”
Zhou Bin’s brows tightened. He kicked the bodyguard hard in the chest. “Every time I’m with a woman, have you already stripped her naked in your head?”
Before being dismissed, the bodyguard was thoroughly beaten. When everything settled, only the bruised and battered man remained sitting in the cramped stall.
Someone returned.
Holding a bottle of foreign liquor, Zhou Ruo An walked in unsteadily and pushed open the stall door.
“Brother, sorry about that. The young master asked me to offer you a drink.”
Zhou Ruo An suddenly raised the bottle—and smashed it down hard…
Throwing aside the broken bottle, Zhou Ruo An took out his phone as he walked and transferred money, muttering under his breath, “Damn… this is the most expensive setup I’ve ever pulled.”
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Futile Devices Scans 
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