The white pill was offered again. After a long moment, slender fingers finally picked it up and slowly brought it to his lips. He swallowed it with water. Setting the glass down, Zhou Ruo An smiled. “Thank you, Big Brother, for showing me the way.”
Zhou Ruo An was not someone who prized purity. He had long entertained the thought of “opening up”. The only reason he had never acted on it before was because Lin Yi stood as a comparison—Lin Yi disdained the women of nightclubs and the urban village, and Zhou Ruo An had felt that if he desired them, it would somehow place him beneath Lin Yi.
Now that he and Lin Yi had parted ways, those strange scruples no longer bound him. Still—he could not fall into Zhou Bin’s trap.
The pill rested beneath his tongue. Smiling, he added the woman beside him on WeChat. With his phone hidden in the shadows, he transferred twenty thousand.
Pulling her into his arms, their necks brushing, he whispered softly near her pale ear, “Twenty thousand—help me take the drug.”
The woman’s fine brows lifted slightly. She gave no clear answer, only letting out a soft laugh and turning her face away as Zhou Ruo An leaned in.
Zhou Bin had been watching discreetly. Now he leaned over with a teasing grin. “Fourth Brother, you’re too impatient. At least talk a little, have a drink, build some atmosphere first.”
The pill beneath Zhou Ruo An’s tongue was slowly dissolving, leaving a strange sweetness in his mouth. He was growing anxious, though nothing showed on his face. Lifting his glass, he toasted the woman. “How about we share a cross-cup drink?”
The woman smiled and played along. As their arms intertwined, Zhou Ruo An transferred another thirty thousand.
This time, she accepted. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered warmly, “Fourth Young Master, should we kiss first, or drink first?”
Eager to pass the dissolved pill to her, Zhou Ruo An lowered the glass. “Kiss first.”
Hooking a hand behind her neck, he leaned in. Just as his lips were about to meet her crimson-painted mouth, someone grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
“How can you skip the drink in a cross-cup?”
The one who spoke was Zhou Zhe.
He had clearly just arrived, still carrying the chill of the outdoors. Though he wore a smile, his gaze was heavy.
He brought the glass back to Zhou Ruo An’s lips. “If you don’t finish a cross-cup drink, you’ll suffer in love.”
Almost forcibly, Zhou Ruo An was made to drink. The pill beneath his tongue had already softened in saliva—now, meeting the liquor, it dissolved instantly and slid down his throat.
Damn. Zhou Ruo An’s heart jolted.
Zhou Zhe sat down beside him, fingering his prayer beads as he casually draped an arm around the woman. “Fourth Brother, I heard that today you not only got Old Master Jin to accept the gift, but also received a return gift.”
As he spoke, Zhou Zhe naturally took the pill Zhou Bin handed him and swallowed it with alcohol. “What is it? Can you take it out and let us have a look?”
The residue of the pill under Zhou Ruo An’s tongue had dwindled to almost nothing. With so many eyes watching, he couldn’t spit it out. Gritting his teeth, he downed another mouthful of alcohol.
Once his mouth was clear, he reached into his pocket and took something out.
It was a finely crafted piece of Southern red agate, about three inches long and one inch wide, shaped naturally and bearing a pendant. It looked simple and unrefined, yet carried a distinct charm.
Zhou Bin only glanced at it and gave a faint snort. Zhou Zhe, however, examined it carefully, rubbing it in his palm as if it were a string of beads, before reluctantly returning it.
“Anything Old Master Jin gives is valuable. Keep it well—don’t lose it.”
As he spoke, Zhou Zhe cast a glance at the woman beside Zhou Ruo An. “Fourth Brother, you like this type? Your taste is quite good.”
The woman had been pushed over by Zhou Bin. Only now did Zhou Ruo An properly look at her—beautiful and alluring, yet with a face of innocent purity. When her eyes lowered, something about her seemed strangely familiar.
But Zhou Ruo An could no longer place where that familiarity came from. His body was already undergoing subtle changes. His mind and cells grew increasingly stimulated, like being pleasantly drunk—his thoughts sharpened, his suppressed desires amplified, and something akin to craving broke through the barriers of reason, bursting forth with feral intensity.
Money. Power. Standing above, looking down upon those who once despised him.
In that illusion, Zhou Ruo An had already climbed to the peak of power—the Zhou family father and sons beneath his feet, bowing and scraping like clowns, pitiful and grotesque.
He wanted to laugh—
But suddenly, a cold voice called out. He turned sharply—and saw a face too dreadful to behold.
Zhang Jin’s face.
That face, pale with death, drew closer, twisted and unnatural.
“I fulfilled your wish,” Zhou Ruo An hurriedly said. “I crushed the people you hated beneath my feet!”
“No, you didn’t.” Zhang Jin’s voice was both resentful and vicious. “You said you’d let me be with a woman—but until I died, I never got my wish!”
A woman.
Zhang Jin’s terrifying face slowly faded. Another kind of desire surged within Zhou Ruo An, growing uncontrollably. He felt like a balloon about to burst—swelling, thinning—desperate for a release to sustain his very existence.
“Fourth Young Master, pay attention to me…”
The woman’s voice rang out at just the right moment, distant and distorted, as if from another world.
Zhou Ruo An suddenly seized her wrist…
…
Lin Yi sat in the farthest corner of the bar counter, slowly sipping a glass of liquor.
The VIP room floor manager brought along a group of newly hired employees to familiarize them with the environment. Tapping the solid wooden bar with his fingers, he said, “We have dedicated bartenders over at the VIP section. If orders pile up and they get too busy, you can also come here and have them help out temporarily.”
Turning his head, he spotted Lin Yi sitting in the corner.
“I was just looking for you, Old Lin. The onboarding training for these new employees is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon—come a bit earlier and go over your part with them.”
The floor manager was a smooth operator, skilled in social dealings. He gave a grand introduction of Lin Yi to the newcomers, but before he could finish his lofty praise, Lin Yi cut him off.
“Just call me Brother Lin.”
Lin Yi already carried an intimidating aura, and now with a fresh scar at his temple, the new employees exchanged glances before awkwardly muttering, “Manager Lin.”
After giving his instructions, the floor manager led them away. But after only a few steps, he turned back excitedly, resting an arm on the bar as he leaned toward Lin Yi. “Got some juicy gossip for you—the bastards who framed Bai Ban for stealing last time? They’re back again tonight.”
Lin Yi’s hand was steady; when he lifted his glass, not a ripple disturbed the surface. He simply gave a low “Mm,” offering no further response.
The floor manager, however, remained animated. “Rich people really have no limits. Those bastards’ father is also a regular here—every time he comes, he has a designated hostess to accompany him, even takes her out overnight. And guess what? Tonight, those little brats ordered the same hostess.”
“Do they think that makes it more exciting?” The manager clicked his tongue. “The way rich people play—ordinary folks like us can’t even begin to understand it.”
Casting a glance to the side, he saw the new employees lined up, blocking the passage as they waited for further instructions. Immediately, he snapped back into work mode and sighed. “Alright, I’ve got more to do. Enough gossip—I’m off.”
Just as he turned to leave, his arm was suddenly grabbed. Lin Yi set down his glass and asked, “Had they ordered that hostess before?”
“Before?” The manager shook his head. “No, those bastards never ordered her before.”
“Is Zhou Ruo An here today?”
“Who?”
“The youngest-looking one. The most timid.”
Realization dawned on the manager. “Oh—you mean the best-looking one sitting in the corner? He’s here. But not timid today—his two bastard brothers are practically fawning over him. He’s sitting in the main seat, holding that hostess in his arms.”
Lin Yi lifted his glass again—this time, ripples spread across the surface, layer upon layer.
In the underground parking garage of the bar, Zhou Ruo An was pushing the woman into a car.
Behind a vehicle parked in the farthest corner, a flash flickered several times. A man in a baseball cap looked at the photos displayed on his camera and frowned in dissatisfaction. Yet this was the only blind spot in the entire garage without surveillance. Forced to improvise, he stood on tiptoe, propping the camera atop the car roof to find a better angle.
His index finger hovered over the shutter—just before pressing it, he suddenly heard faint footsteps behind him.
His muscles tensed. Slowly, he turned his head.
Black leather shoes. A dark hem of clothing. His gaze moved upward—
“Ugh!” A sharp pain struck the back of his neck. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The camera slipped from his hands along with his limp body. Just before it hit the ground, a broad hand caught it, sparing it from damage.
The camera was briefly inspected before being slung casually over a shoulder by its strap.
The same hand that had just delivered the blow now rifled through the unconscious man’s wallet, taking the cash and stuffing it into a pocket before tossing the empty wallet into a nearby trash bin.
With that done, the black leather shoes turned and headed toward Zhou Ruo An’s car. Standing in front of it, the toe of the shoe nudged the leg protruding from the vehicle.
At this moment, Zhou Ruo An had already pushed the woman onto the back seat. The car door remained open, her legs exposed, his trousers riding up to reveal pale ankles.
The person standing outside brought the camera up, adjusted the angle, and pressed the shutter repeatedly.
The flash illuminated the dim interior of the car. The woman shrieked and quickly covered her face.
Lowering the camera, the man lit a cigarette. As soon as the flame died, he bit down on it and abruptly grabbed Zhou Ruo An by the ankle, yanking him outward with force.
A muffled groan and a curse followed, along with the woman’s sharp scream.
“Shut up.” The cigarette pointed toward her. “Turn off your phone. Go home.”
The woman froze, stammering as she stared at the face partially hidden behind a black mask. “Y-you are…”
“Keep your mouth shut. Understood?”
She nodded quickly. “Understood.”
Satisfied, the man bent slightly, grabbed the already disoriented Zhou Ruo An, and slung an arm around his shoulders, dragging him step by step toward the restroom in the parking garage.
As he walked, he took out his phone and dialed a number.
“Bai Ban, delete today’s surveillance footage from the parking garage.”
Entering the restroom, he shoved Zhou Ruo An into a stall. His indifferent gaze swept over the man still lost in delirium as he added calmly,
“Yes—delete the backup footage as well.”
Next
Futile Devices Scans 
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