The white pill was offered before him again. After quite a while, slender fingers finally pinched it up and slowly brought it to his lips. He swallowed it with water, and when the glass came down, Zhou Ruo An smiled and said, “Thank you, Big Brother, for showing me the way.”
Zhou Ruo An was not someone who prized purity. He had long considered getting his first taste. The reason he had never put that thought into action before was because Lin Yi stood as a comparison. Lin Yi looked down on 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. But still, he could not fall into Zhou Bin’s trap.
The pill rested beneath his tongue. With a smile, Zhou Ruo An added the woman beside him on WeChat. His phone hidden in the shadows, he transferred twenty thousand.
Pulling her into his arms, their necks brushing together, he whispered beside her pale ear, “Twenty thousand. Help me take the drug.”
The woman’s delicate brows lifted slightly. She did not give him a clear answer, only let out a soft laugh and turned her face away as Zhou Ruo An leaned in.
Zhou Bin had been watching discreetly the whole time. Now he leaned over with a teasing grin. “Fourth Brother, aren’t you being too impatient? At least chat a little, have a drink, build some atmosphere first.”
The pill beneath Zhou Ruo An’s tongue was gradually melting, leaving a strange sweetness in his mouth. He was growing anxious, though none of it showed on his face. Raising his glass, he toasted the woman. “Then how about we share a cross-cup drink?”
The woman smiled and cooperated. As their arms intertwined, Zhou Ruo An transferred another thirty thousand.
This time, the woman accepted. Leaning close to Zhou Ruo An’s ear, she breathed 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 around the back of her neck, he leaned in. Just as his lips were about to touch that crimson mouth, someone grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
“How can you skip the drink in a cross-cup?”
The person who spoke was Zhou Zhe.
He had clearly just arrived, still carrying the chill of the outdoors. Though his face held a smile, his gaze was heavy.
He brought the glass back to Zhou Ruo An’s lips. “If a cross-cup drink isn’t finished, you’ll suffer in love.”
Almost forcibly, Zhou Ruo An was made to drink the alcohol. The pill beneath his tongue had already gone soft in his saliva; now, meeting the liquor, it dissolved completely and slid down his throat.
Fuck. 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, not only did you get Old Master Jin to accept the holiday gift, you even 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? Take it out and let us have a look.”
The residue of the pill beneath Zhou Ruo An’s tongue had already melted to almost nothing. With so many eyes on him, he could not spit it out. Gritting his teeth, he downed another mouthful of liquor.
Only after his mouth was clear did he reach into his pocket and take something out.
It was a finely crafted piece of Southern red agate, about three inches long and one inch wide, shaped naturally and fitted with a pendant loop. It looked simple and unrefined, yet had a distinctive charm.
Zhou Bin only glanced at it before giving a faint snort. Zhou Zhe, however, examined it carefully, rubbing it in his hand as though rolling prayer beads. Only after a while did he reluctantly return 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. She was beautiful and alluring, yet had a face of innocent purity. When her eyes lowered, something about her seemed strangely familiar.
But Zhou Ruo An could no longer remember where that familiarity came from. His body was already undergoing subtle changes. His mind and his cells grew increasingly excited, as if he were pleasantly drunk. His thoughts sharpened, his suppressed desires magnified, and something like craving broke through the walls of reason, bursting forth with feral intensity.
Money. Power. Standing above, looking down on those who had once despised him.
In that illusion, Zhou Ruo An had already climbed to the peak of power. The Zhou family father and sons were beneath his feet, bowing and scraping like clowns, pitiful and grotesque.
He wanted to laugh—
But suddenly, a cold voice rang out. He turned his head sharply and saw a face too dreadful to behold.
Zhang Jin’s face.
That pale, dead face drew closer, twisted and unnatural.
“I fulfilled your wish,” Zhou Ruo An said hurriedly. “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 have 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 through Zhou Ruo An, swelling beyond control. He felt like a balloon about to burst—swollen, stretched thin, desperate for release to keep himself alive.
“Fourth Young Master, pay attention to me…”
The woman’s voice rang out at exactly 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 main bar, slowly sipping a glass of liquor.
The VIP room floor manager had brought a group of newly hired employees to familiarize themselves with the environment. Tapping the solid wooden bar with his fingers, he said, “We have dedicated bartenders over in the VIP section. If too many orders pile up and they can’t handle them, 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 the newcomers a grand introduction of Lin Yi, 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 he had a fresh scar at his temple. The new employees exchanged glances before awkwardly muttering, “Manager Lin.”
After giving his instructions, the floor manager led the group away. But after only a few steps, he turned back excitedly, resting one arm on the bar as he leaned toward Lin Yi. “Got some juicy gossip for you. Those bastards who framed Bai Ban for stealing last time? They’re back tonight.”
Lin Yi’s hand was very steady. When he lifted the glass, not a single ripple disturbed the liquor inside. He only 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 keep him company, and he even takes her out overnight. And guess what? Tonight, those little bastards ordered that same hostess.”
“Do they think that makes it more exciting?” The floor manager clicked his tongue. “The way rich people play, ordinary folks like us can’t even begin to understand.”
Casting a glance to the side, he saw the new employees lined up and blocking the passage as they waited for further instructions. Immediately, he snapped back into work mode and sighed. “All right, 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 floor manager shook his head. “No. Those bastards had never ordered her before.”
“Is Zhou Ruo An here today?”
“Who?”
“The youngest-looking one. The most timid.”
Realization dawned on the floor manager. “Oh, you mean the best-looking one sitting in the corner? He’s here. But he’s 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 after layer.
In the bar’s underground parking garage, 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. But this was the only surveillance blind spot in the entire garage. With no other choice, he stood on tiptoe, propping the camera on the roof of the car 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 hemline. 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, took out the cash, and stuffed 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 one 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, while his trousers had ridden up, revealing pale ankles.
The person standing outside lifted the camera, 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 went out, he bit the cigarette between his lips 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 beneath a black mask. “Y-you are…”
“Keep your mouth shut. Understand?”
She nodded quickly. “Understood.”
Satisfied, the man bent slightly, grabbed the already disoriented Zhou Ruo An, slung an arm around his shoulders, and dragged 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.”