The nightclub corridor was lined with a succession of domed arches that stretched the space into the distance, as though one could follow this path of decadent splendor all the way to some magnificent palace.
Two men walked beneath the shifting patterns of light cast by the crystal chandeliers, following a waiter toward a private room.
“Who arranged this gathering?” one of them asked.
The man beside him was not very old, yet his hair had already turned noticeably gray. “The heir to Ruixiang Pharmaceuticals.”
The other man frowned slightly. “That Xue Bao Tian you told me about? That scumbag?”
“Yeah.” The prematurely gray-haired man hopped slightly as he tucked the hem of his shirt into his waistband. “If he humiliates me later, don’t interfere. I only brought you because I’m worried he’ll get me drunk and there’ll be no one to take me home.”
He turned his head, his expression solemn. “If things really get out of hand, just send me to the hospital.”
The heavy, luxurious door of the private room was inset with black tempered glass, reflecting their faces in warped, indistinct shapes. The prematurely gray-haired man hesitated again and again before finally gripping the cold metal handle, taking a deep breath, and pushing the door open.
The grim expression on his face instantly transformed into a beaming smile the moment the door opened.
“President Xue! Sorry, I’m late!”
Inside the private room, shifting lights filled the unusually spacious area. The languid, decadent music had just faded when it switched to a driving bass beat, pounding through the room with an atmosphere that was both intense and indulgent.
Men and women dressed in finery sat along a semicircular sofa. In the central seat, a man in a white suit glanced over indifferently before casually looking away again.
The prematurely gray-haired man led his friend over, bowing and smiling obsequiously. “President Xue, I’m late. I’ll punish myself with three drinks.”
Xue Bao Tian had one arm around a woman as they chatted. She giggled, and in an attempt to hook this wealthy catch, discreetly tugged at the clothes on her shoulder to reveal even more of her cleavage.
A man who had spent years immersed in wine and women naturally understood exactly what she was trying to do. Xue Bao Tian’s gaze slid downward and landed on that expanse of pale skin.
Yet the expected excitement never came. Instead, his own chest suddenly tightened. Memories of being bitten and handled a few days ago surfaced on their own, and the lingering soreness—still red and tender enough that he did not dare touch it—flared up instantly.
“Fuck!” Hunching his shoulders slightly, he gritted his teeth at the woman. “Aren’t you fucking cold, showing that much? Want me to send you to the polar exhibit? You could give the penguins a day off.”
He ordered someone nearby, “Find these women something to put on. Got any tracksuits? Give them those!”
Someone teased from the side, “Young Master Xue changed his tastes? Didn’t less fabric used to make you happier?”
“Quit fucking yapping. What tastes did I change? You’re the one who should turn around and get the hell out.”
Amid the commotion, a voice suppressing obvious anger cut in. “Mr. Xue, someone over here is speaking to you.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Even the women who had been pouting and complaining closed their mouths.
Xue Bao Tian let the expression drop from his face and turned slightly, only to see the prematurely gray-haired man nervously shaking his head at the man beside him.
“Oh?” His gaze paused briefly on the speaker before he finally gave the gray-haired man a proper look. “Well, if it isn’t President Fan from Jiuhua Health. When did you get here?”
President Fan swallowed his bitterness and forced a wrinkled smile onto his face. “Just arrived. President Xue, let me offer you a toast.”
The glass remained raised in midair, ignored once again. Xue Bao Tian whistled toward the waiter selecting songs in the corner. “Put on ‘Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?’ for me.”
As the intro began, one of Xue Bao Tian’s drinking buddies deliberately stirred things up. “Bro, he’s been holding that glass up for ages.”
“He’s toasting President Xue, not me.” Xue Bao Tian propped one leg on the table and spoke lazily around the cigarette between his lips. “President Fan, my dad is President Xue. If you want to drink with him, why did you come looking for me?”
President Fan lightly smacked his own mouth. “My mistake, my mistake. I won’t make such a basic error again. Vice President Xue, I toast you.”
“In the future?” Xue Bao Tian lowered his leg and leaned slightly toward him. “You mean I’m going to stay ‘Vice President’ forever and never make it to President?”
The glass trembled, spilling liquor over President Fan’s fingers. His lips moved. “N-No… that isn’t what I meant.”
Xue Bao Tian removed his cigarette and pulled his lips into a smile. “I’m just teasing you. Look how scared you are.” He heavily patted President Fan’s arm twice. “Just livening up the atmosphere. President Fan isn’t angry, right?”
“Not at all, not at all.”
Xue Bao Tian picked up his glass and casually tapped it against President Fan’s. While flirting with the woman who had now been put into a bartender’s uniform, he merely wet his lips with the liquor.
“Who’s this?” He pointed toward the man beside President Fan—the same person who had spoken earlier.
President Fan, seated on the sofa, hurriedly lifted himself halfway out of his seat. “This is my friend Jing Liang. He works at the Audit Bureau. I brought him along today to meet some people.”
“Mm.” Xue Bao Tian responded without much interest.
“Vice President Xue, I came today to apologize.” President Fan remained half-risen from his seat. “You’re a magnanimous man. Please don’t hold this against me.”
Xue Bao Tian chuckled. “President Fan, couldn’t get anywhere with my brother-in-law, so now you’ve remembered me?”
President Fan was left speechless with embarrassment.
Xue Bao Tian rested an elbow along the back of the sofa and lazily swirled the liquor in his glass. “You wanted your health products sold in pharmacies, so you called me useless behind my back and went through my brother-in-law instead. But did you ever stop to think? No matter how much the old man likes him or relies on him, he still isn’t a Xue.”
“Yes, yes, yes. I was the one who didn’t know who really mattered. Vice President Xue, please give me another chance.”
Xue Bao Tian lifted his long, narrow eyes. “I heard President Fan owns a fine horse?”
“…Yes.” President Fan gritted his teeth. “If Vice President Xue likes it, I’ll have it delivered tomorrow.”
“Fine. We’ll get the same people together as today and all have a taste of what a retired champion horse is like.”
“What do you mean by that?!” Jing Liang glared sharply.
Xue Bao Tian’s gaze turned sinister, though he forced a faint smile onto his lips as he drew out another cigarette and placed it between them. “President Fan, your friend doesn’t seem to know how to take a joke.”
President Fan breathed out in relief and forced an awkward laugh. “Vice President Xue really is humorous.”
“I don’t even like riding horses. What would I want your horse for?” Xue Bao Tian tossed the cigarette he had just lit into a glass and pushed it to the far end of the table. “Didn’t President Fan come here to make amends? Drink it. Your health products can go on the shelves, and that tiny pharmaceutical factory of yours might even come back to life.”
He smacked his lips softly. “When I slap you in the face, don’t ask me why I hit you. After all, whenever I give you candy, you never remember to thank me either.”
White froth mixed with black cigarette ash. The soaked cigarette floated in the liquor while tiny bubbles slowly rose from the bottom of the glass. Under everyone’s gaze, President Fan reached out with a trembling hand and gripped it.
“Wait.” Xue Bao Tian raised his chin. “I said your friend drinks it.”
The private room was completely silent, with only Xue Bao Tian remaining.
The table was a mess, and the glass that had contained the cigarette now sat empty. Xue Bao Tian rubbed his temples and muttered, “Fuck, he really drank it.”
He took out his phone and dialed a number. Wind noise crackled through the receiver for a long while before someone finally answered.
“How’d it go?” Xue Bao Tian’s voice sounded slightly stiff.
“Done,” came the reply.
“Done?” Xue Bao Tian abruptly straightened his back. “You’ve subdued him?”
“We’ve got him under control now. He’s some poor bastard, so there’s probably no money to squeeze out of him. What next? Call the police?”
“Who the fuck wants his money? Scare him with the police first. Better yet, scare him so badly he pisses himself.”
“Boss, you don’t want to come take a look? He’s cowering like somebody’s grandson.”
“Really?” The corners of Xue Bao Tian’s lips curled upward. He filled his glass, tipped his head back, and drained it. “Wait for me.”
Out on the urban-rural fringe, even the night wind seemed harsher than it did in the city.
Xue Bao Tian pulled his coat tighter around himself and pressed the button on his key fob, locking the car.
Across from him stood a small motel. It had no signboard, only a dim lightbox planted outside, swaying back and forth whenever the wind blew.
He lifted the filthy plastic curtain and ducked inside. The battered front desk was unattended. Pulling out his phone, he dialed the same number as before. “Which room?”
“Second one on the left.”
“I’m not going in. Don’t want to give the game away. Crack the door open so I can take a look.”
“All right.”
The moment the call ended, the sound of a door opening came from the left. Xue Bao Tian smoothed his hair with one hand and walked over.
The motel was old and carried a faint smell of mildew. The dim corridor had no lights. The door to Room 102 stood slightly ajar, and the light leaking through it cut a slanted yellow band across the dark floor.
“Fuck, let’s see if you survive this one.” Xue Bao Tian hurried eagerly toward the room. As he reached the doorway, the band of light crossed his eyes.
Before he could steady himself, the half-open door was abruptly yanked wide. A hand seized his collar and violently dragged him into the room.
The light inside escaped for only an instant before the door slammed shut and snatched it back again…