After dinner, the three of them sat in the lounge area of the foyer drinking juice. He Wei suggested they wait ten minutes to let their food settle, then head to the entertainment area to play a few games of pool before going home.
“The capital really is boring,” He Wei said lazily, curled up on the sofa. “I haven’t laughed in ages since I got back.”
“Then get lost,” Gu Yunchi said.
“I’m not leaving,” He Wei said, squinting at his phone screen with a smile. “Chi Jiahuan, Class 9, Grade 10—the youngest son of the deputy mayor. He keeps a low profile; he’s a smart one.”
As he spoke, Lu Heyang’s gaze fell on the hotel lobby in the distance, where an Alpha wearing a black baseball cap walked in, the brim pulled down low. He approached the front desk; after a brief inquiry, the clerk directed him toward the elevators.
Lu Heyang took a sip of juice and checked the time: 8:25.
“Chi Jiahuan?” Gu Yunchi paused to think for a moment. “I’ve heard his relationship with his family isn’t very good.”
He Wei snapped his fingers sharply: “That’s perfect. It’s my mission to save all the beautiful, helpless Omegas in the world.”
It was exactly 8:30 when Xu Ze pushed open the door. There were seven or eight alphas sitting in the private room, each accompanied by an omega—except for Tang Feiyi.
“President Tang’s tastes are getting more and more selective,” someone teased as soon as they saw Xu Ze. “A 17-year-old S-class alpha—that’s not something just anyone can land.”
Tang Feiyi leaned back in his chair, exhaled a puff of smoke, and nodded toward the empty seat beside him. Xu Ze followed his gesture and walked over to sit down.
“Want something to eat? I’ll order you a side dish.” Tang Feiyi rested one hand on the back of Xu Ze’s chair and leaned toward him.
“I’ve already eaten.”
Tang Feiyi looked at Xu Ze’s profile and smiled amusedly. “Then let’s have a drink.”
The waiter took a bottle of whiskey from the mobile liquor cabinet nearby, opened it, and poured Xu Ze a full glass.
“Start with three penalty drinks.” An alpha who knew how to read the room said, “President Tang has been waiting for you until now.”
It was Tang Feiyi who had told him over the phone to arrive at eight-thirty, but Xu Ze said nothing. He picked up the wineglass, tilted his head back, and drank it all.
Golden liquid spilled from the corner of his lips and slid down his neck. The shadow from the brim of his cap covered the upper half of Xu Ze’s face, revealing only his sharp, delicate chin. One glass, two, three—Xu Ze put down the glass and wiped the corner of his mouth.
“So obedient.” Tang Feiyi’s hand pressed against Xu Ze’s back, then slid downward, finally coming to rest on the small of his back.
Xu Ze’s body stiffened, but he remained silent.
The alphas continued chatting. Tang Feiyi kept one arm half around Xu Ze, while holding the wine bottle in his other hand. Whenever it was time to drink, he would pour more into Xu Ze’s glass and make Xu Ze drink it all for him.
Over the course of more than an hour, Xu Ze couldn’t remember how much he had drunk. He only knew that he had drunk a lot of glasses. Even though an S-rank alpha naturally had a high tolerance for alcohol, he was beginning to feel dizzy. He clearly realized that he had reached his limit and could not drink anymore.
The dinner finally ended. The alphas prepared to go to the lounge inside to play cards. They called it playing cards, but in reality it was gambling. A single round could involve tens of millions or hundreds of millions, which to them was nothing more than the value of a card, something that could change in the blink of an eye.
“I’m going back first,” Xu Ze said.
“It’s still early.” Tang Feiyi was in high spirits and naturally refused to let him leave. “We’ll talk about it later. When the time comes, I’ll get you a room. I guarantee you’ll sleep comfortably.”
“No need. I’m leaving first.” Xu Ze stood up.
Tang Feiyi was still smiling, but his voice had turned somewhat colder. “The guests are all still sitting here, and you’re already leaving. Isn’t that a little disappointing?”
The dining table fell silent.
Xu Ze stood there. He felt dizzy, and it was difficult to concentrate his thoughts. He only wanted to leave this private room as quickly as possible.
An alpha spoke up, breaking the stalemate. “I heard you know how to box? One of my men used to train too. How about the two of you have a match? If you win, we’ll have President Tang let you go home. How about it?”
Tang Feiyi seemed quite pleased with the suggestion. He lit a cigarette and looked at Xu Ze through the smoke, slowly saying, “What if he loses?”
An alpha immediately chimed in, “If he loses, then he can obediently spend the night with President Tang.”
The others laughed maliciously. Tang Feiyi crossed his legs and teasingly tapped Xu Ze’s calf with the tip of his shoe.
“You choose.”
Xu Ze looked at the wineglass in front of him. After several seconds, he answered, “Okay.”
Soon, the private-room door opened, and a tall bodyguard walked in.
“Boss.”
“Have a match with him.” The alpha pointed at Xu Ze. “Win, and you get a bonus. Lose, and you leave your left thumb here.”
Xu Ze froze and looked at the alpha.
The alpha, however, looked completely relaxed. “I heard your daughter was recently hospitalized? You wouldn’t want her to come home from the hospital and discover that her father is missing a finger, would you?”
The bodyguard nodded slightly. “Understood.”
The coffee table was moved aside to clear a space. Xu Ze and the bodyguard stood facing each other.
He hadn’t even had time to see clearly when the other man had already thrown a punch. Xu Ze’s evasive movement was half a second too slow. He felt the fist brush past his ear, whipping up a distinct rush of air.
As he straightened, he immediately countered with a punch, which the other man also dodged.
In just one exchange, both sides already had a sense of each other’s abilities. Their skill levels were roughly equal. The difference was that Xu Ze had been drinking, which meant that his reaction speed, sense of balance, accuracy, and coordination were all somewhat weaker than usual.
Ten seconds later, Xu Ze was struck at the corner of his mouth. They weren’t wearing gloves, and the bodyguard’s protruding knuckles slammed directly into his face.
The piercing pain made Xu Ze’s temple throb. He let out a muffled groan and turned his head away, staggering several steps and nearly falling to the floor.
“Looks like President Tang is going to take the beauty home tonight.”
In his daze, Xu Ze heard someone nearby laughing as they said this.
Xu Ze swallowed the blood in his mouth, raised his hand unsteadily, and quickly threw a fake straight punch. When the bodyguard turned his head to dodge, Xu Ze immediately followed with a right hook, striking him in the chin.
He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Even now, he still hadn’t figured it out.
What did a thumb mean to a person?
Xu Ze couldn’t tell whether that alpha had been joking or was serious.
While his attention was elsewhere, Xu Ze took another punch to the jaw. His head was too dizzy, and his senses were becoming numb. His entire body crashed onto the carpet. Before he could brace himself and get back up, a foot came down hard on his back.
Something inside his chest seemed to explode instantly. A dry, gritty pain, as if sand had been ground into his flesh, spread all the way to his stomach.
Xu Ze wanted to vomit, but could only open his mouth and gasp for breath.
Half of his face was pressed against the carpet, and his baseball cap had fallen to the side.
His vision was blurred. He saw Tang Feiyi leaning back on the sofa, his face wearing that familiar expression of someone enjoying the thrill of seeking stimulation.
Xu Ze knew he was waiting for him to beg for mercy, beg for help, or plead with him.
He couldn’t lose.
Xu Ze gasped rapidly for air, suspecting that his spine or ribs had already been crushed beneath the pressure. The pain was so severe that he could barely breathe, and even his heart seemed to have difficulty beating.
He clenched his teeth and reached out to grab the bodyguard’s other leg at the ankle, pulling it forward.
He felt as though he had exhausted every bit of strength in his body.
The bodyguard lost his balance and fell. Xu Ze endured the pain, rolled over, got back up, and drove his elbow into the man’s chest.
The alphas drank their wine while watching with interest, as though they were observing two struggling beasts tearing into each other in a fighting pit.
Just as Xu Ze was about to throw another punch at the bodyguard’s face, the private-room door was suddenly pushed open.
The hotel manager entered with several security guards. He wasn’t surprised or angry. His tone was calm and polite.
“Sorry, fighting is not permitted inside the hotel.”
He politely bowed toward Tang Feiyi.
“Mr. Tang, I hope you’ll understand.”
“Fighting?” Tang Feiyi shook his glass without even looking at him. “We’re just having a little competition for fun. How did this become fighting?”
“If someone dies while you’re having a competition in a hotel private room, who’s going to take responsibility?”
Hearing Gu Yunchi’s voice, Xu Ze froze for a moment.
Then he immediately reached down, picked up his cap, put it back on, pulled the brim low, and stood up.
“Oh, Young Master Gu is here?” Tang Feiyi finally lifted his eyelids. “I heard Chairman Gu also came to Yunwan today? Blame my poor memory. I completely forgot to go and greet the old gentleman.”
“My grandfather doesn’t have time to listen to irrelevant people giving their greetings,” Gu Yunchi replied calmly. He looked at Xu Ze, who was standing with his head lowered in the middle of the private room. “These two need to be taken away for questioning. Mr. Tang, do you have any objections?”
What was there to question? What was there to ask?
Everyone present understood that this was an extremely flimsy excuse, but at the same time, they understood even more clearly that for Gu Yunchi, the fact that he was willing to use something called an “excuse” already meant he was showing them consideration.
Tang Feiyi was about to speak when He Wei said, “If you have no objections, you two can come out.”
“Of course.” Tang Feiyi gave a mocking laugh and said lightly.
Gu Yunchi nodded indifferently. “Mr. Tang’s bill today doesn’t need to be paid. Consider it my treat.”
Xu Ze lowered his head and walked out of the private room. As he passed by, he heard He Wei say in a low voice, “Run. It’s fine.”
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Xu Ze silently moved his legs and hurried toward the elevator. He looked back once, but no one came after him.
After leaving the hotel, the outdoor temperature was slightly warmer. The continuous sound of traffic filled his ears.
His back was still hurting, and Xu Ze hunched over, unable to straighten himself completely. He exhaled deeply, then licked the corner of his mouth. The wound tasted a little salty, and the tip of his tongue was filled with the metallic taste of blood.
A supercar stopped by the roadside two meters ahead. Xu Ze looked up.
There were no more than three cars of this model in the capital, and He Wei owned one of them.
The car door slowly lifted upward.
Xu Ze walked forward step by step. When he reached a position level with the driver’s seat, he looked inside.
The person sitting inside was not He Wei.
Lu He Yang had one hand resting on the steering wheel. The pale-blue ambient lighting inside the car gave his face a cold, almost mechanical quality.
He tilted his head and looked at Xu Ze, smiling very faintly.
“Want a ride?”
Deeply hiding his merits and keeping out of the spotlight, not acting like some superhero who swooped in to save the day—just being the driver who happened to be going in the same direction and could take you home. Mm.
(He Wei: But that’s my car! Lu He Yang, how did you end up driving your brother’s car to pick up an alpha? What is wrong with you?!)