Zhao Muqing reached out to push Xu Yintang away, but the man did not budge an inch. He hurriedly pulled the iron fork from his waistband, intending to strike Xu Yintang’s vital spot, but the man anticipated his move and grabbed his wrist. “Do you really think you can handle me with just this?”
Just being touched like that made Zhao Muqing feel unbearable. He clenched his teeth, struggled desperately to break free, and tried to fish out a packet of ketchup from his pocket to catch Xu Yintang off guard.
Before he could find a chance for the ketchup to make its debut, the warehouse door was kicked open from the outside without warning.
Both men in the room froze. When Zhao Muqing came in, he had noticed Xu Yintang pulling the door latch from the inside. The fact that Shen Guanzhi could kick the door open all by himself meant he was in pretty good physical shape.
It was fortunate that it was not locked with a key; otherwise, given that latch structure, Shen Guanzhi would not have been able to force it open even if he smashed his head bloody.
“I heard a lot of commotion over here and thought something happened,” Shen Guanzhi calmly adjusted his glasses, then took a few steps over to Zhao Muqing’s side, naturally pulling him into his arms. “I was worried and broke the door down. I hope Mr. Xu does not mind?”
“It is nothing, just a door.” Xu Yintang forced an awkward smile. “I just saw that Mr. Zhao was feeling a bit unwell, so I brought him here to rest. Since everything is fine, let us all head back.”
Shen Guanzhi nodded expressionlessly, helping Zhao Muqing sit on the sofa and letting him lean against his chest. “He is not feeling well. I will stay here with him for a moment.”
“You two make yourselves at home.” Xu Yintang left the warehouse, pulling the door shut behind him for the other two. Shen Guanzhi moved Zhao Muqing aside to check the condition of the door. Finding it was not locked from the outside by Xu Yintang, he re-latched it from the inside, even though it had suffered some damage from the earlier impact.
“He will not pester you for the time being,” Shen Guanzhi returned to the sofa, sitting at a distance from Zhao Muqing. “Xu Yintang can tell there are issues between us, which is why he dared to make a move.”
“I.” Zhao Muqing originally wanted to ask a question, but his entire body felt limp and devoid of any strength, while his skin burned with a scorching heat. He could not control himself, shuffling toward Shen Guanzhi and grabbing the corner of his jacket. “He drugged me. I feel so terrible, please help me.”
“I will contact a doctor.” Shen Guanzhi pulled his jacket hem from Zhao Muqing’s grip, but the moment he fished his phone out of his pocket, Zhao Muqing accidentally bumped into him, causing it to drop to the floor. The call failed to go through.
“There is no time.” Zhao Muqing felt as though his rationality had been sucked away in an instant, leaving only primal urges in his body that drove him to cling to the person in front of him. He stripped off his upper clothing and reached out again, wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist. “I cannot take it anymore, please help me.”
Shen Guanzhi was embraced by the shirtless Zhao Muqing, yet his expression remained completely calm. A drugged Zhao Muqing had virtually no strength, and Shen Guanzhi easily pushed him away, picked up the phone from the floor, and dialed out.
The call was answered quickly on the other end. Shen Guanzhi briefly described Zhao Muqing’s condition. Regrettably, the doctor could not arrive in a short time, and Zhao Muqing’s issue could not be delayed, leaving Shen Guanzhi with the simplest solution. Just let him release it to a certain extent.
At this, Shen Guanzhi grew irritated as well.
In the time it took to make the phone call, Zhao Muqing had even peeled off his pants. Shen Guanzhi pulled a pair of spare white silk gloves from his pocket and put them on, then pinched Zhao Muqing’s cheeks, forcing him to make eye contact. “Lie down properly and spread your legs.”
Zhao Muqing slumped limply across the warehouse sofa as if all the air had been let out of him. The potency of the drug was far more violent than he had imagined, and he only barely recovered after being completely drained.
He propped himself up and found that Shen Guanzhi was already gone, but the surroundings had been neatly tidied up, and his own body had been wiped clean.
His clothes were neatly folded and placed on one side of the sofa, and Zhao Muqing put them back on.
To think he was just left here all by himself, Zhao Muqing thought to himself with a silent sneer. If any accident happened to him, he would turn into a ghost and haunt Shen Guanzhi.
Before he had even taken a few steps, a subtle soreness emanated from somewhere behind him for no good reason.
Zhao Muqing scratched his head in utter despair. After being handled by Shen Guanzhi using gloved fingers for half the night, he no longer had the face to claim he was a completely straight man.
Shen Guanzhi disliked him enough that he insisted on wearing gloves just to toy with him, as if he had some kind of infectious disease.
Whatever. Zhao Muqing tossed his messy thoughts aside; at least he had not suffered any real loss.
Thinking of Xu Yintang filled him with a burning hatred. Shen Guanzhi would not fall out with a major client face-to-face just for him, and since he himself lacked status and influence, all he could do was curse Xu Yintang to fall ill sooner rather than later as he left the warehouse and retraced his steps.
When Zhao Muqing returned to the pool area, Shen Guanzhi was still chatting with acquaintances, and the gloves he had used earlier were probably already tossed into some forgotten corner.
Shen Guanzhi quickly noticed him. “Come over.”
Zhao Muqing obediently sidled up, and Shen Guanzhi hooked his arm through one of his, transforming him instantly from a casual hanging decoration to a clinging accessory.
After wrapping up the conversation, Shen Guanzhi casually set down his wine glass. “Back to the hotel.”
Zhao Muqing had no objections; he had long since wanted to leave this place.
Shen Guanzhi’s car was parked not far away. After Zhao Muqing got in, the man still did not rush to start the engine. “Do not stray too far from me in the future.”
“Afraid I will cause trouble?” Zhao Muqing acted like an elementary school student complaining to their head teacher. “This is not my fault, okay? It is all because of that pervert Xu Yintang. Who knows what tactics he would have used if I had not gone.”
“Stay by my side and he will not get the chance, and do not wander off with just anyone.”
“I know, I am not some child who gets tricked just for a piece of candy.” Zhao Muqing reached out and poked Shen Guanzhi’s finger. “How did you know I was there, anyway?”
Shen Guanzhi seemed to loathe this gesture, immediately pulling his hand back. “I was following you.”
He admitted to such an unglamorous act quite openly. “You just stood outside and listened to me talk with Xu Yintang?”
“Yes.”
Does that mean he even heard the part about being well-endowed and capable in bed? Zhao Muqing was just about to feel awkward, but remembering that Shen Guanzhi had handled his backside made him feel even more awkward, so he suddenly let it go.
“So what are your thoughts?” Zhao Muqing asked casually.
“I can trust you this once.”
“What?”
“You want to get rid of Xu Yintang.” Shen Guanzhi said flatly. “Xu Yintang probably wants to deal with me too. In this regard, you and I are in the same boat.”
“Then why did you leave me alone in Xu Yintang’s warehouse?”
“You would not wake up.”
Expecting him to stay conscious after being put through that, did he take him for a robot? Zhao Muqing was speechless, opting to shut his mouth and focus entirely on playing Doudizhu on his phone.
After returning to the hotel, Shen Guanzhi took a phone call.
Although Zhao Muqing could not hear the conversation on the other end, he could gather from Shen Guanzhi’s responses that the client was dissatisfied with the previously selected gemstone and hoped to exchange it for a diamond with higher clarity.
Naturally, it had to be Xu Yintang. “Is he not targeting you?”
“He does not dare.” Shen Guanzhi hung up the phone. “It seems the necklace was originally meant for you.”
“Me?” Zhao Muqing pointed at himself in disbelief. Should he be impressed by how generous big celebrity suitors were?
“He swapped the gemstone right after seeing that I would protect you. A very reasonable guess,” Shen Guanzhi spoke expressionlessly. “What he originally chose was an emerald, a very pale green, like cyan.”
“I do not have a suitable diamond on hand right now. Come with me to the trading market tomorrow.”
Remembering Shen Guanzhi’s warning not to stray too far, Zhao Muqing dared not object. He gave an obedient reply and slipped into the bedroom.
Shen Guanzhi still had a nightmare that night, though his reaction was milder than before, and a gentle pat on the head from Zhao Muqing was enough to calm him down. The commotion was small enough that Zhao Muqing could have completely ignored it and gone to sleep, but a nagging sense of unease prompted him to force himself to play the good guy.
After soothing Shen Guanzhi, Zhao Muqing closed his eyes, and by the time he woke up, it was already daylight. He instinctively glanced at the person beside him; Shen Guanzhi’s brows were tightly knit, wondering what kind of dream he was having again.
On a sudden impulse, he raised his hand and gently massaged the space between Shen Guanzhi’s eyebrows. If anything, he simply could not stand watching other people wear a gloomy face.
“What are you worrying about? I am the one who transmigrated here with no money and no status, so I should be the worried one. If I were you, I would be smiling secretly all day long.”
Zhao Muqing’s touch was very light, but Shen Guanzhi still slowly opened his eyes and sat up straight in bed. Seeing that the other man was awake, Zhao Muqing withdrew his hand.
“Thank you.” Shen Guanzhi changed into casual attire, and Zhao Muqing cleaned up as well. The two of them boarded the same car and arrived at the trading market Shen Guanzhi had mentioned yesterday.
It was Zhao Muqing’s first time visiting such a place. The scale was much larger than he had imagined; jades, pearls, diamonds, and colored gemstones could all be found here, ranging from small roadside stalls to high-end shops. The most magnificent of them all appeared to be the auction house, where many high-value gemstones were seemingly put up for auction.
Shen Guanzhi clearly had no intention of browsing around, his gaze ignoring the neighboring shops and stalls as he walked straight into a dim, narrow alley. Zhao Muqing followed behind him all the way to the end, where a tiny storefront emanated a few wisps of light.
A middle-aged man sat inside the shop, using a refractometer to examine a ruby the size of a fingernail. Hearing footsteps, he immediately put down his work. “It has been a long time since you came by. What can I do for you today?”
“Diamonds, color F or above, the higher the clarity the better.”
“A batch just arrived recently, and I have not had time to sort through them yet, but I imagine there should be something you want.” The middle-aged man pulled a tray out from a corner, scattered with assorted colored and sized diamonds. He picked one out for Shen Guanzhi first. “I have already looked at this one. It meets your requirements, and the cut is also top-notch.”
Just to be safe, Shen Guanzhi put on gloves, took out a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers, and began inspecting the diamonds on the tray one by one.
Finding it boring to wait, Zhao Muqing simply wandered aimlessly around the shop. He inadvertently noticed a tray sitting unguarded in the corner of the shop, with a few gemstones resting on it.
He walked over to take a look, his eyes immediately drawn to a heart-shaped pink diamond at the very edge. When Shen Guanzhi finished buying his diamonds and stopped beside him, Zhao Muqing took the opportunity to tug on his sleeve. “Look at that one. It is actually heart-shaped.”
Shen Guanzhi reached out, picked up the pink diamond, and briefly inspected it with his tool. His expression remained completely static. “Artificial.”
Figures, Zhao Muqing glanced at the pink diamond one last time. How could a truly valuable diamond be left lying around like that?
“Sigh, seeing this thing just makes me angry,” the middle-aged man let out a heavy sigh. “You know as well as I do who bought this kind of thing, Shen Guanzhi. That girl throws money away whenever she gets it, spending a fortune on a fake like this, and now she is probably waiting to use it to fool some foolish boyfriend. I tried getting her to study gemstone appraisal with me, but she has eight hundred different excuses not to do it.”
“How much? I will buy it.”
“No need, that girl said if she cannot break even, she might as well use it to scam young men out of their feelings. Just humor her.”
“It does not matter,” Shen Guanzhi had no intention of changing his mind. “How much did she spend? I will pay.”