[Brother, I’m in the basement.]
Sui Yuye replied, telling him to wait, as he had just arrived himself.
Walking toward the parking spot, he turned a corner and saw a figure, causing his heart to skip a beat.
The shadow was tall, slender, and upright, somewhat blurred in the darkness. The basement was old and poorly maintained, with most of the lights broken, and the few that were still on were dim.
He stood motionless not far away, silently blending into the shadows, his face unclear.
Sui Yuye almost thought he was seeing a ghost from a horror movie, if not for recognizing that silhouette.
He turned on his phone’s flashlight and walked over. “Sheng Xian?”
Qi Shengxian was someone Sui Yuye had picked up ten years ago—his first impression was of a pitifully thin and small child.
Qi Shengxian’s parents were addicted to gambling, and tormenting and beating him was a daily occurrence. They even tried to sell him for money, but Qi Shengxian was clever and managed to escape on his own.
Sui Yuye’s parents had passed away early due to illness, and he had been living alone ever since. Out of a desire for companionship, he let Qi Shengxian stay at his home, caring for him like a younger brother for ten years.
As Sui Yuye got closer and confirmed it was Qi Shengxian, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Afraid the light might hurt the other’s eyes, he turned it off. “Why didn’t you say anything if it was you? In the pitch dark, I thought it wasn’t human.”
Qi Shengxian’s face was indistinct in the dim light, his pupils dark and lifeless. “Why did your clothes change?”
“Oh, this? I drank too much and accidentally threw up on myself, so I borrowed someone else’s.”
As soon as Sui Yuye finished speaking, he felt a warm breath against the side of his neck and instinctively flinched. Looking down, he saw Qi Shengxian pressing his head against his shoulder, sniffing his collar.
The scent was wrong, and the clothes didn’t fit right either. Had he been fooling around with some wild Rom again?
“Whose clothes did you borrow?” Qi Shengxian straightened up. “This perfume hasn’t even been produced on the market yet, but the taste is really poor—no different from cheap street goods.”
Sui Yuye was surprised.
Since when did this kid become so knowledgeable about perfume? He’d never shown any interest in such things before.
“Brother, where did you go with that Rom named Mian Guanfei? Did he give you these clothes?”
Qi Shengxian’s palm suddenly felt empty—the car keys had been taken. Just as he was about to reach out and grab Sui Yuye, a soft beep sounded.
A warm yellow light suddenly lit up—
The car’s trunk opened, revealing a beautiful bouquet of flowers standing quietly inside. The trunk was decorated warmly and exquisitely, filled with white feathers. A birthday cake was adorned with a string of star lights, and a gift box was placed beside it.
Qi Shengxian’s eyes widened slightly.
Sui Yuye leaned against the car, his phone screen lighting up to show the time: midnight.
“Sheng Xian, happy twentieth birthday.”
Qi Shengxian stared blankly at the trunk, the warm light illuminating his figure.
Qi Shengxian had always been exceptionally good-looking since childhood, the kind of appearance that made people turn their heads frequently when he walked down the street. He had striking features, with particularly captivating eyes, his pupils slightly light in color, and even his eyelashes were long, thick, and fair.
Sui Yuye had never been able to understand how such an obedient and beautiful child’s parents could have been so cruel to him.
Moreover, Qi Shengxian was a high-level Rom.
He walked over and picked up the flowers, lowering his gaze to look at them.
“I did this secretly. Good thing you didn’t notice.” Sui Yuye rubbed his nose. “You’re twenty now. I don’t mind if you start dating. If you meet a Cub you like, go ahead and pursue them boldly.”
“I don’t want to date,” Qi Shengxian said softly.
“It’s just that you haven’t met someone you like yet, no rush.” Sui Yuye wore an expression of understanding as he picked up the gift box and opened it. Inside was a Royal Oak wristwatch. He took Qi Shengxian’s hand and put it on him.
“They say a wristwatch represents a man’s face and status, so my Sheng Xian shouldn’t fall short of anyone when wearing it out.” Sui Yuye lowered his head to adjust the watch strap, not noticing that Qi Shengxian had been staring at the top of his head.
“Brother, is it very expensive?”
“Don’t worry about that. Don’t you like it?”
“I like it, brother. Thank you.”
The hug came suddenly and with considerable force. Sui Yuye stumbled backward and ended up sitting on the edge of the trunk. Remembering the cake was behind him, he quickly straightened his back to keep his balance.
A mischievous glint flashed in Qi Shengxian’s eyes as he suddenly pulled his hand back and stood up.
“Hey!” Sui Yuye instantly leaned backward. In a panic, he quickly raised his arms and hugged him tightly, burying his face directly into his chest, holding him fully.
Qi Shengxian looked down at him, a triumphant smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“You little rascal…” Sui Yuye gritted his teeth as he got down, pulling out the cake. “Let’s go, let’s go.”
Qi Shengxian followed behind him when his phone suddenly rang. He took it out, glanced at the screen, and answered:
“Hello, esteemed Mr. Qi. This is the Venus Club. Venus sincerely invites you to participate in the event held at eight o’clock the day after tomorrow evening…”
Qi Shengxian hung up directly.
“What’s wrong? Someone looking for you?” Sui Yuye peeked his head out from the elevator.
“A scam call.”
Just as Sui Yuye stepped out of the elevator, Qi Shengxian behind him suddenly asked, “Brother, do you like big houses?”
“Who doesn’t like big houses?” Sui Yuye thought for a moment. “But they’re a pain to clean, and the property fees are expensive too.”
Qi Shengxian: “I’ll make sure brother gets to live in one.”
Sui Yuye’s hand, which was entering the passcode, paused. He smiled and ruffled Qi Shengxian’s hair. “Alright then, I’ll wait to enjoy that good fortune.”
The next day at the agency.
“Shao Jinghe’s schedule starts tomorrow night. You go over before seven and accompany him to the Venus Club.” Jiao Shu typed away noisily in front of the computer.
Hearing that name, Sui Yuye’s mouth twitched.
Jiao Shu: “There’s also a temporary assignment tomorrow during the day, accompanying a pair of twins. You just need to follow along properly.”
“Twins?” Sui Yuye took a sip of coffee.
“The ones surnamed Fu. They’re old clients. Haven’t you done a few jobs for them before?”
Sui Yuye remembered. “Alright.”
This agency was a partnership between him and Jiao Shu. The organization he was in before was too shady, so Sui Yuye simply struck out on his own. Jiao Shu was a Normal, meaning genderless, responsible for taking and assigning jobs, while he handled fieldwork.
As for his ability to foresee danger, he hadn’t told anyone, including Qi Shengxian.
Jiao Shu: “I mean, why do you only take assignments from the top tier? I heard the family background of those Fu twins is quite extraordinary. Definitely not just simple merchants.”
Sui Yuye chuckled. “Because they pay more.”
And there’s less trouble. The probability of people at the top tier encountering danger is very low. Hiring bodyguards is purely for show.
“But you’ve already earned so much. Still not satisfied?”
“Long satisfied. That’s why I’m going abroad in three months.”
“Going abroad?!” Jiao Shu suddenly looked up. “What are you going abroad for? Is someone trying to hunt you down?”
“What are you thinking? I’m going on a trip, saving enough money for the next lifetime, taking Sheng Xian with me to retire early and enjoy life.” Sui Yuye felt delighted just thinking about it.
He hadn’t told Qi Shengxian yet—he planned to surprise him three months later.
Jiao Shu slapped her thigh excitedly: “I know this plot! I read a novel where the female lead offended a domineering CEO and tried to flee abroad. Guess what happened? She was caught before she even made it two miles.”
Sui Yuye couldn’t help but roll his eyes: “I’m a man.”
“Same difference!”
Jiao Shu got even more animated: “I also read one where the male lead, for some terrible luck, provoked over a dozen top-tier big shots. He panicked and tried to flee the country, but guess what? Over a dozen luxury cars blocked him in, and he was dragged back and locked up.”
“The sense of despair—’nowhere to escape under overwhelming power’—was so well done. I’ll look for which book it was later.”
…What kind of novels is this girl reading all day?
Sui Yuye felt a headache coming on: “So what happened to him in the end?”
“It was brutal.”
Sui Yuye paused.
“Because their status and positions were unequal from the start, it all ended up equating to forced affection,” Jiao Shu said:
“For example, if one of those big shots sent people here to kidnap you, do you think you could escape from the office?”
“BANG!!”
The office door was violently slammed open.