Chen Zhao was on the verge of passing out.
Brother Liu Hao, why on earth did you have to drop your ID card now?!
“Brother…”
The man’s tone on the other end of the line turned solemn. “Where are you? I’m coming to find you.”
“Wait, no need, Brother!”
“Chen Wan.”
“Really, it’s not necessary! We’re leaving right away, and I’ll see you when we get back!”
Chen Zhao hung up the phone, so panicked he almost jumped out of his skin. “What do we do?! Qin Er is here!”
Before he could process it, the elevator slowly descended. Chen Zhao looked up and saw Qin Er coming down inside it.
The man radiated a chilling aura, a gloom brewing in his eyes as he searched the surroundings for any suspicious figures.
Chen Zhao immediately grabbed Jiang Yuzhou and bolted. Jiang Yuzhou panicked. “Qin Er came down? He’s looking for us? What do we do, what do we do…”
“Wait, that’s not right,” Jiang Yuzhou realized. “He’s never even seen me before. Why am I running?”
When Chen Zhao took that group photo last time, Jiang Yuzhou’s head wasn’t in the frame, so Qin Er naturally had no idea what he looked like.
Chen Zhao: “Your bro is in trouble, are you really going to just stand by and watch?”
Jiang Yuzhou patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, bro. A true brother takes a bullet for you.”
“Quick, hide!”
The two ducked into another women’s clothing store. Through the gaps between the garment racks, they could clearly see Qin Er standing not far away, sweeping the area like a human radar.
Chen Zhao’s heart was practically leaping out of his chest. It was his first time realizing just how terrifying Qin Er could be, his overwhelming presence felt heavy enough to crush a person.
As Chen Zhao shifted slightly, something suddenly blocked his vision. He looked up, it was a dress.
“Jiang Yuzhou, cover me!”
Chen Zhao pulled down the dress, had Jiang Yuzhou block him from view, and hurriedly put it on in the corner.
“What are you two doing?” The store associate had felt something was off ever since they walked in. Seeing them crouching sneakily, she came over to check.
“Sir, this is women’s clothing. You can’t try it on here!”
“We’re buying it!” Jiang Yuzhou hurriedly pulled out a stack of cash, pointing at the wig on a mannequin’s head. “We’ll take the wig, too! Keep the change, just tally it up together! Thank you, miss, please keep this a secret, don’t tell anyone!”
With the money in hand, the associate could hardly complain, though she still found the pair utterly strange, probably some kind of cross dressing fetishists.
Chen Zhao frantically threw on the dress and was about to stand up when his heel accidentally stepped on the hem. “Ah!”
The sharp yell instantly drew Qin Er’s attention.
Qin Er narrowed his eyes, locking onto that specific clothing rack. Striding over in three quick steps, he rounded the display, only for the sight before him to ignite a surge of furious rage.
Chen Wan was wrapped in a man’s arms, practically lying in his embrace, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she clutched the man’s clothes.
“What are you doing?”
Hearing Qin Er’s voice, Chen Zhao opened his eyes and looked up at him alongside Jiang Yuzhou.
Huge misunderstanding.
The two parted instantly. Chen Zhao panicked. “Brother, it’s not what it looks like! I just tripped, and my friend caught me!”
Jiang Yuzhou added. “Right, right! Total accident!”
Qin Er’s eyes looked like a raging thunderstorm. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with only one thought. Chen Wan was touched by someone else.
So disobedient. Disobedient children must be punished.
“Wanwan, come here.” Qin Er stared straight at Chen Zhao, his voice dropping several degrees.
The hair on Chen Zhao’s neck stood on end. “Brother… I actually wanted to stay a few more days…”
Behind his silver framed glasses, his narrow eyes flashed with a cold light. “Are you going to be good, or not?”
Chen Zhao shuddered all over. He secretly turned to exchange a look with Jiang Yuzhou, who mouthed: Just go.
Chen Zhao walked over to Qin Er’s side in resignation.
Only at that moment did Qin Er’s expression begin to soften. He cast a icy glance at Jiang Yuzhou. When the sales associate walked over with the receipt, Qin Er took a look at it, pulled out his phone, and said to Jiang Yuzhou, “I’ll scan you.”
Jiang Yuzhou: “Huh? No need, really, no need…”
Chen Zhao made frantic gestures behind the man’s back, and Jiang Yuzhou caught the hint, pulling out his phone.
Qin Er scanned the code, transferred the money, and grabbed Chen Zhao’s slender, pale arm, walking out of the store.
“Brother, I need to go back to the hotel to pack my things…”
“Forget them. We’ll buy new ones back home.”
Chen Zhao trailed behind the man, his heart racing nervously. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Qin Er looked like he was about to take him somewhere to commit a murder and bury the body.
He didn’t even get a chance to go back and pack. That very night, he was boarded onto a business class flight back to Jiangcheng.
Qin Er rested with a sleep mask on, while Chen Zhao sat beside him, his cheeks stuffed like a little bunny frantically munching on grass.
The airline food didn’t taste great, and he hadn’t wanted to eat it, but Qin Er had made him. Afraid that the old man might do something to him on the plane, Chen Zhao gobbled it up immediately.
After finishing, he wiped his mouth and stared at the sunset outside the window. Qin Er woke up, sat upright, and pulled out his old antique pocket watch to check the time. The ticking hands turned steadily, as if counting down the exact moment the plane would land.
To Chen Zhao’s ears, the ticking of the pocket watch sounded like a terrifying countdown, making his pulse jump.
If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have helped him fix his watch, he grumbled inwardly.
At 8:00 PM, Qin Er drove Chen Zhao back to the villa.
Chen Zhao hopped out of the car and ran into the living room, feeling both relieved and anxious.
Relieved that he no longer had to bake in the sun or argue with line cutters at tourist spots!
Anxious because he had no idea what Qin Er was going to do next.
Chen Zhao looked back to see Qin Er walking inside. He immediately stood straight up. “Brother.”
Qin Er glanced at him and walked over to the refrigerator. “Hungry?”
“Huh?” Chen Zhao patted his stomach. “A little bit.”
“Vegetable porridge?”
“Sure, sure!”
Qin Er rolled up his sleeves, revealing his lean, muscular forearms with smooth, firm lines, before turning on the stove in the kitchen.
Chen Zhao leaned against the doorway, watching him. Qin Er rinsed the rice, added water, and chopped the vegetables, everything appeared completely normal.
It seemed he had been worrying over nothing. Qin Er didn’t seem to be in a bad mood after all.
Feeling reassured, Chen Zhao relaxed and turned around lazily. “Brother, I’ll be waiting in the living room, okay? Call me when it’s ready!”
“Mm.” A neutral response came from behind him.
Chen Zhao happily strolled over to the living room, switched on the TV, kicked off his slippers, and flopped onto the sofa to watch TV.
The savory aroma of porridge gradually drifted out from the kitchen. Chen Zhao was thoroughly engrossed in a variety show when he heard the man call out, “Wanwan, time to eat.”
Chen Zhao kept his eyes glued to the screen. “Just a moment, just a second.”
“Chen Wan.”
“Almost, almost done…”
Suddenly, the screen went black. The TV was turned off, and Chen Zhao looked up at the man with a aggrieved expression.
Qin Er said, “Don’t watch TV while eating.”
“Got it.” Chen Zhao scrambled off the sofa, put on his slippers, went to the bathroom to wash his hands thoroughly, and only then sat at the table with his bowl.
The porridge was delicious, and Qin Er had added a hint of salt, perfectly suited to Jiangcheng tastes. Drinking it made Chen Zhao’s stomach feel warm, a cozy heat spreading through his entire body.
“Have you been taking your medicine on time these past few days?”
“Mm! I was very good, I took it every day.”
Qin Er ate his porridge in silence, his long, feather like eyelashes casting deep shadows beneath his eyes, hiding whatever thoughts were passing through his mind.
After finishing his bowl, Chen Zhao let out a full burp, pushed the bowl aside, and said, “Brother, I’m going up to rest!”
He jogged upstairs and opened his bedroom door. After being away for several days, his room was as spotless as ever, the quilt was neatly folded, the four corners of the bedsheet were completely smooth without a single wrinkle, and the cosmetics on his desk were neatly sorted and organized.
One look was enough to tell that Qin Er had personally cleaned it, even the housekeeper couldn’t clean this meticulously.
Wait! Chen Zhao ran over to the wardrobe and opened it, spotting a suitcase hidden in the innermost corner. Confirming it hadn’t been opened, he let out a sigh of relief.
He grabbed a few pieces of clothing to cover it up. Right then, footsteps sounded outside the room. Chen Zhao hastily shut the wardrobe door and walked over to the entryway.
The door opened. Qin Er stood outside, his expression dark and unreadable. He held a bag in his hand. “Change out of those clothes.”
Chen Zhao took the bag in confusion and saw a brand-new dress inside. He asked Qin Er, “Why? The ones I’m wearing are brand new.”
Qin Er stared at him. “Are you going to change yourself, or should I change you?”
Chen Zhao: !!!
He stood frozen. Qin Er had already stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over him inch by inch with tangible intensity from top to bottom, as if he wanted to tear his clothes off.
Those clothes were touched by another man. He didn’t like it.
Chen Zhao backed away step by step. He had never seen Qin Er with such an expression before, sharp, surging with intimidating intensity.
“I’ll change!!” Chen Zhao’s sudden shout successfully halted Qin Er’s advance.
“I’ll change right now!” Chen Zhao gave an awkward laugh, gesturing for Qin Er to step out. “Brother, please go outside first, I’ll change right away!”
Qin Er narrowed his eyes, restrained his menacing aura, turned around, and stepped out, pulling the door shut behind him.
Chen Zhao slumped down, completely drained.
That was so freaking terrifying!!! Why does Qin Er switch between acting like a normal human and a demon like this?!
Chen Zhao changed his clothes in extreme tension, terrified that if he was too slow, Qin Er would barge back in. Once changed, he took a deep breath and went to open the door.
The moment the door opened, his vision blurred, and he suddenly felt weightless.
He was picked up and tossed onto the bed by Qin Er, flipped over like a fried egg. Chen Zhao lay face down, tightly clutching the bedsheet.
“Brother!!! aah!”
The pitiful skirt was flipped up, and Chen Zhao’s rear took several solid, heavy spanks.
“Ouch!” He thrashed in shame and fury, struggling harder than a pig bound for slaughter.
“Who was that man?”
“What? You mean Jiang Yuzhou? He’s my childhood friend… aah!”
“Don’t say his name.”
“Sob!” Chen Zhao bit down on the bedsheet. “Childhood friend! Childhood friend!”
“Was he the one you dressed up to go see last time? The one you took photos with?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Did he touch you?”
“What?”
Qin Er raised his palm again. Chen Zhao turned his head, saw it, widened his eyes in horror, and shrieked, “No! No! We just went to sing karaoke and eat dinner!”
The man lowered his hand, resting it gently on him, and patted him once. “Good boy.”
Chen Zhao: ?
Qin Er straightened up, unbuttoning a few buttons at his collar. “It’s late. Get some sleep. I’m on duty tomorrow and won’t be back.”
“Oh.”
Once the man left, Chen Zhao finally mustered up the strength to crawl up, throwing a fierce, angry punch straight into the soft Simmons mattress.
This is too much!! A warrior can be killed, but not humiliated!!
He definitely had to get revenge! He definitely had to see the day when Qin Er wept bitter tears of regret!
A raging fire flared in Chen Zhao’s eyes, before he turned around, grimacing in pain, and limped into the bathroom.