Ring— Ring—
A pale, slender hand stretched out from beneath the dark black silk duvet. The hand was exceptionally beautiful perfectly proportioned, with the fingertips showing a faint pink hue from being warmed up in sleep.
Shen Yanzhou fumbled blindly along the nightstand for a moment, grabbed his phone, and pressed it straight to his ear without checking the caller ID. Burying half his face back into the soft pillow, his voice was raspy and ice-cold. “Speak.”
On the other end of the line, Shen Xici had long grown accustomed to his brother’s “Yama waking up early” temperament. “Brother, there’s some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”
Shen Yanzhou didn’t even lift his eyelids. He turned over, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself. “Bad news.”
“Ah Biao and the guys turned that abandoned development zone in West Wan completely upside down yesterday, but they couldn’t even find a ghost. The guy fled.”
Useless.
“Good news?”
Shen Xici’s tone grew excited. “Customs just lifted the seal. The shipment cleared!”
“However, that old fox, Director Liang, sent a message through someone saying he wants to meet us.”
“Tell him to wait in the office.”
The moment Shen Yanzhou finished speaking, he cut the call directly.
Something was off.
The Shen family had been established in Hong Kong for half a century; he knew the character of someone like Director Liang all too well blinded by money, yet valuing his own life above all else. Without a single scent of blood spilled last night, how did that old thing suddenly turn over a new leaf?
He couldn’t fathom it. Not only was his mind failing to comprehend, but his body was also acting strangely.
The cramps in his stomach had vanished completely. Last night’s bowl of ginger milk truly had a knack for healing. His chest, however, felt hot, tight, and congested.
He pulled open his lapel with one hand.
His originally pale chest was as flushed and ruddy as if congested, glistening with moisture, looking exactly like it had been fiercely sucked by something. His fingertips lightly brushed against the spot, and he recoiled from the discomfort.
“Where did such a toxic mosquito come from?”
Furthermore, speaking of the ginger milk—
He remembered tasting an extremely faint hint of bitterness at the time, and he had slept so heavily afterward. Could it be that the dog he bought had drugged him?
He walked downstairs barefoot. The dog who was supposed to be guarding the door and tinkering in the kitchen was, sure enough, nowhere to be seen.
Careless.
Had he known earlier, he should have secured him with a dog chain. To think he actually drugged him and seized the opportunity to escape.
Before the fury of betrayal could spark a wildfire, it was cut short right before the long dining table.
Laid out meticulously on the table was a traditional Cantonese breakfast of “one pot of tea and two dim sum dishes,” still steaming hot. The crystal-clear imperial shrimp dumplings had wraps so thin one could glimpse the pink, tender meat filling inside. Beside them sat a pot of warmed, aged pu-erh tea.
And sitting right next to this elegant display of domestic life, extremely jarringly, was a single white rose. The petals were layered thickly, but along the edge of the delicate core was a smear of wet blood.
Both soiled and brilliant.
Shen Yanzhou pinched the bloody rose, his gaze cutting across the half-open glass door of the terrace straight toward the back garden.
The man was shirtless, his honey-toned back glistening with an oily sheen under the sunlight. Sweat trickled down the deep groove of his spine, disappearing into the loose waistband of his trousers.
He didn’t run? He’s still working?
Shen Yanzhou pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window. The humid, briny sea breeze characteristic of Deep Water Bay Road rushed over his face, carrying the scent of earth. In the distance was the shimmering surface of the sea, and up close was the man, covered in mud just to please him.
“Thirty Million.”
“What are you running around blindly for?”
Hearing the voice, the man in the garden turned his head. He tossed his shovel aside casually and strode over like a large hound hearing a whistle, not forgetting to wipe his hands against his trousers as he ran.
“Master, you’re awake?” He grinned, flashing a row of white teeth. “I saw this garden hadn’t been tended to in a long time, and the roses were growing wild. I thought I’d clean it up… so it pleases your eyes.”
Shen Yanzhou’s gaze swept over the sweat on the man’s chest and the fresh cuts on his arms from the thorns. It seemed the white rose on the table had caught its blood that way.
“Meddlesome.”
The man wasn’t angered. “Master, would you like to come over and take a look? I’m almost done organizing it.”
Shen Yanzhou looked down, glancing at his own pale feet. If he stepped into this soil mixed with wet mud and broken rose thorns, he would surely get dirty.
Before his brow could even furrow, the man before him seemed to notice. He lifted his head, revealing bright, black-and-white puppy eyes.
“Master, can I… can I hold you?”
Seeing that Shen Yanzhou didn’t speak, the man realized he had overstepped. His ears turned red instantly, and he offered a clumsy explanation: “Just holding you to let you see the flowers. I won’t dirty your clothes. I’ve wiped this hand clean.”
With that, he rubbed his palm forcefully against his trousers twice more, terrified that the mud flakes on it would soil Shen Yanzhou. He spread his hand to show him, as if proving that though his hands were rough, they were clean enough.
Shen Yanzhou followed his gaze to the wrist exposed in the light.
—The scars were even more horrifying and twisted than what he had seen under the lamplight last night.
His curiosity grew like rampant vines. What exactly had this man gone through before? To repeatedly and cruelly aim a blade at his own artery, attempting suicide by slitting his wrists countless times.
“What exactly did you do before…” The words cut off halfway, catching in his throat.
This man was merely someone he had spent 30 million on to buy as a breeding tool. In a physical relationship where money and goods were settled, crossing the line would only bring trouble.
“If you dare drop me, I’ll skin you alive.”
The man nodded with a foolish grin. He slid one arm behind the bend of Shen Yanzhou’s knees and locked the other firmly against his waist, hoisting him up effortlessly.
For balance, Shen Yanzhou had no choice but to hook his arms around the man’s neck.
The moment their skin touched, the man’s scalding sweat and overbearing pheromones enveloped him. He could even clearly feel the man’s chest muscles, following his heavy breaths, brutally pressing against his own thin chest. The spot bitten by the “toxic mosquito” was incredibly vulnerable, forced to rub repeatedly against that rough, hot skin with every stride the man took.
Shen Yanzhou shifted to a more comfortable position, gazing over the rose garden. He didn’t care that his casually swinging feet precisely kicked against the man’s thigh every now and then.
The red roses bloomed passionately, while the white roses grew with a pure, cold elegance. One red, one white, they tangled tightly together in this ultra-expensive patch of Deep Water Bay. Both brilliant and cold.
“Master, how is it?” The man held him, stopping before a cluster of red roses blooming at their peak.
“Mm, decent,” Shen Yanzhou offered a reluctant compliment.
With their chests pressed tight, separated only by the thin silk robe, the frequency of the man’s heart beating inside his chest was simply too fast. The hammering vibration left him numb and irritated.
“Why is your heart beating so fast?” Shen Yanzhou stared at his profile.
The man didn’t dare look at him, lowering his head. “I’m very… nervous.”
Shen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. “Nervous about what? Afraid I’ll skin you alive?”
“No.” The man tightened his arms, his voice muffled. “Afraid I’ll drop you.”
Shen Yanzhou shook his head wordlessly. He was a silly dog.
“Carry me inside to eat. I’m too lazy to walk.”
“Yes.”
“Thirty Million, tell me the truth. Did you drug that ginger milk last night?”
The man’s voice sounded embarrassed: “Forgive me, Master… I didn’t have money to buy the kind of medicine specifically for stomach pain. Back in the village, whenever our stomachs hurt, we always used old ginger juice…”
Yes. He was poor.
“In the second-floor bedroom, there’s a black card on the nightstand.” Shen Yanzhou turned his face away. “I intended to give it to you yesterday. There isn’t a lot of money inside, but it’s enough for your expenses.”
The man snapped his head up. “Master, I…”
“I don’t like you wearing my clothes. They don’t fit, it looks strange.”
“Understood.”
“I dislike it even more when you walk around the house without clothes. It’s unseemly.”
“Understood.”
“And while you’re at it, stock the fridge.”
“Thank you, Master!” The man held him even tighter.
Entering the dining room, the man carefully placed Shen Yanzhou onto a chair. Just as he was about to turn toward the kitchen to heat the porridge, he was called back.
“Halt.”
Shen Yanzhou tilted his chin, pointing toward the living room. “Beneath the first-floor TV cabinet, there’s a medical box. Remember to tend to your own wounds.”
The man froze, instinctively hiding his heavily scarred hands behind his back. “Master, it doesn’t hurt. These are all old wounds…”
“Shut up.”
Shen Yanzhou picked up his chopsticks, pinching a crystal-clear shrimp dumpling, his eyelids never lifting once.
“I simply don’t wish for my dog to die too quickly.”
Leaving the villa and stepping into the CEO’s office in Central, Shen Yanzhou found two people standing inside. Aside from Shen Xici, there was a man who had been full of official arrogance yesterday; his greasy face was now entirely devoid of color, looking as though he had aged ten years overnight.
The moment he saw Shen Yanzhou, he dropped straight to his knees.
“Mr. Shen! Mr. Shen, save my life!” Director Liang crawled forward two steps, reaching to grab the hem of Shen Yanzhou’s trousers, only to be kicked aside by Shen Xici.
“Speak if you have words, keep your hands to yourself,” Shen Xici said with a cold face.
“The cargo… I’ve already released the cargo! I’ve signed the papers too!” Director Liang trembled violently. “It’s the Lianyishe. The Lianyishe threatened me! They definitely won’t let me off! That madman Lei Hu will kill my entire family! Mr. Shen, for the sake of the convenience I granted you, I beg you to keep me alive. Send me to the UK.”
“Director Liang, have you confused something? Since you’re so afraid of the Lianyishe, why did you clear my shipment?” He hooked the man’s chin up with his shoe.
At this question, the director’s entire body shook violently, his teeth chattering.
“A madman… that person is a absolute madman…” Director Liang clutched his head, his gaze vacant, as if returning to last night when he was suspended in midair. “I’ve lived half my life and run with so many big bosses, but I’ve never seen a madman like that!”
“He hung me from a gantry crane… He said if I didn’t sign, he’d throw me down to feed the fish. He really would kill me! He really would!”
“Who?”
“I don’t know! I really don’t know!” Director Liang shook his head in a total breakdown.
“How tall was he?” Shen Yanzhou asked.
“Very tall… close to two meters,” Director Liang swallowed hard.
In all of Hong Kong, there weren’t many people who could grow to that size and possess that kind of combat capability. He immediately thought of the dog at home.
“What did he look like?”
“I couldn’t see clearly… it was too dark.” Director Liang said textually, his voice trembling. “I just remember those eyes… terrifyingly bright. Like a wolf, no, like a ghost.”
Like a wolf? The one he kept at home was a dog. One that would look at him with wet, clear black-and-white eyes, smiling with total foolishness, only bowing his head obediently when scolded.
Was it an act?
But that man had sold his body for 30 million; he didn’t even have the money to buy stomach medicine, managed to cover himself in wounds just from trimming roses, and was merely a bottom-dwelling reptile who cooked ginger milk to please his master. Holding him left his heart hammering with nerves would he have the guts to hang Director Liang from a gantry crane and play with his life?
“Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen?” Director Liang’s shrill pleas for help interrupted Shen Yanzhou’s thoughts. “I’m trapped between a rock and a hard place now, only you can save me! I beg of you!”
Shen Yanzhou looked at his tear-stained, snot-covered face, a wave of disgust flashing in his eyes.
“Save you? Why should I save you?”
“The target of your pleas shouldn’t be me; it should be the West Kowloon Police Station.”
“Mr. Shen?!” Director Liang looked up in disbelief.
“Since you know you’re going to die, you might as well turn yourself in,” Shen Yanzhou said coldly. “Though you won’t have freedom there, it is at least the safest place in all of Hong Kong. No matter how long Lianyishe’s arms are, they wouldn’t dare charge directly into Stanley Prison to kill someone.”
With that, he didn’t spare Director Liang another glance, gesturing for Shen Xici to have the bodyguards remove the man.
“Drag him out.”
“Shen Yanzhou! You can’t just watch me die! You cold-blooded animal…” Director Liang’s desperate curses vanished completely as the wooden door slammed shut.
The office returned to absolute quiet.
Shen Xici let out a long breath, looking toward Shen Yanzhou with some confusion. “Brother, who do you think… this person could be?”
“Close to two meters, such ruthless methods, and specifically settling our mess.” Shen Xici frowned as he analyzed. “Though our Shen family has built some connections on the streets over the years, a desperate criminal of that caliber, especially at a critical juncture like this…”
Shen Yanzhou sat back at his desk.
Who would help him? Over the last few years, the Shen family appeared glamorous on the surface, but in reality, they were walking on thin ice. Aside from the predatory shareholders and competitors, even those so-called family friends which one of them didn’t wish for his early demise so they could carve up the Shen family’s fortune?
“I don’t know.”
“For now, regardless of who it is, as long as the cargo cleared, it’s fine.”
“If I remember correctly, this syndicate only emerged in the last two years.”
“Mm,” a cold light surfaced in Shen Xici’s eyes. “Their leader is called Lei Hu, another mad dog. But this mad dog has a master behind him… Word is, he’s the newly adopted godson of Master Lai.”
At the mention of the name “Master Lai,” Shen Yanzhou’s expression shifted slightly.
No wonder when he made so many calls last night, everyone was playing tai chi with him. If it was Master Lai, it wasn’t surprising.
This man, who straddled both the legal and illegal worlds of Hong Kong, had made his fortune through high-seas smuggling in his early years. In the past, nearly half of Hong Kong’s underground business bore the surname Lai. Although he had laundered his money, mounted the shore, donned a Tang suit, and spent his days rolling Buddhist beads in his hand, that seventy-year-old tiger hadn’t had a single tooth pulled.
“That old thing Master Lai has been praying to Buddha for thirty years, rolling those beads until they’re polished smooth, but his heart remains pitch black.”
“Though Lei Hu is a mad dog, without Lai San’s authorization, give him ten times the courage and he still wouldn’t dare touch the Shen family’s cargo directly.”
Shen Yanzhou’s gaze gradually turned ice-cold. “Seizing the cargo was a ruse; testing us was the real objective. What they have their eyes on is likely far more than these few hundred tons of frozen meat.”
“Brother, your meaning is… the Southeast Asian shipping routes?” Shen Xici’s expression shifted slightly.
Shen Yanzhou nodded. “This instance was likely just testing the waters.”
“Brother, what do we do next?”
“I recall not long ago, that old thing just passed his seventieth birthday?”
“Yes,” Shen Xici nodded. “He sent us an invitation at the time, but we were too busy, so we declined.”
“Xici, tonight we go pay our belated birthday respects to Master Lai,” Shen Yanzhou stood up, his tone thin and detached. “Prepare a lavish gift.”
“Since he wishes to test the waters, we shall let him see whether the waters of the Shen family can drown the Dragon King himself.”