Watching Lin Ze get into his car and drive away into the distance, Yi Yan finally lounged comfortably back in his seat, crossing his legs with a self-satisfied expression.
In the darkness, the corner of the rearview mirror reflected his stunning visage, the corners of his lips curving upward into a bewitching smile.
“Isn’t the prey taking the bait just this easily?”
Inside the super VIP room, he drank and made merry while watching Lin Ze on the screen, carrying drinks and weaving through the gaps in the crowd just like always.
He leisurely ate the grapes peeled for him by his favorite pet in the private room.
Right when he was starting to find it a bit dull, Lin Ze delivered a huge surprise to him!
He actually ended up in a dispute with Pang Tangwen.
Interesting.
When he heard them talking about forcing drinks down someone’s throat, he abruptly sat up straight, his eyes locked onto the screen with intense scrutiny.
Seeing Lin Ze looking so struggling, helpless, and vulnerable really made him as excited as if he had been pumped full of adrenaline!
In a wicked impulse, he viciously pinched the thigh of the pet beside him.
The pet let out a muffled groan of hidden pain.
Interesting.
Watching Lin Ze’s desperate struggles on the edge of death greatly fueled the dark, evil urges deep inside Yi Yan’s heart.
He watched with his own eyes as the woman on the screen poured a little less than half a bottle of wine over Lin Ze’s head. The slowly trickling red liquid ran down Lin Ze’s cheek, staining Yi Yan’s vision crimson.
He watched with his own eyes as Pang Tangwen viciously pried open Lin Ze’s teeth, forcefully pouring more than half a bottle of liquor straight into his stomach.
Seeing Lin Ze’s pale, delicate face contorted in discomfort, Yi Yan raised an eyebrow in excitement, though a trace of dissatisfaction hung on his face.
Oh dear. It would be great if that kind of expression was only ever shown in front of him.
Thinking about how Lin Ze always put on an icy-cold expression the moment he saw him, the urge that Yi Yan originally felt to rush down and save him sank a little bit.
It was no fun when a little cat’s claws were too sharp; someone just had to properly trim them down.
He leisurely took light, brisk steps to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.
Kicking the door open, he saw Pang Tangwen raising a wine bottle with that fierce, menacing look, and he couldn’t help but frown coldly.
If he had arrived even a step later, would Pang Tangwen’s bottle have smashed open Lin Ze’s head?
If his face got scarred, it wouldn’t look good anymore, would it?
He stared unhappily at Pang Tangwen’s empty bottle, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding people.
Among their startled expressions, they probably still had no idea why he had suddenly appeared here!
Don’t rush, you’ll all have plenty of reasons to panic in a moment.
After dealing with everything at the scene, he picked up Lin Ze and walked out.
On the way, he weighed Lin Ze in his arms.
He had some weight to him, but compared to him, he was still much lighter.
He needed to eat more to fill out, Lin Ze.
He stared with malicious intent at Lin Ze’s sleeping face.
He had just come back from buying medicine, so what was Lin Ze running away for?
Yet, seeing Lin Ze’s pale, terrified lips, he let out a silent sigh. Did he mistake him for one of those people who had just bullied him?
Don’t be scared. He hadn’t even made a move yet!
He reined in his usual arrogant and domineering attitude, his gaze softening as he applied medicine to Lin Ze.
He knew that Lin Ze still had some hidden depth to his thoughts.
But coupled with his own innocent expression and the meticulous conversation he initiated with him, he could see the hesitation loosening up in Lin Ze’s eyes.
Yi Yan’s lip curved upward in a faint, elusive smirk in the dark of night, making it hard for Lin Ze to notice anything amiss about him.
Yi Yan had figured out that a person like Lin Ze responded better to softness than harshness.
Sure enough, as long as he extended a helping hand just a little bit, the other person would be moved to tears.
Just like that, they could become brothers overnight!
With this identity established, he figured getting closer to him in the future wouldn’t be too difficult.
The next night, Lin Ze received instructions from the manager telling him to deliver a takeout order to a guest in the sixth-floor VIP room.
Lin Ze took the takeout bag and frowned in confusion.
This was his first time encountering such a bizarre guest since coming to Charm Night. Instead of coming to drink and play, they were actually ordering takeout food here?
Lin Ze took the elevator up to the sixth floor and knocked on the door.
Upon entering, he saw Yi Yan sitting neatly dressed in a chair, a faint smile hidden in his eyes as he looked at him.
“Huh? Yi Yan?!” Lin Ze’s eyes lit up. “So, it was you here!”
“Mn.”
Lin Ze set down the takeout and looked around the room, seeing no one else besides the two of them.
Yi Yan opened the takeout box.
“Why are you ordering takeout to eat here?” Lin Ze chuckled.
In his eyes, a young master ordering takeout seemed a bit shabby. Hahaha.
The corners of Yi Yan’s mouth curved slightly upward.
Sure enough, ever since last night, Lin Ze’s attitude toward him had taken a complete one-eighty turn!
He lowered his gaze and chuckled softly. “To support your work here, and by the way, to order a meal for you.”
Lin Ze was stunned. “Ordered for me?”
“Yeah, don’t tell me you’ve already eaten.” Yi Yan’s gaze was as calm as water, his ten fingers intertwined as he stared quietly at him with his brown eyes.
“I haven’t eaten yet.” Lin Ze scratched his neck in embarrassment.
Yi Yan raised an eyebrow in good spirits.
Very good. He wasn’t lying.
He had long since sent people to keep tabs on Lin Ze the entire day.
Other than a hasty, perfunctory meal at noon, Lin Ze hadn’t touched a single bite of dinner before rushing over here to work.
That was why he had specifically ordered this takeout for him.
“You suddenly ordered takeout for me. Weren’t you afraid that I had actually already eaten and wouldn’t have room for your kind gesture?” Lin Ze bantered.
Yi Yan caught the trace of hesitation in Lin Ze’s eyes. Was he afraid there was something wrong with the food he ordered? Could a single meal make him keep his guard up this much?
Lin Ze’s reason for refusing was also a way to probe Yi Yan, wondering why Yi Yan was so certain that he hadn’t eaten dinner.
Having years of experience navigating the business world, how could he not catch the subtext in Lin Ze’s words?
This brat was clearly still doubting him.
Understandable, of course. After all, when dealing with someone you had only started interacting with recently, having some reservations was completely normal.
“I come here often, so I’ve become a VIP customer here, and the manager naturally got familiar with me. I told him you’re a friend of mine working here and asked him to take good care of you. The moment I mentioned your name, he immediately recognized who you were, saying how hardworking and diligent you are, and even mentioning that you sometimes don’t even have time to eat because of work. That’s why I thought about ordering takeout for you.”
Lin Ze silently bit his lower lip, a mental image flashing in his mind of the fifty-something manager always wearing a beaming smile and asking him with affectionate concern, “Xiao Ze, did you come to work again tonight without eating?”
Looking at that maternal, kindly demeanor, Lin Ze was reminded of his own mother.
A soft spot bloomed deep within his heart, and his resistance melted away.
He quietly sat down at the table and watched as Yi Yan unpacked the takeout for him.
“Thank you.”
It took a long while rolling around in his dry throat before those two words finally came out.
Watching him begin to bury his head and wolf down his food, Yi Yan curved the corners of his lips in a pleasant mood.
“Lin Ze, is your family that desperate for money?” Yi Yan’s sudden question made Lin Ze freeze, his chopsticks halting mid-air.