Nobody in their right mind would have believed those words, yet Geng Nuo spoke with absolute conviction. “If you do not believe me, you may come with me.”
The guard began to mutter to himself, for it was always better to be safe than sorry—he certainly could not afford to ruin the distinguished guest’s wine.
“Let us go, I shall accompany you.” He intended to keep a close eye on the boy.
Since this was a valued guest personally welcomed by Pixiu, the accommodation would naturally not be located below the third floor. Taking a gamble, Geng Nuo took the elevator straight up to the fifth-floor penthouse. Sure enough, a whole group of guards was stationed outside.
Pushing his cart forward slowly, he was inevitably intercepted. However, Geng Nuo remained completely unpanicked when he heard Yuan Bingqing’s voice coming from inside the private room, realizing that the other had arrived much earlier than him.
This suited his intentions perfectly.
Now all he needed to do was put on an artificial display of, “I originally came to provide service, but since someone else has beaten me to it, I ought not to intrude,” and take his leave smoothly.
Yet before opening his mouth, Geng Nuo wondered whether he could truly walk away unscathed. Would the anomalies in the patrol mechs be discovered, and would he find an opportunity to escape before Baron Percy’s banquet?
What if, before being done away with, he managed to latch onto a backer powerful enough to overawe everyone else?
If Yuan Bingqing could use his looks to trade for favors, why couldn’t he?
Though reluctant to admit it, Geng Nuo felt he was better-looking than Yuan Bingqing anyway. If a patron could be reeled in purely through appearance, he would not yield the position to anyone else.
His thoughts spinning, Geng Nuo made up his mind.
“I am here to deliver wine to General Gu.”
The guards at the entrance exchanged glances; having received no such orders, they remained half-skeptical.
Naturally, Geng Nuo offered an explanation. “The boss is worried that certain people might act presumptuously on their own accord. It would be troublesome indeed if they offended a distinguished guest, which is why he sent me to check.”
This explanation made the guards feel somewhat uneasy. Aside from Yuan Bingqing, the ones who had allowed him in were none other than themselves, but…
One of the guards lowered his voice to voice a doubt. “Then why were you assigned for this?”
Geng Nuo pressed his lips together, stroked his face, and suddenly offered a bashful smile. “The boss said I am rather pleasing to the eye.”
His gentle, compliant smile genuinely carried a hint of allure, and the guards found themselves utterly unable to refute the fact. Hesitating repeatedly, they ultimately stepped aside to let him pass.
Pushing his cart inward, Geng Nuo had barely taken two steps when a loud crash suddenly erupted from inside the room.
“Bang!”
A muffled, heavy blow.
Startled by the commotion, the guards rushed inside instantly.
Geng Nuo froze in place, his legs shaking uncontrollably beneath the cover of the dining cart.
The spacious living room of the luxurious top-tier VIP suite was large enough to hold a hundred people, but at the moment, only a sparse handful of occupants stood within, rendering it somewhat empty. The stark white light from the overhead fixtures shone down upon the glittering gold and jade interior, dazzling the eyes.
Geng Nuo swallowed hard, his aimless gaze drifting in the air for half a circle before finally landing across the room.
A few paces away, General Gu, seated in the primary sofa, had not yet removed his hand from Yuan Bingqing’s head.
The fresh blood on the floor was far more glaring than the luxurious golden light, and rivulets continued to drip from the edge of the tabletop, tracing a crimson line.
Yet this failed to provoke the slightest emotional fluctuation in Gu Chengayan.
Even when he had just grabbed Yuan Bingqing by the hair and smashed him against the table, his expression had remained entirely indifferent.
Yuan Bingqing’s face was covered in blood, and his unsoiled skin was flushed red as he twitched incessantly over the coffee table, leaving his survival uncertain.
The others who had accompanied Gu Chengayan sat composedly on the sofa, behaving as though they were utterly accustomed to the scene. The most expressive reaction among them was merely a wave of the hand to brush away the unpleasant scent of blood.
The remaining waiters nearby were already scared half to death.
It was hard to tell whether one should call General Gu tyrannical or curse Yuan Bingqing for his utter stupidity in attempting to drug him.
The atmosphere remained deadlocked until General Gu straightened up, withdrew his hand, and brushed off invisible dust. Only then did the frozen guards snap back to reality, moving with well-trained efficiency to drag away the body, wipe the table, and mop the floor.
In no time at all, everything inside the room returned to normal.
Holding his breath, Geng Nuo dared not make any extraneous movements. Like the other guards, he kept his head down and focused on his tasks.
Retrieving the wine to arrange it on the coffee table, he did not even dare lift his head the entire time. The moment he pulled back his hand, a slight tremor gave him away, prompting him to clench his fist tightly and step back a few paces toward the dining cart.
The moment his hand found the handle, Geng Nuo let out a silent sigh of relief.
Turning around, he was just about to push the cart away when the deep, magnetic voice of the man nearby abruptly shattered the stillness of the room.
“You, come here.”
Geng Nuo felt his heart skip a beat.
Who?
Whom were they calling over?
With his back to General Gu and not daring to look back, he forced a facade of composure, while the surrounding guards filed out of the room one by one, even thoughtfully pulling the door shut behind them.
Geng Nuo realized with despair: it was him.
Closing his eyes, he turned around with trembling trepidation and forced an appropriate smile. “Customer, do you have any further instructions?”
Gu Chengayan sat with his legs crossed, leaning lazily against the back of the sofa. One arm rested along the sofa frame, while the other casually lifted to crook a finger at him.
Geng Nuo walked up close and leaned forward to await instructions.
Gu Chengayan’s casual attire made it difficult at first glance to associate him with an imperial general, let alone imagine that this man had just smashed someone’s head against a table moments prior.
Yet, as he was far from ordinary, his formidable presence and the aura of black-clad austerity enveloping him radiated a chilling martial suppression that felt entirely out of place here, rendering even the most dazzling brilliance subdued in his presence.
By comparison, the other men nearby resembled young masters of noble houses—some embraced waiters with whispered jests, while others gently swirled wineglasses to savor the vintage. Pixiu presumably had not dared to casually arrange companions for Gu Chengayan, providing services strictly according to the requests of his distinguished guests instead. Yuan Bingqing’s eager ambition to secure a powerful patron had led him to rush in blindly, only to run straight into the line of fire.
Self-inflicted suffering admits no pity.
The same applied to him, Geng Nuo thought.
General Gu appeared to have summoned him on a whim, barely sparing him a glance as he merely tipped his shoe to give an order. “Pour the wine.”
Obediently, Geng Nuo uncorked a bottle of Macallan Galaxy 25 on the table, poured half a glass, and holding the base of the old-fashioned glass with both hands, offered it to General Gu.
Maintaining his posture, General Gu remained completely unmoving.
Why won’t he take it? Did I do something wrong?
Fearing that the next second would see him meeting the same fate as Yuan Bingqing, Geng Nuo had exhausted every ounce of strength just to maintain his composure.
Lifting his gaze cautiously, he collided with a pair of dark, fathomless pupils and hurried to lower his head again.
During that brief interval, General Gu shifted—not to take the glass, but merely to change his posture.
Lowering his leg, he left a small, moderate gap between his knees.
Staring at that gap, Geng Nuo acted on some sudden impulse, dropping decisively to his knees before him and once again holding the glass up toward the general.
General Gu raised an eyebrow, a flicker of emotion seemingly crossing his eyes as he watched him in silence for two seconds before finally accepting the glass.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Geng Nuo felt the lingering terror of a narrow escape.
How foolish, I overestimated myself. Pixiu’s lawlessness clearly stemmed from relying on these heaven-reaching backers. As for people like them… if he had been the one to enter first, he would have been the one dragged out covered in blood.
With grim irony, Geng Nuo thought: Originally my execution date was the end of the month, but it almost got moved up to today.
Pinching the crystal glass between three fingers, General Gu sniffed the rim, gently swirled the liquid, and appraised the server before him. The boy looked well-behaved enough, yet surprisingly managed to drift off into daydreams even while kneeling right at his feet.
Struck by a mischievous notion, he imperceptibly swirled the glass and tilted his wrist.
Geng Nuo was still inwardly calculating how he might survive this ordeal, figure out a way to wipe away the traces of the patrol mechs once he stepped outside, and reconsider his options…
Before he could finish plotting, his body reacted with a start ahead of his brain.
Half a glass of wine had poured directly down his chest.
Stiffening entirely, Geng Nuo looked up in a daze, belatedly realizing that he had rejoiced far too early.
The black uniform was tightly fitted and looked neat, but it was actually thin and translucent. Once drenched with wine, the front instantly lost its coverage; the liquid trickled all the way down until it made intimate contact with the skin of his waist and abdomen, threatening to seep even lower.
Holding his breath and fighting to keep his respiration steady, Geng Nuo felt the damp clothing cling heavily against his skin, while the chilling sensation on his abdomen made him shiver involuntarily.
To Gu Chengayan’s eyes, however, it made for quite a pleasing sight.
With a look of amusement, he handed the glass back and let two syllables slip past his thin lips. “Pour again.”
Taking the glass with trepidation, biting his lip in a mix of shame and dread—though dread heavily outweighed the rest—Geng Nuo gripped the rim tightly to keep his fingers from trembling. Maintaining his kneeling posture, he leaned sideways to pick up the wine bottle from the table and filled the glass anew.
He did not even dare to turn away completely, terrified that the other man might use the opening to smash his head against the coffee table as well.
After handing it over this time, Gu Chengayan still did not drink, choosing instead to toy with it in his hand.
Geng Nuo kept his eyes locked on the man’s hand, wondering from which direction the next splash might come.
Even if he knew, he would not dare dodge, forced to watch the other’s movements with helpless, frightened vigilance like a startled puppy.
Finding it rather entertaining, Gu Chengayan deliberately shifted the glass toward his side.
Sure enough, Geng Nuo tracked the movement with his gaze.
As the glass slowly rose toward the man’s lips, Geng Nuo’s line of sight followed upward, passing across the amber-tinted base to land upon the man’s mouth—before inadvertently locking eyes with him once more.
The instant Geng Nuo lowered his head in flustered panic, Gu Chengayan took a sip of the wine. The caramel notes offered no sweet aftertaste, leaving only a sour bitterness behind. Setting the glass aside, he drew a dark gold wooden box from his pocket, flipped open the lid with his thumb, and revealed a supply of cigars.
Gu Chengayan asked, “Do you know how to light one?”
Geng Nuo nodded; distinguished guests were fond of smoking luxury cigars, and over the past few days he had learned how to tend to them.
With tools prepared on the coffee table, Geng Nuo pulled out a cigar, snipped the cap, and slowly rotated it near the outer flame of the lighter, watching the wavering fire and the gradually darkening edge of the tobacco.
A dual heat descended upon him.
The cigar was successfully lit, yet the warmth did not dissipate. Geng Nuo gave a small wave of his hand in the air, knowing full well that General Gu was watching him with amusement and pleasure, enjoying his anxious, death-defying struggle.
He felt like a trapped beast whose only hope was that his tormentor might grow tired of the game and grant him a swift end.
Sensing that he would likely not make it out of this door today either, a rebellious streak flared within him.
Do you wish to kill me?
Want to see me terrified out of my wits?
Do you think I will play along?
How did Yuan Bingqing offend you? Was it through obsequious enticement or groveling flattery?
I can do that too.
Lowering his eyelashes and relaxing his entire body, Geng Nuo brought the cigar to his own lips.
The first puff had to be blown outward to expel stale air.
Geng Nuo did it on his behalf.
Until that moment, the man beside him offered no reaction.
Perhaps it was tacit permission, or perhaps appreciation for the prey’s final struggles.
Lifting his head, Geng Nuo abandoned all evasion and met the man’s gaze directly.
Eye to eye, Geng Nuo slowly straightened his upper body and rested both hands on the man’s knees. An Alpha’s body temperature was unusually high, causing Geng Nuo’s hands to shrink back slightly before he forced them flat against the fabric. Beneath the high-end material lay hard leg muscles, and Gu Chengayan found himself somewhat tickled by the small movements of the boy’s hands.
With the cigar lightly clamped between his teeth, Geng Nuo used the tip of his tongue to push it forward slowly. The wrapper brushed softly against his lips until the cigar shifted from his mouth to his fingertips, revealing a flash of a pink, tender tongue-tip.
He kept his gaze fixed on him.
Turning the cigar around, Geng Nuo respectfully presented it toward General Gu’s lips. Throwing a condescending glance down at him, the man surprised him by complying readily, tilting his head to take the cigar into his mouth using the boy’s hand.
Only after handing the cigar over did Geng Nuo allow a trace of trembling to show in his fingertips, drawing his hands back to rest gently on the man’s knees as he knelt obediently at his feet.
Pinching the cigar between two fingers and taking a deep drag, Gu Chengayan suddenly clamped a hand around Geng Nuo’s chin and dragged him close.
Startled by the abrupt movement, Geng Nuo felt his heart skip a beat. In a single instant, his knees left the ground and he lost his support, his hands waving emptily into the air to grasp at nothingness until he panicked and clung to the fabric at Gu Chengayan’s waist to steady himself.
With the two of them pressed so close together, Geng Nuo tried his utmost to suppress his breathing, yet failed to control the rise and fall of his chest as he gazed up with a look of dismay.
The general’s deep pupils reflected a majestic scrutiny, making Geng Nuo feel as though he were about to be swallowed into a vortex. Tilting his head back slightly, his eyelashes fluttering, he seemed to guess what the other intended to do.
Meeting each other’s gaze in silence, Geng Nuo maintained this sacrificial posture and parted his lips slightly, as if resigning himself to fate.
At the exact same moment, Gu Chengayan gently exhaled the smoke he had been holding.
Wisps of blue smoke drifted past, brushing across his cheek; only a fraction grazed Geng Nuo’s fair face, while the rest was entirely passed into his mouth by Gu Chengayan in mid-air.
Geng Nuo did not smoke, nor had he ever inhaled second-hand smoke from such a close distance. The pungent fumes rushed straight into his nose and throat, and the moment Gu Chengayan finished exhaling, Geng Nuo could no longer hold it back, turning his head away to collapse limply across Gu Chengayan’s lap with a hand over his mouth as he coughed violently, hacking until tears sprang from his eyes.
He failed to notice that above him, Gu Chengayan’s eyes flashed with a hint of scarlet, the corners of his lips curling upward into an expression of beast-like, exultant amusement.