Chapter 9: Dog

Chapter 9: Dog

"It seems you're not dead after all." Zhou Liao's words carried a sinister tone as he applied more force. "Can you feel something even with another man?"

If anyone were to push open the door of the private room now and ignore the forced presence around them, the scene would be quite picturesque. An unsuspecting observer might think that the boy with a delicate appearance was kissing another male on his lap.

Qin Zhan's mouth was smeared with wine that hadn't been swallowed, mixing with the tears on Ollie's face, carrying a salty, malty taste. His jaw was almost dislocated by Zhou Liao's grip, and the thumb pressing down was leaving a white mark on the bruise. Every struggle intensified the pain.

Ollie tried to turn his head to continue but was grabbed by the hair by Zhou Liao, forcing him to lift his head.

"If you keep crying, I'm going to vomit."

Ollie's eyes were red, and his entire body was shaking. He barely dared to meet the gaze of anyone in the room. After Qin Zhan's lips left his, he nearly retched, expelling the alcohol that hadn't yet reached his stomach.

"How filthy."

Ollie paused for a moment.

Zhou Liao narrowed his eyes slightly. "I want my toys clean. What should you do?"

"Customer..." Ollie's voice trembled.

Zhou Liao remained silent, calmly staring at him.

Ollie couldn't imagine what would happen if he resisted. He shakily supported himself on either side of Qin Zhan, ignoring the tension in his muscles.

"Get lost..." Qin Zhan's eyes seemed to hold a river of blood, unable to utter a complete sentence under Zhou Liao's thumb pressure. His cheeks were torn with pain, and even his scalp tingled.

"My patience is limited, little brother."

Seeing the hesitation, Zhou Liao extended his foot and pressed it onto Ollie's back, forcing him to kneel instantly on the floor. The sound of bones hitting the ground echoed through the room, a terrifying pain.

.........

"Leave. You drank one and a half bottles; I don't care how many sips. Tonight, it's twenty-five thousand. I'll have your manager send it to you later."

Ollie hung his head, filled with shame, remorse, humiliation, and resentment. The moment he heard the amount, it felt like hot water splashing on ice, instantly evaporating. Twenty-five thousand was the amount he could earn only after months of working without eating or drinking, just for one night.

He felt like a despicable yet secretly gleeful perpetrator.

He knew he wouldn't sleep tonight, tossing and turning with guilt for the rest of his life. But thinking of his grandfather's cracked, aged hands and his father who couldn't afford medical treatment...

Ollie closed his eyes, then opened them after a while. He wiped the mess from his mouth and face, his voice barely audible, never daring to look at Qin Zhan again.

"Thank you."

After the door of the private room closed, Zhou Liao extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray. He looked at Qin Zhan's bloodshot eyes. The buttons on his work uniform had come undone, revealing his collarbone and chest muscles stained red by veins and alcohol. A fresh crack on his lip bled anew.

In the shadow of the light, he resembled a fierce ghost chained in hell.

"Qin Zhan, did you see that?"

"Poor people can turn into dogs."

No one entered the room for the rest of the night, not even when it was nearly two in the morning and time to close. It was as if everyone tacitly allowed whatever happened in the room to continue.

Qin Zhan didn't resist, but due to his low tolerance for alcohol, he received no less punishment. Zhou Liao eventually grew tired, and Qin Zhan couldn't remember when they left. After everyone left, he dragged his exhausted and pained body to clean the room, ensuring everything was in order before shutting off the main switch and leaving the bar.

"Sorry."

The alleyway was eerily quiet, with not a sound to be heard. As Qin Zhan turned the corner, a shadow suddenly knelt before him.

He saw Ollie kneeling in front of him, his upper body prostrate on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Qin Zhan, I really made a mistake. I'm sorry... I just needed money so badly." Ollie lifted his tear-streaked face, clutching Qin Zhan's right leg. The wounds on Qin Zhan's face looked ghastly in the darkness, but Ollie feared more than just that. "Can you understand me? Can you understand?"

Qin Zhan glanced indifferently at the person before him.

"...Qin Zhan... I'm sorry." Ollie's hands shook violently as he clung to Qin Zhan, seeking a place for his conscience.

"Let go."

"Qin Zhan..."

Qin Zhan was being dragged away by someone beside him. He looked coldly ahead, the black fog in his chest churning. Ollie didn't see the veins bulging on Qin Zhan's temples because he was kicked aside mercilessly in the next second.

Ollie struggled to get up, tears streaming down his face. He stumbled forward a few steps and saw Qin Zhan take a few steps towards a dumpster, picking up a dead cat.

A car passed by outside the alley, and the light illuminated the scene for a moment. Ollie saw the dead cat clearly, and his stomach churned violently—its body was mangled beyond recognition, its intestines exposed, blood congealed, and fur stiffened, emitting a strong stench.

"Qin Zhan..." He dared not breathe.

He saw Qin Zhan looking at the cat with a strange mix of pity and admiration, an eerie sight in the darkness.

"Don't follow me." Qin Zhan held the dead cat in his arms, his tone cold and repulsive. "Otherwise, I don't know what I might do."

After returning home, Qin Zhan took a shower. The hot water poured over his crisscrossed wounds, causing fiery pain. He leaned against the wall, feeling as if every bone in his body had been shattered. The healing wounds began to fester and ooze again.

Turning off the water and stepping out of the bathroom, the screen of his phone on the table lit up. Bai Ling had sent a message saying Du Li had bought clothes for him and would give them to him tomorrow. Below that were reminders about loan payments, with only a week left until the deadline.

He ignored these messages, put on his clothes, and donned gloves, turning on the eerie white light in the dark.

On the table lay a dead cat, which he examined for a while before taking a knife and cutting along its spine, spreading out the rotting flesh.

In the flickering white light, Zhou Liao's face seemed to merge with the cat's.

.......

On the table were neatly arranged organs, soft tissues, and bones, the fragmented limbs appearing grotesque and terrifying under the light. Qin Zhan looked at the scene, a surge of unbearable heat rising in his lower abdomen, making his nerves jump wildly.

Destroyed, shattered, rotten, utterly.

Qin Zhan reached down, wanting to see the same destruction inflicted upon Zhou Liao.