Chapter 14: The Warehouse

Chapter 14: The Warehouse

Ignoring the disappointment in the middle-aged woman's eyes, Qin Zhan quickly returned home with the black bag.

When he reached the warehouse door, an elderly man passing by recognized him and casually asked, "Are you not using this warehouse anymore?"

Qin Zhan turned his head slightly.

"Oh, I saw that your windows have been completely dark inside recently, so I thought you had moved out."

"Window curtains."

"Is that so?"

The elderly man scratched his head. "Why did you use black curtains?"

Qin Zhan ignored him. The elderly man, sensing his eerie demeanor, didn't dare to linger and glanced away nervously, muttering about what to eat tomorrow as he quickly left.

After the man was gone, Qin Zhan opened the warehouse door, and a damp smell immediately wafted out. He turned on the light and affixed two steel plates behind each window covered with black tape, ensuring they fit perfectly against the gaps and window sills.

He turned the music on his phone to maximum volume, then walked out of the warehouse, closed the door, and pressed his ear against the window. No sound could be heard from outside.

On Saturday, when Qin Zhan came out after his tutoring session, he did not see Bai Ling.

Du Li was making drinks in the kitchen. Seeing Qin Zhan glance at the empty living room, she wiped her hands and said, "Bai Ling isn't coming back today; she's on a date."

Qin Zhan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"You know her, right? She said she helped treat your wounds last time. She says you're good friends."

Qin Zhan's eyelid twitched.

"I mentioned before that she was dating someone, but she kept it hidden. They've been together for months now. Yesterday, that boy dropped her off at home." Du Li smiled as she spoke. "He's tall and handsome, very polite. Bai Ling says he treats her well. It seems like he comes from a wealthy family, always wearing designer clothes. When the weather got colder, he even gave Bai Ling a Max Mara coat, but she refused it, saying it wasn't appropriate since she couldn't reciprocate with something of equal value."

Noticing Qin Zhan's silence, Du Li realized she might have spoken too much. "You're also tall and handsome, and with your exceptional abilities, you'll surely achieve great things in the future."

After a moment, Qin Zhan asked, "Were they together yesterday?"

"Yes, they went to watch a movie."

As soon as Du Li finished speaking, Qin Zhan received a text message from an unknown number. The content was brief: "Dear, what do you plan to tell Bai Ling and her mother today?"

A few photos of Bai Ling's father with another woman followed, along with another message: "Should I tell her? Her mother is a housewife, and there's a younger brother at home. If her father goes to prison, wouldn't their family be ruined? Who will help you then?"

Qin Zhan looked down at the screen, showing no emotion. He didn't wonder how the sender knew his phone number. After a while, he raised his eyes and looked at Du Li again. "Tell her to protect herself."

"Huh?" Du Li was taken aback. Since Qin Zhan was usually silent and showed little emotion, she found it odd. She laughed, thinking he was secretly concerned about her daughter. "Of course, protecting oneself is most important when dating."

"What I mean is, I don't get along well with that person."

After Qin Zhan left, Du Li pondered the meaning of his words for a long time. The two sentences seemed unrelated, and Qin Zhan rarely spoke like this, which made her curious about why he suddenly said this.

Initially, she suspected Qin Zhan might have feelings for Bai Ling, but quickly dismissed the idea based on his usual behavior.

It wasn't until her husband came home that evening, when she was serving pear soup, that she suddenly understood. Did it mean that boy often lies? That's why he wanted Bai Ling to protect herself?

At night, when the bar manager called him into another private room with a fawning smile, Qin Zhan was not surprised.

Ollie, who was wiping glasses nearby, visibly trembled when he heard the room number. Just hearing the name made him feel physically afraid.

Since that day, they hadn't spoken a word. Ollie dared not approach Qin Zhan again, remembering the humiliation of being kicked aside without expression and the terrifying sight of Qin Zhan holding a dead cat. He had no face to speak to Qin Zhan again.

Hearing someone call him to serve drinks, Ollie bowed his head and walked past Qin Zhan.

When he entered the private room, the air was thick with smoke. There were fewer people than before, but familiar faces filled the room. Although Zhou Liao sat on the sofa, his legs crossed, his gaze remained condescending. Seeing Ollie enter, he smiled and leaned forward, extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray.

"What did you want with Bai Ling that day?"

"Nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing?" Zhou Liao knew Qin Zhan couldn't do anything. "Hey, I've been a bit bored lately. Your injuries seem to be healed, right?"

Qin Zhan looked at him without saying a word.

"Go bring that guy from last time in."

"Who?"

"The one who gave you drinks last time." Zhou Liao laughed. "Don't worry, I won't hit you. Someone would be worried if I did, and I'd have to spend money pretending to be nice. Let's find some other fun."

Qin Zhan stood still, unmoving. Zhou Liao didn't mind and pressed the service bell. Soon, the manager personally opened the door.

"Ah, Young Master Zhou, what do you need?"

Qin Zhan saw the manager's obsequiousness for the first time. Perhaps since Zhou Liao paid for him, the manager had known everything all along.

"Bring that boy in, the skinny one, a bit of a pretty boy."

The bar manager thought for a moment. "Ollie? He's serving..."

"I want him."

"Sure, sure, I'll get him right away."

The manager didn't even look at Qin Zhan, bowed, and closed the door. Soon, Ollie walked in with his head bowed low. His neck bones protruded, and his shoulders shook violently from fear.

Qin Zhan glanced at Ollie, his face calm and expressionless.

"Long time no see. You're Ollie, right."

Ollie was so nervous he almost crushed his hand. He swallowed hard, and when he raised his head, his eyes were red, but he still dared not refuse to answer Zhou Liao: "Yes."

"Ollie, what a nice name. Did you receive the money I sent you last time?"

"…Yes, I did."

"Did your dad have his surgery?"

"…Yes, he did."

"Do you still want money?"

Ollie didn't speak, shaking like a leaf. Zhou Liao couldn't help but sneer, "I haven't hit or scolded you, so why are you trembling?"

"Customer… I might not need the money as much right now."

"What do you need then?"

"I don't need anything right now." Ollie didn't even have the courage to look at Zhou Liao.

"You need a man." Zhou Liao patted his shoulder. "You're gay, aren't you?"

Ollie held his breath.

"Actually, it's easy to guess. When I asked you to help Qin Zhan last time, your reaction…"

"Customer!" Ollie's neck was flushed red.

"Do you want him to serve you once? Hmm?"

This time, even Qin Zhan widened his eyes and suddenly looked at Zhou Liao.

Without knowing when, someone pushed Ollie forcefully, causing him to stumble and fall onto the sofa. Soon, a bottle of alcohol was poured over his head. Ollie began to struggle, trembling, but was held down by several people, just like last time.

"Zhou Liao."

"It's your own fault for being dishonest, trying to send messages to Bai Ling." Zhou Liao ignored Qin Zhan. "Your colleague helped you last time; why can't you help him now?"

"Customer… please! I really don't need money anymore!" Ollie's voice was filled with desperate sobs. "Please! Let me go! I'll do anything!"

Zhou Liao ignored his pleas and smiled at Qin Zhan instead, "Either pay back the money now, or kneel in front of him."

…

Zhou Liao had no interest in watching homosexual behavior; he only wanted to torment Qin Zhan. But looking at Ollie, especially his somewhat feminine face, he felt a bit thirsty.

After a while, his phone vibrated twice. Two people had messaged him simultaneously. Bai Ling asked if he had arrived home. Zhou Liao quickly replied, "Home, darling," and sent a photo taken at home previously.

Opening the other conversation, he saw two photos of shoulders half-exposed in different styles of white dresses, asking which one looked better. Looking at Ling Yang's name, he took a sip of the wine on the table and replied, "A little more see-through would be perfect."