Chapter 23 Escape

Chapter 23 Escape

The slap left Zhou Liao's head spinning. He stood there, stunned, a raging fire of indignation welling up inside him, almost suffocating him with humiliation.

Zhou Liao clenched his fists, and after a few deep breaths, he swallowed the humiliation. Losing control now was not an option; what he feared more was never being able to leave this place. If he could just endure it until Qin Zhan began to trust him and let his guard down, he would have a chance to escape.

His face burned and swelled as he knelt on the ground, picking up the plastic bag and stuffing the baozi into his mouth.

Sitting in his chair, Qin Zhan watched Zhou Liao without a word. Seeing Zhou Liao's red face, bowed head, and the way he stuffed the baozi into his mouth, something in his chest felt oddly itchy. In the past, Zhou Liao had been vibrant and rebellious, a shining star among the crowd. Now, he was merely a possession in this small, dark warehouse, belonging solely to him.

But it was far from enough.

"Are you full?"

After finishing the food, Zhou Liao felt no sense of satisfaction, barely enough to keep him alive. The question left him unsure how to respond, so he guessed.

"…Yes."

"Really?"

"…" Zhou Liao paused for a moment, "Still a bit hungry."

Qin Zhan tossed him another bread roll. It was the most refined food he had seen in days, leaving Zhou Liao somewhat surprised.

"Thank you."

Perhaps his recent behavior had convinced Qin Zhan that he was genuinely persuaded. Since that slap, Qin Zhan had treated him noticeably better, giving him slightly more food and a place to sleep that was gradually becoming more comfortable than the cold floor. Zhou Liao had endured the humiliation and tried to curry favor, always thinking about how to get a chance to step outside, but he never knew how to bring it up.

When the door opened, a gust of cold wind blew in.

Qin Zhan entered, wrapped in the chill, then closed the door and turned on the light.

"I'm back."

"Mm." Qin Zhan put down his laptop bag and walked over to the kitchen to boil water.

"How was your day?"

As soon as he spoke, Qin Zhan turned around. Zhou Liao couldn't read any emotion in those eyes and thought he had overstepped, so he quickly shut his mouth.

"Sorry…"

"It was fine."

To his surprise, Qin Zhan responded.

"That's good." Zhou Liao forced a flattering smile.

After a while, a bowl of seasoned noodles appeared before him. Zhou Liao took it and immediately ate a mouthful, wanting to exaggerate how delicious it was but settled for widening his eyes to show Qin Zhan that it tasted good.

Watching Zhou Liao huddled by the pillar, head bowed, eating the noodles, Qin Zhan eventually squatted down and touched his hair.

Recently, Qin Zhan had been doing this often. Zhou Liao, who initially found it disgusting, had learned to tolerate it, sometimes even rubbing against Qin Zhan's hand, which clearly pleased him.

"…Is it very cold outside lately?"

Zhou Liao's hair had grown longer, and Qin Zhan's fingers ran through it.

"Mm."

"Is it winter yet?" Zhou Liao cautiously probed, eager to know how long he had been here.

"Not yet."

Zhou Liao wisely stopped asking, knowing it was already difficult for Qin Zhan to answer.

"Why ask?"

"Ah." Zhou Liao tensed up, forcing a flattering smile, "Just… I've been feeling a bit cold lately."

"Very cold?" Qin Zhan stood up.

"Mm… a little."

Unexpectedly, after Zhou Liao spoke, Qin Zhan took off his thin fleece jacket and draped it over him. Then, he quickly fetched another gray jacket from the closet and put it on.

"…Aren't you cold?"

Zhou Liao was both surprised and uncomfortable. As a straight man, such intimate actions made him shiver, but because it was Qin Zhan, whom he wanted to gain trust from, he felt a strange sense of relief.

"Didn't you say you were cold?"

"Thank you, I just didn't expect…"

Qin Zhan glanced at him, his gaze inscrutable, then sat down at the desk to write code as usual.

Zhou Liao watched the screen's glow reflect on the glasses. With his glasses on, Qin Zhan looked like a meticulous doctor on the operating table, exuding a chilling aura. Besides coding, Zhou Liao occasionally saw Qin Zhan chatting with someone else, though his slight myopia prevented him from reading the details.

Still, the fact that Qin Zhan communicated with others was surprising.

After some time, Qin Zhan closed his laptop. Zhou Liao expected the routine of turning off the lights and sleeping, but instead, Qin Zhan removed his glasses and turned to look at him.

"Still cold?"

The sudden concern left Zhou Liao flustered. He swallowed and hurriedly replied, "Not anymore, your jacket is very warm."

"Do you want to go out for some fresh air?"

This statement caught Zhou Liao off guard; he hadn't expected the reward from his long-term disguise plan to be mentioned so soon by Qin Zhan. He had been struggling with when and how to bring it up himself, fearing that any wrong word might result in another slap.

"Can... can I?"

"Do you want to?"

Zhou Liao didn’t dare show his eagerness. He hid his excitement and pretended to follow Qin Zhan's lead.

"If it’s possible."

Qin Zhan tilted his head slightly, then unlocked the chain from the pillar and held it in his hand.

"Let's go."

The evening wind was bone-chillingly cold. Zhou Liao couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last stepped outside. Even at night, breathing the fresh air made him tear up. It had been too long since he walked on solid ground, and his steps felt unsteady.

This was a completely unfamiliar place, surrounded by abandoned buildings. Only when they came out did Zhou Liao realize that where he had been staying wasn’t even a proper house—it was a warehouse.

Seeing him glance around the warehouse, Qin Zhan casually remarked, "This used to be a pig farm."

"Ah... did you modify it yourself?" Zhou Liao felt as if blood rushed to his throat but still flattered, "Impressive."

He thought he heard a light laugh from the person beside him, but wasn’t sure.

Throughout their walk, Zhou Liao didn’t expect anyone to notice his predicament. His eyes darted around, searching for surveillance cameras to signal for help or provoke Qin Zhan into beating him, hoping someone would notice.

Unfortunately, he really didn’t know C City had such an isolated suburb. After walking around, he didn’t see a single camera.

This was a rare opportunity, one Zhou Liao felt was his closest chance to escape. Today, Qin Zhan was in a good mood and brought him out; he didn’t know how long he’d have to wait for another chance. Zhou Liao was sweating nervously.

"What are you looking at?" The person beside him suddenly looked at him.

Zhou Liao smiled nervously, "Well... I need to use the restroom. I drank all the soup tonight."

"Then let's go back."

"I can't hold it anymore. Is there a public restroom nearby?"

Qin Zhan glanced at him, "There is, but it’s very dirty."

"It doesn’t matter; I really can’t hold it anymore. I just want to finish quickly." Zhou Liao dared not confront Qin Zhan directly, well aware of the disparity in strength between them, "I promise I’ll only be in there for a moment."

This was the only place he could think of where Qin Zhan might let him be alone. If the terrain wasn’t suitable for an escape, he would resign himself to fate. But he could also use this chance to scout for potential escape routes.

However, the other person didn’t seem suspicious about him running away while using the restroom. When Qin Zhan led him to a dilapidated public restroom with only two doors, undivided by gender, Zhou Liao could smell the stench from afar. Holding back the nausea, he opened the door.

"Can I close the door?" Zhou Liao asked tentatively.

The moment Qin Zhan released the chain, Zhou Liao closed the door and cautiously locked it, clumsily covering the sound with a feigned confusion about the light switch.

The restroom was disgusting, with broken flush mechanisms and no lights, swarming with flies. Zhou Liao pinched his nose, not daring to look down.

Though small, the bathroom had a tiny ventilation window behind him, through which he was certain he could squeeze out.

The only problem was that the window was high up, making it difficult for him to reach unless he stood on the flush tank. Without that leverage, he couldn’t climb up with just his arm strength.

"Are you done?" A muffled male voice came from outside.

"Ah, almost." Zhou Liao feigned embarrassment, "I suddenly need to do number two."

"Do you have toilet paper?"

Zhou Liao didn’t dare open and lock the door again: "Yes, because it’s cold at night, I tend to have a runny nose, so I always carry some."

The person outside seemed to accept this without suspicion and said nothing more.

Taking advantage of this moment, Zhou Liao stepped onto the flush tank. With his weight, it clearly creaked as if cracking. Zhou Liao held his breath, sweating profusely, listening for any sounds outside and fearing exposure.

Using the flush tank as leverage, he quickly reached the window but accidentally kicked the frame. The sound echoed in the silent night, causing Zhou Liao’s palms to sweat as he tried to regulate his breathing.

Behind the window was an alleyway. He didn’t know where it led, but he knew that once he jumped down, he needed to get up and run immediately.

Without even three seconds of mental preparation, he leaped out, stumbling due to the height.

The sound of his feet hitting the ground was loud, but Zhou Liao didn’t hesitate, ignoring the pain in his knee as he sprinted down the alley with all his might.

...

Before he could see the streetlights, something in the darkness tripped him, causing him to fall to the ground.

Quickly, something black swung down, followed by a searing pain in his leg bones.