Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Lin Juan hopped forward, "Lu Yanzhou, is that really you?"

"How did you become so small?" Lu Yanzhou extended his hand, holding it flat near the ground, gesturing for Lin Juan to climb on.

"I ended up like this as soon as I entered the hotpot restaurant."

Lin Juan was tired from walking. Lu Yanzhou’s hand was large enough for Lin Juan to sit on comfortably. Lin Juan took two steps toward Lu Yanzhou’s hand, braced himself, and sat down.

Seeing his beloved sitting so tiny in the palm of his hand, Lu Yanzhou was utterly charmed. He gently supported the small figure with his other hand and stood up.

Lin Juan leaned weakly against his hand, "Did you bring any food?"

As soon as he asked, he felt it was a pointless question—who would bring their own food to a place like this?

No matter how much of a foodie he was, he couldn’t bring himself to eat anything here without feeling uneasy.

"No, but I brought two chocolate bars. Wait a moment, I’ll get them for you." Lu Yanzhou hadn’t been in the mood to eat while searching for Lin Juan.

He had only been holding the drink in the private room for a while, without taking a single sip.

Hearing that Lu Yanzhou had brought food, Lin Juan’s eyes lit up, his tone unconsciously pitiful, "I’ve been hungry for so long. I couldn’t find you, and I didn’t dare eat anything here. You have no idea—I saw a woman with a rat’s head slicing up a bunch of rats into meat slices and serving them here…"

Lin Juan mumbled complaints about what had happened after he and Lu Yanzhou were separated.

Lu Yanzhou listened patiently as he walked into the private room, closing the door behind him, and took out two chocolate bars from his pocket.

Not wanting to let go of Lin Juan, he used his free hand to unwrap one and placed it in front of Lin Juan.

Lin Juan picked up the chocolate bar, which was almost as big as himself, and took a big bite.

Finally, he had gotten a taste of normal food.

As Lin Juan munched away, Lu Yanzhou watched him intently, not missing a single detail.

The sight of the tiny Lin Juan hugging a giant chocolate bar and nibbling on it struck a chord in Lu Yanzhou’s heart. He had once imagined what it would be like if Lin Juan could shrink—he could carry him around in his pocket, taking him wherever he went.

He never expected this wish to come true in such a bizarre way.

After eating most of the chocolate, Lin Juan felt somewhat full. Seeing Lu Yanzhou about to unwrap the second bar, he stopped him, "Don’t open that one yet. There are three other superpower holders who shrank like me. Let’s save it for them later."

"Where are they?" Lu Yanzhou tried to recall if he had overlooked any other tiny figures when he encountered Lin Juan.

Lin Juan and the other three had shrunk proportionally. At first, they had only shrunk tenfold, but after spending some time here, they shrank another tenfold. At just over ten centimeters tall, they shouldn’t be easily missed.

"We split up to search for you. I saw you getting out of your car from the fifth-floor window. By the way, why are you here? Ping Yunhan, one of the superpower holders with me, said this club was destroyed in a fire and no longer exists." Ping Yunhan wouldn’t lie, so Lin Juan couldn’t understand why the Huadu Club, which had supposedly burned down, had reappeared.

"I met a boss named Ma at a gathering organized by Qi Ruilin. He mysteriously gave me an invitation. I should have been outside looking for you instead of coming to a place like this, but somehow, I agreed to come," Lu Yanzhou paused, "Juanjuan, does this mean we’re on the same wavelength?"

"That’s so strange," Lin Juan leaned against the unfinished chocolate bar, resting for a moment before feeling reenergized. "I arranged a meeting spot with Ping Yunhan and the others. Let’s head over."

"Alright." Lu Yanzhou stood up, showing no intention of putting Lin Juan down.

Lin Juan was more than happy to rest a bit longer. Sitting in the man’s palm, his perspective shifted as Lu Yanzhou stood up, and he swung his little legs, "This is so fun."

Worried that a grown man like Lu Yanzhou carrying a tiny person would attract too much attention, Lin Juan climbed up along Lu Yanzhou’s arm.

"Juanjuan?" Lu Yanzhou didn’t know what he was planning.

"If we go out like this, we’ll definitely be stared at. If I sit in your pocket, it won’t be as noticeable." Lin Juan explained, gripping Lu Yanzhou’s clothes.

"You could have just told me," Lu Yanzhou said helplessly, extending his hand. "Sit on my hand first, and I’ll put you in whichever pocket you prefer."

Lin Juan’s gaze shifted to Lu Yanzhou’s chest—the view from there would be the best, but putting something in that pocket would be too conspicuous. He reluctantly gave up the idea, "The left pocket, then."

Lu Yanzhou placed him in the pocket, and Lin Juan peered out from the opening, "This is much easier."

Thinking about how this tiny person had searched for him from the fifth floor all the way down, Lu Yanzhou felt a pang of heartache, "I’m sorry, Juanjuan."

"What are you apologizing for?" Lin Juan leaned out curiously, fascinated by the novelty of being carried around in someone’s pocket.

Lu Yanzhou’s steps were steady, and Lin Juan, sitting in the suit pocket, barely felt any jostling.

Lu Yanzhou didn’t reply. He just felt that Juanjuan, with his small body, had gone through a lot of trouble searching for him up and down such a large building.

He shouldn’t have let Juanjuan go through so much.

Not long after they left, Boss Ma came looking for them, "Strange, why can’t I find him?"

Had he left early?

Boss Ma panicked. That wouldn’t do—the cooperation hadn’t been finalized yet. It had been so hard to get him here; if he left, how would Boss Ma complete the task assigned by his superiors?

Boss Ma hurried downstairs.

After checking with the front desk on the first floor and confirming that Lu Yanzhou hadn’t left, he breathed a sigh of relief.

If he hadn’t left and wasn’t found upstairs, where could he have gone?

Following Lin Juan’s directions, Lu Yanzhou arrived at an empty private room on the fifth floor.

Lu Yanzhou carefully lifted the shrunken Lin Juan from his pocket.

"This is where I saw you earlier," Lin Juan said, sitting in his palm and pointing toward the floor-to-ceiling window. "You looked up at one point, but I’m too small now—you probably couldn’t see me."

"I didn’t see you," Lu Yanzhou admitted, carrying Lin Juan to the window. "But I felt like someone was watching me from above. When I looked up, I didn’t see anything."

"It’s normal you couldn’t see me at this size."

After exchanging information, Lin Juan said, "That Boss Ma who invited you might be suspicious. Let’s wait for Ping Yunhan and the others, then go down and check."

Lu Yanzhou had no objections.

Before long, faint footsteps were heard, and the door was pushed open a crack. Ping Yunhan slipped through the gap.

As soon as he saw the man standing by the window, Ping Yunhan froze, his first instinct to retreat.

Lin Juan quickly called out to him, "Ping Yunhan, it’s me."

Hearing the familiar voice, Ping Yunhan looked up and saw Lin Juan sitting in the tall man’s hand.

"I found him. Come in quickly." Lin Juan urged, seeing him hesitate.

Ping Yunhan steadied himself and walked in.

Lu Yanzhou sat back on the sofa, while Ping Yunhan jumped onto the coffee table in front, barely managing to meet his gaze.

Lin Juan hopped down from Lu Yanzhou's palm; the weight in his hand vanished, and Lu Yanzhou felt a twinge of regret.

Lin Juan told Ping Yunhan that Lu Yanzhou had been invited in.

"By all logic, Huadu Club shouldn’t exist anymore. Why are there still people here?"

Before Lu Yanzhou arrived, Lin Juan had thought that this place, like the other strange events he had encountered, was some phantom from the past. But with Lu Yanzhou’s appearance and the arrival of Manager Ma and his group, it meant that everything happening here was in the present moment, not a replay of the past.

Ping Yunhan's findings backed this up.

"Keeping hidden, I noticed the people here are talking about recent events, including the entertainment gossip the staff occasionally shoot the breeze about during downtime—all of it just happened."

"Also, this place isn’t called 'Huadu Club' anymore; it’s now called 'Hualai Club,' and the owner isn’t the same as before."

If this isn't Huadu Club, why is there a white swan sculpture just like Huadu Club's?

"Could it be a coincidence?" Lin Juan asked.

"I’m not sure. Maybe it's just a coincidence—names can be similar. Or it could be a new club built after Huadu Club was destroyed. Another possibility is that this place has always existed, and we just never knew about it."

Soon after, the two young superpower holders returned.

Lin Juan passed around the chocolate Lu Yanzhou brought, "Eat this to tide you over."

The two young superpower holders looked at Lin Juan like he'd saved their lives.

The large chocolate bar was divided into three pieces. One of the young superpower holders took a big bite, his eyes welling up, "Real food, finally!"

"I plan to go with Lu Yanzhou to check on his side of things and see if we can find anything. What about you? Will you join us, or do you have another plan?" Lin Juan asked.

Ping Yunhan shared his plan, "We’re small and can stay under the radar. I’ll take them to continue searching for the rat-headed woman. We’ll meet back here in three hours."

Lin Juan said, "Alright."

The group went their separate ways. Lu Yanzhou extended his hand, and Lin Juan settled onto it. When Lu Yanzhou’s hand moved near his suit pocket, Lin Juan jumped inside.

Gripping the pocket's edge, Lin Juan poked his head out, "We’ll head out first."

The young superpower holders watched him with envy. They wished they had their own human ride too.

The private room reserved by Manager Ma was on the third floor. As soon as Lu Yanzhou descended, he ran into Manager Ma, who was looking frantic.

Seeing him, Manager Ma eagerly approached, "President Lu, there you are!"

"Is something wrong?" Lu Yanzhou’s tone was indifferent.

His status meant no explanations were necessary.

Manager Ma hurried to apologize, "No, no, it’s just that when you suddenly disappeared, I was worried I hadn’t made you feel welcome. President Lu, shall we go in?"

"Mm," Lu Yanzhou replied neutrally, giving no indication of whether he was upset or not.

Manager Ma wiped the sweat from his forehead and showed him into the private room.

At a glance, Lu Yanzhou noticed a few people were missing from the room. He didn’t ask where they had gone and simply walked to his seat and sat down.

Lin Juan sat curled up in Lu Yanzhou’s pocket, unable to see what was happening outside but able to hear the sounds.

There was a lot of flattery and some business talk that didn’t interest Lin Juan. Bored, he yawned and thought, "Do I have to listen to this for three hours?"

After some time, Lin Juan had grown so bored he was nearly falling asleep when Lu Yanzhou suddenly stood up, the jolt snapping Lin Juan awake.

"Your timing is excellent, Mr. Lu. The club happens to have a special performance. Would you be interested in watching?"

He tugged on Lu Yanzhou’s clothes.

Lu Yanzhou swallowed the refusal that had been on the tip of his tongue and agreed.

The Second Owner was delighted. Exchanging a subtle glance with Manager Ma, he stepped forward to lead the way for Lu Yanzhou.

Along the way, the stream of flattery continued.

Lin Juan wasn’t interested. Pressing close to Lu Yanzhou's side, he wondered what kind of special performance the Second Owner was referring to.

His small form was pressed against Lu Yanzhou’s waist, and Lu Yanzhou could feel the warmth emanating from Lin Juan—a sensation that filled him with a profound satisfaction.

How wonderful it felt to have Juanjuan with him wherever he went.

Meanwhile, Ping Yunhan and the two superpower holders under his command were also on the move. They'd also caught wind of a special performance at the club that day.

"I heard the performance was moved up because an important guest arrived today. Otherwise, after last month’s show, the next one wouldn’t be for another two months."

"I really want to see it too. Xiao’e said it was absolutely spectacular—she was serving drinks during the last one and couldn’t snap out of it for days afterward."

"Xiao’e landed a big opportunity. I heard the manager selected her for the next round of rehearsals."

"Now that you mention it, we haven’t seen Xiao’e for a while."

"She’s in closed-door rehearsals, of course we wouldn’t see her."

"Today’s performance…" Ping Yunhan retreated into the shadows. "Do you think the important guest they mentioned could be Mr. Lu?"

From Lin Juan, Ping Yunhan had learned Lu Yanzhou’s identity. By any standard, Lu Yanzhou definitely qualified as an "important guest."

"Brother Ping, should we go check it out?" one of the young superpower holders asked.

"Yes," Ping Yunhan said decisively. "We’ve been searching for so long without finding anything unusual. We might actually discover something at this performance."

Unlike Ping Yunhan and his team, who had to find ways to sneak into the performance hall, Lin Juan was effortlessly carried inside, nestled in Lu Yanzhou’s suit pocket.

At the entrance to the performance hall stood two security screening machines.

Lu Yanzhou paused, a hint of displeasure on his face. "We have to go through security?"

Afraid he might refuse to enter, the Second Owner quickly explained, "It’s for everyone’s safety. Just walk through—it’s just like airport security."

If he hadn’t had a tiny person in his pocket, Lu Yanzhou wouldn’t have minded. But he didn’t want anyone to discover Lin Juan’s presence.

The current Lin Juan was a secret only he knew—a fact that brought him a hidden sense of joy.

Lu Yanzhou remained motionless.

The Second Owner and Manager Ma tried to persuade him repeatedly, but Lu Yanzhou stood firm. They finally understood why people in the business world said Lu Yanzhou was a tough nut to crack.

In professional matters, he was meticulous—any slip-up on their part would be immediately exploited. Dealing with him required 100% focus. In other aspects, he was even harder to please—no matter how beautiful the women or how rare the liquor, nothing seemed to catch his interest.

Then again, it made sense. This was the head of the Lu family, raised in utmost luxury—being hard to please was only to be expected.

"You don't trust me very much. It seems maybe this show isn't worth seeing after all." Lu Yanzhou turned to leave after speaking.

That won't work!

Boss Ma hurried after him, "Mr. Lu, we wouldn't dare distrust you! How about this—we'll have them remove the equipment, alright?"

The Second Boss also stepped forward to persuade him, "That was our mistake. Someone of your status, Mr. Lu, shouldn’t be treated like everyone else. Rest assured, I’ll have them turn off the machines immediately. It’s just a performance—not worth all this trouble."

Lin Juan was listening intently from Lu Yanzhou’s pocket.

The more these people behaved this way, the more Lin Juan felt there was something fishy about the performance. Otherwise, why would they be so insistent on Lu Yanzhou attending?

Lu Yanzhou played it just right. After Boss Ma and the Second Boss pleaded a few more times, he pretended to be swayed and reluctantly agreed to enter.

Boss Ma and the Second Boss breathed sighs of relief.

They had come this far—it would be a shame to fail now.

While Lu Yanzhou successfully brought Lin Juan inside, Ping Yunhan and his two companions had a much harder time getting in.

They had originally hidden in a janitor's cart, planning to slip in unnoticed. Unexpectedly, even cleaning supplies had to go through security, forcing them to find another way.

When they finally got in, the performance had already been underway for some time.

Lu Yanzhou was once again given a private booth to watch the show.

"Mr. Lu, if anyone catches your eye later, just say the word. We’ll make sure they’re arranged for you," the Second Boss hinted meaningfully.

Lu Yanzhou didn't commit either way. "Is it starting soon?"

"Don’t rush, Mr. Lu. The best things are worth waiting for."

The night deepened.

The dome above the performance hall slid open, revealing a starry, ink-black sky.

Surrounding lights illuminated the space.

A melodic song began, and a beam of white light focused on the stage, where a young girl with a snake tail and a human upper body, wearing only a champagne-colored bustier, slowly raised her head.

Lu Yanzhou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The Second Boss, who had been watching him closely, felt relieved inwardly.

As expected, no one could remain unaffected upon seeing these beautiful yet grotesque creatures—not even Lu Yanzhou, who seemed indifferent to everything.

Lu Yanzhou leaned forward, appearing completely focused on the performance below. No one knew he was actually checking if Lin Juan was still in his pocket.

The warmth he had felt just moments earlier vanished the instant the stage lights brightened.

Gone.

Lin Juan had disappeared before his eyes once again.

Lu Yanzhou clenched his fists, unable to bear the fact that he had lost Lin Juan again.

How incompetent.

His fists tightened further, nails digging deep into his palms. No amount of pain could alleviate his self-blame.

He truly was useless.

Invisible mist gathered from all directions, as if drawn to him, flowing into Lu Yanzhou’s body.

Lost in self-loathing, Lu Yanzhou didn’t notice the unusual changes occurring within him.

On stage, the performance continued. Snake-tailed youths twisted their flexible bodies in a bizarre, seductive dance. An innocent-looking girl emerged from behind the curtains, her face angelic, but from the waist down, she had the fleecy body of a sheep...

One after another, hybrid creatures—part human, part animal—took the stage, making provocative and alluring expressions. Under the surreal lighting, everything was both grotesque and thrilling, impossible to look away from.

Lu Yanzhou heard the sound of someone swallowing hard.

In other booths, guests eagerly pulled curvaceous attendants closer, indulging in decadence.

Misinterpreting Lu Yanzhou’s restraint as repressed desire, the Second Boss gave a knowing look. See? No man could resist this unique feast.

"Has anyone caught your eye, Mr. Lu?" the Second Boss asked quietly.

Lu Yanzhou snapped out of his thoughts and tapped the table lightly. "So this is your club’s special performance?"

"Of course, there’s more to it than this," the Second Boss replied with a suggestive smile. "The real feast awaits in the private rooms later."

The implication was unmistakable.

A faint, almost imperceptible sweet fragrance filled the air. Some guests leaned excitedly out of windows, throwing money around, while others discarded all restraint, losing themselves in pleasure with the beauties beside them.

This place was definitely suspicious.

Lu Yanzhou was certain of it.

As an ordinary person, he couldn’t sense any contamination here, but the non-human parts of these performers were clearly not the result of normal technological means.

When Lu Yanzhou didn’t respond, the Second Boss added, "The performance isn’t over yet, Mr. Lu. Take your time choosing."

Lu Yanzhou looked without interest at the stage below. He had no interest in the performance—he only wanted to know where his Juanjuan had gone.

Suddenly, his eyes locked onto something.

Under the curtains, he thought he saw a few small figures flash by.

Lu Yanzhou straightened up.

Just then, a white-snake-tailed youth took the stage. Sensing Lu Yanzhou’s rare change in demeanor, the Second Boss felt reassured.

Ping Yunhan and his two companions infiltrated the performance hall through the ventilation ducts. Fortunately, their reduced size allowed them to pass through unnoticed.

Once inside, the three were met with a shocking scene.

The hall, resembling an exhibition space, was filled with cages, each containing a half-human, half-beast creature.

Without exception, these beings had strikingly beautiful faces.

Their upper bodies were normal, but from the waist down, they had the bodies of various animals.

A snake-tailed creature—the kind only spoken of in legends—curled its snow-white tail inside a cage. Hearing movement, it slowly lifted its head.

"Mr. Lin?!" The young superpower holder exclaimed in shock and disbelief upon recognizing the handsome snake-tailed youth.

My head is spinning.

Lin Juan shook his head, following the sound, and saw three little figures several inches tall.

Wait.

Lin Juan looked around, "Has my body returned to normal?"

His vision had normalized.

Everything suddenly returned to its normal size, and Lin Juan was disoriented for a few seconds.

"It really is Mr. Lin!" The young superpower holder ran forward a few steps, his gaze falling on the other's snow-white snake tail. "Mr. Lin, how did you..."

Lin Juan also noticed his legs.

"What the hell? Where are my legs?"

He tried to move his legs, but the tail beneath him moved instead. Losing his balance, Lin Juan almost flipped over. Grabbing the cage, he barely managed to steady himself and didn't dare move recklessly again.

He couldn't control this newly grown tail yet.

"I want to know what's going on too," Lin Juan propped himself up, broke the cage door, and crawled out. "Ow," he groaned, holding onto the cage. "Dammit, this tail won't listen to me!"

"Quick, quick! Pick the most beautiful snake and send it over. A VIP has their eye on the snake."

"The lamb too."

Footsteps approached. Lin Juan ducked back into the cage, quickly pulling Ping Yunhan and the young superpower holder inside and hiding them under his tail.

Soon, two staff members in work uniforms entered. After searching around the massive breeding facility, they finally stopped in front of Lin Juan's cage.

"The most beautiful one should be this white snake. This is the one. Hurry up and get it ready to go."

Where were they sending him?

Lin Juan recalled the half-human, half-beast performance he had overheard while still in Lu Yanzhou's pocket and had a guess.

Most likely, someone had taken a liking to the snake-tailed beast-man, and he happened to be chosen.

Since Lin Juan needed to find a way to escape anyway, he might as well just go with the flow then and save himself the hassle of figuring out an exit.

Lu Yanzhou must be very worried about his sudden disappearance.

A red cloth was draped over the cage, covering it completely. Lin Juan couldn't see outside but felt the cage being lifted onto something, followed by the sound of wheels rolling.

Ping Yunhan sat at the edge of the cage, lifting a corner of the red cloth to peek outside. Lin Juan took the opportunity to send them out, telling Ping Yunhan the location of Lu Yanzhou's private room and asking them to go find him first.

The performance lasted an hour and a half. After it ended, the Second Owner personally escorted Lu Yanzhou to a room on the fifth floor.

Lu Yanzhou had drunk two glasses of wine and was slightly drunk. The Second Owner opened the door and said with meaning, "Mr. Lu, I wish you a pleasant evening."

The door closed.

Lu Yanzhou's gaze cleared instantly, not a trace of drunkenness left on his face.

He had pretended to be drunk on purpose to make those people lower their guard.

Lin Juan's disappearance was too sudden. He needed to find a way to get to the room where Lin Juan, Ping Yunhan, and the third had agreed to meet, looking for clues about Lin Juan.

The room's lights were flashy, creating a strangely hazy atmosphere. Lu Yanzhou took a few steps forward and saw the inner room's door was open. He continued inside and saw a large bed in the center, the covers slightly bulging.

Someone was inside.

Remembering the Second Owner's words, Lu Yanzhou guessed it was likely a young man with a snake tail.

He wasn't interested in snake tails at all.

A white tail tip stuck out from the gap in the covers, drooping weakly at the foot of the bed. Lu Yanzhou's expression turned cold as he walked forward without expression.

Lin Juan had overestimated his control over the tail and couldn't move for the moment. He could only wait for the person to approach and take them down in one move.

The footsteps grew closer.

Lu Yanzhou stepped closer.

The moment he reached the bedside, the covers were thrown aside, and a strong force came at him.

As the person on the bed attacked, Lu Yanzhou quickly counterattacked.

"Juanjuan?" Sensing something, Lu Yanzhou quickly pulled back his strength and was pushed back onto the bed by Lin Juan.

Lin Juan propped up his upper body and looked down. "Lu Yanzhou?"

It really was Lu Yanzhou.

As his strength faded, Lin Juan fell into the man's arms. Feeling the familiar scent, his slender snake tail instinctively wrapped around the man.

The cool snake tail wrapped around his leg, Lu Yanzhou looked at Juanjuan. "Juanjuan, how did you get a tail now?"

"I don't know either. I woke up this way," Lin Juan muttered complainingly. "This tail is so hard to use. It doesn't listen to me at all."

Lu Yanzhou stroked the snake tail coiled around his leg. The tail was cool and felt nice to touch.

The normal human body temperature felt too hot to the snake tail. Lin Juan automatically pulled away. "Don't touch it, that's too hot."

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Author's note: Lu Yanzhou: I have no interest in snake tails at all.

Upon seeing Lin Juan with a snake tail, Lu Yanzhou: Can't get enough, so beautiful, so beautiful, just let me keep touching it.