Qiu Shihuan pulled out a dining chair, the legs scraping across the floor with a long, shrill screech.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu put on the clothes he had prepared the day before.

He wore a suede jacket over a short-sleeved shirt, paired with a pair of khaki cropped trousers. He pulled a baseball cap low over his head, keeping his outfit as simple and practical as possible. Since they would be on the road for quite a while, he made sure to bring his identification documents and light-filtering glasses.

Qiu Shihuan rested his chin in his hand at the dining table, watching Jiang Yu bustle around as he casually took a sip of milk.

His baseball jacket hung open carelessly, while his straight-leg jeans were tucked into leather boots. He kicked the chair opposite him out of the way.

His baseball cap sat within easy reach on his left.

“Uncle.”

“What is it?” Jiang Yu fastened his belt and turned around.

“I want to eat this again tomorrow.” Qiu Shihuan speared a piece of egg with his fork and waved it at him with a smile. “I really like this sweet sauce, and I really like the bacon too. Can you put some pork floss in it next time? Maybe some crispy seaweed as well.”

Jiang Yu leaned over and wiped the crumbs off the edge of his plate.

“Don’t talk while you’re eating. You’ll get food all over your mouth.”

He stretched his arm across the hole in the middle of the tablecloth and collected the empty plates and cups.

Then he put them in the sink to soak.

Qiu Shihuan took another sip of milk, his lower legs swinging happily beneath the table.

“I didn’t expect Uncle to be so efficient at housework.”

“Has your opinion of single men improved?”

“Hey, no way.” Qiu Shihuan laughed. “When I first came to your place, it was a complete mess. You don’t even keep fish, but there was water in the fish tank, and it was sitting right there in the most conspicuous spot by the entrance. And of course, the living room was a disaster too. There were bottles everywhere, from the sofa all the way to the bedroom floor—and the cigarette smell was suffocating.”

With his back turned to Qiu Shihuan, Jiang Yu inexplicably remembered his phone being ruined in the fish tank for no reason, as well as that night when he had taken a brutal beating.

His face immediately became a little awkward.

“You’re still young. You don’t understand that adults have all sorts of troubles.”

“But I’m an adult too, Uncle. Why do you always treat me like a kid?”

“Listen. Being an adult and being mature are two completely different things. If you were actually a little more mature…” Jiang Yu turned around helplessly and pointed at the wound on his forehead. “You wouldn’t have clung to me relentlessly at the beginning, thrown my phone into the fish tank, broken down my door in the middle of the night, and smashed people over the head with a baseball bat and an ashtray.”

“Sorry.”

Qiu Shihuan blinked at him ingratiatingly.

Although he said it, there wasn't the slightest hint of remorse in his expression.

Jiang Yu had gotten used to it.

For young masters born into the ranks of government officials and financial conglomerates, getting them to lower their heads and admit fault was practically harder than ascending to heaven.

Even though Qiu Shihuan's apology sounded almost like a joke, Jiang Yu was already grateful enough just to hear it.

He had never dared to expect much from Qiu Shihuan in the first place.

“All right. Finish your milk. Once you're done, we'll leave.”

Qiu Shihuan drained the last drop and sighed deeply.

“I thought Uncle was going to be angry with me.”

Jiang Yu squeezed a huge dollop of dish soap onto a steel scrubber and started washing the last plate.

“What good would getting angry at you do? I'm too old to bicker with a child.”

Once breakfast was over and everything was put away, Jiang Yu urged the two of them to get dressed and make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. He slung a backpack over his shoulders, shut off the water and electricity valves, and opened the apartment door.

Bolang had probably already stopped by once, but he'd left in a hurry and had simply tossed the car keys into the mailbox.

Jiang Yu opened the mailbox and checked whether, besides the newspaper and promotional flyers, there were any traffic tickets or this month's utility bills.

Once he'd confirmed everything was in order, he led the two youngsters downstairs.

The car was a black Volkswagen Beetle, easy to spot in the spacious parking lot.

He pressed the button on the key, and the headlights came on.

“Never seen one before?” Jiang Yu asked, noticing Li Yuanxi's astonished expression as he tightened his grip on the keys.

“Never.” She tilted her head toward the glaring daylight behind the buildings, clasping her hands behind her back. “It probably sounds strange, but this is the first time I've ever gone outside.”

Jiang Yu looked at the key in his palm.

“You've never left the club?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Leaving the club is against the rules. Someone did it once before, but that was a very long time ago.”

Jiang Yu closed his eyes.

“…Get in.”

Li Yuanxi obediently took the back seat.

Jiang Yu opened the passenger door for Qiu Shihuan, placing his palm a few centimeters above his head to protect him from the doorframe.

Once Qiu Shihuan had settled into the passenger seat, Jiang Yu walked around to the driver's side and dutifully fastened his seat belt.

Qiu Shihuan looked around curiously.

“Wow, Uncle, this is a really old model. It looks like one of those cars from the old-world government—”

“Sit properly.” Jiang Yu checked the seat belt around him. “Don't move around while I'm driving.”

Qiu Shihuan's eyes were filled with a deep, mischievous smile.

The Beetle slowly pulled out of the parking lot and entered the range of the traffic cameras.

Qiu Shihuan leaned against the seatback. Watching the streets outside, he gnawed at a hangnail.

“Why did you borrow someone else's car? Uncle could've driven my car. Or… do you still not trust me? I'm so sad.”

“What are you talking about?” Jiang Yu couldn't help laughing. “Your car is imported, and its wheelbase is longer than an ordinary car's. Apart from the badge on the back, it's practically spotless. In a place like District 19 that's internationally notorious, driving a sports car around would attract way too much attention. An old model like this is better. Thieves won't be as interested in it.”

“I see.”

Qiu Shihuan adjusted one of the air-conditioner vents, then his hand became restless again.

“So, Uncle, what exactly do you think of me?”

A sensation arose against Jiang Yu's right thigh.

It was Qiu Shihuan's hand—along with all his slyness, teasing, and flirtation.

His index and middle fingers tapped lightly forward, as though walking along Jiang Yu's thigh, hopping along until they stopped between his legs.

Jiang Yu suddenly had a bad feeling, but there was nowhere for him to dodge.

That nimble index finger traced upward, stoking a sudden spark of sensation.

His body immediately tensed.

“Young Master, stop fooling around. There's someone in the back.”

Qiu Shihuan glanced behind him. Li Yuanxi was still leaning against the car door, looking at the scenery.

He leaned closer and whispered,

“Uncle, are you afraid she'll see? If you don't want her to see, answer my question.”

Jiang Yu felt his palms inexplicably begin to sweat.

“That depends on you, Young Master. What kind of answer would satisfy you?”

“I want the truth.”

“The truth, huh.” Jiang Yu took a deep breath and tightened his grip around the steering wheel. “What if I said, Young Master, that you’re always tormenting me? Whether it’s with a whip or by peeling open a piece of candy, you always seem to enjoy tormenting other people. And me? I’m an ordinary man. I really like the candy you hand me, but whenever you bring that whip down, I run for my life. Would you consider that the truth?”

Qiu Shihuan looked deeply at him.

“Uncle, you're really interesting.”

“Not many people compliment me like that. You're the first.”

“Do you want to know why I'm interested in you?”

“I do, but I'm also afraid to think about it.”

“There are many reasons. But right now, there's one thing about you that attracts me.”

“I'm all ears.”

“You're remarkably brave.”

As though he'd heard an amusing joke, Jiang Yu's lips curled upward.

“Young Master, what makes you say that?”

“If an ordinary person were caught up in a conflict involving financial conglomerates and government agencies—one where they could lose their head at any moment—there's no way they could maintain your state of mind.” Qiu Shihuan seemed to have found exactly the right spot, his fingers moving ever so slightly. “But Uncle, you're different.”

Jiang Yu's body bent slightly as he struggled to turn the steering wheel and avoid a utility pole.

He scolded him in a low voice.

“—Enough, Young Master. If you want to talk, take your hand away first. I'm driving. I need to concentrate, understand?”

Li Yuanxi's puzzled gaze finally turned toward them.

Qiu Shihuan shrugged regretfully and finally stopped.

Jiang Yu rubbed his thigh several times before barely suppressing the impulse rising within him.

“I know you doubt my choices, but we can't just sit around and wait. I took her money. I can't do nothing, nor can I wait until a gun is pointed at either my head or hers.”

He answered Qiu Shihuan's question.

“Uncle, this can't be explained simply by your so-called ‘rules.’ A person who was caught in a shooting just a few hours ago and almost lost his life…” Qiu Shihuan turned toward him, his pupils widening slightly. “Yet within twenty minutes, you cleaned up every trace and then dared to say you were going to drive to the club and take a look? Do you even believe that yourself?”

Jiang Yu repeated the same answer.

“It's only natural to do the job once you've been paid.”

“I told you, don't try to brush me off. District 19 talks about rules on the surface, but who actually wants to follow them? Uncle, are you really just an ordinary counterfeit artist?”

“Other than that…” Jiang Yu kept his eyes on the road. After the car rounded a bend, it entered the highway. “Who else could I be? Your accomplice?”

“That's why I said there's something about you that attracts me, Uncle. Your sense of mystery. It's insignificant, yet it always makes people curious.” Qiu Shihuan glanced at Jiang Yu, the muscles at the corners of his eyes tightening slightly. “At least, I have a strong curiosity about the unknown.”

─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ───

There was a club with two stone lions at the entrance.

After confirming the landmark several times, they decided to observe the surroundings from inside the car first.

Daiwei Third Street was quite lively, especially since the club was already open during the day. Every ten minutes or so, another car would enter the club's parking lot, while only a handful had left.

As an old street dating back to the era of the old-world government, most of the businesses here, aside from the traditional residences and courtyards, dealt in flowers, plants, and food.

Jiang Yu noticed a three-story restaurant closest to the club and immediately drove into its underground parking garage.

For safety's sake, Li Yuanxi was asked to remain in the car and communicate with them through an earpiece.

With the help of a waiter, Jiang Yu and Qiu Shihuan went up to the third floor and deliberately ordered some inexpensive food that would take a long time to eat.

They chose a four-person table by the window.

Qiu Shihuan sat with his back to the floor-to-ceiling glass, while from Jiang Yu's position, he had an unobstructed view of the general layout of the club.

It had two floors, and the windows were tightly sealed. It was difficult to see what was happening inside.

“Uncle, I'm going to the bathroom. Absolutely no sneaking bites once the food arrives.”

Jiang Yu couldn't help laughing.

“Why would I eat your food? It's all sweets and ice cream. Do I really hate my teeth that much?”

After getting Jiang Yu's promise, Qiu Shihuan casually slipped one hand into his pocket and got up.

“How are we going to get into the club?”

Jiang Yu lowered his voice and asked Li Yuanxi through the earpiece.

“Ever since the murder, the club's security has become much stricter. They may require customers to show a VIP card.”

“A VIP card? Is there any way to get one?”

“I'm sorry, I don't have a card, and they've stopped issuing them for now.” Li Yuanxi said. “If you really want to get inside, you may need to go through some VIP customers…”

The waiter soon brought their order to the table, bowed to Jiang Yu, and left.

“That isn't realistic.” Jiang Yu picked up a piece of ribs from the plate. “If the club has tightened its internal security, those VIP customers will inevitably be more vigilant too. Getting close to someone who's on guard or hostile toward outsiders takes time, and time is exactly what we're short on right now.”

“What should we do now?”

“Wait a moment. Let me think.”

Jiang Yu removed the earpiece and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Damn it.

Jiang Yu had considered that something like this might happen, but he'd never expected—

Once they actually decided to approach the club, the risks would outweigh their chances of success by so much.

They were already having trouble taking the very first step.

Just as he sat there observing his surroundings and racking his brains for a solution, a figure slowly approached and sat down across from him.

“You're back? Have some ice cream. I ordered you—”

Jiang Yu's gaze stopped on his sleeve.

“Why is there blood on you?”

Qiu Shihuan took the spoon without a care and scooped up a small bite.

“Because I ran into two people in the bathroom.”

“Then why is there blood on you?”

“Because if you stab someone through the diaphragm, even though the amount of bleeding isn't very large, it's still hard to avoid getting some on yourself.”

As he spoke, Qiu Shihuan placed the dining knife he'd taken away at some point back onto the table. Then he pulled something else from his pocket.

“Oh, right. Uncle, is this what you wanted?”

Spread across his open palm were two bloodstained VIP cards.