Chapter 22: Blood
“Stop playing dumb. What have you been up to lately?”
Lin Xuan knelt on the floor, looking up at Jiang Zhaosheng. As if he had laid down some burden, his gaze became increasingly unscrupulous. His timidness was replaced by fanaticism and obsession. Jiang Zhaosheng suspected he had kicked some strange hobby into the guy and quickly withdrew his strength.
It was simply a masterâs pure discipline toward a pet.
“I…”
Lin Xuan wanted to deny it, but under Jiang Zhaoshengâs gaze… even organizing logic became a challenge, let alone lying.
“Lin Xuan, I like smart people, not those who think they are smart.”
Jiang Zhaosheng was referring to Lin Xuanâs attempts to subtly show off on the forum about “dating” him.
“You need to understand. I chose you because your obedient look is quite pleasing to the eye, not because of how irreplaceable you are.”
If He Qianyu hadn’t reported it in time, Jiang Zhaosheng felt that with Lin Xuanâs personality, the matter would have been exposed sooner or later. Not only would it cause suspicion, but it would also be bad if Jiang Wan misunderstood.
Lin Xuan understood his meaning. The rebellion in his heart was completely crushed, leaving only the desire to be controlled by the person in front of him…
“U-Understood, Teacher Jiang… Iâm sorry…”
Jiang Zhaosheng slightly raised his chin, signaling him to get up.
“Tidy up your clothes.”
Fingertips suddenly touched the back of his neck, and Lin Xuan couldn’t help but shrink his neck… He actually felt for a moment that Jiang Zhaosheng was going to choke him?
Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhaosheng just tucked his collar under his suit like an elder, as if the person who had just disciplined him wasn’t the same one:
“Show your best state. Don’t embarrass me.”
“Pandoraâs Box” was held at a resort center in the suburbs. It was located on a mountaintop and surrounded by an artificial lake. It appeared that it could only be reached by a private boat, offering extremely high privacy.
Lin Xuan was responsible for driving. After arriving nearby, he looked hesitantly at the passenger seat.
Jiang Zhaosheng took off his sunglasses and looked at the nearby mountaintop with a slight frown:
“What kind of taste is this…?”
Turning a resort into a strategic fortress, or rather, something like a classic “Closed Circle” mystery novel setting.
He wore dark brown contact lenses today. Lin Xuan wasn’t used to it at first glance and looked a few more times.
Black eyes made him look younger. How did he… become a mother?
“Park over there. I see the staff.”
Jiang Zhaoshengâs command interrupted his wild thoughts. Lin Xuan shook his head to try and clear it: Pay attention, don’t let the little head control the big head while youâre by his side.
Coming to the lakeside, a completely enclosed electric boat was stopped by the shore to receive guests. Before boarding, they put on masks, though the styles were different.
It seemed the rule was one ring could bring one partner, with clear identitiesâJiang Zhaosheng wore a plain white mask while Lin Xuan wore a black one that was gaudily decorated. Even though he was the robust type, he wore exaggerated bird feathers on his face.
Jiang Zhaosheng felt the scene was a bit ridiculous and suddenly thought of a picture Jiang Wan had shown himâ
ăI am a rich woman, and this is the pretty boy Iâve kept.ă
Lin Xuan had never seen such a place either. Before he could figure out the situation, Jiang Zhaosheng had already neatly boarded the boat and reached out to himâ
When pulled up, Lin Xuan had the illusion of being treated as a “son” by Jiang Zhaosheng.
The space inside the boat was quite spacious, filled with a lemon-scented incense. The red velvet sofa seats were soft and comfortable, and several glasses of lemon tea were placed on the table. Two people were already sitting in the cabin, just like themâone in a black mask and one in a white mask.
The person in the white mask had a slightly aggressive posture and was likely an Alpha. The person sitting next to him was probably an Omega, with a suppressant patch on the back of their neck.
Jiang Zhaosheng once again criticized the hostâs taste. This pairing was like something out of a funeral procession.
“Hello.” The man in the white mask proactively reached out to Jiang Zhaosheng.
A boat could probably seat eight people… Jiang Zhaosheng silently scanned the area and finally faced the man who had proactively greeted him. He didn’t shake hands, only giving a nod to indicate he had seen him.
The white mask didn’t mind his somewhat rude attitude, smiling as he withdrew his hand and glanced at Lin Xuan:
“I thought very few people chose ‘downward compatibility’?”
“One might think you brought the wrong masks.”
The Omega sitting next to him looked at Jiang Zhaosheng in fear, clutching their fists nervously.
Probably a canary kept by a rich person, Jiang Zhaosheng thought as he lightly looked away, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
He waved at Lin Xuan: “Tell him Iâm sorry, I don’t understand Chinese.”
Lin Xuan: “…”
No choice but to do as told.
After saying it, he saw the person in the white mask turn cold. The person next to him also looked over cautiously, but Jiang Zhaosheng was already leaning his head on his hand and resting with his eyes closed.
Lin Xuan thought that this wasn’t Jiang Zhaoshengâs fault. He was probably used to such harassment.
Even though he didn’t dress up much today, wearing a black patterned suit with his long hair tied behind his head with an ancient silver hair clip and a few stray strands falling by his faceâeven just seeing the part of his face not covered by the mask could give one a sense of nobility.
The boat was very stable after starting. Jiang Zhaosheng even napped for a while.
If there were any small episodes, it was that the strange Omega secretly looked at him several times when getting off the boat. The gaze wasn’t one of wariness or disgust… it gave a greasy feeling. Jiang Zhaosheng ignored it with a frown and led Lin Xuan into the venue.
Instead of an auction, this was more like a revelry of extreme luxury. Everything looked as if it were a high-end villa taken straight out of The Great Gatsby. The huge white marble building was brightly lit under the night sky, like a brilliant palace suspended on the mountaintop.
Champagne towers sparkled on the fountain square. Inside the magnificent hall, there was a sea of fine clothes and a constant clinking of glasses.
Lin Xuan, who followed behind him, straightened his back and tried to play the role of a “male companion.” As soon as he entered, he was disoriented by the mix of pheromones. Fortunately, the composed back of Jiang Zhaosheng in front provided him with a bit of comfort.
The sky had not yet darkened, and the auction had not officially begun. The warm-up activity was a car race around the mountainside. The roar of the engines even faintly reached the mountaintop.
As he passed a partially open carved wooden door leading to the internal rest area, Jiang Zhaoshengâs footsteps paused for a split second.
Through the crack in the door, a back flashed past.
Tall and upright. Whether it was the walking posture or the lines of the neck and shoulders, that bone-deep familiarity was like an electric current running through his spine.
That back… impossible…
Coming back to his senses, Jiang Zhaosheng had already reacted before his logic:
“Wait here, don’t wander off.”
He tossed a sentence to Lin Xuan and, without waiting for a response, quickly pushed the door and slipped inside.
Inside the door was a slightly dimly lit corridor. The thick carpet absorbed all footsteps. That back was disappearing around the corner at the end of the corridor.
Jiang Zhaosheng quickened his pace, his heart beating heavily in his chest. A long-lost feeling belonging to a hunter returned in full.
He chased to the corner. It was a shorter corridor with several closed doors on both sides. The only partially open door was exceptionally obvious.
He approached without hesitation and pushed open the doorâ
A great force suddenly hit him, and a warm, heavy object crashed into his arms!
Jiang Zhaosheng reacted extremely quickly, his lower body immediately stabilizing, but having an extra person in his arms still made him sway slightly. A rich, cloying Omega pheromone scent, accompanied by a familiar metallic smell of blood, rushed at him.
He looked down and met a pair of dilated pupils.
Unexpectedly, he actually recognized this faceâit was the Omega from the boat who had secretly looked at him.
Right now, a uniquely designed butterfly knife was stabbed into the back of this Omegaâs neckâobviously the cause of death.
Fresh red blood kept gushing out, staining the personâs thin dress and soaking Jiang Zhaoshengâs arms and chest as he held them.
The warm, viscous liquid seeped through the fabric, clinging to his skin like a ghost.
The Omegaâs body seemed to twitch once, then lost all breath.
Seeing the familiar butterfly knife, Jiang Zhaosheng instantly understoodâthis was a trap set for him.
Was it this personâs companion? No, it was unlikely someone would do this because a pick-up failed. Or was it Shang Yan? He was capable of anything, but this didn’t fit his style.
Jiang Zhaosheng calmly closed the door and laid down the still-warm corpse, taking advantage of the sunset outside to inspect it: there were no other wounds on the Omegaâs body, the lips only showed blood loss, the hands were clean without woundsâmost likely, the person was ambushed and stabbed in the brainstem, killed in one blow.
He looked around. This seemed to be a simple rest room, with only a bed and a coffee table. Something was placed abruptly on the bed.
An exquisite gift box.
Clearly, it was meant for him to see. Jiang Zhaosheng opened the box expressionlessly. Inside was a set of race-track starter-girl clothingâa shiny black leather tube top that barely covered the essentials, matching ultra-short hot pants, and a pair of lace-up boots that reached the thighs. Next to it was even a gold wig and a small flag with “Start” written on it.
The key was the black and red card on top of the clothes:
ăLong time no see. Iâve prepared a more suitable dress for you. Do you like it?ă
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