Run.
This was the only thought left in his mind, but his legs were as heavy as lead, and he couldn’t move. His whole body was stiff, and his heart was beating fast in his chest as if it was about to explode.
He had envisioned countless reunions and thought he could behave calmly enough, but when it happened, all the hard-earned psychological preparation collapsed instantly. The world seemed to have turned into a thick paste, wrapping him in it and making him breathless.
One second, two seconds. Time was distorted, stretched into slow frames.
One step, two steps. The shiny handmade leather shoes stepped on the thick carpet, coming towards him, getting closer and closer.
Five meters, three meters, one meter…
Every pore seemed to be shouting to escape, and the stiff body lost the ability to react. Like a person about to drown, his mouth and nose were blocked by the water pouring in, and he was suffocated until he almost lost consciousness.
And then… passed by.
All the senses seemed to return at once, and after a moment of disorientation, the brain regained its ability to think.
He was not recognised.
Ah Zhou clenched his uncontrollably trembling hands into fists and placed them against his sides, lowered his head and let his burgundy bangs cover his eyes.
That’s right. He was just the most ordinary waiter in Lihao, and he would not get any special attention from the guests. As long as he did his job in an orderly manner, he would not attract attention. Besides, with so many people offering their services to him when he came here, he would have many opportunities to slip away.
Sure enough, as soon as a group of six people stepped into the private room door, Deputy General Manager Cao Kun hurried over with a group of supervisors, bowed and said, “Young Master Chen, I didn’t know you were coming, and I didn’t go downstairs to greet you. I apologise for the oversight.”
“It’s alright, it’s rare that I’m temporarily free today, so I came here to have some fun” The young man sat down in the middle of the cowhide sofa, crossed his legs, and casually flipped through the wine list in his hand. The few people who followed him in stood quietly behind him. The whole room was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop. Seeing such a scene, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Cao Kun’s forehead. He stood obediently and secretly observed the people sitting at close range.
With black hair and eyes and features outlined like ink on paper, dressed in a plain, traditional Chinese Tang suit1
, he exuded the scholarly air of a cultured scholar. His thin lips seemed to hold a faint, almost imperceptible smile, yet his gaze was cold, like a star with a chilling glow on a winter night, looking down on the world from above. It was also like a legendary weapon from the martial world, so sharp it could easily pierce the heart. He sat there calmly and unruffled, yet he effortlessly commanded the entire room. The chilling aura of his unspoken authority made everyone involuntarily straighten their backs.
The adopted son of Chu Yu, the former president of the Golden Eagle Group, the newly succeeded head of the Chu family, and the new leader who holds the financial resources of the Golden Eagle Group and the authority of the Black Eagle Society–Chu Yichen.
The sudden arrival of the big boss made Cao Kun very panicked. He quickly wondered in his mind whether he had made any mistakes in Lihao’s management and that the boss had come to him in person to trouble him. After all, the new head of the family was not someone so free that he would go to a nightclub. Although he had only seen Chu Yichen a few times while following Yang Lin, from these encounters, he understood that, just as the rumours outside suggested, Chu Yichen was even more formidable than his father, Chu Yu, and was even more difficult to deal with. To make matters worse, General Manager Yang Lin was not present today…
“General Yang might have already gone to sleep, and I can’t reach him. Here are the company accounts for the past few months. Please take a look.” Cao Kun handed over the account details, and the man in the black suit standing next to the sofa reached out to take them. After that, he turned them over carefully before handing them to Chu Yichen.
“No need. I told you, I’m just here to have fun.” He tapped the red wine on the list with his slender fingers, “Have a bottle of wine, and Hei Yu will arrange the rest.”
“Understood.” the man in the black suit replied, giving a few instructions to Cao Kun. Soon, both the wine and snacks were served. Cao Kun personally uncorked the bottle, and the liquid poured into the crystal decanter showed a deep red hue. The lights were dimmed, and a few people entered with musical instruments, playing and singing tranquil tunes.
Sure enough, he still didn’t like the hustle and bustle.
Ah Zhou in the corner looked at the man leaning on the sofa silently. The panic just now had finally calmed down. The darkness was a natural protective colour, allowing him to peek in the dark. At present, it seemed that his disguise was successful, at least the other party did not recognise him. What would Chu Yichen’s face look like if he knew the person he’d been looking for was right next to him? He wanted to laugh but couldn’t.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” He whispered to Da Hua, and then slowly walked to the door. As soon as he opened it a crack and saw the person standing outside clearly, he immediately lowered his head and shrank back.
Shit. He couldn’t help but curse inwardly. Just now, he was thinking about why Chu Yichen only had Hei Yu with him, but it turned out that Bai Xiao was guarding the door outside. Both of them were Chu Yichen’s deputies and two of the Black Eagle Society’s key officials—one in charge of people and the other of money. Known in the underworld as the ‘Black and White Duo’2the name Hei Yu is black feather and Bai Xiao is white daybreak, one was ruthless and the other shrewd, both being formidable characters. Compared to the always icy Hei Yu, the smiling Bai Xiao was even more difficult to handle and would surely expose him.
It seemed that there was no way to escape, so for now, he could only stay where he was.
“Aren’t you going to the toilet? Why didn’t you go?” Da Hua asked when he saw him coming back.
“It’s not that urgent…” He smiled bitterly.
Over there, Cao Kun carefully poured the wine into the cup. He didn’t do this kind of thing very often, and now he looked even more clumsy, and some of the wine spilt out.
“You don’t need to do it yourself. Let the waiter come over.” Chu Yichen said.
“Ah, okay.” Cao Kun felt relieved and said to the two of them, “Come here.”
Ah Zhou felt his mind tremble, and his whole body felt stiff. Da Hua beside him saw that he was not moving and pulled him. He had no choice but to lower his head and step forward, bending down to wipe the wine on the table.
“Young Master Chen, do you want to call some girls to help with the fun?” Cao Kun asked.
“No need. I’ve been busy and tired recently and want to relax a bit. Having too many people around would just be a hassle.”
“Then should I ask the massage therapist to come and give you a massage?”
“Just him. Have him give my legs a massage.” Chu Yichen put his long legs on the coffee table.
Ah Zhou, who had his head lowered constantly, was still worried about who this ‘he’ was referring to when he heard Cao Kun calling his name. Suddenly, his heart sank.
In this case, he had no way out. The more unnatural it was, the easier it was to get through, so he could only bite the bullet. Although the light was dim, the distance was too close. He did not dare to risk looking at each other, so he could only lower his body as low as possible. The only available positions were squatting or kneeling. He lowered his head and knelt down on one knee. When his hands touched the other party’s pants, he felt a little trembling.
Ah Zhou massaged again and again. His back and forehead were covered with sweat, but his palms were cold. He felt like he was being fried in a big pot, and every minute was excruciatingly long. In addition to praying, ‘Don’t recognise me’, his mind also cursed Chu Yichen a hundred and eighty times: You bastard, you actually asked me to kneel down and massage your legs.
After about three songs, the man spoke again, “Why did you choose this name?”
He trembled, and the movements of his hands paused.
Is this a normal pick-up line, or…has he been recognised? He forced himself to calm down quickly, and deliberately lowered his voice and said, “Random.”
“Ah Zhou.” The man took a sip of wine and said, “Very good.”
“…Thank you, boss.” As soon as he said these words dryly, he heard the other party slowly adding the second half of the sentence.
“It sounds much more pleasant than Chu Yunhan.”
His pupils shrank suddenly, and he froze in place.
The world was turned upside down.
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