Free Web NovelChapter 135: A Cold Night
[Wenzhi: I am ready to meet.]
Wenzhi stared at the glowing screen for a long minute. Around him, the club vibrated with aggressive, pounding bass, the air thick with flashing colored lights, cheers, and the heavy scent of alcohol.
Out on the floor, Shu Yuzhen was commanding a crowd, the entire dance floor screaming and cheering as he moved effortlessly to the rhythm.
Duan Ze sat right next to Wenzhi, idly swirling a drink in his glass as his eyes scanned the club. Xinyuan and Kaiwen were nowhere to be seen in the crowd, completely vanished from sight.
Wenzhi’s gaze shifted, instantly spotting Zhiyao sitting across the VIP booth. He was watching Yuzhen with a low drink in his hand.
As if sensing Wenzhi’s eyes on him, he turned his head, his lips curling into a slow, knowing smirk before lifting his glass in a silent toast.
Wenzhi scoffed, looking away. He genuinely didn’t understand how Zhiyao managed to guide a firecracker like Shu Yuzhen while simultaneously finding the time to throw these micro-flirtations in Wenzhi’s direction. It made zero sense.
"Do you think he has caught up to the fact that we know it’s him?" Duan Ze asked, his voice cutting through the bass.
Wenzhi looked over, noticing the slight glaze in his friend’s eyes. It was his fourth glass, after all. "We did take his decoy, anyway."
"I don’t know, but he’s smart," Wenzhi said, leaning back against the leather booth. "He might have guessed, or maybe he just assumes Kaiwen caught the guy and killed him."
Duan Ze nodded slowly, staring into his drink. "The build... Now that I’m actually sitting back and thinking about it, the guy who took us really did match Pei Luo. It really was him." A sudden flash of intensity crossed Duan Ze’s face, looking like he wanted to drag Pei Luo into a room right now and dig straight into his skull for answers.
Wenzhi glanced down at his phone again. Still no reply. Xinyuan had already tried hacking to track the signal, but the encryption was locked down stiffly.
Wenzhi couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when they finally stood face-to-face. Pei Luo had always liked Lin Wenzhi. He had been a very, very close friend. Ultimately, the Pei estate had only been destroyed because the Old Blood were hunting Wenzhi and Xinyuan.
Wenzhi’s face twisting into a deep, icy frown.
"What’s wrong?" Duan Ze asked immediately, catching the sudden shift in Wenzhi’s expression.
Wenzhi looked up from his phone. "I’m just reminiscing."
"About what?" Duan Ze asked, and Wenzhi nodded.
"I’ll tell you once I get a reply. You should try to actually have fun."
Duan Ze smirked, raising his glass. "I am having fun."
Wenzhi stared at the cup dryly, choosing to just let him be. He rose to his feet and moved through the crowded floor toward the bar to order his own drink.
He had barely settled onto a stool when Zhiyao slid onto the seat next to him, taking a slow sip of his own alcohol. "You seemed pretty tense back there, Boss."
Wenzhi didn’t look at him or reply, keeping his eyes on the bartender who was currently pouring his drink.
Zhiyao simply smiled at the silence, entirely unbothered, and took another sip. "Am I bothering you?"
"You are," Wenzhi said bluntly, still not looking at him.
"Ouch. We haven’t seen each other in weeks, you know. I was worried when you went missing," Zhiyao said, his voice dropping into a smoother, lower tone. "Not as worried as Shao Xinyuan, obviously, but still... I was very worried."
Wenzhi finally turned his head, fixing him with a cold look. "What do you want, Zhiyao?"
"I want to give you information. Yuzhen told me to bring it to you while he’s... otherwise occupied." He paused, tilting his head toward the dance floor where Shu Yuzhen was still commanding the crowd, practically buried under a mountain of cheers and hypes.
Zhiyao looked back at Wenzhi, his expression sharpening. "Yuzhen has eyes inside the Old Blood. Word is that Shao Guying and the rest of the high families who survived the destruction have abandoned the ruins and retreated to their secondary base across the country. They’re back in the Capital. It’s their core territory, and they’re currently weaponizing something. My guess? They’re using the guiding energy they extracted from you."
Wenzhi’s hand tightened around his glass. "So they’re in the Capital now?"
"Yes. And they have officially merged with the CEA. There is no separation anymore." Zhiyao said.
Wenzhi let out a heavy sigh, the board shifting rapidly in his mind. "Does Xinyuan know about this?"
"I’m sure Kaiwen’s scouts will dig it up soon and report back to him, but Yuzhen wanted me to tell you first. Since you are, well, the Boss," Zhiyao said.
Wenzhi chuckled softly, a bitter, dark sound. He took a massive mouthful of his drink, hissing at the sharp burn in his throat before licking his lips. "I didn’t fucking ask to be the faction leader. That was a gift from Zhaohe."
"And look what you’ve built with it, Boss. We are free," Zhiyao murmured, leaning closer. "I doubt you even realize the scale of what you’ve done. That’s exactly why they keep clawing at us because they’ve completely lost control."
Wenzhi gave him a calculated look. "Do you want the seat, Zhiyao? I’m sure you’d love to be the boss."
"Oh, I would love a lot of things, Boss," Zhiyao purred, his eyes tracing over Wenzhi like he was looking at a particularly delicious meal. "But not that."
Wenzhi ignored the look entirely. He pulled a fresh lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and casually dunked the candy straight into his alcoholic drink to coat it. "Of course you don’t." He pulled it out and shoved it back between his teeth.
Zhiyao smiled, reaching into his coat to pull out a sleek box of cigarettes, offering them to Wenzhi. "You can have these if you want. It’s a cold night, after all."
Wenzhi stared at the box for a long beat before looking away. "No. I quit."
"Got it," Zhiyao nodded smoothly, sliding the box back into his pocket.
Right then, the phone in Wenzhi’s palm buzzed with a heavy, sudden vibration. He flipped the screen up, his eyes locking onto the text.
[Unknown number: Belium City Park, tomorrow night. Come alone, Lin Wenzhi.]
