After seeing off wave after wave of relatives, Zhu Yaya was finally able to turn her attention to her mission.
Over the past few days, Zhu Yaya had even placed an order online for several watermelons in preparation for her upcoming melon-eating mission.
She had also made a major discovery. Reviewing the notes she had jotted down regarding major upcoming plot twists, she realized that the romantic development between Murong Beichen and Xu Chun mostly occurred during holidays.
The Lantern Festival was just around the corner. Zhu Yaya thought to herself, certain that a new mission was about to drop.
Just thinking about it made her a little excited.
Zhu Yaya resumed her daily routine of dropping by the milk tea shop.
While she was ordering at the counter, the shop manager squeezed his way over. Squinting and stroking his stubble-covered chin, he said, "Long time no see! So you're the one who's here. No wonder a certain stoic guy has been having such obvious mood swings these past few days!"
Zhu Yaya's heart skipped a beat. The manager had to be talking about Yan Heng! After placing her order, she walked over to her usual seat. Once she sat down, her eyes began darting back and forth between Murong Beichen and Xu Chun.
Murong Beichen had re-dyed his rainbow hair, making the colors even more vibrant. Furthermore, for some inexplicable reason, he had applied heavy black eyeshadow around both of his eyes.
Zhu Yaya was speechless...
What on earth was he trying to do?
Cosplay as a giant panda? A rainbow-colored giant panda?
She was so distracted that she didn't even notice Yan Heng approaching. It wasn't until he gently set a cup down on her table, letting out a soft, dull thud, that she snapped out of it.
Looking up, she saw Yan Heng standing beside her. The aloof young man stood as tall and straight as a bamboo. The moment Zhu Yaya saw his face, the corners of her lips curled up into a bright smile without her even realizing it. Looking down at her, Yan Heng's usually pursed lips also softened into a faint smile.
This simple, shared smile was enough to keep Zhu Yaya in a wonderful mood for the rest of the day, even though she hadn't triggered any melon-eating missions.
When the Lantern Festival finally arrived, Zhu Yaya acted on her previous theory, specially preparing an extra-large portion of diced watermelon and packing it into a fruit container.
The "Once in a Lifetime" milk tea shop opened at nine in the morning, and Zhu Yaya arrived right on the dot. Throughout the entire morning and afternoon, she sat obediently in her corner, keeping her eyes glued to Murong Beichen and Xu Chun. She even settled for a quick takeout order for lunch just to get by.
Yet, despite her prolonged stakeout, Murong Beichen and Xu Chun didn't have any special interactions; everything seemed just like any other day. The system's voice remained silent, and no mission was triggered.
Furthermore, around four in the afternoon, Murong Beichen's bulky golden phone suddenly began to vibrate violently and ring. After he answered the call, his usual cynical and carefree expression instantly vanished, replaced by visible reluctance and intense irritation.
Zhu Yaya narrowed her eyes slightly, keeping her gaze fixed on him. Murong Beichen slammed his golden phone hard onto the table, aggressively running his hands through his rainbow hair in frustration. Shortly after, with a dark and gloomy expression, he grabbed his phone and stormed out.
Wait, he left?
Zhu Yaya's head was full of question marks.
Had she guessed wrong?
Zhu Yaya stubbornly refused to accept defeat. Murong Beichen might have left, but Xu Chun was still here! She shifted her intense focus onto Xu Chun, watching her from the late afternoon all the way into the evening. Even after the milk tea shop closed for the night, she trailed behind Xu Chun all the way to the West District. Naturally, Yan Heng accompanied her the entire time.
Zhu Yaya watched with her own eyes as Xu Chun entered a residential building and didn't come back out even after a long while.
Only then did Zhu Yaya finally concede that her judgment had been wrong. Her face crumpled into a miserable pout. Sigh! And here she thought she had figured everything out and could slack off a bit!
Yan Heng escorted the deeply depressed Zhu Yaya back to her home. Along the way, he hesitated several times as if he wanted to say something, but every time the words reached the tip of his tongue, he held them back.
After ensuring Zhu Yaya was safely home, Yan Heng received a phone call and provided his current location. Once the call ended, he stepped into a shadowy area to wait.
It wasn't long before a beat-up domestic minivan pulled up in front of him. The driver's side window rolled down, revealing the stubble-covered face of the milk tea shop manager.
Clenching a half-smoked cigarette between his teeth, he jerked his head toward the inside of the van, gesturing for Yan Heng to get in. Without hesitation, Yan Heng climbed into the passenger seat.
As soon as Yan Heng fastened his seatbelt, the manager slammed on the gas, and the rundown minivan sped off into the night.
A heavy silence filled the vehicle.
The manager reached up with one hand, removed the cigarette stub from his mouth, and casually tossed it into the ashtray.
Keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead rather than glancing at Yan Heng, he asked in a slow, deliberate tone, "Do you know where we're going tonight?"
Yan Heng nodded. "The Daffodil Private Club in the East District of the Imperial Capital."
"And do you know what kind of place that is?" the manager asked, his tone suddenly turning sleazy.
Daffodil is the English word for the narcissus flower. In Greek mythology, there is a tale of a narcissist a beautiful youth named Narcissus who saw his own reflection in a pool of water and fell entirely in love with himself. Consumed by this love, he lost his appetite, withered away, and died, eventually transforming into a narcissus flower by the water's edge.
The private club's choice of name carried a hidden meaning.
Freud theorized that homosexuals, when choosing a romantic partner, use themselves as a model rather than their mothers, meaning an element of narcissism is involved.
Therefore, it wasn't just some ordinary entertainment venue; it was an exclusive gathering place for homosexual men with a very high barrier to entry. The club kept its guests' information strictly confidential. Most of the patrons who could afford to spend money there were gay men of significant social standing. Aside from the cleaning ladies and a few managers, all the service staff in the club were male.
Yan Heng's face darkened.
The manager caught a glimpse of Yan Heng's expression and continued with a teasing, sleazy grin, "Tsk, tsk. If that Little Bean Sprout found out you went to a place like this behind her back, I wonder if she'd... Hehehe!"
Yan Heng's face turned even blacker.
"Alright, alright, I'm just joking." Knowing when to stop, the manager finally adopted a serious tone. "We suspect that a new type of drug is being trafficked through this club. Your job tonight is just to gather intelligence on the drug deals and memorize the layout of the place while you're at it. We'll have other colleagues posing as customers inside. If any emergencies arise, remember to contact us."
"Understood," Yan Heng nodded.
The manager's seriousness lasted barely two seconds before his cheeky grin returned. "Yan Heng, you'd better stay safe in there! Tsk, tsk, watch out in case someone takes a fancy to you. That Little Bean Sprout would be so heartbroken."
Yan Heng glared at the manager with a thunderous expression, his gaze so sharp it felt like it was laced with barbed hooks.
By this time, the van had driven out of the bustling downtown area of the East District. The surroundings instantly grew quiet, and after taking a few more turns, they finally arrived at the Daffodil Club.
The club was extremely well-hidden; from the outside, it looked exactly like an exquisitely decorated bookstore. A fleet of top-tier luxury cars was parked out front, making the manager click his tongue in awe and mutter, "Good heavens." The men stepping out of these luxury cars all wore finely crafted golden masks that concealed their faces, revealing nothing but their eyes.
The manager didn't park the car here, but instead drove around to the back entrance of the club.
Yan Heng slipped on a black face mask and pushed the car door open. He was just about to step out when the manager called out to stop him.
The manager wore a rare look of seriousness. "I will say it again. Your personal safety comes first."
