Zhu Yaya felt depressed for a moment, but quickly regained her spirits and climbed out of bed. Yan Heng seemed cold and rebellious on the outside, but only Zhu Yaya knew that deep down, he was a man who strictly adhered to his principles.
Given Yan Heng's temperament, if he confessed his feelings to her right now, she would only find it strange.
Seeing that not much time had passed, Zhu Yaya held her phone in both hands and sent Yan Heng a QQ message:
[Are you home yet?]
Right after sending it, Zhu Yaya immediately recalled the message. She slapped her forehead, feeling a bit annoyed with herself.
Given Yan Heng's fanaticism for part-time jobs, he was either working a temp job right now or on his way to one.
But to her surprise, Yan Heng had already seen her QQ message and replied: [I've arrived.]
Zhu Yaya: ???
Yan Heng didn't go to his part-time job today?
Zhu Yaya: [Why didn't you go to your part-time job today? It's good that you didn't, you must go to bed early tonight. You've been so exhausted these past few days!]
Yan Heng: [Okay. I'll listen to you.]
Aww~
Clutching her phone, Zhu Yaya jumped onto the bed and rolled around several times.
I'll listen to you.
Ahahaha, what's going on? Why does it feel more and more like they are a little married couple?
Zhu Yaya smiled foolishly and buried her face in her pillow.
She thought, no! I need to restrain myself, how can my thoughts wander like this! I should listen to Yan Heng and study hard!
Today was Valentine's Day, and Zhu Jianjun, a devoted wife-doter, would never miss such a great opportunity to show his affection. Tonight, Zhu Jianjun brought home a bouquet of roses and a bag that Zhao Jing had her eye on. He even set up a candlelight dinner, showing off their love right in front of Zhu Yaya, who was still a single dog.
Zhu Yaya gave a fake smile, secretly thinking to herself, what's the big deal! In three years, she would be able to show off her love too!
After walking Zhu Yaya home, Yan Heng went straight to his own house. Upon arriving, he saw the QQ message Zhu Yaya had sent. After replying, he obediently listened to her, took an early shower, and went to bed.
Lying in bed, he thought about Zhu Yaya's words, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight."
How could Yan Heng not know what that phrase meant? The girl he liked was subtly expressing her feelings for him.
She liked him!
Thinking of this, he could not help but chuckle softly, thinking: Yaya, you were the one who expressed "like." Since you've said so, I won't let go!
Of course, the multiple boxes of chocolates Zhu Yaya received today also sounded an alarm for Yan Heng.
He closed his eyes, lying in bed, but his mind was busy mapping out a future blueprint for him and Zhu Yaya—
He would confess to her right after her college entrance exams.
She could get a marriage certificate at 20, but it seemed guys had to be 22. He was a year older than Yaya, so she would have to wait for him for another year.
And then there was the bride price.
...
While Yan Heng was lying in bed fantasizing about his future with Zhu Yaya, the Store Manager was in the staff lounge on the fourth floor of the Daffodil Club in the eastern district of the Imperial Capital, looking at the young man in a white shirt in front of him with a troubled expression.
He had rushed here after receiving Yan Heng's message and met this young man who supposedly wanted to reveal the truth about what he knew. However, when the Store Manager explained his purpose for coming, he clearly saw the light fade from the white-shirted young man's eyes.
"Why... why didn't he come?" The white-shirted young man's body trembled slightly, his face pale.
Yan Heng wasn't a police officer; he was currently just an enthusiastic citizen helping the police gather information and catch fugitives. Wasn't it perfectly normal for him not to come?
"He had other matters to attend to, so he didn't come. Don't be afraid, I am Yan Heng's friend. You can tell me whatever you wanted to tell Yan Heng," the Store Manager said patiently.
Hearing that Yan Heng wasn't coming, the young man's face grew even paler.
Despite the Store Manager's repeated questions, the young man kept his mouth shut. He only told the Store Manager that his name was Bai Peng.
Having gained nothing, the Store Manager had to give up on questioning him for today. Bai Peng walked him to the club's back door.
The outdoor temperature was still very low, and Bai Peng, wearing only that white shirt, shivered in the cold wind. The Store Manager urged him to go back inside quickly since the club had heating, but Bai Peng insisted on watching him leave.
As the Store Manager left, he kept muttering in his heart: why did this young man named Bai Peng look somewhat similar to Yan Heng? Especially right now, wearing a white shirt.
Seeing someone who looked so much like Yan Heng in this gay club made the Store Manager feel quite strange.
However...
The Store Manager narrowed his eyes slightly. When Bai Peng waved goodbye to him, he thought he saw some purplish-red wounds on Bai Peng's wrist, hidden beneath his sleeve.
This Bai Peng needed to be investigated thoroughly.
After seeing the Store Manager leave, the pale-faced Bai Peng silently returned to the fourth floor of the club. As he walked up the stairs, two burly men suddenly appeared and followed behind him. Bai Peng knew they were tailing him; he took a deep breath and kept walking.
He didn't return to the staff lounge. Instead, he opened the door to a VIP room next to the staff lounge and walked in.
In tune with Valentine's Day today, the VIP room was decorated with a very ambiguous atmosphere. There were pink lights, and bright red rose petals were scattered across the plush carpet. Deep inside the room sat a large bed, also strewn with petals.
A young-looking man leaned lazily against the headboard. "He didn't come?"
Bai Peng nodded weakly. "His friend came instead."
"Bang!"
The man grabbed a crystal vase from the nightstand and hurled it at Bai Peng. Bai Peng dodged with a terrified look, letting out a scream, but he wasn't fast enough. The vase grazed his forehead, leaving a bruise behind.
Clutching his forehead, Bai Peng slumped to the floor, his body trembling violently. Feeling the urge to retreat, he looked back at the door.
"There are people guarding outside," the young man said with a fake smile. "Come here! Since he didn't show up, I'll just have to settle for using you, the substitute."
Bai Peng covered his forehead, sitting motionless on the floor.
"What? Don't you care about your sister anymore?" the young man smiled regretfully. "Poor girl, only five years old! And she has to leave this beautiful world all because of her cruel brother."
Hearing him say this, Bai Peng's pupils shrank sharply, and he scrambled up from the floor. He was so terrified that his legs gave out, and he almost fell back down. But he forced himself up again.
He crawled to the young man's feet and tremblingly hugged his thigh. "I'll be obedient! I'll be obedient! Please save my sister!"
The young man clicked his tongue, lifted Bai Peng's chin with one finger, and said with a mix of regret and disgust, "Look at you. You don't look a bit like him right now."
His eyes grew hazy as he muttered to himself, "He would never cower like this. He will always be a calm and powerful existence."
Forced to look up, the distance between Bai Peng and the young man closed, allowing Bai Peng to clearly see the young man's face.
If Zhu Yaya were present, she would have recognized that this young man was none other than Senior Duan Zong, who had been bitterly pursuing her.
