Hei Bao stepped out of the café and headed toward a narrow alley nearby, seeking a few minutes of peace away from the noise and crowds.
After the oppressive heat of the day, the afternoon air had finally begun to cool. For the first time in hours, Hei Bao felt like he could think clearly again.
When suddenly his phone vibrated in his pocket.
His jaw tightened.
He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, then shoved it right back without answering.
Not interested.
Reaching into his suit pocket, he pulled out a pack of expensive black cigarettes. He tapped one loose with practiced ease and slipped it between his lips.
As he was about to reach for his lighter, the ringing finally stopped.
Finally…
He flicked open his lighter, but just then his phone started vibrating again, and again, and again. The persistent buzzing grated on his nerves.
"For goodness sake..."
With an irritated sigh, he yanked the phone out and answered without bothering to check the caller ID.
"What is it?"
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" The caller was none other than his younger cousin, Cheung Qi.
"I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR TEN MINUTES! YOU DON'T ANSWER, YOU DON'T TEXT BACK. ARE YOU IN SOME KIND OF TROUBLE?!" His voice exploded through the phone speaker, and Hei Bao physically flinched.
The unlit cigarette slipped from his lips and landed on the pavement.
His ears flattened instinctively. He jerked the phone away from his ear and stared at it in disbelief before bringing it back.
"OUTSIDE!" he barked.
"What are you yelling for?!" Cheung Qi shouted back immediately.
Hei Bao's eyes twitched.
"Because you're shouting!"
"I'M NOT SHOUTING!" Cheung Qi defended.
"YOU ABSOLUTELY ARE!"
A passerby glanced at him, and the pack leader, who had a weathered temper glared until the stranger quickly looked away.
"Don't call me unless you actually have a reason!"
Before Cheung Qi could respond, Hei Bao stabbed the red button and ended the call.
He rubbed his temple, feeling a sudden headache rising through him.
"Unbelievable..."
Across the city, Cheung Qi stared at his phone.
"..."
"...He hung up on me."
Slowly lowering the device, and looked straight at the three young men standing nearby.
Gou Feng, Shen Jiu, and Huan Zhan. The three had just finished training and were dressed casually, bottles of water still in hand.
Cheung Qi let out a dramatic sigh.
"I was worried he got kidnapped."
"Who would dare kidnap the leader?" Huan Zhan said flatly.
"Exactly," Shen Jiu added.
"And, if there is, the kidnappers would return him immediately within even a second."
Cheung Qi pointed at him.
"That's rude."
"It's true." Shen Jiu firmly believed.
Cheung Qi clicked his tongue before throwing an arm around Shen Jiu's shoulders and another around Huan Zhan's neck.
"Fine. Since our beloved boss is acting grumpy again, it'll just be the four of us today."
Huan Zhan immediately tried to remove the arm around his neck, but failed. After all, Cheung Qi's strength was no match to him.
"What do you want to do first?" Cheung Qi continued.
"Eat? Shop? Cause trouble?"
"You cause enough trouble by yourself." Huan Zhan replied.
Cheung Qi grinned.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"That wasn't a compliment though," Huan Zhan want to say, but he simply stay quiet and could only roll his eyes secretly at him.
Meanwhile, Hei Bao had barely made it halfway down the street when something felt off.
His hand instinctively reached for his shoulder.
Empty.
He stopped mid-step.
A faint frown appeared on his face as he stood there, trying to remember what felt wrong.
For a few seconds, he simply stared ahead, retracing his movements from earlier, until a realization hit.
His eyes narrowed.
"My coat..."
He had left it at the café.
Turning on his heel, Hei Bao headed back.
The moment he stepped inside, the entire room fell silent.
Conversations cut off mid-sentence.
The soft clatter of cups ceased.
Even the music playing overhead suddenly seemed too loud.
Employees who noticed him immediately straightened, their expressions turning tense.
At the counter, Chu Yan froze halfway through a conversation with the manager.
For a brief moment, nobody moved.
Hei Bao paused near the entrance, staring back at the room.
"..."
He released a sigh and shook his head, ignoring all the nervous stares and walked straight toward his table.
His forgotten black coat sat exactly where he had left it.
He picked it up, turned around, and walked back toward the door, not a word was spoken.
The café remained so quiet that the sound of his footsteps echoed across the floor.
When the door shut behind him, silence lingered for another second, before the cafe then was filled with everyone exhaling.
A barista nearly collapsed against the counter.
"He finally left..."
Another employee pressed a hand to their chest.
"I thought I was about to die."
"You weren't even doing anything."
"I know, but he looked at me."
Several minutes later, Hei Bao arrived at the company's underground parking garage.
The private elevator recognized him immediately.
The ride to the top floor was smooth and silent. Exactly how he liked it.
His office occupied the entire floor, but calling it an office felt misleading.
It looked more like a luxury penthouse that happened to contain work documents.
The doors slid open, and Hei Bao entered.
He tossed his coat onto the couch, and dropped down beside it with a tired groan.
Finally, some real peace, and quiet. Or at least, that was what he hoped for.
Closing his eyes, he attempted to push today's events from his mind. Unfortunately, one particular word refused to disappear.
Mate.
His eyes twitched.
Mate, and, again.
Mate.
Still there.
"...FUCK!"
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
He sat upright.
The couch creaked beneath him.
Mate.
The damned word refused to leave his head. With a scowl, he pulled out his phone, and dialed a number from memory.
The call connected after a single ring.
"Book me one seat, and a person to serve me tonight."
A brief confirmation came from the other side, before Hei Bao ended the call without another word.
He stood.
Grabbed his coat, and headed toward the door. Before he could leave, however, his phone rang.
This time he glanced at the screen, and saw the caller ID.
Gou Feng.
Without hesitation, he answered.
"What's the matter?"
"The corpse has been disposed of."
Hearing Gou Feng's voice somehow calmed Hei Bao's irritation a bit but then he noticed the other tone of voice seemed to be hoarse.
As though he hadn't slept or had been shouting for hours. It's rougher than usual, which made him frown.
Hei Bao stopped walking.
Something was off.
"What happened?"
His tone lowered unconsciously.
On the other end, Gou Feng fell silent.
The hesitation only deepened Hei Bao's frown.
"Why does your voice sound like that?"
Another hesitation, long enough to be suspicious.
As if Gou Feng wasn't sure whether he should answer.
Before he could utter a word back, another voice suddenly erupted from the background.
"A-Feng! Ge Qi already reserved the table! Hurry up!"
It was Shen Jiu.
Hei Bao recognized the voice immediately.
His expression darkened.
"You're with Cheung Qi?"
"Yes." This time Gou Feng answered quickly.
"He came to our dorm earlier and invited us out to eat. There's a newly opened restaurant near the university."
"I see."
Hei Bao briefly paused as if he was thinking, before he says,
"Where?"
This time it was Gou Feng's turn to be caught off guard.
For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard. It had been years since Hei Bao had asked where they were going.
Years since he had voluntarily joined them.
"Ge..." Gou Feng began cautiously.
"Aren't you busy?"
For several seconds, Hei Bao said nothing, then he answered simply.
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"Send me the location. I'll come."
On the other end of the call, Gou Feng blinked.
The surprise lasted only a moment before something warm settled quietly in his chest.
It was such a simple sentence, yet somehow it made him happy.
Perhaps because it reminded him of the past.
Back when Hei Bao would personally take him everywhere. Back when he never had to wonder whether the man would show up.
"...Okay."
The reply came softer than before.
The call ended shortly afterward.
Hei Bao lowered his phone, and moments later his phone buzzed.
Gou Feng had sent the location.
He glanced at it briefly before slipping the device back into his pocket.
Yet something continued to bother him. Gou Feng's voice didn't sound right.
For a moment, Hei Bao considered calling back, and forwardly asked the young man about it.
The thought lingered longer than it should have, but in the end, he dismissed it.
They would see each other soon enough.
He could ask then.
Still...
The thought of Gou Feng refusing to answer kept replaying in his mind.
"Just what has that child been doing?"
Hei Bao exhaled sharply.
"He sounds sick."
Concern flickered across his face, rare, but genuine.
Has he been assigning too much work lately?
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Not at Gou Feng, at himself.
Over the years, Gou Feng had become more than an employee.
More than an apprentice, more than someone connected to him through a blood bond.
Somewhere along the way, that lonely child he had rescued had quietly become an irreplaceable part of his life.
That thought made him uncomfortable, but he can't deny it, for it was the truth.
That was why he kept Gou Feng close.
Why he assigned him work he could personally oversee.
Why he made certain no danger ever got too close to him.
Years ago, he had even crafted a necklace with his own hands, sealing it with a blessing written in his blood.
As long as Gou Feng wore it, vampires and other supernatural creatures would think twice before laying a hand on him.
Few people received such protection.
Gou Feng had never even realized how much effort had gone into it.
Hei Bao preferred it that way.
He wasn't doing any of this because Gou Feng belonged to him.
Of course not.
He was simply protecting him.
After all, if Gou Feng died, the blood bond would affect him as well.
That was all.
...Wasn't it?
Hei Bao's brows furrowed.
If that wasn't all, then what was it?
The thought annoyed him to the core.
He clicked his tongue and pushed the question aside before it could take root.
Then he headed for the elevator without another delay.
Whatever was wrong with Gou Feng, he would find out soon enough.
That child better be ready to tell the truth, I don't easily tolerate lies.