Memories of Xi Yan surfaced in Bai Le's mind. He seemed to remember reading that Xi Yan had been locked in a cabinet by his younger half-brother when he was a child.
No one had found him for a whole day and night. Had that incident left him traumatized?
Bai Le turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it on Xi Yan.
Sure enough, his eyes were tightly shut, his face as white as paper. His expression was pained and strained, as though he were trapped in some terrible memory. He looked like a completely different person from the one Bai Le had faced before.
Bai Le didn't know how to comfort him at a time like this. He had never been good at it, and if he tried and said the wrong thing, he was afraid he would strain their relationship again just as it had begun to improve.
So he decided to use a universally accepted method of comfort. He had intended to pat Xi Yan's shoulder, but felt the gesture was a little inappropriate for an elder, so he felt around until he found his hand.
Xi Yan's hand was so cold that Bai Le couldn't help shivering.
Even under the circumstances, Xi Yan remained highly guarded. The moment Bai Le touched him, his body stiffened and his eyes snapped open, their gaze terrifyingly cold.
When he saw it was Bai Le, he seemed to come to his senses. His expression turned dazed for a moment, but only for a moment.
Author's note: While writing this chapter, I actually went on Baidu to check the minimum amount for a check. [covers face]
P.S. Lele, you really are flirting without even realizing it. If you really get involved with Fourth Master, it's not like you can't get away, hahaha. Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or gave me nutrient solution between 2020-01-30 00:22:59 and 2020-01-31 10:30:36~
Thanks to the little angel who gave me nutrient solution: Balding Pumpkin, 10 bottles;
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!
Chapter 5
Oblivious, Bai Le patted his hand and chuckled in a way that practically begged for a beating. "You're this old and still afraid of the dark? Even three-year-olds aren't afraid anymore."
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had said the wrong thing. He scratched his head awkwardly.
The way Xi Yan looked at him grew strange. For the first time, he scrutinized Bai Le carefully from head to toe.
Bai Le gave a few more sheepish chuckles and tried to make up for his earlier slip.
"What's there to be afraid of? It's not like you're alone now."
The flashlight in his hand kept swaying as he spoke. Xi Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, then looked down at the hand gripping his tightly, his expression unreadable.
A faint crackle sounded again, and the light returned. Apparently, they had been pretty efficient: the elevator started moving again.
"What's wrong with the owner of this place? He makes so much money, but he can't even maintain the elevator properly. What if there's an accident?" Bai Le naturally let go of his hand as he spoke.
Xi Yan glanced at him at that. Bai Le noticed and, still remembering what had happened earlier, asked nervously, "What? Don't tell me you own this place too."
"No."
With a ding, the elevator doors finally opened. Bai Le stepped out first, though he kept an eye on the person behind him out of the corner of his eye. The person behind him stayed put, and only then did Bai Le breathe a sigh of relief. Luckily, they weren't going to the same place. It seemed Xi Yan was here on serious business, not to have fun like him.
"Bye. We've been through life and death together now, so if we get the chance to meet again, let's say hello." No matter what, it couldn't hurt to take the initiative and be friendly.
Bai Le waved, but unfortunately, the elevator doors closed too quickly for him to see Xi Yan's expression or hear his reply.
He shrugged it off. By the time he reached the private room, Wu Hua and the others had been waiting for him for quite a while. As soon as they saw him, they all stood up, clamoring for him to pay the bill today.
Bai Le knew he was in the wrong, so he waved a hand generously. "It's on me today."
The room's lighting and decor created an inviting atmosphere. There was a pool table off to one side, and playing cards lay scattered across the table by the sofa.
"We got bored waiting for you, so we played pool for a while. Want to play?"
Bai Le took off his coat, loosened his collar a little, and sat down. "I don't feel like playing that right now. Let's play cards."
The others readily agreed. Xiaozhouzi dealt the cards, and Bai Le couldn't help frowning when he looked at his hand. It seemed his luck was bad today.
He agonized over it for quite a while before throwing down a card, not forgetting to ask Wu Hua a question.
"Where's your car? When are we going to see it?"
Xiaozhouzi answered before Wu Hua could. "Downstairs. Wu Hua said the first ride in his new car is yours."
Bai Le beamed and winked at Wu Hua. "All right, you're a true bro."
Wu Hua sighed. "My old man bought me that car. My second brother got a mistress pregnant, and my eldest brother made a bad decision at the company that caused quite a loss. They made the old man furious. Compared to them, even I, the one he always calls useless, looked a lot better to him."
Xiaozhouzi's hand didn't seem good either. He scratched his head and agonized over it for quite a while before finally tossing his cards down, as though he had simply decided it was no fun.
"I'm bored to death. How about we find something fun to do?"
"Like what?"
Xiaozhouzi smiled meaningfully. "Obviously, the kind of thing all men like to do."
Bai Le was taken aback, feeling as though he could guess what Xiaozhouzi meant.
Sure enough, not long afterward, a manager led in a group of young, beautiful girls, confirming his guess.
"Wait." Xiaozhouzi suddenly stopped the manager as he was about to leave and threatened him. "Don't tell my brother, or you know what'll happen."
The manager hurriedly agreed, then bowed and backed out meekly.
"I had to warn him, or he'd definitely go tattling to my brother," Xiaozhouzi explained to Bai Le and the others as he turned back.
"Why?"
"Because my family owns a share of this club. Even though my brother isn't in charge of running it, I guess that makes him half an owner. These people love telling him whenever anything happens, so I have to give them a proper warning. Damn it, if I'd known, I wouldn't have come here." He had only come up with the idea on the spur of the moment because he was so bored.
Bai Le nodded thoughtfully, but then he suddenly remembered something. "Then you should give your brother some advice," he said seriously. "Tell him to maintain the elevator properly instead of spending so much effort on flashy stuff." Then he remembered how fierce Xiaozhouzi's brother had been last time and hurriedly added, "Remember, don't tell him I said that."