Petting

There were two stalls in the restroom. Bai Jin first turned on the tap, then walked steadily into one of the stalls and closed the door.

Then, he took out his phone and swiftly dismantled and reassembled it into a miniature computer, his fingers flying across it.

Three minutes later, Bai Jin tapped the final key. The miniature computer's screen showed that he had deleted all surveillance footage that might have captured the motorcycle, except for tonight's.

Bang, bang, bang—

"Bai Jin, are you done?" Lu Chengze began knocking on the door.

Bai Jin quickly reassembled his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. Just as he was about to press the flush button, he paused, opened the toilet tank lid, wet his hands, and sprinkled a few drops around the edge of the toilet seat.

Only then did he press the flush button. While straightening his pants, he swayed as he opened the door.

The next moment, he met Lu Chengze's gaze as the man forced the lock open and barged inside...

"Y-you... what are you doing?" Bai Jin froze for a moment before belatedly realizing that his zipper was still undone. Embarrassed and annoyed, he turned sideways.

Unfortunately, drunk Bai Jin's brain and hands were not operating at the same speed.

The more anxious he became, the more he failed to pull up his zipper. In the end, it got stuck.

Bai Jin was on the verge of tears. He wanted to ask for help, but he was too humiliated. Wanting to chase him away, he said, "...Mm, Fifth Master, could you go out first?"

Seeing that Bai Jin was safe and sound, Lu Chengze's tightly held heart eased slightly. Smiling at Bai Jin's predicament, he first turned off the tap that had been running all along.

Then, under Bai Jin's shocked gaze, Lu Chengze walked up to him and crouched down.

Bai Jin was truly stunned, because Lu Chengze's hand had already replaced his own on the zipper of his pants.

"Fifth Master, y-you... what are you doing?" Bai Jin stiffened in fright. More than half his drunkenness vanished as he stammered the question.

It was no wonder Bai Jin was nervous. Their current position was simply too easy to misinterpret.

If someone came in, they would definitely misunderstand what they saw.

Lu Chengze lowered his head without speaking, his fingers busy pulling apart the fabric Bai Jin had accidentally caught in the zipper.

With a zip, the zipper slid smoothly all the way up.

Lu Chengze looked up with a smile. "Done."

Bai Jin looked down at Lu Chengze from above. The man's eyes were brimming with amusement, as though he were laughing at Bai Jin's reserved shyness—or mocking his wild imagination.

"...Thank you," Bai Jin said stiffly.

Then he tried to step back and put more distance between them.

Who knew what Bai Jin had thought of, but his reaction was huge. He suddenly jumped back two steps, retreating until his body pressed tightly against the door behind him, with nowhere left to go.

"What are you hiding from?" Lu Chengze found Bai Jin's exaggerated reaction unbearably adorable.

He grabbed Bai Jin and pressed him into his arms. "Kid, we've already seen each other naked. What are you still shy about?"

Bai Jin said, "...Stop talking."

"Hahaha..." Lu Chengze was in an excellent mood. Half coaxing and half holding him, he led Bai Jin to the sink to wash his hands, then took him outside.

The moment they stepped out, Bai Jin was dumbfounded.

The private room was completely empty.

Bai Jin blinked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Fifth Master, where did everyone go?"

"The club called just now and said that retired racer's identity was suspicious. Jinnian took Huo Hongbao back to deal with it."

Bai Jin gave an "Oh," shaking his dizzy head. "So that person really had a problem?"

"Yes, your reminder came just in time." Lu Chengze did not hide it from him. "The police have already taken the body back. Huo Jinnian needs to take Huo Hongbao over there to give the police a brief statement."

Bai Jin felt a little awkward. "Did I cause trouble for Second Young Master Huo?"

"Why would you think that?" Hearing the caution in Bai Jin's words, Lu Chengze gave his head a firm rub. "You helped us a great deal. Once this case is closed, I'll help you apply for the reward for a public-spirited citizen who provided a clue."

Bai Jin laughed at Lu Chengze's words. "I didn't really help much."

"Could it be..." Bai Jin followed Lu Chengze's lead and probed, "that this person is one of those twelve killers you mentioned before?"

Lu Chengze pulled Bai Jin back to the table and gave him a rather serious compliment. "Very smart. It's highly possible."

Bai Jin said, "Then, if we find this person, can we catch the other people too?"

Bai Jin had not yet carefully investigated the specific hiding places of the other eleven killers. If Lu Chengze's side could find their exact locations, he could find an opportunity to directly hack into the police's internal network.

"More or less." Lu Chengze began peeling shrimp for Bai Jin again, his technique growing more practiced by the day.

Bai Jin nodded and stopped at the right point, not pursuing the topic any further. "That's good, then."

The two ate and drank for another hour before finally finishing their late-night meal.

They had not drunk much, but Bai Jin was already terribly drunk.

He staggered when he walked and needed Lu Chengze to hold him tightly just to barely stay on his feet.

Lu Chengze lowered his gaze at Bai Jin, who kept grinning foolishly at him. His Adam's apple bobbed twice, and then, amid Bai Jin's startled cry, Lu Chengze scooped him up in a bridal carry.

Lu Jin hurried after Fifth Master. He wanted to take out his phone for a sneaky photo, but he did not dare.

After stuffing the constantly squirming Bai Jin into the car, Lu Chengze got into the back seat as well. Once Lu Jin started the car, he lowered the partition, dividing the interior into two sections.

Lu Jin could no longer hold himself back. He drove one-handed while frantically tapping on his phone with the other.

Not only did he banter in their five-person group chat, he also dutifully sent the good news to Old Master Lu.

Even though it was already eleven at night, Old Master Lu promptly replied to Lu Jin with only one short sentence.

[This year's year-end bonus will be doubled.]

"!!!" Lu Jin was so happy he nearly took flight.

In the back seat.

Bai Jin's face was flushed red, his entire body soft and limp. Leaning there, he looked like a little beast waiting for its owner to stroke its fur.

And Lu Chengze did exactly that.

He pinned Bai Jin between his chest and the seatback, leaving him no chance to dodge, then began stroking his fur while kissing and savoring him.

Poor Bai Jin was thoroughly kissed by Lu Chengze for over an hour.

By the time they returned to Eight-Star Residential Community, Bai Jin had been stroked until he was dizzy and dazed.