episode 29

"Sixth Brother, this kid has fainted, what should we do? Should we continue the interrogation?"

"Passed out? Damn it! I don't believe it, go get the lighter from the motorcycle outside!"

Upon hearing this, the young henchman with his white-dyed hair immediately rushed out of the dilapidated cement warehouse, found a lighter, and quickly handed it to the man. He then groped for a pack of cigarettes and held them to the man's mouth with both hands: "Here, Sixth Brother, let me light it for you!"

"Get out of my way." The man called Sixth Brother dodged, then kicked the henchman with a smirk. "Now's not your time to suck up! Just give me the cigarette! Watch how I deal with this sissy!"

"Why!"

With a click, the lighter burst forth with a scarlet flame, igniting a thick, cheap cigarette. The end of the cigarette immediately turned into cement ash, and the burning smoke rose in circles, exuding a scorching heat.

He Xun slumped in the corner, a large, glaring bloodstain seeping down his thin shoulder blades onto the damp cement floor.

Hearing the two talking, his fingers, hanging by his side, twitched reflexively. He then opened his eyes with difficulty, staring vaguely at the cigarette butt that was already close at hand. He couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a very slight, cold laugh.

The laughter was particularly jarring in the empty warehouse, its mockery obvious, as if to say, "So this is all you've got?"

"Damn it, he's about to die and he's still so arrogant!"

Old Six gripped the tip of his cigarette tightly, and almost in a fit of rage, violently ripped open He Xun's thin clothes and burned it hard against He Xun's waist, which was already covered in bruises.

Sizzle!

He Xun's body trembled.

After a very slight hissing sound, the scalded skin instantly wrinkled up, and blisters rapidly formed under the intense heat, causing the surrounding skin to rise and turn bright red.

The henchmen watching for a while couldn't help but click their tongues, but He Xun just frowned and groaned, then fell silent, only his breathing became a little heavier.

The sixth man's eyes gradually darkened.

OK.

He's stubborn in words and in body.

Hiss!

He became even more ruthless, increasing the pressure on his hand, almost driving the cigarette butt into his flesh.

He Xun clenched his fists suddenly, cold sweat streaming down his temples. The flesh pressed against the cigarette butt quickly turned a sickly white... Gradually, he could no longer feel the pain.

The pain receptors have weakened.

......

After an unknown amount of time, the sixth brother finally let go.

"Good lad, you've got some patience."

After another fruitless interrogation, Lao Liu angrily threw his cigarette butt aside.

"That's enough for today. We'll continue the interrogation tomorrow, but I still have a piece of advice for you: you'd better hand over the video yourself. Otherwise, you won't suffer, and we won't have to waste our time with you!"

"Sixth Brother, what should we do with this thing? Should we take it?" Before leaving, the henchman asked, picking up the things he had taken from He Xun.

The sixth brother casually took it, glanced at it, and stammered out, "He... He Xun... reporter... certificate..."

“These are the kid’s identification documents. We have no use for them. Just tear them up.”

Soon, the azure blue leather cover, the red seal of the Press and Publication Administration, the youthful ID photo, and the Five Sacred Mountains on the inner pages were all reduced to shreds.

Colorful pieces of paper floated in the air like snowflakes. The iron gate slammed shut, kicking up a cloud of dust. He Xun coughed a few times, opened his eyes, and got up from the ground like a wandering ghost.

He slowly walked to the door, squatted down, and began to pick up the broken pieces of paper.

Just then, someone suddenly asked him, "What are you scribbling on?"

"My press pass."

He Xun was stunned when he finished speaking. He turned around abruptly and saw Mo Shilin standing in front of him with a cold expression, looking at him with his feet on one of his ID pages.

"Why are you here?" He Xun wanted to push his leg away, but couldn't help but look up and ask in confusion.

Mo Shilin didn't answer, but simply squatted down indifferently, looking him in the eye: "You're a reporter."

Yes, I am—

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Shilin suddenly reached out and grabbed his neck tightly. The shards on the ground disappeared, and the surroundings turned completely dark.

He Xun opened his eyes wide and discovered that Mo Shilin was now holding a perfectly intact press pass!

"You're a reporter, you're lying to me."

"You're lying to me!"

He Xun's pupils suddenly contracted, and his throat tightened: "I didn't..."

I don't...

The pressure on her neck tightened further.

I'm not lying...

No...

The feeling of suffocation grew stronger and stronger, and He Xun suddenly woke up from his dream, clutching his own neck.

He was breathing heavily and subconsciously turned his head. It was pitch black all around, and there was no sign of Mo Shilin choking him. Only the phone on the bedside table lit up because of a spam text message. The time was 12:01 a.m.

...I had another dream.

He Xun breathed a sigh of relief.

He's been dreaming about his past more and more often lately. Is it because he's starting to repeat his old mistakes? And why is he even dreaming about Mo Shilin? It's truly absurd, as expected of a dream.

Thinking about the dream he just had, He Xun felt a strange mix of confusion and amusement. He touched his neck with lingering fear, only to find his hand covered in cold sweat. He felt nauseous and immediately got out of bed and went to the bathroom.

After taking a shower, it was already 12:30. The lingering fatigue washed over him, and his vision blurred. He then remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since he came back from drinking with Song Liuguang last night.

Today is Saturday, and Mo Shilin is not here. Moreover, he has been demoted from the third floor to the first floor, so he has nothing to do and has spent the whole day in bed.

It might be low blood sugar...

Thinking of this possibility, He Xun had no choice but to turn around with difficulty, walk slowly through the long corridor towards the kitchen, but even so carefully, he still encountered darkness at the corner.

The world spun around him, his vision blurred, and he fell backward. But the next second, a pair of arms passed around his waist, tightened their grip, and caught him firmly in their arms.

"Why don't you go see a doctor if you're not feeling well? Isn't the salary I'm paying you enough?"

Mo Shilin's muffled voice rang in his ears, his breathing hot and heavy. He Xun felt dizzy and unconsciously gripped the other's collar tightly.

The corridor was dark, so all that could be seen were the other person's blurry but handsome features.

But upon seeing the protagonist of his nightmare, He Xun still felt a bit uneasy. He remained silent for several seconds before he could barely shake the images from his mind.

"It's nothing, just a little low blood sugar, a piece of candy will do the trick."

After saying that, he tried to break free from the other's embrace, but Mo Shilin not only didn't let go, but also used his left hand to grab his leg and simply picked him up.

He Xun was startled, but fearing that it would embarrass others in the dead of night, he could only whisper, "What are you doing? Put me down!"

Mo Shilin ignored him and carried him up to the living room on the second floor. As they walked, he wondered if He Xun had just taken a shower: "You smell so good. Is it jasmine-scented shower gel?"

He Xun struggled to no avail, and could only say coldly, "Have you had too much to drink? Put me down, I'll go get you some hangover soup—"

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Shilin threw him onto the sofa. Mo Shilin then turned on the floor lamp next to the sofa and looked down at him without saying a word.

He Xun felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so he pushed his shoulder and said, "If you're not drunk, don't act like a hooligan."

His eyelashes were wet, and the edge of his white T-shirt had accidentally rolled up, revealing half of his supple and slender waist.

...This scene does indeed resemble thuggery.

Mo Shilin released his hand, but the back of his hand unconsciously brushed against He Xun's waist, where there was a small bump. Mo Shilin was startled and looked down in surprise, only to find that He Xun actually had a scar on his waist.

The scar wasn't large, but the white patches on it were clearly visible under the light, indicating it was from a cigarette burn.

Mo Shilin stared at him with an inscrutable expression, pressing his fingers against the scar: "How did you get this?"

He Xun suddenly gasped, pushing Mo Shilin's hand away in apparent resistance, his breathing a little rapid: "I don't know... don't touch there... don't look..."

"Why can't I see?" Mo Shilin's expression remained unchanged, but his voice was several degrees colder than before, and his grip tightened even more forcefully.

"Let go of me... don't touch me, Mo Shilin... it hurts..."

He Xun was too weak to move, and his brows furrowed in pain, his voice trembling slightly. Mo Shilin then released his grip with an inscrutable expression, but his eyes remained cold.

He didn't speak, but He Xun understood somewhat why he had suddenly become angry.

He Xun closed his eyes, caught his breath, and looked up at Mo Shilin, saying, "I've never slept with anyone, nor have I ever tried anything fancy."

The surroundings were silent, except for this corner of the sofa, which was embedded in the deep night.

Mo Shilin wasn't sure if he believed it or not. After a while, he reached out and straightened the hem of the man's clothes, then asked, "How did you do that?"

"You offended someone, and they burned you with a cigarette butt. Are you satisfied with this explanation?"

That is indeed true.

He Xun's tone was somewhat mocking. He forcefully pushed Mo Shilin's hand away, his voice weak but his tone firm: "And I really didn't know that working for President Mo's family required reporting whether or not you had had sexual relations with anyone."

"Even if I sleep with someone else, it doesn't seem to have much to do with you."

If it's very sharp.

Mo Shilin stared at him, his eyes cold and deep, as if a storm was brewing. He Xun, wanting to avoid the sight, impatiently turned his head away, as if sulking.

a long time--

It turned out that Mo Shilin apologized to him, and then got up to go to the refrigerator, took out a Häagen-Dazs ice cream and handed it to He Xun in a low voice, as if coaxing him: "Aren't you low blood sugar? Take a sip, it's sweet."

He Xun was taken aback, pursed his lips, and wanted to say thank you, but he felt a little uncomfortable from the tone he had just been given, and his waist was still aching slightly, so he took the ice cream cone with a cold face and took a big bite, swallowing back the polite words that were swirling in his throat.

The cool, sweet taste soothed his throat, and He Xun soon felt much better. His head wasn't so dizzy anymore. When he turned around, he noticed that Mo Shilin's expression was still not very good. Considering what Mo Shilin had just done, He Xun reasonably suspected that the other party was washing his underwear with a cold face.

And while washing him, she asked him, "Why did you offend someone? You're so smart."