3-24: "Lock him up."

A sudden ringing of a bell interrupted Lu Yu's next move.

The urgent ringing seemed to indicate the caller's impatience.

Huaiyan immediately grabbed his phone from his pocket as if it were a lifeline.

The boy's phone was originally on silent.

It was probably during the tug-of-war that the phone's buttons were accidentally touched.

The phone rang unusually loudly, suddenly between the two of them.

Then, with trembling hands, Huaiyan saw the caller ID displayed on the screen.

It was Bai Wenzhou.

Huaiyan felt as if she had been suddenly thrown into the icy lake water, her body soaked.

For some reason, he felt a sense of fear and couldn't muster the courage to answer Bai Wenzhou's call.

Huai Yan didn't know what mindset or tone he should use when facing Bai Wenzhou.

From leaving without saying goodbye this morning to not answering men's calls or replying to messages all day.

Huaiyan knew then that there was no turning back.

It was Bai Wenzhou whom he actively distanced himself from.

A man as intelligent as him would surely guess Huaiyan's intentions immediately.

If only men were a little more ruthless.

They might not have a future together.

While struggling and hesitating, the phone suddenly stopped ringing.

The call ended automatically after a long period of no response.

Looking at the phone screen, Huaiyan breathed a sigh of relief, unsure whether she felt more regret or relief.

But the phone rang again the next second, relentlessly.

Huai Yan paused, her mind unreadable.

The next second, he answered the phone as if possessed.

The boy pressed his ear close to the receiver and whispered, "...Teacher Bai."

His heart was pounding, fearing Bai Wenzhou's questioning, but even more afraid that the man would ask nothing at all.

Where?

Bai Wenzhou's indifferent yet magnetic voice came through the receiver.

Huai Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she answered in a low voice, "...I'm going back to my apartment."

He awaited the man's blame or his cold questioning.

Ke Baiwenzhou said nothing.

His voice remained calm, like a clear block of ice in winter, or a biting frost.

Bai Wenzhou continued, "With whom?"

Huaiyan was speechless.

He looked up at Lu Yu, biting his lower lip tightly.

Lu Yu, however, was at ease, staring at the boy with a rather unpleasant expression.

Huai Yan's heart tightened, unsure of how to respond.

He wanted to find a moment of confusion to gloss over the situation.

Ke Baiwen seemed to know what he was thinking.

"No lying." The man's tone was forceful and brooked no argument.

Huai Yan's breath hitched.

In the end, he didn't lie and honestly said, "...with Brother Lu Yu."

After he finished speaking, Huai Yan could clearly feel it a few seconds later.

After he said Lu Yu's name, the phone fell into a deathly silence.

Bai Wenzhou didn't speak again, or even make a sound.

Huai Yan broke out in a cold sweat.

The hand gripping the phone began to tremble slightly.

He could only open his mouth in vain, unable to utter a single syllable.

Whatever you say now will seem like a betrayal of Bai Wenzhou.

After a long silence, Huaiyan finally managed to explain something in a trembling voice: "I..."

However, he had barely uttered a single monotonous syllable when Bai Wenzhou ruthlessly interrupted him.

The man uttered a sentence that was tantamount to a command.

"return."

Huai Yan felt a tingling sensation in his back in an instant.

His breathing became labored, and he almost couldn't breathe.

Bai Wenzhou's tone was quite forceful, seemingly leaving no room for refusal.

Moreover, the man's presence is too oppressive, even with just two simple words.

It can also convey the meaning of danger from this short sentence.

"Okay...okay," Huaiyan said cautiously, "I'll go first..."

"Now."

Once again.

Before Huai Yan could finish speaking, Bai Wenzhou pronounced him dead.

The moment the tiger-head guillotine fell, Huaiyan felt as if his heart had been squeezed tightly, causing him excruciating pain.

In the end, Huai Yan almost fled in panic.

But what difference does it make?

Huaiyan boarded the subway for her return journey, lost in thought.

It's just stepping from one hell into another.

The difference is that Lu Yu likes him very much and can even tolerate him only coming back once every few weeks.

Bai Wenzhou, however, became entangled and involved with another person.

-

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

The coffee cup in the man's hand was empty.

You can vaguely see the ice at the bottom of the glass, which is almost melted.

Bai Wenzhou looked coldly at the surveillance footage on the computer.

After only one person remains in the picture.

He put down his coffee cup expressionlessly and closed his laptop.

The operation to close the net proceeded as smoothly as expected.

Bai Wenzhou casually stood up and looked down at the view outside the office building.

This is the central area of ​​Licheng.

Standing in the tallest office building, one has a wide view and can take in the prosperity of Licheng.

The dazzling city, like a giant living organism, pulses day and night.

Skyscrapers stand tall on both sides of the street, brightly lit as day turns into night.

The light shone into Bai Wenzhou's eyes, making them appear hazy and unpredictable.

Bai Wenzhou seemed lost in thought, his eyes darkening and becoming increasingly obsessive.

Suddenly, a cell phone rang urgently in the empty office.

The man glanced lazily at the caller ID, but remained standing still.

Until the three large characters "Gao Mingze" disappeared from the screen, the last thing displayed was 15 missed calls.

The man then once again looked away, his face expressionless.

But then, the phone rang again in the next second.

"A-Zhou?" Zhang Sheng's lazy voice came through the receiver, "Are you still at the company?"

The design institute was invested in by Bai Wenzhou back then, and he and Zhang Sheng started it together.

However, Bai Wenzhou's main job is as a teacher, so he rarely comes to the company.

Even at the end of the year, they only receive dividends and their rightful share.

But during this period, the man came very frequently.

Almost every day after class, I go straight to the company.

"What's wrong?" Bai Wenzhou asked calmly.

"It's nothing—"

Zhang Sheng drawled out his words and stretched, "It was Gao Mingze who called me eight times today."

“You know,” Zhang Sheng sighed, “I won’t accept it without your permission.”

Gao Mingze called him, but it was only about Bai Wenzhou.

Zhang Sheng thought helplessly that Gao Mingze was actually a pretty good person, even gentle and refined.

Moreover, they are obedient and compliant, and know when to say what.

Sometimes Zhang Sheng felt that his childhood friend would probably like someone like that.

Not only did he listen to Bai Wenzhou's every word, but most importantly, he was a worry-free person.

Bai Wenzhou hates trouble the most and dislikes meddling in other people's business.

Having Gao Mingze by their side, it seems like a match made in heaven.

If Bai Wenzhou also likes Gao Mingze.

But Zhang Sheng knew this very well, so he kept his distance from Gao Mingze for the past few years.

"What could possibly happen?"

After a long pause, Bai Wenzhou finally said in a cold voice, "Has the bill been settled?"

Zhang Sheng knew what Bai Wenzhou was asking.

He sighed again softly, "We got married. I got married right away, but he didn't want to."

It is undeniable that Gao Mingze was very well-behaved in front of Bai Wenzhou.

But he is a very stubborn and obstinate person.

In official matters, Zhang Sheng was always the one who liaised with Gao Mingze.

When the case was nearing its end and there was basically nothing left to do, Zhang Sheng had already settled all the accounts.

Gao Mingze simply refused to accept it.

He probably thought that once the bill was settled, he would no longer have any connection with Bai Wenzhou.

So, after several months, Gao Mingze still made no move.

However, Zhang Sheng had his own method.

“I transferred the money to his account a few days ago,” Zhang Sheng said. “I had someone go to his law firm; it only took a few minutes.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Wenzhou responded calmly.

"Oh, right."

Zhang Sheng seemed to remember something, and asked with a smile, "I heard that your child didn't go home tonight?"

Bai Wenzhou: "..."

Zhang Sheng pressed on, saying, "I told you long ago, you can't control kids this age; their minds change too quickly."

Bai Wenzhou remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

“Look at the two of us back then,” Zhang Sheng said loudly, “we were both a handful.”

Bai Wenzhou sneered: "That's you, not me."

Zhang Sheng was the only one who got stung so badly his head turned into a pig's head while digging out a hornet's nest in the countryside.

"Ouch—" Zhang Sheng exclaimed, then suddenly asked seriously, "I'm serious, what are you going to do next?"

Bai Wenzhou's eyes darkened, and the dark golden light in his pupils grew increasingly dangerous, as if a storm was brewing.

The evening breeze made the faint woody scent on Bai Wenzhou even more refreshing and cool.

There was also a faint smell of tobacco in the air.

The man's tone was stern as he said, enunciating each word clearly: "Lock him up."