Chapter 581 Late-Night Heart-to-Heart Talk
Zhou Qiao: "?"
Hou Kai chuckled: "Sister-in-law, are you done exercising? If you are, let's go back to the room and rest for a bit."
Zhou Qiao realized that with the four of them around, she definitely wouldn't be able to leave today, so she could only angrily turn around and go back into the house.
Back in her room, she took off her down jacket and got into bed, only to find that the four people hadn't left.
They even each took a chair, sat on the edge of the bed, and completely encircled her.
Zhou Qiao gritted her teeth and reminded him, "I'm going to sleep!"
"Sister-in-law, you go to sleep," Hou Kai said with a smile. "The four of us will stay with you so you don't have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds."
"You've made up your minds not to leave, haven't you?"
The four of them nodded in unison this time.
Zhou Qiao was furious and simply covered her head with the blanket: "I don't care about you, go or don't go!"
However, she couldn't stay under the covers for more than two minutes.
Even with the blanket blocking her view, she could still feel four eager gazes from outside.
If she can fall asleep under these circumstances, she's a god, not a human!
She yanked the blanket off, sat up, and angrily slapped the blanket: "What are you all thinking? I'm not a pet, do you think I don't even have basic personal freedom?"
"Sister-in-law, you can go wherever you want within the Shadow Gate, but you can't leave the Shadow Gate," Hou Kai said, resting his chin on his hand.
Zhou Qiao rolled her eyes.
Why is she wandering around without leaving the shadow gate?
These brats are really devoted to the big devil. They'd rather stay up all night than not watch over him. Could they be being manipulated by him?
She thought for a moment, since they were determined not to leave, she couldn't just stand there staring at each other. She might as well chat with them to get some information about the Shadow Gate, which would make it easier for her to escape later.
Zhou Qiao looked at this and then at that.
Ayan felt uneasy under her gaze and stared with her innocent big eyes, saying, "Sister-in-law, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Staring at me like that scares me."
Zhou Qiao sat up a little straighter: "No, I can't sleep anyway, and you guys aren't sleeping either, so why don't we chat?"
"Sure, what would you like to talk about, sister-in-law?" Hou Kai was ready to chat freely.
Zhou Qiao thought for a moment and decided to start with a simple, harmless question: "I see that there are very few people in your sect. Just the few of you, your leader, and Shen Li. Where are the others?"
Hou Kai chuckled and said, "Everyone else has gone to work. Sister-in-law, do you think we're all good-for-nothing hooligans?"
Zhou Qiao let out an "uh," thinking to herself, "Isn't that right?"
Old Qi noticed her hesitation and chuckled, "Sister-in-law, you've misunderstood us. Our Shadow Gate also has its own businesses: bars, KTVs, internet cafes, billiard halls, hotels, racetracks... so many places, of course we need a lot of people. Everyone's even busier at the end of the year, and they all have their own places to live, so they don't need to come back to live. We just don't have to go out to work because we're minors."
"Ah, I see." Zhou Qiao scratched her head. Now that she heard it, the Shadow Gate was completely different from what she had imagined.
Her mind was filled with images of gangsters fighting in the streets.
So it wasn't that; it was that you had to go to work on time every day?
"Sigh, I wonder when the boss will allow us to go out and do some work. Staying inside training every day is so boring," Hou Kai sighed.
Zhou Qiao didn't understand: "You guys are all so young, why don't you stay home with your parents and come here to serve under the Great Demon... Qin Feng?"
The thought that their values were not yet mature, yet they were already being forced by Qin Feng to call him "boss" repeatedly, made her deeply feel that the great devil Qin was destroying the flowers of the motherland!
“We don’t have a mom and dad,” Ayan said, blinking her big eyes.
"What?" Zhou Qiao didn't react for a moment.
Old Qi coughed lightly, "Well, it's like this, apart from Han Xu, all of us are orphans without parents. I was abandoned and have never seen my parents. Luckily, the eldest brother picked me up, otherwise, I don't know if I would have survived to grow up."
"As for Ayan, he has met his parents, but when he was six years old, there was a fire at his house. Both his parents died in the fire, and he was the only one who escaped because he was at his grandmother's house at the time. Unfortunately, his grandmother also passed away two years later. He was brought over by a friend of the eldest brother through the eldest brother's request."
"And then there's Brother Kai..."
“Hey, I’ll talk about my own affairs,” Hou Kai said, looking at Zhou Qiao’s blank expression and her reddened eyes. He coughed lightly and said, “Sister-in-law, don’t be sad. I’m much better than them. I grew up with my parents until I was twelve. They were originally members of the Shadow Gate, but they passed away from illness. Even though they’re gone, I’m definitely going to stay in the Shadow Gate.”
For the first time, Zhou Qiao understood what "much stronger" meant.
Although she has parents, it's almost the same as not having them. After her beloved grandfather passed away, she felt a deep sense of empathy for him.
“Then…he…” Zhou Qiao pointed at Han Xu.
“He’s not an orphan,” Hou Kai said with a grin. “This guy is a rich second-generation. His parents are friends with our boss. He’s loved martial arts since he was a child, and he just comes to Yingmen to audit classes every winter and summer vacation.”
"Oh, that's good, that's good..."
Zhou Qiao stammered, then realized her mistake and quickly waved her hands, "No, no, that's not what I meant... I'm sorry, I didn't know you all came here for this reason..."
Seeing Zhou Qiao's self-reproachful look, Hou Kai waved his hand dismissively: "Hey, sister-in-law, don't worry about it. Although we didn't grow up with our parents, we have plenty to eat and wear in the family. Apart from being a little bored, we're doing quite well."
“If you’re bored, I’ll have the boss give you extra training tomorrow. I’m not bored at all! I eat and drink well every day in the gatehouse, and I’m free and easy. I can’t be happier,” Old Qi said immediately.
"Tch, don't you even know how much you weigh? All you do is eat." Hou Kai ignored him and turned to Zhou Qiao: "Sister-in-law, to be honest, I think you misunderstand the boss's attitude towards him, right? Are you afraid of him?"
"Actually, our boss is a very good person. Although he seems cold-blooded and unpredictable, we grew up with him and know him better than anyone. He's just kind-hearted despite his cold exterior!"
Speaking of this, Ayan wholeheartedly agreed: "That's right, sister-in-law. I can't guarantee anything else, but the eldest brother's character is definitely number one. If it weren't for him, we might still be begging on the streets."
After listening to the stories of the boys, Zhou Qiao's opinion of Qin Feng changed slightly, but she still had some doubts when she heard the children praising him so enthusiastically.
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