Ti Shen

Successive photos of Lan Kuang appeared before their eyes. In some, the man was wearing sungla.s.ses―appearing mysterious and unapproachable. While in others, he was either firing a gun and looking imposing or arrogantly stepping on someone as they prostrated before him.

“Hey, wait!” Cheng Xi Ran’s eyes shone as he spotted something. Mi Le stopped scrolling downwards as Cheng Xi Ran pointed at a picture of a man nestled in Lan Kuang’s arms. “Doesn’t he seem familiar?”

Mi Le racked her brain and lifted her red lips in a smile. “He’s the popular actor Jing Qiu Han!”

“Also this one!” Cheng Xi Ran pointed at a picture at the end showing someone having dinner together with Lan Kuang.

Mi Le enlarged the photo and examined it briefly before coming up with an answer. “He’s the young master of the An family! The An family that has considerable influence in the United States! The young master of that family!”

“Hey, wasn’t Feng Ge working in the United States two years ago? He got himself riddled with scars that time as well!” Cheng Xi Ran felt something was off and added, “Chasing Hawk… The An family… Exactly what kind of crazy job did that guy accept this time?”

Mi Le deleted all the information they’d accessed and scanned her computer. After making sure the security measures she’d set up were working and that n.o.body would be tracking her movements, she turned off the computer. She crossed her arms and leaned against the bar counter, her brows in a deep furrow. “What are we going to do? Do you think his current job has something to do with those two people in the photos?”

“There’s a chance that’s true. But you know he won’t tell us anything even if we ask him. This is frustrating!” Cheng Xi Ran brandished his fist and said, “I’m seriously tempted to go and give him a punch. Why does he never learn? Is he an idiot down to his bones?”

“I have a plan,” said Mi Le. “We’ll follow him when he goes back.”

“Follow him?” Cheng Xi Ran considered the idea for a moment before replying, “That’s not a very lawful plan.”

“Do you want to know what kind of job he accepted or not?” Mi Le rolled her eyes at him.

“Yes! Of course I do!” Cheng Xi Ran gritted his teeth and said, “All right, we’ll go with it.”

As Ran Feng Ge was still pa.s.sed out, he had no idea that his friends were planning on secretly following him home. His brows furrowed in his sleep; he was dreaming about the things he’d tried his best to forget.

He was in a dark room. Handcuffs bound his wrists together and a sharp knife cut into his skin repeatedly. His blood dripped down his body, but that person stood there as if appreciating a perfect piece of artwork. Because of the pain and the blood loss, Ran Feng Ge couldn’t make out the other’s expression. Was the man looking at him with delight in his eyes? Or was he distant and indifferent to the scene in front of him?

Despite already marking his body with streaks of blood, the man still wasn’t satisfied. The man cupped his cheeks and kissed him recklessly. Ran Feng Ge couldn’t avoid the other’s lips even if he wanted to.

The man said, “An Mu, this is what you owe me.”

Ran Feng Ge wanted to open his mouth and say he wasn’t An Mu but felt as if something was lodged in his throat, rendering him speechless. He twisted his body―wanting freedom from his constraints, wanting escape from the hands of the devil that was the man before him. But he was pressed against the wall, unable to move. The stink of blood mixed with the smell of mildew lingered around him…

Ran Feng Ge woke up drenched in sweat. A lamp above him illuminated the room with warm, dusky light. Quiet and relaxing music spilled from the stereo and filled the room. Before him was Cheng Xi Ran and Mi Le, holding each other as they slept. Ran Feng Ge buried his face in his hands, his fingers raking over his messy hair as he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

He thought he’d bottled up all those memories and was ready to move on. He thought he’d never recall those memories and be played by anyone again. In the end, he found himself encountering those memories in nightmares. He’d wake up and feel his blood turn cold as the pain from his heart spread to every inch of his body.

Lan Kuang… Ran Feng Ge repeated the name to himself as he walked towards the bar. He picked up a bottle of alcohol, twisted the cap off, and poured it down his throat.

Slowly, he felt himself calming down.

Ran Feng Ge placed the bottle on the counter and quietly told himself: Those are things that happened between Lan Kuang and An Mu. They have nothing to do with Ran Feng Ge. Nothing at all.