'Since you've already seen Arthur's face, this person must be eliminated.' Xiao Lin suddenly laughed upon hearing this and closed the audio. At last, there was a provocative statent.
In the standard guest room, Hua Qingyi was playing with a delicate scalpel in his hands. When his face, more beautiful than a woman's, first appeared before Arthur, it piqued Arthur's interest. He didn't deny being a gay man, and for soone as androgynous as Hua Qingyi, he was precisely Arthur's type. So when he opened the door, lust replaced vigilance. In the modest small town in the West District, he had been living a celibate life for a long, long ti, and when Hua Qingyi flashed a proud smile at Arthur, he successfully captivated him.
"Who exactly are you?" Arthur, completely unguarded and not having taken any defensive asures at close range, was easily subdued.
"Hua Qingyi, heir to the Hua family." Xiao Lin forbade him from using force or causing any bloody events with this guy, so Hua Qingyi bound Arthur naked on the floor using the most inhumane thod. The triangular back knot tightly restrained several major joints around Arthur's body, rendering him unable to exert strength even if he wanted to. Sitting in front of him, Hua Qingyi had already considered many ways to kill this man in his mind. At one point, when he stared blankly at Arthur, the latter's heart suddenly spasd. He suspected that he was stabbed just now under that gaze.
"Not going to kill ?" Arthur adjusted his breathing, guessing Hua Qingyi's restrained approach from a professional standpoint, unable to imdiately discern his thoughts.
Hua Qingyi didn't feel like wasting words on this person. He figured saying one more word might give him the urge to kill him. Luckily, at that mont, audio emanated from the device on the table. He gestured towards the equipnt to Arthur.
The conversation between Wang Zhantian and Wang Zhanting spread recklessly throughout the room. Arthur's pupils dangerously contracted, and he pressed his lips tightly, remaining silent. The audio lasted only a short ti, and amidst the ten-minute conversation, a ssage surfaced. Hua Qingyi smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth. "Seems like I don't need to act; soone else will take care of you."
"Ha, this is the tactic you deployed? You underestimate ; I won't fall for it."
"Ah, what a stubborn fellow, refusing to cry until he sees the coffin." Hua Qingyi was a bit incensed by Arthur's words. He bent down and lifted Arthur's chin with the knife tip. "You and I both know who that person is, right? Just relying on the conversation just now, I can send him to jail. What will be the fate of you, an Italian Mafia mber?"
"If I die here, your days won't be easy." Arthur, seemingly convinced of this point, confidently looked at the man even more beautiful than a woman. He refrained from killing him for reasons rooted in particular factors; this was his bargaining chip.
"Ha, as long as you die on your own territory, isn't that fine!" Hua Qingyi casually pinned Arthur to an inevitable outco. "You now only have cooperation as an option, no other choices. Don't talk to about national conditions; that won't help. Right now, the one who wants to kill you isn't but your employer. If you cooperate, I can ensure your safety; of course, you can choose not to, in which case I'll release you now, and it's up to you to figure it out, but don't think of escaping from here. Even if it violates national conditions, I won't show rcy." After speaking, Hua Qingyi cut the rope with scissors and calmly walked out.
Arthur cleared the ropes off his body and loosened his muscles. The long binding had caused his muscles to be in a state of atrophy. He sat cross-legged on the ground, and before long, the device on the table emitted more sound, faint and indistinct, possibly due to the relative distance, but Arthur could still discern who was speaking from the tone.
Hua Qingyi stood outside the door, unconcerned about the conversation inside. Just hearing Arthur's angry venting was enough to know Wang Zhantian really intended to act, completely ignoring Wang Zhanting's words; if this was the case, it was much easier to deal with.
Guarding a tree waiting for a rabbit isn't a great idiom, but it was extrely fitting in this situation. Standing outside the door, Hua Qingyi lit a cigarette silently. Tomorrow was Arthur's checkout day, and Wang Zhantian was bound to act today. He opened the window at one end of the corridor and climbed out from inside.
The small hotel wasn't high nor large. Standing on the rooftop easily provided a full view of the courtyard below. He sat on the edge of the roof, overlooking his feet.
The small town, unlike a bustling city, was already shrouded in darkness before nine o'clock. Only a few farrs in the distance had dim lights on. The newly constructed highway's streetlights seed not to have power yet, turning into ornants. Vehicles still ca and went, mostly passing through from another district onto the city, stopping for lodging rarely.
Logically, failing to find accommodation after nine o'clock would make it harder later on to find a haven within small towns. In reality, about three kiloters from this town lies the border of another city, offering more options. Hence, many people would rather drive a few more hours than stay in such a desolate place.
A black Toyota drove slowly into the courtyard of the small hotel, parked on the cent ground. As soon as the car stabilized, soone approached to inquire. Hua Qingyi extinguished his cigarette butt and slid from the edge of the roof down to his room's window, like a bird. Perhaps this was the only room in the hotel with a small balcony. Entering his room from the balcony door, he took off his clothes, put on a bathrobe, and lazily nestled into the bed. Before long, there was a knock on his door.
The lodge's little girl quietly entered the room, hesitated upon seeing Hua Qingyi seeming half-asleep, unsure whether to wake him or not, glancing at him several tis to realize this Young Master Hua wasn't just good-looking a bit. srized, she wanted to touch his eyelashes with her fingers when Hua Qingyi opened his eyes.
"Why are you here?" Seeing the little girl that suddenly appeared in the room, Hua Qingyi sat up, clearly displeased in his tone.
"Ah, no, I... I..." The girl was startled by Hua Qingyi's deanor, stamring for a long ti without being able to state her purpose.
"Did sothing happen?" Hua Qingyi guided the girl to a chair on the side and sat down, gently touching her head. "Are you frightened? You should have let know before coming in."
"You said I could co in anyti, that's why I..." the girl quietly retorted on Hua Qingyi's shoulder.
"Alright, don't do this next ti. Is there sothing you need?"
"The foreigner you asked to watch was just taken away." The girl rembered her purpose for being there and raised her head like a child who had done sothing wrong.
"Taken away? Was it a black Toyota?" Hua Qingyi was surprised but did not bla the little girl.
"Yes, I followed them out, and the foreigner didn't take his luggage. I heard them ntion going to so seaside place before getting in the car."
"Okay, I understand. You can go rest now." After changing his clothes, Hua Qingyi climbed down from the balcony to the ground, jumped over the courtyard wall, and went into another alley. He got into the car and activated the tracker placed on Arthur. "Arthur has been taken away; I'm following them now." After reporting to Xiao Lin, the car followed the indicated route.
Where they were going wasn't the main concern; the real question was, who took Arthur away? Whoever it was that could persuade Arthur to leave must not be a stranger; that person must have a significant place in Arthur's mind. Could it be the third person? Thinking of this, Hua Qingyi called Xiao Lin midway.
"Have you found Hong Lian's image?"
"Yes, I just received a simulation portrait from Lin Cheng; I'm sending it to you now." Xiao Lin forwarded the ssage to Hua Qingyi's inbox without looking at it. "Where are you?"
As Hua Qingyi looked at the simulation portrait on the screen, a peculiar smile appeared on his face. "Bro, haven't you seen the portrait yet?"
"Not yet, why?" Xiao Lin asked, puzzled, as he lightly slid his fingers across the screen, realizing the image was familiar. "Is it the third person?"
"Yes, I'm quite sure. What Wang Zhantian said seems not to be a lie; Hong Lian is in his hands." After driving a short distance, Hua Qingyi saw the black Toyota ahead. "Bro, I can't talk right now; I spotted the car that took Arthur."
"Hey, Qingyi!" Xiao Lin slamd the steering wheel in frustration as the disconnection tone echoed through his earpiece. He had just got the newly repaired silver QQ car, and he was on his way to the West District. When he tried calling again, the phone was out of service. "Shou! Help track a white Range Rover, Hua Qingyi's whereabouts. It should've just left the small town at the edge of the West District."
"No other clues?" Shou, who was inside a woman's body just monts ago, raised an eyebrow. Why is he always disturbed at such tis?
"You..." Hearing the woman's breathy voice in the background, Xiao Lin also felt a bit at a loss for words. "I'm already in the West District, you carry on, I'll handle this myself." Like a boy just experiencing things, he hung up the phone and parked his car at a small motel.
"Oh? Aren't you the one who ca last ti?" The little girl, who had just tidied up the dining table, saw Xiao Lin walk in and skipped over to him. "Are you looking for Young Master Hua? He's still in the room."
Xiao Lin was about to ask sothing when her words caught in his throat. "Ah, I'll go up and find him later. I need you to confirm this person for ." He pulled out his phone and showed the simulation portrait to the girl. "Take a look; was this the third person in the room last ti?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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