Chapter 20

Zhong Nian woke up unable to tell where he was. Everything before his eyes was pitch black.

After a brief moment of confusion, he realized from the pressure on his eyes that it wasn’t a lack of light sources—something was covering them.

He instinctively wanted to reach up and feel around, but his hands and feet were all bound with ropes, leaving him unable to move.

The helpless situation amplified the unease in his heart endlessly, and he didn’t dare make a sound, clenching his molars tightly.

He forced himself to calm down, recalling the memories before he passed out.

At that time, he had asked Zhan Lu to help him… and then he was caught off guard by a blow to the back of his neck, losing consciousness directly.

The spot where he had been hit still ached a little now…

Why?

Zhong Nian pondered the reason behind Zhan Lu’s actions. They had no grudge against each other, and on this cruise ship, their relationship could even be called decent—friends, at least.

Maybe Zhan Lu thought he had lost his mind and was babbling nonsense, so he had no choice but to use this method to quiet him down?

Zhong Nian tried to convince himself with this reasoning, but deep down, he leaned toward a worse outcome.

He bit his lips until they turned pale.

At that moment, his ears caught a faint, subtle sound.

It was the rustle of fabric rubbing together, followed by a soft “click.”

Someone took a long inhale, and then the smell of cigarette smoke spread, wafting into Zhong Nian’s nose.

From the sounds, the other person was very close.

They had been there from the start, but it was unclear if they had noticed him waking up.

Zhong Nian’s hairs stood on end, and at the same time, he quickly gleaned some information from the scent.

The cigarette was cheap stuff, a bit harsh, and familiar.

Over these past three days, Zhong Nian had smelled it more than once or twice. He had even once grabbed someone’s collar and hand to sniff it closely.

He swallowed hard. In this agonizing, sunless silence, he chose to speak first.

Perhaps from sleeping too long, his voice came out hoarse and unlike himself when he called the name: “Zhan Lu.”

“…”

Silence.

No one responded, and the smoking sounds stopped, as if everything he perceived was an illusion.

“Zhan Lu.” He couldn’t help calling out again. “Why did you do this to me?”

His voice was low, trembling slightly from fear, sounding pitiful enough to evoke sympathy.

It wasn’t even much of a question, but the other party still didn’t speak.

If not for the fact that Zhong Nian could feel a substantial gaze fixed on him, he might have really thought no one was there.

He remained patient, waiting.

After about the time it took for a cigarette to burn out naturally, the other party finally stirred.

However, there was still no response. The man’s boots thudded against the wooden floor as he left the room at an unhurried pace.

After the door opened and closed, Zhong Nian was left completely alone in the room.

Now, Zhong Nian was truly a bit angry, but he had no way to vent.

His situation was entirely passive; he couldn’t do anything, just a lamb to the slaughter.

He comforted himself: At least he wasn’t dead. If he could hold out for another three or four days, the Task would be complete.

…

Unable to do anything, Zhong Nian could only let his thoughts wander or sleep.

In a daze, he heard the door open again.

The moment he sensed it, he jolted awake, his body going rigid as he waited for the other’s movements.

A warmth touched his face—it was the other’s palm brushing over. The sudden action startled him into a shudder.

“You’re awake?”

It was Zhan Lu’s voice.

But recalling the silent visitor from before, Zhong Nian found it odd and asked, “Zhan Lu?”

“Mm.” Zhan Lu gave a low acknowledgment. His fingers rubbed Zhong Nian’s face none too gently before pulling away for a moment.

After some faint sounds, Zhong Nian heard Zhan Lu return to the bedside. Then, a broad palm cradled the back of his head, and something hard and cool touched his lips.

The unknown terrified him, and he instinctively tried to pull back.

“It’s water. Your throat’s hoarse.” Zhan Lu paused, then added unnecessarily, “Just sweet water. No need for me to add anything to it.”

Zhong Nian furrowed his brows and hesitated for a few seconds. His parched throat ached as he swallowed, and he chose to accept.

If there were drugs in it, Zhan Lu could just force it down his throat anyway—better to take it himself.

Zhong Nian drank the water at a suitable temperature and tasted that it was brewed from pears and other ingredients.

Unable to help himself, he took a few extra sips, then licked his lips lingeringly at the end.

“There’s more.” Zhan Lu watched him, rubbing his thumb over Zhong Nian’s flushed, watery lips.

Zhong Nian turned his face away, rejecting coldly, “No more.”

“Angry?” The man’s voice held a hint of amusement.

Zhong Nian didn’t want to answer a question that would only make him angrier. He rolled over, burying his face and falling silent.

Who would have thought Zhan Lu would tickle the palm of his bound hands behind him? It itched so much that he twisted away, forced to roll back.

Fuming, he demanded loudly, “What the hell are you doing!”

“Don’t be mad at me.” After saying that, Zhan Lu seemed to realize his request was a bit unreasonable, his tone carrying a coaxing note. “I had no choice. I can only trouble you for a few days—I won’t bully you. Just be good, okay?”

“This isn’t bullying?” Zhong Nian’s chest heaved. “You hit me so hard my neck still hurts, tied me up like this, even blindfolded me. If this isn’t bullying, how about I do the same to you?”

“You want to do this to me too?” Zhan Lu sounded surprised. “Sure, but after things are settled.”

Zhong Nian: “?”

“That hit earlier, I didn’t control my strength. Sorry, let me rub it for you?” Without waiting for Zhong Nian to respond, Zhan Lu lifted him up, cradling him in his arms. His palm covered the pale nape, gently kneading and massaging.

Unfortunately, as a chef, his fingers were too rough, with thick calluses. After a couple rubs, he reddened the skin instead.

Zhong Nian hissed through his teeth: “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Zhan Lu paused, looking at the damage he’d done, at a loss for words.

Zhong Nian took a deep breath to suppress his anger and asked, “Someone came earlier, wasn’t you?”

“Earlier?” Zhan Lu seemed surprised too. “Oh, I went to the kitchen to bring pear soup and asked… someone else to watch you for a bit. He came in?”

Zhong Nian: “He made me breathe his secondhand smoke.”

Zhan Lu fell silent for a moment: “…I’ll tell him to be more careful next time.”

“You smoke the same kind?”

“Mm.” Zhan Lu hurried to clarify, “I quit already. Gave him all my cigarettes.”

Zhong Nian sneered: “Your Bomb Gang is really tight-knit, even sharing the same smokes.”

At first, Zhong Nian thought it wasn’t strange for people on the ship to smoke the same brand, but after these events, coincidence was no longer coincidence.

The scent drifting from the door crack when he eavesdropped, the repeated whiffs from Zhan Lu, and the Black-Clothed Man he encountered at the ship stern… all the same.

Zhan Lu was with the Bomb Gang, and that mysterious Black-Clothed Man, who didn’t look like good news, probably was too.

Called out directly, Zhan Lu neither got angry nor denied it. He even joked with Zhong Nian: “No choice, limited budget. We all share a bit, buy cheap ones in bulk.”

With the answer confirmed, Zhong Nian’s mood didn’t lighten at all. He asked, “What’s it like outside?”

“Pretty good.”

As for anything else, Zhan Lu clammed up, dodging Zhong Nian’s other similar questions and changing the subject.

“Do your hands hurt? Let me rub them… Fine, no rubbing if you don’t want. Don’t get worked up. Hungry? Let me feel your stomach… Yeah, it’s flat. Wait a bit longer—I stewed some braised beef and seafood porridge for you, it’ll be ready soon… If you need the bathroom, tell me. I’ll carry you, but no untying. I have to help.”

Zhong Nian wanted to kick him, but his feet were bound, so he twisted his head and bit down instead. From the feel, it was the man’s face. He didn’t hold back, drawing blood directly.

He heard Zhan Lu gasp in pain, feeling a rush of satisfaction as he refused to let go.

Bite you to death, you lying dog.