At nine in the evening, just as Ah Zhong finished hanging up the freshly washed clothes for his girlfriend, he received a call from his informant.
Tang Xueying, whom he had been searching for for several days, had finally appeared.
She had discreetly taken some items and fled back to her grandmother's home in the countryside.
She was currently inside the house, and the informant urged Ah Zhong to hurry over.
Without wasting any time, Ah Zhong instructed the informant to keep an eye on Tang Xueying, hung up the phone, grabbed his car keys, and headed for the door.
His girlfriend, with a face mask on, emerged from the room just then.
Seeing him about to leave, she quickly asked,
"Where are you going so late at night?"
Ah Zhong, hastily putting on his shoes, explained to her.
"The company has an urgent matter, I need to go out right away."
"It's this late, and they need you again. Is your boss crazy?"
"Can't stand to see you rest, can't stand to see you spend time with me. Does he like you?"
Ah Zhong's job was unusual. Although he was able to buy a house and settle down in Nan Cheng thanks to Zhan Bei Jue, it was generally very demanding.
He couldn't turn off his phone for 24 hours.
Zhan Bei Jue could message him anytime, and he had to be ready to work.
He couldn't dedicate much time to his girlfriend and always felt guilty about it.
Especially since his girlfriend was so beautiful, and they had been together for four years. Ah Zhong doted on her.
"What are you talking about? Our boss is straight."
"He has a wife and children, I've told you before. Alright, stop joking around. Go inside and rest quickly. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."
His girlfriend was clearly displeased.
"You always use that excuse to brush me off. I don't know if your boss really needs you, or if you're going out to meet some other woman."
"Hmph. If you want to go out today, you have to let me see your phone. See if any suspicious women have messaged you."
Ah Zhong was in a hurry to leave and didn't have time for her to check his phone.
He slipped on his shoes and said with a smile.
"Darling, don't be like this. How could any suspicious women message me? I'm really just on work."
"You don't dare let me see, so you're guilty?"
His girlfriend pouted and trotted over to him, pulling his arm.
"I don't care. I want to check up on you. Take out your phone and let me see."
"If you don't take it out, it means you have something to hide, and I'll break up with you."
Ah Zhong was open and honest. Seeing his girlfriend being so persistent, he could only take it out for her to see.
"Alright, alright, look, look. Hurry up. I'm really running out of time."
"What kind of attitude is this? Zhong Jia Ming, you think me checking your phone is unreasonable and you're getting impatient with me, right?"
"No, I'm just in a hurry..."
His girlfriend threw the phone back into his arms and turned away angrily.
"Go, go, I'm not looking anymore. You're just impatient with me, you don't love me anymore, and you're eager to go out and date someone else!"
"Go on, go on. At worst, we'll break up. Once you leave this door, don't you dare come back!"
His girlfriend would throw a little tantrum from time to time. Usually, when Ah Zhong had time, he would appease her.
But today, he really didn't have the time.
"Okay, okay, don't be angry. I'll explain when I get back. Stay home obediently, I'm leaving now."
Ah Zhong, in a flurry, drove towards the address provided by the informant.
Little did he know, as soon as he left, a minivan quietly followed him.
Tang Xueying's grandmother lived in a small mountain village more than 40 kilometers from the city center.
After leaving the city, the road was bumpy, and it took nearly an hour to reach the destination.
Ah Zhong met the informant on a dirt road in the village. They stood by the car and talked for a while, exchanging basic information.
After the informant handed over all the information he had, he left first.
Seeing that he had all the information, Ah Zhong believed he had indeed located Tang Xueying and took out his phone to report to Zhan Bei Jue.
He intended to have bodyguards sent over.
However, just as he pulled out his phone, a blinding light flashed.
He instinctively raised his eyes to look in the direction of the light.
The next second, he was attacked on the back of his head.
His head felt numb, and he lost consciousness.
When he woke up, it was already broad daylight.
His head ached, his eyes hurt, and his body was sore.
Every part of him felt like he had been beaten, with an unbearable dull ache.
He didn't know where he was.
Ah Zhong rubbed his eyelids, waited for a moment, and then slowly sat up, propping himself up with his arms.
As he looked around, he was stunned.
It seemed he was in a lounge in some kind of club.
The windows were wide open, the curtains undrawn, and bright light filled the room.
The TV was on, silently playing KTV rock hits.
The coffee table in front of him was littered with empty wine bottles and cigarette butts.
He was currently sitting on the sofa, with various pieces of clothing belonging to men and women scattered on the floor.
The white shirt and pants looked like his.
He quickly looked down at himself.
Only then did he realize, to his shock, that he was naked.
He clearly remembered that after receiving the call last night, he had rushed to the countryside to find Tang Xueying.
How had he suddenly appeared here, and in this state?
How had his clothes gone missing?
Where was his phone? Where was the information he received yesterday? What had happened last night?
As Ah Zhong was pondering and hitting his forehead with his fist in frustration, the bathroom door in the room was suddenly opened.
A young girl with dyed blonde hair and heavy makeup emerged from inside, wrapped in a bath towel.
Seeing him awake, the girl said directly.
"You're awake? Settle the bill, please. It's almost time, and I have to go."
Suddenly seeing such a girl, with both of them disheveled, Ah Zhong felt awkward.
He instinctively grabbed a nearby throw pillow and placed it on his lap.
"Settle the bill for what? Where is this? Who are you? Why are you here? Do we know each other?"
"Are you drunk and unable to remember, or are you pretending to have amnesia with a damaged brain?"
Seeing him say this, the girl taunted him with a strange laugh.
"You're so young, and you look so handsome. You were dressed quite nicely too. I thought you were a high-quality male customer. Could it be that it's all an act?"
"You don't have money in your pocket but you're pretending to be a big shot out to play? You think I'm easy to bully and want to get away with a free meal?"
Ah Zhong had no idea what she was talking about.
But seeing her demeanor, he was sure he didn't want to get entangled with this woman.
"So, I came here last night and booked this room myself, and asked you to accompany me? How much did it cost in total?"
He covered himself with the pillow and bent down to pick up the scattered clothes on the floor.
The girl looked at his comical appearance, smiled contemptuously, and blew on her nails, saying.
"I don't know how much you drank or how much it cost to book the room. Anyway, I charge 5000 yuan for the night. Give me my money. I'm running out of time, I have to go, quickly."
Why was the money calculated separately?
Was she not from this place?
5000 yuan for a night?
What did this woman do to charge so much for one night?