The young man in the back seat never once reminded Luo Qing, simply watching as he drove further into the outskirts.
Soon enough, the abandoned factory came into view.
Luo Qing didn’t spare a thought for the person in the car—he flung the door open in a frantic rush and bolted inside.
In the end, he made it with just one minute to spare.
Gasping for air, Luo Qing braced his hands on his knees and looked up at the man seated in the chair. "...B-Boss."
"G-Good evening."
The boss wasn’t the only one in the factory—plenty of other members were present too. Most of them showed up for disciplinary executions like this.
Making an example required both the chicken and the monkeys to be present.
But this time, no one was gloating, nor was there any fear or concern. The moment the young man lifted his head, the entire group froze. Some even forgot to breathe.
Because the panting young man before them was breathtakingly beautiful. His hair, disheveled from the motion, revealed a delicate face flushed from exertion. His pale, thin lips were slightly parted as he took small, shaky breaths, making the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye shimmer all the more strikingly.
Even his breathing seemed sweet.
The factory plunged into dead silence—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Had Luo Qing always been this gorgeous?
Outside, the light drizzle suddenly turned into heavy rain, pelting against the factory roof with a loud clatter, snapping everyone out of their daze.
The boss narrowed his eyes at Luo Qing, his expression unreadable as he rubbed the ring on his finger. His voice was cold and detached when he spoke.
"You know exactly why you're here, don’t you?"
Perhaps too nervous to notice the others’ strange reactions, Luo Qing hurriedly replied, "Boss, I—I already got someone!"
The boss tilted his chin up slightly. "Where are they?"
"In the car. I’ll bring them right now!"
Without another word, Luo Qing turned and rushed back toward his car.
The boss gave a faint nod to the man beside him, who immediately followed Luo Qing out. The rest waited in silence inside the factory.
The car wasn’t parked far. Soon, Luo Qing and the man returned, leading two people inside.
A sickly little girl, a clean-cut high school boy.
The high school boy might still be somewhat useful, but that little girl was clearly seriously ill—definitely a hard sell.
Still, the task was technically complete. For some reason, a faint trace of disappointment flickered in many people’s eyes.
How had he actually managed to complete the task?
In their organization, only those who made mistakes or failed their assignments could be treated carelessly.
The boss stayed silent after Luo Qing brought the two in. His gaze settled on the high school boy, his frown deepening.
Seeing this, Luo Qing instinctively pressed his lips together. He’d only noticed the boy after opening the car door, but by then, his people were already around—there was no way to send the boy away unnoticed.
The boss stared for a long moment before his eyes suddenly widened. He’d finally remembered where he’d seen this person before.
At a previous meeting for division leaders.
Their organization was split into several branches, each with its own leader, but these leaders weren’t big shots—they still answered to the higher-ups.
Back then, this young man had accidentally wandered into their meeting. Instead of getting angry, the higher-ups had been extremely polite and respectful toward him.
They’d even stood up to see him out.
A cold sweat broke out on the boss’s back. This was absolutely someone they couldn’t afford to offend. One wrong move, and their entire team might end up at the bottom of the ocean.
The boss yanked Luo Qing aside, dragging him into a corner. "You’ve got some nerve, kidnapping him!"
"Do you even know who he is?"
"Huh?" Luo Qing’s delicate face blanked in confusion. "What? But… you’re the one who told me to grab people."
The boss knew there was no way this guy would recognize someone important, so of course he wouldn’t realize who he’d taken. Still, he couldn’t help gritting his teeth. "I told you to grab people, not just anyone off the street!"
Luo Qing finally understood—he’d picked up someone he shouldn’t have. He hurried to explain.
"I didn’t kidnap him. I was planning to drop him off at the downtown area. I only came back because you called for me."
The boss paused, suspicion in his eyes. "You didn’t take him?"
"No." Luo Qing shook his head quickly. "I just promised to give him a ride to the city center."
The boss let out a heavy sigh of relief before stepping out of the corner. He offered the boy a polite smile, his tone friendly. "Sorry for the delay, kid. You needed to go to the downtown area, right?"
"I'll have someone take you there right away."
After speaking, the boss gave a meaningful glance to someone nearby. Understanding the signal, that person immediately walked outside—probably to get the car.
The boss's attitude had shifted quickly, making everyone present realize what was going on. Almost instantly, they all toned down their expressions, just waiting for the young man to leave as soon as possible.
But then something unexpected happened—the high school boy refused to go.
He glanced at Luo Qing beside him, then looked back at the boss and spoke in a slightly pitiful tone, "I had a fight with my brother. I don’t want to go back. Can I stay here with you guys for a few days?"
The boss's smile froze instantly, and his voice took on a hesitant note. "That’s not possible. This place is too run-down, not fit for staying. We only live here because we can’t afford better."
"Here’s what we’ll do," the boss said, pulling out a wad of cash and offering it to the boy. "Take this money and stay at a hotel in the city for the night."
The boy didn’t accept it. He shook his head. "It’s fine. I’m not that delicate. Staying here is good enough."
The boss’s smile became visibly strained. Anyone could see the high schooler simply didn’t want to leave.
Outside, heavy rain poured down, and they were in the middle of a deserted suburban area. There was no way they could force him out without risking an accident—and if something went wrong, they might not be able to handle the consequences.
At a loss, the boss took a deep breath and stepped aside, lowering his voice as he made a video call to a higher-up.
"Brother Xu, we’ve got a small situation here. My guys accidentally brought this young master back with us."
The boss angled the camera toward the high school boy and quickly added in a hushed tone, afraid of being misunderstood, "We didn’t kidnap him. My men were supposed to take him to the downtown area, but he refused to leave."
The higher-up on the call had initially sounded annoyed, but the moment he saw the familiar face in the video, he bolted upright in shock.
"What’s going on?! Why is he with you?!"
The boss repeated what had happened, emphasizing that they hadn’t abducted him.
After listening, the higher-up fell silent for several seconds before finally speaking in a low voice, "Let him stay there for now. Treat him as if he was kidnapped—don’t give him any special treatment, but don’t let a single hair on his head get hurt."
"That’s someone you can’t afford to mess with." The higher-up’s tone turned grave. "If he loses even one hair, your whole team will be wiped off the map."
The boss’s hand trembled slightly as he held the phone. Just as he was about to ask about the boy’s identity, the call ended abruptly.
In the end, both the high school boy and the little girl were locked in cages.
The place was already holding quite a few people, most of them children. The children’s faces were numb with despair, and only a few were still crying and fussing.
But crying only earned them abuse. The traffickers showed no restraint or gentleness—they treated them like objects, as if it didn’t matter if they were beaten to death.
After all, people could be sold even if they weren’t alive.
The high school boy wasn’t grouped with the children. He was locked up alone, while the little girl was thrown into a cage with the others.
Every day, new victims arrived, and every day, some were taken away. The children seemed used to it by now, huddling in the corners and trembling, not even glancing at the new girl.
The little girl was scared. Clutching her doll, she sat down near the bars.
A little boy hesitated when he saw this. After a long pause, he finally whispered, "...If you sit too close to the bars, those people can hit you."
The girl pressed her lips together, then looked at the boy—about her age—and moved closer to him, still holding her doll. The two small figures leaned against each other.
The cage was full of children like them, with no tomorrow, no future. None of them knew who would be taken next.
Or whether they’d even survive.
When Luo Qing walked in, this was the scene he saw. He had witnessed it countless times before, but this time, it unsettled him.
Luo Qing wasn’t alone. Suppressing his discomfort, he handed out food to the children.
His companion wasn’t as gentle. He tossed the steamed buns onto the ground like he was feeding dogs.
The floor was filthy, but the children scrambled for the food, clearly starving.
And they were starving—the traffickers never gave them enough, just enough to keep them alive.
The man finished throwing the food in seconds. He glanced at Luo Qing, who was carefully placing his portion on a piece of paper, and raised an eyebrow.
"What’s wrong with you today? Turning soft?"
Luo Qing felt like he was under some kind of spell. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to throw the food on the ground like usual.
He was feeling sympathy.
And that was a problem—because in their organization, the worst sins were softness and pity. If anyone noticed, he’d be eliminated.
Luo Qing lowered his eyes and spoke hoarsely, "I was scared by the boss."
The man understood—after all, Luo Qing had nearly suffered the same fate as these children. Seeing their miserable state, it was only natural for him to recall his own close call.
Normally, the man would have mocked him, but this time, his tone inexplicably softened. "Pull yourself together quickly, or the others will make you regret it."
"Yeah."
Luo Qing placed the food on a piece of paper and pushed it into the cage. But it was precisely this gentleness of his that made the children hesitate to approach.
No one knew if this was just a trick to lure them in.
In this place, more than one child had already been beaten to death, and they were terrified of becoming the next.
A little girl recognized Luo Qing. Clutching her doll, she walked up to the bars and whispered, "Thank you, big brother," before taking a steamed bun. She even grabbed one for the little boy she had been sitting with earlier.
Only after seeing the girl take the food unharmed did the other children hesitantly step forward, carefully picking up the buns from Luo Qing.
In the past, the children would fight over the food, leaving the weaker ones starving for days.
But this time, they silently took only their share. Not a single child grabbed extra, and every one of them in Luo Qing's assigned cage received food.
"Luo Qing, the boss wants you." Just as he stood up, a voice called for him from outside.
"Coming."
***
In the factory hall, the boss sat with a cigarette dangling from his lips, exhaling smoke as he eyed the man before him.
"Today, you brought in a half-dead sickly kid and then snatched someone you shouldn’t have. That doesn’t count as completing the job."
Luo Qing’s face paled. His voice was laced with panic and unease. "H-how does that not count?"
"Besides, I didn’t even kidnap that high schooler—he refused to leave on his own."
The boss ignored Luo Qing’s explanation. He took another drag, then stubbed out the cigarette.
"I’ll give you one more day. If there’s another mess-up tomorrow, don’t blame me for being ruthless."
I'm weak when it come to children ಥ╭╮ಥ
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