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Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
***
The two were talking in a corner of the factory, so absorbed in their conversation that they didn’t notice a man standing not far away, watching them with a dark, unreadable expression.
The man was Pei Rong—the same one who had earlier asked Luo Qing if he needed help.
When Pei Rong saw Luo Qing’s almost ingratiatingly obedient attitude toward the boss, a shadow of danger flickered in his eyes. It was a stark contrast to how Luo Qing treated him.
Bowing and scraping to the boss, yet treating him with nothing but indifference.
Pei Rong watched the two of them and let out a soundless, cold laugh. Finally, his expression grim, he turned and walked away.
***
The rain continued to pour heavily, the sound of droplets pattering against the factory roof creating a stifling, oppressive atmosphere.
The rest of the team, however, didn’t seem to feel the tension. With no urgent “deliveries” to handle the past two days, they had all relaxed, drinking inside the factory.
Luo Qing didn’t join them. He hadn’t slept well the night before and had gone to bed early.
But the group was too loud, their raucous noise making it impossible for him to fall asleep. He tossed and turned in frustration.
Just as he was finally drifting off, a child’s shrill scream pierced the air—filled with terror and despair. Luo Qing jolted awake.
His companions weren’t the type to treat children gently. Taking out their frustrations on a kid was normal for them, and drunk, they’d only grow more reckless.
Luo Qing closed his eyes, trying to ignore the heart-wrenching cries. He even pulled the thin blanket over his head.
But the flimsy fabric did little to muffle the sound. The child’s screams and sobs kept piercing through, gnawing at his nerves until he couldn’t take it anymore.
Finally, Luo Qing threw off the blanket and got out of bed, storming toward the factory floor with irritation.
The main hall was littered with beer bottles and scraps of food. The men, long since drunk, were gathered in a circle, laughing and jeering.
In the center of the crowd was a little boy, being kicked and punched by one of the drunken men. Covered in blood, the boy’s cries had weakened—his breathing now shallower than his sobs.
Yet the man showed no mercy. With a drunken laugh, he raised his foot, aiming a brutal kick at the boy’s stomach.
If that kick landed, the boy’s organs would likely rupture. He might even die on the spot.
Luo Qing’s heart lurched. Instinctively, he rushed forward, ready to save the child.
But after just a few steps, he caught himself. If he intervened, his companions would undoubtedly grow suspicious of him.
Luo Qing reacted extremely quickly. Gritting his teeth, he rushed forward a step ahead of the man and viciously kicked the little boy, his face dark with malice and impatience.
"Cry, cry, cry—all you know is crying. Shut the hell up, you’re ruining my sleep."
The boy was sent skidding backward by the kick, narrowly avoiding the man’s lethal strike.
Though Luo Qing’s kick appeared brutal, the boy wasn’t actually hurt much—because Luo Qing hadn’t used his toes. Instead, he’d struck with the top of his foot.
But a child’s weight was too much for that. Luo Qing nearly dislocated his own foot from the force.
A sharp pain shot through his ankle, instantly draining the color from his face. Yet he couldn’t let it show.
His eyes flicked to a beer bottle on the ground. Pretending to lose his balance after the kick, he "accidentally" stepped on the bottle and collapsed.
His injury needed an excuse—and that excuse could never be saving the boy.
Everything happened too fast. The men stood frozen, staring blankly at Luo Qing, now half-kneeling on the ground, "writhing in pain" from his "sprained ankle."
Only the children locked in the nearby cages saw the truth. Trembling in terror, their small faces twisted with fear—because to them, Luo Qing seemed even scarier than the other men.
Blaming his fall on the beer bottle, Luo Qing turned his fury on the others, glaring up at them through clenched teeth.
"Can’t you drunks stop littering bottles everywhere? Have you no fucking decency?"
The men: "…"
Anyone else shifting blame like that would’ve been cursed out immediately. Yet this time, no one spoke.
Because anger made Luo Qing breathtaking. His contorted expression didn’t ruin his delicate features—instead, he looked like a bristling Persian cat.
Pain left his eyes glistening, his usual arrogance tinged with something almost like vulnerability.
For the first time, the men understood why people loved cats.
Truly… beautiful.
Their gazes lingered, the boy completely forgotten.
In the end, it was Pei Rong’s cold, expressionless kick that shattered a beer bottle, jolting everyone awake. The men finally averted their gazes, though their discomfort was palpable.
Luo Qing paid them no mind. He stood up and limped toward his room, his entire body radiating gloom and irritation.
But halfway there, he was suddenly swept off his feet—literally. The man who had earlier offered to help him had picked him up bridal-style.
"Let me go," Luo Qing snapped, his impatience flaring. He struggled, trying to break free.
But Pei Rong’s grip was unyielding, far beyond Luo Qing’s strength to escape. In the end, he was carried back to the room without a choice.
Pei Rong set him down on the bed, then seized Luo Qing’s foot, rolling up his pant leg. The skin was already reddening, though it didn’t seem like any bones were broken.
Gently massaging the area, Pei Rong asked in a low voice, "What did the boss want with you today?"
Luo Qing stopped resisting once he realized Pei Rong was tending to his injury. His voice was weary as he replied, "He said I ‘snatched the wrong person.’ That it didn’t count as completing the job."
Pei Rong’s response was calm. "I can help you."
Luo Qing fell silent. This time, he didn’t refuse—because the truth was, he was struggling with the task. He couldn’t bring himself to abduct some poor, innocent soul.
But his silence came too soon. Pei Rong continued, his tone still indifferent.
"Be my wife, and I’ll help you."
Luo Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief. After a stunned second, humiliation twisted his expression, and he hurled a pillow at Pei Rong with all his strength.
"Who the hell would be your wife?! I’m a man, damn it!"
Pei Rong caught the pillow effortlessly. His gaze lingered on Luo Qing—flushed with anger, yet somehow even more striking—before he clicked his tongue and let out a low, ambiguous chuckle.
"So what if you’re a man? Men can still get fu—"
Luo Qing’s face paled, then flushed with rage at Pei Rong’s vulgar words. He yanked his leg back and aimed a furious kick at him.
"Get out! I don’t need your damn help."
His ankle was still injured—not severely, but another hit would’ve made it worse. Seeing this, Pei Rong stepped back, letting Luo Qing’s foot meet empty air. With one last glance at the seething man, he left the room without another word.
It didn’t matter whether Luo Qing could complete the job or not. In the end, he would belong to Pei Rong. There was no need to rush.
Luo Qing collapsed back onto the bed. This time, the factory hall was finally silent. Exhausted, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Luo Qing woke up early again the next day and drove straight into the city center. The traffic was heavy, so heavy that it was hard to tell if he was being followed.
And Luo Qing had no idea.
The ones following him were the same group from yesterday. Xu Tao frowned in confusion as he watched the car not far ahead. "Why is it him again today?"
Soon, they understood why. This man named Luo Qing was out to abduct people again—apparently, the two he took yesterday hadn’t fulfilled his quota.
The group wasn’t too surprised, but they found the man extremely strange.
Though he had abducted two people the day before, both had gone with him willingly. They had reviewed the surveillance footage of Luo Qing’s movements, and not once had he actually used force.
Even when luring the little girl, his opening line had been, "I'm a human trafficker. Want to come with me?"
That wasn’t something a real trafficker would say—nor was it something one would do.
It seemed Luo Qing still had a shred of conscience left.
The group found the idea somewhat laughable. How could a human trafficker have any conscience?
But this flaw could be exploited.
They decided to revive yesterday’s failed plan. They needed to infiltrate the trafficking ring, and getting "abducted" by Luo Qing was the best way in.
They watched as Luo Qing parked his car and did the same nearby, then got out to stage their abduction opportunity.
Luo Qing had chosen a spot near an alley, surrounded by towering buildings that cast shadows even in daylight. It was usually deserted—the perfect place for an abduction.
Xu Tao and the others exchanged glances. The weakest among them headed toward the alley, acting like he was in a hurry and taking a shortcut.
All Luo Qing had to do was knock him out with a single blow, and he’d play along—letting himself be "taken."
But the plan was perfect in theory… until it wasn’t.
Luo Qing never even glanced at their companion. The man walked all the way through the alley and disappeared, yet Luo Qing didn’t so much as look up.
Xu Tao muttered uncertainly, "Maybe he’s afraid he can’t win a fight? He looks pretty weak."
"Makes sense."
Another man thought for a moment, then grabbed a bottle of liquor from the car, took several hard swigs, and splashed some on his clothes. Staggering like a drunk, he stumbled toward the alley.
Normal men didn’t dare to abduct, but picking up a drunk person should be fine, right?
Yet Luo Qing still didn’t even glance at him. The man pretending to be drunk saw that he was about to walk out of the alley, so he had no choice but to act like he had collapsed, completely unconscious. At this point, he was absolutely the perfect target for abduction.
But the result remained the same—Luo Qing didn’t even lift his head.
The group had tried countless methods, practically handing the opportunity to Luo Qing on a silver platter. They had passed by him over and over, yet he never once looked their way.
He even got harassed by someone else.
The day before, afraid of being noticed, they had followed from a distance and barely got a clear look at Luo Qing’s face. But after checking the street surveillance footage, they realized just how stunning this human trafficker was.
So stunning, it was criminal.
Watching Luo Qing being cornered by someone in the alley, the group fell into silence, an uncontrollable thought flashing through their minds:
Was he really a human trafficker?
