Chapter 900: Give Her a Coke

Zhou Xiao remained in his sitting position, eyes slightly open, seemingly watching Tao Yueyue.

Tao Yueyue felt all the hairs on her body stand up. Fear urged her to abandon her plan. She realized how dangerous it was, like trying to bell the cat. If this beast noticed anything, she would be doomed.

Breathing heavily, Tao Yueyue slowly removed the rope loop from Zhou Xiao’s foot and leaned against the side of the sofa, panting.

Just then, a few motorcycles roared past outside, shaking the street with their noise. A woman yelled in complaint, “Are you crazy, making such a racket at night?”

Chen Shi had once told her about these night racers who sawed off their exhaust pipes to create a thunderous roar, some even welding trumpet-shaped metal tubes for extra noise. This behavior was, of course, illegal.

Tao Yueyue noticed the sofa springs creaking slightly due to the change in weight. Zhou Xiao was waking up. She curled into a ball, shoving the cloth cuffs under the sofa, thinking about what lies to tell if she were discovered.

“Damn it!” Zhou Xiao muttered about the night racers, grabbed a cigarette from the coffee table, lit it, and smoked for a minute before standing up to go to the bathroom.

Tao Yueyue quickly moved behind the sofa. She peeked and saw Zhou Xiao standing in the dark bathroom, urinating with the cigarette glowing intermittently. He suddenly punched the water tank, making Tao Yueyue shiver.

After a few punches, Zhou Xiao slowly squatted down, hugging the toilet and crying. The cigarette fell into the urine-mixed water.

His crying wasn’t smooth; it was more like choking, as if he couldn’t catch his breath, or a strange kind of laughter.

Tao Yueyue sat behind the sofa, hugging herself, her exposed skin covered in goosebumps. She realized this beast could also feel sadness, but she wouldn’t sympathize with him. They were not the same; there was no room for sympathy.

Tao Yueyue slowly crawled out from behind the sofa. The short distance to the bedroom felt perilous. She feared making too much noise or moving too slowly. Finally, she reached the bedroom and climbed onto the bed, curling up as if asleep.

She listened carefully. Zhou Xiao cried alone for five minutes before flushing. Then she heard the bathroom door open.

Hearing his footsteps move away, Tao Yueyue felt relieved. She quickly retrieved the cloth cuffs from under the sofa, noticing the bag of medical supplies Zhou Xiao had used.

Tao Yueyue opened it. Zhou Xiao had wanted injectables, but she had bought capsules, so the syringe was unused.

She picked up the syringe. Could it help?

Zhou Xiao likely had anesthetics since he had used them on her before. But they might have left them behind during their hasty move.

Wait!

Tao Yueyue put the syringe away and restored the bag as best as she could. She went to the kitchen, opening cupboards until she found an empty bottle of Erguotou, feeling disappointed.

Injecting alcohol into Zhou Xiao could anesthetize him, though the effect wouldn’t be perfect. But it would weaken him significantly.

She once asked Chen Shi why people vomited after drinking too much.

Chen Shi explained that the liver couldn’t handle so much alcohol, and vomiting was the body’s way of protecting itself.

She then asked what would happen if alcohol were injected directly into the bloodstream.

Chen Shi had laughed, saying it was dangerous. Alcohol could dissolve hemoglobin, and impurities could cause infections. It would make someone drunk and could be lethal in large enough doses because you can’t vomit out what’s in your blood.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t asked about the dosage, never expecting to need that information.

Now she needed to get some alcohol, preferably something pure like vodka. It was the purest form of drinking alcohol, known for saving a poisoned cat’s life by acting as an antidote.

Tao Yueyue hid the syringe and cloth cuffs under the bed. She looked out the window and saw Zhou Xiao wandering the neighborhood like a lost soul, his knife glinting in his hand.

She was alarmed; he was likely out to hunt.

After thinking it over, Tao Yueyue took the syringe and went downstairs to find Zhou Xiao. When she found him, he was crouched by a bush, coaxing, “Come here, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”

A small dog whimpered in the bush, both scared and eager for attention.

Zhou Xiao’s hand, holding the knife behind his back, gleamed with anticipation, his breathing heavy, like an addict needing a fix.

The dog finally trusted him and crawled out, wagging its tail. Zhou Xiao petted its neck, praising, “Good boy! Good boy!” as his knife slowly rose.

“Please don’t kill it!” Tao Yueyue couldn’t hold back.

The dog yelped and ran off.

Zhou Xiao turned, his face twisted with unfulfilled desire and hatred. He walked towards her, muttering, “You saved a dog! You saved a dog!”

Tao Yueyue backed away in fear, remembering how Zhou Xiao had almost killed her at this time the previous night. It seemed he became a monster at midnight, ready to devour anyone in his path.

“If you’re bored, I can take you drinking. Let’s go to a bar. I’ve always wanted to go to a bar. I can steal a wallet from a drunk person there,” Tao Yueyue babbled, trying to hide her true intentions.

Zhou Xiao placed a hand on her head, and she felt he could crush her skull with just a little pressure.

“The bar… sounds good!” he agreed.

They walked down the quiet street, passing drunk people shouting. Zhou Xiao’s hand frequently reached for his knife, making Tao Yueyue’s heart race each time.

They finally reached a bar without incident. This bar was peculiar, filled only with men. Tao Yueyue spotted a heavily made-up woman who turned out to be a man upon closer inspection.

The patrons eyed Zhou Xiao hungrily, ignoring Tao Yueyue, which gave her a chance. She deftly picked a drunk man’s wallet and handed it to Zhou Xiao at the bar.

“A beer and a Coke,” Zhou Xiao ordered.

“I want vodka!”

“Give her a Coke.”

“I want vodka. I want to try it.”

“Give her a Coke!”

“I want vodka!!!”

“I said, give her a Coke!”

The bartender laughed. “Let the girl have a drink. One shot won’t hurt.” He poured a small shot of vodka and pushed it over.

Tao Yueyue was thrilled. She had achieved her goal. But Zhou Xiao slapped the glass away, saying, “Give her a Coke!”