Chapter 901: Boundaries
Tao Yueyue gloomily stared at her glass of iced Coke while Zhou Xiao drank his beer. “Drink up. We’ll leave once you’re done,” he said.
“Oh…” Tao Yueyue picked up her glass and took a small sip.
A man approached Zhou Xiao and said, “I haven’t seen you here before.”
Zhou Xiao gave him a sidelong glance, “Just because you haven’t seen me doesn’t mean I can’t come here.” He reached out, grabbed the man’s cigarette and lighter from the bar, and lit one up.
The man chuckled, “So, what do you do?”
“Killer,” Zhou Xiao replied nonchalantly.
“Really?” The man laughed, thinking it was a joke. “How many people have you killed?”
Zhou Xiao looked around, “More than the number of people here.”
The man laughed louder and snapped his fingers at the bartender, “Get him an iced tea.”
Taking advantage of the moment, Tao Yueyue quickly said, “Uncle, can I try a small glass of vodka?”
The man’s interest in her dimmed upon hearing this, but not wanting to lose face, he told the bartender to pour a small glass of vodka.
With someone else around, Zhou Xiao didn’t interfere this time. He and the man continued their shallow conversation, filled with subtle jabs and innuendos.
Tao Yueyue pretended to drink the vodka. The bartender, while wiping glasses, suggested, “That’s strong stuff. You should mix it with your Coke.”
“No, I like it straight,” she insisted.
“Is this because you saw it on TV?”
“Yes.”
“How old are you?”
“Fourteen.”
Zhou Xiao and the man suddenly stood up and headed to the bathroom. The bartender went to serve other customers. Tao Yueyue seized the opportunity, pulled out the syringe, and drew the vodka from her glass into it.
After securing the syringe’s cap, she felt a sense of relief. She was one step closer to her goal. Even the Coke tasted sweeter.
The men in the bar chatted among themselves, treating Tao Yueyue as invisible. This feeling of being unnoticed was oddly liberating.
Zhou Xiao didn’t return, which made her anxious. What if he…
She rushed to the bathroom door and overheard a man’s pained cries, making her face go pale. Seeing no one around, she dashed into the men’s room— the only bathroom in the bar.
The unusual noises came from one of the stalls. She hesitated but then knocked, “Uncle Zhou, are you in there?”
“Get lost!” Zhou Xiao barked.
“Haha, your daughter is worried about you,” the man inside laughed.
“Just wait outside. I’ll be done soon,” Zhou Xiao’s tone softened.
“Soon? You’re joking! You won’t be done in half an hour,” the man panted.
Tao Yueyue rolled her eyes, merely worried the man might get killed. Another person entered the bathroom, not too surprised to see her. While urinating, he asked, “Girl, are you in the wrong place?”
Finishing up, he shook himself off and left.
Tao Yueyue continued knocking, “Uncle Zhou, come out when you’re done. I’m bored.”
“Get lost! I won’t kill him.”
“Haha, you might as well kill me.”
Tao Yueyue left reluctantly, sitting near the bathroom, nervous.
Eventually, Zhou Xiao emerged, looking satisfied and exhausted. He was sweaty but blood-free, to her relief.
His tone was gentler, “Are you more afraid of me killing someone or getting caught?”
“Afraid of you getting caught…”
He grinned, “Let’s go.”
Walking down the street, Zhou Xiao’s murderous aura had faded. He smoked and gazed at the night sky, even humming a tune.
“Tao Yueyue…” he started, but stopped when two patrolling police officers appeared. Zhou Xiao extended his hand, and Tao Yueyue grabbed it. To the officers, they looked like a father and daughter out for a late snack. As they passed, one officer looked at her curiously, then checked his phone.
About ten meters away, the officer said to his colleague, “Wasn’t that girl the missing one?”
“Hey, you two, stop!” one officer shouted.
Zhou Xiao pulled Tao Yueyue into a run. The officers chased them, but Zhou Xiao ducked into an alley between two buildings. The confused officers called out, “Tao Yueyue…”
Another officer asked, “Is the man with her the kidnapper?”
“But she wasn’t reported kidnapped, just missing. And she ran with him.”
“This is a hassle. We should report it tomorrow.”
As the footsteps faded, Tao Yueyue questioned her choice. She could have broken free and run to safety, but she remained silent.
Rationality told her she made the right choice. Her plan was more significant than missing exams or home comforts. She aimed to make Long’an safer.
After this incident, Zhou Xiao seemed to trust Tao Yueyue more. “Are you really planning to stick with me?”
Tao Yueyue nodded, “You kill people and earn money. I want that too, to make an easy living.”
“Nothing is easy in an adult’s world… But if you want to earn, I’ll give you a chance. Kill one of these two, and I’ll split the reward with you and let you go home. We’ll be partners.”
This time, Tao Yueyue nodded firmly, “Okay.”
Zhou Xiao patted her head, “Teacher Zhou was right about you.”
Zhou Xiao glanced outside the alley, “It seems Song Lang is using the police to find you. This area is unsafe now. We need to move.”
“What about that uncle? How will he contact you?”
“I’ll leave a number.”
Back at their building, they packed up the dead men’s phones and IDs. Zhou Xiao also took a charger and carved a number on the door— Lao Xie’s number.
They moved to an abandoned building, already occupied by a gang of homeless people. As they approached, a group emerged from the darkness, reminiscent of a pack of wolves in a cave.
A long-haired beggar pointed to a column with chalk writing on it, “See that? Get out!”
“Friends, we just need a place to stay for the night. I know your boss, Xu Gaikui,” Zhou Xiao said.
The beggar looked Zhou Xiao up and down, “Who are you?”
“Zhou Xiao, Zhou Tiannan’s disciple.”
“Zhou Tiannan? The guy who died mysteriously?” the beggars laughed.
Hot-tempered Zhou Xiao surprisingly endured their mockery. The beggar pointed aside, “Stay over there.”
Zhou Xiao cupped his hands and led Tao Yueyue to a concrete room without a door. The floor was covered with burnt bricks and ragged blankets, barely suitable as a bed. Zhou Xiao said, “In this sewer-like world, being broke isn’t the worst. The worst is having no connections.”
“Why didn’t that mob boss come after you?”
“Good question. It’s because we’re in another boss’s territory. He thinks I’m useful and doesn’t want others using me as an excuse to stir trouble. Long’an has many invisible boundaries. Ordinary people don’t see them, but they’re real for us.”