Chapter 408

The three of us were having hot pot, but later everyone felt it wasn't satisfying enough, so we ordered several dozen beers.

We kept eating the late-night snack until 2 a. m. During that time, a strange feeling kept lingering in my heart; Fan Wuchang's tightly furrowed brow and face wanted to speak but stopped, as if he had something he wanted to tell us, but even after the snack ended he refused to reveal even a word, only occasionally furrowing his brow before gulping down a mouthful of beer.

Or perhaps it was because the situation in Aomen had taken a new turn, and he didn't want us to worry, so he chose to bury himself in drinking, not uttering a word.

After 2 a. m., Pangzi and I, swaying left and right, managed to get into a taxi; after returning to the hotel, I endured the dizziness and pain in my head, lit an incense stick for Little Fat, then, relying on feeling, groped my way back to my bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, we received a call from Yao Yirong; on the phone she said she and Silijing had already returned to Guangdong, telling me and Pangzi not to worry about them.

Yao Yirong returned to Guangdong; that was to be expected. Whether forced or persuaded, after all that had happened, the Yao family would not let her stay in this place of right and wrong. So after hearing that phone call, I wasn't particularly agitated; instead, Pangzi was dazed for several hours.

In the afternoon, Little Fat kept waving his little fists at me, dissatisfied, shouting 'gang, gang,' venting his displeasure.

Even though I couldn't understand what he was saying, I could still sense from his tone that he was protesting that I had been only looking after myself these past days, neglecting him.

That makes sense; ever since we came to Aomen, I've kept Murong Jiaja and Little Fat locked in the hotel, whether attending banquets or the days after, I never took them out to play.

So, taking advantage of this free afternoon, I, Pangzi, and Yuan Qiu decided to take Murong Jiaja and Little Fat out for a stroll.

To let Little Fat have fun, I specially placed several layers of taboo seals on him, so he could play without restraint in broad daylight; of course, the seal had a time limit. Just these few hours were enough for Little Fat to have a good play.

However… soon I bitterly regretted my impulsiveness.

On the park lawn, Little Fat took advantage of our inattention, sneaked onto a bumper car that a child was riding, grabbed the child's hand and jerked left then right, forcing the car off the track, making a turn, and slammed straight into a lime wall. The child was frightened into wailing loudly for half an hour; only when Pangzi bought a lollipop and shoved it into the child's hand did the child Little Fat had made cry wipe his tears, with two strings of crystal-clear snot hanging, and fall asleep in his parents' arms.

Immediately after, Little Fat's urge to play surged, as if reaching an uncontrollable point.

When we reached the Nine-Curve Bridge in the park, a couple was leaning on each other in the pavilion on the bridge; the boy was fresh and handsome, a fine specimen. The girl, while not beautiful, was pretty and pleasant. Seeing this couple's loving glances, it was clear they were having a little romance in the park.

Seeing this, Pangzi, Yuan Qiu, and I tactfully quickened our steps, intending to go around them. But the next moment, Pangzi and I discovered a serious matter.

Little Fat had disappeared…

As Pangzi and I turned around and searched everywhere for Little Fat, what met our eyes left us stunned, yet laughing and crying at the same time.

Sometime earlier, Little Fat had slipped behind that couple, his chubby little fingers toying with their hair, his big round eyes full of eager curiosity… Little Fat seemed to want to figure out what the two of them were doing.

Suddenly, the lovey-dovey couple closed their eyes and slowly leaned their cheeks toward each other. No need to ask; what was about to happen was certainly not suitable for children.

I waved at Little Fat, trying to call him back. Who knew…

When the couple's lips were slowly approaching, only a centimeter apart, Little Fat suddenly reached out and grabbed the girl's hair, then pulled back, dragging her several centimeters away.

Then Little Fat seemed to get addicted. Whenever the couple's lips drew near, about to kiss, he would either tug the girl from behind or pull the guy from behind, in short refusing to let their lips meet, forbidding them from kissing.

Finally, the couple screamed loudly that there was a ghost, and fled in panic.

Meanwhile, Little Fat stood behind the chair, rubbing the back of his head, curiously watching them flee in panic. After a moment, he clapped his hands, jumped up, and shouted excitedly, 'gang, gang!'

Although I didn't know what he had done… one could be sure it was a lot of fun.

Pangzi, watching on the side, laughed loudly without caring about his image; Murong Jiaja covered her mouth and chuckled lightly; Yuan Qiu, unable to see Little Fat, fell into confusion.

As for me… I covered my face with both hands, feeling utterly helpless. As the host, I felt I had failed, failed badly.

To prevent such things from happening again, and to give the world's lovebirds a good romantic environment, I tightly tethered Little Fat to my side. Even if he clenched his fists and protested in dissatisfaction, I closed my eyes and ignored him…

"Qiang Ge, Hai Sheng, how about we go in and play a couple rounds for fun?" At that moment, the car was parked beside a hotel in Aomen; Yuan Qiu pointed at the hotel and asked us whether we wanted to go inside and gamble a couple of times.

In Aomen, besides various large and small casinos, hotels are equipped with gambling-related entertainment facilities and staff. It's no exaggeration to say that almost every hotel in Aomen is essentially a casino.

I have no interest in gambling, so I simply shook my head. Pangzi, meanwhile, glared at Yuan Qiu in annoyance: "Gambling, do you even know what kind of feng shui layout this hotel has? If you want to go in and never come out, go ahead and gamble—you'll gamble yourself to death."

"Hunger…" Yuan Qiu exclaimed, bewildered, asking: "Could there be other secrets in there?"

"Not only are there secrets, but the secrets inside are even bigger!" Pangzi nodded firmly, then, through the car window, pointed at the hotel's surrounding layout and slowly explained it to us.

"Do you see those two doors? One looks like a lion, the other like a tiger. This kind of doorway is called a lion-tiger gate; the lion is a beast that brings wealth, the tiger is the king of beasts, and with such a gate as deep as the sea, wealth is absolutely a one-way trip—gone and never returning."

"Also, take a look at the shapes of the surrounding buildings—what do they remind you of?" Pangzi shifted the topic, pointing at the hotel and asking Yuan Qiu.

Yuan Qiu looked left and right, then said vaguely: "It looks a bit like a birdcage…"

"Exactly, that's right, it's a birdcage," Pangzi said solemnly. "Don't underestimate this birdcage; on top it has a sickle, large and small jade beads, and various auspicious formations. The sickle curves outward in all directions, so every gambler entering is like a trapped beast in a cage, at the mercy of others. Besides that, the building's top has countless large and small balls. Although I can't see the hotel's top floor, I am absolutely certain its summit is round and white, like a jade disc."

"Why?" Yuan Qiu scratched his head, very curious.

Pangzi extended a finger, gave a mysterious smile, and said: "This is called 'large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate,' the handiwork of a master of form and momentum."

……………

After Pangzi's explanation, Yuan Qiu still didn't end up going to the casino. Although he had the idea of going to gamble a couple of rounds, he wasn't a fool, and he certainly wouldn't ruin his family by splashing money like water.

Next, we went to Aomen to buy some local specialties and a big pile of snacks. Around eight o'clock, we all ran to a restaurant and had a hearty meal. Then, full and satisfied, we leisurely returned to the hotel.

"Pangzi, hurry up! You're as slow as a snail." I, walking ahead on the stairs, looked down dissatisfied at Pangzi below.

Pangzi, carrying big and small packages, gave me a contemptuous look, panting as he complained, "You're standing there talking without a sore back, while I'm struggling with all these bags."

"Who told you to go into the seafood shop like a madman, wanting to carry off the whole store? Your own stuff you naturally take yourself—do you expect me to be your free labor?"

I rolled my eyes, ignored Pangzi, and continued following Yuan Qiu up the stairs.

But tonight the hotel seemed a bit strange, overly quiet. Usually there were a few attendants guarding the floors, smiling and giving directions when they saw guests. Tonight those floor attendants were all gone, making the whole hotel unusually silent.

"Maybe they're changing shifts, or perhaps holding a staff meeting?" I thought, and Yuan Qiu and I walked to the suite we had rented.

Suddenly, Little Fat, who had been quietly sitting on my shoulder, unusually began pounding hard on the back of my head.

"Gang, gang… Hai Sheng, gang, gang," Little Fat shouted while grabbing my hair and striking my head.

"Don't make a fuss; you've played enough today. If you keep this up, I'll definitely not bring you out next time." I thought he was acting up because he hadn't had enough play.

"Something's wrong, Hai Sheng, someone's entered the house," Murong Jiaja, holding an umbrella nearby, suddenly warned.

"Someone—could it be a thief? Anyone who suddenly hears someone entering the house wouldn't think of it in a good way."

At that moment, Yuan Qiu had already inserted the key into the lock and, with a click, pushed the door open.

"Yuan Qiu, don't go in yet," I said, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back.

Just then, a flash of cold light suddenly sliced from inside the door; a gleaming small knife shot out, tracing a half-circle arc where Yuan Qiu's neck had been.

How fortunate—if I hadn't just pulled him back like that, Yuan Qiu's head…

In the instant I felt relieved, a burly man in black clothes swiftly darted from inside, brandishing a gleaming small knife and thrusting straight at my face.

My body's natural reaction made me lash out with a kick, sending the black-clad man flying into the room.

And at this moment, the stairs one floor away from us also heard this abnormal sound, hurriedly threw down everything, and rushed up in one go.