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Join the ServerJiang Yu hadn’t slept well in three days.
He’d made over a dozen phone calls.
He called his high school classmates—they said money was tight. He called regulars at the bar—they laughed and changed the subject. He asked the accountant for an advance on his salary—the accountant said there was no precedent.
He tried applying for instant loan credit online, but he’d borrowed before in an emergency and had a late payment. Every attempt was rejected.
On the afternoon of the third day, he rode his delivery electric bike to pick up his sister, Jiang Qing, from school.
Jiang Qing, in her school uniform with a backpack, ran out of the school gate.
When she saw him, her eyes lit up.
“Brother! Why are you here?”
“I was passing by, so I came to get you.”
Jiang Yu took her backpack.
Jiang Qing looked up at him.
“We had a math quiz today. I got first in the class.”
“Impressive.”
Jiang Yu tried to smile, but the corners of his mouth wouldn’t move.
Jiang Qing noticed.
“Brother, your dark circles are really bad.”
“Busy at the bar.”
Jiang Yu said simply.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
On the back of the electric bike, Jiang Qing chattered about school.
Jiang Yu listened, his fingers tapping lightly on the handlebars.
Two hours left.
At 8:30 p.m., he showed up at the “Lost” bar.
“You look terrible.”
His colleague Wu Qi handed him a shaker.
“Sick?”
“Didn’t sleep well.”
Jiang Yu took it and started preparing the night’s ingredients.
At 9:30, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out—a text message: [Back door. Now.]
He paused for two seconds, then put down the shaker.
“I’m stepping out.”
In the alley behind the bar, Bald Brother Wang was already waiting.
This time he’d brought four men.
“Three days are up, Jiang Yu.”
Brother Wang wasn’t smoking; he was fiddling with a lighter.
“The money?”
“Brother Wang, just give me a few more days.”
Jiang Yu’s voice was flat.
“I’ll pay you every cent when I get my paycheck at the end of the month.”
“End of the month?”
Brother Wang laughed, glancing at his men.
“Today is the thirteenth. You want me to wait until the end of the month? Are my brothers supposed to live on air?”
“I really don’t have—”
“Fine.”
Brother Wang put away his lighter.
“Then we’ll go to the school and find your sister. That little girl is pretty cute. Maybe she should quit school and work at a club—money comes faster there.”
Jiang Yu’s face changed instantly.
“Don’t go to her.”
“Then pay up!”
Brother Wang’s voice suddenly rose.
“I already gave you three extra days! You think I’m running a charity?”
Footsteps came from the entrance of the alley.
Everyone turned to look.
Li Xiao walked out of the shadows, wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
He was holding car keys, spinning them around his finger.
“Want me to pay for you?”
Jiang Yu’s pupils contracted when he saw him.
“No.”
Li Xiao looked at Brother Wang, a smirk on his face.
“Then go ahead and find his sister.”
Brother Wang sized up Li Xiao, his gaze pausing on Li Xiao’s watch for two seconds.
“Alright.”
He grinned at Jiang Yu.
“Tomorrow at 6 p.m., we’ll be waiting for your sister at No.1 Middle School’s gate.”
They turned to leave.
“Wait.”
Jiang Yu’s voice was urgent.
Brother Wang turned back.
“What?”
Jiang Yu didn’t look at him. He stared at the ground, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He lifted his eyes to Li Xiao.
“Please pay him for me first. I’ll pay you back when I get my salary.”
Li Xiao walked over and stood in front of him.
They stood very close. Jiang Yu could smell the faint scent of cologne on him.
“I don’t need the money.”
Li Xiao said.
“You know what I want.”
Jiang Yu said nothing.
His fingers curled at his sides, nails digging into his palms.
The alley was quiet.
The music from the bar came faintly, as if through a layer of water.
Li Xiao waited a few seconds, then turned.
“If it’s that hard, forget it.”
He took one step, but his wrist was grabbed.
Jiang Yu’s hand was cold, his grip tight.
“Pay him for me.”
His voice trembled.
Li Xiao turned back.
“You agree?”
Jiang Yu nodded.
Li Xiao took an envelope from his pants pocket and handed it to Brother Wang.
“Twenty thousand. Count it.”
Brother Wang took it, pulled out the bills, and quickly counted.
“It’s right.”
He stuffed the envelope into his jacket and smiled at Li Xiao.
“Boss, you’re generous. Jiang Yu, you’re pretty lucky.”
The four men left.
The alley was empty except for Li Xiao and Jiang Yu.
“Come with me.”
Li Xiao said.
“Can we talk about it?”
Jiang Yu stepped back half a step, his voice dry.
“I’ll pay you back, with interest.”
“You already agreed.”
Li Xiao looked at him.
“Backing out now?”
“No.”
Jiang Yu looked away, searching for an excuse.
“I’m just… afraid you’ll think it’s not worth it.”
“Whether it’s worth it is my business.”
Li Xiao said.
“You just need to keep your promise.”
Jiang Yu was silent for a long time.
In the distance, an ambulance siren grew louder, then faded away.
“Then…”
He took a deep breath, his tone laced with despair.
“Let me ask for leave.”
Li Xiao nodded.
“I’ll wait at the front door.”
Jiang Yu pushed open the back door and returned to the bar.
The music pounded in his ears.
He walked to the counter. Wu Qi was mixing a Tequila Sunrise.
“Manager, I have something to take care of. I need to leave early.”
Jiang Yu said.
The manager looked up from his computer.
“Now? It’s only ten.”
“Family emergency.”
The manager glanced at his pale face and waved a hand.
“Fine, I’ll mark it as leave. Half a day’s pay deducted.”
“Thanks.”
Jiang Yu changed out of his uniform into his hoodie.
He moved slowly, as if hoping time would stop.
When he walked out the front door, twenty minutes had passed.
Li Xiao was leaning against his sports car, phone in hand, the screen’s light illuminating his face.
When he saw Jiang Yu come out, he put away his phone and stood up straight.
Jiang Yu walked over, his steps heavy.
Li Xiao approached and reached out to put an arm around his shoulder.
He was half a head taller and much more solidly built than Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu felt the instant pressure of his closeness and the warmth from his palm.
Li Xiao led him to the car, and the door automatically lifted.
“Get in.”
Jiang Yu sat in the passenger seat.
His fingers trembled so badly as he fastened the seatbelt that it took three tries.
Li Xiao got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
The sports car growled and merged into the night traffic.
The car was quiet.
Jiang Yu watched the streetlights speed past outside the window. Only one thought remained in his mind: how to get through tonight.
The car entered a high-end residential complex, passed an artificial lake, and stopped in front of a standalone villa.
Li Xiao got out first and came around to open his door.
“Get out.”
Jiang Yu unbuckled his seatbelt, and when his feet touched the ground, his legs gave way.
Li Xiao reached out and steadied his arm.
“Steady.”
The villa door had a fingerprint lock.
Li Xiao pressed it, and the door opened.
It was pitch dark inside. He reached up and turned on the light.
The living room was large, decorated in a minimalist style—mostly black, white, and gray.
Cold, impersonal.
Li Xiao took Jiang Yu’s hand and led him toward the stairs.
Jiang Yu’s hand was cold and sweaty.
He didn’t resist, letting Li Xiao lead him.
The master bedroom on the second floor was open.
Li Xiao pulled him inside, let go, and turned on the bedside lamp.
Warm yellow light illuminated the room.
A large bed, dark gray sheets, no extra decorations.
Jiang Yu stood at the door, not stepping inside.
Li Xiao turned around and saw Jiang Yu trembling.
“Never been with a man before?”
You’ve got to see this next! The Shining Knight’s Odd Eyes will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : The Shining Knight’s Odd Eyes
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