12: Exploit

“Brother, do you love him?” Xie Hou’s voice, seemingly going through a late adolescence voice change, carried a bone-chilling coldness.

After a while, he spoke again, showing a rare curiosity befitting his age, “Then why do you want me to take him away?”

Xie Yan had called Xie Hou out of the private room, leaving the door slightly ajar. The voices of the men outside conversing could be clearly heard by Shen Cizhu.

Shen Cizhu heard Xie Yan’s response.

But he pretended not to hear it, just sitting in a chair next to the gambling table, stacking the burnt playing cards into a small mountain, pressing his fingertip down into the still-burning center, amusing himself.

Xie Yan was still talking to Xie Hou, and Shen Cizhu didn’t want to listen to the details.

He felt no guilt or shame about fooling around with his ex-boyfriend’s 18-year-old younger brother. On the contrary, he was quite happy, and alcohol and high temperatures were making his brain buzz.

It was so noisy.

The club was particularly loud tonight, not with DJ music from a party, but with sirens and organized interrogations.

At this moment, the police called him, asking about some things. They said there had been a murder in the men’s lounge of this club half an hour ago.

They asked Shen Cizhu if Xie Hou had been with him the whole time.

Shen Cizhu said he had been.

The police asked if he was willing to come to the police station for questioning.

Shen Cizhu said “tomorrow” and hung up the phone. A few seconds later, his subordinate called.

“Is it confirmed that Mr. Zhang is dead?” Shen Cizhu answered, slow and leisurely.

“It’s murder,” the subordinate paused for a moment. “The prime suspect at the moment is Mr. Xie Hou, who had a conflict with him tonight.”

Xie Hou?

Shen Cizhu tapped his Bluetooth earpiece with his fingertips.

The subordinate continued, “Mr. Xie Hou has a motive, but surveillance shows that he wasn’t involved in the murder. The time of the incident is completely opposite to his whereabouts, and he even has an alibi and witnesses, one of whom is the receptionist, and the other is… you.”

Shen Cizhu lowered his gaze, his voice very light but chilling, “That kid doesn’t have the guts to commit murder yet. Haven’t you found the real culprit?”

“Not yet, but Mr. Shen, you, me, and the police all understand that this murder was premeditated, and the purpose was to frame Mr. Xie Hou.” The sound of papers rustling came from the subordinate’s end.

“My information here shows that apart from accumulating a substantial debt, Xie Hou hasn’t offended anyone else. At the moment, we can’t determine who wants to frame him.”

If the evidence was conclusive, Xie Hou would be the only murderer, and the consequences were self-evident.

“But I have a feeling that Xie Hou… it’s like he knew in advance that someone would frame him tonight. Not only did he have a conflict with the victim tonight, but even the location where the body was found was a lounge he had been to.” The subordinate sounded puzzled.

But Xie Hou had a wealth of evidence that could clear him of the suspicion of the crime, and it was too much, too substantial, and too coincidental.

When Xie Hou left this private room, it was already time for his shift to end, so he returned to the employee break room. During this period, he was seen by a group of corporate magnates led by Zhou Ping. Based on the estimated time of Mr. Zhang’s death, when Xie Hou met the corporate magnates, Mr. Zhang was already dead.

Furthermore, while Xie Hou was in the employee break room, his colleagues provided witness statements confirming that he had not concealed a body or left any traces of blood. After he left the break room, his movements were all captured on surveillance cameras, with no suspicious points, and even the front desk lady could vouch for him.

Now, even if the body was discovered, Xie Hou had not been present at the scene of the crime. He had been with Shen Cizhu the entire time.

Thus, Xie Hou was a suspect with a motive but couldn’t be established as the perpetrator.

“The front desk lady was the first to discover the body. According to her account, the men’s lounge at that time not only had the corpse but also another person. This person used Mr. Zhang’s body to forcefully break open the door and throw it outside, causing the neck to break instantly. When the front desk lady went to check, there was no one in the lounge.”

The timeline didn’t match with Xie Hou’s whereabouts. When the front desk lady discovered the murder scene, Xie Hou was in this private room with Shen Cizhu.

Xie Hou had come to this private room because the front desk lady had asked him to. Given his personality, he wouldn’t usually do things like “safely escort a drunk Shen Cizhu home.” But he had surprisingly agreed.

Why? Perhaps Xie Hou was looking for an eyewitness for himself? Shen Cizhu was the perfect candidate for an eyewitness.

Xie Hou knew that someone intended to frame him for murder tonight, so he had set his sights on Shen Cizhu as the final witness to clear him of the crime.

You see, what a clever child.

He had silently used Shen Cizhu without Shen Cizhu’s knowledge. Shen Cizhu only realized this after being reminded by his subordinate.

It was strange. Why would Xie Hou suddenly return to the private room, administer drugs to Shen Cizhu, and bring him clothes? These were not things Xie Hou would typically do.

“Mr. Shen, you may not be able to control that young man named Xie Hou. I think it’s better to let go early. There are plenty of clever and willing people in this world who want to be your subordinates. You don’t have to be fixated on Xie Hou alone.”

From the events of this night, it was clear that Xie Hou’s thoughts were not pure, and he was not entirely loyal to others. He had ambitions, foresight, innate counter-surveillance instincts, and the ability to disguise himself with his cold, youthful appearance.

It all felt too much like Shen Cizhu.

So how could Shen Cizhu not want him?

“He is the only choice to be my subordinate, not just to replace Xie Yan, but he can accomplish everything more effectively and valuably for me,” Shen Cizhu replied.

“He is using you,” the subordinate said urgently, a rare sign of concern. “Mr. Shen, he could use you tonight as an eyewitness to clear himself of a murder suspicion. Maybe one day, he will target everything about you.”

“But I am also using him, and I don’t think I’ll incur any losses.” Shen Cizhu tilted his head and looked excited, his eyes filled with a sense of victory and competition.

And having one more player to compete with isn’t it more fun?

Shen Cizhu hung up the phone, lowered his head slightly, and the slightly tipsy scent of alcohol lingered around him, the warm-toned casual shirt highlighting the gentle scent of his snow-white skin.

He held the single-shoulder backpack that Xie Hou had left here earlier. It was a pure black sports style, and it looked out of place when he held it. He stopped playing with the ashes of the playing cards on the table.

“Xie Hou, you mustn’t disappoint me,” he said with a gentle smile, his gaze passing over the crimson hue on the ground.

His chin rested on the fabric at the top of the backpack, and it seemed like he could faintly smell a faint scent—like cold citrus. It was pleasant, and he sniffed it gently. The white skin on his neck, hidden beneath his black hair, seemed to have a slightly flushed, alluring charm.

Outside the door, Xie Yan’s voice was heard as he left, and then the police arrived to question Xie Hou.

Xie Hou also left.

But after about ten minutes, he came back without any incidents or problems, as if nothing had happened.

When Xie Hou entered, Shen Cizhu was sitting in the chair in this docile and harmless posture, seemingly “asleep.” Shen Cizhu held Xie Hou’s backpack like he was holding a doll.

Xie Hou didn’t try to take his backpack back. He stood in front of Shen Cizhu, casting a shadow over this beautiful person.

“Ge ge has already returned to the Shen family. What about you? Do you still want to come home with me?” Xie Hou said calmly.

Shen Cizhu slowly raised his head. He was sitting while Xie Hou was standing, and he had to look up at Xie Hou, but he didn’t want to.

“Alright, but Xie Hou, did the police just come to interrogate you? Is it fun? Why don’t you have a little more fun?” He lifted his leg, and the tip of his shoe gently touched Xie Hou’s cold white knee under his athletic shorts. He gave it a light nudge, and the stimulated knee might react. If he wasn’t careful, he might even kneel down.

“I haven’t committed a crime,” Xie Hou said with a calm expression. He didn’t move his body but slightly bent forward, with eyes as clear as frost and a faint amber sheen, and he looked at Shen Cizhu. “If I were a murderer, would you still be willing to go home with me?”

Shen Cizhu suddenly burst into laughter. This time, it was not a light and airy laugh but a hearty one, and it shook in the bright lights.

Xie Hou raised his hand, and his fingertip touched the strap of the backpack in Shen Cizhu’s arms.

Shen Cizhu pressed down on Xie Hou’s fingers with his palm. He clung to the backpack as if he were a child with a fetish for an item and wouldn’t let it go.

“I’m willing to go home with you, of course. After all, your brother doesn’t want me anymore, and you’re the only one who still wants me.” Shen Cizhu kicked the scattered twenty million yuan check at his feet using his shoe, sending it rolling toward Xie Hou.

Shen Cizhu held back a smile, stood up, and brought his nose close to Xie Hou’s lips. The two of them were close, in total silence, and Shen Cizhu raised his finger, provocatively poking Xie Hou’s chest.

He spoke with a hint of arrogance, “Twenty million for one night at your place. Satisfied?”

Xie Hou, using Shen Cizhu as an eyewitness to clear his name of the murder suspicion, wanted to tempt Xie Hou with “twenty million,” as if he was saying: “Continue to use me, and I won’t just be angry; I’ll even reward you. Make full use of me and explore everything about me with your feigned care, your hypocritical indifference, your gaze, your lips, your palms, your blood, and entangle me entirely on the same boat.”

Xie Hou.

“Twenty million for one night, is that right?” Xie Hou lowered his cold lashes, taking in every detail of Shen Cizhu’s exotic, snakelike face.

Xie Hou even managed to smile, though it was light and brief, with a distinct hint of irony and coldness. “Then I must make sure I give you your money’s worth.”

“Deal.” Shen Cizhu handed the backpack to Xie Hou, clutching it slightly as if he couldn’t bear to let go.

He had never carried a backpack before; all of these tasks were usually done by his servants. Today was the first time, and he found it quite amusing.

Drunk on alcohol, Shen Cizhu seemed a bit childish.

So when Xie Hou took him to an old urban village in the middle of the capital city on a bicycle, he didn’t realize.

What was this thing called a bicycle? Even though he had sat on the back seat, holding Xie Hou’s waist with both hands, he still felt like he might fall off.

Now that they had arrived in this place, which could barely be called a residential area, Shen Cizhu was even more shocked.

With the wind blowing, he looked directly into Xie Hou’s eyes. Only now did Shen Cizhu start to regain some clarity.

Ah, he’s taken it too far.

Damn it.

Shen Cizhu had never been to such a shabby place before. It was pitch dark with no streetlights, and there were cat sounds from the grass, with unknown water stains on the ground.

He even felt the urge to immediately send the best construction workers to renovate the area.

But Xie Hou, a lone figure, was as pure and handsome as a celestial being.

“Are you still coming?” Xie Hou asked him.

Looking at the puddle-like thing in front of him, he didn’t want to go any further.

Xie Hou parked the bicycle, the backpack hanging loosely over his shoulder, highlighting the muscles beneath his black T-shirt that were hidden by the darkness. His shadow spilled onto the ground and slowly approached Shen Cizhu, like a predator stalking its prey.

Shen Cizhu took a slight step back.

But Xie Hou immediately covered his mouth and carried him on his shoulder. With a single stride of his long legs, he stepped over the puddle.

The profanity that Shen Cizhu didn’t have time to utter was preemptively covered by Xie Hou.

Isn’t this what you wanted?

Xie Hou thought coldly.

You brought this on yourself.