Chapter 61

Because of a serious incident that occurred on the 27th, breakfast was delayed by half an hour.

By the time An Xiaohai and the others were led to the cafeteria, the other prisoners had already finished their meals, leaving behind only cold leftovers.

An Xiaohai quickly scanned the guards on duty. Qiu Peng wasn’t around, and it seemed like he had fallen for the trap.

Through Wang Tiejun, An Xiaohai had only seen the duty schedule for the current month. After the recent personnel changes, the guards’ shifts had completely changed compared to before.

However, the pattern of their shifts and rotations hadn’t changed. After observing for some time, An Xiaohai was easily able to deduce the current duty schedule.

Today was Qiu Peng’s third day on duty, and he still had at least two more days before he could rest. As a squad leader, he couldn’t afford to miss his shifts. The fact that he hadn’t appeared for breakfast most likely meant he had taken leave.

An Xiaohai felt in a good mood, not because of Qiu Peng, but because he found it quite rewarding to awaken someone’s soul.

An Xiaohai ate his breakfast gracefully, as if he were in a high-end restaurant rather than a prison.

Not far away, Zhao De kept stealing glances at An Xiaohai. He hadn’t slept well all night, as An Xiaohai had involved him in the plan to deal with Qiu Peng.

In the end, An Xiaohai had only come up with the idea. Zhao De had arranged everything, from finding people to taking action. Upon reflecting on it, Zhao De felt it might not have been worth it.

However, if they could take down Qiu Peng, it might all be worthwhile!

“I hope his plan succeeds… It really is different with educated people, full of scheming!” Zhao De thought to himself, as he finished his breakfast with a sense of mixed emotions. He returned to the dormitory, while An Xiaohai and Guo Xiangshui headed to the workshop.

Today’s work was particularly heavy. A significant number of prefabricated panels needed to be completed by the end of the day.

—

Qiu Peng had gone to the Hongyun Tea House, and not only had he gone, but he arrived very early—by 3 a.m., he was already there.

Since he couldn’t sleep, he thought it would be better to wait there and keep an eye on things!

Qiu Peng’s thinking was this: Xu Tianyou had arranged to meet him there, and surely he was preparing something in advance. If Qiu Peng could catch him first, it might help bring this nightmare to an end sooner.

Qiu Peng had been waiting the entire night and into the morning. By 11 a.m., nothing suspicious had occurred.

The Hongyun Tea House catered to an upscale crowd and charged higher fees, so there were few people entering or exiting. Moreover, who among the high-end clientele would come to a tea house early in the morning?

The pager had been ringing all morning, and Qiu Peng checked the message but ignored it.

It was probably just a fight breaking out in the dormitory, something that happened quite often in the first district—almost daily, in fact.

But this time, it seemed to be more serious. A prisoner’s eye had been stabbed, and they likely wouldn’t survive. The person responsible for the attack would definitely face additional charges.

None of this mattered to Qiu Peng, though. His priority was still dealing with the threat posed by Xu Tianyou.

After checking the time again, it was 11:10. Qiu Peng took a deep breath and walked out of his hiding place, heading toward the tea house. He understood that many things couldn’t be avoided, and it was better to face them head-on.

The tea house was very quiet, and the receptionist, a young woman, was elegant and calm.

“Sir, may I ask for your membership card? Do you have a reservation?” she asked politely.

“I’m not a member, and I didn’t make a reservation,” Qiu Peng replied, shaking his head. “Someone invited me here to meet them.”

“And who might that be?” she inquired.

“Xu,” he replied.

“Xu… Ah! You must be Captain Qiu, right?” she exclaimed.

Qiu Peng nodded.

“Oh, Captain Qiu! How rude of me! There is indeed a reservation under your name, and you’re a VIP! Miss Feng has been waiting for you eagerly, she thought you wouldn’t show up!” she continued. “Please have a seat. I’ll go get Miss Feng for you.”

The receptionist hurriedly guided Qiu Peng to a seat, and as she spoke, her demeanor changed entirely. The calm, composed tone from before was replaced with a flirtatious, coy manner.

Qiu Peng furrowed his brow. This sudden change in tone caught him off guard.

“Captain Qiu! You finally came! I thought you weren’t going to show up!” Feng Jie’s voice reached him before she appeared.

Feng Jie entered with a sway in her hips, making a lasting impression on Qiu Peng. She was around 30 years old, with a heart-shaped face, large eyes, and a qipao that highlighted her full figure.

The high slits on her qipao revealed glimpses of her shapely legs and black lace stockings, a sight that could easily lead one’s mind astray.

“Captain Qiu, this isn’t a place for conversation. The room is ready. Please follow me,” Feng Jie said with a seductive smile, then turned and led the way upstairs.

The look she gave him as she left was hypnotic.

Even though he was in a dangerous situation, Qiu Peng couldn’t help but react.

Feng Jie may not have been young, but every aspect of her appealed to him, and there was something uniquely alluring about mature women.

Qiu Peng exhaled, following Feng Jie up the stairs. At that moment, his mindset began to shift.

Maybe Xu Tianyou really did want to thank him? Maybe he had a request?

Qiu Peng felt a faint anticipation.

Feng Jie’s footsteps never quickened, but she kept a steady pace, always maintaining a certain distance from Qiu Peng, occasionally glancing back to subtly guide him.

Her mannerisms made Qiu Peng even more restless. It seemed like the situation was taking an unexpected turn!

The VIP room at the Hongyun Tea House was large and exquisitely decorated with traditional Chinese furnishings. In addition to two private bathrooms, there was even a bedroom. The decor in the bedroom was the complete opposite of the antique style in the tea room, giving off an air of intimacy and subtle suggestion.

“Rich people really know how to enjoy life!” Qiu Peng thought, amazed.

The tea room had already been arranged, with festive red decorations and a large birthday cake placed on the table, accompanied by a delicate gift box.

“Captain Qiu, please make yourself comfortable. I’ll go prepare the tea!” Feng Jie said, patting Qiu Peng’s shoulder gently after he sat down. Her subtle fragrance made Qiu Peng feel slightly dizzy.

It seemed that things might not be what he expected. Xu Tianyou’s arrangements might not be intended to trouble him.

Qiu Peng knew that Feng Jie’s offer to prepare the tea was just an excuse. The real purpose was to give him space to receive a gift.

Qiu Peng had experienced this sort of thing many times before, but this time the scale was much grander.

Feng Jie left the room and closed the door behind her. Qiu Peng quickly opened the small gift box, almost impatiently. Inside, he found a small stack of money.

Though it wasn’t a large sum, Qiu Peng’s heart skipped a beat. It was in Hong Kong dollars, with 20 notes of 1,000 each—20,000 in total!

A small note was tucked beneath the money, with the following message written on it:

“To express my gratitude, everything in the room today is yours, including the people. You may do as you wish. From now on, we are even. Farewell.”

Qiu Peng’s mind was in turmoil, but the internal struggle didn’t last long. He quickly folded the money and stuffed it into his bag.

There was no need to think about it. Xu Tianyou already had leverage over him. If he wanted to blackmail Qiu Peng, he wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble.

From the details, it was clear that Xu Tianyou wasn’t trying to harm him. The note didn’t even mention anyone’s name.

This showed genuine intent!

Qiu Peng’s heart raced. While this wasn’t the first time he had received a gift, it was certainly the largest sum.

Drug traffickers were indeed generous with their money.

Though Qiu Peng hadn’t entirely let his guard down, his anxiety had subsided significantly. As long as Xu Tianyou didn’t immediately threaten him or force him into doing something, Qiu Peng wasn’t as afraid anymore.

As long as he had some time to think, Qiu Peng believed he could handle the situation.

“Hmph! Don’t think that two million dollars and a woman can buy me! I’ll never be at peace until I deal with you properly!” Qiu Peng thought bitterly.

“Captain Qiu, are you ready? I’m coming in now!” came Feng Jie’s voice from outside, timed perfectly.

Everything in this room belongs to me! Qiu Peng’s heart heated up at the thought.