"What problem could there be? Mr. Qian never hesitates when he is buying," the fat man said lazily. His voice was thick and unhurried as he shifted his weight on the plush cushions of the sofa. "I can keep you company, sure, but could you hand over the goods first?" Fei Zhuzai stared at the medicinal items arranged on the table with visible greed.
Was she overthinking it? She had suspected these people wanted to kidnap Su Mali. In her previous life, she had heard plenty about Su Mali's drama magnet aura. Wherever she went, it turned into a soap opera. The air always seemed to thicken with impending conflict.
"We'll give them to you after the petroleum is in hand," Jing Shu said. Her voice was firm and level in the quiet room. It's better to be safe than sorry. She had not seen Mr. Qian personally yet. To be doubly sure, she decided to call his driver. Her fingers were already reaching for the device in her pocket. There had been reasons not to call before, but now it's wiser to confirm.
Su Mali blinked her large eyes. "Jing Shu, you're sharp and cautious. My father says that's exactly how we should be. Never trust easily." She gave a thumbs up. Her painted nails caught the dim light of the basement.
Fei Zhuzai flopped back on the velvet sofa. His heavy body sank into the material while he jiggled one leg and played on his phone. The screen's pale light reflected off his greasy skin.
Just as Jing Shu pulled out her phone to contact Mr. Qian's driver, Su Mali's phone rang with a sharp, electronic trill that cut through the silence. Fei Zhuzai's foot stopped jiggling instantly.
"Miss, it's me," came Uncle Gou's voice. It sounded slightly distorted through the speaker's crackle. "I've verified the gasoline. I'm hauling it back right now. Please wait a bit for me."
"Okay," Su Mali said. She hung up with a long, visible sigh of relief. The tension in the room's atmosphere seemed to lift at once. Even the two bodyguards behind her let out quiet, synchronized breaths. Their shoulders dropped slightly from their tense positions.
"Well then?" Fei Zhuzai spread his fleshy hands wide. "You can trust the way I do business. Now you can hand the goods over." With Su Mali's slight nod, he shouted toward the door. His voice echoed in the small space. "You lot, get in here and move the goods. You expect the bosses to haul it for you?"
The center parted young man rushed in and carted everything away. The sound of the wheels rattled across the floor tiles. Jing Shu took out her phone and dialed Qian Duoduo's driver. For all the times she had traded with Qian Duoduo, she still did not have his personal number. Every time it's either through Niu Mou or through the driver. That said plenty about her status. That is why she had avoided bothering them unless necessary.
Beep, beep, beep.
No signal.
Jing Shu frowned and checked the display again. Still no signal. The bars on the screen had been replaced by a small red circle.
"Do you have service?" she asked Su Mali. This woman had just taken a call. The way the fat man had suddenly sped things up screamed trickery. Jing Shu snatched Su Mali's phone and looked at the screen. The signal is gone.
There's no mistake. Two minutes ago the signal bars were full. Vanishing all at once meant it is being jammed.
A flurry of possibilities flashed through Jing Shu's mind. In her previous life, she had died because of a sudden ambush. She had replayed scenarios like this in her head thousands of times, planning countermeasures for when it would happen again.
So before anyone could react, she lunged and seized Fei Zhuzai as he was about to slip out. She used brute force to pin his arms behind him. The others bolted for the exit and slammed the door hard behind them. Jing Shu kicked it and felt her foot strike solid metal beneath the surface. The heavy thud echoed through the floorboards, but the door did not budge.
The door looked like a cushioned leather panel from a KTV lounge, but there's iron inside. No wonder that young man had personally opened and shut it earlier with such deliberate, heavy care.
Su Mali may not have understood yet, but the two bodyguards had. The moment Jing Shu had voiced her suspicion, they had been on edge. Now that trouble is likely, they snapped their rifles up with a metallic rattle and shielded Su Mali.
"Still trying to run?" Jing Shu tightened her grip on his collar. "With those shifty eyes, you don't look like a good person. Speak. Why did you jam the signal?"
"Let me go, you crazy woman," Fei Zhuzai howled. His voice rose in pitch as he struggled. "Our reception is spotty here. Let me go and we can talk. You've got guns. You're scaring my boys. Let me open the door and you can leave if you want, all right?"
"Tell that to fools. We had full bars a minute ago, then nothing. After the apocalypse, the carriers merged. The network is better than ever," Jing Shu said coldly. Her eyes were narrowed at his sweating face.
"Jing Shu, maybe let him talk first," Su Mali said. Her voice sounded small and confused. "Uncle Gou clearly said the petroleum is here. They wouldn't pull a stunt like this, would they?"
"Your Uncle Gou is not normal either," Jing Shu said. Her brow was knit with concentration. "The more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems. What if he has turned and has taken a payoff?" She had trusted him as Su Mali's man from the start. That is why she had overlooked several details. Betrayal from the inside is the scariest kind.
Fei Zhuzai panted. His breath came in short, ragged huffs as he was unable to break free from her hold. He gritted his teeth and strained against her, but Jing Shu's grip is like an iron clamp. He could not believe a woman could be this strong.
"Impossible," Su Mali shot back. Her jaw set in defense. "Uncle Gou has retired and has followed me for nine years. He's family to us. Money can't sway him. He's no relatives to threaten either. Besides, my father had promised to fulfill his old wish once he completes ten years. The date is almost here. He's about to get what he wants. The cost of betrayal is too high."
She denied it outright. A bodyguard might defect, but a personal steward like Uncle Gou would not.
Was she just being too paranoid?
Jing Shu slowly loosened her hold on Fei Zhuzai. If Uncle Gou truly is clean, then the petroleum had arrived. The signal is definitely being jammed, though. So were they luring Uncle Gou away on purpose? But to what end? If he had returned and had found his Miss kidnapped, he would come back with reinforcements. These people would still die for it.
If they simply wanted to kill, they would have had countless chances. Murder is not the goal. They are after something else.
"Be honest," Jing Shu said. Her eyes scanned the dark corners of the room. "Don't try opening the door alone and bolting." She drew a pistol from the small of her back and pressed the cold barrel to the back of his head. "Open the door. If I've wronged you, I'll compensate you with two blood mushrooms."
She gestured silently with her chin for the others to close in toward the exit. Once the door opened, there might be a row of AKs waiting. She also considered slipping into a bulletproof vest. She had a bone to pick with those vests. They had stopped bullets, but getting hit still would hurt like hell.
"I would not dare pull tricks," Fei Zhuzai grumbled as he walked toward the door. The sound of his slippers scuffed against the dusty tile. "You people are jumpy. For such a small batch, you think a big boss like me is to get his own hands dirty?"
As Jing Shu held the gun steady at the back of his head, she thought: If he still manages to:
Biu.
Fei Zhuzai vanished in a split second.
It happened so fast no one would react. The space where he had stood is suddenly empty.