Zong Yanxi got off and surveyed the surroundings and finally landed her gaze on a building that looked like a house.
“Follow me,” Gu Xian said cautiously. He was not sure who he was dealing with since it was his first time here. Besides, he had to make sure nothing would happen to Zong Yanxi.
Zong Yanxi nodded and followed behind quietly as they made their way towards the house.
Gu Xian took the lead and pressed the doorbell tensely.
In about a few seconds, someone turned the doorknob from the inside and a man with a distinctive scar on his face appeared before them. He puffed his cigarette right into their face and asked, “Who you lookin’ for?”
“We’re here to see your boss,” Gu Xian replied accordingly.
The man scrutinized him from head to toe and shifted his gaze towards the woman behind Gu Xian. “Hmm. I see we have a chick with us.”
Gu Xian took a step to the side and moved right in front of Zong Yanxi, blocking the man’s view. “We’re here to see your boss,” he reiterated.
“D’ya know him? How d’ya find this place?” the man interrogated as he sucked his cigarette.
Gu Xian fixed his eyes on the man, thinking about how he should reply.
I can’t tell him I ran a check on them.
They’ll get suspicious. Things can turn ugly the moment they decide to put up a fight.
But before Gu Xian could come up with a good excuse, Zong Yanxi made her way forward and looked at the man in the eye. “We’re Ling Wei’s friends. She asked us to come over.”
She saw Ling Wei talking to this man the other day, so she figured this group of people ran illegal errands for their clients.
Since Ling Wei had sought their help not just once, but twice, Zong Yanxi was sure this man would remember her name.
As she expected, the man’s hand jerked and he threw off his cigarette. “Ling Wei asked you to come over?”
“Yes. We’re here for business,” Zong Yanxi replied.
The man with a scar finally moved aside and made way for them to enter. “Come on in,” he beckoned, scrunching the cigarette on the ground with his foot.
Gu Xian stepped ahead and went in before Zong Yanxi.
The house was in a mess and random things cluttered the living area that would have otherwise been spacious. On the rugged sofa, a few men sat lazily with their legs akimbo. Some of them were lying around playing with their phones. But none of them seemed to be perturbed by the two strangers who just trespassed their safe haven.
A few packets of unfinished snacks littered the coffee table that stood erected among a mountain of empty beer bottles. This telling disarray alerted Gu Xian and Zong Yanxi that they were in unfriendly company.
The man with the scar sensed their uneasiness and let out a cautionary cough. “Hey, we have guests. Show some manners,” he announced. The lot looked up and adjusted their position tepidly before resuming whatever they were doing.
The man with a scar rolled his eyes and turned towards the two. “I’ll let the boss know you’re here,” he said before vanishing up the stairs.
He made his way back in less than a minute and invited them upstairs.
“Our boss is ready for you. He’s upstairs,” he said.
Gu Xian nodded and whispered at Zong Yanxi, “Stay behind me.”
He made his way upstairs and Zong Yanxi followed behind closely.
To their astonishment, the second floor was immaculate and clean.
Right beside the flight of stairs was a dining area with huge French windows. The whole space was well-lit and a man sat at the far end of the long dining table. He buried his head in his meal although he heard steps coming closer. “I heard Ling Wei asked you to come over?” he asked without lifting his head.
Just as Gu Xian was about to reply, Zong Yanxi tugged his sleeve and shook her head lightly. “Yes and no,” she said loudly.
As she expected, the man finally looked up and put down his cutlery. “What do you mean?”
“She didn’t tell me about you per se. But still, she’s the reason why I found out about you,” Zong Yanxi said firmly.
Instead of waiting for an answer, she continued addressing the man. “In case you’re wondering what I mean, it’s pretty straightforward. She once mentioned you guys and what y’all do for a living.”
The man took up his napkin and wiped his hands as his glare burned through the two guests. Their group ran illicit errands and the man did not like words getting out.
But Zong Yanxi smiled back at him courteously and said, “We’re here to make a deal.”
