Chapter 51: The Oriole

Meanwhile, Xiao Hua had been nudged over to sit beside Brother Hai. The moment he sat down, someone handed him a drink.

It was a wide-rimmed crystal glass filled to the brim with whiskey.

Xiao Hua did not dare to take it.

Someone nearby warned him, "Take it quickly, or if you anger Brother Hai, the two of you brothers might not be able to walk out of here in one piece today!"

Xiao Hua’s already pale complexion turned completely white in an instant.

He then hesitantly reached out and gripped the glass.

The moment he took hold of it, the person who had just whispered the warning burst into laughter, egging him on to offer a toast to Brother Hai!

Xiao Hua glanced at the gently sloshing amber liquid in the glass, then raised his gaze to look at Zhong Yuan, who was being dragged toward the door. His eyes were filled with fear and struggle!

At that moment, Brother Hai spoke up, "Alright, cut the noise! If you scare the poor boy, will you be the ones to comfort him?"

At these words, everyone nearby chuckled.

Brother Hai reached out, took the glass from Xiao Hua's hand, and let his fingers lightly brush across the back of Xiao Hua's hand. The sensation was utterly revolting. Xiao Hua couldn't help but shiver all over, lowering his eyes to avoid meeting Brother Hai's gaze.

After all, he wasn't actually gay! If they locked eyes, what would happen if his act fell apart?

"Don't you drink?" Brother Hai asked abruptly.

Xiao Hua hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's not that I don't drink at all... it's just that I've only ever had beer!"

No sooner had those words left his mouth than someone else chimed in, "What's so good about beer? This whiskey—"

Brother Hai cast a glance in that person's direction, and the man instantly fell silent. Brother Hai smiled faintly and said to Xiao Hua, "Then we'll have beer!" With that, he instructed someone to go fetch some beer.

By this time, Zhong Yuan had already been led out the door.

Once outside, the man attempted to drag him toward the elevator lobby.

Zhong Yuan came to a halt.

When the man pulled on him and failed to move him, the expression on his face immediately turned cold.

"Mister, what are you..." the man asked in a deep voice.

Zhong Yuan forced a sheepish smile and said, "I'll just find a spot to sit right here on the third floor. My younger brother is still young and has been spoiled rotten by our family; his temper isn't great and he speaks without thinking. I'm just afraid he'll displease Brother Hai!" As he spoke, he fished a stack of cash out of his pocket and stuffed it directly into the man's trouser pocket. "Don't worry, I won't go in. I'm just uneasy, and I hope you can be accommodating, little brother!"

The stack of cash Zhong Yuan slipped over was quite thick. After pressing down on it, the man's expression softened somewhat. He stared at Zhong Yuan for another two seconds before saying, "I can agree to this, but you must promise me that without my permission, you will not enter the private room."

Zhong Yuan hurriedly nodded.

Seeing how tactful he was, a hint of a smile crept back onto the man's face. "I'm doing this for your own good. Brother Hai is quite pleased with your little brother. If you go in there and ruin his mood, you're bound to take a beating! But you don't need to worry; Brother Hai has always been patient with his bed partners. As long as your little brother isn't too stubborn, nothing bad will happen!"

A flicker of awkwardness crossed Zhong Yuan's face, and he lowered his eyes, acknowledging the remark awkwardly.

However, the man didn't find this reaction unusual. He turned around and found a corner seat for him, telling him to wait there.

Once Zhong Yuan was settled, the man—seeing how compliant he was—glanced at him a couple of times before calling over a young man in work clothes to keep an eye on him, then headed back into the private room.

Zhong Yuan watched that door open and close, and then lowered his head to pull out his phone.

However, no sooner had he finished sending a text message to Zhong Da than the person assigned to watch him marched over, demanding coldly, "What were you just doing with your phone?"

Zhong Yuan startled slightly before answering, "Sending a text to my family to let them know we might be returning quite late tonight, so they don't wait up!" Seeing that the man looked unconvinced, he held out the phone and offered, "Would you like to check it?"

The man stared at him for two seconds and said, "Open the text message and let me see!"

Zhong Yuan opened the messages, but when the other man looked, he frowned.

Zhong Yuan had written in Chinese, and since the man was from Southern Thailand, he naturally couldn't read it.

Yet, perhaps because Zhong Yuan appeared too calm, the man looked up at him again and dropped the matter without further trouble.

After putting his phone away, Zhong Yuan asked the man, "I need to use the restroom. Would you mind accompanying me?"

A trace of annoyance crossed the man's face. He pointed toward the direction of the restrooms and said, "The washroom is right over there, go by yourself. Be quick and don't try any tricks!"

Zhong Yuan nodded. "Alright, I'm just going to relieve myself and I'll be right back!" With that, he made to move. Suddenly, the man reached out, grabbed his arm, and frowned. "Give me your phone. I'll return it to you when you get back!"

Zhong Yuan paused for a moment, but rather than refusing, he readily handed over the phone.

Taking the device, the man gave his chin a slight tilt, signaling that Zhong Yuan could go to the restroom now.

Zhong Yuan turned and walked away.

The restroom was virtually empty. The private rooms on the third floor all had their own en-suite bathrooms, so ordinary guests rarely came outside to use the public facilities. Zhong Yuan went inside, stayed for a short while, and then came back out.

Seeing him return, the man breathed a slight sigh of relief, handed the phone back to him, and walked away.

Time slowly passed, and the door to that private room remained tightly shut.

A few more people entered and exited the main restroom area.

Nearly twenty minutes later, thick smoke suddenly drifted out from the direction of the restrooms.

At first, no one paid attention, until the heavy smoke began to fill the quiet corridor.

The staff grew panicked, scrambling everywhere to find the source of the fire. The man assigned to watch Zhong Yuan could no longer spare any attention for him.

At that moment, the fire alarm began to ring.

In an instant, the doors to several private rooms opened almost simultaneously, and numerous people surged out.

The door to Brother Hai's room opened as well, though only two people stepped out to investigate the situation. As soon as they emerged, they caught the scent of burning and the smoke drifting down the hallway. Their expressions shifted drastically, and they immediately turned back into the room.

Soon, the dozen or so people inside the private room all emerged.

Brother Hai was escorted in the middle of the group, with Xiao Hua being dragged by the arm right behind him.

As they came out, Xiao Hua glanced around and quickly spotted Zhong Yuan in the corner.

Zhong Yuan gave him a subtle nod.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Hua withdrew his gaze.

At that moment, no one remembered Zhong Yuan.

No sooner had the group stepped into the elevator than Zhong Yuan descended via the fire escape.

Downstairs, Zhong Da was sitting inside the car, munching on potato chips while squinting at the KTV entrance.

Before long, he saw a crowd streaming out from inside. His eyes instantly locked onto Xiao Hua. When Xiao Hua's gaze swept across the car, it paused for a fraction of a second before looking away.

Shortly after, Xiao Hua was shoved into a white van parked not far ahead. Before he went inside, a middle-aged man climbed in as well.

The van started moving almost immediately.

At that moment, the rear door of their car suddenly opened, and Zhong Yuan slid into the back seat.

"Don't rush to follow, wait a moment." Zhong Yuan's voice came from the rear, halting Zhong Da's hand as it was about to shift gears.

Not far away, the van slowly merged into traffic, driving off into the distance along with the flow of vehicles. Just as it was about to disappear, Zhong Yuan tapped the seat to signal Zhong Da that it was time to follow, pulled out his phone, and dialed Xiao Hua's number.