Chapter 167: Bloody Valentine’s Day (Part 2)
District G is located directly to the south of City C,
and it is the fastest-growing urban area in the decades-long history of reform and opening up in City C. What used to be a remote place now features towering skyscrapers,
high-tech enterprises clustering, and the presence of Fortune Global 500 companies.
Every time one crosses the North-South City Avenue into District G, it creates the illusion of arriving in luxurious City S, and even the pace of life and work here is distinctly different from other regions in City C.
The continuous influx of a large number of young, highly educated individuals from all over the country has solidified City C’s position as the leader in economic development in the West, making District G increasingly bright and prosperous, with soaring property prices.
The Jiutian Night Club can be considered the most famous large-scale entertainment venue in the CBD area of District G, occupying the top two floors of the Jiutian Commercial Square, boasting the highest quality in terms of both hardware and software in City C.
A new group of wealthy individuals has emerged in District G, becoming regulars at the Jiutian Night Club.
As the elevator doors opened, what lay before Xiao Ai and Jiang Yao was a world of vibrant colors set against a black backdrop—black marble walls, black glass floors reflecting the night sky through a transparent ceiling and the surrounding neon lights, evoking a dreamy fairyland.
Flamboyantly dressed and sexy women, stylish and suave men, middle-aged sophisticated corporate elites, and pot-bellied tycoons—all of them donned an aura of high nobility in this glamorous world.
“Xiao Yao, follow me…”
Xiao Ai pinched Jiang Yao’s arm, who seemed a bit lost in thought, and walked directly towards the depths of the hall.
Using the excuse of looking for someone, Xiao Ai and Jiang Yao avoided the hall’s service personnel, instead turning into the night club’s bar lounge area, following a lead from their information straight down a corridor.
Half an hour later, the two returned to the hall, their faces full of tension and confusion, heading towards the KTV area.
Outside a large KTV room, a young man with dyed hair leaned against the wall smoking, appearing casual as he was on duty. Beside him, an ordinary-looking young man was pale and anxious, his gaze darting constantly between the dyed-haired young man and the depths of the corridor.
“Today is Valentine’s Day, the best time for business. If you can secure this escort job, I’ll wipe off 50,000 of your debt. Let me think, how much do you still owe… sixty thousand?”
The dyed-haired young man laughed as he patted the ordinary young man on the shoulder, grinning wickedly, “Tsk tsk, your girlfriend is pretty good, able to catch the eye of a real noble. There aren’t many who can offer such a price these days.”
“Brother Liu, didn’t we agree? Just drink and no bed?” The ordinary young man was taken aback, his face slowly turning pale, his voice trembling, “This was what you promised at the start!”
“At that time, it was only 400,000, and now you owe 600,000. Aren’t you a top student? Can’t do the math? If you don’t deal with some high-end clients, how the hell will you pay me back? A few days ago, it was just to help her get used to you.”
The dyed-haired young man snorted disdainfully.
“But you didn’t mention these beforehand! Um, Brother Liu, we’re done here. I’ll find another way for the money. Where is Xiao Ping now?”
The ordinary young man, anxious, reached out to grab the dyed-haired young man’s sleeve. The latter shrugged off his hand and slapped him across the face, his expression turning progressively vicious: “Heh, should have told you. With your gambling skills, you won’t see a payout for a long time. You sold her out from the start, and now you’re pretending to care?”
“Brother Liu, you promised me. Just a few days of drinking, and you’d return the pledged videos and photos to me!”
The ordinary young man covered his face, shaking with tears, his voice hoarse and on the verge of crying.
“Heh, is it you or me who’s the fool? Get lost!”
Under the dyed-haired young man’s cold sarcasm, several thuggish men quickly surrounded them and dragged the ordinary young man towards the exit at the end of the corridor.
A figure flashed by, and several thugs were shoved aside. The corridor erupted in chaos, with one thug crashing into the wall, spitting blood, unconscious, while beautiful decorations were shattered in pieces.
Jiang Yao grasped the ordinary young man lying on the ground, glanced at him, and then slapped him hard: “I know you. Where’s Sister Xiao Ping? Why isn’t she in the bar area?”
“I don’t know! I was set up. I didn’t plan for this…”
This slap hit hard, leaving the ordinary young man’s cheek swollen, his one eye nearly closed, and his entire body trembling like a leaf.
“Xiao Yao, finding her is the priority. We can discuss his matters later.”
Xiao Ai quickly pulled Jiang Yao away, then turned her cold gaze towards the dyed-haired young man, who looked bewildered not far away: “Liu Changkun, I’ve been looking for you for a long time. Let’s talk today.”
The dyed-haired young man paused, his eyes flashing with a wolfish glare.
His expression darkened quickly as Liu Changkun waved his hand to stop the thugs from advancing: “You all get out. I’ll handle this. Don’t come over unless I instruct you.”
Realizing something, the thugs supported their injured companion and disappeared down the corridor.
“This is the Wang family’s turf. You two ladies had better think carefully…”
Before he finished speaking, Changkun felt the light shift in front of him, and suddenly someone had him by the throat, lifting him off the ground, forcefully dragged into an empty private room not far away by Jiang Yao.
“Make a sound and I’ll kill you!”
Without discussing anything else, Jiang Yao dropped his body and stepped on him, making this mere mid-tier servant puke blood, curling into a shrimp-like position on the ground, shivering in fear.
It was at this moment that Liu Changkun finally realized the two pretty girls before him were knights, and the one nearly ending his life was even a peak-tier knight, half a baron!
“Liu Changkun, I know this is the Wang family’s territory, but you’re just a vagrant bloodsucker, a thug under a knight of the Wang family.”
Xiao Ai approached the increasingly panicked Liu Changkun, squatted down, and fixed her gaze on his darting eyes.
“You should know Zhou Ping, right? Where is she now?”
Her tone was icy, her face carrying a hint of murderous intent, completely unlike her usual demeanor.
“Who the hell are you… I’m working for the Wang family. Don’t push it, or when Brother Wang arrives…”
Liu Changkun clutched his chest, wheezing, though fear tinged his features, he remained defiant and even tried to threaten the two unfamiliar yet beautiful girls with mention of the Wang family.
“Heh, Wang family? Scum, try saying it again.”
A chill of barely restrained violence began to permeate the enclosed private room, cruel and ferocious, a murderous intent spreading like a beast unleashed. Jiang Yao’s eyes reddened, her pretty face as cold as ice.
The threat quickly vanished, and Liu Changkun on the ground trembled even more violently, his face pallid as paper.
“Half a baron… no, it’s a baron… Please, ladies, I’m just a middleman…”
Liu Changkun stuttered, struggling to speak, hardly making a sound by the end.
Just two seconds later, cries of agony filled the air as Jiang Yao crushed one of Liu Changkun’s legs, the room echoing with the gut-wrenching screams akin to a slaughtered pig.
Wait, Xiao Yao, he still has his uses!
Xiao Dong quickly signaled with his eyes, prompting Jiang Yao to reluctantly step back. Then he heaved Liu Changkun’s body onto the sofa, speaking in a low tone: “We are all from the Hyacinth, where is she now? Who is she with? If you’re a middleman, who else is involved? Who currently has the videos and photos?”
A cascade of questions left Liu Changkun silent, feeling that once he said anything, he might not see the next day.
Hyacinth? He had never heard of it. In the Huaguo, vagrant bloodsuckers claiming to feast on the Wang family were not uncommon; he knew at least nine hundred out of a thousand… and he was one himself…
…
The elevator at the top-floor nightclub opened once more, revealing a suit-clad young man in his early thirties stepping out.
Manager Wang!
The male and female attendants in the nightclub reception area all respectfully bowed.
In this moment, Wang Sheng stood like a ruler, weaving through those submissive nightclub employees and familiar guests, with only a few polite responses from those on duty, he was basically not looking sideways as he headed straight towards the advanced lounge area of the bar.
As a top knight of the Wang family, Wang Sheng had been conferred to the most lucrative G District of City C. In this vast G District, any knight in their twenties was a significant relative in the numerous branches of the Wang family.
Suddenly, a subtle but undeniable surge of energy burst forth from the depths of the nightclub, then quickly dissipated, leaving Wang Sheng slightly dazed and his pace disrupted.
Half a baron… or a baron? Did a guest from the family come to KTV?
A flurry of questions bombarded Wang Sheng’s mind as he briefly pondered before altering his path, directly turning into the corridor leading to the KTV area.
Before long, he spotted several panicked faces in the KTV’s foyer, glancing around.
Wang Sheng recognized these individuals; they were Liu Changkun’s followers, who he had acquired two years prior. Headed by Liu Changkun, they aided him in navigating the various gray-area conflicts the nightclub faced, scraping by to earn a living on his territory.
As for Liu Changkun secretly undertaking high-end escort services with his current identity, Wang Sheng had no issue with it. After all, in the nightlife business, which establishment doesn’t offer special services for select clients?
At least, his place was among the top tiers! And Liu Changkun was quite resourceful, gifting him at least one hundred thousand monthly.
It was unlikely he would directly join the Wang family, but he was indeed a convenient pawn for Wang Sheng.
In summary, he merely had to keep one eye open and another closed.
“The business today is good, and the chances of bar fights are high. What are you all doing huddled here? Where’s Liu Changkun?”
Wang Sheng approached the group, frowning slightly.
“Uh, Manager Wang, Liu Ge has been cornered in box 107…”
One thug hurriedly explained, gesturing towards a corridor deeper behind him.
Wang Sheng’s expression darkened further, for that direction was precisely where he sensed the strange energy earlier.
The closer he got to box 107, the clearer the weak pheromone fluctuations became—it was evident someone had the audacity to not even hide their presence.
Wang Sheng pushed open the door, and the scene before him left him dumbfounded.
…
Minutes later, the spacious, luxurious KTV room was in disarray, with several areas of the walls exhibiting radiating cracks.
Expensive large screens, sofas, coffee tables, and various decorations were smashed beyond recognition.
If there had been other bloodsuckers nearby, they would have felt an overwhelming wave of pheromones spreading throughout the commercial square, brutal and vicious, exuding an unrestrained murderous intent.
Liu Changkun, undergoing severe torture, was already a bloodied mess; his face, arms, and neck bore singed wounds from silver weapons; he curled up in a corner, gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, the Wang family’s knight was also disheveled and battered. His expensive suit had become tattered rags, with bloodstains on his face and chest, resembling mud as Jiang Yao held a non-silenced handgun to his head.
“You’re too arrogant… I’m a knight of the Wang family… Who the hell are you…”
For a vagrant bloodsucker, the nearly baron-level boiling blood energy made Wang Sheng completely dumbfounded; he had never encountered such a frenzied, uncouth vagrant bloodsucker in G District before.
Like Liu Changkun, he had never heard of the Hyacinth, nor did he ever consider these small vagrant bloodsucker factions worthy of a direct descendant of the Wang family to remember.
Liu Changkun had completely despaired; the time he bought had concluded with this outcome—these so-called Hyacinth individuals dared to beat up the Wang family’s direct descendants brutally.
The two before him—oh, no, the beautiful golden-haired girl, almost wholly ignored the Wang family’s insignia, attacking him without a blink.
“Heh… fine… you have the guts to kill me…”
Not only was his left hand broken, but Wang Sheng had also suffered several broken ribs; his face was pale, blood frothing from his mouth, yet even with those defiant eyes, they still held fierce intensity.
“Xiao Yao, stop!”
In the brief moments of chaos, even Xiao Ai was stunned; she knew Jiang Yao’s nature, but witnessing her cruelty to the extent of heavily wounding a knight of the Wang family was eye-opening.
“Liu Changsheng, we don’t have much patience left! No one will stop you today! I’ll ask you one last time, where is Zhou Yang now?”
Xiao Ai pulled Jiang Yao aside and aimed a final ultimatum at the quaking dyed-haired young man.
“At the Jiutian Hotel in Block B, presidential suite… drugged, with Mr. Tian…”
Liu Changkun was gasping more than breathing, realizing he was hopeless, and decided to drop all pretense.
“Mr. Tian?!”
Wang Sheng, overwhelmed by excruciating pain, finally connected the dots, his eyes widening in shock. He understood why Liu Changkun had adamantly refused to disclose this earlier and had relentlessly dragged him here.
The so-called Mr. Tian wasn’t just one of the well-known wealthy figures in City C; he was a crucial external commercial agent for the Wang family in City C and throughout the entire S Province. In terms of status and importance, he could rival even a baron within the Wang family.
If something happened to Mr. Tian at the Jiutian Commercial Square, Wang Sheng’s position as a knight would come to an end too.
“You bastard, do you want to get me killed?!”
Wang Sheng shut his eyes painfully and stopped resisting.
This Liu Changkun had utterly miscalculated; he mistook this girl, a harbinger of death, as a high-end resource for flesh trade, sending her to Mr. Tian.
As an external commercial agent, Mr. Tian, who had generations of marital ties with the Wang family, had a perverse obsession with manipulating noble women. The Wang family individuals were off-limits to him, so he secretly turned his attention to the vagrant bloodsucker demographic, even to the black bloodsuckers.
A sum of five hundred thousand was the price established by Mr. Tian for such services, naturally requiring intermediaries like Liu Changkun to scour for quality vagrant bloodsucker women. Wang Sheng knew this full well.
With a location pinpointed, the following plans could go smoothly. Xiao Ai dragged Liu Changkun’s leg, and Jiang Yao pulled Wang Sheng’s body, heading directly to the aerial corridor leading to Block B.
The Jiutian Commercial Square resembles a mother-and-child building, connected by an aerial corridor that links the top floor of the Jiutian Night Club in Block A to the Jiutian Hotel in Block B.
Having taken the top two floors of Block A, the Jiutian Night Club naturally became the sole user of this passage, which was typically not open to the public, utilized only in special circumstances for high-end clients’ swift transfer between Blocks A and B.
At the very top of the Jiutian Hotel, in a certain presidential suite.
The spacious, elegantly decorated suite featured a glass wall displaying the dazzling city nightscape, with a plethora of twinkling high-rises.
In the living room, a large sofa shone under dim lights, accompanied by noisy music, where a completely naked overweight man was tearing at Zhou Ping’s already thin and sexy dress, his body engaged in crude, primal movements, his face flushed with lustful drunkenness.
Zhou Ping’s outfit had already become a mere formality in the endless tugging; the corpulent tycoon was wildly assaulting her body.
Unaware of what kind of substance she had been drugged with, Zhou Ping retained basic awareness but had lost most of her physical strength, simply pressing her lips together, her gaze numb and hollow, allowing the man on top of her to take what he wished.
The overweight man himself had presumably also taken some euphoric substance, now fully aroused and ready for action again.
Just as the obese man was about to scream in raw ecstasy, the room’s door was smashed open, revealing two young and stunning women, one dragging a limp body behind her.
“Sister Xiao Ping!”
The scene before Jiang Yao sent her blood pressure soaring; she released Wang Sheng’s body and instantly dashed to the sofa, kicking the obese man off with a single push.
“Damn it, you’re looking for death…”
The overweight man covered his flabby belly, dazed, and just as he began to speak, he caught sight of Wang Sheng’s helpless, battered form sprawled out not far away.
Are the newcomers bloodsuckers…? The fat man shivered, paralyzed with fear, akin to a duck caught by the throat, instantly silenced.
Xiao Ai shut her eyes in pain, lacking time for comforting words, she quickly removed her coat and wrapped it around Zhou Ping’s body.
“Sister Xiao Ai…”
A few seconds later, Zhou Ping finally cried out.
“Alright, it’s over now. We’ll go home together soon…”
Xiao Ai gritted her teeth and cradled Zhou Ping to her chest, gently patting her back.
In the private room, apart from Zhou Ping’s soft sobs, there was a deathly silence; even the obese man had shrunk back, covering himself with a few clothes as best he could.
“What do you want? I’m from the Wang family! I know Uncle San! Wang Sheng, for God’s sake, say something!”
The fat man retreated, shouting at the sprawled out Wang Sheng, but the latter merely turned his head, too afraid to utter a word.
“Xiao Yao! Don’t go too far!”
Witnessing Jiang Yao slowly approach the so-called Mr. Tian, Xiao Ai hurriedly shouted a warning.
“Why keep scum like this alive?!”
Jiang Yao’s face turned grim, delivering two resounding slaps to the overweight man, sending spittle, snot, and teeth flying, leaving his face so swollen his eyes were nearly shut.
Wielding a silver dagger, Jiang Yao leaned close to the obese man’s ear, whispering with a peculiar seductive melody: “Fatty, I’m not taking your life, just your manhood…”
A piercing scream erupted as blood flowed from the overweight man; then Jiang Yao stabbed him several times in the belly, like a slaughtered pig collapsing to the ground, writhing as it wailed.
Today’s events could not end smoothly, yet Wang Sheng felt a surge of crazy satisfaction; he judged that those who had offended the Wang family were basically doomed.
After all, even when beating a dog, one must regard its master’s face.
Xiao Ai was stunned as well; she never expected Xiao Yao to be so ruthless, easily injuring a significant figure of the Wang family.
Though she felt relief, the situation had become complicated, and addressing the problem was not helped at all; nor had they directly targeted the true culprits behind this mess, Liu Changkun and the mysterious black bloodsucker gang behind him.
Zhou Ping had been forced into this predicament without revealing her identity, not only out of concern for the disgrace of exposure but likely also not realizing she had been pushed deeper into the abyss all along.
“Xiao Ping… don’t move, just wait for the effects to fade.”
Suddenly, Zhou Ping in Xiao Ai’s embrace twisted her body, freeing herself from the hug, wrapping her coat around herself, and staggered to the semi-conscious overweight man, leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window.
“Sister Xiao Ping, do you want him dead or alive? Just one word.”
Jiang Yao stepped on the obese man’s body, her expression serious.
“Xiao Yao, thank you…”
Zhou Ping surprisingly revealed a faint smile, looking up at Jiang Yao’s face, filled with the thrill of revenge, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Then Zhou Ping turned to glance around the room and finally locked her gaze on Xiao Ai, her smile turning even more sorrowful: “Sister Xiao Ai, to settle this matter, someone has to die… The mistakes I made must have their consequences.”
“I like the Hyacinth so much, I really like everyone, and I really like Wan Da…”
Suddenly, Zhou Ping’s eyes turned bright red as she forcefully entered her boiling blood state, her blood rising rapidly, every exposed inch of skin turning hot and flushed. The unnamed reaction from the substances she took triggered excruciating bone pain, causing Zhou Ping to tremble violently, blood streaming from her mouth and nose.
The fluctuation of bubbling blood energy, though seemingly insignificant in this private room, seemed to burst open all of Zhou Ping’s physical and mental restraints at this moment, filling every corner of the room with complex emotions—pain, relief, gratitude, and regret.
“Xiao Ping!”
“Sister Xiao Ping!”
Both Xiao Ai and Jiang Yao cried out simultaneously.
The thin layer of glass from the floor-to-ceiling window could not contain Zhou Ping after her full-fledged boiling blood erupted, her half-naked, fantastically beautiful body shattering through the barriers of the world, plummeting from the top floor of the Jiutian Hotel, dozens of stories high…
…
At 9 PM, in the Q District CBD of City C, at the Wanqueli Commercial Square.
“Life Is Beautiful” expresses love, but its artistic connotations do not quite suit Valentine’s Day viewing, even as the reissued version from 2020 releases during the Spring Festival season.
However, for these two characters with rather eccentric personalities, “Life Is Beautiful” held a unique flavor.
The shadow of war still could not conceal a romantic soul. The protagonist bids farewell, using his humorous father and exaggerated steps to gift his son a ticket to a warm new era.
The starkly cruel world of war intertwined with the optimistic, innocent world of childhood, blending until the final moment, leaving uncertainty as to which realm was truly real.
Perhaps due to the nature of an old film, there weren’t many people exiting the screening room once it concluded. Meng Huai held tightly to Jiang Yan’s hand, who had shifted from initial resistance to apathy.
“Meng Huai? Wait a moment, I need to use the restroom.”
Jiang Yan handed her canvas shoulder bag to Meng Huai and walked towards the cinema corridor.
Looking around again, Meng Huai’s previously calm emotions began to flutter with a certain mystique.
Everything before his eyes remained familiar, as if piecing together a photo torn at an unknown time, merging seamlessly with Jiang Yan’s departing silhouette.
Meng Huai’s world once more began to alter like a dream.
The candlelight extinguished, and the surrounding air thickened with smoke, the whispers of souls meandering as cries filled the space as Jiang Yan walked through the surrounding flames and blood.
The figure of the girl in the black dress twisted, fading into haziness, merging into love, and then rapidly converging back into a girl clad in black combat gear…
“Wanqueli… Jiang Yan… hidden arrow… black bloodsucker…”
Head spinning, Meng Huai clutched his head, a low groan escaping his lips.
“Meng Huai? Is your head hurting again?”
He couldn’t tell how long had passed before he felt an unmistakable familiar presence stabilize him, the scent of Jiang Yan flooding his mind, intoxicating and enchanting.
As he opened his eyes, he beheld Jiang Yan standing before him, a hint of concern and a light smile gracing her features, blooming like a flower.
“You’re hungry, right? Let me take you somewhere for a late-night snack.”
Throughout the journey, Jiang Yan had already made up her mind, revisiting a place where they had once shared moments together.
