EIP 23

Yong Jin pressed his palm tightly against Zhou Jun’s head, forcing him to bury his face in his neck as he murmured, “Are you no longer angry?” Yong Jin replied, “You need to quit.”

Zhou Jun understood what he meant and hurriedly nodded in agreement, adding with a hint of grievance, “I told you earlier that I wouldn’t smoke weed anymore, but you ignored me.”

They resembled two children sulking at each other, easily pacified with a piece of candy. Indeed, Yong Jin was somewhat dazed by Zhou Jun’s sweetness. As they continued dancing in the ballroom, the atmosphere felt markedly different from before. Miss Wen, watching Zhou Jun held in someone’s embrace, began to look increasingly puzzled.

She heard her female companions nearby whispering about the two of them, and they mentioned a possibility that made them all burst into laughter. Miss Wen raised her voice to deny it, her flushed lips moving rapidly. “How could that be? Stinson is unusually popular with women. It’s impossible for him to suddenly change his orientation.” Some of her companions had also heard of Zhou Jun’s notorious reputation as a playboy and knew that he was famous for his love of beautiful women.

As a result, the conversation shifted to other topics. Yet despite being the first to deny it, Miss Wen’s heart was extremely unsettled. She had been keeping an eye on them, and those two seemed to be far more than just acquaintances. There was a deeper, more intimate entanglement between them, like a web that enveloped both and kept others out.

Miss Wen recalled Zhou Jun’s furious gaze at Major General Yong when they first entered the dance hall. There was also his request for her to inquire about the identity of the woman, all pointing to a terrible suspicion. The weather wasn’t actually hot; the small fan in her hand was merely an accessory to match her dress. Yet she unfolded the fan and began using it for its true purpose.

The breeze brought waves of coolness that brushed against her face, and Miss Wen was infuriated. Zhou Jun was still dancing with Yong Jin, but after confirming that the major general wasn’t angry, his expression suddenly changed. “I’m very angry,” he said. He stepped back from Yong Jin, speaking without a hint of jest. Yong Jin looked at him impassively, as if trying to figure out what he would say next.

Zhou Jun wanted to criticize everything, but Miss Wen interrupted him. Her delicate face showed some resentment as she asked Yong Jin to allow her to dance with Zhou Jun. Yong Jin was the type of man who remained polite even when being forceful. It would not look good for a man like him to compete with a lady, so he graciously stepped aside.

Zhou Jun found himself with a new partner, but his gaze still followed the man. Miss Wen quietly spoke to him about the identity of that woman, mentioning that she was a key figure in the customs department. She frowned slightly and said, “Clearly, she’s someone from the government. Why is she dressed like that? Anyone who doesn’t know might think she’s…”

Miss Wen didn’t finish the sentence. She naturally looked down on the women of the night, a bias that many had held for centuries, seeing them as dirty and inferior. Interestingly, the trends that high-society women followed were often influenced by these courtesans. They might scorn these women publicly, but they still found them beautiful in private.

Zhou Jun was not concerned with Miss Wen’s thoughts. Instead, he was focused on the meaningful look Yong Jin had given him before leaving. As the music played and he received the information he wanted, Zhou Jun felt a strong urge to leave. But to his surprise, Miss Wen, who usually remained calm, held onto his hand tightly and said hesitantly, “Stinson, you can’t be serious.”

Zhou Jun was taken aback and replied, “What do you mean?” Miss Wen hesitated, asking, “You and General Yong, you’re not in that kind of relationship, right?” Zhou Jun seemed to come to his senses and smiled lightly, saying, “What nonsense. I just have something to ask him and want to get on good terms with him.”

After saying this, he didn’t care whether she believed him or not. He pushed Miss Wen’s hand away and turned to leave. However, as he turned, his expression grew cold. He maintained that icy demeanor until he stepped out of the ballroom. When he spotted the familiar car, he finally put a smile back on his face. He walked over and knocked on the window.

Yong Jin opened the car door for him, but as Zhou Jun was about to get in, his smile faltered. In Yong Jin’s hand was a small knife, one that Zhou Jun usually kept tucked inside his waistband. He wasn’t sure when Yong Jin had taken it.

Zhou Jun leaned against the car door and smoothly slid into the back seat, casually saying, “I didn’t even notice when you took it from me.” He closed the door with a dull thud and immediately pulled out a pack of cigarettes, placing one in his mouth while glancing sideways at the knife in Yong Jin’s hand. The blade glinted coldly, and Yong Jin’s long fingers tapped it lightly, producing a faint humming sound.

Zhou Jun lit his cigarette and explained where the knife had come from. He had just been attacked on the street and lost his gun, and he hadn’t gotten a new one yet. So he had to carry a knife for self-defense. He wasn’t the type of young master who acted recklessly. After being chased and cornered by someone wielding a blade, there was no way he would leave the house unarmed again.

Yong Jin nodded, agreeing with his decision, but didn’t return the knife. Instead, he pulled a gun from his waistband. Zhou Jun’s heart skipped a beat, though he kept smiling. “You’re giving me a gun, Major Yong?” he asked lightly. He knew full well that military weapons were registered and rarely handed out casually. If a gun appeared where it shouldn’t, it would cause endless trouble.

But Yong Jin wasn’t joking. He handed Zhou Jun the gun. “Here, take it for protection.” Zhou Jun accepted it casually and said, “Actually, you didn’t need to give it to me. Aren’t you always sending someone to follow me?” Yong Jin didn’t deny it. “How do you know I have people following you?” Zhou Jun laughed. “Whether it’s day or night, they’re all in uniform. Aren’t they obvious enough?”

Yong Jin agreed. “Alright, I’ll have them change clothes next time.” Zhou Jun frowned. “Can’t you just have them stop following me?” Yong Jin focused his attention on the knife, ignoring the question, which was answer enough. Their relationship remained hard to define, but Yong Jin was already treating him with a kind of natural possessiveness.

By giving Zhou Jun his gun and acknowledging the surveillance, it felt as though Yong Jin would answer any question Zhou Jun asked. Zhou Jun shoved the half-smoked cigarette into Yong Jin’s mouth, the filter still warm from his own lips. The man took it without hesitation, squinting as he inhaled a puff of white smoke, looking effortlessly handsome.

Zhou Jun tucked the gun into the back of his waistband, pulled the knife from Yong Jin’s hand, and tossed it aside without care. For the first time, he moved forward deliberately, straddling Yong Jin and sitting down. “Who is that woman? The one you were dancing with?” he asked. Yong Jin tilted his head back to look at him, then removed the cigarette from his mouth and asked in return, “Do you want to know her?”

Feeling that Zhou Jun was missing the point, Yong Jin gave a slight smile but said nothing. Then he hummed softly. “You don’t need to know her.” Zhou Jun didn’t press further and instead asked quietly what he should do if he ran into trouble now that he had the gun. Yong Jin’s hand slid across his back. “There are other things,” he said.

“What other things?” Zhou Jun asked.

Yong Jin opened his arms. “You can find out for yourself. Figure them all out. And if you miss even one…”

Zhou Jun cut him off. “What’s the reward for finding them all?”

Yong Jin chuckled. “What do you want as a reward?”

Zhou Jun lowered his eyelids, letting his gaze travel slowly over Yong Jin from head to toe. Then, bold and irreverent, he made an outrageous request. “Come to my place and perform a play for me.”

Before Yong Jin could find an excuse to refuse, Zhou Jun added, “You’re friends with the dan performer Mu Liqing. Just have him teach you a few lines and sing for me.”

Yong Jin was silent for a moment before answering. “Okay.”

Before Zhou Jun could feel too proud, he heard him add, “But if you lose, you’ll have to wear a cheongsam for me.”

Zhou Jun casually nodded. “It’s a deal.” As if sealing the promise, he leaned down and kissed Yong Jin on the lips. Their mouths tasted the same, their tongues intertwining. Yong Jin wrapped his arms tightly around Zhou Jun’s waist and pushed him down into the seat.

The deputy discreetly exited the vehicle, leaving behind Young Master Zhou, who was now busy unbuttoning Major General Yong’s clothes to check for hidden weapons, and Major General Yong, who allowed it with indulgent ease.