RTCBM 7

Wen Shang’s visit to Chao Ji Desserts was purely by chance.

This morning, he had just finished a month-long business trip and returned to the country from Boston. The usual highway route from the airport to his home was under maintenance, so the driver had no choice but to take a detour.

As they passed through the area, Wen Shang spotted the sign for the old dessert shop through the car window. Memories from his school days suddenly came flooding back. Back then, he often visited this shop with his classmates.

It had been many years since he last tasted the flavors of those times. On a whim, Wen Shang told the driver to pull over. He got out and went into the shop, ordering a bowl of sweet soup.

The shop owner was a traditional, sentimental man. Even though the world around him had changed over the years, his little dessert shop remained exactly the same. The shop was only about twenty square meters, with everything inside visible at a glance. The old, worn-down decor did nothing to dampen people’s enthusiasm. Business was still booming every day. Some customers who could not find a seat simply carried their bowls of dessert outside to eat on the street.

Wen Shang’s gaze swept casually over the crowd of customers, but then circled back and landed on a boy.

The reason Wen Shang noticed the boy was simple.

Everyone else standing outside the shop was gathered in small groups of twos and threes, but he was alone. Dressed like a clean and vibrant boy-next-door, he stood out with his refreshing look and natural charm. He was good-looking, full of energy, and gave off a warmth that was hard to put into words.

Wen Shang could not help glancing at him a few more times. He was exactly his type.
At the same time, there was a faint sense of familiarity, like he had seen him somewhere before.

Wen Shang searched through his memories, flipping through faces in his mind, but could not find anyone who matched the boy’s aura.

The boy was looking down at his bowl of dessert, smiling quietly to himself. Sometimes, as he smiled, a trace of sadness would flicker across his face. Wen Shang found it hard to look away.

A sudden scream shattered the relaxed atmosphere. Out on the street, a little boy, chasing after his pet, had run into the middle of the road. At the critical moment, the good looking boy rushed forward, scooping both the child and the pet back to safety.

He had done a good deed, but in the chaos, he had accidentally splattered dessert all over Wen Shang’s car. Now, he was being questioned by Wen Shang’s driver.

Wen Shang left his seat and walked toward the scene.

When he got a closer look at the boy’s face, he froze slightly as the image of that flashy nouveau riche thug suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The same person?
It seemed unlikely.

The boy standing in front of him was worlds apart from that vulgar gangster, whether in clothing or temperament. Although the face was similar, at a glance, the boy looked much younger.

In the end, Wen Shang dismissed the idea.
His main reason was simple: the boy’s arms were completely clean, without a single trace of tattoos.

“It’s alright. He didn’t do it on purpose,” Wen Shang turned and said to the driver.
“There was a situation just now. He got the car dirty while saving someone. Don’t make things hard for him.”

Since the boss himself said not to pursue it, the driver could only nod and smile in agreement.

Mu Yuan stood frozen, blinking in disbelief as he stared at Wen Shang.

The bastard finally came back, but something about him is different.

Was this not the same sick pervert who used to be at odds with him? Why was he suddenly acting so polite and considerate today? Has he eaten something wrong? Or had he completely lost his mind?

Mu Yuan was still puzzled over what was happening. It took him a while before he suddenly realized he was wearing a style completely different from his usual look.
Wen Shang’s gaze kept hovering over him, and it felt just like being stripped naked and laid bare under his eyes, making him feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

Mu Yuan deliberately turned his gaze away to avoid looking at him. In Wen Shang’s eyes, this looked like shyness, which only made him even more convinced that the boy in front of him could not possibly be the same vulgar thug he had been at odds with.

“Sorry about that. My driver did not know what happened earlier and made things difficult for you,” Wen Shang said.

Mu Yuan was stunned again. The sick pervert was actually apologizing to him in a nice tone? There could only be one explanation. The bastard had not recognized him at all. With observation skills that poor, he was practically a fool.

Mu Yuan thought about it and could not help but turn his face slightly, shrugging his shoulders and snickering. In Wen Shang’s eyes, this little movement looked even more like a shy and bashful reaction.

A car horn suddenly sounded from across the street. Mu Yuan looked up and saw a black Infiniti QX80 parked by the roadside.
He Dongying had arrived at some point and was now sitting in the driver’s seat, waiting for him.

Getting impatient from waiting, He Donying pressed the horn a few more times, signaling for Mu Yuan to hurry up and get in the car.

“Did something happen just now? Were you arguing with someone?” He Dongying asked on the way back.

“That sick bastard is back.”

“You argued with him over that video again?”

“Argue my ass. The sick bastard’s blind as hell. He could not even recognize me.”
Mu Yuan jabbed He Dongying in the head. “Dongzi, tell me, does my outfit today really look that different from usual?”

“Anyone seeing you like this for the first time would never recognize you. Do you think the difference is big or not?” He Dongying shot back.

“Is it really that exaggerated?”

“Exactly,” He Dongying said as he turned the steering wheel and made a turn. “Do you remember the first time A Zhi saw you dressed like this? You joked with him and said you were Mu Yuan’s twin brother.”

Mu Yuan slapped his thigh hard. “Right, right, and he actually believed it. That cracked me up so bad.”

“People really are such fickle creatures,” Mu Yuan said, shaking his head and sighing.
“The same soul, but a different skin, and they turn around and pretend not to know you.”

He Dongying snorted. “It is not about changing skins. The real problem is your god-awful, vulgar taste. I have been hanging around you for so many years that I feel like even my own sense of style has been dragged down.”

“Tch,” Mu Yuan rolled his eyes at him. “What the hell do you know? What is wrong with wearing gold and silver? It is flashy, it is cool. When you are mixing in the underworld, you need a little face, you know.”

“Oh, so you do remember you are from the underworld. Anyone who does not know better would think you were just a nouveau riche clown,” He Dongying said mockingly.

Mu Yuan was completely unfazed by the teasing. He said earnestly, “A person should live true to themselves. Never be afraid of what others say behind your back. Even if the whole world denies you, you must still stick to your own beliefs without wavering.”

“Cut the crap,” He Dongying muttered, too lazy to waste words arguing with him.

Around lunchtime, Mu Yuan and He Dongying went to a restaurant and had a good meal. Neither of them had anything to do in the afternoon. Since they were already out, they felt they should find something to kill time. But shopping was definitely not something two grown men wanted to do, so they decided to head to the cinema instead.
Mu Yuan, not doing anything halfway, bought tickets for three back-to-back movies, determined to watch to his heart’s content.

—

Wen Shang’s thoughts about the boy ended the moment he got home from the dessert shop. After all, it was just a brief encounter with a stranger. Their paths had crossed for a moment and then drifted apart.

After being away for over a month on his business trip, the first thing Wen Shang did when he got home was go check on his pet giant lizard, Nai Gai.

“Baby… Baby?”

He called out again and again, but there was no sign of Nai Gai anywhere.
Wen Shang searched the entire house from top to bottom, but he could not find even a shadow of it.

Something felt very wrong.

He had raised this giant lizard for seven years. It was two and a half meters long.
With a body that size, no matter how it tried to hide, it was impossible for it to vanish completely. Sensing something was off, Wen Shang immediately called the housekeeper who usually took care of Nai Gai and questioned him.

The housekeeper stammered for a long time before finally confessing that Nai Gai had slipped out of the house the day before Wen Shang returned and had gone missing.

The pet he had poured his heart and soul into raising for seven years had suddenly been lost. Wen Shang was instantly furious.
The anger burning in his chest was uncontrollable. He smashed the wine glass in his hand straight onto the floor, sending shattered ice and glass flying everywhere.
The amber-colored brandy splashed onto the pristine white wall, leaving behind a blossoming stain like a water flower.

“Tell me clearly, how the hell did it go missing!” Wen Shang roared.

The housekeeper trembled in fear and confessed everything at once.

He admitted that it was his own negligence.
Nai Gai had gone out into the courtyard to bask in the sun, just like usual. The front gate had been left open. The housekeeper had been too busy playing games on his phone and had not paid attention. When he finally looked up again, Nai Gai was already gone.

“I am sorry, Young Master Wen, I am really sorry… I… I-I-I went outside afterward and searched everywhere around here, but… but I still could not find it. I really do not know where it went… S-s-sorry…”

The housekeeper knew he had made a huge mistake. He bowed and apologized to Wen Shang over and over, stammering so badly that he could barely form words.

Wen Shang had no patience to listen to his nonsense. He fired the housekeeper on the spot and called in more people to help search for the missing giant lizard.

After pulling the footage from nearby surveillance cameras, Wen Shang quickly locked onto the target. Nai Gai had been taken by two men driving a van.

From the video, he saw that the two pet thieves had been passing by when they spotted Nai Gai. One of the men grabbed a catch pole and looped it around Nai Gai’s neck, dragging the lizard into the van before speeding away.

Cases like this were nothing new to Wen Shang. He had seen plenty of them reported on the news. Thieves would drive around in broad daylight, boldly stealing pets. In order to avoid trouble afterward, animals that were caught with a pole were usually strangled to death immediately inside the vehicle.

Nai Gai had been kidnapped the day before.
More than twenty-four hours had already passed.. A chill crept into Wen Shang’s heart as he realized the chances of survival were slim.

The hiding place of the two pet thieves was quickly uncovered. Without delay, Wen Shang gathered his men and rushed over.
They used the simplest and most brutal method to break down the door and storm inside.

The house was full of tools used for stealing pets. It was obvious they were repeat offenders. In one corner of the room were several cages filled with the cold bodies of dead dogs. Some were strays, while others still had collars around their necks.
But Nai Gai was nowhere to be found.

Wen Shang gave a slight wave of his hand.
The men behind him instantly understood and stepped forward to tie the two pet thieves tightly to chairs.

“You all wait outside,” Wen Shang ordered.

Everyone except Wen Shang and the two thieves immediately left the room.

Wen Shang paced back and forth in the room. After a moment, he bent down and picked up a wooden stick from the floor, one that the pet thieves used to beat dogs. The entire stick was stained with dried, blackened blood.

He swung it hard across one of the men’s faces. A sharp crack rang out. The man screamed in pain, crying out and begging for mercy.

Wen Shang paid no attention. To him, the two men in front of him were nothing more than punching bags. Every punch, every kick, landed with full force, merciless and precise.

In the middle of the beating, he suddenly paused. The suit on his body was getting in the way and he shrugged off both his jacket and his shirt.

Because of his aristocratic background, most people saw Wen Shang as a polished and well-mannered gentleman. But that polished image was nothing more than a mask. Beneath the tailored suit was a beast who devoured without mercy.

The two pet thieves were beaten until their faces were swollen and bloodied.

Only then did Wen Shang finally speak. “Where did the giant lizard go?”

His icy tone made their blood run cold.
Unable to endure any longer, they spilled everything they knew.

Wen Shang picked up his jacket and shirt and walked out of the room. His bare back carried a tattoo of a fierce tiger, its fangs bared and eyes burning with murderous rage, ready to spring.