"In his office bedroom, changing." Gou Feng answered, not wanting to delay the task. He immediately bid farewell, and the two young cousins behind him followed suit.
Cheung Qi stepped aside and watched them depart before returning to his elder cousin's office.
Continuing their way, the three young men in black entered the elevator exclusively for VIPs, aiming to avoid any inconvenience from other people.
Gou Feng pressed the black button, and the elevator swiftly flowed to the underground parking lot.
Upon arrival, Hua Zhen handed over the corpse to him, who effortlessly carried it and placed it securely in the trunk of his car, then instructed,
"Same formation,"
The young cousin then went to their separate luxurious cars and drove away, while he remained in the parking lot for fifteen minutes for some unknown reason before finally entering his white XF car and driving off to an undisclosed location.
One hour passed, and finally, he crossed the stone bridge, which led to an isolated path when suddenly his phone vibrated.
He shifted the car into neutral and checked his phone, quickly tapping on the WeChat option, only to see a message from his two best friends:
"So, what about the 'Ge' thing?" Shen Jiu.
"What is your relationship with our Lord? Please don't tell us you're his hidden brother." Hua Zhen.
Gou Feng couldn't help but chuckle as if he could hear them pester him through the phone. He set his phone aside and refocused on driving, ignoring his friends' further nonsense. Seconds later, his phone chimed again, displaying a new message:
"Hey, a-Feng, you there? Don't leave us hanging here." Shen Jiu.
"Idiot, check your radar—he's nearly at the dump. Let's all meet after our shift," Huan Zhen replied, and finally, Gou Feng's phone found peace.
Meanwhile, Hei Bao, already dressed in his usual plain black suit, approached his watch collection. His fingers grazed the familiar textures of the timepieces. A sudden knock echoed through the room. His eyes glanced at the door and dismissed it, attention fully fixed on fastening the black leather watch he had carefully chosen for the day.
The second knock came sharper, more impatient, but he still didn't rush, determined to maintain his composure.
With the final adjustments made, the pack leader finally turned toward the door, his expression calm, though a flicker of irritation crossed his features.
When he opened it, surprise flickered in his eyes as he found his cousin, Cheung Qi, standing there.
"Why are you still here? The sun has already risen," Hei Bao asked, confused. But his cousin only stared at him blankly, making his patience thin.
Without another word, he brushed past Cheung Qi, leaving behind the unanswered questions.
He walked into his office and sat in his dark swivel chair again. His cousin, who followed him, now stood before his desk, looking at him with the same expression.
"You," Cheung Qi began, his voice strained as he sighed heavily before continuing.
"You know her, right?" he asked, his eyes locked onto his elder cousin, searching for a reaction. His usually calm expression was now tinged with something darker, perhaps anxiety or doubt.
Hei Bao, arranging the pile of papers on his desk, looked up slowly and met his gaze.
"Who?" he asked, though he knew precisely whom his cousin was referring to. His face was a mask of innocence, but beneath it lay a flicker of something else, something guarded, almost calculating.
Cheung Qi's eyes narrowed, his frustration bubbling to the surface.
He stared at the pack leader, silently pleading for him to drop the act and take the topic seriously. But the silence stretched on, and with each passing second, he became impatient.
"Can you please be serious and stop with the nonsense?" his voice rose, a tremor of irritation slipping through him.
"I'm dead serious here. Like bro, what the?" he added, his voice cracking as he half-shouted, teeth clenched.
He tried hard to hold back the torrent of emotions threatening to overwhelm him, reminding himself to keep a controlled attitude and tone because the person in front of him was not only his cousin and best friend but also their pack leader.
Looking at his helpless and desperate expression, Hei Bao finally pays attention to him. With a heavy sigh, he leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and fixed the other with a cold, brooding stare. A dark aura seemed to radiate from him.
"So?" He started his voice low and detached, his face devoid of emotion.
"I killed her, so what?"
"What do you mean so what?" Cheung Qi replied, his hands grips into tight fists.
"Do you think the vampire clan will just let you go after what you did?" he retorted, his voice trembling with fear and anger.
"I dare them to!" Hei Bao snapped, his voice dripping with defiance.
"Why are you so worked up about this?" His voice softened, but only slightly.
"If I hadn't killed her, she would have." Hei Bao sucked in a sharp breath, his chest rising as anger bubbled beneath the surface.
"Would you rather see me under that witch's control? Is that it?" He asked, his voice rising with raw frustration, teeth grinding together. His face tightened with displeasure as he fought to suppress the storm of emotions raging inside him.
"I'M ASKING IF YOU KNOW HER!" Cheung Qi snapped, his patience finally breaking.
He hadn't meant to lose his temper. His emotions were only tight wound, with worry and simmering anxiety.
Cheung Qi always kept everything internally under control, but if the concerns were related to his family members or the well-being of their people, he tended to lose his composure and become a completely different person.
Twenty-four years had passed since the misunderstandings and war with the opposing race ended. They couldn't afford to stir up those old, unforgivable events again.
They had already lost so much; Cheung Qi, in particular, had lost something irreplaceable. But more than anything, he couldn't bear the thought of losing his second elder cousin.
Hei Bao was the only person he trusted, and the sheer idea of losing him filled him with an overwhelming, paralyzing fear.
"Look, I've allowed you to do whatever you wanted because I knew it was the only way you could cope with the centuries of pain you've been carrying," Cheung Qi said, his voice strained with irritation.
"But enough is enough; you've crossed the line this time,"
"No," he continued, his tone trembling with a deep, raw anger,
"you've gone so far beyond that I'm starting to wonder if you're still that second elder cousin of mine. You're near, yet your presence is too distant. It's as if the real you is drifting away. I'm struggling to recognize you." His voice cracked with emotion.
"Do you think that once you find LianHua again, he will be pleased with what you've done over all these years? Have you ever thought about that a-bao?"
Hearing him raise his voice for the first time and mention the name of his deceased husband, Hei Bao's inner wolf, emitted a powerful warning pheromone.
The intensity of the emotion struck Cheung Qi, making him realize the gravity of his words and causing him to sober up instantly.
"I... I'm sorry," he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. His head dropped, and his eyes were fixed on the floor, overwhelmed by guilt.
The pack leader closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled sharply, reminding himself that the person standing before him was his younger cousin.
"How could I not know her?" Hei Bao began, speaking at a measured pace as he tried to contain his displeasure at his cousin's outburst.
"She is the only favored mistress of that loathsome vampire leader. How could I not know her?" he explain.
"So, you knew. You knew, and yet you..." Cheung Qi's fear surged again, but this time, he tried hard to control his emotions and not carelessly lash out.
"A-Bao, are you trying to start a war with that vampire clan?" he contemplates.
"The world has enjoyed peace since the agreement between the vampires and wolves a century ago. By acting recklessly, you're risking everything we've fought to protect. Do you even grasp the potential consequences?"
He paused, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he searched his elder cousin's face for any sign of understanding but found no such thing.
"A-Bao, you're endangering our people and dragging us all into nightmarish chaos. Have you considered what would happen to that brat Gou Feng if a war broke out? Do you not care anymore? Is it because you've already given up on finding your mate?" he said last, but all he got as a reply was a laugh, his second elder cousin laughing while still comfortably seated in the chair.
"You should see your face," Hei Bao said, his expression unserious, which only inflamed the other further.
"You've truly gone mad. Do you find this situation funny?" Cheung Qi backfired, causing him to turn serious.
Hei Bao stood up, strode over, and faced him, saying,
"I do find it amusing. You still haven't improved. My precious little cousin, still recklessly putting yourself at risk without caution." He smiled.
"You know, A-Qi, I'd prefer it if you didn't put words in my mouth next time. Do you hear me?"
A strong surge of dominant pheromones suddenly enveloped the room, and Cheung Qi harshly fell to the floor, kneeling while gasping for breath.
"A-Qi, do you understand?" Hei Bao demanded, his voice dripping with impatience and a menacing authority that radiated danger.
Cheung Qi, still struggling for breath, nodded quickly, prompting a satisfied smile from him.
"Very good. Now, listen carefully,"
The pack leader slowly calmed his pheromones and bent down to caress his younger cousin's back, easing the pain from the dominant pheromones he had released moments before.
"The reason I killed that woman was because she was a spy sent by that stinky bastard, Rong Qiqiang."