Pondering about Fourth Master Quan's upbringing, she felt the urge to pee after not seeing the two men for a while.
She tilted her head, looking amicably towards Iron Hand.
"Hey, Brother Shou, where's the bathroom?"
"Turn left, go straight!"
Thanking Iron Hand, she walked out of the grand living room, stepping on the expensive carpets of the nouveau riche, feeling somewhat floaty.
Suddenly, her eyes brightened. A room with a slightly ajar door caught her attention. Through the tiny gap, she could see the wallpaper decorated with children's cartoons, its cool hues creating a strong visual conflict with the dark theme of the entire apartment.
She had no intention of prying into others' privacy, yet her interest in unraveling Emperor Quan was intense.
Without much thought, her steps were already inching closer to that room.
Unexpectedly—
The moment her hand touched the doorknob, her collar was suddenly yanked fiercely from behind, and she stumbled and fell to the ground. At the same time, an angry male voice thundered above her head.
"Get out!"
"Are you freaking sick?"
Sitting down hard on the 'divine luxury' Persian carpet, Zhan Se wasn't hurt physically, but it ignited the fire in her heart, spleen, lungs, liver, and kidneys.
"Haven't you been taught not to just walk into someone else's bedroom?"
The man's already sharp black eyes were filled with animosity under his fury, looking as sharp as the edge of a knife blade.
Bedroom?!
Her heart tightened at that word, and Zhan Se's anger abated somewhat. Her actions had indeed been impolite in someone else's home.
Exhaling a clouded breath, she quickly calmed herself down. Thinking about the incongruent children's comic on the wallpaper, and then regarding the door that the man swiftly closed, she intuited that inside were things Emperor Quan didn't want to be seen or touched. Moreover, those things could very well be the key to unlocking the tangled events of late.
With that thought, she decided to set her anger aside and use her professional spirit to 'rescue' him.
"Lord Quan the Fourth, in the course of our growth, we all may suffer some unpredictable blows. Those negative emotions become unmovable psychological wounds, sealed away by ourselves and subtly influencing us. However, how can wounds heal if they are not brought out and exposed to the light?"
Her professional analysis was met with a cold smile from the man.
"Well said!"
After uttering those few chilling words, he looked at her from his higher position for a few seconds, then suddenly crouched down and lifted her chin with his hand.
"But you are the least qualified to say that, understand?"
Unqualified, what's meant by that?
It's often said that love and hate never come without reason in this world. Could it be that she had once desecrated the grave of the old Quan family?
After searching through her memories carefully, Zhan Se assured herself that before that night at the KTV, she had never seen him before. With that, her bit of professional ethics-inspired guidance vanished. Besides, if Lord Quan the Fourth had a temper, who said she didn't have one too?
Pursing her lips, she let out a cold laugh, quickly got up, snatched the 18-bead soft jade strand from her wrist, and 'swoosh', flung it at his face.
"Brain disorder, persistently abnormal will. Surname Quan, you're beyond saving, better draft your will early."
After finishing her abrupt words, she no longer glanced at the madman radiating cold murderous intent. Lifting her legs, she walked away—
Furrowing his brows cold and sharp as a blade, Lord Quan the Fourth was again furious, "Come back here!"
Huffing coldly through her nose, Zhan Se didn't look back, "Get lost!"
Shouting in a raised voice, she felt truly relieved!
His Adam's apple bobbing, Lord Quan the Fourth's austere face nearly turned to ice. Just as her figure disappeared down the corridor in a second, a heavy punch suddenly landed on the wall. Then, his forehead bowed down against the wall, and his tall, handsome figure remained motionless.
For a long while—
When he returned to the living room, his face was almost expressionless, except for a hint of gloom.
Nonchalantly sitting down on the sofa, his sharp gaze turned to Iron Hand, "Why let her run around like that?"
Iron Hand had, of course, heard their argument, "Fourth Master, she needed the bathroom, and I couldn't stop her."
"How did you tell her?"
"Left turn, straight ahead,"
"Damn it, a woman who can't tell left from right. She must've been too dumb and died to have such a reincarnation."
The man's curse was said in a tone that was neither cold nor hot, extremely intriguing. Sarcasm? A complaint? Or simply helpless resignation? After saying that, he inexplicably curved his sexy lips, and the sharpness that was oozing killing intent moments ago had receded quite a bit.
As the Steward of Internal and External Affairs, Iron Hand was naturally very astute.
In front of a man who just smashed against a tough spot, could he say anything extra?
Unexpectedly, the next second, Lord Quan the Fourth called on him again.
"Iron Hand!"
"Here."
"Wei Jibei said that Institute 317's North X-11C is about to start a data closure test soon. Have we got any news from Bat yet?"
"Report, not yet. Bat has been silent since infiltrating the country."
It is known that a spy only leaves traces when he makes a move. If he remains silent, he is indistinguishable from ordinary people.
With a cold tug at the corner of his mouth, Lord Quan the Fourth stood up, his chilly gaze now as calm as still water, nothing like the man who had just lost his temper.
"Prepare the car, to the base."
"Yes." Iron Hand raised his eyelids, his handsome face showing a touch of hesitation, "Then... Fourth Master, about Miss Zhan—"
Looking at the 18-bead strand once again abandoned in his palm, Lord Quan the Fourth's brows knitted slightly, "She..."
Before he could finish, there was no follow-up.
Exhaling, he irritably tugged at his shirt collar and walked out with pursed lips.
Unaware that she had gone in the wrong direction earlier, Zhan Se walked towards the bus stop, her mood having already calmed down.
Getting upset for others isn't worth it. After all, he was just a man she had met a few times.
If there was anything different about him, it would be that he was truly too special, unlike any other man she had encountered in her life. Their first meeting was inexplicably full of ambiguous intentions. On the second encounter, he was cruel and indifferent but still helped her, although ruthlessly tossing her into the reservoir—she guessed it was to alleviate the drug effects on her. The third time they met, his half-joking, half-serious pursuit completely defied the logic of development.
And today's events were even less scientific.
Could it be that this was just the kind of game with women that a wealthy second-generation heir was fond of?