Wake Him Up

The two men's eyes swept around the room.

Then they saw Lin Li, bound hand and foot, with a cloth stuffed in his mouth, lying unconscious on the floor.

Their eyes widened in shock once again.

Wasn’t this the man who had hired them to deal with Lin Xuan?

Why was he tied up and lying on the ground?

They weren’t stupid—it didn’t take long for them to realize that Lin Xuan had seen through their scheme.

He had been waiting for them here all along.

Older Chen and Second Chen took in the sight of Cheng Da and Cheng Er—tall, burly, with stern, menacing expressions.

A wave of intense fear surged through them.

With a loud thud, they cowardly dropped to their knees.

Desperate pleas for mercy spilled from their lips.

“We’re sorry, sir! We didn’t mean to come after you—it was him!”

They pointed accusingly at Lin Li.

“He paid us to come here and deal with you!”

Lin Xuan, lounging on the sofa, raised an eyebrow in amusement. “And what exactly did he ask you to do?”

“He said he’d drug you, then send us in to… handle you. He swore it was foolproof—that nothing could go wrong,” Older Chen answered.

Lin Xuan smirked coldly.

Lin Li’s plan aligned almost perfectly with what he had expected—except he’d assumed Lin Li would send women. Instead, he’d sent two men.

Lin Xuan’s gaze shifted to Cheng Da and Cheng Er. “Search him. See if he’s carrying anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two immediately stepped forward and began rifling through Lin Li’s clothes.

Older Chen and Second Chen exchanged a glance.

The hotel room door wasn’t locked.

And with everyone distracted by the search, no one was paying attention to them.

This was their chance to escape!

Something told them that staying here would only bring disaster.

Better to leave now while they still could.

“Let’s go—now,” one of them whispered.

Scrambling to their feet, they bolted for the door.

Whoosh!

A knife, glinting coldly under the light, sliced through the air, grazing past their cheeks before embedding itself into the door with a sharp thunk.

Older Chen and Second Chen froze, staring wide-eyed at the blade trembling in the wood. Their legs turned to jelly.

“Still running?” Lin Xuan’s chilling voice drifted from behind them.

They spun around to see him sitting casually on the sofa, idly twirling a gun in his hand.

A gun…

He was armed!

They had assumed he’d be an easy target. Just what kind of monster had Lin Li dragged them into messing with?

Terror surged through them again.

Thud!

They dropped back to their knees.

“L-Lin Xuan,” they stammered, voices shaking. “We won’t run. We’ll obey whatever you say—just please, let us go.”

Lin Xuan’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Now that’s more like it.”

Bang!

He slammed the gun onto the table, the sound making their hearts leap into their throats.

“Relax,” Lin Xuan chuckled. “You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.”

“Young Master.”

Cheng Da stepped forward, handing Lin Xuan four small, sealed transparent bags of powder.

The amount in each was minimal—no more than half a finger’s length.

Lin Xuan took one of the white packets, opened it, and brought it to his nose.

Cheng Er quickly stopped him. “Young Master, this could be toxic. For safety, we should have someone examine it first.”

Lin Xuan waved him off. “No need. I know what I’m doing.”

He had antidotes capable of neutralizing any poison. Even if he did inhale it, he’d be fine.

The powder’s scent hit his nostrils.

His eyebrow arched.

This was the same drug that had been in his drink earlier.

“Do you two know what this is?” Lin Xuan asked.

Eager to please, Older Chen blurted, “I know! It’s boar stimulant—specially bought to use on you! Lin Li bragged about it!”

Cheng Er gritted his teeth. “What kind of sick mind comes up with something like this?”

Using animal drugs on a person…

Only Lin Li could be this twisted.

Thankfully, their master was sharp—otherwise, he’d have been utterly ruined by this scheme.

“Actually, I think Lin Li did us a favor by buying this,” Lin Xuan mused, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Because he’s the one who’ll be taking it.”

“Watching him dig his own grave never gets old.”

The smile on Lin Xuan’s face sent chills down Older Chen and Second Chen’s spines.

To them, he might as well have been the devil himself.

At this point, they’d rather face prison than endure whatever punishment he had in store.

Damn it.

Lin Li had thrown them into a pit they couldn’t climb out of.

Lin Xuan’s gaze shifted from the two trembling men to Lin Li’s unconscious form.

Relieved to no longer be under scrutiny, Older Chen and Second Chen exhaled shakily.

“He’s been out for a while. Did you beat him?” Lin Xuan asked.

“No, no!” Cheng Er shook his head. “We just slapped him once—that’s all. A single slap wouldn’t knock him out.”

“As for why he’s unconscious…” Cheng Er scratched his head sheepishly. “I stuffed my dirty sock in his mouth. The smell knocked him out.”

Admitting it was embarrassing.

His lack of hygiene had reached legendary levels.

Lin Xuan gave Cheng Er’s feet a dubious look.

Just how foul did his socks have to be to render someone unconscious?

“Make sure you wash your socks and clothes when we get back,” Lin Xuan said dryly.

Since Cheng Er was often by his side, the last thing he needed was to catch a whiff of that stench.

“Oh… yeah, sure,” Cheng Er mumbled, deflated.

Lin Xuan added, “But today? You did well.”

He didn’t hold back the praise.

Shoving a sock so vile it could knock a man out into Lin Li’s mouth?

Even imagining it from Lin Li’s perspective was horrifying.

“Thank you, Young Master!” Cheng Er perked up instantly, beaming at the rare compliment.

Lin Xuan gestured toward Lin Li. “Wake him up. It’d be a shame for him to miss the show.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cheng Da strode into the bathroom, filled a basin with cold water, and—

Splash!

Dumped it unceremoniously over Lin Li’s head.

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