[“In the top drawer of my desk there’s a red notebook, bring it down here. Tell Bai Yang to open the drawer for you.”]

As soon as he picked up the phone, an old, gruff voice rang out without hesitation, not even bothering to confirm who was on the other end.

Yuri was silent for a moment. Perhaps because he didn’t receive an immediate reply, the irritable voice rang out again: [“Didn’t you hear me?”]

“No, sir, I heard you.”

[“Alright, then bring it down here right away. To the basement, give it to Winan. Don’t just stand there like an idiot.”]

After saying that, the other end hung up. Yuri could almost see the man’s face clicking his tongue in annoyance.

The reason Yuri was silent wasn’t for any other reason. That voice was the same voice he had memorized countless times in his head, so he needed a little time to process what he’d just said.

“—What’s wrong with that kid?”

That voice, along with the clicking of the tongue, had been echoing in his ears since morning.

“The head of the house called and told you to come down, did you get it?”

As Yuri put his phone back in his pocket, the door swung open and a woman poked her head in. It seemed that after calling Yuri, he had also called her.

Indeed, if Yuri had suddenly asked her to open the desk drawer, she would certainly have looked at him suspiciously.

“Yes, he told me to bring the red notebook in the top drawer down.”

After hearing Yuri’s confirmation, she went over and took a small key from the bunch of keys hanging at her hip. “Oh, not this one…… So it’s this one?” – She muttered, seeming to fumble as she tried one key after another from among the dozens of keys. While waiting, Yuri took out his phone to check the time.

Only a dozen or so minutes had passed since they were taken down to the basement. If Yuri brought the notebook down there now, he would certainly witness a rather unpleasant scene.

Yuri sighed. He had witnessed countless such scenes, so it wasn’t anything new, but what bothered him was the smell.

The basement they were taken down to always reeked of mildew and a fishy odor, giving him a headache whenever he stayed there for long.

However, when he thought of Ling Xinlu having to endure that stench, Yuri told himself that a little unpleasant smell while carrying the notebook down was nothing.

Right, the bad smell was negligible. The chaotic scene didn’t bother him either. Ah, even what was happening in the basement, the stench, or all of that, wasn’t important.

What lingered in his mind more than anything was the suspicious remark of the man—Ling Xinlu’s uncle.

“What’s wrong with that kid?” – Yuri happened to overhear the uncle muttering as if to himself when he was standing nearby. The fact that Yuri overheard it might have been coincidental, but the fact that it came from the uncle’s mouth was not coincidental at all.

Ling Xinlu’s uncle was a very perceptive person. It must be said that he was very good at reading faces and guessing other people’s intentions. Perhaps his job, which required him to always be vigilant and observe everything around him, had formed that habit.

As soon as he heard those words, Yuri unconsciously looked towards the uncle. Then he followed his gaze. Ling Xinlu was sitting there.

He was smiling as usual. A bright and gentle smile, chatting with the people sitting next to and across from him. He mostly just listened, occasionally saying a few words.

Yuri sat some distance away from them, keeping a moderate distance to observe. During the day, whenever Ling Xinlu went to his uncle’s place to study the business, Yuri would accompany him. However, because there were sensitive matters within the clan that they didn’t want outsiders to hear, the uncle always told Yuri to keep his distance from Ling Xinlu. Therefore, Yuri usually kept his distance and only approached when he needed help.

At that time too, Yuri sat far enough away to hear their idle chatter, but if they spoke softly, he wouldn’t be able to hear.

He sat closer to the uncle, who was rummaging through the documents on the table, than to the others. The uncle looked at Ling Xinlu, who was chatting with two or three men whom he occasionally called over when he had business with them, with a suspicious look.

Then he suddenly muttered: “What’s wrong with that kid?”

After saying that, he frowned at them for a moment, then turned to Yuri. He jerked his chin towards them.

“What’s wrong with that kid? Is something the matter?”.

“……I don’t know, sir.”

Yuri followed the uncle’s gaze to Ling Xinlu and tilted his head as if he didn’t understand. The uncle looked at Ling Xinlu suspiciously again, then muttered something dismissively and returned to his documents.

Yuri looked at Ling Xinlu again. He was still smiling as usual.

Talking, listening, facial expressions, all were the same as always. But…… he was clearly unsettled.

Despite smiling, he exuded a sense of unease. Yuri tilted his head; he didn’t understand why he felt that way. He didn’t recognize the difference from usual, and he didn’t understand why.

However, clearly something was fluctuating imperceptibly, like a few grains of sand falling from a solid rampart before a great earthquake, unbeknownst to anyone.

That feeling of unease, right, it was like…… —although not as intense and clear as at that time—it was like when he had first moved from Seringe to Berlin.

Yuri quietly observed him. But that sense of unease was just a vague feeling, and he couldn’t find any specific differences.

There was only one difference from usual: Ling Xinlu wasn’t looking at Yuri.

It wasn’t complete ignorance; when necessary, he still talked to Yuri, and sometimes their eyes met coincidentally when he looked around, but the frequency of eye contact had decreased significantly. Although not completely, it was enough for him to be sure that he was intentionally avoiding looking at Yuri.

Since arriving at the office today, their eyes had only met a few times, just fleeting glances.

However, it seemed that only Yuri and his uncle, who had briefly furrowed his brows but hadn’t paid much attention, had noticed Ling Xinlu’s unusual behavior.

“Is there something fun happening today? You keep smiling like that, there must be something fun, right?”

One of the people talking to Ling Xinlu, the man in the black coat sitting diagonally across from him, suddenly spoke up. Ling Xinlu looked at him and smiled: “Is that so?”

“Yes, I just noticed it when you spoke. Do you have a date with someone today? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Oh, come on, why would I have a date on a day like today! Later, I have to go down to the basement to ‘butcher the pig’, I’ll get blood all over my clothes. If you have a date with a girl, make it another day. I’m not saying this because I’m jealous of you, but because I want what’s best for you. Who would dare come near you if you’re covered in blood?”

“It’s not like you’re doing it yourself, getting covered in blood. But still, it’s a bit gruesome. But do you really have a girlfriend?”

The man with messy hair sitting next to him also poked his head out and looked at Ling Xinlu curiously. Ling Xinlu laughed and shook his head.

“No…… Nothing like that. I guess I’m just smiling because it’s fun listening to everyone talk. I don’t even realize I’m smiling.”

“Really nothing? But looking at Young Master like this, you seem quite popular with the ladies.” – The man in the black coat glanced at Ling Xinlu with a mischievous look. Ling Xinlu smiled and replied: “No, not at all.”

“Hey, hey, it’s the opposite, you’re too pretty that girls might be too intimidated to approach. Looking at how beautiful Young Master is, which girl would dare stand next to you, they’d be too embarrassed!” – The messy-haired man teased, playfully punching the man in the black coat.

“Hey, who knows, maybe he’s good at other things, you never know.” – They laughed and joked, teasing each other.

Yuri watched them, frowning slightly. But he quickly regained his composure. Ling Xinlu, being with them, didn’t seem bothered at all.

He looked at them indifferently as if he didn’t care what they were saying, but still smiled at the right moments in response.

The people working under Third uncle were usually called when there was ‘heavy work’. Although they also did regular work and met frequently, almost all the ‘heavy lifting’ was handled by them.

These people had been working in this field for 10, 20 years. They called Ling Xinlu, who had only recently started his apprenticeship ‘Young Master’ and treated him quite respectfully, but sometimes their words and actions showed a hint of disdain.

They called him ‘Young Master’ because of his good family background, but they seemed to regard him as a sheltered young man, occasionally making jokes that were somewhat disrespectful.

But lately, they had toned it down.

At first, when Ling Xinlu had just arrived at Third uncle’s place a few days ago, although they used honorifics, their attitude was no different from talking to someone under their command.

However, just a few days later, when Ling Xinlu handled the work more efficiently than expected and showed decisiveness depending on the situation, their attitude had softened considerably.

Not long ago, they had exclaimed in amazement: “Our youngest Young Master is not to be trifled with, in a few years we won’t be able to match him”, a statement that clearly reflected their current thoughts.

They acknowledged his considerable talent, but still considered him inferior to them.

Despite being well aware of their attitude, Ling Xinlu didn’t react at all.

It seemed as if he considered them not worth bothering with.

In front of him was a mountain of work to be dealt with and mastered, and those like them were nothing more than buzzing insects.

So even now, Ling Xinlu just smiled and let it go, no matter what they said.

Or perhaps, he didn’t hear anything at all.

Yuri quietly observed Ling Xinlu.

He looked at them superficially, as if thinking about something else.

In between those moments, just fleetingly, in a split second, a look of unease passed over his face. That’s what bothered Yuri.

“By the way, the receptionist on the first floor blushes every time she sees Young Master. She’s the girl you said you liked.”

The man in the black coat chuckled, and the messy-haired man glared at him.

“Who said I liked her, she’s so fat.” – He yelled and clicked his tongue. Then he glanced at Ling Xinlu.

“But our Young Master is so handsome…… They say a man who’s too soft can’t get things done. You have to have a bit of toughness.”

“Why is that? Young Master is more decisive than you think. Didn’t you see how Manager Sanxia was fired last time and didn’t dare say a word?”

“Hey, arguing with men is no different from flirting with girls! Right, Young Master?” – The messy-haired man turned to ask Ling Xinlu.

He smiled and replied: “That’s right.”

“You never know what will happen between people. You only know when the time comes.”

Ling Xinlu’s calm voice seemed to deepen imperceptibly. However, it might have just been Yuri’s imagination, as Ling Xinlu’s expression remained impassive.

“Right, right. But Young Master seems too gentle, so be careful when choosing a girlfriend. Men who are too kind and gentle are at a disadvantage, they get taken advantage of and then dumped for another guy.”

The messy-haired man shook his head and clicked his tongue as if telling his own story.

“I thought it was going so well, at first she was all over him, he gave her his heart and soul, and in the end, she turned around and said we were just friends.” – He cursed some girl; it seemed like it was his younger brother’s story.

Ling Xinlu didn’t say anything. He just listened silently, then suddenly smiled: “Is that so?”

“That’s exactly how it is. Now she’s with another guy, living the high life.”

“It’s just my little brother so stupid.” – He clicked his tongue. Ling Xinlu looked at him without saying anything. No one knew what he was thinking, the smile plastered on his face like a mask, his hand rubbing his chin, his eyes flashing a hint of blue.

His eyes seemed to gleam. Something was simmering, an unsettling fluctuation within.

Yes, like the time when he couldn’t control himself, an indescribable instability—

But at that moment, Yuri frowned slightly. Third uncle, who was searching for documents on the table, suddenly shouted.

“Stop talking nonsense, get up! The ‘pig’ must be tied up and ready down there by now, let’s go. Xinlu, come with me. —And you, stay here and wait.”

Third uncle stood up, put on his coat, and looked at Yuri, who was sitting upright beside him, giving a curt order.

It seemed like something particularly serious was going to happen today.

Third uncle almost always took Ling Xinlu with him, and Yuri followed Ling Xinlu. Third uncle tacitly agreed to this arrangement.

But sometimes, when faced with illegal activities – especially those he didn’t want outsiders to know about – he would leave Yuri alone in the office. And perhaps now was one of those times.

He could guess what was happening in the basement of this building. They were going to ‘deal with’ someone.

Not just intimidation or half-hearted warnings, but truly ‘deal with’ them; he had heard such rumors.

‘How far will it go today?’

Yuri thought to himself as she escorted Uncle Ba, Ling Xinlu, and the other men out of the room.

Not long ago, Yuri had gone down to the basement with Ling Xinlu. And on that day, someone had been beaten half to death.

Yuri had stood beside Ling Xinlu, witnessing from beginning to end the scene of those men torturing the victim until he was covered in blood and dragged away with a leg that would likely be crippled for life.

Xinlu’s uncle hadn’t directly participated; he had only spoken a few words to the victim, explaining why he had to endure this, what his future would be like, and what he should do.

And that would also be Ling Xinlu’s role in the future.

“……”

Yuri sighed silently.

As long as Ling Xinlu didn’t have to suffer, he wouldn’t interfere. But he still felt uneasy. Oh well, whatever. If looking up led nowhere, and looking down was also an endless abyss, then looking down was more comfortable. Fortunately, Yuri knew someone who had reached the very bottom of inhumanity.

Compared to that person, any other villain seemed more human, and that person was even an internationally wanted criminal, utterly disgraced at the lowest depths of society, yet still living happily outside the law.

More than that, what occupied his mind now was the indescribable feeling of unease. It lingered, persistently, seemingly normal, but no one knew when everything would come crashing down.

“……”

Yuri shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts in his mind. Now, he had to take the notebook that Third uncle’s secretary had just retrieved from the drawer down to the basement.