RBNR Ch25: He is the most unlucky one

Qin Bao’s few days away only brought short-lived happiness, leaving with even more negative emotions.

Because he was heartbroken, his first love, and it was one-sided.

With three burdens combined, he really wanted to lock his heart and become an emotionless killer. He boarded the plane with a cold face, took a taxi with a cold face, and the taxi driver, recognizing him, wanted to chat but was deterred by his low mood, focusing only on driving.

Unfortunately, some things can be avoided temporarily but not forever.

As soon as he switched back to his old phone number, the carrier sent a string of missed call notifications. Besides family, the most frequent caller was an unknown number, which he knew was Feng Chengyu.

He first went to SISI, as his contract was about to expire, and Brother Lu wanted him to look at the new terms.

A few days ago, he mentioned this to An Qingyan, who suggested that if he wanted to continue his runway career, he could consider renewing with SISI. As a renowned modeling agency in China, SISI could provide the best support for Qin Bao to shine, and as their top-earning model, Qin Bao’s treatment had significantly improved.

The terms of the contract were mostly the same as before but much thicker. It turned out that an additional artist management contract was attached. Knowing Qin Bao’s value in the market and that he would be exposed to more resources in the future, SISI had specially drafted this management contract for him.

Qin Bao felt a headache coming on as he read it.

Brother Lu hurriedly said, “It’s too complicated, right? There’s so much you can’t read it all at once. You can take it home and read it slowly. Also, the company has arranged a lawyer for you. If you’re not assured, you can also hire a lawyer outside to take a look.”

Qin Bao stuffed the contract into his bag, “Okay. I’ll go first.”

Brother Lu saw Qin Bao out, wondering along the way. This kid was clearly happy in those Flow posts by other models, shopping and pool partying. People online said Qin Bao went abroad to continue his birthday party. Why did he come back looking so downcast?

Ms. Rong’s red sports car was already parked outside. The last time she came was when Qin Bao first signed the contract, and in the blink of an eye, it had been five years.

Qin Bao opened the passenger door, greeted her, buckled his seatbelt, and then said nothing.

Ms. Rong gently asked, “Why are you angry even with mom?”

The car quickly merged into traffic. Qin Bao kept looking ahead. He had always been the straightforward type, and seeing him like this meant he must have been wronged.

“No,” he replied.

Angry as he was, he still answered his mother properly.

Ms. Rong patiently asked, “Tell me, what did Chengyu do to upset you? Made you throw away his clothes and run abroad.”

“Who said he upset me? It has nothing to do with him,” Qin Bao said. “I just happened to have work over there and wanted to take the chance to clear my mind. As for the clothes… why would I keep a stranger’s clothes?”

Ms. Rong gave him a reproachful look, “Don’t talk like a child.”

“…”

Qin Bao didn’t bother to answer, turning his face away.

Ms. Rong said, “Since you’re together, there will be some friction. You need to express yourselves and compromise, not end up with accumulated resentment and divorce like your father and me.”

Qin Bao couldn’t help but retort, “How can we compare to you?”

At least his parents fell in love freely and got together because of love.

Ms. Rong just smiled without saying anything.

Qin Bao immediately realized that he had just inadvertently said “we,” as if admitting something, and quickly added, “I’m not familiar with him. Why should I compromise with him?”

Ms. Rong said, “If you don’t compromise now, it won’t be appropriate to pick on each other’s flaws after you get married.”

The word “married” struck a nerve with Qin Bao, and he suddenly raised his voice, “I won’t marry him!”

Ms. Rong soothed him, “You’re still young. I meant in the future.”

Qin Bao said coldly, “It has nothing to do with age. I’m telling you now, if I ever get married, it won’t be to him. You can stop dreaming. Even if I slept with him, so what? It was just a physical need, a casual fling. It’s normal for any adult. If you want a marriage alliance, arrange it with someone else. Don’t get any ideas about me.”

Qin Bao was like a hedgehog, overreacting.

Hearing his reckless words, Ms. Rong frowned deeply, “What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by a casual fling?”

“I already told Feng Chengyu the same thing, and he understands what it means,” Qin Bao said. “Don’t mention him to me anymore.”

Ms. Rong pulled the car over.

She wasn’t a rigid thinker. She could accept Qin Bao not getting married, choosing a different life path. If there were irreconcilable differences with Feng Chengyu, she supported a breakup. But she couldn’t accept Qin Bao becoming someone who didn’t value relationships.

“What exactly happened?” Ms. Rong was very worried, “Didn’t you like Chengyu a lot before?”

The first time he asked her for something expensive, it was to have the same watch as Feng Chengyu. When he ran away from home, he sought Feng Chengyu’s help. They often exchanged gifts. On his birthday, everyone could see the spark between them.

“I liked him?” Qin Bao asked, “Did he say that?”

Ms. Rong shook her head, “No, I saw it myself.”

The car stopped, but Qin Bao didn’t calm down, “I never liked him. Don’t make wild guesses.”

If it wasn’t for Feng Chengyu making the first move, would he have been fooled? At first, he found Feng Chengyu very unpleasant!

The other was cold and distant, casually extending a hand, baiting him from a distance, and he, the stupid fish, eagerly took the hook.

He looked at his mother and said word by word, “Mom, I’ll say it again. I won’t marry Feng Chengyu. I don’t care what he thinks. If you want a marriage alliance, find someone else. Stop hoping for it with me.”

With that, he opened the car door and left, ignoring Ms. Rong’s calls.

Qin Bao had originally planned to stay with Ms. Rong for a few days. After her divorce, she had moved back to his grandfather’s house, but his grandfather was away recently, leaving just her and his grandmother at home.

After this argument, he couldn’t go there.

Thinking of going home, he knew the old man and Mr. Qin would say the same things, so he didn’t want to go back at all.

Shan Yiming wasn’t around, Tu Yisen had left, and he didn’t want to see Feng Chu either.

He thought about buying a ticket to go to Qinan to find Xu Tangzhou. He even took out his phone but dismissed the idea. Xu Tangzhou was busy with studies and family, already overwhelmed.

Remembering how he had eagerly shared about Feng Chengyu with Xu Tangzhou that day, everything had changed in an instant.

Who would be stupid enough to sleep with their marriage alliance partner?

Although an adult now, with all the hotels in the capital at his disposal, compared to when he ran away last time, Qin Bao felt even more lost.

But after working for several years, he had made some drinking buddies.

He casually found a few people. Hearing that he was organizing an event, they all readily agreed.

Someone mentioned a newly opened specialty club with nightly boxing matches and suggested going there. Qin Bao, a regular partygoer but previously too young to enter such bars, agreed.

Most people who came to play in this kind of place were influential. Qin Bao and his group queued up, got stamps on their hands, and received masks upon entry. When they entered the second basement level, they were stopped again.

This time, the staff gave bite stoppers to the Alphas and neck rings to the Omegas like Qin Bao.

Qin Bao complained, “Is this really necessary?”

Someone behind him laughed, “Kid, is this your first time in a place like this?”

It was an Alpha, not yet wearing a mask, and Qin Bao felt a shiver of discomfort. However, Qin Bao himself was wearing a mask and wasn’t afraid of being recognized, so he said, “First time? I just haven’t seen such low-quality neck rings before.”

That person, who turned out to be a staff member, replied, “Low-quality? I’ll have to report that to the boss. Thanks for the feedback.”

When they reached their seats, a friend said to Qin Bao, “This place is opened by the crown prince of Su Feng. It claims to be luxury and high-end, supposedly designed by a famous designer with a hefty price tag. Saying their gear is low-quality will surely upset him.”

Qin Bao asked, “Who’s this crown prince?”

The background sounded quite impressive.

“He’s the eldest son of Chairman Zou, who had him late in life. People call him that. He’s not much older than you and goes to the same school. You might know his name, Zou Jiudong.”

Qin Bao: “…”

His friend leaned in and whispered, “He used to come here every night, but suddenly stopped a while ago. Rumor has it he offended some big shot… word on the street is he offended the Minister of Commerce, Qin.”

Qin Bao nearly choked on his drink: “…”

Suddenly, several spotlights illuminated the previously dim ring.

Next, a group of Beta women dressed as bunny girls took the stage, each more seductive than the last, and the ring transformed into a Shance floor. They started with some magic tricks, like hat doves and fire hoops. The performance was excellent, and Qin Bao wanted to applaud, but the applause from the audience was sparse, as if they were used to it.

Soon, a few Alphas came on stage.

Their muscles bulged, wearing only underwear, their tanned skin glistening with oil. They easily lifted the bunny girls from behind by the waist.

The atmosphere became charged with hormones, and the audience finally responded with applause and whistles, making Qin Bao blush.

The bunny girls were lifted onto the muscle men’s shoulders, beginning a new Shance performance. As a tall female Alpha in a bikini holding a whip appeared, the opening show reached its climax.

They began to flirt.

The bunny girls disappeared, and the muscle men lined up, the crack of the whip making the audience’s scalp tingle.

Understanding what kind of place this was, Qin Bao picked up his drink to steady his nerves.

Looking around, the place was nearly full, with everyone wearing masks but their eyes gleaming with excitement.

This made Qin Bao, who felt uncomfortable, seem like an outlier.

Unfortunately, it was too late to regret it.

With the opening show over, the brutal boxing matches began, making Qin Bao feel strongly nauseous.

The house offered a high reward, and after introducing the fighters, the audience could place bets freely.

Qin Bao thought it would be a civilized match, but the level of violence exceeded his expectations. The fighters attacked each other as if their lives depended on it for the prize money.

One fighter, bloody and battered, was dragged off, and another stepped up, the crowd’s shouts growing louder, and Qin Bao’s friends almost pounded the table to pieces.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and the lights came on.

People didn’t understand what was happening, but the fighters in the ring, already seeing red, continued fighting, the sound of flesh and bone breaking echoing in the sudden silence.

“Bang—”

A referee fired a gun, and someone stood on a table, “The thirteenth precinct of the capital received a report of illegal pornographic and violent activities in a public place. We are now conducting an inspection. Everyone must stay put, line up as directed by the officers, remove your masks, and prepare for questioning.”

Everyone was stunned, some thinking it was a new interactive element until they saw officers in uniform and realized it was real.

“Damn, this is bad luck,” a friend said, “What day is it? Didn’t check the almanac before going out?”

Another friend was nearly in tears, “Removing my mask is worse than killing me. If this gets out, how will I keep my job… do you think they’ll shoot me if I run?”

“It’s not that serious. We’re just watching, not committing a crime. At most, we’ll get a warning or a minor penalty. Stop being so scared, will you?”

Qin Bao: “………………”

It was serious!

The chief of the thirteenth precinct was a friend of Mr. Qin’s. If his family found out about this, he’d be dead!

He was the unluckiest! Just wanting to relax, why did he follow these people here? Wouldn’t a nice dinner and gaming session at a hotel have been better?

Qin Bao felt desperate, considering several escape routes in his mind as he queued with the others.

One by one, people were called to remove their masks and show their IDs, and the sound of whispered pleas and apologies filled the air.

Apart from the officers, it seemed other departments were present too. Qin Bao glanced over and felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Among the crowd, there was a familiar figure. He almost thought he was mistaken.

But when that person turned around, the stern profile was unmistakable—even if turned to ashes, he would recognize it—it was Feng Chengyu.

Feng Chengyu still wore a black coat, but his aura seemed sharper than a few days ago. Apparently in a bad mood, his face, handsome enough to trend on social media, looked icy, cooling the surrounding atmosphere by several degrees.

One by one…

It was Qin Bao’s turn.

He braced himself and walked over, calculating in his mind that even if he ran into him, it wouldn’t mean anything. If his family was going to find out he was messing around here, Feng Chengyu knowing wouldn’t make it worse.

“You, remove your mask, and show your ID.”

The officer beside Feng Chengyu said to Qin Bao.

_____

Author’s note:

Xiao Bao excels at provoking Brother Feng step by step, leading to his darkening.