CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74: DOMINANCE

Rong Zhi nodded, put on a mask, and followed Yang Feifan out of the interrogation room.

With Yang Feifan there, no one dared to stop them.

They were all stunned.

What’s going on?

No interrogation? Just let go like that?

Sheng Zizhao got a thorough scolding from his superior, his expression turned quite unpleasant.

His peripheral vision caught the untouched wet wipes on the table, making his expression even worse.

...

At the entrance to the task force headquarters, Chen Qi chased after them, holding out Rong Zhi’s backpack with both hands, his expression awkward as he spoke, "Mr. Rong, your bag."

Rong Zhi took the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Catching the indifference in the young man’s expression, Chen Qi realized that their division’s actions had chilled the boy’s heart, and he felt increasingly guilty.

Originally, the person came to help out of goodwill, and not only did they do nothing to help, but they also locked him up, something that would upset anyone.

Feeling too ashamed to stick around in front of Rong Zhi, Chen Qi quickly apologized and ran off.

Song Yue stood beside Rong Zhi, noticing the blood stains all over her body, he frowned and said, "President Fei, let’s find somewhere to change clothes first."

Yang Feifan wore an apologetic look, "It’s all my fault for not managing strictly, sorry for the trouble, Mr. Rong."

Rong Zhi’s phone vibrated, she waved off Yang Feifan’s words without paying much attention, saying, "It’s okay, they’re just following protocol."

So it’s understandable, everyone is responsible for society, it doesn’t matter that she took this trip.

After all, she did indeed make a move.

Yang Feifan nodded and asked, "I have a room at the headquarters, do you want to change there, Mr. Rong? Song Yue, could you get Mr. Rong a clean set of clothes?"

Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, Rong Zhi was about to speak when a slight weight was placed on her shoulder.

A warm jacket was draped over her shoulders, exuding a faint minty tobacco scent.

"Hey there, little brother."

A deep, lazy male voice sounded in her ear, Rong Zhi turned her gaze to meet a pair of bright, captivating eyes.

Bai Su saw the puzzled look in Rong Zhi’s eyes, slightly curling his fingers as he pulled the jacket up, lightly chuckling, "Not cold?"

Rong Zhi stayed silent for a moment, not rejecting his kindness, "How did you know I was here?"

"Location sharing was on," Bai Su replied casually, his flirtatious eyes brimming with smiles, "I was on my way to the concert hall and just happened to be nearby, so I came to get you."

The task force headquarters wasn’t far from the Music Hall.

At that moment, a cold wind blew past.

Bai Su suddenly caught a strong scent of blood mixed with a light woody fragrance and incense; he squinted, carefully discerning the source, and confirmed it was coming from beside him.

Mindful of others’ presence, he lowered his gaze, his eyes concealing unreadable emotions.

Since Bai Su came to pick her up, Rong Zhi didn’t go with Yang Feifan. After greeting Song Yue, she got into the car with Bai Su.

...

The car’s air conditioning was on, keeping the temperature comfortable.

But with the windows closed, lacking air circulation, that smell of blood seemed to condense into a tangible presence, quite intense.

Rong Zhi half-closed her eyes, her demeanor lazy and relaxed.

When they reached a traffic light, Bai Su changed directions, taking a different road. After driving a while, Rong Zhi lazily lifted her eyelids, speaking unhurriedly, "You took the wrong route."

"No mistake."

The response she got was the man’s voice, icier than usual.

Rong Zhi’s face remained expressionless, "Why are you angry?"

After checking the map, she knew the Music Hall wasn’t this way, but Tingshan Villa was.

Hearing this, Bai Su felt an inexplicable surge of anger inside. He switched the car to AI driving, then turned around and leaned over, pressing against the young man.

"Injured and still ask why I’m angry?" His lips curled with a touch of coldness, the faint anger in his voice was lower than usual, making it easy to feel his displeasure.

"Where are you hurt? Does it hurt? Rong Zhi, are you going to keep quiet about your injuries?"

This was the first time Bai Su addressed her by full name.

Rong Zhi paused, looking up, meeting the complex emotions in his eyes, and pursed her lips.

Not to mention she wasn’t hurt, even if she was, it wasn’t him who got hurt, so why was he angry?

"Not injured," she extended her hand, the cool white slender hand waving gently in front of Bai Su, "The blood you smelled, it’s not mine."

Bai Su gripped the frail wrist of the young man, the red stain on the white wrist nearly ached his eyes.

Suppressing the strange anger and inexplicable heartbreak, he seriously examined it for a few seconds, his thumb caressing, not feeling any cuts.

"This?" Bai Su hooked the wristband he had taken note of early on, where the blood smell was strongest.

With lowered brows, Rong Zhi said blandly, "A knife."

Bai Su: "Knife?"

Rong Zhi nodded, slipping her wrist from Bai Su’s grasp, and dismantled the wristband in front of his eyes.

In mere seconds, a jet-black dagger lay in the young man’s palm.

Bai Su raised an eyebrow, his alluring eyes momentarily brightening.

He previously assumed it was an ordinary sports wristband for recording body data, unaware of its hidden function.

He suddenly found all the items on the young man seemed to harbor secrets.

Sweets that could heal, wristbands that could turn into a dagger.

While Bai Su was briefly lost in thought, Rong Zhi had already reassembled the wristband.

He was taken aback.

The speed...was unnaturally fast.

For a moment, he wanted to voice the questions buried in his heart.

Immediately, Bai Su masked his eyes with a light smile, suppressing all thoughts.

Not the right time.

The young man had just begun to lower some of his defenses toward him, it’d be better to wait until they were more familiar.

Bai Su withdrew his thoughts, pulling out tissues from the drawer, and gently wiped the young man’s hand, seemingly casually asking, "It’s dried up, whose blood is it?"

Rong Zhi tugged a few times without success, her brows furrowed, flashing impatient annoyance in her eyes, her fingers slightly curling, she resigned to Bai Su’s actions.

Though Bai Su’s voice was calm, it lacked his usual playful tone, carrying an assertiveness hard to refuse.

Rong Zhi subtly sighed, selectively glossing over the day’s events as she spoke.

She omitted Song Yue’s request, merely saying she happened by.

A flimsy excuse at best.

Bai Su, his handsome eyes half-lowered, replaced each dirty tissue until the young man’s hand was spotless, yet he still wasn’t entirely satisfied.

The smell on it was unpleasant.

"Come by my place to change," Bai Su offered, sensing the young man’s reluctance, teased, "Don’t worry, I won’t abduct you. Afterward, we’ll go to the concert hall."

Hearing the word ’abduct’ again, a fierce glint flashed in Rong Zhi’s eyes, just as Bai Su looked up and caught this slight change.

"Rong Zhi."

The man’s voice was low and elegant, imbued with rare tenderness and charm, like a cello’s tone, gentle and warmly compelling.

"Back then, you saved Rong Jiazze because you knew he was a trafficked child. Passing by East Mountain this time was also because a trafficking ring was hiding up there, so, you hate those people, right?"

He accepted the young man’s unconvincing excuse without exposing the truth, leaving space for secrets between them, but Bai Su still wanted to understand the young man better, not from what the Star Calculation Array revealed about the past, but from what the young man himself shared with him.

He wished for the young man to lower his guard, not keeping everything bottled inside.