Chapter 026: Tracking

The waiter was Lin Zixuan, though he certainly hadn't come to help me out of the goodness of his heart; he was clearly after the tips.

Glancing at the two banknotes in his pocket, Lin Zixuan’s face betrayed a flicker of shame and annoyance, but it vanished instantly. He laughed, saying, "Thanks for the tip, Sister Huang! It seems our new brother here is much more handsome than me!"

It had to be said, Lin Zixuan was blessed with a striking appearance, much like an idol star. However, perhaps due to working too many night shifts, his complexion looked rather pale and his dark circles were pronounced, giving him a lackluster air.

Sister Jin burst into laughter, shaking her head as she said to Lin Zixuan, "Ah Xuan, you just don't get it, do you? Men are all the same to us, as long as they aren't too hard on the eyes. This kid has a rugged masculinity that you lot lack—that’s exactly what interests us most!"

The plain-looking woman chimed in with a laugh, "You guys are all old hands; you're too obedient, which makes you no fun at all!"

"Pfft, masculinity, my foot!" the wild-looking woman curled her lip with disdain. "What masculinity? I just fancy him because he’s a virgin! Eating that is a huge tonic!"

The three women all erupted into raucous laughter.

Lin Zixuan’s expression grew sullen, as if he felt he had fallen out of favor, yet he dared not offend the three of them. He forced a smile, which only made his face look rather grotesque.

"The three of you are going to be disappointed. This brother isn't on the menu for you! He’s with our boss, Ms. Lu!"

"Oh?" The three women were stunned. They looked me over and asked, "Really? If he’s one of Nana’s people, why would she have him working as a security guard?"

Lin Zixuan shrugged. "I don’t know the details. I just heard that Ms. Lu brought him in personally. No paperwork, just straight to work and getting paid. And I also heard..."

He paused deliberately, successfully hooking the women’s curiosity. They all stared at him intently. Sister Jin pulled his arm, kissed his cheek, and handed him a glass of wine. "What’s going on? Don’t keep things from your sister! Come on, have a drink to wet your throat, sit down, and tell us all about it!"

The plain woman added with a smirk, "I knew that little hussy couldn't keep her hands to herself! She pretends to be so respectable, but behind the scenes, she’s always up to something shady! Didn't I hear just a few days ago that she stole Shanshan’s man and broke them up? Now she’s keeping a fresh piece of meat for herself?"

The wild woman glanced at me and snorted. "How much money does Lu Xiaona even have? She runs this dump, but she barely makes enough to cover pocket change—less than my allowance! Kid, come work for me! Whatever Xiaona pays you, I’ll pay you more!"

I ignored them, casting only a cold glance at Lin Zixuan.

That guy was truly a piece of work. To keep himself in favor, he dared to spread rumors about his own boss! Still, I couldn't be bothered with that right now. Tonight’s mission was to observe Lin Zixuan, see who he was flirting with, and narrow down the list.

After all, with him under his girlfriend's nose, if he really were having an affair, he would be cautious; otherwise, Xiangxiang would have discovered it long ago. Being in the nightlife business, no one was stupid. If Lin Zixuan left any trail, Xiangxiang wouldn't miss it. As for these guests, it was just playing a role; even if Lin Zixuan did something with them, Xiangxiang might not care.

So, Chen Yinan and I decided that we had to enter the tiger’s den to catch its cub. We figured investigating Lin Zixuan directly would reveal some clues. Thus, I became a security guard at SK, and he became a male host.

I had been observing Lin Zixuan all night. It wasn't that I hadn't found anything unusual—he had ambiguous relationships with many guests; kissing or touching in dimly lit corners was standard fare. But in this setting, that meant nothing and proved no infidelity. Was Lu Xiaona wrong in her suspicions?

Behind me, the women’s shrill laughter erupted periodically. I didn't know what kind of tall tales Lin Zixuan was spinning about me and Lu Xiaona, and I didn't care to find out. Work was the priority; I couldn't afford to fall out with him before the job was done.

Perhaps because he had drunk too much, Lin Zixuan’s mouth hung open before he quickly covered it with his hand and said to the trio, "I’m sorry, excuse me for a moment!"

He got up and ran off. The three women turned their attention back to me, their gazes filled with even more mockery. I didn't give them a chance to ridicule me; I just turned and walked away.

Lin Zixuan hurried through the crowd toward the restroom, but when he reached the door, he didn't go in. Instead, he kept going. Finding this strange, I followed him.

Along the corridor, a turn led to the side door of the kitchen, which led to a rear exit used for unloading goods or taking out the trash. Lin Zixuan was clearly familiar with the kitchen staff; without even a greeting, he pushed the back door open and stepped out. I braced myself and followed, hoping they wouldn't stop me. To my surprise, they didn't care at all, even stepping aside to let me pass. Everyone was busy with their own business, not caring who you were or what you were doing.

The cool breeze swept away the sweltering, stifling heat I had been feeling. In a place like Haizhou, the climate is hot and humid; even in the depths of winter, it stays in the teens. Now, in early summer, I had been sweating in my uniform even with the air conditioning on.

Standing outside, I watched Lin Zixuan jogging ahead. Just as I was about to give chase, Chen Yinan’s voice came from behind: "Wait!"

The guy was fast; I’d thought he’d been having so much fun he’d forgotten his duty. He was carrying two jackets and handed one to me. "Put this on!"

I snatched it from him. "Put it on while we run, otherwise we'll lose him at the next corner!" If he was going to see his secret lover, losing him at such a critical moment would make the whole night’s surveillance a waste.

Chen Yinan remained unhurried. "Relax, he’s not going anywhere."

I frowned, not understanding why he was so confident. Did he guess where Lin Zixuan was going? I ignored him and walked to the street corner, standing in front of a convenience store to scan the area.

It was already 2:00 AM. The bustling streets were now desolate; apart from the passing cars, there wasn't a pedestrian in sight. I angrily snapped at Chen Yinan as he approached, "Look! We lost him, didn't we? I told you to hurry up, but you were dragging your feet!"

Chen Yinan pointed to the convenience store next to us.

I glared at him. "You’re saying he went in there? How do you know? I didn't see him, did you?"

Chen Yinan smiled. "Second-in-command, the only place open around here at this hour is this all-night store. If he were going further away, he would have hailed a cab at the entrance."

I paused, realizing he had a point. I looked into the store, still feeling unconvinced. "It’s such a small place, you can see inside from the outside. If he really came in here, why don't I see him?"

Chen Yinan started walking inside. "Go in and see for yourself."