When Xia Fei woke up, the penthouse was completely quiet. He lay still for a moment, staring at the smooth ceiling, letting the silence sink in. No Vein pacing around, no quiet murmuring into a phone, no sound of fingers tapping away at a keyboard. Just... stillness. It was unsettling.
Pushing the covers aside, he sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair. His eyes drifted toward the sleek black desk across the room, and there it wasâVeinâs signature precision in the form of a neatly written note propped up against a glass of water.
"Have to do some business. Breakfast is in the eating room."
Xia Fei let out a dry chuckle, picking up the note and flipping it over in his hands. No extra details, no timeline for his return. Just the usual cryptic efficiency Vein always seemed to operate with. He tossed the note back onto the desk and stretched, his body still adjusting to the sheer size of the bedâhell, of the entire place.
"Breakfast in the eating room, huh?" Xia Fei muttered to himself. "How fancy."
Despite his sarcasm, his stomach reminded him that Veinâs so-called âbusinessâ could take hours, and food sounded like a decent distraction. He padded down the wide hallway, feet sinking into the plush carpet, and found the eating roomâbecause calling it a dining room would apparently be too mundane for Vein.
The table was already set with precision, a plate of neatly arranged breakfast items: scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit. Xia Fei smirked. "At least he knows how to leave a decent meal."
As he ate in silence, his mind started wandering. What the hell was he supposed to do all day? He didnât have work lined upâthanks to Veinâand he wasn't exactly the type to enjoy sitting around in a luxury penthouse doing nothing. He needed movement, stimulation, something.
And then it hit him.
The locked room, 2 rooms further than the surveillance room.
He hadnât forgotten about it. How could he? That door down the hall, the one Vein had pointedly ignored whenever Xia Fei was around. If there was anything interesting in this overly pristine place, it had to be in there.
Pushing his empty plate aside, Xia Fei stood and made his way down the hallway, eyes narrowing as he approached the door in question. His fingers hovered over the doorknob, curiosity gnawing at him.
How much could one peek really hurt?
Just as he was about to touch the handle, reality crashed down on him like a bucket of cold water. Surveillance cameras.
His eyes darted up instinctively, scanning the corners of the hallway. Vein had cameras everywhere. What if there was one trained on this exact spot? Xia Fei stepped back, chewing his lip. He could almost hear Veinâs voice in his head: "Donât touch anything that isnât yours, Fei."
Grumbling under his breath, Xia Fei shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. "Fine. Another time, then."
Restless, he flopped onto the oversized couch in the living area, staring at the ceiling before pulling out his phone. There was only one person who could distract him from his current predicament.
Scrolling through his contacts, he tapped on Cheng Xiaoshi's name and shot him a quick message.
Xia Fei: Yo. Stuck in Veinâs penthouse. Going insane. Entertain me.
He waited. A minute passed. Then another. Finally, his phone buzzed with a reply.
Cheng Xiaoshi: LMAOOOO. YOU? STUCK? In a rich dude's lair? Must be torture.
Xia Fei: Itâs not a "lair," itâs a prison with expensive furniture.
Cheng Xiaoshi: Sounds like you need a jailbreak.
Xia Fei: If only. Vein has cameras everywhere. I swear, I can't even breathe without him knowing.
Cheng Xiaoshi: Yikes. Sounds intense. Whatâs he worried about?
Xia Fei stared at the message for a moment, debating how much to share. He hadnât told Cheng Xiaoshi about the surveillance photos yet, or the unsettling feeling of being watched even before Vein intervened. Instead, he typed:
Xia Fei: Long story. Letâs just say heâs being extra paranoid.
Before he could continue the conversation, his phone rang.
"Finally," Xia Fei muttered, swiping to answer. "You took your sweet time."
Cheng Xiaoshiâs laugh came through the line. "Hey, I was busy, alright? We are having a lot of customers currently, also Lu Guang adopted a cat so anyway, what's the deal? You seriously stuck there all day?"
"Yeah, and Iâm losing my mind," Xia Fei grumbled. "I swear, Vein's got this place locked down tighter than a government facility. And I can't even snoop around becauseâ"
"Because he's got eyes everywhere," Cheng Xiaoshi finished. "Creepy."
"You have no idea," Xia Fei sighed, leaning back into the couch. "That Dude has pictures of me on his walls. Notes. Timelines. I feel like I'm in some sort of case file."
Cheng Xiaoshi whistled. "Sounds like he's more obsessed with you than I thought."
Xia Fei groaned. "Donât start."
Before Cheng Xiaoshi could tease him any further, the distinct sound of the front door unlocking echoed through the penthouse. Xia Fei immediately sat up straight.
Vein was back.
"You good?" Cheng Xiaoshi asked.
"Yeah, I gotta go," Xia Fei muttered quickly before hanging up.
Vein stepped inside, his sharp eyes immediately locking onto Xia Fei. He was wearing the same impeccable suit, his hair neatly in place despite what had probably been a long and tedious day.
"What are you doing?" Vein asked while smiling, his voice calm but probing.
Xia Fei slipped his phone into his pocket, leaning back with a casual grin. "Just... catching up with a friend."
Veinâs eyes flickered briefly to the coffee table, where Xia Feiâs breakfast plate still sat. "Good. You ate."
Xia Fei rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom. I ate."
Vein ignored his comment. "And you didnât try anything reckless while I was gone?"
Xia Fei forced a laugh. "Me? Reckless? Never."
Vein's gaze lingered on him for a long moment, and Xia Fei felt an odd sense of unease creeping in. He knew Vein was trying to read him, figure out if heâd stepped out of line.
Finally, Vein simply nodded. "Good. Stay that way."
As Vein walked past him and into his workspace, Xia Fei let out a slow breath, forcing himself to relax. His eyes drifted toward the locked door once more, and he made a mental note.
"Next time, I'll be smarter."