Chapter 270 Breeze (Part 1)
F City.
The wholesale market in the suburbs of the city was bustling with activities.
Vendors and distributors were gathered in the market. The noise level in the place could rival even that of a food market.
An expensive car was parked itself slowly in one of the alleys behind the market. The middle-aged man at the back of the car creased his eyebrows. Even through the windows of his car, the man could smell the pungent sweat of the workers scurrying about. He produced a silk handkerchief from the pocket of his suit and pressed it against his nose, “Zhang Ping, are you sure this is the place?”
“Yes, boss. This is the place.” the youngster in colorful clothing who was seated in the front passenger seat nodded respectfully at the middle-aged man.
“Why would they be in a place like this…” the middle-aged man surrounded his surroundings. It was a mess. Are the people we’re looking for really in a place like this?
“Boss, aren’t you the one who taught us about not judging a book by its cover? I guess we shouldn’t judge.” Zhang Ping smiled and left the car.
The middle-aged man sighed. Well, might as well give it a try.
This place reeks of poverty. Thought the middle-aged man as he stepped out from his car, trying in vain to keep the smell out of his nostrils by pressing his handkerchief harder against his nose. “Lead the way.” he said to Zhang Ping.
Just like how the middle-aged man was not used to the smell, the people gathered in the market were startled by the presence of the luxurious car.
Many of them stopped their work and were staring openly at the car. Some of them were trying to get a rough estimate of the car’s price, while many more were wondering about the presence of the middle-aged man who was apparently rich.
Zhang Ping led the middle-aged man towards an old three-storey building after having a short conversation with the driver.
Such a building was a common sight near the market. The first floor of the building was a shop front selling a wide range of goods ranging from cigarettes, liquor, sugar, and even tea. One of the vendors of a stall outside the building was even blasting music through his loudspeaker.
It was apparent that the middle-aged man was overwhelmed by the spectacle. He had never been in such a horrible environment in his life. He was, however, able to calm his nerves rather quickly due to his excellent upbringing.
The middle-aged man followed Zhang Pin into the narrow stairways of the small building. It was apparent that hygiene was not the priority of the caretaker of the building. Trash littered the floor while the walls were covered with black and brown stains as well as a wide range of flyers.
“What are the second and third floors for?” asked the middle-aged man.
“They’re usually used as storehouses for the vendors. But the rooms might also be rented to laborers working in the construction sites nearby.” came the reply from Zhang Ping.
“I’ve never thought that I’d see such a sight in a city as developed as F City,” a smile appeared on the middle-aged man’s face, “Today is just-” and he stopped mid sentence. Despite his years of quality education, the man was lost for words.
“Places like this exist in every city, boss. It’s only natural for you to not know about this. You don’t mingle with people from places like this.” explained Zhang Ping.
“Are we there yet?” asked the middle-aged man as he followed behind Zhang Ping with light steps. He was worried that the dust on the floor would dirty his shiny leather shoes.
“We’re almost there. It’s on the third floor.”
The hygiene on the third floor was significantly better than the mess that was the second floor. It was obvious that the ground was cleaned regularly, although not as thorough. Despite its slightly better condition, the walls on the third floor were still covered with flyers and posters.
A metal door stood in the way of the duo. Zhang Ping pushed past the door, and motioned for the middle-aged man to follow.
The middle-aged man scrutinized his surroundings for a brief moment before finally following after Zhang Ping.
Despite the lack of odor, the third floor was still ringing from the music from below, a reminder that the duo was still in the poverty stricken suburbs. The middle-aged man looked out of a window from the corridor, and spotted the skyscrapers of F City standing tall under the bright sun. Heh, I was there in a meeting this morning. Can’t believe I’m now in a completely different place even when I’m still in the same city.
A smile appeared on the man’s face. Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re gonna get. He thought.
The clacking of high heels rang out in the hallway, drawing the attention of Zhang Ping and the middle-aged man. It was a young woman in short skirts. Her long legs were not covered by pantyhose favored by women of her age, exposing her thighs to the bright sunlight. The woman’s hips were swaying as she walked on her shoes with heels that were 10 centimeters long. She wore no makeup, apparently confident in her natural appearance.
One could easily tell that the woman was cleaning up after a meal judging from the stacks of plates and bowls in her hands. She was momentarily stunned when she noticed the presence of Zhang Ping, “Are you Zhang Ping?”
“Yes, I am.” Zhang Ping nodded with a smile, “I’m looki-”
The woman ignored Zhang Ping and shouted into the room behind her, “Go clean these up, Little Liu!”
“Alright, I’m on it!” a voice responded, followed by a young man in white t-shirt who took the dishes from the woman before brushing past Zhang Ping and the middle-aged man.
The woman pulled a wet wipe from her pocket and began cleaning her slender fingers as she made her way to Zhang Ping. She greeted the middle-aged man with a smile, “I’m sorry you have to see that, Mr.Shu. My name is Death Blossom.”
Death Blossom! Zhang Ping, and even the man behind him were shocked. Death Blossom was a top-tier Rogue. It had been 10 years since the name had first appeared. The name was always among the top players in countless games until it abruptly disappeared one day.
Zhang Ping expected Death Blossom to be someone in her mid 30s, but the woman standing before him was in her mid 20s.
Is she simply very young, or she’s just very good at maintaining her appearance?
“It’s nice to meet you. How lucky am I to meet the famous Death Blossom here today.” Mr.Shu extended his arm to shake the extended hand of Death Blossom. He smiled and nodded at the woman with sincerity written clearly on his face.
Death Blossom snickered in response, “I’ve always found gentlemanly men to be boring, but you proved me wrong. Now that I’ve met you, Mr.Shu, I think that a gentle man is the best type of man. Their words are so sweet that they can easily make a woman swoon.”
Mr.Shu maintained a neutral expression despite hearing her words, “I’m wondering if you can bring us to Mr.Breeze.”
Death Blossom pursed her lips and studied Mr.Shu up and down openly. She then brushed her hair to a side with her slender fingers and headed to a room at the end of the corridor, “This way please.” she said with a smile.
Mr.Shu attempted to look into the rooms at both sides of the corridor, but his curiosity was left unsatisfied as most of the doors were closed while the entrances to the rest of the rooms were covered.
It did not take long for the duo to reach the room at the end of the hallway.
The room was the largest on the entire floor, and it was partitioned into two smaller rooms. The door of the inner room remained closed while the outer room was visible to all. The small outer room was fitted with a desk with a triple monitor setup and a chair. A man was sitting at the desk, and his face was obstructed by the monitor.
Sofas and a small coffee table were placed on the other side of the room. A small pot of bonsai sat on the table. It was apparent that the bonsai was well taken care of. The room itself was air conditioned, which liberated Mr.Shu from the afternoon heat.
The man continued staring at his monitor when Death Blossom stomped into the room, “Who did you get to wash the dishes this time? It’s not nice of you to get these men to do the dishes for you all the time.”
“Stop sounding so pompous, you never help out!” Death Blossom scoffed at the man.
“I’m busy today. Haven’t I helped you out whenever you’re free?”
“Bullshit! You’re busy 360 days out of the 365 we get a year!” Death Blossom snorted, “By the way, Mr.Zhang and Mr.Shu are here.”
The man sat up straight and stared at the men behind Death Blossom. His facial expression remained neutral as he greeted the duo, “Would you like something to drink? Maybe tea? Or perhaps plain water?”
Zhang Ping had been around his boss for a long time. He was used to the sight of his boss being treated warmly and with respect even when such treatment was not out of sincerity.
The man, however, seemed to be indifferent to the presence of his boss.
“I guess it’s better if you get these gentlemen a cup of water each. They might not be used to our low grade tea.” the man smiled at Death Blossom, “Get me a cup as well. A big one. Your cooking is too salty today.”
Mr.Shu was not offended by the man’s behavior. He was even looking at him with a hint of admiration.
Death Blossom rolled her eyes and stomped away, “Is it not enough that I’m cooking for you? I swear I’ll lace your food with rat poison one of these days. You won’t even get to eat at all!”