Chapter 12: The Prey Turned Out to Be Myself

Gao Sijin rarely drank alcohol.

When he was upset, he would go to a bookstore, pick out a few books, and sit in the store’s built-in café for the entire afternoon.

If his mood still hadn’t improved, he would head to one of those quiet, slow bars, order a single cocktail like a Margarita or a Long Island Iced Tea, and leave as soon as he finished it. Spending over a hundred yuan on a drink was already a luxury for him.

Truthfully, he didn’t actually like the taste of alcohol. He drank purely for the atmosphere. Listening to third-rate resident singers belting their hearts out just like him, watching ice cubes crash together in a shaker in a cheerful rhythm—it would slowly calm his heart.

Sometimes the bartender would strike up a conversation, and Gao Sijin was happy to chat along. Other times, it would be silent the whole time, and Gao Sijin enjoyed the quiet just as much.

One small drink, then a cool, easy departure—it wasn’t without its charm.

However, the bar Yu Qingxue dragged Gao Sijin into was a high-energy club. People there weren’t so much drinking as they were using alcohol as an excuse to go wild.

Gao Sijin didn’t get what was so fun about it.

He wasn’t used to champagne. He felt champagne had nothing special besides the loud pop when opening the bottle. Tsingtao Beer was the eternal god.

Yet the man sitting in the VIP booth had ordered a champagne tower. The hostess girls screamed with coquettish, cheeky voices. So-called alcohol was merely a tool for certain people to flaunt their wealth.

Being rich didn’t mean he had to respect you, but in modern society, money was like levels in a game; the richer you were, the more people worshipped you.

Tycoons splurged fortunes here, and bartenders showed off their flair techniques.

Gao Sijin had always thought eating a French cuisine meal was an extravagant affair, but in this bar, the minimum spend for a booth was nearly five figures.

He truly wondered if those people who splurged money so recklessly would regret it after they sobered up. But judging by their clothes, they probably didn’t care about that bit of money.

“Sijin, can you dance?”

Yu Qingxue’s eyes were fixed on the dance floor, not straying from it for a single moment.

“I can’t, and I don’t want to dance in that crowd. If you want to go, go by yourself.”

“Since you’re so resistant to dancing, then let’s just drink.”

She indifferently placed the order.

The first thing to arrive was two bottles of Louis XIII.

Gao Sijin knew nothing about liquor, but when he saw the price of nearly 80,000 yuan, his jaw dropped in shock.

He knew Yu Qingxue was rich, but he never imagined she was this rich.

“Your dad isn’t some coal mine boss, is he?”

“My dad works for the Tsukiyuki Family. Sijin, have you heard of the Tsukiyuki Family?”

It was a completely unfamiliar name. Gao Sijin shook his head, indicating he had no idea.

“Anyway, just drink up. Here, cheers.”

She personally poured brandy for Gao Sijin, then clinked glasses with him. Looking at the amber liquid in the glass, Gao Sijin hesitated for a moment.

Ultimately, he still chose to drink it.

Had to admit, it was worthy of being a ten-thousand-yuan-per-bottle drink. The taste felt mellow, but his tongue wasn’t refined enough to discern the faint, elusive fruity notes.

He still thought cola tasted better.

“Feeling good?”

“Right now, I just want to go home. Give me back my phone. It’s so noisy in here, it’s deafening.”

“Finish the drinks and we’ll find a hotel to stay at, don’t rush.”

“I said I want to go home.”

“Then I’ll drive you back? Let me tell you, I’m already a bit tipsy. If anything happens on the road, don’t blame me when you’re down below.”

“Fine then, we’ll find a hotel after we finish. But we must each book our own room to sleep in.”

“Alright, no problem. Whatever you say.”

Gao Sijin drank glass after glass, feeling his head grow more and more swollen.

Clearly, he didn’t want to drink anymore, but Yu Qingxue never once stopped pouring for him.

“I can’t drink anymore. Can we just leave? We’ve been sitting here for over an hour.”

“This is nothing, keep drinking.” Like a bad-influence friend, Yu Qingxue draped an arm over Gao Sijin’s shoulder, also crossing her long, beautiful legs wrapped in black stockings. They looked exceptionally alluring under the dim lighting.

The two drank several more glasses.

“I really can’t.”

“Are you even a man? So useless. How about this: I’ll drink three glasses for every one you drink, alright?”

“Who are you looking down on?”

Gradually, Gao Sijin’s brain was also overpowered by the alcohol. His face turned beet red, and he felt everything around him spinning, as if he might pass out at any moment.

Swaying unsteadily, his face accidentally bumped into something soft.

“Urp… such a soft pillow… and it has a milky scent…”

“Well, I’m truly honored then.”

Yu Qingxue gently patted Gao Sijin’s forehead. Only then did Gao Sijin clearly see where he had collapsed.

Seeing his drool on her bra, Gao Sijin jolted upright as if shocked.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Gao Sijin said dizzily. “I really will die if I drink more.”

“Still not enough. With that alcohol tolerance, how will you survive in society? Keep your sister company for one more glass.”

“I really can’t.”

“Then shall I feed you mouth-to-mouth?”

“I’ll drink a bit more…”

Seeing that the bottle was already empty, Gao Sijin pulled himself together once more.

It wasn’t because the wine in the glass was expensive that he drank so vigorously; he just didn’t want Yu Qingxue to look down on him.

In a daze, Gao Sijin noticed a burly, broad-shouldered man with a knife scar on his face carrying a woman who had passed out over his shoulder. Was this the legendary “corpse picking”?

Maybe it was alcohol emboldening the coward, but Gao Sijin suddenly felt like something in his heart was about to burst out.

He wanted to stand up and stop the “corpse picking” act, but Yu Qingxue grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Sijin, you know what? The top-tier hunters often appear in the form of prey. That woman isn’t drunk at all.”

Gao Sijin rubbed his eyes, only then noticing that the woman being supported by the man revealed a sinister grin…

In the city, Gao Sijin had always lived a simple life, going to work and coming home, rarely seeing a wider world, let alone witnessing its dark side.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, Sijin, you’re also prey~”

Yu Qingxue whispered into his ear.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Who’s kidding? I’ll harvest your organs soon and sell them on the black market. Don’t scream that it hurts.”

Gao Sijin looked at Yu Qingxue. That soft, charming, and pretty face flickered continuously under the flashing lights, now looking utterly evil and ferocious…

“You’re already drunk. You can’t resist me anymore now.”

He wanted to shout for help, but his mouth was tightly covered by Yu Qingxue’s hand, unable to make the slightest sound.

Yu Qingxue’s slender arm wrapped around Gao Sijin’s neck:

“You’d best behave, or I’ll really get angry, Sijin.”

His head grew dizzier, his tongue number, and Gao Sijin’s struggling grew weaker and weaker.

“Sijin, when drinking in a bar, if you don’t keep an eye on your glass, things can easily go wrong, you know. Getting sexually assaulted, trafficked, or dumped on the street—it’s not just empty rumors.”