lovenovelstory Chapter 69 Going Upstairs
Chapter 69 Going Upstairs
(This is the third update today, making up for yesterday's part.)
Leaning against the window, Yin'e leaned forward slightly, his forehead almost touching the gauze curtain.
His gaze pierced through the thin fabric, fixed intently on Juxianju across the street.
The three-story building was brightly lit, and the waiter's figure moved about in the lantern light.
But he couldn't see anything.
The book "Overheard" floated quietly to his right, its pages faintly glowing, visible only to him.
On the page, after Batu's name, the monitoring status light was on.
He knew that Batu was trapped at the bottom of the third-floor staircase, unable to move forward or backward.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and he became tense as well.
"Tenth Brother, come over and have another drink. What are you standing there like an idiot for?" Ninth Brother's voice came from behind, tinged with alcohol and dissatisfaction.
"Standing there like a gatekeeper, staring intently at the other side—you think you can make something out of nothing?"
"Yeah, didn't you say the operation wouldn't happen until late at night? What time is it now? Come on over, don't just stand there."
Lao Ba's voice was gentler, but it also carried a hint of urging.
Yin'e did not move.
He still frowned, his gaze fixed on the square of Juxianju.
"Tenth Brother!" The Ninth Brother's voice rose a few decibels.
A hand landed on his shoulder from behind.
Yin'e shuddered and turned around abruptly. The Eighth Prince had somehow appeared behind him and was looking at him with a strange expression.
Lao Ba's gaze moved from his face to his right hand, and then from his right hand to the front of him.
Yin'e's hand was in a strange posture, with his five fingers slightly spread and his palm facing upward, as if he was holding up something unseen.
"What are you doing? This is so strange." Lao Ba frowned.
Yin'e was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his hand, turned around, faced the Eighth Prince, and forced a smile.
"Oh, it's nothing... I'm just a little nervous, so I wanted to keep a close eye on things." He rubbed his hands together, looking embarrassed.
Lao Ba's gaze lingered on his face for a couple of moments, as if trying to determine whether he was telling the truth or trying to hide something.
Then Lao Ba looked away, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a gentle tone, "What's there to be nervous about? It's not like you're the one going."
Old Nine's voice drifted over from the table again, tinged with a hint of disdain: "It's normal for Old Ten to be nervous on his first mission."
"Come here quickly, have a couple of drinks to calm your nerves. When the time comes, something will happen."
Yin'e gave the Eighth Prince an awkward smile, then clapped his hands and walked back to the table to sit down.
Old Jiu had already poured him a full glass; the wine was clear and had a wonderful aroma.
He picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, sending a chill down his spine.
The stairwell on the third floor of Juxianju.
Batu and the burly man in black stood face to face, like two opposing stone statues.
The big man's arm was still across Batu's chest, completely still.
Batu tried to force his way in. He charged forward once, but the arm not only didn't back down, it pushed forward half an inch and slammed hard into his chest, making his ribs ache.
He tried again, but still couldn't break it open.
The man's body was as steady as if it were rooted to the ground.
The standoff between the two has attracted considerable attention.
The gamblers on the second-floor tables all turned their heads, some craning their necks to look, some whispering among themselves, and some simply putting down their cards and standing up to watch the excitement.
Several people who knew Batu had already started making trouble.
"Oh dear, the young master has been stopped!"
"Isn't this our grassland prince? How come he can't even get to the third floor?"
"Weren't they saying that the young master and Master Gao were so close that he couldn't even get through the door?"
Batu's face burned as if someone had poured boiling oil on it.
His fists were clenched so tightly they cracked.
Countless thoughts were churning in his mind.
Force our way in? No way, absolutely not.
The bigger the commotion, the more difficult things become.
He's just leaving like that? What about the job? What about Tenth Master?
He took a deep breath and suddenly dropped all his seemingly assertive demeanor.
He no longer glared, gritted his teeth, or clenched his fists.
He shrugged, looked up at the burly man, and his tone changed from furious to a calm tinged with helplessness.
"Alright. You're something else. I already told you, it was Master Gao who invited me, not me who wanted to come."
"Since you won't let me in, then go tell Master Gao that I'm not coming in, I'm leaving."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeves, turned around, and walked towards the stairwell.
His pace was neither fast nor slow, his back was straight, and his chin was slightly raised. From behind, he did look quite dashing.
But no one knew that his underwear was already soaked.
His face was burning, his ears were burning, and his whole head felt like it had been stuffed into a furnace.
"The young master is something else! The young master is tough!" Someone shouted from the crowd, the voice sharp and bright, with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Absolutely! They said they wouldn't go in, and they didn't. That's backbone!"
"What backbone? He's just saving face!"
Laughter rose from behind, and Batu felt like a naked man walking through a bustling city.
Every gaze was like a needle, piercing his skin.
His steps began to become heavy, as if someone had tied lead weights to his feet.
He was still more than ten steps away from the stairwell, and every step was agonizing.
"No way, did I really dig a hole for myself?" he cursed himself inwardly. "If I just leave like this, how am I going to explain it to Gao Mengyuan?"
How will we explain this to Tenth Master? How will we explain it to Father?
His hands clenched and unclenched inside his sleeves.
"Do you expect me to turn back? What would become of me, Batu? How could I possibly live in the capital? Most importantly, I can't let them search me!"
He paused, almost stopping.
"Forget it, let's get out of here first and then figure out a solution!" He gritted his teeth and quickened his pace.
He lowered his head, staring at the stairs beneath his feet, and descended step by step. His hand was already reaching for the doorknob at the top of the stairs.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the doorknob, the door behind him slammed open.
"Young Master, please wait!"
The voice wasn't loud, but it was urgent.
He slowly turned around.
Sun Yongfu stood at the top of the stairs on the third floor, slightly out of breath, his smile a little fainter than usual.
"Master Gao requests your presence!"
The three words, clear and distinct, pierced through the noisy voices on the second floor and reached Batu's ears.
The surroundings fell silent instantly.
The voices of those who were just making a fuss, mocking, and watching the spectacle suddenly fell silent.
Several gamblers stared wide-eyed, their expressions frozen.
All eyes were on Batu.
Batu stood at the top of the stairs, his hand still hovering next to the doorknob.
His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
He straightened his cuffs, then turned around, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth revealing a lukewarm smile.
Batu walked up to the burly man in black.
The burly man had already withdrawn his arm, stood to the side with his head down, and remained expressionless.
As Batu walked past him, he muttered a low "humph," then stepped over the threshold and went inside.