My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Xu Binchen and Ru Meiqi were still standing in the middle of the room when Si Yusheng closed the door behind him. Both of them glanced at each other and when Xu Binchen wanted to open his mouth, Ru Meiqi suddenly fell on his body, her arms around his shoulder as she gave a signal.

He followed her line of sight to see a faint blinking red light of surveillance camera.

Curses slipped out of his mouth.

Then, without any further ado, Xu Binchen walked to the camera with a sour face. His expression was terrifyingly dark as he said coldly. "I thought that Manager Si is going to give us the greatest service. But it seems like I have overestimated you." He chuckled, yet his eyes were dark.

In the control room, the staff who was responsible for overviewing the surveillance record broke out in cold sweat as he met Xu Binchen's piercing eyes across the screen. He jumped from his seat like his butt was burning, all colors drained from his face.

How could he find the hidden CCTV in the blink of an eye? How terrifying!

In the next second, the screen showing Xu Binchen's face shut down abruptly and only the black and white buzzing remained. The staff gulped nervously and hurriedly picked up the interphone. "M—Manager Si? This is Xiao Feng, the customer in room 8…"

Meanwhile, back in room 8, Ru Meiqi was rendered speechless.

Xu Binchen raised one of his brows and gave her a lofty glance that said 'I didn't break my character, did I?'

Ru Meiqi didn't know what to say except to give him a thumbs up.

Xu Binchen rolled his forefingers around the room and Ru Meiqi understood. She scanned the surrounding quickly, eliminating the possible places of where the hidden surveillance camera would be and shook her head in the end. There was no more CCTV…but they didn't know about listening bugs.

He got the message and sat himself on the couch, sneering. "I see that there's nothing good about this 'Dreamscape Bar'. What fucking greatest benefit? Just a bunch of dogs that aren't worthy to lick my shoes."

Ru Meiqi gave flattering words. "Young Master Xu is right. How can they spy on you?! I think that they don't want their business anymore!"

"What do you say? Should I make it so that it can't operate any longer?"

As he expected, in the next second, a series of knocks resounded through the room. Manager Si reappeared with an apologetic look and his smile looked much more sincere. "My deepest apologies, Mr.Xu. It isn't our intention to pry on your privacy but we need to take greatest caution on newcomers."

Xu Binchen sneered and rolled his eyes.

Even though he was in a lower position right now, the way he sat was exceedingly regal and domineering as if he was the king and the couch was his golden throne. Manager Si hurriedly soothed him, finally giving the answer that they wanted to hear. "It's okay, Young Master Xu. There won't be anything like this anymore. This is just our last test for you and you have proven worthy to be a VIP member in this bar."

Xu Binchen still looked impatient. "Remove the listening bugs."

Manager Si was startled.

Xu Binchen laughed mockingly. "Do you think I am stupid?"

"No, no, of course not." Manager Si smiled and gave a series of commands on his tablet. Less than a minute later, two servants in the same uniform as the bartender entered, their eyes lowered and their behavior humble. They didn't look anywhere as they moved dexterously, removing the listening bugs in inconspicuous places like the bottom of TV, inside the bathroom, on windowsill and many more secret places that made Ru Meiqi break out in cold sweat.

Fortunately…fortunately they reacted fast and didn't give anything away.

Well, it was mainly because Xu Binchen's character was too strong that no one dared to defy him.

The door closed again behind the servants and awkward silence descended onto the room. Xu Binchen hadn't gotten the chance to explore yet but based on the interior, he could make out that the room was similar to a hotel suite. They were in the spacious and luxurious living room, while there was a bedroom, bathroom and one closed door whose purpose he had no idea of.

Manager Si gave a smile. "As a token of our sincerity, today's wine will be on the bar."

Only then did Xu Binchen's face eased up slightly which made Manager Si silently let out a sigh of relief. Another servant came in with a tray carrying a bottle of wine, two empty glasses with ice cubes and a glass of rose colored liquid with small pieces of fruits in it.

Manager Si popped open the cork himself and poured the wine into two glasses. A smooth, mellow and intoxicating scent of liquor wafted into the air and Xu Binchen's eyes turned half lidded as he inhaled the fragrance. A fleeting smile curled up on his lips. "Hmm, truly a good wine."

"Yes, Sir." Manager Si raised one glass. "How about a welcoming toast?"

Xu Binchen reached out for the glass while his other arm wrapped around Ru Meiqi's shoulder. He twirled the glass around and saw the carmine liquid made its trail on the glass, its color was velvety and delicate, much like a cherished lover.

Then, he clung his glass against Manager Si's and took a sip. His Adam apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed. The elegance and poise he exuded was truly captivating, full of irresistible male charm. The savoury tartness and faint blackberry scent filled his cavity as the taste gradually manifested into an everlasting sweetness.

Finally, Xu Binchen's mood was elevated. "Good."

Manager Si took a sip himself and his eyes brightened up. "I have to thank Mr.Xu or else this wine will be hidden under the cellar until God-knows-when. It's because of Mr.Xu that I can taste this legendary wine. I offer this toast to you, may we have a smooth cooperation!"

Xu Binchen raised his glass. "Smooth cooperation."

Both men dried their glasses and came to a tacit understanding.

Ru Meiqi felt like it was her turn to perform, so she leaned forward with a longing look. "I want to taste it too…"

"No." Xu Binchen curtly rejected. "You can't bear it. Just drink your Sangria obediently."

Ru Meiqi showed a sad look but inwardly she was grumbling. Free wine! She also wanted to taste this legendary wine and because it was free, it should taste twice as savoury! Disgruntled, she could only reach for her Sangria and slowly drank it sip by sip.

Manager Si threw a meaningful look. "May I ask what kind of service you seek? We will do our best to fulfill it."

Xu Binchen tapped on his thigh. "I just want to have fun, can I?"

"Of course you can. Then…"

"Show me your best offer." Xu Binchen smiled, his eyes brightened in anticipation.

Manager Si smiled widely. He liked this kind of guest the most! He readily offered another tablet to Xu Binchen and opened a new page where multiple goods lined up with a short description. Xu Binchen scrolled down without any expression. As he expected, there was an exchange of drugs here.

How many years had it been? And the bar had been operating under the government's nose…how terrifying.

Ru Meiqi showed a perfectly blank look toward a variety of drugs that were sold like potato chips in supermarkets. She pointed at the bottommost corner curiously. "What is this special offer for first timer?"

"Ah, that." Manager Si's smile deepened. "It's a special service, we called it 'The Abyss of Ecstasy'"

Ru Meiqi didn't act confused—she truly didn't understand while Xu Binchen understood it instantly. This kind of offer…how was it different from a brothel and human trafficking? Maybe because the dealers were men in suits? Or because both parties were willing?

His smile grew more profound as he laughed. "Truly a pleasant surprise. I wonder if I will have the luck to enjoy this service tonight?"

"Of course. Just treat it as a show of sincerity from me. What kind of goods does Mr.Xu like? We have a lot of stock in our warehouse, I guarantee that you will find the kind you like."

As a domineering and money burning young master, of course Xu Binchen's reaction was: "Take all of them out. I want to choose by myself."

Manager Si—after seeing his behavior tonight—wasn't surprised any longer. He sent a few commands into his tablet and as they waited, both men chatted amicably. The tip of Ru Meiqi's fingers turned cold as realization finally dawned on her.

Her face paled slightly but because of the thick makeup, it didn't look as conspicuous. However, Xu Binchen still noticed it. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder while his fingers gave a sign behind her back. "Scared? Don't worry, my favorite will always be you. We will only be playing today."

The underlying meaning was: "How can you be scared just like this? Don't be a weakling and drag me down, okay?"

Ru Meiqi took a deep breath and hugged Xu Binchen's arm while in fact, she was pinching him with all her might. Veins popped up in Xu Binchen's forehead and his eyes darkened. Ru Meiqi cried softly. "I know, you will always love me…"

Her meaning was: "Let's see who will first go out of character!"

Manager Si didn't notice anything. The door was knocked and he went to receive it. Then, all of a sudden, the room turned crowded. There were ten, fifteen people who came in, all wearing black collars around their necks. As Si Yusheng said, Xu Binchen could truly find all kinds of types. The gentle type, wild type, melancholic type, rebelling type, cold type, seductive type…

To his surprise, there were even males! Their figures were pale, slender and lanky. As they looked up and saw Xu Binchen, their eyes lit up with a layer of watery mist, pleading and begging for him to take them.

In one scan, Xu Binchen discovered that 80% of them didn't react even when they were displayed like goods, while the rest lowered their heads in humiliation and pain.

So, this was the secret of Dreamscape Bar.

Truly…exciting and marvelous.

The main question was: did this exchange have anything to do with the serial killer's first victim?