275 Jin Lan

When he woke up next, he found his wounds bandaged and a new set of clothes on his body. Very soon Fei Yan came back with some water and food for him. Wu Zhang asked in a hoarse voice, "I thought you asked not to give me any food or water. What is with all this hospitality?

"I did. But I do not want you to die. How else would I torture you otherwise?" She responded with a sickly-sweet smile. "It was also for the very the same reason that I even got you patched up. So that I can tear you apart again, much worse this time, of course." No matter how what her words were, her smile never disappeared. 

With that, she brought the bottle of water near his mouth and waited for him to drink it, and to her surprise, Wu Zhang actually didn't refute and guzzled it down all at once. "I thought you had a spine enough to not eat or drink from my hands."

Wu Zhang looked at her in the eyes and said, "Just like you, I also don't want to die without killing you first." This was actually true, but the main reason was that if he wanted to get out of here, he will need to have some energy. 

Fei Yan looked at him haughtily and then picked up the spoon to feed the food to him and Wu Zhang silently ate it all, without saying anything. After he was done, Fei Yan said, "If only you had been so obedient back then, neither of us would have to go through so much trouble."

Two more days passed by just like that and Wu Zhang even though could have run out of here, he did not attempt because of his injury. During the fight in the forest, the men had attacked his legs and it had taken some time to heal. So he was just waiting for it to get better before he decided to run. Because he had no idea where he was and with the injury on his legs, he was sure he won't be able to go far if he tried to run away the first day. And waiting was better than getting caught later on and raising their guards. He already had something on his mind and he was just waiting to put it to action. With that, he decided to catch on some sleep before the person he was waiting for would come.

The next morning when Wu Zhang woke up, the door opened and the person he been waiting for entered the room, to speak to the man who was keeping guard on Wu Zhang last night.

"Xiao Lan, I will be heading out for a while to take care of some other business. Meanwhile, keep a close watch on him." It was Weng Qin, whom Wu Zhang assumed to be the leader of this gang of hooligans.

The man nodded his head before going close to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, he then said in a low voice, "This is your first big task and it is a very important mission for our gang as well, there must not be any mistakes. Do you understand?"

"Yes, boss! You don't have to remind it to me again and again. You do it every day." Xiao Lan looked slightly annoyed.

As if the man was still worried that the boy might mess things up because he was still young, he then whispered only for the boy to hear, "I know I know. Just, don't you get soft-hearted only because this is your first time seeing the bloodshed. This a common thing in this business and in the future you might see people getting even more injured."

"Boss Weng, you don't have to worry. I am new but I will do a good job. You can leave him to me." Xiao Lan declared and then went to sit in a corner opposite to where Wu Zhang was tied and soon Weng Qin headed out. When Wu Zhang heard the sound of the door closing he slowly opened his eyes again, which fell directly on Xiao Lan who was sitting opposite him, tapping the knuckles of his left hand on the floor at regular intervals and looking at nothing in particular. 

He was observing him until Xiao Lan sensed his gaze on him and tilted his head to meet his eyes. "Why do keep staring at me all the time?" He asked looking slightly awkward; totally unlike the usual roguish attitude men like him had, the boy looked like a noob here.

"You don't seem to be too old," commented Wu Zhang. Despite his tall height, strong features, and poker face that he was carrying, there was something about Xiao Lan's eyes that said he wasn't too old, utmost a teenager. And when Wu Zhang looked closely, he noticed that he hadn't even had his facial hair growth yet as the skin around his chin and jaw looked smooth. And which hoodlum would care to maintain his appearance so much, so this had to be a young boy in front of him.

"What has it got to do with you?" Instead of answering directly, Xiao Lan threw another question at him in return.

Wu Zhang noticed the flash of bafflement in the boy's eyes as if he was getting uncomfortable and his instincts told him that his assumption was right. So instead of answering his question, he threw yet another question, trying to test the waters. "Shouldn't you be going to school at this age, rather than joining a gang of hooligans and indulging in criminal activities?"

The boy looked at Wu Zhang with narrowed eyes and then said in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm as if mocking him. "Do you think I would be sitting here if I had the money to afford my school fees?" When Wu Zhang didn't respond, he continued, "It is easier to preach about righteousness when you have the resources to do it, but not everyone has billions of dollars in their bank accounts. Some of us need to work just to prevent ourselves from dying out of hunger. Now keep your mouth shut! You talk too much."

"When did you drop out?" 

"Why do you keep talking? Don't you think you have been beaten up enough already?"

" Well, I can bet you don't like working here and I happened to have a deal for you. But if you don't want it then fine! Your loss." Wu Zhang shrugged his shoulder slightly and then closed his eyes as if he was going back to sleep, not wanting to bother himself with the boy anymore.

Xiao Lan looked at him with his mouth agape and after contemplating for a while he could not resist asking, "What deal?"

Wu Zhang didn't even bother to open his eyes this time. "Doesn't matter anymore boy, don't disturb me. Let me rest." 

Xiao Lan continued looking at him, with a slightly agitated look as if contemplating whether to speak or not. Wu Zhang didn't even have to look at him to see the dilemma of the boy. He had excellent assessment skills and based on that he had laid his trap and now he was just waiting for Xiao Lan to take the bait, which he was sure that it would happen soon.

Xiao Lan continued looking at Wu Zhang with his lips pressed together as if waiting for him to change his mind and speak about the deal. But when he saw no signs of it happening, he finally spoke out softly, "My name is Jin Lan. Two years back, I dropped out in the second year of junior high school." When the boy finally decided to speak, Wu Zhang reopened his eyes. Xiao Lan still looked as if he was contemplating whether to speak or not before he finally decided in favor of it, "My father... he lost all the money in gambling and ran away. My mother was diagnosed with cancer, so I had to drop out of school and look for ways to earn money, and lastly, I ended up here a few days back."