"A-Hua!"
The sharp shout jolted Gou Feng awake.
His eyes flew open.
For a moment, he stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling above him, his mind struggling to catch up with reality.
Something felt wrong.
He wasn't sitting anymore.
He was now lying across the back seat of a car.
Panic surged through him.
Had he fallen asleep?
But when?
He could clearly remember crying in the driver's seat. He remembered the memories, the voices, and the pain in his chest.
After that...
Nothing.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
Where had those missing hours gone?
Instinct took over.
Gou Feng shot upright and immediately pulled the gun concealed at his waist, aiming it toward the front of the vehicle.
Only to freeze.
Huan Zhan sat behind the wheel, calmly driving.
"Easy there." Huan Zhan raised one hand.
"It's just me."
He glanced at Gou Feng through the rearview mirror.
"Finally awake?"
Gou Feng lowered the gun but didn't return it to its holster immediately.
His head throbbed.
His thoughts felt sluggish.
"What just..."
The words died in his throat. He pressed a hand against his forehead and forced himself to breathe.
"What am I doing to your car? What happened? How come you're here?"
His voice sounded rough and strained, as though he had been screaming for hours.
Huan Zhan spared him a glance.
The relief on his face was impossible to miss.
"Well, according to the tracker, you hadn't moved from the same location for almost five hours."
"Five hours?" Gou Feng repeated.
His stomach dropped.
Huan Zhan nodded.
"So I came to check on you. When I got there, I found you unconscious inside your car."
His expression darkened slightly.
"You scared the hell out of me."
Gou Feng fell silent.
Five hours…
A strange unease settled deep within him.
Was it because of those strange memories?
Before he could dwell on the thought, another wave of exhaustion washed over him.
"Is everything okay?" Huan Zhan asked.
Gou Feng rubbed his aching temples.
"Yeah."
The answer came automatically.
"Just tired."
Huan Zhan looked unconvinced but didn't press further.
Gou Feng was grateful for that.
The truth was, he didn't know how to explain what had happened to him.
How was he supposed to tell Huan Zhan about the strange memories, the voices that felt so real, or the overwhelming grief that had left him in tears for people he had never met?
Even he couldn't make sense of it.
With a weary sigh, he leaned back against the seat and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position.
Slowly, he forced his tense muscles to relax, willing his racing thoughts to settle.
For now, he didn't want to think about it. He was simply too exhausted.
The familiar presence of his best friend eased some of the tension in his chest.
At least for now.
"What about A-Jiu?" he asked after a moment
"And my car?"
"Already taken care of." Huan Zhan shrugged.
"I called someone to drive your car back home. As for A-Jiu, he's waiting at our usual place."
Gou Feng nodded weakly.
"Thank you."
His eyelids felt unbearably heavy.
The pounding in his head had not eased, and neither had the lingering sadness left behind by those strange memories.
As the steady hum of the engine filled the silence, Gou Feng closed his eyes once more and slowly drifted back to sleep.
"You've arrived!"
The woman behind the counter looked up eagerly as the bells above the glass door chimed. Her face brightened with a hopeful smile, anticipation fluttering in her chest.
She had been waiting all day.
For a brief moment, she thought it was the person she was waiting for the whole day, but the instant she saw who had entered, her smile froze.
Standing in the doorway was Hei Bao.
Her excitement vanished as quickly as it had come.
"Expecting Cheung Qi?" Hei Bao asked, one eyebrow arching in amusement.
"Or should I say your fuck buddy?"
The woman's face immediately turned red.
Embarrassment washed over her as she lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.
Hei Bao didn't need an answer. The scent lingering on her skin told him everything he needed to know.
Another one of Cheung Qi's latest amusements.
How troublesome.
"Get me my usual coffee."
The command left no room for argument.
The woman hurried to the register, her fingers trembling as she navigated the order screen.
"Is there anything el—"
"That's all."
Hei Bao cut her off.
"I'll wait four minutes."
Without another glance, he headed toward his usual seat beside the large mirror.
The coffee shop occupied the second floor of one of his company's buildings. Though technically open to employees, everyone knew this place belonged to him.
Or more accurately, everyone knew better than to disturb him when he was here.
A young employee soon approached with his order.
"Excuse me, sir."
Hei Bao glanced up briefly.
The young man bowed respectfully before placing the latte on the table and retreating.
A moment later, he walked to the entrance and flipped the sign.
Closed.
The familiar routine.
Whenever the pack leader wished to be alone, no one else entered.
Normally, the coffee shop was where Hei Bao came to clear his mind.
One hour.
One cup of coffee.
A little silence.
Usually, that was enough.
Today, however, nothing seemed to work.
No matter how much he tried to push the encounter from earlier out of his thoughts, it kept returning.
Like a thorn lodged beneath his skin.
Like a splinter he couldn't remove.
Mate.
The word echoed endlessly inside his head.
Mate.
Mate.
Mate.
His grip tightened around the coffee cup.
Annoyance simmered beneath his calm exterior.
He took a careless sip.
The coffee was still too hot.
The burn on his tongue finally snapped the last thread of his patience.
"Fuck!"
The curse shattered the peaceful atmosphere.
Several employees immediately stiffened. Some nearly dropped what they were carrying.
Hei Bao slammed the cup onto the table.
"Mate?" he muttered, then more loudly he shouted.
"MATE?"
His expression darkened.
"Are you kidding me?"
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
"I spent two hundred years searching."
His voice rose with every word.
"And now some random man casually shows, and you easily throw around the word 'mate' as if it means nothing?" He pointed towards his inner wolf, Leo, who immediately mumbled the word mate earlier.
The cup cracked beneath his grip.
"I don't believe it."
The silence that followed was terrifying.
Employees exchanged frightened glances before quietly disappearing into the kitchen.
Nobody wanted to be nearby when Hei Bao was angry.
They valued their lives far too much for that.
Taking a deep breath, Hei Bao forced himself to calm down.
One breath to another. Slowly, the murderous urge receded.
Almost, but then the door opened.
His eyes twitched.
A young woman stepped inside carrying a stack of documents.
Clearly, she hadn't noticed the large CLOSED sign hanging on the door.
"D-Director?"
Chu Yan froze the moment she spotted him.
Hei Bao stared, and she stared back.
Neither moved.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward and deadly.
Chu Yan swallowed.
"Director, do you know where everyone went?" she asked nervously.
"The coffee shop seems empty. Did they all go for lunch? Do the staff here have lunch breaks?"
The cup landed on the table with a sharp thud.
Hei Bao slowly raised his eyes toward her.
"Tell me." His voice was far too calm.
"If you walk into a place full of people and suddenly find it empty..."
He leaned back in his chair.
"What conclusion would you reach?"
Chu Yan immediately felt her soul leave her body. Fear seized her chest.
Her palms became slick with sweat.
What did I do?
Am I getting fired?
Am I going to die?
Before she could answer, Hei Bao stood.
The pressure in the room intensified instantly.
"Are you all planning to stay hidden?" he called toward the kitchen,
"Or should I start firing people?"
A chorus of terrified employees immediately emerged.
One by one. Like frightened rabbits leaving their burrow.
Hei Bao watched them with cold amusement before his gaze returned to Chu Yan.
She was trying very hard not to look terrified.
Unfortunately, she was failing miserably.
He stepped closer. Until he stood directly in front of her.
He leaned down and quietly said,
"If you value your life, learn to read the sign next time."
Chu Yan nodded so quickly she nearly gave herself whiplash.
"Y-Yes, Director."
Satisfied, Hei Bao straightened and walked out.
The moment the door closed behind him, the entire coffee shop exhaled. Some collapsed into a chair, while the others leaned against the counter and muttered a prayer of gratitude.
Chu Yan slowly sat down and placed the documents on the table.
Only then did she realize her hands were shaking.
Tears of relief welled in her eyes.
For a terrifying moment, she had genuinely thought she wasn't leaving that coffee shop alive.
How could she have been so careless?
This coffee shop was practically their boss's private sanctuary whenever he wanted peace. Everyone in the company knew that.
Yet somehow, in her rush to deliver the documents, she had completely forgotten.
The thought alone made her want to cry.
Pressing a trembling hand against her chest, Chu Yan tried to steady her breathing.
She didn't know what kind of luck had descended upon her today, but she was profoundly grateful for it.
At the very least, she was still alive.
And judging by how furious Hei Bao had been when she walked in, that was no small miracle.
A shaky laugh escaped her lips.
Perhaps she should stop by a temple after work and offer a few sticks of incense in thanks.
After all, surviving a furious pack leader was not something most people could brag about.