Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 25

25

Luo Hetu and her companion arrived at the scene. Qianbao had no customers left, Ye Qingzhu was nowhere to be seen, and only a cleaning lady was sitting idly by.

Seeing Xiao Wu, the cleaning lady slapped her thigh and exclaimed, “They’ve all been taken away by the police!”

Luo Hetu noticed several flowerpots knocked over on the ground, a few pieces of the marble countertop shattered, and the worst damage was in the KTV’s mini-mart, where shelves and all the liquor bottles were smashed on the floor.

“Who did this?” Luo Hetu asked.

“It was a few customers causing trouble. They were yelling for the waitstaff, and they even demanded that Xiao Ba perform a striptease for them.”

Xiao Ba was a female alpha, strikingly beautiful, known for her fighting skills and holding grudges. Most people wouldn’t dare mess with her lightly.

“Xiao Ba wasn’t going to put up with that, and those guys were asking for it. Somehow, it turned into a fight. Our people jumped in to help, but during the brawl, it felt like someone kept hitting us with sneak attacks. Coming to our turf to cause trouble already had everyone pissed off, so the fight just got messier. The boss saw things spiraling and told me to go to the hospital to find you.”

Luo Hetu thought to herself that this was likely a deliberate setup.

“Even the troublemakers were taken to the police station?” she asked.

“Yeah, the police showed up really quick.”

Xiao Wu added, “It’s weird, though. When have the police ever been that fast?”

Luo Hetu frowned, pulled out two hundred yuan from her pocket, and handed it to Xiao Wu. “Get someone to clean up the shop. I’ll go check on things.”

She took a cab to the police station, only to be told that due to the number of people involved, they’d been sent to the sub-bureau because the station was too small. So, she headed to the sub-bureau. As soon as she stepped into the lobby, she saw seven or eight waitstaff in their uniforms lined up, along with Ye Qingzhu. One of them was being questioned by the police. There were also a few unfamiliar faces—likely the troublemakers, judging by their rough appearances.

“What’s your business here?” a beta police officer at the entrance asked her.

“I’m their family. I’m here to check on the situation,” she replied.

“It’s still under investigation. No need for family to pick anyone up yet. Come back later,” the officer said.

Ye Qingzhu and the troublemakers spotted her. Those who had been sitting listlessly suddenly perked up, as if seeing a loved one.

Luo Hetu gave them a subtle signal with her eyes and struck up a friendly conversation with the beta officer. “Sir, are you all working late tonight to question them?”

“Don’t pry,” the officer snapped, but seeing her harmless smile, he added, “We’re all on duty tonight.”

Luo Hetu left but returned half an hour later with Xiao Wu, carrying bags of food and drinks.

“Thought you might get hungry tonight, so we brought some food from Fugui Restaurant. Eat while it’s hot,” she said as Xiao Wu handed out portions to each officer. Luo Hetu also gave every officer a cup of “Shanhe Tuling” milk tea.

The officers, now holding their meals, softened their attitudes. The lead interrogator asked, “Are you family?”

“Yes.”

“Whose family?”

Luo Hetu glanced at the eight pairs of hopeful eyes in front of her and said, “All of them.”

The officers: …

They didn’t let her stay long, pointing to the holding cells. “We won’t finish questioning tonight. They’ll stay there for the night—alphas, betas, and omegas are separated, so no worries. We’ll call you when there’s an update.”

As they left the sub-bureau, Xiao Wu asked, “What do we do now, Boss Luo?”

Luo Hetu didn’t know either. She told Xiao Wu to go home and rest. It was already late, and as Luo Hetu started heading home, a nagging unease stopped her. She turned back to Qianbao.

Just after they left, a glamorous female omega in a suit and a middle-aged male beta descended the stairs.

The officers, who were eating, stood up abruptly.

The middle-aged man waved them off. “Eat, eat. Hey, is this that famous milk tea? My daughter’s had it before.”

The officer in charge of questioning, a minor leader, responded, “A family member brought it earlier. They asked when we’d release them, but we told them to go rest for now.”

The man nodded, not pressing further, and escorted the guest out.

The woman got into a car waiting for her. The man waved until the car turned the corner, then returned to the bureau.

The car glided through the night. Cheng Youqing stared out the window, lost in thought.

She had been discussing business with the sub-bureau chief, whose office on the second floor had a window overlooking the interrogation hall. By chance, she saw Ye Qingzhu and Luo Hetu delivering food and milk tea.

She asked the chief a few questions and learned it was just a typical brawl among thugs—lock them up for a bit, and they’d be released.

Cheng Youqing knew Ye Qingzhu had been close to Luo Hetu back when they were both delinquents in the south of the city. Later, they opened a milk tea shop together. This time, she inquired further and learned Ye Qingzhu was now the boss of the highly profitable Qianbao KTV.

The alphas, former delinquents, were polite and serious when answering the police’s questions, showing a surprising degree of refinement.

From upstairs, Cheng Youqing could see they listened to Ye Qingzhu.

And Luo Hetu, carrying bags of food and drinks, remained relaxed and approachable despite her own delinquent past and the need to curry favor with the police. Her harmless, likable demeanor made it seem like nothing in the world could faze her.

Cheng Youqing mentally chalked this up to Luo Hetu’s carefree, almost heartless nature.

Sure enough, the moment this “heartless” woman showed up, the officers’ attitudes noticeably softened. One female officer even kept smiling at her.

From what Cheng Youqing could tell, Luo Hetu, Ye Qingzhu, and Qianbao were tightly connected. The delinquents lit up when they saw Luo Hetu, like cubs who’d been bullied outside spotting a protective adult.

This young alpha, it seemed, was surprisingly dependable.

Cheng Youqing let out a long breath. Her assistant, concerned, said, “If you’re tired, rest a bit. You haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

Cheng Youqing replied, “Back to the company.”

She handled some work at the office, and by the time she left, it was late. As her car turned a corner on the way home, it passed Qianbao.

It was late, the streets nearly empty. Qianbao, usually aglow with lights, was dark. Cheng Youqing glanced over and caught sight of several figures slipping through the entrance.

Her brow furrowed, and she ordered the car to pull over.

The uninvited guests, armed with sticks, moved quickly. The leader deftly picked the lock, and they slid the glass door open, slipping inside with practiced ease.

They closed the door behind them, and one let out a relaxed whistle. “Alright, brothers, smash everything! Don’t leave a single thing intact!”

“Woo-hoo!”

Their glee lasted a second before one of them was struck by a heavy blow, collapsing like a sack.

The intruders froze, shocked. “Who’s there?!”

How was someone still here?

The room was pitch black, impossible to see in. Another intruder took two blows to his back and arm, the force so strong he felt his bones break. He collapsed, too pained to even groan.

The intruders were terrified. Unable to see, afraid of hitting their own, they could only shout, “Who’s playing tricks?! Ye Qingzhu? Aren’t you still at the station?!”

The moon peeked through the clouds, casting soft light through the glass door.

The intruders finally saw their attacker: a single person, holding a stick in each hand, wearing a white rat mask. The eerie sight left them speechless.

They didn’t speak, and neither did the figure. The moment the sticks moved, the intruders screamed, “It’s just one person! Let’s take them down!”

After sending Xiao Wu home, Luo Hetu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Qianbao was a big target, and in this era, the justice system wasn’t robust. Delinquents were everywhere, and bosses of karaoke bars, video halls, and arcades often had shady ties. Fights were common. Ye Qingzhu had mentioned before that Qianbao had dealt with troublemakers plenty of times, but the alpha-heavy crew always handled them. This time, though, the police had shown up unusually fast, rounding everyone up. No matter how Luo Hetu thought about it, it felt wrong.

With Qianbao now empty, someone might take advantage of the situation.

And Luo Hetu couldn’t help but suspect this had something to do with the male lead. In the story, he was ruthless, doing whatever it took to get what he wanted. Thinking back to Chun Yuyan’s sudden visit the other day, it didn’t seem random—Zhang Sheng was likely already targeting her.

With that in mind, Luo Hetu returned to Ye Qingzhu’s place first, then took a cab back to Qianbao.

Under the night sky, the usually vibrant shop looked desolate without its lights.

Luo Hetu unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it again, twisting the chain lock to make it seem like no one had entered.

In the darkness, she dragged a chair to face the entrance, opened the long bag she’d been carrying, and pulled out two sticks.

She wrapped her hands and arms with tape to cushion the impact of any fighting.

Sitting in the dark, she stared at the door, waiting. Maybe someone would come, maybe not.

When she finally heard a sound outside, Luo Hetu exited the system she’d been using to pass the time and slipped on a Pikachu mask she’d grabbed.

Cheng Youqing wasn’t sure why she got out of the car. When she saw those stick-wielding figures slip into Qianbao, she had the driver stop nearby. She could’ve waited in the car—safer that way—but she stepped out anyway.

Her assistant, a female beta, followed closely. Though Cheng Youqing would’ve preferred a stronger alpha assistant, she couldn’t stand their scent. If danger arose, her assistant might not be much help.

Cheng Youqing crept to Qianbao’s entrance, hiding in the shadows where the moonlight didn’t reach.

Through the glass, she vaguely saw a fight. The sound of sticks hitting flesh was dull and painful.

Figures flashed in the dimness. Cheng Youqing watched silently, noticing one tall, lean figure wielding sticks with fluid, powerful strikes. In the faint light, their muscles stood out, possibly slick with sweat or bl00d, moving like a relentless force—almost like a violent thug.

Time passed, perhaps only briefly. Soon, no figures moved, and no sounds remained.

Cheng Youqing knew she might be facing the victor of a brutal brawl, someone radiating violence. They’d likely notice her standing at the door. The smart move was to leave now, get back to the car, and be safe.

But she didn’t move.

She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for.

To her cautious assistant, Cheng Youqing had only stood there a few minutes when the glass door swung open. Out stepped a figure in a yellow Pikachu mask, holding a stick.

The assistant stepped in front of Cheng Youqing, whispering urgently, “Ms. Cheng, let’s go!”

It was a bit late to run now.

The Pikachu mask turned toward them, eerie in the moonlight. The figure’s arms, exposed in a tank top, were sharply defined with muscle, possibly stained with bl00d.

No way they could win a fight.

The assistant’s heart sank. Their car was just across the street—if they could get there, they’d be safe. The figure was alone, after all.

She grabbed Cheng Youqing’s arm, ready to bolt.

“Ms. Cheng!”

A cheerful, innocent female voice rang out.

The assistant’s brain short-circuited. That voice didn’t fit the bloodied, stick-wielding Pikachu figure in this tense atmosphere.

The figure opened Qianbao’s door, quickly tossed the stick inside, and patted their pants, looking a bit shy and embarrassed. “What are you doing here so late? Want to come in and sit? Oh, maybe not— just dealt with some bad guys.”

The assistant: …

Cheng Youqing paused, then said one word: “Okay.”