Kiss you at Sunset (BL) - Chapter 17

Zhou Shiluo leaned against the wall at the entrance of the property management office, a cigarette between his fingers. He had barely taken a few drags before the weak ember was about to burn out. Frustrated, he flicked the cigarette, and the accumulated ash dispersed in the wind before even reaching the ground.

Although the rain yesterday had been heavy, it stopped quickly. Other than the damp soil in the bushes and a few scattered droplets, there were barely any signs of the storm’s havoc.

He tossed the cigarette butt into the trash can and lit another one. The bitter scent of tobacco clung to him as the chaotic sounds of an argument filled his ears. He frowned slightly, turned his head, and exhaled a wisp of smoke with an air of detachment.

He recognized the woman arguing with the property staff—her surname was Chen. She was the first to discover the poisoning incident and had posted about it in the community group chat. However, Zhou Shiluo had never interacted with her much, only occasionally seeing her while feeding stray dogs. She was an enthusiastic dog lover.

“Ma’am, arguing with me won’t help. We have regulations—unless a homeowner has suffered personal loss, they are not allowed to access surveillance footage at will.”

The speaker was a young man in his twenties. He bent slightly forward, his tone laced with impatience, though he maintained a polite smile.

Zhou Shiluo glanced at him sideways. It was obvious that the property management had sent a rookie to stall the homeowners.

Chen Yuan was no fool—she understood perfectly well. “I am a homeowner. How do I not have the right to see the footage? I don’t want to talk to you. Get your manager out here. I’ll talk to them.”

Zhou Shiluo remained silent. He knew that Chen Yuan would not get the footage. The property management had their reasons for withholding it. Since it wasn’t a life-or-death matter, no one wanted to stir up trouble over two stray dogs.

But he still admired Chen Yuan’s persistence. She had been shouting without pause, yet no matter how loud she was, she couldn’t force the manager hiding inside to show up.

Instead, an elderly man who had been exercising nearby stepped in to persuade her. “Miss, let it go. Even if you see the footage and find out who did it, what can you do? Even if the police got involved, they couldn’t do much. To be blunt, if the culprit got exposed and something happened to them later, those who spread the information could be held responsible. No one wants to get caught up in that mess.”

Chen Yuan, furious, spat twice on the property office steps. The usually well-mannered girl was so angry she even cursed, “What a bunch of trash.”

Seeing her give up, Zhou Shiluo stepped forward and blocked her path as she was about to leave. His brows furrowed slightly, but his voice remained calm. “Where’s the dog?”

Chen Yuan was momentarily stunned. She looked up at him, her eyes swollen and red from crying. She exhaled softly, as if all her strength had been drained. “I buried them under a tree outside the community.”

Hearing this, Zhou Shiluo nodded, said “thank you,” and turned to leave.

The previously buzzing community group chat had died down. Zhou Shiluo, exhausted, walked home. His takeout order sat at his doorstep.

He glanced at it, let out a soft sigh, took out his keys, and opened the door. As soon as he stepped in, he slammed the door shut with a “bang.” Two seconds later, he reopened it, bent down, picked up the neatly placed takeout, and slammed the door shut again.

Zhou Shiluo had no appetite. He tossed the takeout onto the dining table, turned to the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of red wine. He rarely drank anymore; this bottle was a prize from a dinner outing with Liu linshen.

Liu linshen had a peculiar sense of thrift—he firmly believed that anything given for free was of poor quality.

So, Zhou Shiluo ended up taking the “cheap” bottle home.

But when he uncorked it, he realized he had a problem—since he had quit drinking, all the proper glassware had been taken by Liu linshen. During his recent move, he had thrown out most unnecessary items.

The only cup he could think of was a thermal mug that Tan Cui had brought him from overseas years ago.

Zhou Shiluo hesitated seriously between drinking straight from the bottle and using the thermal mug, then decisively abandoned both options.

He went to the kitchen and grabbed an empty bowl—after all, bowls were easier to wash than cups.

Taking a sip, a bittersweet fruit flavor spread in his mouth, instantly reminding him of the saccharine drinks served at village banquets in his childhood.

Liu linshen wasn’t entirely wrong, but Zhou Shiluo still forced himself to drink.

Recent events had turned his life into chaos. He desperately needed alcohol to numb himself, though he wasn’t even sure if this bottle had any real alcohol content.

After drinking more than half, perhaps due to a placebo effect, he started feeling dizzy. It wasn’t a strong dizziness, but enough to empty his mind.

Just as he was halfway through his plan to space out, Tan Cui called at just the right moment. Zhou Shiluo stared at the screen for a long time before picking up.

“Comrade Xiao Zhou, how have you been?”

Zhou Shiluo set the bowl down and collapsed onto the bed, mumbling, “Same as usual.”

Tan Cui paused, then chuckled. “You’ve been drinking?”

Zhou Shiluo stiffened. He instinctively glanced around the room, momentarily suspecting his mother had installed surveillance in his home. Then, eyeing the bottle of red wine, he simply denied it. “No.”

Tan Cui let out a knowing “Oh.” She had only guessed because his voice sounded different from usual. “Then what’s wrong with your voice?”

Zhou Shiluo instinctively cleared his throat, squeezed his eyes shut, and made up an excuse. “It rained heavily last night. I probably caught a chill.”

Hearing this, Tan Cui immediately started fussing over him with endless concern.

Zhou Shiluo, just beginning to feel warmth in his numb heart, barely had time to be touched before Tan Cui abruptly changed the subject.

“Have you been in touch with Xiaojin? You should look after him—he’s alone in the capital.”

Her reminder jolted Zhou Shiluo. Most of his recent troubles seemed to revolve around Yang Jin.

He had no idea how much of a spell He Lingling had cast on his mother. Yang Jin had an uncle in the capital, yet he always played the poor, lonely victim. Overwhelmed by the sickly sweetness, Zhou Shiluo snapped in frustration.

“Doesn’t he have an uncle in the capital? He doesn’t need me to worry about him.”

His words startled Tan Cui. After a brief pause, she pressed on. “What uncle? I’ve never heard of him.”

Zhou Shiluo answered truthfully. “I only know his name is Yang Dachao. He even knows you.”

“Yang Dachao?!” Tan Cui’s voice instinctively rose. “That man is a compulsive gambler, a drunkard who beats his wife and kids. How could Xiaojin be involved with him?”

Zhou Shiluo was equally shocked. Before he could respond, Tan Cui abruptly hung up.

Listening to the beeping sound in his ear, he belatedly realized he might have said something he shouldn’t have.

He tossed his phone aside, his gaze falling once more on the bottle of wine. He cursed under his breath, “Damn, fake wine.”

After a long silence, just as he was debating whether to call Yang Jin, his phone suddenly buzzed with multiple notifications.

The previously silent community group chat was alive again—still discussing the stray dog poisoning case. Although the property management refused to release the security footage, someone had accidentally captured a crucial video.

The uploader, a university student majoring in advertising, had been filming for a project and only noticed something suspicious while editing today.

The video showed a man in black crouching to feed the dogs. His cap obscured his face, and he repeatedly pressed the brim lower, as if afraid of being seen.

Zhou Shiluo frowned. The man seemed oddly familiar.

Then, in the final five seconds, the man stood up, turning slightly toward the camera.

Zhou Shiluo froze.

The shady figure wasn’t just anyone—it was Yang Jin.