Just as Zhang Jie was about to step back, a cold hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.
John had opened his eyes at some point, his uninjured grey-blue eye fixed on Zhang Jie, his lips moving as he whispered something.
Zhang Jie leaned closer and heard three faint words: "Be... careful..."
Then John's hand fell limply, and he was quickly wheeled away by medical staff.
The hall buzzed with hushed conversations, and countless gazes pierced Zhang Jie's back like knives.
"Interesting," Winston said slowly, wiping a bloodstain with his handkerchief. "It's been four years and six months since John brought a newcomer to the Continental Hotel."
He scrutinized the ridiculous bandage on Zhang Jie's shoulder. "Especially... your type."
Only then did Zhang Jie notice that his T-shirt was covered in blood, making him look like a survivor of a crime scene.
He was about to explain when Charon, the bartender, suddenly walked over and placed a new glass of whiskey in front of him.
"On John's tab," Charon shrugged. "The usual."
Winston gestured for Zhang Jie to sit. "Since John invited you, and he's currently... indisposed..."
He elegantly crossed his legs. "Would you mind telling me what happened in the park?"
Zhang Jie swallowed.
He felt as if every assassin in the lounge was listening intently.
In a corner, a man with gold-rimmed glasses quietly lowered his newspaper.
By the bar, the female assassin in the red dress stopped her flirting.
"His dog... Daisy..." Zhang Jie said, a little nervously. "I helped him rescue his dog from some thugs."
Winston's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "You saved Daisy?"
He suddenly chuckled. "No wonder John gave you his card."
Turning to the bartender, he said, "Charon, get this gentleman a steak, put it on my tab."
Before Zhang Jie could feel happy, Winston added, "Of course, the room fee still needs to be paid. A standard room is $400 a night, with a $1000 deposit."
"I... I don't have that much money."
Zhang Jie admitted honestly.
He only had the last $22 left in his pocket.
"C-can I sleep in the lobby?" he blurted out.
Winston's smile froze for a second. "The Continental Hotel doesn't have... such a precedent."
"..."
Winston's smile remained unchanged. "John's guests can run a tab... with daily interest."
He handed over a room key. "Also, I suggest you change your clothes. The infirmary is on the second floor, turn right. John probably needs help filling out insurance forms."
Zhang Jie held the life-saving whiskey, feeling as if he were walking on clouds.
Just as he was about to head for the elevator, the woman in the red dress suddenly stopped him:
"Hey, little brother~" Her red lips parted slightly. "Do you know who's hunting John?"
Zhang Jie froze.
Hunting? Who? Who would dare??
"I... I don't know..."
The woman smiled meaningfully. "Then you'd better pray John is okay."
She leaned close to Zhang Jie's ear, her perfume making his nose itch slightly. "Because right now, you're the only person in the entire Continental Hotel who has a connection to him."
As she left, Zhang Jie noticed that everyone in the lounge was looking at him as if he were a dead man.
Zhang Jie downed the entire glass of whiskey in one gulp, the alcohol burning his throat.
He suddenly realized two things: first, he might have gotten himself into a huge mess.
Second, Mrs. Schneider's rent suddenly didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
The smell of disinfectant in the infirmary stung Zhang Jie's nose.
He sat on a leather sofa that probably cost more than a year's rent for him, his fingers drumming incessantly on the armrest.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened, and the golden lights of the Continental Hotel cast striped shadows on the floor through the blinds, looking eerily like prison bars.
"You look more nervous than I do."
A hoarse voice came from the hospital bed.
Zhang Jie suddenly looked up and saw that John had woken up at some point, the bandage over his right eye making him look like a down-and-out pirate.
His left hand was hooked up to an IV, but his right hand had already reached for the water glass on the bedside table, his movements steady, unlike someone who had just been stabbed six times.
"You... you're awake." Zhang Jie nearly jumped off the sofa, his knee hitting the coffee table. "The doctor said your liver almost—"
"I know my injuries." John took a sip of water, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice as rough as sandpaper. "Sorry for getting you involved."
Zhang Jie was stunned.
This man, who had been like a grim reaper this afternoon, was apologizing to him now?
He subconsciously touched the crumpled banknotes in his pocket, one of which had a red-inked ultimatum from Mrs. Schneider.
"Wait," Zhang Jie rubbed his temples. "You almost died, and the first thing you say is an apology to me? Also, why did you help me?"
"Because you're like a person, and because you saved Daisy." John's mouth twitched slightly.
He continued, "I originally intended to offer you a simple bodyguard job."
He adjusted his position with difficulty, and a trace of red immediately seeped through the bandage on his abdomen. "Enough to pay your rent and buy a few decent clothes."
Zhang Jie looked down at his pilled T-shirt and faded jeans.
He remembered how the assassins in the lounge had looked at him earlier, like he was a homeless man who had wandered into a fancy restaurant.
"And then what?" Zhang Jie couldn't help but ask, his tone much softer. "Who did this to you? It couldn't have been six elementary school kids with water guns, could it?"
John's eyes suddenly sharpened, the unbandaged eye a strange grey-blue in the dim light. "Six professional assassins, Malaysians, well-equipped."
He gently touched the bandage on his abdomen. "The strange thing is, I've been retired for over four years, there's no reason... unless..."
His words were interrupted by a knock on the door.
The door opened, and Winston elegantly walked in with two cups of coffee, followed by a waiter pushing a food cart.
Even more striking was Veronica, leaning against the doorframe. She had changed into a dark green, tight-fitting dress at some point, and she surveyed the two men in the room lazily, like a venomous snake.
"It seems our patient is recovering well."
Winston placed the coffee on the bedside table, the silver tray glinting under the light. "By the way, Mr. Zhang, your room is ready, right next to John's suite."
Zhang Jie stared at the silver-covered dishes on the food cart, and his stomach rumbled uncontrollably.
But he was more concerned about the information in Winston's words: staying next to John?
Wasn't that clearly telling everyone that their relationship was extraordinary?
"Thank you, but I—"
"Put it on my tab," John suddenly said.
Veronica chuckled, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor. "Wow, the legendary Baba Yaga himself is vouching for him."
She walked up to Zhang Jie, her perfume making him dizzy. "The last time I saw something like this was when Charon brought his handsome apprentice."
Zhang Jie felt his ears burning. "We're not that kind of relationship!"
"What kind of relationship?"
Veronica's red lips curved into a dangerous arc, her lacquered fingers lightly tracing Zhang Jie's shoulder. "Little brother~ what are you thinking about?"
"Veronica," John's voice suddenly turned cold.
"Relax, old soldier." She raised her hands, the snake-shaped rings on her fingers sparkling. "I'm just here to deliver a message. Winston, you tell him?"
Winston cleared his throat. "At tonight's gathering, 'The Professor' specifically asked to see the newcomer."
He gave Zhang Jie a meaningful look. "Considering the current... special circumstances, this is very unusual."
The air in the room instantly solidified.