Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

Su Zhenzhen leaned against him, drawing circles on his chest with her fingers, a smile on her face.

Anthony's gaze then fell on Xie Wanying.

"but--"

He paused, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of ambiguity.

"This time, you have to play."

Xie Wanying looked at him, her eyes calm.

"What do you want to play?"

Anthony smiled, a brief smile tinged with smugness.

He patted the sofa next to him.

"Come and sit down."

Xie Wanying was silent for a second.

Then she stood up, walked over, and sat down next to him.

Anthony reached out and put his arm around her waist.

His hands were warm; she could feel the warmth of his palms through the silk cheongsam.

"That's right."

He put his arm around her, looked at Su Zhenzhen, then looked at her again, and burst into laughter.

"You're all staying today!"

Xie Wanying didn't say anything, but leaned against him with a smile on her face.

Su Zhenzhen smiled too, her smile even sweeter than before.

Anthony picked up the red wine on the coffee table, took a sip, and then handed it to Xie Wanying.

Xie Wanying took it and drank a sip as well.

The red wine melts on the tongue, leaving a hint of sweetness and a hint of astringency.

She swallowed and put down her glass.

"Mr. An, when will those people be able to come out?"

Anthony's fingers slowly caressed her waist.

"It'll be done soon. As long as the money is in place, it can be done in the next few days."

Xie Wanying nodded.

She leaned against him, her fingers slowly tracing circles on his chest.

"Mr. An, I trust you to handle things."

Anthony smiled, a smile full of smugness.

He had his arms around two women, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling.

"Ms. Xie, who exactly is your friend? How can he be so generous?"

Xie Wanying raised her head and looked at him.

"Mr. An, you don't need to know. You just need to know that they are your friends."

Anthony paused for a second, then nodded.

"Okay. I won't ask."

He picked up his glass and took another sip.

Su Zhenzhen leaned against him, tracing circles on his chest with her fingers, her voice soft and sweet.

"Mr. An, when will you do what you promised me?"

Anthony looked down at her.

"What is it?"

Su Zhenzhen pouted and poked his chest with her finger.

"You said you'd take me to Europe."

Anthony smiled, but the smile was brief.

"I'll take you there once I'm done with this busy period."

Su Zhenzhen smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents, leaned against him, and kissed him.

"Mr. An, you are so kind."

Xie Wanying sat beside her, watching the scene with no expression on her face.

Her eyes slowly swept across the room—the wine bottles on the coffee table, the clothes on the sofa, the gramophone in the corner, and the night view outside the window.

Anthony's hand was still on her waist, his fingers slowly caressing her, and she could feel the warmth of his fingertips through the silk fabric.

She didn't flinch, but leaned against him with a smile on her face.

Outside the window, neon lights were still flashing, red, green, and yellow, dyeing half the sky an ambiguous pink.

On the surface of Victoria Harbour, a cargo ship slowly sailed by, its horn drifting in through the glass, indistinct and like some kind of ancient bugle call.

Anthony had drunk quite a bit; his face was flushed, and he became more talkative.

He put his arms around Xie Wanying and Su Zhenzhen, talking about his experiences in England, his time in Hong Kong, how many important people he knew, and how many major cases he had handled.

Xie Wanying listened, nodding occasionally and asking a question now and then. Su Zhenzhen leaned against him, interjecting from time to time, making him laugh out loud.

Bottle after bottle of wine was opened, Anthony's face grew redder and redder, and he became more and more talkative.

His hand roamed over Xie Wanying's waist, then moved to her back, then to her shoulder, and finally to her neck.

Xie Wanying didn't dodge; she just leaned against him and let him touch her.

Su Zhenzhen sat beside him, leaning against him, her smile even sweeter.

"Mr. An, you've had too much to drink."

Anthony shook his head.

"Not much. I can still drink."

He poured himself another glass and downed it in one gulp.

Then he leaned back on the sofa, his eyes half-open and half-closed, his arm still around Xie Wanying's waist.

"Ms. Xie, who exactly is your friend?"

Xie Wanying looked at him.

"Mr. An, you've had too much to drink. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Anthony shook his head.

"I didn't say much. I just wanted to know who was so generous."

Xie Wanying smiled, but the smile was brief, fleeting in the dim light.

"Mr. An, all you need to know is that he is your friend. He will help you if you need anything in the future."

Anthony looked at her, his eyes flashing with a complex light.

He reached out, pinched her chin, and lifted her face.

"Ms. Xie, who exactly are you?"

Xie Wanying didn't flinch, she just looked at him, her eyes calm.

"Mr. An, I am your friend."

Anthony stared at her for a long time, then let go and leaned back on the sofa.

"Friend...okay, friend."

He picked up his glass and took another sip.

Su Zhenzhen leaned against him, drawing circles on his chest with her fingers.

"Mr. An, please stop drinking. You should get some rest."

Anthony looked down at her and smiled.

"What? Can't wait?"

Su Zhenzhen lowered her head, her face turning red.

That red was fake, but it looked very convincing.

Anthony laughed heartily, stood up, and staggered.

Xie Wanying helped him up.

"Mr. An, be careful."

Anthony looked at her, his eyes shining.

"Ms. Xie, please stay."

Xie Wanying smiled.

"Mr. An, you're drunk. Get some rest."

She helped him into the bedroom.

Su Zhenzhen followed behind, a smile on her face.

In the bedroom, there was a large bed covered with snow-white sheets.

Anthony lay on the bed, his eyes half-open and half-closed.

Xie Wanying helped him take off his slippers and covered him with a blanket.

"Mr. An, please get some rest."

Anthony reached out and took her hand.

"Ms. Xie, will you be coming again tomorrow?"

Xie Wanying smiled.

"Come."

Anthony released his grip and closed his eyes.

Soon, he started snoring.

Xie Wanying stood by the bed, looking at him.

Su Zhenzhen stood next to her, also looking at Anthony.

"Sister Ying, he's asleep."

Xie Wanying nodded.

She turned and walked out of the bedroom. Su Zhenzhen followed behind.

In the living room, Xie Wanying picked up her handbag and tidied her hair.

Su Zhenzhen stood beside her, looking at her.

"Sister Ying, you're amazing."

Xie Wanying looked at her.

"What's so great about it?"

Su Zhenzhen said, "Even someone as shrewd as Anthony has been completely under your control."

Xie Wanying smiled, but the smile was brief, flashing by in the light.

"It's not that I'm good at it. It's that he's greedy."

She walked towards the door, with Su Zhenzhen following behind.

"Sister Ying, please take care."

Xie Wanying nodded, pushed open the door, and went out.

The corridor was quiet, with only the dim yellow light from the wall lamps. She walked to the elevator and pressed the button.

The elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside.

The doors closed, and the elevator slowly descended.

Xie Wanying leaned against the elevator wall, looking at herself in the mirror.

She wore a dark red cheongsam, her hair was loose, she wore light makeup, and her lips were glossy with lip gloss.

She stared at that face for a long time.

The elevator arrived at the first floor and the doors opened.

She walked out, crossed the lobby, and exited the hotel.

A night breeze blew by, carrying a hint of coolness.

She stood at the doorway and took a deep breath.

Gacha drove the car over, she opened the door and got in.

"Back to the hotel."

Ga almost nodded, started the car, and slowly drove away.

Xie Wanying leaned back in her seat, watching the street scene rushing past the window.

Neon lights flashed outside the window, red, green, and yellow, illuminating the whole street in a bizarre and dazzling way.

Her face was expressionless, but in her mind, she was thinking about what had just happened.

Anthony agreed.

Four hundred thousand, plus a round-the-world cruise.

Sanli and the others will be out soon.