“Number 13! You have a visitor!”
The prison guard guided the tired Li Huowang into the visitation room, who pulled out a chair and sat down.
He looked up coldly at the guard unlocking his cuffs and said, “I’m not a criminal. This isn’t a prison visit but a family visit. I’m in the mental ward. I’m a patient.”
“Yeah, yeah. Everyone in the White Tower knows who you are, Li Huowang. You’re harder to handle than the prisoners. Even when you make a mess, we can’t deduct any points or extend your sentence, and we still have to take care of you. You’re more like an emperor than a patient.”
The guard yanked the cuffs down roughly and walked out. “Behave yourself. There’s surveillance here. We only took these off to make your family feel better.”
His handcuffs and leg chains were removed, but the headgear to prevent self-harm was still on.
Li Huowang stretched and rubbed his wrists. Wearing the restraints day after day proved to be quite uncomfortable.
So... who’s visiting today?
It couldn’t be Yang Na, so it was most likely his mother, Sun Xiaoqin, or his father, Li Jiancheng.
Is my mom here? Li Huowang looked toward the door with a mix of fear and anticipation.
As his eyes lit up, an arm covered with thorn tattoos dashed his expectations.
“What’s wrong? Disappointed to see me?” Ba Nanxu said, chewing on something as she picked up the phone from the other side of the glass.
She was still in her gothic-styled attire, just like when he last saw her in the tattoo shop. However, her tattoos seemed different now.
“Not really. I’m just happy someone actually came to see me. Thanks, Ba-Hui.”
“What happened to your eye?”
“I gouged it out.”
“By yourself?”
She continued, “We can help you get out, but the price is cutting ties with Qing Wanglai and joining our side.”
Li Huowang finally understood what Ba Nanxu wanted. They were trying to recruit him.
Li Huowang was tempted but still cautious. He decided to probe further. “You say Qing Wanglai is unreliable, but can Zhao Shuangdian be trusted?
“During the last crisis in the Baiyu Capital, where were your people? Qing Wanglai wasn’t there, but neither were you. You’re both just as bad as each other.”
Ba Nanxu replied, “I don’t understand what you’re ranting about. Besides, you weren’t with us, so how do you know we didn’t do anything? Do things only exist if you see them with your own eyes? Is everything else on the planet nonexistent?”
Li Huowang was still suspicious of their words, so he declined the offer. “No, I’m not accepting that. I’m ill. I have a mental illness and need treatment. Since everything is over, why should I leave before I’m cured?”
Ba Nanxu rested her tattooed cheek in her hand while her forked tongue flicked briefly in and out of her mouth.
“Not even for your girlfriend? I hear she’s out of the hospital now. She’s resting at home and recovering well.”
Li Huowang shook his head, slowly clenching his fists. “Not worth it.”
“Shit, you’re a real scumbag.”
Ba Nanxu stood up. “Fine, since you refuse, then so be it.
“If nothing’s worth it, then it doesn’t matter that Yang Na is in Qing Wanglai’s hands now, does it?”
Li Huowang’s pupils shrank and the veins on his hands bulged. “What do you want? Do you really think I can’t get out? I saved the Baiyu Capital, and I can destroy it too!”
“Don’t take it out on me. I didn’t do it. Save that rage for Qing Wanglai when you get out.”
With that, Ba Nanxu left. She didn’t tell Li Huowang what he was supposed to do, or when they planned to strike.
Both of them understood that they had already come to an agreement.