Sylas slammed the phone shut, his fingers still trembling with suppressed rage. The only sound in the suffocating silence was the faint rustle of a plastic bag. Yuan was rifling through it, his movements calm, but his eyes never left Sylas like a predator observing its prey's every twitch
Suddenly, Sylas stood up and walked toward the window, completely naked. A flicker of genuine shock crossed Yuan's usually stoic face. He spun around instantly, his voice a mix of exasperation and dry humor.
"Have you lost your mind? Why are you standing by the window like that? Someone's going to see you."
Sylas didn't even flinch. He turned back with his signature haughty glare, looking down at Yuan with cold indifference.
"Let them look. Consider it a free show. Besides, I'm done wasting my time on this 'trashy getaway.' I'm heading back to the villa by evening."
Yuan felt a strange discomfort. Despite himself, his gaze drifted over Sylas's imposing physique. Sylas stood there, raw and overconfident. Yuan tilted his head slightly, struggling to maintain his "ice mask."
"Cover yourself... and are you even sure you can return to that villa safely? This is for your own protection-"
Sylas took a sharp step toward him, his eyes narrowing with a mocking glint.
Sylas: "Yuzi... why are you so obsessed with me 'covering up'? Can't take your eyes off me, or what?"
With a smirk, Sylas grabbed a long coat from the bed and draped it over his shoulders, barely covering his front.
"I'll be at the villa by tonight. Meetings, handovers... A worthless empire is waiting for me."
"Then go. It'll be an interesting experience, watching your own executioners open the door for you."
Sylas let out a condescending laugh.
"My executioners? The ten men at that gate are elite professionals. They don't just stand there for show."
By late afternoon, Sylas had finally put on his clothes, though he did it with a visible air of annoyance. He sat on the edge of the bed, radiating arrogance as he waited for six o'clock. Meanwhile, Yuan was scanning every inch of the room with the precision of a surgeon. His eyes landed on an old, dusty radio on the desk.
As Yuan pried open the back panel with a small screwdriver, Sylas raised an eyebrow in a sneer.
"What are you doing with that fossil ? Planning to listen to some music, Yuzi? I highly doubt this thing plays anything that suits your 'icy' taste."
Yuan didn't answer. He meticulously separated the wires and, with a pair of tweezers, pulled out a tiny black object no bigger than a pinhead, hidden behind the circuit board.
"Not music... but someone clearly wanted to hear your every breath."
Sylas's eyes widened, a crack finally appearing in his armor. He rushed over, staring at the device in disbelief.
" Huh a bug? In this shithole?"
Yuan dropped the device onto the desk, his gaze locking onto Sylas's.
"Every word we've spoken in this room... has already been archived."
With a swift motion, Yuan snapped the cable. The tension in the room spiked.