The atmosphere grew tense. As Lin pondered whether to obey the man's command, Chestnut, his cat, who had been lounging in the living room, suddenly padded into the bedroom.
Meowing softly, it rubbed its head against Nan's leg.
Nan's intimidating aura vanished in an instant.
He bent down, effortlessly scooping up Chestnut and scratching its chin with practiced ease. "You have a cat?"
"Yes... You..." Lin wanted to inquire about Nan's identity but stopped himself, sensing that the man wouldn't offer a straight answer.
However, something else came to mind. Hesitantly, he asked, "How are you acquainted with Ruan?"
The surname Ruan wasn't common, and coupled with the man's earlier remark about the world behind the door, it was clear that this was connected to the twelve iron doors.
Nan didn't respond directly. "You have seven minutes left."
Lin sighed internally.
This man might be easy on the eyes, but his stubbornness rivaled a mule's.
Resigned to his fate, he began to dress.
Thankfully, it was summer, and getting dressed took mere minutes.
Seven minutes later, the two arrived downstairs, right on time.
As they exited the apartment building, Lin cast a suspicious glance at his front door, confirming that the lock was intact, with no signs of forced entry.
Seemingly reading his thoughts, Nan casually pointed to the window. "I came in through there."
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"Ha...ha...very funny," Lin deadpanned.
His apartment was on the sixteenth floor with no external fire escapes.
Was Nan suggesting he flew in?
Nan offered no further explanation, turning to leave.
Trailing behind, Lin muttered under his breath about breaking and entering being a criminal offense.
"Why don't you call the police and find out?" Nan shot back.
Lin fell silent.
They descended into the parking garage.
To Lin's surprise, another person was already in the car, slumped in the driver's seat, on the verge of falling asleep.
Nan rapped his knuckles against the window. "Cheng."
The teenager jolted awake, rubbing his eyes. "You're done already?"
"Let's go," Nan commanded.
Cheng mumbled in affirmation, turning to size up Lin. "He really is cute."
"...", Lin was far from pleased to be called "cute" by a teenager.
Honestly, if Nan hadn't mentioned the doors, he would have suspected they were human traffickers.
While being scrutinized by Cheng, Lin was also observing him.
The teenager appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen, his voice still cracking with puberty, his face youthful.
A thought struck Lin, and he sat up straight in the back seat.
"What is it?" Nan asked, noticing his sudden apprehension.
"Excuse my asking, but how old is your friend?"
Nan raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sixteen," piped up Cheng from the front seat.
He'd assumed Lin was going to comment on his young age, ready to launch into a boastful explanation.
However, Lin only murmured, "Sixteen... you don't have a driver's license, do you?"
"...", Cheng thought, "No wonder Brother Nan took a liking to him. This guy's thought process is something else."
Nan chuckled. "Of all the people I've met, you're the first to ask that question."
"So, do you have a license?" Lin pressed. "I just saw someone who died in a car accident today. How about I drive? My driving skills are excellent."
An awkward silence descended upon the car.
Cheng let out a long sigh.
"Don't worry, I've been driving for three years. As long as we don't run into any traffic cops..."
As if on cue, the moment they drove out of the parking garage, they were greeted by the sight of a traffic police officer conducting a random sobriety check just ahead.
"Crap," Cheng swore.
Lin couldn't help but wear an "I told you so" expression.
Without a word, Cheng switched places with Nan, shooting Lin a dirty look as he settled into the back seat.
Lin could only offer an innocent shrug.
It was just a casual remark; he hadn't expected it to manifest so immediately.