147 If there's nothing, then there's nothing

The afternoon weather was quite good for a day out. The sun wasn't too warm and the air wasn't too cold. The ginkgo trees around the gray architecture of the Dragon Club base were swaying along to the gentle wind blowing from the East. Because it was about to be summer, the fan-like leaves of the ginkgo were still green, still strong, and still resisting the pulling and pressing of the wind.

But Fei Huangjin and Ying Yue were no witness to this. They were inside the base, hands together as they walked, with Fei Huangjin clipping a master keycard between two fingers of his free hand. She asked for him to open a room that no one was using. And who was he to refuse his fiance?

Some of the men they passed by sent furtive glances to the two. It was the first time they'd ever seen the master with a woman, and he looked bewitched by her, too!

"Are you sure you want to open it? Not all of the quarters have been occupied since the base was built, and the room you want to see hadn't been occupied as far as the records go." He glanced warily at the beautiful woman beside him. Of course, the records could be wrong, since record-keeping wasn't that strict when his father had headed the syndicate. But he was worried she'd be disappointed.

"I just want to see what's inside that room. If there's nothing, then there's nothing." She sounded so full of conviction, but inside, she was wavering.

He nodded, his hand gripping hers tighter as they arrived at the quarters.

Just like she had earlier, they passed by Alpha-8939, Bravo-8938, Charlie-8937, then Delta-8936, and so on.

Finally, they got to Mike-8927.

Ying Yue watched as Fei Huangjin stared at the door with a pondering look, before swiping the keycard at the lock beside it. The lights above them caused her ring to reflect various alluring colors, and they were projected to a part of Fei Huangjin's face, mesmerizing her.

Click! The door opened.

"Huangjin…"

He was about to tell her she could go in now, but he turned to find her standing there unmoving, with her firm gaze fixed on him. "What's wrong?"

She gulped, squeezing his hand. "No matter what I find in this room, let's get married this week."

The wind outside briefly intensified for a moment, attempting to blow off the leaves of the ginkgo trees. However, hardly any of them drifted away along with it. It was much unlike Fei Huangjin, who, after heating her words, felt like he was getting picked up to drift along with the breeze.

"Ying Yue…" His mouth opened and closed.

She flashed him a smile.

"Are you--?"

"I'm sure." She replied firmly before he even finished asking the question, like it was the surest thing in the world for her.

One second they were a foot apart, and the next second there was barely any space between them as Fei Huangjin brought his lips down to hers. The kiss was warm, gentle, and seeking, but it only lasted a few seconds before he pulled back from her. "Let's finish up your business here so I can take you home."

His voice was slightly husky and his words sounded like he meant something other than simply "taking her home." She couldn't stop her cheeks from turning red.

She pushed him away gently and stepped into the room.

The room was just around 20 square meters, with its own bathroom and a small kitchen sink by the entrance. It looked very much like a studio apartment.

The walls and bed sheets were white, and the room was covered with quite a thick layer of dust. Ying Yue sneezed.

"Geez, Huangjin. Don't you get your people to clean these rooms?" She rolled her eyes, pinching her nose hold off the dust from triggering her rhinitis.

"The rooms only get cleaned when we're about to assign a guest or agent to it."

She ignored his reply and started opening the cabinets and drawers, but she all found them to be empty. A heavy feeling started to weigh on her.

Fei Huangjin stood still by the entrance and watched Ying Yue rummage through the room -- turning the bed over and opening any enclosed space she could find. A quarter of an hour had already passed. He'd been to these rooms before, and they all looked the same. This one was no exception. "Ying Yue... I don't think anyone's been in this room since it was built and furnished. It's already..." He glanced at the wall clock in the room to check the time, but he froze and wasn't able to continue what he was about to say.

Inside the white wall clock, which was supposedly identical to every clock in any room in the building, was a photograph.