Mu Wanqing and her brother forced polite smiles as they accepted the down jackets. Though convinced Xiao Yang had lost his mind, they refrained from voicing their doubts. "Keep these with you," he insisted. "After midnight tomorrow, do whatever you want with them."
Watching their car disappear down the winding mountain road, Xiao Yang muttered, "Let's meet again as friends."
Hai Jiao Restaurant - 8:30 PM
"Ten private rooms upstairs," owner Lu You confirmed, wiping her hands on a grease-stained apron. "You want all ten booked tomorrow night? For a 9 PM banquet?"
"Friends are busy people." Xiao Yang slid a stack of cash across the counter. The moment her back turned, he vanished nine fully-set banquet tables into his spatial storage - roast ducks still steaming, crystal goblets clinking silently in the void.
11:47 PM - Text Message
The "Message Sent" icon glowed under Xiao Yang's thumb as Su Xiao's contact photo - her flight attendant smile frozen in time - failed to respond. Her phone remained stubbornly offline.
Next Morning - Purple Mountain Villa
Workers gaped as the 25-ton Conqueror RV dissolved into thin air. Xiao Yang methodically cleared the final warehouses, noting fresh crowbar scratches on doorframes. "Rats already sniffing around," he mused, sweeping cigarettes and medical supplies into storage.
7:00 PM Preparations
The coal furnace roared to life while diesel generators hummed in their soundproofed shed. Xiao Yang fed the raven chick (now christened "Coal Ball") before heading out into the neon-lit city.
Cityscape - 8:00 PM
Square dancers twirled under streetlamps, college couples whispered beneath cherry blossoms, all oblivious to the countdown ticking in Xiao Yang's Rolex.
Xiao Ren's Mansion - 8:30 PM
"Empty! All warehouses emptied!" The underling trembled as Xiao Ren shattered a Ming vase. "But we found this art student he's been cozy with..."
Wang Min smirked, reapplying lipstick. "My old dormmate will lure her out. Payback for last week's humiliation."
Hai Jiao Restaurant - 9:00 PM
Lu You's pitying gaze followed Xiao Yang through empty banquet halls. As staff retreated downstairs, ten loaded banquet tables blinked out of existence - all but one.
Yacht Harbor - 10:15 PM
"Final inspection before payment?" The guard chuckled, watching Xiao Yang board the 80-meter vessel. Cameras glitched momentarily as the warship-sized yacht dissolved into storage.
Purple Mountain Villa - 11:00 PM
Tires screeched as Xiao Ren's Lamborghini disgorged thugs. Wang Min shoved a bound Mu Wanqing forward, duct tape stretching across her terrified face.
"Let's chat inside," Xiao Yang gestured calmly at his fortress. The moment they crossed the reinforced threshold, Xiao Ren's scream echoed: "You turned my party house into this... concrete coffin?!"