Chapter 66

Chapter 66

What kind of app notification was this?

Xu Yan was puzzled. He picked up his phone to charge it, and as it automatically turned on, he saw another pop-up on Wen Sinian’s screen:

[Target device detected online.]

Xu Yan stared, dumbfounded. This… this seemed to be detecting *his* phone.

He couldn’t find the app on Wen Sinian’s home screen—it must have been hidden. So, he tapped the notification.

To his horror, it was a tracking and monitoring app. It meticulously logged the target’s daily movements, sending an alert if they stayed in one location for more than ten minutes. Beyond that, the app could even access the target’s phone’s background activity, with commands capable of opening every app’s details.

The more Xu Yan looked, the faster his heart pounded, and a cold dread crept up his spine.

He opened the activity log and discovered that Wen Sinian had complete knowledge of his daily whereabouts. Every app he used, how long he spent on it, who he chatted with on WeChat, and what they discussed—if Wen Sinian wanted to know, he could see it all.

And these records dated back to their time in Hong Kong.

Recalling it now, it was no wonder Wen Sinian always seemed to know where he was and what he was doing. His every move had been under Wen Sinian’s control all along.

This wasn't just a violation of rights; he had *zero* personal privacy in front of Wen Sinian. He might as well have been completely exposed.

This pathological possessiveness was truly terrifying. Instinct told Xu Yan this was wrong, yet… Wen Sinian was excessively good to him.

He hadn’t slept well, so his mind was muddled. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do.

Hearing the water stop in the bathroom, Xu Yan hastily put both phones back and burrowed into the covers.

Wen Sinian emerged from the bathroom, holding the soggy little bunny. The delicate, tiny plush looked absurdly small in his large hands. He squeezed the bunny’s soft belly to show Xu Yan, who was hidden deep under the blanket, only his eyes peeking out—not looking at the bunny, but staring intently at Wen Sinian.

"All good?" Wen Sinian asked.

Xu Yan nodded.

Wen Sinian then hung the bunny to dry on the balcony outside the master bedroom before pulling Xu Yan out of the covers.

It was time to clean him.

Xu Yan subtly recoiled from the embrace, his eyes red, his body covered in faint love marks, soft and pale like a rabbit.

He squirmed weakly in Wen Sinian’s arms. "I’ll wash myself…"

Wen Sinian gripped his thigh, holding him firmly in his arms. "Be good, baby. You can’t clean yourself properly."

Xu Yan was carried into the bathroom, where the bathtub had already been filled with warm water. Wen Sinian lowered them both into the water.

Enveloped by the warm water, Xu Yan had nowhere to hide.

It was too much, too deep; he truly couldn’t manage it alone.

Wen Sinian cleaned him thoroughly, wrapped him in a towel, and carried him back out.

He had intended to call the housekeeper to change the sheets, but Xu Yan adamantly refused. So, Wen Sinian set him down on the nearby sofa, discarded the drenched bedsheet, laid out a clean blanket, and gently placed Xu Yan back in bed.

It was already nearing afternoon. Wen Sinian hadn’t been to the studio since returning from his business trip, and today he had a video conference with a major gaming company in New York, so he had to leave. Otherwise, he would have gladly stayed home to continue.

Xu Yan, still naked, rolled onto his side and wrapped himself tightly in the blanket. He watched vacantly as Wen Sinian dressed in front of him, his thoughts drifting far away, his brows furrowed in contemplation.

Once Wen Sinian put on his shirt and suit, that raw, primal intensity was restrained, replaced by an air of refined, almost ascetic elegance.

He picked up a black tie and returned to the bed, placing it in Xu Yan’s hands before leaning down.

"Tie this for me, husband."

Xu Yan didn’t quite know how to face him. Biting his lip, he slowly extended his arms from the blanket and obediently tied the tie for him.

Wen Sinian was very satisfied. He bent down to kiss him, but Xu Yan flinched and abruptly turned his head, so the kiss landed on his cheek instead.

Xu Yan was always exceptionally shy after intimacy. Wen Sinian didn’t suspect his evasion, nibbling at the plump flesh of Xu Yan’s cheek, then tenderly licking the faint teeth marks.

His hand slipped under the blanket as he instructed, "Stay in this afternoon. Rest well at home."

Xu Yan understood the unspoken meaning. He pulled Wen Sinian’s hand away, his breath unsteady.

"I went to see Brother Zhuang Sheng because… he already has a boyfriend…"

Wen Sinian: "The one standing next to him?"

"Yes."

Wen Sinian remained skeptical but said, "Let it go. There won’t be a next time."

Xu Yan couldn’t stop his roaming hand. He bit his lip and nodded.

"I’ll be in video meetings all afternoon and might not check my phone," Wen Sinian murmured as he drew the blanket snug around him. "Apply the ointment every hour. Be a good boy and wait for me to come home tonight."

The implication was clear—there would be more tonight.

Xu Yan still felt sore and swollen. The moment Wen Sinian left, he lurched out of bed, his legs weak as he clutched the banister and made his way downstairs.

The housekeeper had already laid out a fragrant meal for him, but Xu Yan wasn’t in the mood to eat.

"Auntie, have you ever seen a painting in this house?"

"Of course. There was a portrait you two brought back once. I even had it framed, but the young master put it away later. I don’t know where he stored it."

"Was that the only one you’ve seen?"

"Yes."

Xu Yan’s face fell, but then he remembered something else. "Auntie, do you have the key to the hidden door in the master bedroom upstairs?"

The housekeeper’s expression shifted slightly. "What do you need the key for?"

Xu Yan made up an excuse. "I just want to look for that painting I did. Senior Lin said I have a talent for art and wanted to include my work in his exhibition, but I can’t find it anywhere. Maybe I accidentally stored it in there."

The housekeeper hesitated. "I don’t usually clean that room. If you want the key, I’ll have to look for it."

"Okay, no rush. I’ll wait upstairs."

Xu Yan turned and headed back up, pausing at the top of the stairs to discreetly observe the housekeeper’s reaction.

Sure enough, she was typing on her phone—probably reporting to Wen Sinian.

Too bad he knew Wen Sinian wouldn’t check his messages during the video call.

Before long, the housekeeper came upstairs with the key, though she seemed deeply reluctant.

Wen Sinian had instructed her to take good care of Xu Yan and meet all his demands, but the housekeeper wasn't sure if this was included.

Xu Yan opened the door and smiled brightly, stretching out his palm to the housekeeper. "Auntie, you've found the key, haven't you? Give it to me."

Taken in by his innocent expression, the housekeeper thought that since the two of them had such a good relationship, even if the young master was home, he wouldn’t dream of refusing him.

The housekeeper handed him the key. "Do you need my help?"

Xu Yan tightly gripped the small key. "No need, thank you."

He closed the master bedroom door, paused deliberately, locked it from the inside, and stood before the small hidden door next to the wardrobe, using the key to open it.

Before this, he had never felt the urge to peek at what was hidden inside. This hidden door was barely noticeable in this spacious bedroom.

But after realizing Wen Sinian had been keeping secrets from him, his curiosity got the better of him.

With a click, the door slowly opened before him.

Xu Yan only took one glance inside before he stood frozen in shock.

This—this was actually a very large walk-in closet. All four walls were lined with tall, transparent glass cabinets, overflowing with clothes—without exception, all of them were dresses.

All kinds, varying in length, made of silk or chiffon, some with bunny ears or cat tails, some plunging at the neckline, backless, or thigh-high. There was even an entire wall dedicated to lingerie, garters, chains, belts…

Xu Yan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stepped inside.

He had thought Wen Sinian had already bought him enough dresses—so many that his wardrobe could barely hold them. But he never imagined that, at some point, Wen Sinian had secretly bought him an entire walk-in closet’s worth of dresses. The explosion of colors made his head spin, like he'd stumbled into a field of wildflowers.

No wonder Wen Sinian could pull out a new dress for him to wear every night, ripping one off just to replace it immediately—it turned out there were hundreds more hidden here.

If he had to wear every single one of them, wouldn’t these dresses be the death of him?

Hand on his aching back, Xu Yan was on the verge of tears at the overwhelming sight before him.

In the center of the glass cabinets was a large, overstuffed sofa with a rug beneath it. In front of the sofa stood a floor-to-ceiling mirror, and before the mirror were two paintings.

Xu Yan’s heart raced as he slowly moved closer.

One painting was the portrait he had drawn of Wen Sinian. The other was Lin Xingxian’s depiction of an ancient European castle—the little witch enthroned was none other than him.

He stared at the two paintings for a long time, so long that his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the sofa in front of the mirror.

Lin Xingxian had guessed correctly—this painting had indeed been purchased for a small fortune by Wen Sinian for his collection.

Meaning Wen Sinian had known he was Yan Yan all along, yet had kept up the charade.

Then, in the mirror, Xu Yan noticed the cabinet displaying leg accessories. Hanging right in the center was a white lace-trimmed garter with a bow.

He froze for a moment before walking over to examine it closely through the glass.

One of the straps was slightly frayed—he knew it at once. It was the very one he had lost.

A shiver ran down Xu Yan's spine. Only now did he realize that Wen Sinian had uncovered his secret even sooner than when he bought the painting.

Back when he had come down with a fever in the dorm after getting caught in the rain, and Wen Sinian had taken him to the hospital and stayed with him all night.

When he had said his garter was missing and worried that a roommate might have found it—no wonder Wen Sinian had remained so composed while comforting him.

The one who had taken his garter was Wen Sinian himself.

As the realization hit him, Xu Yan couldn’t believe how blind he had been.

There had been so many coincidences—why had he never suspected anything before? And that first night in this villa, when he thought Wen Sinian had discovered his secret, how had Wen Sinian managed to act as if he had just found out, stringing him along?

The man was more devious than he'd imagined.

Xu Yan didn’t stay in the walk-in closet for long before he couldn’t handle it any longer and headed for the door. Next to it was a tall cabinet he hadn’t noticed earlier, with an unopened phone box on top.

He opened it and gaped at the sight of his old phone—the one he had used for years.

Wen Sinian had told him it couldn’t be repaired, and he had been devastated, thinking it had been thrown away. But here it was, carefully preserved.

Xu Yan turned on the screen and found that his lock screen password and all his app locks had been cracked.

Just great. Wen Sinian must have rifled through every inch of his phone long ago.

Seething, Xu Yan put the old phone back in its place, exited the closet, and locked the door again.

He was angry—so, so angry.

Stalking around the room did nothing to calm him down. Everything familiar here reminded him of Wen Sinian, of how thoroughly he'd been duped, how he had foolishly fallen into his grasp step by step.

And now Wen Sinian expected him to sit around waiting like some obedient pet? Absolutely not!

Xu Yan snatched up his backpack, packed a few of his own clothes, and even tossed in the now-dry bunny plushie from the balcony.

He changed into a long-sleeved shirt, pants, and a high-neck sweater, concealing every last trace Wen Sinian had left on him. Then, with his backpack on, he went downstairs, put on his shoes, and prepared to leave.

The housekeeper gaped before rushing to intercept him. "Yan Yan, where are you going?"

Xu Yan answered flatly. "To the hospital to visit Grandma."

He couldn’t tell the truth—the housekeeper was sure to tattle to Wen Sinian.

"I’ll go with you. I made some soup—we can bring it along," the housekeeper said. "Wait here for me, okay?"

Xu Yan nodded. "Fine."

The housekeeper hurried into the kitchen to pack the soup into a thermos. When she came back out, the entryway was empty—Xu Yan was already gone.

Before leaving, Xu Yan had sent Wen Sinian a message, then left his phone behind in the villa.

*

He took a taxi straight to Shang Jia’s place and briefly explained the situation. Shang Jia was fuming with rage.

"What kind of person does something like this?! Yan Yan, whatever you decide to do, I support you! Three-legged toads are rare, but there are plenty of fish in the sea!"

Xu Yan had stormed off in a rage, but now he was calmer. After thinking for a moment, he said to Shang Jia, "I want to go home."

Shang Jia blinked. "Which home?"

Xu Yan: "The one in Mist Town. I want to go back with Grandma and spend the New Year there."

Shang Jia fully agreed. "Sounds good. Train tickets are hard to get now—I can drive you two back. My parents aren’t coming home this year anyway. I could even celebrate New Year’s with you in Mist Town."

The two quickly settled on the plan. Shang Jia even scrounged up an old flip phone from her house for Xu Yan to use temporarily, then drove him to the hospital.

They had already consulted Grandma’s doctor, who said the elderly woman had been recovering well recently. If she wanted to be discharged, there’d be no issue—she just needed to return for regular checkups later.

Xu Yan and Shang Jia went through the hospital discharge paperwork for his grandmother together, helped the grandmother settle in the back seat of the car, and headed for Wuzhen before it got dark.

Shang Jia was bubbling with excitement the whole trip. She had long wanted to visit Xu Yan and Shen Nanli’s hometown, and now she finally had the perfect opportunity, with someone to celebrate the New Year with her. She chatted excitedly with the grandmother the whole time.

Only Xu Yan in the passenger seat remained sullen, leaning his head on the window and watching the scenery pass by, hardly saying a word.

Xu Yan and Shang Jia switched off driving, and it wasn’t until 10 p.m. that they finally arrived in Wuzhen.

The nights in the small town were nothing like those in the big city—there was no nightlife, and most households had already closed their doors early. Still, the New Year spirit was everywhere along the way, with many homes adorned with bright red lanterns and colorful lights hanging from the trees outside.

The car stopped in front of a somewhat weathered red wooden door. No one worried about parking here—they simply pulled up right in front of the house, as long as they didn’t block the road.

Xu Yan and Shang Jia flanked her on either side, carefully helping the elderly woman out of the car.

Standing at the doorstep, breathing in the fresh, free air, enveloped in a familiar sense of security, Xu Yan finally unknit his brows.

Inside, they were greeted by a small, tidy courtyard. Since no one had lived here for a long time, it was covered in dust and dead leaves.

Xu Yan first had Shang Jia and his grandmother wait in the living room while he went inside to change the bedsheets and covers in his grandmother’s room, tidying it up before letting her rest.

There were exactly three bedrooms. Xu Yan gave the larger one to Shang Jia, fixing up the bed for her before retreating to the small study converted into a bedroom for himself.

Before sleeping, Xu Yan crawled under the blankets, squeezed some ointment onto his fingertips with the help of a flashlight, and contorted himself to apply it.

This was the only thing he had brought from the villa. If he hadn’t been in such bad shape that he might not even be able to walk the next day without it, he wouldn’t have taken even this.

It took him a while. In the past, Wen Sinian would hold him and baby him through it—now, he had to do it alone.

Xu Yan wiped his hands with a tissue, the corners of his eyes reddening slightly.

His body still ached terribly. To avoid letting Shang Jia and his grandmother notice anything amiss, he had been forcing himself to endure the discomfort all day.

Tucking himself under the covers and closing his eyes, Xu Yan still fumed silently, cursing that "damn dog" in his mind a thousand times over.

Amidst his silent curses, his eyelashes grew wet, and he drifted off to sleep.

*

The entire studio had been working overtime, with the video call running late until 7 p.m. When they closed the deal and the call ended, everyone cheered, insisting on going out for dinner to celebrate. Wen Sinian agreed.

He pulled out his phone, intending to ask Xu Yan if he had woken up yet—if so, he’d pick him up on the way.

But his phone had somehow died. Wen Sinian told the others to go ahead and send him the location later, then drove straight back to the villa.

The moment he opened the door, he saw the nanny in the foyer, in a nervous sweat.

Before she could speak, Wen Sinian’s heart lurched violently.

"What’s wrong?"

The nanny faltered, "Yan Yan, he… he…"

Wen Sinian’s eyes darkened as he brushed past her and strode upstairs.

The nanny hurried after him, adding, "Yan Yan left in the afternoon and hasn’t come back. He said he was going to the hospital to see his grandmother, but when I called him, no one answered. I tried calling you too, but your phone was off. I didn’t know what to do—I almost called the police!"

Wen Sinian ignored her explanations. Seeing was believing. He pushed open the door to the master bedroom.

Inside was completely dark, the musky scent of their earlier passion still hanging in the air, a stark reminder of their day and night of passion.

But now, the person who had promised to wait obediently for him was gone.

Wen Sinian composed himself, first plugging in his phone to charge. As soon as it turned on, he checked Xu Yan’s location—only to find the red dot still inside the villa, even in this very room.

His gaze swept over the rumpled sheets. His fingers twitched before he abruptly flung the blanket back.

The white phone, the matching one to his, lay beneath it, alongside a black spade lighter, a black plastic lighter, and a set of car keys.

Rage exploded in his chest, his expression turning thunderous until they nearly merged with the shadows behind him.

He bent down and picked up the items on the bed.

They were all things he had given Xu Yan—now deliberately left behind.

What did this mean?

His phone had unread messages, most from the panicked nanny—but a few stood out:

[Dummy]: You promised no secrets between us.

[Dummy]: That was a lie too.

[Dummy]: I really am just a big idiot. You're always right, everything you say I believe—I’m so stupid.

[Dummy]: Did you enjoy fooling me?

Wen Sinian’s breath caught at the implication. He turned to the nanny, his voice bone-chilling.

"What did he do today?"

"Nothing much," the nanny stammered. "Oh—he said he was looking for a painting and asked me for the key to the secret door…"

Wen Sinian frowned. "You gave it to him?"

"You said to give him whatever he asked for…"

Wen Sinian said nothing else, looking back down at the messages.

[Dummy]: I really, really, really, really don’t want to talk to you ever again.

[Dummy]: I mean it this time.

Wen Sinian clenched the phone, feeling his self-control snap under the weight of those careless messages. The calm he had maintained crumbled entirely.

He had imagined how Xu Yan might react upon learning the truth—but Xu Yan was tender-hearted and pliant. With a little coaxing, he would surely forgive him again.

But now, Xu Yan said he never wanted to speak to him again.

So he had left behind everything Wen Sinian had given him, cutting off all contact, disappearing without a trace from his world?

Was this really a breakup?

Just the thought of Xu Yan, backpack slung over his shoulder, resolutely walking out on him was enough to make Wen Sinian lose control. His phone slammed to the ground with a thud, the screen displaying the blinking red dot now shattered into pieces.

He tilted his head back, inhaling deeply, letting the last remnants of Xu Yan in the air fill his lungs.

When he opened his eyes again, they blazed with barely-contained fury.

If Xu Yan wanted to break up, it would only happen over his dead body—or in the next lifetime.

Did he really think that without his phone's GPS, Wen Sinian wouldn’t be able to find him?

Xu Yan must still be bearing his marks—those were the brands he imprinted on Xu Yan.

Xu Yan was his—wholly, undeniably his.

Wen Sinian unlocked Xu Yan’s phone and first called the hospital, confirming that Xu Yan had already signed his grandmother out. With the New Year approaching, their most likely destination was their hometown, Wuzhen.

He then used Xu Yan’s WeChat to send a message to Zhao Qingji, Xu Yan’s class president, who had access to everyone’s home addresses and personal information.

Using the excuse of double-checking the records, Zhao Qingji, unsuspecting, quickly sent a screenshot of Xu Yan’s personal details.

Wen Sinian picked up his own phone from the floor, his fingers gliding over the cracked screen as he dialed Zheng Yao.

“Have fun at the gathering tonight. I have something to take care of and won’t be joining,” Wen Sinian’s voice had gone flat and calm again. “Also, let the others know that we’re off starting tomorrow.”

After hanging up, he grabbed his car keys and left, hitting the road to Wuzhen that same night.