Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The Royal Court Estate banquet unfolded on a colossal cruise ship.

Unlike typical business-related cocktail parties, this event was purely for entertainment.

It was a grand recreational hub exclusively for the upper echelons of society.

Beyond ballrooms and private themed suites, it boasted casinos and auction halls.

Only the exceptionally wealthy and influential were granted access to this vessel, their status serving as the initial filter.

Thus, when Pei Chang spotted Zheng Yuqin, a flicker of surprise was inevitable.

"I have some acquaintance with the owner of the Royal Court Estate," Zheng Yuqin remarked, a wine glass in hand, as he glided past Pei Chang.

Pei Chang raised an eyebrow.

After just a few days, Zheng Yuqin seemed even more invigorated.

Given Zheng Yuqin's disinterest in conversation, Pei Chang naturally made no move to approach him.

They brushed past each other, each heading in their own direction as if strangers.

The expansive, brightly lit ballroom teemed with socialites from diverse circles.

Many offered Pei Chang a greeting, however brief.

Rumor had it that old Mr. Pei had been hospitalized for nearly two months and was unlikely to recover, meaning the Pei family's legacy would soon fall entirely to Pei Chang.

Moreover, Pei Chang's striking white hair made him impossible to overlook.

Perhaps having recently shed a significant burden, Pei Chang appeared remarkably vibrant. His once gaunt face now radiated vitality, and under the lights, his usual somber and aloof demeanor transformed, exuding a distinct maturity and allure.

He even subtly emanated a captivating, well-nurtured sensuality.

Amidst a sea of pampered, slick-haired scions and portly middle-aged tycoons, Pei Chang was a truly luminous presence.

He wielded immense power and wealth at an exceptionally young age.

While Pei Chang's actions toward the Pei family were certainly daunting, they paled in comparison to the avarice his personal possessions inspired.

Pei Chang needed only to stand there, and people would flock to him.

"Mr. Pei, this is my adopted daughter. She has always admired your youthful achievements. I wonder if you would honor her with a dance?"

The speaker was the CEO of an entertainment company with considerable industry influence, though it had no connection to the Pei family, which steered clear of the entertainment sector.

Pei Chang glanced at the shy, demure girl behind the man. She was at least eight years his junior; if he were a few years older, she might well address him as "uncle."

Did he truly appear so predatory?

Pei Chang subtly lifted his eyelids, offering no courtesy.

"Mr. Wu, you certainly have a plethora of adopted daughters. I heard you offered one to Mr. Li just days ago, only for her to be returned. Now you're presenting one to me? Do I, Pei Chang, look like a garbage collector?"

His words were cutting, instantly shredding the man's dignity.

The man's face flushed crimson with anger and shame, while the girl pressed her lips together, mortified and indignant.

Pei Chang cast an indifferent glance, his expression cold and unfeeling.

Zheng Yuqin's past assessment of Pei Chang remained strikingly accurate:

Such a man as Pei Chang regarded everyone in the world with equal disdain.

Perhaps he even harbored a deep resentment for the world itself.

Too humiliated to remain, Mr. Wu departed with a frigid expression.

Pei Chang's harsh words were overheard by many, sparking various thoughts. Coupled with rumors of Pei Chang's "golden cage lover," their expressions grew notably peculiar.

In their estimation, Pei Chang must have been utterly devoted to his hidden lover to so decisively sever his "backup plans" in such a public setting.

Observing the diverse reactions, Pei Chang calmly sipped his wine.

He wondered how much of this news, embellished or not, would reach old Mr. Pei.

He hoped the old man's health could withstand it.

More direct methods existed to resolve such minor annoyances, but to employ them merely for a "surprise" for old Mr. Pei seemed overly wasteful.

Such a ceremonious act deserved a more significant occasion.

Pei Chang idly traced his fingers, lost in thought, and then, unexpectedly, chuckled aloud.

—

The red-haired teenager had long since lost contact with Manager Pei, and with it, his financial lifeline.

The money he had previously acquired had long been squandered.

He considered himself a young master of the Pei family, believing he was entitled to a share of its wealth and luxury.

Though still in his teens and incapable of independent survival, he had already cultivated a spoiled and extravagant nature.

The red-haired boy had once shadowed Pei Chang, though he dared not get too close, knowing only that Pei Chang resided in this villa.

Seeing the lights off and the isolated villa devoid of guards or bodyguards, the red-haired boy let out a drunken hiccup and clumsily scaled the wall.

He padded across the soft lawn to the small fountain at the villa's entrance. Glancing at the soaring seagull, he sneered, splashed his face with the fountain water, and briefly sobered up.

"Damn it, I'm a Pei family member too! This house should have a share for me!"

Fueled by liquid courage, the red-haired boy wiped the water from his face, his eyes dark and sinister, as he produced a wire and jimmied the door lock.

A soft "creak" echoed distinctly in the silent night.

Qin Yihe, seated alone in the attic, slowly lifted his head toward the attic door.

He rose, his colossal shadow stretching from the wall to the ceiling. His calf-length hair silently swayed behind him with each step.

The red-haired boy froze, startled by the sound of the door opening. Only when no further noise followed did he relax and swagger inside.

Upon entering, the red-haired boy immediately surveyed the surroundings.

The overly plain and desolate atmosphere made him frown.

"Not a single valuable thing," he grumbled, even doubting if anyone actually lived in such a cold, lifeless place.

"Tsk."

He proceeded directly to the second floor, and only when he saw the corridor adorned with exquisite, luxurious carpets did his expression soften slightly, though a hint of resentment and envy lingered.

"So he really did hoard all the Pei family's assets for himself."

He snorted coldly, casually pushing open an unlocked study door.

Aside from a bookshelf filled with books, there was only a solid wood desk.

The red-haired boy impatiently averted his gaze, pushing open two more doors in succession, both revealing empty guest rooms, utterly devoid of life.

His patience worn thin, he now strongly suspected this was nothing more than an uninhabited shell of a house!

Shaking his somewhat muddled head, the red-haired boy let out a drunken burp and kicked over a potted plant in the corridor.

As he reached the hallway's corner, he suddenly noticed several more stairs leading upward and, concealed in the shadows, an attic.

His eyes lit up, and he quickly ascended the stairs.

The attic wasn't particularly hidden, yet it was easily overlooked if one wasn't attentive.

The red-haired boy was convinced that any valuables must be stashed in this very attic!

He took out a wire, moistened it with his mouth, and began picking the lock in the dim light.

But just as he moved, the attic door gently creaked open a crack.

Unlocked?

Staring at the dark, narrow opening, a chill ran down his spine, and a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. However, his alcohol-addled brain was far from clear, and he quickly scoffed, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

It was even darker inside than he had imagined. Aside from a sliver of moonlight filtering through the front window, the surroundings were pitch-black, as if shrouded in a thick, dark mist.

He rubbed his eyes, straining to see, and in his daze, he suddenly perceived a wall directly in front of him.

As if an illusion, the window he had seen moments before was now obscured by this wall, and even that last trace of moonlight vanished.

The red-haired boy blinked hard, and when he looked again, the shadowy mass before him seemed to be descending.

He sneezed, reaching to rub his nose, but instead, his hand grasped a handful of hair.

In that instant, his scalp prickled with terror, and his entire body went ice-cold, as if drenched in frigid water.

The drunkenness in his brain instantly evaporated. His face turned ashen as he slowly looked up, only to see a pair of pitch-black, pupil-less eyes staring back at him.

And that eerie, inhuman face was directly above him, less than half an arm's length away.

This was no wall!

It was a person!

No—a monster!

"Mmph…"

The red-haired boy was lifted by his neck.

His eyes widened in horror, his legs flailing instinctively. The dark figure before him felt like an immense mountain crushing the air from his lungs, yet also like a chilling, grotesque specter!

Oxygen rapidly drained from his chest. His vision blurred, and his mind plunged into chaos.

In his extreme terror, snot and tears streamed down his face, his body trembling violently as if electrocuted!

Just as he was an inch from death, his vision blurred, and he was violently flung backward.

The attic door slammed shut with a "bang" in front of him.

The sound-activated light in the corridor flickered on.

His numb limbs prevented him from feeling pain. He scrambled to his feet, then his legs gave out, and he collapsed back to the ground in a panic.

His expression was one of sheer terror, his muddled mind completely consumed by fear. Driven by an instinctual will to survive, he crawled and stumbled out of the villa!

Meanwhile, in the deep, dimly lit attic, a pair of pitch-black eyes silently watched from the narrow window.

—

Who would have thought that old Mr. Pei’s desire for him to have a child had become so pathologically intense!

Pei Chang tugged at his tie, trying to dissipate the heat, but the exposed skin of his neck only grew increasingly, alarmingly red.

It was already past midnight. The car sped toward Shangjing Road but suddenly screeched to a halt with a sharp "squeal—"

"Mr… Mr. Pei…?"

The driver's voice trembled, tinged with an uncertain dread.

Pei Chang impatiently opened his eyes and saw a tall, looming shadow standing under a tree ahead, seemingly watching them.

He immediately sat up straight.

"You can go," he said hoarsely, opening the door and stepping out.

The driver stared at him, alarmed and confused.

"Mr. Pei, you—"

Without even a backward glance, Pei Chang walked straight ahead.

His hurried steps were as eager and impatient as the day he had walked away clutching flowers.

The driver sat stunned for a moment before clenching his jaw and driving away.

He knew that anything beyond this was beyond his purview.

"Qin Yihe."

The bright streetlights illuminated the light in Pei Chang’s eyes. Breathing heavily, he rushed forward like a moth to a flame.