Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Peony caught Yang Bai with ease.

She had administered the drug with perfect precision—enough to paralyze him while leaving him conscious enough to perceive what was happening to him.

She easily hoisted the 1.8-meter-tall Yang Bai over her shoulder and carried him toward a hidden passage behind the bar.

The passage was deep and dark, illuminated only by ghostly pale lights on either side that cast a glow on the floor carved with various gods and ghosts.

Hanging head-down, dizzy and disoriented, Yang Bai was forced to stare into the furious eyes of a rakshasa—a wrathful demon—on the floor. He felt as though they were all glaring sinisterly at him. Gathering his strength for a long time, he only managed to whisper, "Shao..."

His voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet Peony heard him.

"Actually, I don’t like the name Peony," she said, her steps light and effortless, completely unlike the delicate, fragile Omega Yang Bai had imagined.

"Because the Chinese peony can never surpass the tree peony," Peony mused to herself. "But this name is still better than 'Number Two.' If I’d told you my name was Number Two back then, you probably wouldn’t have bought me milk tea."

Yang Bai had no idea what she was talking about.

"But it’s fine, you’re a good person." Peony stopped in front of a door and took a deep breath. "Close your eyes and don’t open them no matter what. I’ll protect you."

It was perhaps the gentlest thing Peony had ever said. Then she pushed open the door, revealing a lavishly decorated underground fortress. Standing before the fireplace was a tall, blond Alpha.

"Did you bring him?"

Peony dumped Yang Bai onto the thick carpet like unloading cargo. Though he kept his eyes closed as instructed, he already knew who stood before him—they had met just half a day earlier.

Peony’s public partner—Chairman Nathan.

Peony grunted in acknowledgment. "What now?"

Nathan had only wanted an excuse to lure Shen Hui out. Now that he had the person, Yang Bai had served his purpose. "Drag him to the lab. Aren’t they desperate for test subjects?"

Yang Bai’s heart sank. It sounded like illegal experiments—wasn't he a dead man then?

"Alright." Peony seemed to have completely forgotten her promise to protect him and prepared to drag him away.

Yang Bai screamed internally, pleading to every god and Buddha and even his Yan family bosses. Just as he was tearfully begging, "Brother, save me!" Peony halted.

"That boss surnamed Yan seems quite fond of this little Alpha," Peony remarked casually. "He was even on the verge of unleashing his special ability. If he finds out, he won’t let you off easily."

Nathan hesitated at this. Chen Shenzhi had told him that Yan Jiu had likely awakened a special ability as well and was best left alone. After all, his target this time was just Yan Jiu’s little lover.

Hah, just a butler.

"Fine, lock him up for now. We’ll send him along once we catch Shen Hui."

***

*

Shen Hui became conscious again around noon the next day.

He lay there staring vacantly for a long time before his thoughts slowly returned.

He felt clean; Yan Jiu must have washed him and changed his clothes.

As he tried to sit up, he noticed something unusual and glanced expressionlessly at his abdomen.

Though the burning sensation had subsided, the presence there was unmistakable.

That bastard Yan Jiu had used some method to keep all of his seed inside.

Shen Hui took a deep breath and looked up to meet the smirking, handsome face of the culprit, feeling the urge to slap him into next week.

"Darling, are you hungry? I prepared breakfast for you myself." Yan Jiu’s possessive gaze shifted from Shen Hui’s abdomen to his eyes. He knew Shen Hui must be uncomfortable, but seeing him radiate his scent from the inside out made Yan Jiu's soul sigh with satisfaction.

Shen Hui, seeing that the man was satisfied, was too lazy to argue lest he lose more than he gained. He got up to go to the bathroom to clean himself, but Yan Jiu grabbed him.

"Not yet," Yan Jiu said, domineering and unreasonable.

Shen Hui’s patience finally snapped. "Get lost."

Instead of letting go, Yan Jiu pulled him into his arms. "It’s the doctor’s orders."

Shen Hui almost laughed in frustration, his expression clearly asking: *Which quack?*

"Gu Yu." Yan Jiu’s two words blocked any retort in his throat.

He watched Shen Hui’s defeated expression, soothingly kissing his temple before explaining, "Chief Gu said your reproductive cavity’s development isn't keeping up with your scent gland. He told me to assist physically. Otherwise—"

Yan Jiu recalled Gu Yu’s serious explanation, which sounded like a dirty joke: "—otherwise, he won't be able to accommodate even one knot later. He'll be the one suffering then."

Shen Hui: "..."

Butler Shen’s gaze turned icy enough to kill, and the temperature in the entire bedroom dropped, becoming colder than an ice cellar.

"Calm down. If you freeze them too..." Yan Jiu pressed his palm against Shen Hui’s abdomen. "I’ll have to help you again."

Shen Hui coldly brushed his hand away. "How much longer?"

If Yan Jiu dared say "indefinitely," he would confiscate the tools of the crime right then and there.

"Twenty-four hours." Yan Jiu checked his watch. "Two more to go."

Shen Hui kicked the smirking Yan Jiu out of the room and locked the door. "To hell with your two hours."

Yan Jiu had already guessed that Shen Hui wouldn’t obey. Besides, two hours wasn’t a big deal. He went to prepare lunch instead.

In this place, getting authentic Chinese cuisine required flying in both ingredients and chefs.

Half an hour later, Shen Hui sat at the dining table in a bathrobe, drying his damp hair. He looked at the array of authentic Chinese dishes in surprise. "Does the hotel have a Chinese chef?"

Yan Jiu narrowed his eyes slightly but didn’t answer. Shen Hui gave him a questioning look.

He had casually tied his bathrobe, leaving the collar open enough to reveal fair skin marked with bruises. Noticing Yan Jiu’s gaze, he tightened the robe. "Eat."

It suddenly occurred to Yan Jiu that in the six years they’d been together, Shen Hui had never been this casual around him. He was always prim and proper, encased in the rigid shell of his butler identity.

Perhaps even Shen Hui didn’t realize it, but he was gradually beginning to trust him.

"What are you smiling about?" Shen Hui’s defenses went up instantly at the sight of Yan Jiu’s grin.

"Nothing." After being satisfied, Yan Jiu could act normal for a while—though that timeframe was shortening.

Too hungry to argue, Shen Hui asked casually, "Where’s Xiao Bai? Tell him to come eat too."

Yan Jiu paused, realizing he hadn’t seen Yang Bai in a while.

"I’ll go find him."

Ten minutes later, Yan Jiu returned with a dark expression: "Yang Bai is missing."

Shen Hui immediately stood up: "When did this happen?"

"He never returned to his guest room yesterday." Yan Jiu’s expression turned icy. "The front desk said they saw him leave with a girl and he never came back."

With a full day passed, given the efficiency of Country G's underground organizations, Yang Bai's heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys were probably already in someone else's body by now.

Shen Hui was about to rush out to search, but Yan Jiu blocked his path: "I'll go. You stay here."

Shen Hui tried to argue, but Yan Jiu gave him no chance, immediately summoning the bodyguards he had brought: "You all guard him here. Without my order, he is not to leave this room under any circumstances."

The four bodyguards nodded in unison.

"Even if all of you die here, you must ensure his safety."

"Yes!"

"You..." All of Shen Hui's words choked when he met Yan Jiu’s gaze.

Yan Jiu didn't trust him—not when it came to leaving.

"I understand." Shen Hui gripped his arm. "Contact me as soon as you have any news."

Yan Jiu looked at him deeply: "Wait for me to return."

The door slammed shut. Under the bodyguards' intense scrutiny, Shen Hui slowly sat back down at the dining table and addressed the four tense bodyguards: "Care to try some food?"

*

Yan Jiu had brought over a hundred security personnel this time, all equipped with the latest firearms, given Country G's notorious security situation.

He had left at least half of them, both openly and covertly, surrounding the hotel floor to protect Shen Hui.

"Country G is so big. Shouldn’t we send more people?" Tang Fan conveniently appeared just when he was needed.

"No need." Yan Jiu cut him off. "He’s a university student accompanying an official delegation. Those underground rats would give him a wide berth. Who would dare kidnap him?"

Tang Fan also realized that, given their motherland’s current international influence, these small countries would treat diplomatic delegations with utmost respect.

"So what do you mean…"

Yan Jiu revealed an icy, cruel smile: "The fact that he’s Shen Hui’s younger brother can be discovered with minimal investigation. Capturing Yang Bai is just a pretext—they were always targeting Shen Hui."

It was just that Shen Hui had never left Yan Jiu’s sight since arriving, making it impossible for them to act, so they shifted their focus to Yang Bai, hoping to use him as bait to lure Shen Hui out.

Yan Jiu gave a self-mocking laugh—what role had Shen Hui played in all this?

Was he even willing to sacrifice Yang Bai just to get away from him?

The conflict between logic and emotion made Yan Jiu’s rage flare up uncontrollably again. He punched the nearby wall, causing the entire floor to shake almost imperceptibly.

Nathan, who had rushed over with his men, almost thought it was an earthquake. Only after identifying the culprit did he outwardly relax: "Mr. Yan."

But the look Yan Jiu turned on him rooted him to the spot.

Suppressing his rage, Yan Jiu said with a thin smile: "Chairman Nathan, a living person has gone missing in your territory. Shouldn’t you give me an explanation?"

Nathan looked ashamed: "We’ve already sent people to search. The Country G government is also giving this top priority. Everyone has been notified to conduct a full-scale search. We will definitely return him safely."

By the time they returned him, Yang Bai probably wouldn’t have a trace left.

Nathan continued detailing useless search plans until Yan Jiu cut him off: "Years ago, Country G conducted a multinational joint research experiment on secondary gender evolution. Where are the ruins of that laboratory?"

After a moment of surprise, Nathan appeared uncomfortable: "Mr. Yan, that’s a state secret."

"Then you can decide whether your secrets are more important or your country’s fate."

It sounded extremely arrogant, but Yan Jiu and the nation standing behind him had the capital to be that arrogant.

Compelled, Nathan gave Yan Jiu the laboratory’s address and kindly reminded him: "It’s said that armed criminals often roam that area. Please be careful."

Hah, Chen Shenzhi had already set a trap waiting for him.

But so what?

He was tired of Chen Shenzhi’s underhanded tactics. If Shen Hui couldn’t choose between them, then he would decide the outcome.

Only after Yan Jiu’s figure disappeared from view did Nathan reveal a smug smile and dial Chen Shenzhi’s number.

"He’s on his way."

"Good." Chen Shenzhi’s voice was warm and smiling: "Then I’ll trouble you, Chairman, to take care of Ah Hui."

Author's note: Sorry, I set the posting time wrong~

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Updates will be at 6 PM every day from now on (heart).