Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Yan Jiu's terrified heart crashed back into his chest with a heavy thud.

He thought, even if he died at this moment, it would be worth it.

Then he saw Shen Hui, holding his scent and bearing all the imprints he had inflicted, slowly but firmly draw near to cradle his face and place a soft kiss on his lips.

"If this is what you need to feel secure, I'm willing."

It was as if Shen Hui had surrendered himself completely to him, without any reservation.

Every word made Yan Jiu's heartbeat skip, thumping painfully against his ribs, yet feeling so vividly alive.

That searing, blazing passion made his fingertips and scalp tingle intensely. He abruptly tackled Shen Hui onto the bed.

His expression was ferocious: "What if I keep you locked up so no one else can see you?"

"Then I hope there will be Chinese trumpet creepers and you there."

Yan Jiu remained stern: "What if I make you stay like this daily, not even allowing you to withdraw when meeting outsiders?"

"Then you'll need to prepare a comfortable chair for me."

"I also want to tie you up with a red rope, wearing only—"

Shen Hui kissed his lips, cutting off the relentless flow of explicit questions.

Whatever you want, as long as it's you.

If this is how you care for me, I embrace it completely.

Pleasure, pain, endurance—all of it.

If you immerse yourself in this, you'll see only me, only feel me.

I will become your everything.

Shen Hui only mourned his own wretchedness for a second, but he was willing to reveal this despicable side of himself only to Yan Jiu.

Beneath the light, two darknesses clung together.

This time, Yan Jiu was unusually tender, but Shen Hui was resistant.

Compared to before, this tenderness felt like another kind of torture.

Shen Hui became irritated, shoved him off, and picked up the red rope scattered nearby, his eyes red with dissatisfaction.

"Wasn't this what you wanted to try?"

...

Shen Hui looked at Yan Jiu with eyes blurred with tears, begging.

"What are you begging for?" Yan Jiu wound the red rope around his fingers, and Shen Hui's tears burst forth.

Yan Jiu returned to his malicious ways: "You've always been into me."

It took Shen Hui several seconds to process his words, his adrift consciousness drifting back to long ago.

It was shortly after Yan Jiu had differentiated into an Alpha. Because of this, he and Chen Shenzhi had a final rupture.

A few years earlier, the Chen family had nearly collapsed due to internal conflicts and was only saved by the assets Yan Jiu brought from the Yan family. Thus, the entire Chen family had silently consented to the plan to turn Yan Jiu into an Omega—including Chen Shenzhi. But now Yan Jiu had differentiated into an Alpha. And not just any Alpha—a Number One, who would inevitably claim the Yan family's assets. The ensuing repercussions would devastate the Chen family.

Chen Shenzhi was at a critical stage in his research on Number Ones, requiring funds that were a literal money pit. He absolutely could not allow this to happen.

So he commanded Shen Hui to come back and help him, but Shen Hui refused.

Chen Shenzhi appeared refined and elegant on the surface, his words and actions like those of a courteous noble, but at his core, he was a dictatorial traditional patriarch, especially toward Shen Hui.

This was the first time Shen Hui had ever refused him. After a moment of shock, Chen Shenzhi erupted in uncontrollable rage and tried to forcibly take him away.

Shen Hui cut his way through the encirclement, pressing a bloodied knife to Chen Shenzhi's Adam's apple.

"Are you going to kill me?" Chen Shenzhi's eyes were filled with shock, anger, and complexity as he looked at the wounded, disheveled Shen Hui.

But Shen Hui released his grip, driving the long blade into the ground at Chen Shenzhi's feet, his entire being like incense ashes spent burning: "I return what I owe you."

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

Shen Hui wandered without purpose for three full days, walking along the endless coastline. He watched fishing boats come and go along the horizon, while the tide washed away the hearts drawn by children in the sand.

Just like himself.

Aside from Chen Shenzhi, no one in this world cared about him, and now he had severed that one connection with his own hands.

He felt purified at that moment, a little tired, and just wanted to find a quiet place to rest.

Wave after wave seemed to lure him in.

Then he heard someone calling his name, from far to near, voice raw with desperation.

A hand gripped him tightly, pulling him out of his nightmare.

It was Yan Jiu.

The Alpha charged into the waves, gripping his waist and dragging him back to shore. The two collapsed, soaked, on the sand.

Yan Jiu roared like a madman: "Do you want to die?!"

Shen Hui looked back at him, dazed and innocent, his thoughts still adrift. He wanted to say he wasn't, but upon reflection, he realized his actions were indeed indefensible.

Yan Jiu stared at him intently, as if waiting for an explanation.

Just as he was about to speak, Yan Jiu seemed to lose all strength, collapsing to his knees and clutching Shen Hui tightly in his arms.

Shen Hui's ribs ached from the tight grip, and he wanted to tell him to let go, but when he touched him, he couldn't say a word.

Because the Alpha was trembling, crying out of fear.

Fear of his death.

At that moment, in the long, cold night, someone had come with a lantern.

His embrace was so warm that Shen Hui realized how cold his past had been.

Shen Hui slowly returned the embrace: "Can you only be this good to me?"

His voice was so soft it nearly faded away, but it effectively gathered the Alpha's broken composure. Yan Jiu scolded him angrily: "Have you ever seen me treat anyone else like this?! If anyone else dared do this, I'd see them off personally! Do you have any idea how terrified I was..."

Shen Hui completely relaxed amidst the incessant scolding directed at him, closed his eyes, and fainted.

"Shen Hui?!"

The memories receded like the tide, and Shen Hui's damp eyes gradually cleared, filled with tenderness. "Probably when you were crying in my arms."

"Absolutely impossible!" The alpha, who had more pride than sense, flat-out denied it. "I've never cried in my life!"

Then, meeting Shen Hui's teasing smile, anger surged within him, and he decided to punish his omega. "Alright, let's see who ends up crying in whose arms."

"No, no, I was wrong!" Shen Hui laughed while dodging. "It hurts!"

Yan Gui pounced on him like a starving tiger, firmly tucking him into his arms, pretending to showcase his prowess again. "Liar, didn't you just say you were up for anything? I still have plenty of thrilling games to try!"

Shen Hui firmly held down his restless hands and surrendered. "I really can't go on anymore. Let's take a break, just for a while..."

The effects of the catalyst had worn off, and continuing like this would truly mean he'd end up dead in that bed.

Yan Gui saw that although Shen Hui was smiling, he was genuinely uncomfortable, biting his lips tightly. The bruises stood out starkly against his fair skin, making him look utterly disheveled. Reluctantly, Yan Gui let him off. "Hmph, next time the catalyst kicks in—no, when we return home, we'll go to the villa for our honeymoon and see no one!"

Shen Hui smacked that dissatisfied handsome face aside irritably. "Have some shame!"

Yan Gui was thoroughly satisfied this time, carrying his prize over his shoulder like a bandit carrying off his bride to clean up.

Two hours later, Shen Hui and Yan Gui finally sat down in the first-floor dining room to enjoy a warm Chinese meal.

The fragrant chicken soup perfectly soothed Shen Hui's empty stomach.

He sincerely thanked the Chinese chef that Yan Gui had brought along. At this point, forcing him to eat Western food would qualify as abuse.

The Cantonese breakfast dishes were delicate and small, perfectly matching Shen Hui's preference for variety without large portions.

Yan Gui wasn't very hungry. He simply watched Shen Hui eat, as if seeing a beloved through rose-colored glasses—finding the way he held chopsticks attractive, the way he chewed appealing, even the way he spat out bones charming.

Too hungry to bother with his infatuated gaze, Shen Hui waited until he was half-full before asking, "Is Xiao Bai back yet?"

Yan Gui's intense gaze faltered, and he guiltily looked away, quickly pulling out his phone under the table to message Tang Fan.

Shen Hui looked at him curiously. "Hmm?"

In the flatbed truck, Yang Bai sneezed three times in a row.

Boss Yang looked over worriedly. "Catching a cold?"

Yang Bai wiped his nose and mumbled, "Probably just a bit allergic to dust."

Boss Yang glanced at the truck jolting across the Gobi Desert and the clouds of yellow sand rising behind them, speechless.

"I'm fine, Dad. Keep going." Yang Bai now viewed his father through a lens ten thousand feet thick, feeling a sense of security comparable to that offered by Elder Zhongli.

Boss Yang confirmed he was alright before continuing.

He'd rushed over as soon as he heard Country G had declared a state of emergency, gathering his old comrades from back in the day and moving nonstop until he finally managed to rescue his son.

"But how does that guy Chen know you?" Yang Bai, confused by the fragmented story, grasped at the most recent question.

Boss Yang fell silent for a moment. "Because your mother was his teacher."

Yang Bai: !!!

Boss Yang lit a cigarette gloomily, his gaze distant and bitter. "Your mother was an incredibly wise and decisive woman. She was the head of the gland evolution project team back then."

Yang Bai's eyes nearly popped out. His mom was that amazing?!

"But didn't you say she passed away when I was born?"

Boss Yang smiled bitterly. "She did pass away around that time."

In his youth, Boss Yang had been quite handsome and well-built. As a model soldier, he was assigned to a confidential mission abroad—the later notorious gland evolution research project.

They were responsible for protecting the research institute's security, and it was then that Boss Yang met Yang Bai's mother, Yang Jingqiao.

She wore a white lab coat and glasses, intellectual and elegant. As brilliant as she was in research, she was equally discerning about men, with a particular fondness for East Asian features. Over time, she took a liking to Boss Yang.

Boss Yang was both flustered and honored by Yang Jingqiao's attention, falling for her almost instantly. Director Yang treated him as seriously as she did her work, guiding this straight man step by step to become a worthy partner, only to break up abruptly when Boss Yang asked for commitment.

After that, Boss Yang never saw Yang Jingqiao again—security personnel weren't allowed into the core areas. Those sweet three months felt like an illusion to him, until eight or nine months later, when Yang Jingqiao stumbled into his quarters, disheveled and frantic, handing him a child and telling him to leave.

Boss Yang tried to grab her and ask for clarity—what did "leave" mean, and whose child was this?

But Yang Jingqiao didn't look back, striding straight back to the lab.

What followed was the lab explosion, with everyone listed as deceased, becoming an unspoken existence across nations.

Boss Yang barely managed to save a few members of his security team and make a frantic escape, encountering several unknown pursuers along the way. It was for Yang Bai's sake that he took the risk to return to the country and settle in an urban village.

"So... what exactly happened at the research institute back then?" Yang Bai asked, his heart racing.

Boss Yang shook his head bitterly. "I don't know."

The truck fell into dead silence as Yang Bai processed his dramatic, almost fantastical origins.

"But I saw a child in her phone," Boss Yang said, his tone heavy.

Yang Bai: "Huh?"

"I'm absolutely certain—it was Xiao Hui."

Author's note: Pushing the plot and setting up future developments. This story will likely need major revisions when it's finished (Diao Diao sighs).

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