Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Yan Shizhou's room was in the annex building on the right, a place that was usually deserted.

Yi Wuyi pushed open the door and stopped short. "Third Young Master, what... are you playing with?"

Yan Shizhou sat on the bed, a vein bulging on his forehead. He closed his eyes in exasperation. "Do I look like I'm playing?!"

His tone was as fierce as ever, though his body trembled slightly.

Yi Wuyi walked to the bedside and looked down at his feet.

Yan Shizhou's left ankle was locked in a silver shackle, the skin slightly reddened. The other end was fastened to the bedpost.

He wore only a white shirt, hands braced on the bed behind him, legs slightly bent. Despite his compromising situation, his expression remained cold and defiant, only the flush on his face betraying the intensity of the moment.

Yi Wuyi glanced at the assortment of toys scattered on the table.

"..."

"...Hurry up and get me out of this." Yan Shizhou shifted his ankle, making the metal clink.

"What did the Third Young Master pick up from those videos this time?" Yi Wuyi bent down, his hand grasping the chain.

"Shut up!" At some unknown sound, Yan Shizhou jolted violently, his body stiffening. "W-wait... first... find the... remote."

Yi Wuyi's eyes searched and spotted a remote under the bed.

"Is this it?" He pressed a red button, clearly unfamiliar with such devices.

"Fuck!!" Yan Shizhou convulsed and collapsed onto the bed.

He still managed to kick Yi Wuyi's shoulder with his free right foot, but it only backfired. Yi Wuyi remained unmoved, while Yan Shizhou's own foot throbbed with pain.

Yi Wuyi pressed the button again, and it finally stopped.

Yan Shizhou lay limp on the bed, his breathing heavy and deep.

"Why play with electric toys?"

Yan Shizhou lifted his watery eyes and shot him a cold glance. "Why? A youthful heart, is that enough?"

He just wanted to see how toys differed from Yi Wuyi.

A few days ago, his eldest brother mentioned starting an adult brand, so he had ordered a bunch of toys online.

Then, he tried to replicate scenes from the videos on his phone.

He just hadn't expected the experience to be so terrible.

It was pure pain, not enjoyable at all.

Who the hell uses this crap? Furious and humiliated, Yan Shizhou cursed and threw the remote away.

The toss sent the shackle key flying under the bed, and the remote followed. Perhaps a button was pressed, as it started vibrating nonstop, causing nothing but pain.

The damn thing wouldn't stop, and he couldn't retrieve it alone.

Yan Shizhou tried twice, but his ankle was restrained. He couldn't reach the key or the remote.

Fortunately, his phone was still within reach, so he could send a message out.

Yi Wuyi picked up the key, but it got stuck in the lock and wouldn't come out.

"..." Yan Shizhou closed his eyes. He was going to sue that shop into bankruptcy.

"Even if you buy them, you should get ones of better quality," Yi Wuyi said flatly.

"...Shut up," came the stubborn retort.

This thing was all show. Yi Wuyi twisted the chain links with both hands. Yan Shizhou stared, stunned—it seemed he intended to break it barehanded.

"Are you crazy..."

*Crack!*

Yan Shizhou's words cut off.

He had just thought about getting up to find a pair of pliers when someone grabbed his clothes.

Yi Wuyi turned, and an unfamiliar kiss landed on his lips.

Yan Shizhou knelt on the bed, pressing down on his shoulders, his hot lips forcefully invading Yi Wuyi's mouth.

Yi Wuyi was dazed for a long moment.

This was their first kiss.

Though they had slept together several times, Yi Wuyi felt that wasn't love. It felt like Yan Shizhou's means of revenge. Every move, every word from him carried hatred. Even when Yan Shizhou was on top of him, the passion in his eyes couldn't hide the distortion.

Yi Wuyi couldn't make sense of it.

If even sex was this cold, of course they never kissed.

So this was the first kiss. It felt strange to Yi Wuyi. He looked at him in surprise, realizing a kiss could be so fervent.

He had learned somewhere that the tongue is the softest muscle in the body.

It turned out to be true.

Actually, signs of Yan Shizhou's sexual orientation had been there since childhood.

Yan Shizhou's face was handsome and refined, his lips naturally redder than most.

He scorned toy cars and action-packed anime but enjoyed sweaty boxing matches and modeling shows.

He liked playing dress-up games with the servants;

He liked reading shoujo manga;

He liked chasing after him.

"Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother," he called.

When Yi Wuyi was in his teens, he would carry Yan Shizhou, who was then in elementary school. By middle school, Yan Shizhou had grown too tall and could only follow behind, calling, "Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother."

Later, Yan Shizhou pleaded with him, "Even if it's just pretending, why can't you like me?"

Returning to reality, Yi Wuyi seemed to let out a sigh.

He raised his hand, cupping the back of Yan Shizhou's head to deepen the kiss. Their breaths slowly merged, and the air around them grew warm and thick.

Yan Shizhou's hands clawed at his back, trying to get a grip on the hem of his clothes to rip them off by brute force, but the material was surprisingly sturdy.

Yi Wuyi broke the kiss and took them off himself.

It felt like the first time they were truly making love.

Except Yan Shizhou still had that cuff around his ankle, which shifted slightly, emitting a cheap metallic clatter that didn't suit his status.

The next morning, on duty in the office.

Xie Yunshen stared intently at the adhesive bandage on Yi Wuyi's neck.

Yi Wuyi remained silent.

"Using a band-aid to cover a hickey?" Xie Yunshen was unusually perceptive today.

He nudged Yi Wuyi meaningfully with his shoulder. "Looks like I can't call you 'Old Five' anymore. Should I call you 'Prince Consort' or 'Princess Consort'..."

Yi Wuyi said calmly, "You're overthinking it."

Xie Yunshen rubbed his chin, activating his detective mode. "No, based on my years of novel-reading experience, a hickey in that location, of that color, is extraordinary."

Yi Wuyi pushed away the imaginary magnifying glass and said slowly, "It is indeed extraordinary... I just got poked by something yesterday."

It was from the shackle on Yan Shizhou's ankle.

Xie Yunshen's gossipy spirit deflated with a disappointed "Oh."

"Mr. Yan, Li Bin has been waiting since morning. He insists on seeing you," the secretary said.

"No," Yan Shiqi refused without hesitation.

Xie Yunshen looked at Yi Wuyi beside him and asked with a look, "Who's Li Bin?"

"The former manager of the Southern District electronics plant. He's been fired now."

Xie Yunshen nodded.

In the original story, this plant manager caused a huge disaster, resulting in massive losses for the Yan family. Later, considering his lifelong service, the Yan Corporation withdrew the lawsuit, only requiring him to cover part of the losses.

Of course, whether he actually paid in the end wasn't detailed in the novel.

When they got off work that evening, Li Bin was still sitting in the headquarters lobby, dejected and haggard.

Seeing Yan Shiqi come out, he rushed forward as if seeing a savior.

Yi Wuyi stopped him.

"Mr. Yan, you know me. I've been working at the electronics plant since I was twenty, from your grandfather's time until now. I've worked hard for over thirty years, step by step. If you do this now, no other company will hire me!"

"The Yan Corporation merely let you go. You can find work somewhere else."

"But... being fired by the Yan Corporation... what's the difference from being blacklisted?" Li Bin's face was pale as he forced a smile.

Yan Shiqi walked toward the entrance without pausing.

"Mr. Yan, even demoting me back to workshop supervisor would be fine!"

Li Bin tried to get closer as he chased after him but was always kept five meters away by Yi Wuyi.

Despite the autumn weather, sweat poured down his forehead.

Yan Shiqi reached the car outside the door and was about to get in.

Thump!

Li Bin dropped to his knees, his words impassioned: "Mr. Yan! My two children are still studying abroad, I haven't finished paying off my mortgage, my wife needs daily medication, and now the bank is calling in my loan! You can't condemn my whole family to death over this one mistake!"

It was the end of the workday. Employees leaving the building stopped at the entrance, watching the scene.

Several security guards stood behind, unsure whether to step forward and drag the man away without Yan Shiqi's say-so.

This middle-aged man knelt on the ground, his salt-and-pepper hair tousled by the wind, still wearing the old factory uniform that had been phased out. He looked at Yan Shiqi with pleading eyes: "Mr. Yan, for the sake of the old master!"

Everyone's eyes held a mix of pity for his misfortune and frustration at his lack of backbone.

But the chairman's move did seem excessively harsh, considering Li Bin had practically devoted his life to the Yan family.

Xie Yunshen, however, felt nothing. As soon as he remembered how this man's greed had caused the Yan family heavy losses in the original story, any sympathy vanished.

Yan Shiying stood at the second-floor window, watching the commotion below.

Yan Shiqi didn't turn back, his gaze calmly fixed on the kneeling figure reflected in the car window.

"Your kneeling means nothing to me. If you want to guilt-trip me, you need to have morals first."

He reached out and took a document from his assistant.

"One-third of all positions in the plant with monthly salaries over ten thousand are occupied by your relatives. The cafeteria contractor is your wife's relative. You pocketed the proceeds from 20% of the electronic waste, profiting tens of millions. When did the factory become the Li Group?"

"Mr. Yan, when the old master was alive, I reported all these matters! The old master knew about them!"

"Are you saying he approved of you bleeding the Yan family dry to support your mistress and illegitimate child?"

Yan Shiqi finally turned, his gaze sharp as arrows.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes widened.

Director Li was famously devoted to his wife. Who would have thought he had another family on the side?

Moreover, the old master of the Yan family, Yan Shiqi's grandfather, was known for his ruthless demeanor and strict family discipline. Offspring who had affairs were never given important positions.

Yan Shiqi's father had been stripped of his inheritance rights precisely because he had an affair that produced Yan Shiying.

In other words, it was impossible for the old master to condone Li Bin's behavior.

Li Bin was lying.

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Upstairs, Yan Shiying lowered his head, feeling heavy-hearted.

Yes, it seemed everyone still remembered.

If his mother hadn't later become pregnant with Yan Shizhou, and the scandal became too big to ignore, the old master would never have allowed his mother into the Yan family.

Later, after Yan Shizhou was born and the Yan family's business flourished, the old master was in a good mood and made an exception to accept him into the household.

At that time, Yan Shiying was already eight years old, past the clueless stage.

Because his grandfather despised illegitimate children, his father treated him with indifference, and his mother focused all her attention on his "lucky star" younger brother.

Only Yan Shiqi, his elder half-brother, stepped up as a parental figure for him.

During their school years, his older brother, who was in middle school, had him share the same car for drop-offs and pickups. In the reception room, in his role as the Yan family's eldest grandson, he introduced him to the principal and teachers as his own younger brother.

“Because my younger brother grew up abroad and isn’t too familiar with how things work here, Grandpa insisted that I make it clear to the principal and teachers—please take a little extra care of my brother in the beginning.”

That scene is still clear as day. He remembers the way the light fell on his older brother standing before him, the woody scent of the office piled with paper scrolls, and the teachers’ looks of approval directed at him.

Because of this, those clichéd nicknames for illegitimate children or disdainful looks never invaded Yan Shiying’s elementary school years.

Li Bin opened his mouth, looking at Yan Shiqi and then at the cold-faced people around him, seeming caught off guard by how things had turned out.

Some familiar faces held up their phones, video-calling old friends: “Take a look, our former classmate Li, the factory manager who was so famously devoted to his wife!”

Everyone watched as he stood up dazedly, his knees trembling slightly from kneeling so long, before he drifted toward the crowd, looking completely defeated.

The onlookers gradually dispersed.

Yan Shiqi turned and got into the car.

Assuming the matter was over, they were on their way back to the Yan residence, waiting at a crossroads for the light to change.

Suddenly, a silver car came speeding out from the intersection on the right, crashing straight into their vehicle.

By the time Xie Yunshen saw it, it was too late to react. He could only throw himself over Yan Shiqi to shield him.

A violent impact sent the car flying, colliding with another vehicle beside them before being thrown against the guardrail.

Xie Yunshen felt a tremendous force slam into his back.

Fortunately, they were wearing seatbelts; otherwise, they could've been thrown right through the window by now.

Xie Yunshen held onto Yan Shiqi the entire time.

The sound of a heartbeat echoed—thump, thump, thump.

“Mr. Yan, are you alright?” Xie Yunshen heard his own voice, sounding somewhat weak.

Huh? Talk about luck! He could still speak!

In other words, it’s practically: cleared without a scratch!

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Author’s Note: Last night I said I’d post after midnight, planning to type in bed, but as soon as I touched the bed, I passed out cold—utterly ridiculous [sobbing][sobbing]. Sorry, I’ll update another chapter tonight.

Four thousand nutrient solutions saved for an extra update tomorrow.