Chapter 81 The Mad Puppy

Chapter 81: The Crazy Little Dog

Lu Lin squinted.

Faced with such blatant taunts and provocation, a faint, amused smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

That smile seemed harmless, yet beneath it churned a chilling obsession and insanity.

He leaned in, his mouth close to Xi Yan's ear, and said each word slowly, in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Mr. Xi probably doesn't get it."

His voice was light, but carried a bone-deep, almost sick certainty and smugness:

"What my brother loves most is sticking his nose in my business."

He paused, his grin widening, the defiance and smugness on his face impossible to miss.

"From when I was a kid, to now, it's always been like this."

His voice was soft, like he was sharing a sweet secret, yet his eyes burned with a chilling, obsessive fixation:

"My wonderful brother only has eyes for me, only loves me, only worries about me."

He pulled back a little, tilting his head, looking at Xi Yan's stiffening face, and asked lightly, "You know why?"

Without waiting for Xi Yan to answer, he went on, his voice carrying a hint of almost childish pride:

"Because in my brother's eyes, I'm always a kid to him."

The smile spread across Lu Lin's face, blindingly bright, his eyes churning with a madness and possessiveness that was hard to look at.

Xi Yan's hands on his lap curled slightly, his knuckles white.

He looked at the man in front of him, smiling so brightly but with eyes like an abyss, and said each word deliberately, his voice low and controlled:

"You make him keep protecting you?"

He paused, his gaze passing over Lu Lin to land again on the cold figure bent over the documents.

"What about him?"

"Who's protecting him?"

He looked away, staring coldly at Lu Lin, a sarcastic curl to his lips.

"You? You?"

His voice dropped even lower, but every word was clear as day:

"A lunatic who can't even control himself?"

The moment Xi Yan's words landed, the air in the whole office seemed to freeze for a second.

Feng Yuetian held the weird-tasting coffee, not sure whether to drink it or put it down, frozen awkwardly.

Feng Wuying sat there quietly, not saying a word.

But Lu Lin just laughed.

The smile was so faint, it was almost invisible, yet it somehow sent a chill down your spine.

He didn't get mad at the word "madman," and didn't show any sign of being offended.

He bent down, leaning in closer to Xi Yan until their eyes were almost level.

Those eyes of his.

The moment Xi Yan met those eyes, a chill went up his spine.

Those eyes held a cold, shadowy gloom, like a bottomless icy abyss, with shards of smugness floating on the surface and endless darkness underneath.

Churning in that darkness was undisguised pride and a bloodthirsty, almost sick hostility.

Lu Lin curled his lips, saying each word slowly, his voice as light as a lover's whisper, yet every syllable carried a biting coldness:

"President Xi, you think this madman of yours... why have I survived ten years?"

He paused, his eyes curving into dangerous slits, the gloom beneath them growing even thicker:

"And why, after my brother came back, do I keep causing trouble?"

Xi Yan's pupils shrank slightly.

But Lu Lin seemed to be in his own world, a strange, almost devout fervor appearing on his sharply handsome, aggressive face.

He straightened up, looking down on him, a cruel smile on his lips.

"Because I know my brother."

His voice was airy, like a lover's murmur, yet it sent chills down the spine:

"I know that if I'm too well-behaved in front of him, he'll forget me."

He tilted his head, his grin widening, the gloom in his eyes nearly spilling out as tangible madness:

"Only if I keep causing trouble will his gaze stay fixed on me."

Xi Yan's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of wariness creeping into his gaze as he looked at Lu Lin.

Under the watchful eyes of Xi Yan and Feng Wuying, Lu Lin picked up the still-steaming coffee cup from the table.

"You call me a madman?"

Lu Lin held the coffee cup, his gaze slowly sweeping across Xi Yan's face before finally landing on his own bandaged hand.

He laughed, a smile so bright it was blinding, yet his eyes were a cold void:

"Yes, I admit it."

He paused, his voice as soft as a sigh, but his words sent a chill through everyone:

"After all... if I weren't mad, how would my brother take care of me?"

He raised his hand slightly, tilting the coffee cup.

"If he didn't take care of me, how... could he love me?"

As the words fell, the brown liquid poured from the cup's rim, drenching his bandaged hand completely.

Those hands were already a mess of wounds, with blood seeping through the bandages in patches.

The moment the scalding coffee poured over them, the white gauze was quickly soaked through, turning a jarring dark brown.

Lu Lin's face showed no change at all.

He didn't even furrow his brow.

Only in those eyes, at the instant the liquid fell, did a flicker of... satisfaction flash through them.