Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Shen Gali propped his chin on one hand, his entire body radiating a chill from the dampness, as if it were seeping from his bones.

Even though it was June, his fingers were still icy cold.

At three o'clock sharp, there was still no sign of Mu Yan.

If the other party wasn't the type to be late, then it could only mean he had been stood up.

Shen Gali took a lazy deep breath, lit up his phone, and was about to tell Mu Yan he was heading home first.

He wouldn't wait any longer; he had no patience left.

"Excuse me, are you Tieniu Ju?"

Suddenly, a strange voice came from above his head.

Shen Gali looked up in surprise at the speaker.

What made it strange was that Mu Yan's voice didn't sound like a normal adult male's; instead, it was childish, like a little kid's voice, very much like...

Shen Gali looked Mu Yan up and down.

A little boy stood before him, wearing clothes from a Danish high-end children's brand and sporting a Korean-style bowl cut. He held an iPad, its screen displaying the personal profile panel of the guild leader, "Mu Yan."

Shen Gali slowly drew a question mark in his mind.

"Are you... Mu Yan?"

The boy was extremely cute, with big eyes, a short nose, and a cherry mouth, appearing to be seven or eight years old. Yet, his chubby face bore a cold, mature expression that belied his age.

He nodded. "I'm Mu Yan. You're Tieniu Ju, right?"

Shen Gali: "Uh, yeah..."

Mu Yan sat down across from him and expertly flagged down a waiter and placed an order.

"One Blue Mountain, with milk and no sugar. Tieniu Ju, what are you having?"

"You can just call me Shen Gali..."

Mu Yan curled the corner of his lips, giving a meaningful smile that didn't match his age. "Your real name is quite nice."

"Thanks for the compliment..." Shen Gali could never have imagined that the legendary figure among the guild members—someone who had maxed out his level in just half a year and ousted the original guild leader—was a seven-or-eight-year-old boy...

"Kid, what's your name?"

The boy lightly blew on his coffee to cool it, not looking up. "Hein."

This overly mature and composed demeanor made Shen Gali feel as if the person sitting across from him wasn't just a seven-or-eight-year-old, but rather Nan Liujing.

But... Hein?

This extremely unique surname instantly snapped Shen Gali to attention.

In the original story, besides the well-known conglomerate, the Nan family, there was another super conglomerate that rivaled it—the F.L Group, which handled eighty percent of the country's food business. And his family had an only son, still in elementary school, the notorious little terror known as Hein.

Such a spoiled and unruly little tyrant was only ever tamed by the original protagonist, Shen Lanqing, whom he vowed to marry when he grew up, making the original male lead, Nan Feiyao, jealous of a seven- or eight-year-old child.

The original cannon fodder had also tried to win over this little tyrant, only to have the little tyrant dismiss him with the line, "Please show this beggar out."

Shen Gali muttered to himself: Great, just show me out. Dealing with just Nan Liujing is already exhausting—I hate kids.

To make the child dislike him quickly so he could go home and collapse, Shen Gali asked with a smile, "I never expected the famous guild leader to be just an eight-year-old kid. Did you pay someone to level up your account that fast?"

He thought the kid would fly into a rage, accuse him of disrespecting his efforts, and tell him to get out of his sight right then and there.

Instead, the kid slowly sipped his coffee: "Yeah, I spent about seventy or eighty grand. Also, I'm seven."

Pfft—

Shen Gali wiped his mouth.

This was the first time he'd met someone more straightforward than himself.

"The reason I'm willing to bring you along is that I see my former self in you," Hein said in a low voice.

Shen Gali gave him a sidelong glance. "Former self"? You're only seven years old...

"When I first started playing this game, everyone looked down on me for being a newbie and an elementary schooler. No one wanted to team up with me, and they mocked me for leveling up slowly, telling me to uninstall the game and go do my homework," Hein sneered. "Just like you, I got nothing but dirty looks."

Shen Gali: ...

You're an elementary schooler... they weren't wrong.

And honestly, I'd rather be left alone.

"So I used a month's allowance to hire three power-levelers, working around the clock in shifts to level up my account. I maxed out fast."

A month's allowance of seventy or eighty thousand... around-the-clock shifts...

Any player with no money but plenty of grinding spirit would cry hearing that.

"I'm really sorry about my guild members mocking you. How about this: give me your password, and I'll have someone power-level you to level ninety in a month."

Shen Gali really wanted to beg him.

Leave me alone—I'm just a slacker.

Listening to the elementary schooler recount his story of becoming famous for most of the afternoon, Shen Gali grew more and more drowsy and finally couldn't help interrupting: "Little bro, I suddenly remembered I left the gas on at home. Mind if I take off?"

Hein raised his chin arrogantly, looking down at him: "Perfect timing—I have a French lesson soon. Let's leave together."

With that, he called the waiter: "Check, please."

Seeing this, Shen Gali didn't dare let the kid pay—if his parents found out, it would be a whole mess.

He pulled out some cash: "I'll cover it."

Hein waved his little hand: "No need, I'm a member here. There's still money on my card."

Shen Gali: ...

At the entrance, the waiter smiled and bid them farewell: "Take care, Mr. Hein. Welcome back anytime—"

Shen Gali and Hein stood side by side under the eaves. In the pouring rain, he could visibly see himself growing thinner.

Hein raised the umbrella high, lifting his arm. Finding that he wasn't tall enough, he quietly went up on tiptoes and held the umbrella over Shen Gali's head.

Gazing at the sheet of rain, he suddenly raised his other hand and said in a low voice, "Shen Gali, I allow you to hold my hand."

"No," Shen Gali refused flatly. "I don't like playing with schoolkids."

He thought that by provoking and belittling him like this, the little devil would surely throw a fit.

But Hein remained as indifferent as ever: "It's fine, as long as I like you, that's enough."

"Why..." Shen Gali himself didn't know what the child saw in him.

Hein looked up, his long lashes fluttered once. "Because you're beautiful. Since ancient times, heroes have always had a hard time resisting a beautiful person, haven't they?"

Tsk—

A black Cayenne stopped in front of the café. Several men in black suits hopped out of the car, crowded around Hein, and hunched over. "Young master, you made us look for you everywhere. Don't run off without telling anyone anymore, okay? The missus was worried sick."

As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Gali beside him and immediately put on an arrogant look. "What's wrong with you, grown-up? Don't you know you should contact our young master's parents? Did the young master pay for the coffee too? You're just taking advantage."

Shen Gali: "Ah, yes. Can you make him stay away from me?"

Hein suddenly looked up and said coldly to the men in black, "If you don't know how to show respect to my future wife, please resign immediately."

Shen Gali: ?

The bodyguards' arrogant stances froze instantly.

Watching the child get into the car, he acted like the domineering CEO from a TV drama, rolling down the window, showing only his childish side profile, his tone cold and indifferent: "Shen Gali, remember to log into the game to meet me. That's it. Drive."

Shen Gali secretly vowed to uninstall the game as soon as he got home.

Watching the car fade into the distance, Shen Gali finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yeah, dealing with kids is exhausting.

He had a headache.

In the car that had been parked by the café entrance for a long time, Nan Liujing quietly watched everything unfold before him, then suddenly lifted a hand to cover his eyes.

What a joke. So Mu Yan was actually the seven-year-old little troublemaker of the Hai family.

What did he just say? Shen Gali is his future wife.

He had really gotten solid evidence of Shen Gali's infidelity.

In that case, the divorce plan would have to be delayed. Well, he can use this time to gather more dirt on Shen Gali; that'll work in court.

Nan Liujing looked up and saw Shen Gali already walking into the rain, his figure blurry and ethereal. His drenched shirt clearly outlined the contours of his body.

So thin and frail.

His fingers rested on his knees, tapping rhythmically. After a long while, he said to the driver, "Stop the car."

Shen Gali was slowly making his way home along the base of the wall. Waves of biting cold hit his brain, and he felt a sting in his nose. He let out a huge sneeze.

A car stopped beside him, and then the window rolled down. A profile completely covered by a mask and sunglasses appeared, followed by a familiar low voice: "Get in."

Shen Gali gloomily got into the car.

He hadn't taken a taxi because he hated to spend the money. For the sake of his luxurious afterlife garden, he could endure anything. But since there was a free cab, why not take it?

A cool dampness filled the car, and a wet spot quickly formed on the black leather seat.

Driver Yang handed over a towel, telling Shen Gali to dry himself quickly to avoid catching a cold.

Shen Gali looked at Driver Yang's face—familiar, but he couldn't place it. He stopped thinking about it.

He had wanted to ask why Nan Liujing was there, but then thought again—of course, he was here to catch evidence of his infidelity.

But after waiting a long time without Nan Liujing questioning him, so he could be locked in a quiet dark room, Shen Gali voluntarily confessed: "I came to meet an internet friend in secret. Since you caught me, oh well. Punish me—a dark room or whatever is fine."

"Fine," Nan Liujing sneered. "Come to my room tonight. I'll punish you well."

Shen Gali: ...???

This isn't what we agreed on.

Go to his room? No, I don't want to look at him.

"Just kidding," he quickly tried to backtrack.

Nan Liujing stared ahead, his voice icy and devoid of any warmth: "I wasn't joking. Come to my room tonight."

Shen Gali: .

Tsk, miscalculation.

The dampness brought drowsiness. Shen Gali looked at a travel magazine on the car seat, with the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia on its cover.

The Salar de Uyuni... Actually, before, for a brief time, he had fantasized about traveling abroad with his mother. But it was ultimately a fleeting dream. After waking to face the cold hospital room, he finally understood it was just a dream.

Pop.

The little bubble of drowsiness popped, and Shen Gali slowly closed his eyes.

As soon as they got home, seeing Shen Gali looking like a drowned rat, Uncle Li quickly grabbed a towel and pulled him into the bathroom.

Soaking in the hot water, Shen Gali felt sleepy again.

His head ached and his nose was stuffy. The last bit of his energy was drained away.

*

"Knock knock." The bathroom door sounded twice, and Uncle Li's voice came from outside: "Mr. Shen, please come out as soon as you're done washing to prepare dinner. Let me read you today's menu..."

Shen Gali was extremely irritated, so irritated that he wanted to cry, and his eyes suddenly reddened.

But he knew that if he didn't comply, Nan Liujing would come up with more ways to disturb his peace.

Dazedly, he went to the kitchen, but saw Uncle Li, with a mysterious air, pulled him aside, casually close the door, and even lock it.

Shen Gali covered his collar: "Uncle Li, I'm not into older men."

Uncle Li quickly put on an apron, took a pot of hot soup from the stove, and shoved it into Shen Gali's hands, whispering:

"Mr. Shen, drink some hot soup to warm yourself. I see you're not feeling well, so I'll make dinner tonight. Don't tell the young master, or he'll definitely be angry."

Shen Gali silently watched him, the slight heat from the bowl in his palm feeling cozy and comfortable.

He slowly lowered his head, pressing his cheek against the soup bowl to feel the warmth.

Uncle Li skillfully chopped vegetables and cleaned ingredients, carefully weighing each seasoning on an electronic scale, cautious yet professional.

Shen Gali watched for a long time, curiously: "Uncle Li, you know very well what kind of person Nan Liujing is, why have you stayed with him for so long? Because he pays well?"

Uncle Li stopped cutting, slowly looked up, as if lost in memories of the past.

"When I entered the Nan family, the young master was only six years old. Back then, he was obedient and gentle, always following me and calling me 'Uncle, Uncle.' Probably because he was so adorable as a child, I ended up staying with him for more than twenty years."

Shen Gali: "I don't understand."

Uncle Li smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Because I know the young master's nature isn't bad. The reason he became so cold and indifferent is all due to the cruelty of fate."

Shen Gali nodded.

Not bad doesn't mean not perverted. Bad and perverted aren't mutually exclusive.

"But the way he treats others with gentleness doesn't mean everyone will give him sincerity in return." Uncle Li stopped mid-sentence, then added, "All in the past. In any case, I really hope you two can live happily together for a lifetime. So when the young master has a bad temper sometimes, I apologize on his behalf and hope you can bear with him a little."

Shen Gali closed his eyes.

Here we go again. He puts up with others, but who respects his way of living?

But a lifetime together...

This seemed like a distant concept to him. He had never imagined spending his life with anyone; the hospital bed was his only destination.

Saying that word out loud gave him a subtle feeling.

"Alright." Uncle Li turned off the heat and plated the dinner. "I'll go check on the young master first. You just take the dishes to the dining table. Remember, if the young master asks, insist that you made it."

Shen Gali nodded and carried the dishes to the dining room.

After doing all this, his head began to buzz, a numbness spreading through his body as if all his strength had been drained. Shen Gali sat at the table and slumped down wearily.

His body felt strange, heavier than usual, and his hands were so limp he couldn't muster any strength.

Through blurred vision, he saw a pure white figure being pushed downstairs by Uncle Li, arriving at the dining table.

White. So Nan Liujing's clothes weren't only black after all.

Nan Liujing sat at the table, a white crewneck sweatshirt matching his soft, loose hair. Stripped of all pretense, he looked as young as a vigorous college student on campus—if not for his overly mature expression.

He glanced at the dinner and said, "Uncle Li, did you help?"

Uncle Li shook his head vigorously: "It was Mr. Shen, who worried that the young master hasn't been eating well lately, so he specially took the trouble to cook dinner for you. Look how tired Mr. Shen is—he can't even straighten his back."

Nan Liujing looked down at the dying Shen Gali, his arrogant chin showing a bit of overbearing superiority.

"When has he ever straightened his back?"

Shen Gali, dazed and confused, didn't pay attention to what Nan Liujing said at all.

Nan Liujing picked up his knife and fork, said an ambiguous "Don't let it happen again," then gracefully cut into the steak and brought it to his mouth.

Cold sweat dripped from Uncle Li's forehead. He was found out, but the young master didn't pursue it?

Ah, I see. He must be worried that his partner got caught in the rain.

Heh, Uncle Li never gets it wrong.

Dinner ended. Shen Gali finally found some relief. Breathing feebly, he stood up and headed upstairs.

Nan Liujing wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and said casually, "You haven't forgotten, have you? Your punishment. Go wait in my room."

Fine, fine. Hurry up and kill me.

This picky world—I don't want to stay a single extra day.

Dragging his heavy body, he pushed open the door to Nan Liujing's room.

A cool, bitter-sweet fragrance rushed toward him, like the mountains after rain, diffusing the subtle scent of shade-loving plants.

This scent had a hypnotic effect, and by now Shen Gali didn't even have the strength to open his eyes. He collapsed onto the bed and slowly closed his eyes.

Nan Liujing's bed was as hard as the man himself.

But how would he punish him?

Thinking this, he completely fell asleep.

The door was pushed open, the wheelchair's wheels making a soft rolling sound across the floor. Then the door closed, blocking the light from the hallway, and the room instantly fell into darkness, leaving only the cool white moonlight casting regular shapes by the bed.

Nan Liujing came to the bedside, with a wooden box placed on his lap.

He opened it, and a silver flash appeared, the faint light illuminating the props inside the box.

Handcuffs, a ball gag, a whip, nipple clamps...

Shen Gali had asked to be punished. Nan Liujing had never seen anyone proactively make such a request.

Nan Liujing slowly took out the whip and coiled it into a ring, his fingers brushing over the rough texture of the leather.

He gave a sinister cold laugh, his eyes dark and bottomless, devoid of any warmth.

"Shen Gali." He used the whip to lift the sleeping man's chin. "Planning to keep pretending?"

Shen Gali didn't move, like a lifeless doll. Only his heavy, labored breathing confirmed that he was still alive.

His delicate eyebrows were furrowed, beading with fine sweat on his forehead.

Nan Liujing steadied himself, then gently patted his cheek with the whip. "Get up. If you keep pretending, I really won't be polite."

A heavy breath came, brushing over Nan Liujing's fingers.

Instantly, a scorching heat struck, making him retract his fingers.

"Shen Gali?" He called out softly again.

Shen Gali still showed no response.

Nan Liujing sensed something wrong. He raised his hand and placed it on his forehead. Beneath the thin layer of sweat, the forehead was burning hot.

"You have a fever?" Nan Liujing frowned, staring coldly.

After a long moment, he let out a cold laugh: "You like getting caught in the rain, don't you? No one will care for you when you're sick. You should be grateful this fever saved your life."

With that, he put the whip back into the box, rolled his wheelchair, and left the room.

You brought this on yourself.

...

A sharp pain racked his body, his ears ringing, his fingers numb as if they weren't his own.

Shen Gali, in a feverish haze, sensed something was wrong with his body. Probably a fever. Let it burn—burn to death, for all he cared.

But then, his body was being moved by a cool, large hand. The next moment, he felt a sudden weightlessness, and then he was in a solid embrace.

A faint, cool fragrance filled his nostrils. The embrace itself exuded a chill that alleviated the searing heat on his skin—cool, comfortable.

In his haze, Shen Gali heard a cold, detached voice above him: "Get up. Take your medicine."

He tilted his head, burrowing into the man's neck: "Don't want to..."

The scorching heat of his face met the cool skin of the man's neck, and his breath, hot and ragged, tickled the skin with each word.

"Don't make me repeat myself. Get up. Take the medicine."

Shen Gali finally registered who was speaking—it was Nan Liujing.

Please, stop bothering me. Sick people need rest, doesn't he know that?

"I don't want to... I feel terrible..." He moved slightly, trying to change the subject by acting spoiled.

A heavy sigh came from above, followed by Nan Liujing's displeased voice: "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere... Can you lend me eight million?"

Nan Liujing frowned. What was this nonsense about?

"What do you need eight million for?"

"An underground CBD... A garden of the afterlife..." Shen Gali murmured, his eyes half-closed.

His voice was like a feather, floating in the air, unable to find a place to land.

If he had to suffer like this, he might as well be laid to rest in a grand, Matryoshka-style luxury tomb.

Nan Liujing had no clue what he was talking about. He assumed the fever was making him delirious.

Losing patience, he pinched Shen Gali's cheeks together, forcing his lips apart, and shoved the pill into his mouth. Just as he was reaching for a glass of water, Shen Gali let out a hoarse cough, and the pill popped out.

"Don't want it. It's bitter. I feel terrible..." Shen Gali barely managed to stop coughing, his voice raspy, as if scraped over sandpaper.

Nan Liujing took a deep breath, as if trying to control his emotions.

He pulled him closer, holding him tightly in his arms. The slender body felt almost weightless, perhaps because the fever had made his body soft, like water.

Nan Liujing's own body grew stiff, like a stone, because he dreaded overly intimate physical contact.

It wasn't for any other reason—he just wanted to help him sweat the fever out and ensure a quick recovery. Once he was better, then he could figure out how to torment him.

"What about now?" Nan Liujing asked in a low voice. "Still feeling terrible?"

"Yeah... but it's much better being held. Just hold me..." Shen Gali said weakly.

Since his mother passed away, he had lost count of how many years it had been since someone held him so gently.

Suddenly, a large hand rested on his back and patted him lightly. A few seconds later, another pat. The motion was awkward and unpracticed, with no rhythm to it—he could even feel the tension in that hand.

It reminded him of the first time he had been hospitalized as a child. The smell of disinfectant terrified him, and his mother held him like this, gently patting his shoulder and telling him funny little stories to distract him from his unease.

This hand, though awkward and clumsy, felt oddly reassuring.

Shen Gali slowly reached out, grabbed Nan Liujing's collar, and burrowed his head deeper into the crook of his neck.

"Mom..." he whispered without thinking as his consciousness faded.

"Who are you calling Mom? Look who's taking care of you." A displeased voice came, but much softer, less icy than before.

"Mom, I miss you so much..." Shen Gali continued rambling, muttering as drowsiness overtook him again.

An exasperated sigh came from above, and the hand patting his back suddenly became harder.

Shen Gali lifted his eyes with the last of his strength, hoping to see his mother's face.

Through the hazy, burning vision, he saw a pair of narrow, dark eyes, cold and sinister at the corners of his eyes.

The moonlight softened the man's high nose, casting a small glistening spot on the tip.

His thin lips pressed into a beautiful line, yet they held a hint of sharpness.

Hmm... a handsome man.

Shen Gali thought vaguely.

Who is this?

With that last question, he finally succumbed to sleep and closed his eyes peacefully.

Watching the deeply sleeping man, Nan Liujing took another deep breath—he didn't know how many times that night. Then, exhausted, he pressed his fingertips to his forehead and lowered his eyes.

He didn't care about him; he just didn't want him to die before he could continue tormenting him.

Suddenly, Shen Gali mumbled in his sleep, "Still holding me?"

Nan Liujing once again raised his hand and patted his back stiffly: "Yeah, I'm holding you."

Indeed, he hated people who always ruined his plans.

But... the man had said he missed his mother.

Missing his mother, huh...

*

The next day.

"Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen, how are you feeling?"

Early in the morning, Uncle Li's annoying voice kept echoing in his ears.

Blinding sunlight streamed in through the window, forcing him to raise a hand to shield his eyes.

Where is he?

The blanket smelled fresh and pleasant, and everything beneath him was soft.

After waking up and taking a look around, Shen Gali realized he was in Nan Liujing's bedroom.

What happened? He couldn't remember, but a strange image vaguely surfaced in his mind: a dim room, a handsome guy.

It must have been a dream. Looking around the entire villa, who could even come close to being called "handsome"?

Uncle Li beside him said, "Excuse me," then reached out and touched his forehead, and said, "The fever broke. Mr. Shen, do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere else?"

Shen Gali slumped weakly, uncomfortable all over. Life was just too painful.

"I'm fine..." Afraid that Uncle Li would nag him, Shen Gali said weakly.

"Good, but even if the fever broke, you need to take your medicine on time. Hurry up and get up, wash up, and have breakfast. After breakfast, take your medicine, and then you'll need to go out with the young master today."

Shen Gali thought: Alright, stop nagging, I'm up...

Going downstairs to the dining table, Shen Gali glanced at Nan Liujing.

He kept his head down, flipping through a financial magazine as usual. From this angle, all he could see was the high bridge of his nose, sharp as a carved blade, with sharp, straight lines.

He couldn't bring himself to look anymore. He already had a poor appetite, having just recovered from a serious illness. If he vomited at the table because of that face of his, it would be rude.

Shen Gali picked up a piece of bread and nibbled at it slowly.

"Don't you have anything to say?" Nan Liujing across from him asked coldly.

Nan Liujing had held him all night, and now his arm was still numb.

Shen Gali: "Good morning, good night, wishing you a long—"

"If that's what you're going to say, shut up." Nan Liujing coldly interrupted him.

Shen Gali obediently shut up and stopped eating the bread.

"After you finish, change clothes. We're going out." Nan Liujing waved at Uncle Li, signaling him to come over and help.

Shen Gali wanted to ask where they were going, but then thought better of it. Whatever Nan Liujing suggested was bound to be a bad place. Knowing would only upset him. He'd take it step by step, and if it got too bad, he'd just play dead on the spot.

Until, from the car, he saw in the distance a tacky castle that looked like something a child would draw, and a sense of crisis began to set in.

A few faces, each with a different expression, none of them likeable, flashed through his mind, pestering him in his weak state.

Why of all places the original owner's maternal family!

Life really... has too many hardships.

"You and Uncle Li go in and talk if you have business. I'll wait in the car." Shen Gali made one last attempt to fight for himself.

Nan Liujing glanced at him: "Didn't you say you missed your mom?"

Had he said that? Maybe it was the delirious words from when he had a fever.

But definitely not *this* mom...

When he got out of the car, he saw a black Cayenne parked at the gate, with a few black-suited bodyguards standing beside it.

The ominous feeling grew stronger.

This car and the whole scene felt familiar...