Chapter 14 “My Brother Will Protect Me, Right?”
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Yan Yuan heard some movement and turned her head. Only then did Shen Yao get a clear look at her face. Yan Zhixing’s facial features were somewhat similar to hers, but Yan Yuan’s appearance was much more gentle and lacked aggressiveness.
Her brows and eyes were soft and easily made people let down their guard. Yan Yuan pointed to the empty seat next to her and said, “Sit next to me. I asked Zhixing to call you over to have a meal together. I didn’t bother you did I?”
Shen Yao couldn’t guess what Yan Zhixing had said to Yan Yuan and why she asked him, an omega, to come see her. He could only walk over and sit next to her as requested.
He didn’t know how Yan Zhixing had introduced him to Yan Yuan, so he hesitated and said, “Hello, Auntie. I didn’t have anything to do so it wasn’t a bother.”
Yan Yuan nodded slightly in response and asked, “Have you seen me before?”
“Yes.” Shen Yao first looked at Yan Zhixing sitting across from him, still looking cold and detached, and then turned to face Yan Yuan honestly, “I saw you at the banquet…and later saw you at the theater, sitting in the audience.”
“I like watching ballets, but rarely watch solo performances.” Yan Yuan smiled lightly and said, “But your solo dance was very beautiful.”
Shen Yao felt a little embarrassed and touched his nose. He no longer looked as awkward as when he first came in and shyly pursed his lips to smile at Yan Yuan, looking like someone parents would like.
Yan Yuan also smiled and called the waiter at the door to bring the menu over again, asking Shen Yao if he needed to order more dishes.
Shen Yao scanned the menu and shook his head slightly.
The atmosphere of this meal was somewhat strange. Yan Zhixing still spoke very little, only answering briefly when Yan Yuan asked him a question.
Most of the time, Yan Yuan and Shen Yao were chatting. Shen Yao was quite tactful and could accept Yan Yuan’s words. Occasionally, he could even make Yan Yuan laugh.
Yan Yuan would ask questions about dance, but it seemed like she just wanted someone to chat with during meals.
Shen Yao didn’t eat much. On the way back, Yan Yuan sat in the passenger seat, while he and Yan Zhixing sat in the back seat.
After he got out of the car, Yan Yuan asked in a soft voice, “Didn’t you say you didn’t like him when I asked you before? How come it’s so coincidental that he was the omega you’ve been looking for?”
Yan Zhixing loosened his tie and didn’t say anything.
“You’ve been looking for him for so long,” Yan Yuan asked again. “Are you going to marry him?”
She spoke about such an important matter with a light tone, as if she were asking if he wanted to eat.
Yan Yuan was his biological mother, but their relationship was not warm, like there was a layer of glass between them.
Yan Yuan only knew that he was looking for an omega all this time, but she didn’t know that he had become dependent on Shen Yao’s pheromones.
Yan Yuan didn’t know the truth. To him, the matter of finding Shen Yao seemed too obsessive and nonsensical, and he needed a reason for everything.
Shen Yao was too difficult to control, and marrying him would only cause trouble. Yan Zhixing had no intention of doing so.
Yan Zhixing gritted his jaw for a while, then whispered, “Our pheromone compatibility is very high. If nothing unexpected happens, I will marry him.”
“That’s a bit of a pity,” Yan Yuan said regretfully. “I really like his gaze. Do you know who it reminds me of?”
“Who?”
Yan Yuan smiled and didn’t give an answer.
She didn’t speak anymore, and the car became quiet. Yan Zhixing’s profile was reflected on the glass window, he lowered his eyes, and his icy blue eyes were hidden under his thick long eyelashes.
According to the information he had researched about Shen Yao, everything was said to be that Shen Fulin treated Shen Yao as his own, but from his interaction with Shen Fulin and what Shen Yao said, it was obvious that it was not the case.
Compared with the Yan family, the Shen family in the past was much better, but in recent years, it has declined significantly and has become smaller and smaller.
For him who had just returned to China, the Shen family was easy to swallow and should be the most appropriate move.
The miniature of the manor was getting closer and closer. He and Yan Yuan were not living together, they separated at the fork in the manor, and another car came to pick up Yan Yuan.
There were only him and Chen Shuang in the car. Yan Zhixing silently read the contract in his hand and asked, “Chen Shuang, how are the preparations going for the laboratory and hospital?”
“It’s almost done, sir,” Chen Shuang replied.
***
After a long period of separation, Xu Yibai was finally going abroad again. Shen Yao went to the airport to see him off, and like ordinary lovers, they embraced each other to say goodbye.
Shen Yao hugged him reluctantly and said, “You’ll be gone for two months, right? I’ll feel very upset if I don’t see you for two months.”
Xu Yibai touched his forehead and said, “I’ll have free time at night…”
“Then send me a message.”
These were all things that Xu Yibai used to say, but now Shen Yao took the initiative. He buried his head in Xu Yibai’s arms, and the corners of his eyes drooped. “You also have to call and video chat with me.”
Xu Yibai kissed him and said, “Okay.”
It was almost time for him to board the plane. He held Shen Yao’s hand and wanted to say a lot, but there was not enough time.
He only had time to say one sentence, “Think of me.”
Xu Yibai walked on the boarding bridge, and his phone rang. It was his sister calling.
He had a social media account that was exposed to the public, and although he had always had control of the account, he never posted anything. The only thing he posted was “Happy New Year” once a year.
Before boarding the plane, Xu Yibai posted a photo of this.
It was a silhouette of a backlit profile, and the boy in the photo couldn’t be seen clearly, only vaguely seeing his butterfly-like eyelashes.
Xu Yibai only accompanied it with the words – “Muse”.
The meaning of this photo is very obvious, it is openly announcing his romantic relationship. The comment section below has long been blown up, but Xu Yibai didn’t even glance at it.
“Is that the omega you’ve been talking about all along?”
Xu Yibai dragged his luggage and said, “Mmm.”
“You’ve been hiding it all this time, and finally you’re willing to show a photo that you can’t see anything clearly?”
“He agreed to me posting it,” Xu Yibai said.
“What’s his name?” his sister said decisively. “He doesn’t tell you about his family, and he’s not curious about your family’s situation. I’ve always thought that your lover is unreliable.”
“Shall I help you check it out?”
The wheels of the suitcase got stuck and made a sad friction sound. Xu Yibai unconsciously slowed down his pace. He was indeed shaken, and he did want to know the story behind Shen Yao.
He picked up Shen Yao in the pouring rain, cleaned him up, and took care of his fur.
Shen Yao was always like an injured wildcat, free and unstable. Only when he needed Xu Yibai, would he come to seek comfort.
“Forget it… no need,” this was Shen Yao’s wound, and he didn’t want to tear it open with his own hands.
Today was Shen Yao’s day off. He returned home and opened the projection in the empty house after Xu Yibai left.
He sat in Xu Yibai’s usual seat, holding his knees, and found some snacks, and watched a new comedy movie.
It wasn’t funny, it was a bad movie, but Shen Yao was just killing time, watching it from beginning to end.
Not long after the movie ended, he received a call from Chen Shuang, “Mr. Shen, don’t forget about the auction tonight. Do you still live in the old place? I’ll come pick you up.”
Shen Yao looked at the clock and it was almost time. “Hmm, okay,” he said.
Perhaps there were too many omegas who threw themselves at Yan Zhixing, and there were also too many people trying to push omegas onto him, Yan Zhixing used him to the fullest extent, and although he rarely showed up on various occasions, he always brought Shen Yao along as a shield.
Shen Yao didn’t mind much. He needed Shen Fulin to feel that he was important to Yan Zhixing, and this was a great opportunity.
He skillfully got into Yan Zhixing’s car and looked out the window at the passing scenery.
An invitation was required for the auction, but Yan Zhixing didn’t even show his. The white-haired boss personally led him in and took him to the private room upstairs that had been prepared in advance.
The rumors that Yan Zhixing often treated him as his male companion had long been spreading. Whether people knew him or not, their faces were all full of surprise when they saw them appear together.
This included Dai Xinghui and his two friends.
When Shen Yao passed by Dai Xinghui, he saw the fist clenched tightly at his leg. He looked straight ahead without even glancing at him, as if he was passing by a stranger.
He followed Yan Zhixing into the private room and looked at the messages on his phone.
Since their meeting at the secret base, he had not paid any attention to Dai Xinghui and his two friends. At first, they took Shen Yao’s indifference for granted, but later they became flustered. They had never been able to find him when they came to Shen’s house to look for him.
Originally an idle rich kid, he now drank and raced outside every night.
Dai Xinghui didn’t believe the news that Shen Yao and Yan Zhixing were together at first, but now that he had witnessed it with his own eyes, he was shaking all over.
He sent Shen Yao many malicious curses in his messages.
Shen Yao frowned and calmly replied, “Meet me at the staircase on the second floor.” He dutifully informed Yan Zhixing, “I’m going out for a while. I’ll be back later.”
He walked at a steady pace, and by the time he arrived, Dai Xinghui was already waiting for him at the staircase.
His eyes were bloodshot, and as soon as he saw Shen Yao, he couldn’t wait to shout, “Shen Yao, are you playing with me? Do you think it’s fun to string me along? You’re with Yan Zhixing now, aren’t you? Why the hell aren’t you with me instead?”
Dai Xinghui’s voice suddenly weakened: “I have been following you for so many years… I liked you since middle school… They were right, you really are…”
Before the ugly words could be spoken, Shen Yao suddenly smiled. Despite the accusation, he still smiled effortlessly and beautifully, leaving Dai Xinghui’s remaining insults stuck in his throat.
“You see, you always do this.” Shen Yao lowered his eyes and looked like he was upset. “As long as your liking for me is not responded to, you come out and accuse me. Did I do something wrong?”
Dai Xinghui’s heart panicked for a moment, and he instinctively apologized: “Yao Yao… I’m sorry, I…”
Shen Yao’s tone was gentle: “What are you apologizing for? I’m not angry.”
Dai Xinghui calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief. He suddenly felt embarrassed. Shen Yao was just attending the banquet with Yan Zhixing, and there was no intimate gesture between them. They might not even be together anymore.
But if he forced Shen Yao like this, he would definitely make him hate him.
He was uneasy and wanted to explain, but Shen Yao looked at him with clean and transparent eyes: “You have liked me for how many years… Eight years, right?”
Shen Yao’s voice was neither high nor low, as calm as chatting with a long-lost friend, but it suddenly stirred up waves in Dai Xinghui’s heart.
His expression was confused and at a loss. It was only at this moment that Dai Xinghui realized that Shen Yao knew everything. How could he not know?
Dai Xinghui’s gaze towards Shen Yao carried an unnoticeable hope.
But Shen Yao’s next words made him feel like he was falling into an ice cave.
“Zhang Siyu and the others are your good friends. You all like my face, don’t you? Did you forget that you used to be good friends?”
“When I was young, you all wanted to give me candy and gifts, but I didn’t want them,” he said.
Realizing what he was about to say, Dai Xinghui’s expression changed drastically. He had actually forgotten that memory, but he could vaguely remember what he had done.
He didn’t expect Shen Yao to still remember it now. Dai Xinghui panicked and said, “No, it’s not…”
“You used to tear up my things, throw away my things, and say that I was an orphan,” Shen Yao remembered everything down to the last detail. His tone was cold and indifferent, as if the harm he had suffered in the past no longer existed. “But later, when I grew up a bit, I found something interesting. Can you guess what it is?”
As the soft and beautiful omega spoke, Dai Xinghui broke out in a cold sweat. His feet unconsciously retreated a few steps, and he stood at the stairs.
“I just have to smile at you, like I am doing now, and you will stand by my side.” Shen Yao smiled brightly, like a dazzling rose. “Your friendship is so fragile. I can say a few words, and you will start arguing, and even end your friendship so easily.”
“I don’t have to waste much time, just to get three loyal dogs in return. Isn’t it worth it?”
Dai Xinghui was frozen, and he opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t. He felt a dryness in his throat and despair in his heart. “You…”
Shen Yao took another step forward, pushing Dai Xinghui even further back. “I’ll throw away all the gifts you give me, and I won’t reply to any of your messages. Let me tell you, did you often get beaten up in the warehouse in high school? It was all my doing.”
Dai Xinghui couldn’t speak anymore. His throat was dry, and he said with some despair, “Was things you said to me earlier sincere? When you asked us about Yan Zhixing’s matter, were you trying to trap us into saying something?”
“No,” Shen Yao said without hesitation. “But I can tell you something sincere now.”
Dai Xinghui looked at him with hope. “What is it?”
“Go die,” Shen Yao said. He raised his hand and put it on Dai Xinghui’s shoulder. The omega’s hand was thin and weak, and it was suitable for someone to hold it.
But the next second, Shen Yao suddenly exploded with great force. Without hesitation, he pushed Dai Xinghui outwards.
Dai Xinghui’s pupils contracted, and his whole body was suspended at the edge of the stairs. He instinctively protected himself and looked at Shen Yao in a daze.
Pushing someone down the stairs, Shen Yao’s exquisite and dazzling facial features were covered with coldness. From Dai Xinghui’s point of view, he looked like an otherworldly god.
“I’ll only be willing to smile sincerely when I attend your funeral,” he said.
“Bang!”
The stairs were not high, not deadly, but enough to cause a person pain. Dai Xinghui laid on the cold floor, curling up in agony.
Shen Yao turned around, preparing to leave without even looking back. But as he turned, he saw Yan Zhixing staring at him expressionlessly.
Like him, Yan Zhixing was cold-blooded, witnessing others being pushed down the stairs without even thinking of lending a hand.
“You heard it too. I’ve been trying to find out information about you for a long time, hoping to climb this high branch,” Shen Yao didn’t feel guilty about getting caught doing bad things. He stared at Yan Zhixing, revealing a hint of frivolousness in front of him for the first time.
“I climbed up it, so brother should protect me, right?”
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