Chapter 73 – “Who Treats Me Best, I’ll Be with Them”
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Yan Zhixing’s casually spoken words intensified Shen Fulin’s trembling on the ground. He had always been a cowardly person, and the intense desire to survive was about to burst out from his eyes.
He finally realized that begging Yan Zhixing was useless; he needed to see Shen Yao’s reaction. Only if Shen Yao softened, would there be a chance for him to survive.
Shen Fulin, who used to be arrogant in front of Shen Yao, lost all his bravado. Tears and snot flowed uncontrollably from fear. If he could still stand, he probably would have kowtowed to Shen Yao several times by now.
Shen Yao’s hand holding the gun remained steady throughout. He seemed to be moved by Shen Fulin’s pathetic state, and his hand with the gun gradually lowered. He turned back to Yan Zhixing and said, “I want to talk to him alone.”
“You go outside.”
He held firm, knowing that Yan Zhixing would comply with his command. He gazed at Yan Zhixing without blinking, waiting for him to turn and leave.
After a long silence, Yan Zhixing tensed his lips and walked out from behind Shen Yao, closing the heavy door behind him.
He was completely unaware of what was happening inside.
Shen Yao’s pace was neither fast nor slow, and he still held the gun. Every step he took, Shen Fulin shrank back in fear until he was cornered against the wall.
Shen Fulin shivered, and as death drew near, his desire to survive intensified. He desperately shook the bound hands behind him, almost rubbing his wrists raw.
His two sons next to him struggled intensely, making muffled sounds of protest.
Suddenly, Shen Fulin’s eyes widened, and all his words were stuck in his throat. He couldn’t say anything.
Shen Yao seemed to disdain touching him with his hands and instead stepped on Shen Fulin’s shoulder with his foot. He wore a pair of black short boots, forcefully pressing down as if he wanted to crush Shen Fulin’s scapula.
His eyebrows and eyes briefly softened, giving Shen Fulin a glimmer of hope, but Shen Yao quickly reverted to his cold and distant demeanor. He looked down at him from above, coldly and distantly calling out, “Uncle, it’s been a long time.”
Shen Fulin felt a chill from head to toe, realizing that Shen Yao hadn’t changed at all. The soft and weak appearance he used to put on was now completely gone, and he was skillfully controlling Shen Fulin’s fate.
Trembling uncontrollably, Shen Fulin finally realized that Shen Yao had been pretending all along. He had only been acting like a sheep in front of a tiger. He was truly capable of shooting, unafraid of staining his hands with blood.
Suddenly, Shen Yao bent down, and at that moment, Shen Fulin instinctively closed his eyes.
“Zhi-La—”
The tape that had been tightly covering his mouth was suddenly torn open, as if it were tearing off his flesh along with it. Despite the pain, Shen Fulin was too panicked to care, and he stammered, “Yao-Yao.”
His brain was working at lightning speed. Apart from him, no one knew the real cause of Shen Yao’s parents’ death. This was the boldest thing he had ever done in his life, and everything seemed like a perfectly reasonable accident.
Shen Yao was so young at that time, and he hadn’t retained much memory about it. He couldn’t possibly know the truth or that he had planned to give Shen Yao to those powerful figures and forced him to witness many obscene scenes.
There must be a chance to salvage this situation…
Shen Fulin’s face turned pale, and he forced a smile at Shen Yao, trying to explain, “I hadn’t even had the chance to… Uh!”
His words were cut off midway when Shen Yao’s right wrist suddenly pressed down, shoving the ice-cold black barrel of the gun into his mouth, tightly holding down his tongue, causing him to gag.
“Gag—”
Shen Fulin wanted to vomit, but he couldn’t. The gun emitted a cold and stern smell of gunpowder. As long as Shen Yao’s finger pulled the trigger, his organs would be pierced, and he would die in the most gruesome way.
Tears and mucus streamed down his face as fear filled his eyes.
“Mmm-mm!”
“Uncle,” Shen Yao seemed as if he wanted to push the barrel into his throat. His expression remained calm as he spoke softly, “Don’t say anything unnecessary, and I’ll spare your life.”
Shen Fulin’s pupils dilated, and he instantly understood what Shen Yao meant. He quickly nodded his head, agreeing.
The barrel was finally pulled out of his mouth, and Shen Yao stood up straight again. He looked at Shen Fulin’s eyes, which were slightly moving, without any hesitation. Shen Yao’s hand slid down without a warning and then pressed the trigger.
“Bang! Bang!”
He fired several shots, all hitting Shen Fulin’s legs. Amidst the heart-wrenching screams, Shen Yao mercilessly extinguished the last bit of hope in Shen Fulin’s eyes.
“You don’t need to think that telling anyone about this will give you a chance to survive. Even if I go off the rails one day, I will have many ways to drag you down with me.”
Shen Yao looked at Shen Fulin, who was rolling on the ground in pain, with blood pooling on the floor. He calmly advised, “So keep your mouth shut, it’s good for both of us, isn’t it?”
He threw the used gun back on the desk, then lifted his head to meet Shen Shenmian’s shocked gaze. In a calm tone, he said, “From childhood until now, you have always been jealous of me, thinking that I took away so much from you, even your father’s love. You can ask your dear dad what he did to me.”
Meanwhile, outside the room, Yan Zhixing had never left. The moment the door was opened briefly, he saw what was inside.
“Why didn’t you kill them?” He looked at Shen Yao and asked, “Or do you want something else?”
“No, I really like the gift you gave me.”
Shen Yao tiptoed slightly and lightly kissed Yan Zhixing’s lips, a touch and then parted. But it made Yan Zhixing freeze in place without showing any emotion.
As if he didn’t sense it, Shen Yao took out a handkerchief from his pocket and meticulously wiped each finger clean, saying, “I remember all the hatred and pain. I will return it with my own hands. I have a better way to handle things.”
When he wiped his thumb, he dull-wittedly noticed the ring he was wearing. He thought about taking it off and returning it to Yan Zhixing, but Yan Zhixing held his hand back.
“No need,” Yan Zhixing said, “You can keep wearing it.”
Shen Yao didn’t persist in taking off the ring. He lowered his gaze and continued to earnestly wipe his fingers.
“Shen Fulin is now living in fear, always worrying about what I might do to him. He feels restless, fearing that a knife might fall on him at any time, spending every day and night in terror.”
“But I won’t do anything. When he feels safe, he starts to take risks, relaxes little by little, and arrogantly thinks that I’ve really spared him.”
Shen Yao grinned wickedly at Yan Zhixing, like a mischievous angel, and asked, “Isn’t this cat and mouse game fun?”
Playing with people’s emotions was Shen Yao’s specialty, making them see a glimmer of hope when facing death and sealing off all escape routes just when they thought they could get out of trouble.
Shen Yao always had pleasure in indulging in such cruelty.
He wrapped the handkerchief into a ball and skillfully threw it into Yan Zhixing’s arms, ordering him casually, “Deal with Shen Fulin for me, don’t let him die temporarily, thanks.”
In the center of that soft handkerchief was something cold to the touch. Yan Zhixing opened it and found the ring he had given Shen Yao.
He couldn’t control himself and squeezed the ring tightly in his hand.
***
The perpetrator had not been caught yet, so Yan Zhixing took Shen Yao to a more secluded residence, a place that didn’t seem like somewhere Yan Zhixing would live.
In the winter, the flower beds were covered with thick snow, and only traces of deep brown soil could be found.
Yan Zhixing pushed open the door, and the interior was furnished in warm tones. The fireplace was burning, and the moment they stepped in, the entire body warmed up, feeling like a completely different world compared to the outside.
Yan Zhixing hadn’t been here for a long time either. He paused slightly in his steps and said, “This is my father’s house.”
Shen Yao looked around and nodded sincerely, “It’s beautiful.”
The house had only two floors, and they both stayed in adjacent rooms. Lying on the bed in a room without lights, Shen Yao opened the tracking device Xu Yibai had installed on his phone once again.
He had to thank Guan Shu; he had taught him many things.
The next day, Shen Yao was awakened by the constant noise downstairs. He was always a light sleeper, and when he faintly heard the sound of things being knocked over, he woke up.
He didn’t rush downstairs to see what happened. Calmly, he got out of bed, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. Looking at himself in the mirror, he pinched a piece of skin on his neck with his fingers, leaving a mark resembling a hickey.
Shen Yao walked out of the room without making any noise, standing on the steps of the second floor, where he had a clear view of the scene downstairs.
Xu Yibai’s appearance was entirely within his expectations. He looked like he hadn’t slept well for a long time, with bloodshot eyes and slightly disheveled clothes from the struggle.
“Where’s Shen Yao? You didn’t do anything to him, did you?!” He ignored the pain in his hand and was about to start a fight with Yan Zhixing. With a loud crash, they both knocked over a nearby vase.
Guan Shu’s sudden appearance surprised Shen Yao; he had military status, and it was hard for him to get approval to leave the country without a reason.
After not seeing him for a while, Guan Shu’s hair had grown quite a bit, and the muscles on his arms were still firm. Despite the cold weather, he didn’t wear a thick coat, only a combat jacket with the zipper firmly pulled up to the top.
Guan Shu’s face was cold, and he clenched his fist, hitting the person in front of him with all his strength. Chen Shuang’s injuries were more severe, so the assistant who was currently following Yan Zhixing was knocked down with a single punch.
The situation had undergone a huge change. Guan Shu’s fist did not loosen, and he walked expressionlessly towards Xu Yibai and Yan Zhixing.
Yan Zhixing’s legs hadn’t fully healed, and his injuries were even worse from protecting Shen Yao.
Guan Shu had no good expression for any of the Alphas around Shen Yao, but he considered Yan Zhixing the main culprit responsible for destroying Shen Yao’s feelings, so he had a deep hatred for him.
He threw a punch recklessly, questioning, “As an Alpha, you wouldn’t be petty enough to seek revenge on Shen Yao, would you? Or are you planning something disgusting again?!”
Shen Yao leaned against the railing, still wearing his winter sleepwear. The collar was slightly loose, revealing the artificial love marks around his neck.
He watched the drama for a while before finally speaking, “Such a lively scene.”
Shen Yao’s voice was neither light nor heavy, but the moment he spoke, all the Alphas who knew him looked up. Their expressions changed drastically, especially Guan Shu.
He remembered the harm Yan Zhixing had caused Shen Yao, but he hadn’t forgotten the harm he himself had done to Shen Yao.
Guan Shu loosened his grip on Yan Zhixing’s hand, unsure where to place his hands, hesitatingly placing them by his side.
His previously fierce expression suddenly turned into panic. Guan Shu wanted to look at Shen Yao, but when their eyes met, he involuntarily looked away.
In the end, Guan Shu tightly pursed his lips and looked up at Shen Yao, but his body remained motionless.
He resembled a hunting dog that had misbehaved and couldn’t face its owner. Shen Yao noticed a distinctive scar on his forehead, as if it was a mark left after being bandaged.
Shen Yao’s gaze left Guan Shu and asked in confusion, “Did you guys fight because of me?”
Now it was the situation he wanted to see the most. The three Alphas were finally gathered together, and they should be at odds with each other instead of directing their anger at him due to possessiveness.
Shen Yao didn’t need their answer and suggested proactively:
“If you all like me, then why not have a fair competition? Whoever treats me the best, I’ll be with them,” Shen Yao said, and in that moment, Guan Shu and Xu Yibai exchanged a useless look, both of them refuting in unison, “What right does he have?!”
Guan Shu raised his hand and pointed directly at Yan Zhixing, his gaze fixed on him. He couldn’t easily change his nature, and he asked with a hint of dissatisfaction, “Isn’t he just a rapist?!”
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