Chapter 77: The Golden Retriever Defeated
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“Beep—”
Guan Shu ended the call, but the passionate kiss between him and Shen Yao continued. Guan Shu’s tall Alpha figure enveloped Shen Yao, firmly holding him in his arms.
Xu Yibai’s gaze remained fixed ahead without wavering. His tongue was bitten, and the taste of blood spread in his mouth.
His Adam’s apple rolled with difficulty as he swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva. Xu Yibai’s eye sockets gradually turned red, not because he was about to cry, but to suppress the strong urge to burst out.
He had just acted weak and pretended his hand was hurting to deceive Shen Yao. Now, he was bound to stay put and not go out. The cost of deceiving Shen Yao was too high, and he didn’t have the courage to try it again.
Shen Yao didn’t like it when he and Guan Shu fought and argued, so Xu Yibai had no choice but to sit in the car and watch Shen Yao and Guan Shu kiss, just like Guan Shu had seen them kissing in the past.
He understood that if he could hold back and restrain himself, the chances of winning Shen Yao over would be higher.
As Shen Yao and Guan Shu turned and walked away, Xu Yibai closed his eyes and then opened them again. He stepped on the accelerator heavily and drove towards his apartment.
Although Xu Yibai knew that Shen Yao would be staying with Guan Shu tonight, his expression remained calm as he rolled up his sleeves and prepared a table full of dishes in the kitchen.
The temperature in the room was just right with the air conditioning on. The dishes on the table were rich and abundant, and Xu Yibai lit two candles, creating a simple and romantic candlelight dinner setting.
There were only two chairs placed at the dining table, and Xu Yibai didn’t touch his chopsticks. He sat quietly at the table, facing the empty chair.
The wall clock kept ticking, time flowing incessantly, and the sky outside was completely covered in darkness. The dishes were no longer steaming, cooling down to become exquisite displays.
Xu Yibai sat motionless in his chair, but Shen Yao didn’t come.
***
Outside the door, a knocking sound like a demolition team instantly startled Xu Yibai awake. He hadn’t slept much last night, and he frowned as he put on his slippers and opened the door. Only one person would knock on this door with such an attitude, and that was Guan Shu. Xu Yibai was wearing pajamas, and he opened the door expressionlessly.
Guan Shu’s shoulders were still covered with snowflakes. He had never shown a friendly expression towards Xu Yibai, and he looked imposing as ever. The moment they met, sparks flew, and Guan Shu strode in, grabbing Xu Yibai’s collar and pushing him forcefully. “Xu Yibai, are you addicted to tattling?”
Seeing the still-warm tea on the coffee table, combined with Xu Yibai’s previous record, Guan Shu’s primary target was directly locked onto Xu Yibai.
Somehow, Xu Yibai, who could once go all out against him, seemed weaker today. He was pushed back a few steps by Guan Shu, and his feet stumbled and knocked over something, making a loud crash.
He frowned and asked, “What tattling…”
“You not only tattled but also played the innocent green tea game, right?!” Guan Shu interrupted Xu Yibai, looking at Xu Yibai’s hand. His fingers looked agile and didn’t show any signs of injury. Guan Shu sneered disdainfully, “What’s wrong? Your hand doesn’t seem to hurt at all. I thought you said it was painful?”
With Guan Shu’s knee pressed against Xu Yibai’s chest, his bones felt like they were about to break, but Xu Yibai remained calm, only coughing a few times with his head down. He didn’t look like he was in a disadvantaged position. “Unlike you, who relies solely on brute force, do you understand the dance Shen Yao performs?”
“I may not understand, so what?” Guan Shu was not provoked and looked at Xu Yibai with a low gaze, speaking calmly, “I know he dances beautifully, and that’s enough.”
“It’s not enough.” Xu Yibai retorted with an unchanged expression, “I just want to tell you that I can play the piano, and I can accompany him on stage with his dance.”
Xu Yibai was mocking him overtly and covertly, as if implying that he was just a rude Alpha who couldn’t understand Shen Yao’s soul.
Guan Shu first chuckled lightly, then his smile turned ferocious faster than the June weather. In an instant, his expression became menacing.
His knee pressed down forcefully, and his hand slid to his waist, pulling out a military knife. He flipped the knife sheath with a swift motion, and the blade had already cut the skin’s surface, causing fresh blood to flow. However, Guan Shu continued to press down on the knife, stating matter-of-factly, “I’ll disable your hand. Then, can you still touch the piano?”
Xu Yibai faced the sharp edge without flinching. Instead, he directly pressed his hand onto the knife.
“It’s fine, you can try it. Shen Yao likes to listen to me play the piano. I wonder if he’d be upset if you disable my hand?”
“Bang—”
The cold light reflected in Guan Shu’s deep black pupils, and the air compressed and froze. He threw the military knife to the ground after Xu Yibai’s challenge. With a single motion, he picked up a chair and walked toward Xu Yibai’s expensive piano.
“Bang!”
Guan Shu didn’t hold back at all, venting all his emotions. One leg of the chair was sent flying in the air. If it were anyone else, the shockwave would have numbed their hand. But Guan Shu didn’t stop, one forceful strike after another.
Until it was over, he threw the wreckage of the chair in front of Xu Yibai, as a warning.
Xu Yibai listened to the violent sounds, but he didn’t stop Guan Shu. Only when Guan Shu finished smashing the piano and headed towards the door did he calmly remind him, “Remember to compensate me.”
“I gave my card to Shen Yao for safekeeping.” Guan Shu lived roughly, and he rarely had big spending opportunities in ordinary times. He suddenly remembered where his card had gone. “Send me the bill, and I’ll have Shen Yao transfer the money directly to you.”
After Guan Shu left, the apartment became quiet. Xu Yibai picked up his phone from the table and opened the surveillance software. He captured the video footage of Guan Shu entering the apartment and smashing the piano. Xu Yibai edited out the part where Guan Shu questioned his hand and sent the video to Shen Yao.
In the cold wind, Guan Shu also took out his phone with an expressionless face. If he couldn’t see that Xu Yibai was intentionally acting, then he would be too impatient to graduate from the military academy. He simply didn’t want to tolerate it. Dealing with someone as scheming as Xu Yibai, he preferred to act freely. Besides, he enjoyed the feeling of not holding back when he took action.
Guan Shu also sent a message to Shen Yao:
“Yao Yao, Xu Yibai likes to play the victim. Don’t let him fool you.”
***
Yan Zhixing had returned to the country for some time, and he was quietly sitting alone in his study. The desktop was covered with pictures of Shen Yao. Guan Shu and Xu Yibai stuck to Shen Yao every day, and there were few solo photos of him. Most of the pictures were intimate group photos with the two Alphas.
From walking side by side to holding hands, and then hugging, the most intimate were the photos of kissing.
Without knowing the story behind them, each picture was a perfect love story. Whether with Guan Shu or Xu Yibai, Shen Yao looked extremely harmonious with them in the photos.
He didn’t participate in the dispute between the Alphas; he could only be a voyeur hiding in the corner. He didn’t even get a single kiss; all he had were the secretly taken photos of Shen Yao since he returned to the country.
The cup of lukewarm tea in Guan Yan’s study was left by Yan Zhixing, who came to find Guan Yan. He did not involve himself in this childish dispute; instead, he planned to drive Guan Shu and Xu Yibai out one by one.
Yan Zhixing’s original plan was to clear all obstacles first before reappearing in front of Shen Yao and taking him away.
Now, as he looked at the desk filled with intimate photos, his fingers tightened with force. Yan Zhixing had thought he had enough self-control to endure until this moment, but now all he wanted to do was to tear and shred these pictures.
With a loud “bang,” Yan Zhixing picked up the cup next to him and smashed it directly into the large French window. As the fragile cup shattered into pieces, his expression showed a slight daze.
Since becoming mature, he had been used to not displaying emotions outwardly and had never done such a childish thing to vent his emotions. The fireworks outside burst in the air, like brilliant and colorful flowers, igniting the silent night.
Outside, the night was dark, and compared to the bustling fireworks, his reflection on the French window seemed lonely, with only one person.
Tonight was an important reunion festival. In the past, Yan Zhixing would spend it at the long table of the Yan family, where every smile on everyone’s faces was utterly fake.
He had always understood the saying, “It’s lonely at the top.” In the past, he indeed didn’t need revelry; he only needed to stand at the top and be admired by everyone.
Suddenly, he turned around and walked towards the door.
Yan Zhixing rarely drove himself, and he didn’t let the driver or assistant follow him. He walked towards Shen Yao’s house on his own. He parked the car and stood downstairs, and the cold wind soon left a layer of silver frost on his eyelashes.
Initially, he only wanted to come and take a look, but now he wanted to go upstairs and see.
Standing at the door, Yan Zhixing’s arm seemed to be aging from the cold, but in the end, he still raised his hand and knocked on the door.
From inside, there were the sound of light footsteps approaching the door, and it quickly opened. Shen Yao was wearing soft home clothes, and his beautiful face appeared before him.
The warm air inside the room made his cheeks slightly red, as if something joyful had just happened, and there was a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.
Through the opened crack in the door, the warm air instantly melted the coldness on Yan Zhixing’s body. He smelled the aroma of food inside and instinctively spoke, “Shen Yao, are you… alone?”
The moment Shen Yao saw Yan Zhixing, his expression turned cold and distant, and he kept a distance as he asked, “What do you want from me?”
Yan Zhixing suddenly woke up, and all the words he wanted to say were buried between his tightly pursed lips. The snow on his golden hair turned into water, and his hair seemed to have collapsed, making him look somewhat disheveled.
“Yao Yao.”
Xu Yibai keenly sensed that something was not right. He put the freshly cooked dishes on the table and walked straight over. When he saw Yan Zhixing, he extended his arm and directly pulled Shen Yao into his embrace.
Shen Yao and Yan Zhixing had no ambiguous past, so both he and Guan Shu didn’t really care much about Yan Zhixing; they both considered him the first to be eliminated.
If they didn’t like someone, they didn’t like them; if they should be hostile, they should be disdainful. Xu Yibai stared at Yan Zhixing outside the door and asked the same question as Shen Yao:
“Why did you come here?”
Xu Yibai had already come out, but the sound of cooking in the room didn’t stop until he heard the questioning voice from outside the door. Then, there was the heavy sound of a pot and spatula falling to the ground.
Yan Zhixing’s expression had completely converged, and his gaze sank as he looked inside the room. Guan Shu, still wearing an apron, walked out of the kitchen.
Both Guan Shu and Xu Yibai wanted to be with Shen Yao, and no one was willing to back down. Violence was not an option, and Shen Yao was only an onlooker, not stating whom he favored more.
Being at a stalemate was not a good solution. In order to stay in Shen Yao’s house for the festival, they reluctantly accepted a compromise.
They fought over everything, even when cooking, they were fully focused, trying to outdo each other.
Guan Shu’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing sturdy muscles. The first thing he did when he came out was to try to pull Shen Yao away from Xu Yibai’s arms. He tugged, but failed, which made his face look even more unsightly.
He turned and faced Yan Zhixing, looking down at him. Guan Shu chose to solve the problem in the most violent way, pushing the dazed Yan Zhixing towards the door and coldly saying, “Get lost.”
The door slammed shut in front of Yan Zhixing, and the warm air and food aroma disappeared at the same time. The warm room and the cold, empty corridor felt like two different worlds.
Yan Zhixing could smell the Alpha pheromones in the air, two scents intertwining, all declaring the release of dominance, warning him not to come close to Shen Yao.
He stood outside the door, his breathing silent. Shen Yao didn’t resist the pheromones of other Alphas, but when he smelled Yan Zhixing’s pheromones, he felt nauseous.
He was left alone outside, standing tall and straight.
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