Chapter 80 – Lifelong Mark
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Yan Zhixing was not surprised by Xu Yibai’s appearance, or perhaps he deliberately chose this place. His gaze remained calm as he looked over and replied, “Disturbing others while they dine is quite impolite.”
“Is it?” Xu Yibai gazed back at him and calmly retorted, “Sneaking out with someone else’s omega for a date is even more impolite.”
He didn’t continue arguing with Yan Zhixing. Instead, he stood up and led Shen Yao step by step towards the exit. Shen Yao raised an eyebrow at Yan Zhixing, seemingly a bit helpless, but he followed Xu Yibai without any struggle.
Yan Zhixing didn’t chase after them. He quietly withdrew his gaze from the closed door. There was a delicate gift box on the table with a meticulously apricot blossom on top, a gift Shen Yao had given him.
His expression was cold, but inside, he was anticipating something. Yan Zhixing reached out and opened the gift box, inside of which laid a ballet company ticket for the anniversary performance, scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
Yan Zhixing folded the ticket and placed it in the pocket over his left chest.
At first, Xu Yibai held Shen Yao’s hand gently, but his grip gradually tightened. He didn’t know how many times he needed to forgive Shen Yao, or perhaps he would spend his entire life going back and forth like this.
As they walked, Xu Yibai felt Shen Yao suddenly stop following his footsteps. He looked in the same direction and saw Shen Yao gazing at the piano placed in the center.
Normally, someone would be playing the piano. If the guests had enough confidence, they could also take a turn to play.
Shen Yao tightly held Xu Yibai’s hand and asked, “When we first met in the piano room, what song were you playing at that time?”
“River Flows In You,” Xu Yibai replied, lowering his head to look at Shen Yao. His gaze made him feel like he was back in the past. He led Shen Yao to the piano and asked, “Do you want to hear it?”
“Teach me,” Shen Yao said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. He tilted his head back to look at Xu Yibai and said, “Hold my hand.”
The spotlight fell on them, and Xu Yibai stood behind him, covering Shen Yao’s hand, just like before, teaching him to play the piano hand in hand.
When Xu Yibai played the piano, his expression was different from usual, and the melody occasionally stumbled due to the inconvenient position, but it flowed like an intermittent stream.
Shen Yao lowered his gaze and looked at the keys pressed down. He softly said, “You had someone follow me.”
The beautiful melody paused for a moment, and Xu Yibai fell silent. He admitted, “I just wanted to know what you were doing when you weren’t with me.”
“You could have asked me directly, and I would have told you. But it’s alright; I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll forgive your disobedience this time. Just don’t have someone follow me again; I don’t like the feeling of being watched.”
His sudden magnanimous attitude made Xu Yibai feel somewhat uneasy. Shen Yao’s attention was still focused on the piano, urging Xu Yibai to continue playing.
His fingers pressed on the keys again, and he said, “Xu Yibai, come see me dance the day after tomorrow. I’ve prepared a ticket for you.”
“Buzz—”
An unexpected mistake happened to Xu Yibai, and his expression instantly changed. Shen Yao’s words overlapped with the past surprise he had prepared for him. At that time, behind the carefully planned dance, when Xu Yibai was at his happiest, Shen Yao broke up with him, and his life underwent a drastic change.
Now, that scene seemed to be replaying, and Xu Yibai couldn’t bring himself to say “yes” while that mountain stood between them.
“What are you thinking?” Shen Yao slipped his fingers into the gaps between Xu Yibai’s fingers, firmly holding them together, and instantly guessed what was on his mind. “Are you thinking about the past?”
“…”
“It won’t happen again,” Shen Yao reassured him, speaking calmly, “You’ve seen my mother’s belongings; there were ballet shoes and a dance dress. Half of the reason I dance is because I love it, and the other half is for her. When she had an accident, there was an unfinished performance, specially prepared for me, and I want to complete it now.”
“You’ll come to see me, won’t you?”
Shen Yao never liked talking about his past. He was like a quiet cat licking its wounds, hiding from everyone’s sight. Xu Yibai’s heart shrank, and he instinctively lowered his voice, saying, “I will.”
Xu Yibai stood behind Shen Yao, slightly bending over as he gently played the piano, but his voice lacked warmth as he said, “Shen Fulin has bought a plane ticket for tomorrow. He’s leaving.”
“Do what you like,” Xu Yibai touched his cheek, “There are many ways to make him pay if you want him dead.”
***
Early in the morning, Shen Yao wore a pure black hoodie and a cap covering half of his face. He sat in the driver’s seat of the car, and the exhaust roared as he stepped on the gas pedal.
In the passenger seat, there were guns and tranquilizer guns. In the end, Guan Shu had given him those things, but with a condition – Shen Yao casually glanced in the direction of the rearview mirror, and Guan Shu’s car was following closely behind, unable to shake it off.
Shen Yao looked down at his phone and drove closely following the red dot’s direction. The road to the airport was unusually empty, as if someone had cleared all the obstacles for him in advance.
On the elevated bridge, Shen Yao saw only the car in front. With one hand on the steering wheel, his expression was cold as he pressed the gas pedal hard, rushing forward recklessly.
The two cars were side by side, and in an instant, Shen Yao jerked the steering wheel and swerved the car.
“Bang!”
While speeding, he directly rammed into the side of the other car, forcing Shen Fulin’s car to the corner and stopping it.
Shen Yao got out of the car with a gun in his hand, and he also had a baton. He walked over and directly smashed the window with the baton. The tough glass instantly shattered into pieces, scattering like blossoming flowers all over Shen Fulin’s face, who looked panicked and frightened.
He was the only one in the car; he didn’t bring any of his two sons. He didn’t expect Shen Yao’s arrival, and with fear and helplessness, he asked, “You’re not…”
“What’s wrong with me?” Shen Yao raised his hand, aiming the gun at Shen Fulin’s head through the empty space, and asked with a puzzled expression, “Did I say I would spare you?”
He didn’t plan to waste time talking with Shen Fulin. He switched to the tranquilizer gun, aimed directly at Shen Fulin, and shot him. Shen Fulin was still conscious, but his body instantly became immobile.
Shen Yao tied his hands and feet with ropes and gagged his mouth with tape. Then he dragged him and pushed him into the passenger seat.
Ignoring the half-wrecked car, he drove straight to his destination.
“After my parents died, I should have stayed by your side, but my grandfather said he was getting old and wanted someone to accompany him, so he took me from you,” Shen Yao suddenly spoke as he drove, his tone as steady as telling a story, “He raised me, and he never said anything harsh to me. He always gave me the best things. When I was ten years old, my grandfather fell seriously ill, and he had to leave me too.”
Before Shen Yao’s eyes, a scene appeared:
The emaciated hand tightly held onto him due to the illness. The gray-white eyes held so many emotions. The old man lying on the hospital bed made the electrocardiogram jump every time he uttered a word, as if there was only a little fuel left, burning at the end of his life.
Young Shen Yao sat on a cold chair in the hospital room, and his expression changed dramatically with each word spoken by the old man. Tears stayed in his eyes and only fell when he unconsciously blinked.
At the age of ten, Shen Yao understood a shallow truth in this world:
Do not trust others; only trust yourself.
“He squandered my last shred of trust,” Shen Yao said in a low voice. “He hid the real cause of my parents’ death for the sake of the Shen family. He allowed the culprit to live peacefully, but at the end, he grasped my hand out of guilt and told me the truth.”
“He told me the truth but didn’t want me to seek revenge. Instead, he prepared a huge inheritance for me, and a route to leave – a luxurious cruise ship and a residence on a quiet island. It was enough to make me wealthy and live a stable life for the rest of my days.”
“Aren’t humans the most contradictory beings?”
Shen Yao asked softly, but his words made Shen Fulin’s eyes widen suddenly, and his heart jumped to the top.
He used to envy his elder brother for having everything he desired: the status of an Alpha, the family property of the Shen family, and even Shen Yao’s mother, with whom they both grew up.
He stared at Shen Yao’s face, which looked extremely similar to his, filled with thoughts of ruining him, yet delaying each time, unable to take action.
“It’s over.”
This was the only thought left in his mind.
“Just like you, Uncle,” Shen Yao sighed with regret. “You are so foolish and arrogant. You were so envious that my father was an Alpha and would inherit most of the family’s wealth, so you orchestrated the murder so perfectly.”
He met Shen Fulin’s gaze, as if seeing through all the darkness, and said with understanding, “I know what you want to say. You want to say the world is unfair. You were born as a b*stard, and that’s unfair. You were born as a Beta, and many people look down on Betas. That’s unfair.”
Shen Yao didn’t want to hear Shen Fulin’s voice or get any explanations. He didn’t care about how pitiful the despicable person in front of him was. All he wanted was to return the hatred that belonged to him.
“You succeeded. The Shen family is now only left with you. You got what you wanted.”
Shen Yao exhaled slowly from his chest, as if everything had settled, and he smiled lightly at Shen Fulin, saying, “Now I’ve succeeded. I only need you to die.”
Shen Yao drove into the Shen family estate and parked the car next to a small Western-style building. He kept Shen Fulin bound to the car and then got out, walking towards the small building.
Compared to the last time he was here, the place looked even more desolate and dilapidated. Shen Yao knocked on the door, one floor after another.
The beautiful Betas and Omegas who were brought here by Shen Fulin had initially come voluntarily. Now they looked like withered flowers, and Shen Yao didn’t engage in much conversation with them. He simply handed each one a bank card and told them to leave.
Some cried and thanked him, some took the bank card with a dazed expression, and others timidly asked if he needed witnesses. Shen Yao shook his head and refused.
After everyone had dispersed, Shen Yao took cans of oil from the car trunk and patiently spread it evenly around the small building.
He heard the screeching of brakes coming from behind, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, he struck a match and tossed it into the spilled oil.
He had countless opportunities to escape from this vortex, but he only allowed himself to sink deeper and deeper, never pulling away.
His eyes didn’t blink as he watched the flames burst forth, burning down the building brick by brick, concealing all darkness in his deep, black eyes.
Meanwhile, the seemingly fragile Omega leaned against the car, holding a gun to Shen Fulin’s head, forcing him to watch the scene with constant trembling.
From a distance, Guan Shu saw the intense blaze rising, casting its reflection on Shen Yao’s face as if it would consume him too.
His heartbeat suddenly stalled, and when he regained his senses, he rushed over and embraced Shen Yao tightly. With his strong arms, he made Shen Yao sit on the car hood.
“Guan Shu.”
Shen Yao stroked his head, the short hair that Guan Shu had to cut after joining the Flowing Eagle. It felt a bit rough to the touch. Shen Yao lifted his chin slightly, indicating for Guan Shu to look behind him. That was the true Shen family estate.
“I lived in the room here until I turned eighteen, and no other Alpha has ever entered my room. You’ll be the first Alpha to see my childhood room.”
“Do you want to mark me for life right here?”
A lifelong mark meant true possession of an Omega, complete ownership, and no Alpha could resist an Omega they loved saying those words in front of them.
Adrenaline seemed to accelerate in an instant, and Guan Shu tightly wrapped his arms around Shen Yao, letting him slide down against the car roof, holding him close. He almost had the impulse to forcefully kiss Shen Yao right then and there.
But reason successfully restrained all his impulses.
Sitting in the car, Shen Fulin heard their conversation. He struggled, making muffled sounds behind the tape that Shen Yao had placed over his mouth, but the two outside ignored him completely.
Shen Yao used his fingers to lift Guan Shu’s chin, teasingly caressing it, yet his eyes seemed strangely serious, focusing solely on Guan Shu.
“Forget about Xu Yibai, forget about Yan Zhixing. Aren’t they annoying? Always coming to disturb us.”
“So, let’s leave them behind. Let’s elope.”
Each word Shen Yao said was more provoking than the last, and Guan Shu’s arm, wrapped around Shen Yao’s waist, refusing to loosen. He held Shen Yao close to him, almost wanting to forcefully kiss him right there.
“Is this real…?” Guan Shu’s trembling lips moved, asking.
“Why would it be fake?” Shen Yao took out the performance ticket from his pocket and put it into Guan Shu’s chest pocket. “I know you’ve collected all the tickets from my performances. This is the last one I’m leaving here.”
“Tomorrow they will all come to watch my performance, and they will definitely keep an eye on me. In the program list, I will have a solo performance and lead the group dance, but in reality, I will be replaced during the final group dance.”
“If you suddenly disappear with me, they will definitely realize something. When they find out that the person on stage is not me, find a way to delay them and then come to find me.”
“You surely have the ability to escape on your own, and then come to find me.” Shen Yao looked at him with complete trust and said, “I will wait for you at our old high school entrance, and then we’ll leave together.”
“Them” and “us,” separating close and distant relationships and creating opposition.
Guan Shu felt dizzy as if hit by a sudden surprise. He stared at Shen Yao in a daze for a long time before snapping back to reality.
Subconsciously, he felt that receiving a gift from Shen Yao required some sort of price. He glanced at Shen Fulin, locked in the passenger seat, and asked, “Should I kill him first?”
Upon hearing his question, Shen Fulin struggled even more intensely. Shen Yao seemed annoyed by him, so he had Guan Shu pick up the anesthetic gun and gave him another shot.
“I’ve called the police. We just need to wait for them to come; you don’t need to do anything.” Shen Yao lowered his head and kissed Guan Shu, saying, “Because I like you, I want you to mark me for life, and I also want to elope with you.”
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