Chapter 84: “I Like Xu Yibai”
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“Are you angry now? I know I was just as angry when you deceived me.” Guan Shu held the switch in his hand, asking the first question, “Shen Yao, why did you let me mark you for life?”
The sensation from the electric current was too overwhelming, and Shen Yao was still trembling. His waist was firmly held, and he knelt in Guan Shu’s embrace, revealing only two flushed ears.
Shen Yao hadn’t fully regained his senses yet, but he instinctively blurted out, “I let you mark me for life because I like you… Ah!”
The electrodes attached to his chest worked again, sending a powerful surge through his body once more. Shen Yao couldn’t control the trembling that ran through his entire being. His head bumped heavily into Guan Shu’s chin.
It didn’t feel like pain; it was more like his very soul was being turned inside out. The delicate area on his chest seemed to be squeezed by an invisible force, and Shen Yao could hardly feel the presence of his own body.
But after that intense current subsided, a burning itch surged again, leaving him too weak to even kneel on the bed.
Guan Shu truly seemed to be interrogating him, resorting to even these methods.
“Don’t lie.” Guan Shu reached out, gripping Shen Yao’s shoulder. He stared into Shen Yao’s vacant eyes, roughly wiping away the drool at the corner of his mouth. He repeated the question insistently, “Why did you let me mark you for life?!”
Desire could manipulate the body, and Shen Yao coughed forcefully several times, coercing himself to stay briefly coherent. He let out a soft laugh, saying, “You already know the answer, so why are you asking me?”
Shen Yao was acutely aware of his fate at this moment. His voice was as disjointed as his breath, and he spoke recklessly, like a broken jar: “Anyone marking me would be the same to me. Choosing you was only because you’re obedient and easily deceived.”
Guan Shu’s heart raced as if it wanted to burst out from within his bones. He took a deep breath, his teeth grinding together as he swallowed a mouthful of blood foam. “Then you miscalculated.”
He forcefully pressed the switch with his thumb once more. Shen Yao anticipated it and lowered his head, closing his eyes. But this time, the electric current wasn’t a brief shock; it became a continuous, dense, unending sensation, like needles pricking his fragile skin, persisting for a long time.
“Guan Shu!” Blood-colored stains filled Shen Yao’s thin lips. He suddenly leaned his lower body backward, and just as he was about to fall, he reached out and grabbed Guan Shu’s clothes tightly. In the end, he pleaded, “Don’t…”
Guan Shu raised his hand, throwing the switch aside in a fit of anger. He shouted, “If you don’t love me, why did you keep that trophy? Why didn’t you just smash it or throw it away?!”
Shen Yao couldn’t muster a response to his questioning. His willpower had been worn down by the continuous electric shocks. Even after the intense stimulation subsided, the scorching itch in his chest and the emptiness surging from within his body threatened to consume him.
Instinctively, he lightly rubbed against Guan Shu’s embrace. His delicate skin grazed against the firm fabric, providing a slight relief from the itch.
Guan Shu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to control his urges. He yearned to push Shen Yao down on the bed, yet he clenched his lips tightly and forcefully pulled Shen Yao away from him.
“Don’t seduce me,” Guan Shu muttered, looking down, his nose detecting the sweet fragrance of apricot blossoms. Despite this, his expression remained cold and distant. “You even wet my pants.
He picked up the discarded switch again, his fingers hovering over it threateningly, yet hesitated to press it down:
“Speak.”
“Because I knew you would come back… I knew you love me…”
With each word Shen Yao uttered, Guan Shu’s heart froze gradually like ice.
He was so calculating. He knew I would come back to find him. He knew my feelings for him were a tangled mess of love and hate. He knew I would hold onto hope when I saw the trophy again. He knew I loved him, and he knew I would only ever love him in this lifetime.
He knew everything, yet he was unwilling to love me. He manipulated my emotions, weaving each phrase into deceit. Every kiss, every embrace, was manipulated for his advantage.
In the dim light, Guan Shu’s jawline turned sharp and cold. Eventually, he asked the final question:
“Do you like me?”
Shen Yao’s face showed a dull and stunned expression, emotions that shouldn’t have been his. It took him a long time to understand Guan Shu’s question:
“I…”
“Just a casual question.” Yet, at a certain moment, Guan Shu suddenly awakened. He coldly covered Shen Yao’s lips with his hand. “I’m not curious.”
There shouldn’t have been any expectation for an answer, whether Shen Yao liked him or not. None of it mattered anymore, because he had already marked Shen Yao for life.
Starting today, Shen Yao belonged to him alone.
However, before that, there were some matters that needed to be settled.
“Baby.” Guan Shu called out the term of endearment again, using an alcohol-soaked cotton pad to disinfect the gun barrel. His voice was so deep it sent shivers down the spine. “How many times have you been with Yan Zhixing?”
The pink cream wasn’t only smeared on Shen Yao’s chest; his legs had lost their strength as well. The gun barrel was ice-cold and rigid, and the touch of alcohol brought a burning, scalding sensation.
Guan Shu gripped the gun handle in his hand, his voice faint:
“Shen Yao, this gun has been with me for a long time.”
Shen Yao was still held in Guan Shu’s embrace. He buried his face into Guan Shu’s shoulder and neck, his bent back revealing the jutting butterfly bones, as if he was about to spread his wings and take flight.
His consciousness was fuzzy, and he thought for a long time. Then, his vulnerable neck was bitten hard, the pain akin to someone actually trying to tear his flesh away.
“Twice…”
Shen Yao told the truth, but it only ignited a stronger anger in Guan Shu. He pushed his hand away again.
Hearing Shen Yao’s stifled groan, Guan Shu continued to inquire, “How many times have you been with Xu Yibai?”
Shen Yao remained silent for a long time this time. His brief pause seemed like he was providing an answer to Guan Shu.
Veins bulged on Guan Shu’s arm, his patience worn thin. He raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap to Shen Yao’s buttocks, coldly smirking, “Too many times to count, is that it?”
A sharp, crisp “slap” left a reddened handprint on the surface. Shen Yao’s senses partially recovered, and he suddenly raised his hand. With no pretense of vulnerability, he stared intently at Guan Shu.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Can you even count how many times you’ve slapped me? You get so angry over a few smacks on the butt. Do you even know how awful some Alphas are in bed?!”
Guan Shu had feigned indifference just moments ago, as if he had no interest in Shen Yao whatsoever. But suddenly, he pressed Shen Yao down with a ruthless force that was beyond ordinary.
“You little sl*t! Today, I’m going to make you clean!” Guan Shu threw the gun to the ground, his eyes bloodshot. “For every time you’ve been with another Alpha, we’ll do it twice as much!”
Due to Guan Shu’s unrestrained actions, Shen Yao’s face turned pale in an instant. He struggled and slapped Guan Shu in return. He was about to tell him to “get lost,” but his lips were forcefully sealed by a kiss.
Time seemed to blur as Shen Yao lost track of its passing. He only knew that he hadn’t taken a breath for a second, and Guan Shu’s whispers by his side hadn’t stopped either.
“Why are you running away… I won’t treat you badly… Don’t you think I love you enough? Not enough yet… Shen Yao?”
Guan Shu’s hand was fastened around Shen Yao’s waist, his canine teeth grazing over the Omega gland, completing the lifelong mark once again.
“Yao Yao.” Guan Shu asked nervously again, “Who do you like the most?”
Shen Yao’s entire body trembled; he closed his eyes in exhaustion. Instinctively, he provided the answer Guan Shu wanted to hear, his voice hoarse and full of dependence.
“You.”
“I like Guan Shu the most.”
***
For a whole day and night, Xu Yibai had tracked Guan Shu’s whereabouts until he finally reached this concealed corner of the military district.
He held a gun given to him by someone else, his actions precise in this extremely composed state. He fired several shots with remarkable accuracy, mastering the recoil. After the last bullet, the suspended bolt dropped.
Xu Yibai kicked the door open, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
When he saw the striking scene before him, his breath caught. Shen Yao’s ankles were bound by chains, and he knelt weakly on the bed. Guan Shu tightly embraced his waist from behind, their bodies pressed together.
It was obvious what they were doing.
Shen Yao was clothed, but faint traces of bruising could be seen on his skin. He had no strength left, his consciousness waning into darkness.
Suddenly, the door swung open, spilling light into the room. Xu Yibai’s figure was illuminated, casting a shadow. Shen Yao slowly raised his face and unconsciously cried out:
“Xu Yibai…”
Seeing Xu Yibai as a lifeline, Shen Yao’s flushed knees moved involuntarily. He tried to crawl toward Xu Yibai, his exhausted body attempting to reach him.
His right knee moved slightly, but the unbalanced electrical current swept over him again. Shen Yao let out a pitiful cry, his entire body collapsing onto the bed.
The clothes covering him slid down, and the electrode patch on his left chest had fallen onto the bed, while the one on his right chest dangled precariously.
Xu Yibai finally saw clearly.
Shen Yao’s waist dipped in, and just above his lower back, near his tailbone, were rugged inked characters.
It had already formed a complete character “正” (zhèng).
Xu Yibai didn’t need Guan Shu to explain; he instantly understood the meaning.
Xu Yibai’s mind went blank. He saw the electrode patches on Shen Yao’s body, and the box of props by the bedside. Seeing Shen Yao in such a pitiful state, he instantly forgot what Shen Yao had done.
“Guan Shu? What the h*ll have you done to Shen Yao?!” He let out a curse in a fit of loss of control. His initial reaction was to embrace Shen Yao. “What have you turned him into?!”
Xu Yibai’s fingers were about to touch Shen Yao when Guan Shu, with one arm, hoisted Shen Yao up. Shen Yao was forced to lean against Guan Shu’s thigh.
Guan Shu covered Shen Yao with clothes once again, enveloping him in his embrace. He looked coldly at Xu Yibai, resembling a beast king that had been invaded.
Before Xu Yibai’s eyes, Guan Shu’s hand slipped beneath the clothes covering Shen Yao. The fabric on his chest inflated.
Upon hearing Shen Yao’s pained sound, Guan Shu asked, “Between me and Xu Yibai, who do you like?”
Shen Yao hesitated for a moment, then softly spoke, “I like…”
Guan Shu had asked Shen Yao similar questions countless times before. Due to his fear of Guan Shu’s actions, Shen Yao always answered in a way that satisfied him.
Now, Guan Shu wanted Shen Yao to crush Xu Yibai’s hopes with his own words.
Sweat covered Shen Yao’s body, and his forehead was sticky against his cheeks. He turned his face, and after the effects of the drugs had worn off, his expression returned to its usual cold demeanor.
Guan Shu was worried that the handcuffs would chafe Shen Yao’s wrists, so they had been removed, leaving behind two red marks.
Meeting Guan Shu’s dark, intense gaze, Shen Yao smiled gently. He looked at Guan Shu, maintained a composed expression, and said:
“Xu Yibai.”
“I like him.”
In just a few words, Shen Yao shattered Guan Shu’s psychological defenses. Shen Yao witnessed the instant change in Guan Shu’s expression, faster than a typhoon’s transformation.
“Shen Yao!”
Guan Shu was almost crazed, wanting to strangle Shen Yao and force him to change his answer. Xu Yibai, however, firmly restrained him and protected Shen Yao in his embrace.
Shen Yao embraced Xu Yibai’s waist, lifted his face from his embrace, and looked at Guan Shu. He aimed for Guan Shu’s heart and, in a malicious tone, repeated the declaration:
“I like Xu Yibai.”
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