The hatred in Yan Qingming’s eyes was undisguised.
Qi Xiaolin did not know how to describe his current mood. His chest felt as suffocated as if it were being pressed by a heavy stone. The frustration and unwillingness nearly caused him to lose his composure. He braced himself, maintaining a final shred of dignity, and said in a deep voice, “Don’t worry, you won’t have that chance anymore!”
He swung his arm violently, throwing Yan Qingming aside.
Yan Qingming did not anticipate this sudden move from Qi Xiaolin. He could not steady himself and fell to the ground. The phone he had been keeping tucked in the back of his waistband slid out with the motion. The crisp sound of the heavy metal hitting the tiles made his face turn pale instantly.
“What was that sound?”
Qi Xiaolin heard the unusual noise, and his attention was immediately drawn to the source behind Yan Qingming.
Yan Qingming tried to cover it with his clothes, but Qi Xiaolin gave him no chance. He took two large strides over and snatched up the backup phone.
Qi Xiaolin’s expression turned as dark as ink.
“No wonder you left your phone at home; it turns out you had another one on you. When did you buy this? I never even knew.”
He turned the phone over in his hand, seeing a stack of unknown software. Upon clicking inside, he found recording after recording of his own phone calls. He saw the other end of the micro-surveillance he had installed in his office, and in the photo gallery, he found a collection of candid pictures taken of him while he was abroad.
Even when locked away in Qingcheng, Yan Qingming had been monitoring his every move.
There was only one contact in the address book, with a nickname as intimate as banter between lovers.
A sinister smile crept across Qi Xiaolin’s face. “Wealthy and powerful? In what way? Or both? Is this money from him?”
He set the phone aside and leaned down to haul Yan Qingming up from the floor.
“Did I treat you too well, to the point where you really thought I couldn’t do anything to you? So you dared to treat me this recklessly, huh?”
He picked Yan Qingming up, refusing to allow any resistance, and walked outside. His tone was eerie. “Baby, I think it’s time I taught you a lesson you won’t forget.”
The journey was long. Yan Qingming did not know where they were going; his eyes were covered by a black blindfold, making it impossible to distinguish directions.
It was a long time before they got out of the vehicle. Although he had been trying to estimate the time, he knew that with Qi Xiaolin’s shrewdness, they must have taken many detours along the way.
After getting out of the car, he was pushed by Qi Xiaolin into a building. Before the blindfold was removed, he heard a voice filled with disbelief and heartache: “Brother!”
The blindfold was ripped off, and his vision suddenly cleared. He saw a dim, abandoned garage, and Yan Fen, tied to a chair and covered in filth.
Yan Qingming was stunned. Upon seeing the scars all over Yan Fen’s body, his voice trembled. “Yan Fen…”
Yan Fen glanced at him, then looked away, turning his head aside awkwardly. “You’re living better than I am, dressing well and staying in good places. This guy really hasn’t mistreated you.”
Yan Qingming was filled with anxiety. “It’s not like that.”
He turned to look at Qi Xiaolin behind him, his previous calm completely vanished. “Why did you tie him up? Why did you hit him? He’s just a child! If you have a grievance, take it out on me—why take your anger out on a child?”
Qi Xiaolin looked at him and smiled. “He isn’t a child anymore. Do you know what day it is today?”
Changing the subject, he took a wooden box about the length of a forearm from Jiang Ling, who had followed them in, and pulled out a knife.
The moment the blade left its sheath, it glinted with a cold light. The irregular edge looked terrifying.
“This thorn knife was found in your room back then. This is the first time it has been unsheathed in two years.”
“Today is the Yan family’s young master’s 18th birthday. How about we use this knife to cut a piece of meat from the young master, cook it, and give it to him as his coming-of-age gift?”
Yan Qingming reached out to snatch the knife, but Qi Xiaolin held it high. With the difference in their heights, Yan Qingming could not reach it.
For the first time, Yan Qingming relented. His voice was anxious and panicked. “Qi Xiaolin! Xiaolin, I beg you, please calm down, okay? You can’t do this to him, he’s still young…”
Qi Xiaolin curled his lips in triumph. “Begging me? If you’re going to beg, you have to show some sincerity.”
Yan Fen struggled desperately against his restraints, roaring, “Don’t beg him! You have nothing to do with the Yan family anymore, don’t you dare embarrass me!”
His voice was ignored by everyone. Qi Xiaolin pinched Yan Qingming’s chin and said in a deep voice, “I can choose not to hurt him. I’ll give you two choices. You decide: one is that I cut a piece of meat from him—I’ll choose the spot—or the second…”
His tone suddenly became suggestive, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Serve me right in front of him. Let your dear brother see exactly what his dear brother had to do to keep their family of three alive until now.”
When Yan Fen heard this, he felt a boom in his head; something seemed to collapse in that moment.
His gaze fell on the hand Qi Xiaolin had resting on Yan Qingming’s waist. He understood everything instantly, and his face became ferocious. He struggled violently, causing his chair to shake and make noise, while the ropes chafed his wrists until they were raw and red. He roared as if he had lost his mind, “Yan Qingming! I despise you! If you dare choose the second one, I will never acknowledge you as my brother in this life! I don’t have a brother like you!”
He tried his best to use a fierce expression to intimidate them, but it was in vain. As Yan Qingming whispered, “I choose the second one,” Yan Fen stopped struggling, his heart feeling as if it had been dragged into an ice cellar, turning completely cold.
He watched helplessly as Qi Xiaolin pulled Yan Qingming into the partitioned room.
Although he could not see anything, it was not hard to guess what was happening inside.
He stared straight ahead, nearly breaking his teeth as he clenched them.
“You bastard!”
The warehouse door was not soundproof. Jiang Ling, who was standing outside acting as lookout, heard everything clearly.
The hand hanging by his side had, without him realizing it, curled into a fist.
Daybreak arrived. Yan Qingming was wearing Qi Xiaolin’s coat, with nothing else underneath.
The partition had been lowered, and the car windows were covered with blackout curtains, isolating everything from the outside.
Yan Qingming leaned against the window, his gaze hollow and vacant.
He bore many injuries on his body. This was the first time in two years that Qi Xiaolin had truly laid a hand on him. Because of his concern for Yan Fen, he could not fight back.
Qi Xiaolin stubbed out his cigarette and turned to look at him. “You lost a lot of blood. Does it still hurt?”
Yan Qingming did not speak; he simply closed his eyes silently.
Qi Xiaolin already had his answer, and he did not pursue the question.
The doctor was already arranged, and by taking a shortcut, they would be at the hospital soon.
He said, “Don’t try to be clever with me again. I have many ways to keep you in check; don’t force me to use all of them on you.”
He could not make Yan Qingming love him. Yan Qingming would never willingly trap himself for his sake, keeping watch over him. Since he could not make Yan Qingming love him, he would make Yan Qingming fear him—fear him so much that he would not dare leave him.
He had worked so hard to get this person, and he absolutely would not lose him.