Mian Changjie muttered “weirdo” under her breath and hurried away from the scene as her phone rang.
The gloved hand that could easily dent a skull reached out, and Sui Yuye instinctively flinched backward.
He hadn’t forgotten how this hand had smashed someone’s head against a car.
The glove paused mid-air, then Sui Yuye’s neck was suddenly seized, and he was dragged out of the closet. Stumbling two steps, he quickly broke free from the grip.
Mian Guanfei: “Stay.”
Sui Yuye froze, taking half a step back.
“You’re not a Cub?”
“Of course I’m not!” Sui Yuye gritted his teeth.
Grateful that Mian Guanfei hadn’t released the dazzling light, Sui Yuye stared at him and asked the question on his mind: “Was that you in the photo?”
“No.”
Mian Guanfei denied it too quickly. Sui Yuye was momentarily stunned. Though doubts lingered in his heart, he turned and ran toward the exit.
After just two steps, his arm was grabbed. Sui Yuye yanked hard, causing a row of glass cups to crash down from the shelf, shattering across the floor.
“Let go!”
Sui Yuye tried to counter with a shoulder throw, but Mian Guanfei’s strength was immense, making it impossible to break free immediately. Spotting an opening, Sui Yuye kicked out.
The other swayed slightly, and a warning flashed through Sui Yuye’s mind. He quickly pulled Mian Guanfei’s arm, dragging him away from the sea of broken glass.
Mian Guanfei’s eyes widened in surprise.
Sui Yuye immediately released his grip.
Damn it, that cursed professional reflex.
The moment of hesitation cost him—he was pinned to the ground. Sui Yuye groped beside him, grabbing an ashtray to swing, but his gaze met Mian Guanfei’s eyes, seeing the familiar brows and eyes resembling those in the photo.
His raised arm froze mid-air.
…He couldn’t bring himself to strike.
Sui Yuye clicked his tongue in frustration, tossed the ashtray aside, and decided to throw a punch instead. As his hand swung toward Mian Guanfei’s neck, his fingers hooked onto something.
A small object fell into his palm.
Sui Yuye looked down.
A necklace, with a crown-shaped pendant.
Sui Yuye’s eyes widened instantly—he remembered.
Over a decade ago, in a park, several boys had surrounded Mian Guanfei, pushing and bullying him. Sui Yuye had shown up and chased them away.
Back then, Mian Guanfei had been crying uncontrollably. No matter how Sui Yuye tried to comfort him, it didn’t work. Remembering that girls liked pretty things, Sui Yuye ran to a convenience store and bought this necklace with the pocket money he’d saved for a long time.
Mian Guanfei seized his hands and pressed them to the ground.
“Ah!” Sui Yuye cried out in pain, his eyes scrunching up from the tight grip. Pinned down by the legs, he couldn’t struggle even an inch.
Mian Guanfei gripped his neck, controlling his breathing. Feeling the pulse of life beneath his fingers, a strange smile spread across his face—he liked this feeling of controlling Sui Yuye.
A pair of beautiful vertical pupils filled Sui Yuye’s vision, and his entire body stiffened.
When high-level Rom became emotionally agitated or excited, their dazzling light would involuntarily activate.
Noticing his subtle reaction, Mian Guanfei murmured to himself, “A Switch, perhaps…”
“Mian Guanfei! Let him go now!”
Mian Changjie shouted urgently as she returned.
Mian Guanfei glanced sideways at her, his gaze icy.
Mian Changjie felt her scalp tingle under the stare of those vertical pupils. Fortunately, she was a Normal. Steeling herself, she spoke up: “I… I’ll help you explain to him. Can you go wait in your room for now and come out later?”
After several seconds, the grip on Sui Yuye loosened, and Mian Guanfei stood up.
Mian Changjie quickly helped Sui Yuye up. “Sorry, he’s not good at expressing himself, but he won’t really hurt you.”
Sui Yuye wore an expression that clearly said, “Do you really think I believe that?”
Mian Changjie explained the whole story:
Mian Guanfei was the ninth child in the family, the youngest son. Within the Crown Family, the struggle for succession was extremely fierce, and no one was immune to coveting the chairman position of Crown Glory Group.
To protect Mian Guanfei from being plotted against, his mother raised him disguised as a girl. Fortunately, his appearance was androgynous enough that no one suspected anything. After coming of age, he fought his way up step by step, earning his father’s recognition and eventually gaining real power within the Crown Family.
However, growing up in such a distorted environment caused Mian Guanfei’s personality to change drastically, and his older brothers gradually grew wary of him.
And those several boys Sui Yuye had beaten up back then were actually Mian Guanfei’s older brothers.
“He wears gloves not because he’s a germaphobe, but because he dislikes being touched by others. Mian Guanfei suffered from prolonged bullying as a child, so whenever someone touches him, it reminds him of those times.”
Mian Changjie didn’t elaborate further, worried that Mian Guanfei might have another episode. After hurriedly explaining, she left, leaving behind one last sentence:
“Qi Shengxian is waiting for you outside. You should leave quickly.”
Sui Yuye stood in place, staring at the necklace in his hand.
Mian Guanfei sat by the window, his gloved black index finger tapping lightly on the table from time to time.
Suddenly, a pendant appeared before him.
He lowered his gaze. The crown pendant fell against his collarbone, the chain resting against his skin. It swayed gently a few times before finally settling, hanging around his neck.
Mian Guanfei turned around, but there was no one behind him.
As soon as Sui Yuye stepped outside, he was nearly suffocated by a bear hug.
He had already rehearsed comforting words in his mind, but the arms embracing him suddenly loosened. Sui Yuye was taken aback and turned around to see the other person walking toward Mian Guanfei.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing, Sheng Xian? Don’t start a fight!” Sui Yuye stopped him, quickly signaling with his eyes for Mian Guanfei to leave.
But the other showed no reaction, standing there as if he had no intention of leaving.
“Stop protecting him.” Qi Shengxian’s voice was cold, so cold it felt unfamiliar even to Sui Yuye. “If I hadn’t come, he would never have let you go.”
Mian Guanfei looked expressionlessly at Sui Yuye. “Do you think he’s any better?”
Sui Yuye held his forehead.
As Qi Shengxian pulled him away, Sui Yuye immediately clutched his arm, hissing in pain. “Ouch, my elbow! My lumbar disc…”
Qi Shengxian instantly turned back. “Brother?!”
Sui Yuye: “Neither of them hurt.”
Qi Shengxian: “…”
Sui Yuye waved his hand. “Alright, I’m really fine. Let’s go back—”
Thump.
His heart gave a heavy thud. A sudden ringing filled Sui Yuye’s ears, and by the time he realized what was happening, he was already tilting sideways. Fortunately, Mian Guanfei and Qi Shengxian caught him in time, preventing him from falling.
“Brother? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Sui Yu?”
Sui Yuye himself didn’t know what had happened. He shook his head, feeling as if nothing was wrong. “It’s fine. Maybe I’ve been too tired lately?”
But that didn’t seem right either—he didn’t feel tired at all.
Just as he was about to steady himself, he realized he was nestled in the arms of two men. Looking up, he met two exceptionally handsome faces. Since both were taller than him, the scene felt like he had stumbled right into their embrace.