“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
With a single sentence, Lin Xun seemed to say nothing, yet said everything.
Meticulous calculation was the foundational undertone of his nature. This Alpha had intentionally left behind clues, spent the morning calmly watching him put on a show, even actively cooperating, only to turn around, time his arrival down to the minute, and wait for him here.
Lin Xun casually waved his phone. A hint of distress crept between his brows, and he let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh. “Li You, you never learn to be good.”
“Why…” Li You pressed his back tightly against the wall. The surface was damp, and a bitter chill seeped through his skin, penetrating his bones and echoing deep within his internal organs. “Lin Xun, why are you doing this? Why do you have to ruin my life…”
Exhaustion, unwillingness, hatred, every emotion welled up in his heart. Li You didn’t even know how to express it anymore. He could only ask numbly, mechanically, over and over again: “Why? Why on earth are you doing this? What did I ever do wrong…”
A perfectly good home had been torn apart with this Alpha’s own two hands. Day after day, moral shackles bound Li You, torturing, hammering, and reminding him every second of what a terrible person he was. He had grown into the very image Li Qingyun hated most, and Lin Zhaoning had suffered an unprovoked disaster because of him. He was betrayed by his lover, he disappointed his family, and that tiny, fleeting bit of love he once possessed, like fragile foam, shattered at the lightest touch. Yet before those bubbles popped, they had still sparkled with dazzling colors under the sunlight.
Li You’s chest vibrated with anguish. He was completely bewildered, his brows knit tightly together, eyes filled with unshed tears. He moved his leaden legs, stepping toward the Alpha one pace at a time. His voice sounded like that rusted iron gate, dry and heavy: “Lin Xun, before I met you, I had a family, I had a lover. Why did you have to shatter that peace with your own hands?”
“What did I do wrong? What do I owe you? Why do you always refuse to let me go? At this point, just show some mercy and spare me, okay?”
Lin Xun raised his hand, pressing most of his palm against the Beta’s burning cheek, his fingers catching the wetness there.
Li You was always like this.
It was as if every time they met, he had to cry.
Lin Xun’s hand cupped the back of Li You’s head, gently stroking and comforting the Beta as he tucked his head into the crook of his own neck bit by bit. His movements were incredibly tender, extremely soft, as though terrified of hurting the person in his arms. Throughout the entire process, he remained dead silent.
Embracing him, Lin Xun waited half a beat before tilting his head slightly. With a confused expression, his lips brushed against the Beta’s earlobe, and he asked in a low voice, “A home?”
His tone grew heavier as he asked once more: “Li You, do you really have a home?”
“!” Li You violently shoved Lin Xun away, shaking uncontrollably with rage. At first, he could still restrain his emotions enough to question the Alpha, but as the confrontation dragged on, he found himself utterly unable to speak a word.
A home? Before meeting him, he had a perfectly good home. But ever since this Alpha appeared, everything changed. This home was torn apart by his hands, and now he had the nerve to turn around and mockingly ask if he ever had a home?
How ridiculous.
Lin Xun forcibly grabbed his arm and sneered, “How pitiful, Li You.”
“I am saving you. You should be thanking me.”
Li You reached the ultimate breaking point, biting his own lip until it bled. Lin Xun pinched his chin and kissed him forcefully, greedily sucking at the wound on his lips like a bloodthirsty demon, swallowing every drop of blood into his stomach with dark satisfaction.
Unable to endure it any longer, Li You raised his hand and slapped Lin Xun viciously across the face.
“You lunatic…”
Lin Xun turned his head back and laughed softly.
By the sound of it, he seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
He grabbed Li You’s hand, placed it over his own chest, and wrapped a long arm around him, locking him tightly into an embrace.
“Are you done hitting me?”
“If not, you can keep going.”
“As long as it makes you happy, anything goes.”
Li You refused to look at him, closing his eyes as he spoke: “Then drop dead. If you die, I will definitely be very happy.”
Lin Xun’s hand stroking his back paused for a brief moment, then he answered with sudden laughter: “Alright. Come to hell with me, and we’ll never be separated.”
Driven to extreme rage, Li You let out a bitter laugh. He clamped his teeth onto the Alpha’s shoulder, refusing to let go, determined to bite a hole right through it.
Lin Xun tilted his neck back, willingly indulging in the biting tearing through his skin.
Li You bit his shoulder until blood gushed out, spitting out mouthfuls of bloody foam, and asked Lin Xun calmly: “Going to hell with you? Are you even worthy?”
The wound on his shoulder didn’t seem to cause him a single shred of pain. Lin Xun’s face remained as cold as still water. When he spoke, the surrounding air chilled by several degrees. “I’m not worthy? Is Lin Zhaoning worthy, then?”
Lin Xun pressed forward step by step, pinching Li You’s face like a pair of iron pliers as he demanded in a deep, harsh voice: “Is he really that important to you? Li You, do you even have a heart?”
“What does that have to do with you?” Li You stubbornly met the Alpha’s gaze, the hatred in the depths of his eyes almost overflowing. He said softly, “He is my lover, my lawful husband. What kind of thing are you? What right do you have to question whether I have a conscience?”
“Heh…” Hearing this, Lin Xun actually let out a low chuckle. It was a laugh of unreserved mockery, laced with a trace of pity that Li You couldn’t comprehend. “Lover?”
“I’ll show you today exactly what kind of thing I am!”
The moment the words left his mouth, a thick smell of smoke seeped through the cracks of the door, slowly spreading through the air. The room was no longer dark like before. Li You jerked his head up, realizing the entire room was now illuminated by an orange-red blaze.
Without allowing any room for argument, Lin Xun yanked him over, wrapping an arm around his waist, practically dragging him forward.
“What are you trying to do?! Lin Xun, what on earth do you want to do!”
The choking smoke grew heavier and heavier. Lin Xun kicked open the door, more than half of the hallway was already engulfed in flames. Heatwaves rolled in, scorching the eyes so fiercely it was impossible to keep them open.
“If you think he’s qualified, prove it to me,” Lin Xun grabbed Li You by the hair, forcing him to look up and meet his eyes. Yet there was no trace of a smile on his face; his sharp, clean features looked ominous against the flickering firelight, as an unhinged, twisted madness gradually surfaced in his narrow, dark eyes. “If he fails, we go to hell together.”
Heavy footsteps and violent coughing echoed from the stairwell. Li You followed the sound and looked over. Through the fire-ravaged corner of the hallway stairs, he could vaguely see a familiar figure awkwardly holding onto the handrail to limp downstairs.
Lin Zhaoning had trouble moving his legs, making his trek through the vast sea of fire extraordinarily difficult.
“Li You, you don’t owe him anything, he isn’t worthy of being your husband, and he certainly lacks the right to accompany you to hell,” Lin Xun slowly loosened his grip, whispering persuasively into his ear. “As long as you say the word ‘no’, or show even the slightest hint of resistance, I will take you away from here.”
Almost the instant he let go, Li You didn’t give him a single glance. Without a second thought, he charged straight toward that faint, distant figure. The Alpha instinctively leaned forward, extending his hand, but his fingers only grazed a corner of the Beta’s shirt before grasping at thin air.
Li You ran too fast. He couldn’t catch him.
It was like this again…
It was like this every single time!
As long as Lin Zhaoning was around, he wasn’t even willing to look at him, not even spare him a stingy glance!
The veins on Lin Xun’s temples bulged. His empty fist clenched tight, smashing hard against the doorframe beside him as he swore fiercely, “Fool!”
This Beta was so foolishly devoted that he was willing to throw his life away for Lin Zhaoning!
“Zhaoning! Zhaoning!”
The flames leaped wildly, twisting human shadows into long, grotesque shapes. Li You shouted frantically, his arms scorched by the blackened, burning walls. Dodging and stumbling the whole way, he tumbled toward his husband.
The Beta’s eyes were bloodshot. Having not seen him for just a few short days, Lin Zhaoning looked like a completely different person; his former refined demeanor was entirely gone, replaced by a haggard, emaciated frame. Upon recognizing who it was, his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but lacking the strength, he ultimately gave up.
“I’ll get you out… I’m taking you out right now…” As Li You spoke, he forcibly pulled Lin Zhaoning onto his back. Even a starving camel is bigger than a horse, Lin Zhaoning was an Alpha after all, and his heavy weight pressed down on him so hard that Li You nearly lost his footing.
Clenching his teeth until they nearly shattered, Li You found strength from somewhere unknown. His arms locked tightly around the other man’s shoulders. Using his core, his legs trembling, he dragged him forward step by step.
He lurched forward, his back bent under the weight, refusing to make a single sound of complaint.
The light of salvation was right before his eyes. Carrying Lin Zhaoning, Li You approached the exit, just a few paces away.
The glass had been shattered by falling debris, and the spacious exit was blocked by rubble, leaving only a narrow, low passage. Fires burned in a ring around them. Li You bent his waist, practically kneeling on the ground, letting Lin Zhaoning down slowly as he pushed him out inch by inch.
Just a little bit more… just a little bit left…
“A-Ning, don’t sleep, hurry and go…”
Crack,
A subtle noise suddenly came from overhead. The recessed light on the ceiling had been softened by the heat, its mounting bracket melting through and snapping. It swung precariously in midair before the ceiling gave way completely from the middle, crashing down in a roar of dust and sparks.
At that critical moment, Li You summoned all his remaining strength to shove Lin Zhaoning outward. Simultaneously, the Alpha’s half-lidded eyes snapped open, and he lifted an arm toward the person before him, as if trying to hold his hand and pull him out together.
Li You stared blankly as he reached back to respond. In the very next second, his shoulder was shoved back violently.
The ceiling plummeted at lightning speed. Li You’s hand still retained the residual warmth of Lin Zhaoning’s body, but those eyes, at once familiar and strange, vanished entirely from his line of sight, buried under a sea of white debris.
Pushed back by the shove, Li You fell hard onto his backside. The momentum caused his head to slam against the wall, making his vision turn black. The metallic reek of blood spread through the hazy air, thick, bitter, and suffocating. Smoke grew denser, rushing into his lungs and making every breath an agonizing pain.
Heatwaves surged forward as flames roared around him. The final lingering trace of his consciousness was swallowed by the black smoke. With a deafening crash, falling rocks and shattered debris, mingled with glowing sparks, completely buried him.
Li You tilted his neck back and slowly closed his eyes.
Maybe this is for the best. Consider it returning this life to him.
From now on, neither of us owes the other anything.
He no longer owed anyone a single thing. All debts were settled in full. He could finally lay down his burdens, light and unbothered, embarking on his final journey.
As raging flames consumed the sky and smoke blocked out the sun, the old building caved in and collapsed inch by inch under the licking tongues of fire. Li You felt a sudden flash of white light before his eyes, his form turning into an ethereal shadow, aimlessly feeling his way forward into the unknown.