The cold wind outside slammed against the floor-to-ceiling window. Zhou Yi heard the sound of moths fluttering their wings against the glass once more. He paused for a split second, then submissively nodded his head.
Even though his fingers had been trembling for a while, his strokes remained remarkably steady as he wrote.
Chu Yanyi pressed down on the back of his neck, feeling how rigid Zhou Yi’s spine had turned from sitting straight up. Because he was seated, the legs of Zhou Yi’s trousers had ridden up a few inches, exposing the anklet still securely locked in place. Chu Yanyi’s brows furrowed silently as he shifted his gaze back onto the white paper, as if seriously evaluating some set of data.
Zhou Yi was exceptionally talented.
It seemed Ying Yu hadn’t kept just anyone by his side after all.
Until the very last stroke was completed, Zhou Yi’s tense muscles did not relax for a single second.
Chu Yanyi squeezed the Alpha’s shoulder with a smile: “Don’t be nervous, you write well. Come to my study every afternoon from now on and practice properly.”
His tone shifted, turning light and easy: “Mentioning Ying Yu just now was merely a casual question. After all, I’ll be taking you out in a few days, and you might hear some rumors and gossip. So if you don’t know yet, I ought to tell you in advance.”
Zhou Yi failed to react for a moment. It took him several seconds to turn his head back around, and after digesting the meaning behind those words, a look of surprise and hesitation flashed across his eyes before he nodded in silence.
Chu Yanyi waited a moment before speaking: “Rest assured, Ying Yu is already dead. Whether it’s the matters between you and him, or between me and him, they’re all in the past. People simply have to look forward.”
“…” Zhou Yi’s eyelashes fluttered twice, but his stomach let out an ill-timed rumble. He hadn’t eaten anything all afternoon, and even after receiving permission, he hadn’t eaten dinner before coming straight to find Chu Yanyi.
“When the time comes, get your hair cut and dyed black so you look more energetic. As for clothes, there should be suitable ones in the house; if not, we’ll go buy a set.”
Acting as if he hadn’t heard the rumble, Chu Yanyi walked back behind the desk, casually leaning against the back of the swivel chair. Glancing over the paper and candy box on the desk, he poured out a candy, unwrapped it, and offered it to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi blinked, rising to his feet in confusion, yet still bent his waist to take the candy from Chu Yanyi’s palm with his mouth.
Chu Yanyi casually ruffled Zhou Yi’s hair, a hint of amusement in his voice: “Are you hungry?”
Zhou Yi raised his head, opening his eyes wide to look at him, as if he hadn’t quite grasped Chu Yanyi’s meaning yet.
Chu Yanyi let out a sigh, hooking the key hanging around Zhou Yi’s neck: “I’m a little hungry myself. Bring your candy along and accompany me for a late-night snack.”
*
Sitting in the small dining room to the side, Chu Yanyi rested his chin on his hand, waiting for the servants to distribute the cutlery and fetch the food. He had changed into more presentable clothes, though the top buttons of his shirt remained unfastened, exposing several gruesome scars along his collarbone.
“Set a portion for him too,” Chu Yanyi teased as he looked at Zhou Yi, who was standing straight as a board off to the side. “Do you prefer eating while standing?”
Housekeeper Mo frowned slightly, his voice faint yet distinct: “Mr. Chu, this seems… not quite in line with the rules.”
Zhou Yi’s hand resting on the back of the chair tightened. Moments later, under the subtle gazes of everyone present, he slowly sat down opposite Chu Yanyi. Ignoring the contempt in the depths of the servants’ eyes, he calmly nodded to the servant who brought over the milk.
In this household, he only needed to obey Mr. Chu’s words—that was enough.
The small dining room was decorated in a warm yet luxurious manner, with crystals hanging from the chandelier reflecting colorful glints of light. Chu Yanyi let out a satisfied smile.
Scooping up the oats in his porridge with a spoon, he tilted his head. The curve at the corners of his eyes didn’t change in the slightest, yet the smile vanished completely from the depths of his eyes: “Housekeeper Mo, which rule states that I cannot share a meal with someone?”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that Xiao Yi’s status… is it a bit…” Housekeeper Mo’s voice faltered as he subconsciously looked at the brand on Zhou Yi’s neck, “…unsuitable…”
“I know his status better than you do. Or are you saying that the rules in this house are set by you?”
The final few words were spoken very softly, yet everyone’s movements ground to a halt for a split second because of them.
Housekeeper Mo’s face turned pale. Given his senior background, even his previous masters had to grant him some face; when had he ever been questioned so publicly? He hurriedly bent down and slapped his own face: “Mr. Chu, I spoke out of turn in a moment of foolishness. Please forgive me.”
“It’s nothing,” Chu Yanyi picked up his fork and scraped it across the plate, producing a jarring, harsh noise. “What happened this afternoon? Making such a scene.”
“There was a minor issue with the kitchen procurement—the accounts didn’t match up. They’ve already explained it clearly to Xiao Yi; it was all just a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? Then what about those people?”
Housekeeper Mo cleared his throat immediately: “Everyone in the kitchen has been replaced. As for the rest… apply house rules? Deduct wages? Dismissal? It’s all up to you, Mr. Chu.”
“The rest have nothing to do with me. Let Xiao Yi decide for himself.”
Before his words finished, several servants standing nearby with bowed heads raised their eyes in astonishment, glanced at Zhou Yi, and quickly dropped their heads back down.
Chu Yanyi turned a blind eye to them. Raising his bowl, he took a sip of hot porridge and let out a soft breath; as expected, the chef who usually followed him understood his palate best.
Zhou Yi’s throat bobbed. He intentionally or unintentionally stole glances at the expression on Chu Yanyi’s face. After a moment, he opened his terminal and typed a line of text. Once Chu Yanyi set down his bowl, he walked over to Chu Yanyi’s side and presented the content on the virtual screen to him.
Chu Yanyi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow: “Do nothing?”
In the absolute silence, Zhou Yi closed the virtual screen and answered using awkward, unfamiliar sign language: “They didn’t do anything to me…” He paused, raising his hands: “Is this okay?”
Chu Yanyi took another sip of porridge: “Don’t ask me. I told you it’s your decision. By the way, with your right hand like that, isn’t it inconvenient to eat these? Do you want them to help you?”
Zhou Yi shook his head. Returning to his seat, he only dared to sit on half the chair, using his left hand to eat the food before him slowly, yet surprisingly without any issues.
Seemingly out of past habit, he only ate the food directly in front of him. His eating speed was quite fast, but when it came to drinking the milk at the end, he held the glass and hesitated for a moment before slowly draining every drop.
Unbeknownst to him, all of this was captured by Chu Yanyi’s eyes. Staring at Zhou Yi’s puffed-out cheeks for a moment, Chu Yanyi suddenly felt a surge of curiosity: Did Zhou Yi and Ying Yu ever sit together and share a meal like this?
Back then, as Ying Yu’s lover, was Zhou Yi also exceedingly arrogant, or was he as restrained as he is now?
At that thought, a flash of irony surfaced in Chu Yanyi’s gaze, only to vanish a split second later as he resumed his usual gentle demeanor.
Noticing Chu Yanyi’s gaze, Zhou Yi raised his head, swallowed the food in his mouth with effort, set down his cutlery, and smiled at Chu Yanyi.
Chu Yanyi raised the corners of his mouth, gesturing for Zhou Yi to wipe his mouth: “Seeing you eat actually gives me an appetite after all.”
Without waiting for Zhou Yi to move, he casually tossed aside his napkin, stood up, and walked toward the door. Taking this as their cue, the servants quietly and methodically began clearing away the leftover dishes on the table.
“By the way, Housekeeper Mo, one more thing,” Chu Yanyi turned around, leaning against the doorframe, carelessly playing with his cane while speaking in a flat tone. “Zhou Yi will be coming over to my place every afternoon, so don’t assign him any tasks in the afternoon. Prepare two portions for breakfast tomorrow morning as well; Zhou Yi will be eating with me. Thank you for your hard work.”
Housekeeper Mo opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately kept quiet. It was only after Chu Yanyi left that he looked over at Zhou Yi, whose fingers were tightly clutching the tablecloth.
*
“Xiao Yi, wait, wait, wait! You’ve got incredible luck, being taken with by Mr. Chu. While Mr. Chu still likes you, you ought to score as many benefits as you can.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yi was inspecting the packaging of the medicine bottle he had just received. Turning his head, he quietly looked at the servant walking over from the other side, wearing a puzzled expression.
This servant shared a room with Zhou Yi. Although they were merely nodding acquaintances, he could be considered one of the few people in the manor Zhou Yi was relatively familiar with.
“Every time Mr. Chu returns, he brings someone different along. I heard…” the man winked, lowering his voice into an exceptionally satirical tone, “…he’s extremely rough in bed. Ordinary Omegas can’t take him at all; quite a few had to be carried away in secret to see a doctor the next day. The only one who’s stayed by Mr. Chu’s side for any length of time is Assistant Chen, though who knows why he isn’t here this time. But rest assured, Mr. Chu is very generous with his money—you won’t have to remain a slave forever.”
Zhou Yi lowered his eyes. His gloved hand gripped the warmed medicine bottle tightly, the sharp edges of the cap digging deep into his flesh as the pills rattled against each other like candies.
Night fell heavy with dew, and the liquid from the melting snow seeped toward his feet. He shivered involuntarily.
“I really envy you, having a face like that,” the man shook his head, making no secret of the mockery on his face as he reached out to hook his arm around Zhou Yi’s shoulder. “Are you really not a Beta? How come I’ve never smelled your pheromones? Don’t be so stingy.”
Zhou Yi took a sharp step back, a flash of coldness flickering in the depths of his emerald eyes. For a split second, as the moonlight broke through the mist in sparse patches, half of Zhou Yi’s face sank into shadow. Standing beneath the moon, he looked cold, sharp, and unfathomable.
The man froze, wondering if it was just his imagination. Does this slave truly consider himself somebody just because he gained a moment of favor?
The next second, dark clouds gathered, mist rolled in, and the streetlights painted a hazy layer of orange onto the ground.
The warm orange light fell onto the crown of Zhou Yi’s head, leaving his face with nothing but harmless, gentle confusion. Ignoring the man standing frozen on the spot, Zhou Yi walked unhurriedly toward the exit.
Stepping out of the residence, Zhou Yi tilted his head back to look up. Chu Yanyi had lit a cigarette, leaning against the balcony railing, his glasses reflecting the light of the virtual screen.
As the light flickered between bright and dim, Zhou Yi suddenly experienced the illusion that he was being watched by Mr. Chu the entire time.
How could that be? Zhou Yi pursed his lips. Gossip was never lacking in this enclosed manor. From the fragmented chatter of the guards and servants, he knew Mr. Chu didn’t like that man named Ying Yu, and he also knew his own past relationship with Ying Yu.
Yet Mr. Chu told him to look forward.
Slowly lowering the medicine bottle, he took a deep breath, grasped the key hanging around his neck, and stepped into that white mist.