The starship landed smoothly on Desert Planet θ. Several of Chu Yanyi’s assistants were already waiting at the front of the private passage. Chu Yanyi gestured for one of them to take the massive suitcase pushed by the waiter from the starship. Only then did he lean on his cane, supported by Chu Yanqi as they walked together toward the car.
These assistants had been with Chu Yanyi for a long time; a single glance was all it took for them to understand his intent. Though puzzled, they silently placed the somewhat heavy suitcase at Chu Yanyi’s feet rather than in the other car carrying the luggage.
The vehicle started, and a dead silence settled inside the cabin, broken only by the sound of tires rubbing against the pavement. Chu Yanyi rested his chin on his hand, looking out the window at the drifting gray snowflakes while his fingers slowly stroked the smooth handle of his cane.
The bustling district under the overpass was brightly lit with people coming and going, showing no trace of the scars left by past wars. Although Desert Planet θ still retained its Imperial designation, it had successfully broken away from the Empire’s rule and gained independence during the Second War between the Empire and the Federation several centuries ago.
The scarce human resources and unique geographical environment gave the wild-growing black market an opportunity to thrive, expanding continually with the tacit consent of the ruling powers in both the Empire and the Federation.
For reasons unknown, those shady underground dealings had transformed over time into completely “legal” corporate groups on the surface.
That trick, it seemed, had been played first by Ying Yu.
At the thought of the man who was always at loggerheads[1]Being at loggerheads means being in a state of strong, stubborn disagreement, conflict, or dispute where neither side is willing to compromise jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3669332_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3669332_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); with him, Chu Yanyi let out a cold sneer.
“What are you laughing at? Speaking of which, why did you save a slave? I don’t think you’re the type to begrudge a flyer,” Chu Yanqi asked after switching on the scrambling device inside the car.
Chu Yanyi raised his eyes, lightly tapping the tip of his shoe against the suitcase: “Open it and see who’s inside.”
“What is it? Can’t you just say it?” Chu Yanqi frowned, typing in the password directly. Curled up inside was the slave she and Chu Yanyi had seen on the starship.
The slave had clearly been washed and changed into relatively decent clothing. The gruesome wounds exposed on his skin had also received basic treatment. Most of his hair had turned white, his hands were tied behind his back, noise-canceling earplugs were stuffed into his ears, and the blindfold strapped across his face covered most of his features. A nasogastric tube vibrated slightly with his breathing.
Perhaps because sedative drugs had been administered, the slave merely twitched without actually waking up. Various tubes extended from his body, connecting to the life-support system inside the suitcase.
“Why make it look so disgusting? I hate this,” Chu Yanqi bit her lip. “So who is he?”
“That’s just the protocol for transporting slaves over there—when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” Chu Yanyi said casually. Bending down, he cupped the slave’s neck and slowly peeled away the blindfold.
Chu Yanqi gasped, covering her mouth, though she still couldn’t hide the shock in her voice: “This… this… is this really… that lunatic’s… how could he… how could he be there…”
This face—or rather, the terror Ying Yu had once inflicted upon her—loomed over her once more alongside the shadows of the past.
Chu Yanyi nodded. He leisurely stroked the slave’s lips, his gloved hand pulling out the cotton stuffed in the slave’s mouth bit by bit.
“Unless…” His tone was gentle, though his actions were hardly tender, “…there truly exists someone in this world who looks identical to him.”
The man’s breathing grew heavy as he greedily gasped for rare fresh air, even in his unconscious state.
“Isn’t that a bit too coincidental? How did he end up being hauled out to feed the star beast right when you arrived?” Chu Yanqi leaned away in disgust. “Brother, bringing him straight back like this doesn’t sound like you.”
Chu Yanyi let out a soft chuckle: “Isn’t it even better if it’s not a coincidence? If he deliberately appeared in front of me, confident that I would save him, who do you think is behind him?”
“…Ying Yu?!”
“So, don’t you think the things he can bring me are far more precious than some star beast?” Chu Yanyi removed his gloves, crumpled them casually, and tossed them into the car’s trash bin.
Just don’t make me disappointed again.
Chu Yanyi scrutinized the handsome face, which wore an expression of pain, before putting the blindfold back on.
*
The dim night sky was tinged white by the faint light reflected off the snowflakes. Chu Yanyi sat behind a large desk, slowly flipping through the documents compiled by his subordinates.
The previous owner of this estate had been backed into a corner a while ago, handing over all assets under his name to Chu Yanyi just to save his own life.
Chu Yanyi had a team dedicated to handling his public businesses, but the tangled webs of involvement and various mess of accounts had still kept him waiting for nearly a week.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, put down one of the documents, removed his glasses, opened his cigarette case, and lit a cigarette to hold between his lips. He had been smoking for years, though he wasn’t particularly addicted; he only lit one occasionally when he felt annoyed—like right now.
The crimson tip of the cigarette flickered behind the virtual screen. The profile for the slave named “Xiao Yi” was a chaotic mess, missing a great deal of information, without even a record of his original name or family.
Expected, considering it was a place of mixed and chaotic elements.
Initially, this slave had records of escape attempts, but as he was repeatedly resold, such records grew fewer. Similarly, the slave’s value kept dropping until he was eventually abandoned, nearly ending up as star beast feed.
Chu Yanyi stared at the expressionless face on the screen, letting out a strange smile. Ying Yu, an Alpha, had actually taken an Alpha as his lover.
Squinting his eyes, he read the final note: This slave can’t speak.
There was a light knock on the door. Chu Yanyi shut off the screen before speaking: “Come in.”
A young, handsome Omega walked up to Chu Yanyi with lowered eyes: “Mr. Chu, we just received news that the slave you brought back… his condition isn’t quite right. Miss Chu asked me to inquire if you would like to handle it personally.”
Chu Yanyi frowned, stubbed out his cigarette, and pushed himself up with his cane: “Understood.”
Passing by the reception lounge, Chu Yanyi casually picked up a piece of candy from the fruit platter and slid it into his pocket.
On his way to the basement, Chu Yanyi had already reviewed the surveillance footage from earlier. So when he saw the chaotic mess and the slave being held down by several people, he merely raised an eyebrow at Chu Yanqi nonchalantly.
Chu Yanqi crossed her arms, her tone complaining: “Brother, it’s fine that you left the plaything you brought back for me to look after without managing him yourself, but you didn’t say he bites! Without a single word, he bit the arms of several of my people until they bled.”
“Why act so tough with the weak? He didn’t act like this in front of the star beast.”
“It means he still has plenty of vitality.”
The Alpha who had been struggling relentlessly suddenly went still upon hearing his voice. He strained to raise his head, his eyes hollow and numb.
Chu Yanyi didn’t dodge, looking down at him from above.
Yet the moment his gaze met Chu Yanyi’s, he subconsciously lowered his head again.
Perhaps because there was nothing in those emerald eyes, Chu Yanyi actually experienced the illusion of seeing that man from the past once again.
High-spirited.
Arrogant and dismissive of everyone.
On the day the former Governor’s Alpha daughter held a grand wedding, Chu Yanyi needed the Governor’s assistance to transport a batch of goods. Naturally, he was willing to “package” the favor into a wedding gift, and Ying Yu’s name was also prominently listed on the guest list.
Although Ying Yu didn’t show up, the “gift” he sent completely disrupted the wedding.
The virtual screen, which was originally playing a video of the happy couple, suddenly switched to a scene of the groom working with others to silence an innocent bystander.
Needless to say, chaos erupted. After Chu Yanyi had seen enough of the drama, he went outside to get some fresh air, only to see Ying Yu’s favorite car.
The legendary little lover was sitting in the driver’s seat, acting as the chauffeur. He seemed to have turned his head to enjoy the chaos inside the venue, and his gaze happened to collide with Chu Yanyi’s.
For a moment, the atmosphere froze.
Chu Yanyi offered a subtle smile, staring at the man without backing down an inch.
Chewing gum, the man pulled down his sunglasses, revealing those emerald-like, crystal-clear eyes. His gaze was sharp, laced with a hint of mockery.
Then he looked toward the back seat, covering his mouth as if saying something to the person sitting behind. Immediately after, like a child, he smiled at Chu Yanyi.
A smile as sweet as arsenic, as venomous as a viper.
Ying Yu was undoubtedly sitting in the back.
He had reason to be pleased—with Ying Yu pulling a stunt like that, the former Governor naturally couldn’t get away unscathed, cutting off the connection Chu Yanyi had just established.
Chu Yanyi tightened his grip on his cane, preparing to walk over, when the man suddenly made a gun-gesturing motion toward him. It coincided exactly with the sound of a gunshot inside the venue, causing even Chu Yanyi to lose focus for a split second.
Now, this arrogant Alpha was being pressed into a kneeling position before Chu Yanyi, his gaze unfocused, his face pale, cold sweat dripping from his forehead and brows—yet he didn’t even dare to raise his head.
Chu Yanyi looked at him calmly until the man shivered slightly. Only then did he let out a chuckle, leaning on his cane as he unhurriedly walked over to the slave: “Let him go. You can’t even manage a slave, and you claim it’s not your problem?”
“My problem? To say something like that, Mr. Chu, you really have no conscience. Let’s go.”
The moment he was freed from the restraint of others, the Alpha retreated abruptly, letting out a low, beast-like growl from his throat as if pulling on a wound. He slowly curled himself into a corner of the wall, his left hand tightly gripping the wrist of his deformed right hand. His knuckles turned white from the force, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Chu Yanyi merely raised a foot, causing the person in the corner to shrink back.
Tapping his cane lightly on the ground, Chu Yanyi’s gaze fell on his right hand, where all five fingers were twisted, revealing a troubled expression: “The doctor said you have a lot of injuries on you. How do you feel right now? Does it hurt? Are you hungry? Now that you’ve bitten the doctor away, what are you going to do next?”
Xiao Yi froze. This gentleman was different from anyone else he had ever met—not only had he saved him, but he also asked him so gently if he was in pain.
He remained dazed for a long time before shaking his head blankly.
Chu Yanyi sat down unhurriedly on a chair to the side in a rather relaxed posture: “It must be pretty cold over there. Do you want to come sit over here and chat?”
Xiao Yi remained silent for a moment, still curled up in the corner, carefully raising his head to peek at Chu Yanyi through the gap in his arms.
“By the way, you can’t speak. That’s fine—I believe you can understand what I mean, and that’s enough.”
Silence.
Just as Chu Yanyi felt his patience was about to run out, the man moved his knees, slowly shuffling on his knees until he reached Chu Yanyi’s feet. The anklet on his ankle signifying his slave status was glaringly conspicuous.
“Good boy.” Chu Yanyi pulled out a piece of candy. “For you.”
Xiao Yi subconsciously backed away a bit, staring blankly at Chu Yanyi’s palm without moving.
Chu Yanyi unpeeled the wrapper and placed the candy in his palm: “Eat it. Don’t worry, it’s not poison. Your blood sugar is too low, and I’m afraid you’ll pass out.”
Xiao Yi was stunned for a moment, then slowly shook his head, making a few gestures that Chu Yanyi couldn’t understand. Then he slowly opened his mouth, his tongue lightly licking the candy in Chu Yanyi’s hand before taking it into his mouth.
The sensation of his tongue brushing against his palm was somewhat ticklish. Chu Yanyi maintained his smile: “If you can’t walk, I’ll have the doctor examine you properly later. What is your real name? I can’t keep calling you Xiao Yi forever.”
Another strange question.
Who would care about a slave’s name? Besides, he didn’t even know what his own name was anymore.
Xiao Yi opened his mouth in confusion, using his other free hand to make gestures while uttering raspy, unpleasant, monosyllabic noises.
Chu Yanyi’s brow furrowed involuntarily, though he quickly resumed his original calm demeanor: “I know many things have nothing to do with you. You just need to tell me what you know about Ying Yu. Don’t worry, since we’ve met before, I’ll give you a sum of money, cancel your slave status, and let you live a worry-free life from now on.”
Upon hearing the name Ying Yu, Xiao Yi felt an excruciating headache. Clutching his head, his entire body fell forward onto Chu Yanyi’s knees, wailing in agony and shaking violently from a stress reaction.
A trace of surprise flashed across Chu Yanyi’s face. From his perspective, this didn’t look like an act. Yet he merely watched the Alpha’s struggles with cold eyes. His tone remained gentle, but he didn’t bother to offer even a shred of comfort to this slave who was crying from shock.
“It’s alright. Take your time to think. We still have plenty of time.”
The basement at this time of year was chilly after all, and an indescribable pain crept up from his ankles.
This pain served as a constant reminder to Chu Yanyi that this seemingly submissive Alpha before him had once been together with an exceedingly malicious Alpha.
And who knew how many sinister plots he had helped plan together in the past.
References[+]