“Severe malnutrition, multiple soft tissue contusions, three broken ribs, and what appears to be a history of severe blunt force trauma to the head. All the phalanges in his right hand were shattered at some point, and because it wasn’t treated in time, the bones have healed misaligned. Even with corrective surgery, he won’t regain full functionality. There’s nothing wrong with his vocal cords; we haven’t determined why he can’t speak yet—it might be due to shock or the lingering effects of medication.”
The family doctor reported the examination results with trepidation: “The most critical issue is his gland. Due to excessive extraction of Alpha pheromones, it’s showing signs of atrophy. Our preliminary estimate puts his mental strength at Class A, but for a more detailed analysis, we’ll have to wait until Doctor Wu returns from vacation…”
Chu Yanqi raised an eyebrow: “So he’s an Alpha—a Class A, no less. I never caught a whiff of his pheromones, so I actually assumed he was a Beta. Tsk, how did a Class A Alpha end up in such a state…”
“If he receives continuous medical care, his condition should improve. However, if Mr. Chu treats him the same way as before, I’m afraid…”
Chu Yanqi let out a cold laugh: “Brother, your reputation is truly terrible.”
Chu Yanyi shook his head impassively and shot Chu Yanqi a look. Chu Yanqi promptly ushered the doctor out, whose tongue was practically tied in knots from nerves.
Only Chu Yanyi remained in the room. He activated the virtual screen and stared fixedly at the monitoring feed showing the man who had just regained consciousness, his eyes cold and sharp.
“Xiao Yi… heh…”
He picked up the glass beside him, lowered his gaze, and repeatedly stroked the cold rim. Stepping over the plush wool carpet, he walked slowly into the dark room.
From the moment he entered, the man had been secretly huddled beneath the blanket, watching him.
Taking a sip of wine, Chu Yanyi sat at the edge of the bed. The man shuddered slightly but didn’t move.
“You knew not to bite this time. That’s progress.”
Xiao Yi froze, his entire body trembling like a leaf in the wind.
With a half-smile, Chu Yanyi stroked the exposed salt-and-pepper hair[1]Salt and pepper hair refers to a hair color that is a mixture of dark strands (black or brown) and gray or white strands, giving it a speckled or mixed appearance similar to a shaker filled with … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3669340_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3669340_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, placing a piece of candy by the pillow: “I’ll be away for a few days. Stay here, recover, and take your medicine properly. Your health comes first.”
The electronic lock on the door automatically engaged with a click. Holding onto his piece of sanity, Xiao Yi clutched the mattress beneath him with his intact fingers, lying there dazed for a long time.
The warmth of the gentleman’s palm still lingered on his forehead. Xiao Yi sat up slowly, still clutching the blanket, carefully taking in his surroundings.
Warm, dim yellow light cascaded down from above, illuminating a simple desk and a single chair. There were no instruments of torture, nor any cages.
Is this a dream?
Or is the condition in my head getting worse than before?
At a loss, he stared blankly at the piece of candy, completely unaware that every flicker of his expression was fully captured by Chu Yanyi’s eyes.
“Do you think he truly lost his memory?” Chu Yanyi added a few ice cubes to his wine, gazing meaningfully at the small camera feed on the virtual screen.
Chu Yanqi shrugged: “Maybe? In all fairness, surviving with that many injuries is a miracle in itself, but considering he stayed by Ying Yu’s side for so long, it’s hard to say. I’ve already sent out his fingerprints and DNA; his true identity should be cleared up soon. If not for the issue with his gland, verifying his identity through pheromones would be much faster.”
The dazzling light glinted softly over the crimson liquid. Chu Yanyi leisurely pulled up an acquisition document for a vehicle fleet on his tablet, scanning through it as he spoke: “The name he registered under in the slave market was Xiao Yi.”
Chu Yanqi was taken aback, then stood up and slammed her hand on the table: “What?! How could it be that name? Is… is Ying Yu doing this on purpose…”
“Why couldn’t it be that name? The first and last digits of his serial code are both 1,” Chu Yanyi scoffed sarcastically without looking up. “It’s such a lazy, offhand name; surely others aren’t forbidden from using it.”
“But that name…”
Chu Yanyi tapped the corner of his tablet against the desk, his expression turning serious: “No ‘buts.’ It’s just a name. Put your love life on hold for the next few days. I don’t care what methods you use, figure out what’s really going on with this ‘Xiao Yi.’ Whether his amnesia is genuine or an act, the answer cannot be ‘maybe.'”
“And what about you?”
The tablet landed softly atop a stack of documents. Chu Yanyi spread his hands open: “I have some business to attend to and need to step out. You won’t be able to reach me for a while.”
“Wait… when you say ‘whatever methods,’ you don’t mean another good cop, bad cop routine, do you?”
Chu Yanyi raised an eyebrow, staying silent.
“So you’re heading out to enjoy yourself? Let’s get one thing straight: if he dares to try anything—like biting or hurting people again—I won’t be treating a slave so gently.”
Chu Yanyi turned his head, smiling at the man on the monitoring feed: “I really do have business to attend to. Debt-collecting business.”
Calling it “debt collecting” wasn’t actually a lie to trick Chu Yanqi.
*
Flipping through the mess of unpaid accounts left behind by the estate’s previous owner, one could easily find plenty of headaches—including an ongoing deal with Ying Yu.
In fact, under Chu Yanyi’s instructions, negotiations had reached the final stretch; Chu Yanyi was merely showing up to finalize the formalities. Yet, this usually polite and mild-mannered Mr. Chu casually brought up several new issues right before signing, giving the opposing team an enormous headache.
It forced the other party to repeatedly excuse themselves to consult with their advisors before finally settling the acquisition details.
With that messy account wiped clean, Chu Yanyi even walked away with a massive block of shares for nothing.
He casually flipped through the rebound agreement, his mind wandering for a split second when his eyes caught the flamboyant, cursive signature of “Ying Yu” on an attached page.
He then picked up the pen handed over by his secretary, smoothly signing the name “Chu Yanyi” at the bottom.
The officials responsible for registration and verification wiped the sweat from their brows, nodding at the somber-faced individuals opposite them before offering a genial smile to smooth things over: “Mr. Chu, dinner is on me tonight at Youwu Pavilion. Everyone is invited, so please do us the honor of attending.”
The atmosphere instantly lightened, with several people eagerly introducing local delicacies to Chu Yanyi.
Chu Yanyi offered a faint smile and waved his hand gently: “I am truly sorry, but I already have plans for tonight. However, since it’s still early, I’m quite interested in…”
He looked around the surroundings, his gaze landing on the upper floor: “…taking a walk around here.”
Supposedly, Ying Yu had a phase where he was obsessed with racing—all kinds of vehicles, even dipping his toes into flyer[2]In interstellar sci-fi novel a flyer is a standard hover-car or small personal aircraft. • These vehicles are often described as sleek, anti-gravity transports used to navigate futuristic cities, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3669340_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3669340_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });racing events. After founding his own racing team, he had personally put a lot of thought into managing it.
It turned out the rumors were true; Ying Yu even maintained an office here. However, before his death, he had started selling off the racing team and several other assets. Unexpectedly, before all the details could be finalized, tragedy struck him first.
Leaning on his cane, Chu Yanyi stood before the spacious office, looking through the glass wall at the interior setup. Golden sunlight spilled across the pristine white floor; aside from a sleek, minimalist desk in the center and a safe against the wall, there were no decorations whatsoever.
Before he could make a move, the door lock automatically recognized the visitor’s identity. Chu Yanyi’s face flashed across the virtual screen, and with a soft “beep,” the door slid open from the inside.
A stale scent of leather mixed with metallic dust rushed over them.
“This…” The manager following behind Chu Yanyi frowned. “Mr. Chu, in the past… Mr. Ying never activated this office. Could it be a glitch due to disuse?”
“It’s fine.”
Chu Yanyi smiled and took the lead walking inside. He sat down naturally in the large executive chair, reaching out to casually flip over the sole decoration on the desk—an electronic hourglass.
The golden sand began to fall slowly. Chu Yanyi raised his cane, pointing toward the safe nearby: “Are the items inside Mr. Ying’s personal belongings?”
“No, no one has ever entered this office, so it should be empty,” the manager answered nervously, terrified of stepping on a landmine. Who didn’t know about the bitter feud between the current Mr. Chu and the former Mr. Ying? They hadn’t even met Mr. Ying in person, so they certainly didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.
“Then open it,” Chu Yanyi raised an eyebrow.
Since it had never been tampered with, the safe still carried its factory default passcode. Opening it took almost no effort, yet it was far from empty.
“Mr. Chu… it seems to be… a letter for you? How… how is that possible…” The manager hurriedly bent down, picking up the envelope inside. Just as he was about to hand it over, he was stopped by Chu Yanyi’s assistant.
After inspecting the outer envelope, the assistant hesitated: “Mr. Chu, it’s marked ‘To be opened personally by Chu Yanyi.’ Should we run it through the smart system scanner first?”
Chu Yanyi stared at the letter, remaining silent for a brief moment: “No need. Hand it to me.”
On the envelope was Ying Yu’s handwriting, reading: To be opened personally by Chu Yanyi. Chu Yanyi slowly tore open the seal and slid the contents out.
There were only a few thin sheets of paper—crisp, ordinary, as if torn straight out of a notebook you could buy anywhere.
“Chu Yanyi, hope this letter finds you well. By the time you read this, I assume I’m already dead, and you’ve undoubtedly attended my funeral. After much thought, I felt I should leave a few final words for you…”
Chu Yanyi skimmed through the lines at a glance. Most of it consisted of taunting recollections of the times Chu Yanyi had suffered at Ying Yu’s hands, while saying nothing about what Ying Yu had lost to Chu Yanyi.
What is Ying Yu playing at? Chu Yanyi steadied his breathing, licked his lips, and continued reading downward.
The handwriting at the top was fairly neat, but it grew increasingly scribbled toward the bottom—looking distinctly emotional, at least from Chu Yanyi’s perspective.
Chu Yanyi bent his fingers, unconsciously tapping them against the desktop. Had Ying Yu anticipated before his death that Chu Yanyi would come here today and placed this in advance, or was he not dead at all, secretly having someone slip it inside after learning of his arrival…?
“By the way, to celebrate my death—no matter how many days it’s been—there is a small gift from me in this office: a tiny time bomb. It was activated the moment you opened the door. Once the hourglass runs out, you’ll be joining me in hell.”
When his eyes landed on that sloppy, handwritten addendum, Chu Yanyi crumpled the paper into a tight ball. The harsh rustle of paper echoed with grating clarity through the hollow office.
He stood up, sweeping a cold, lazy gaze across the group standing before him.
Nothing remained in the office except the sound of fine sand slipping through the glass, forming a deep depression under the pull of gravity. Chu Yanyi rested his hands on the desk, his expression laced with sinister amusement: “Mr. Ying said there’s a time bomb in this office.”
Chaos broke out instantly among the group below. A few who tried to bolt for the exit were immediately blocked at the door by Chu Yanyi’s assistants.
Flyers and small starships skimmed past the window behind him in rapid succession. Chu Yanyi studied the expression on every face, unhurriedly flattening the crumpled letter, folding it neat, and sliding it into his pocket.
Word by word, he declared: “Don’t rush. Let’s see if Mr. Ying has the heart to let you all be buried alongside me.”
References[+]
• They range from high-end luxury models owned by powerful military Marshals to “small, battered flyers” used by everyday citizens function footnote_expand_reference_container_3669340_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_3669340_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_3669340_1').text('−'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_3669340_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_3669340_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_3669340_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_3669340_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_3669340_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_3669340_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_3669340_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_3669340_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_3669340_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor_3669340_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_3669340_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }
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