Bright lights illuminated the inside and outside of the manor, with shadows continually passing back and forth across row upon row of windows. Although the housekeeper had been notified in advance, the servants were still in a chaotic flurry—no one had expected that Mr. Chu, who usually lived elsewhere, would suddenly return.
This manor was situated on the outer edge of the Third District, exceptionally far from the central area, with inconvenient ground transport, so people usually entered and exited via flyers.
Although the environment was quiet and suitable for rest and recuperation, ever since Chu Yanyi took over this manor, the time he actually spent living here had been remarkably scarce.
Many servants had once worried they might be dismissed, or that Chu Yanyi would soon sell off the manor. Unexpectedly, this wealthy Mr. Chu kept everything exactly as it was, even adding a few extra security personnel.
It was as if he had casually bought an item and set it aside.
“This… this is the contract used previously,” Housekeeper Mo Xintong wiped the sweat from his forehead, spreading a paper document that had turned yellow before Chu Yanyi. “Mr. Chu… please take a look, is there anything unsuitable?”
Chu Yanyi sat at the head of the long table, unhurriedly finishing the water in his teacup, his gaze resting on the two people who had just walked through the door.
Zhou Yi followed behind Doctor Wu, wearing a brand-new shirt over his shoulders, bringing with him a strong scent of disinfectant the moment he stepped inside.
The wounds on his body had been properly treated. Looking closely, one could see something taped over the location of his gland on the back of his neck.
“Doctor Wu’s doing?” Chu Yanyi raised an eyebrow, his fingers tapping twice against the rim of his teacup.
Before Doctor Wu could nod, Zhou Yi consciously bent down, allowing Chu Yanyi to get a clearer view.
“External application paired with internal medicine—the effect might be a bit better,” Doctor Wu tossed her long hair back, pointing to her own gland area. “Fortunately, his gland hasn’t completely atrophied. Restoring it as much as possible means he might still be able to mark an Omega in the future.”
Chu Yanyi extended a finger, his pad lightly brushing over the bandage that resembled a pheromone blocker, before resting on the adjacent slave brand: “That’s good. If the gland can’t be healed, who could tell you’re actually an Alpha?”
With that, he gestured for the housekeeper to hand the document directly to Zhou Yi: “Take a look first. These are the conditions I offer. If you want to sign year by year, that’s fine; a long-term agreement works too.”
Zhou Yi raised his head, remaining silent for a long time. It was only when the housekeeper holding the document let out a dry cough that he finally accepted it. Without so much as glancing at the contents, he picked up a pen and, using his left hand, crookedly wrote the name “Zhou Yi” in the corresponding space.
Chu Yanyi rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head as his gaze drifted between Zhou Yi’s fingers gripping the pen and the tip of the nib.
“This handwriting of yours…” He let out a sigh. “Forget it. Writing with your left hand isn’t easy either.”
“Alright, I’ll leave the rest to you. Arrange some tasks within his capability,” Chu Yanyi pushed himself up with his cane, casting a meaningful look at Zhou Yi. “The next time I return, don’t get yourself into such a wretched state again.”
This time, Chu Yanyi had no intention of staying long either. As he stepped out the door, Chen Ke led a few assistants forward to report that the summary of the port investigation had been completed.
“Also… the fishing rod you lost last time you went fishing has been found and placed back in the usual spot,” Chen Ke said softly.
Chu Yanyi paused, patting Chen Ke’s shoulder: “You’ve all worked hard these past few days.”
Chen Ke’s face flushed slightly as he straightened his back: “Solving problems and relieving worries for Mr. Chu is our duty.”
“It’s about time to give you all a raise, and give you a long vacation after a while so you can get a proper rest.”
Before Chen Ke could grasp what Chu Yanyi meant, a gaunt figure entered his field of vision.
“Mr. Chu, Zhou Yi has come over,” Chen Ke stepped aside. “Then we’ll wait for you over by the flyer.”
“Mm, you go ahead first. I’ll be right over.”
Chu Yanyi turned around, the dense leaves outside the window rustling and sighing against each other. He walked up to Zhou Yi, who had been standing in the hallway without anyone noticing, and offered a smile: “I have other matters to attend to shortly. If you need anything in the future, just find Doctor Wu or Housekeeper Mo.”
Zhou Yi’s eyes dimmed. Biting his lip, he pulled off the gloves on his hands and handed them to Chu Yanyi.
Chu Yanyi maintained his smile, making no move to take them: “Consider them a gift to you. You keep them.”
The corners of Zhou Yi’s mouth trembled. Frantically pointing to himself and then to Chu Yanyi, he made several nonsensical gestures before finally dropping his eyes in defeat.
“I almost forgot to have you learn sign language,” Chu Yanyi leaned against the wall, taking off the compact terminal on his wrist and tapping the virtual screen a few times. “This is an older model, but it has all the basic communication features and can connect to the net. In your free time, you can check what standard sign language looks like. At the very least, you should let me understand what you’re trying to express.”
He pulled out the storage card inside the terminal and strapped it onto Zhou Yi’s right wrist: “You’ll wait for me to return this time, right?”
Zhou Yi went quiet for a moment, shook his head, and then nodded very earnestly.
“That’s settled then. Also, stop hiding those candies. Eat them when you should—they aren’t anything rare.” Before leaving, Chu Yanyi’s gaze turned gentle. He let out a soft laugh and casually tossed a piece of candy over.
He knew when to use what kind of smile, and he knew what kind of look could elicit trust from others. Just like right now, as he looked at Zhou Yi, it was as if he were looking at the most important person in the world.
Zhou Yi froze on the spot, allowing the candy to strike the floor, shattering into several sparkling pieces.
He was terrified of pain and humiliation, yet at this precise moment, he felt he had come into contact with something far more terrifying. A vague sixth sense told him that this thing was enough to ruin him beyond redemption.[1]Lhaozi’s note: Ithanked the timely manner help of Chu Yanyi everytime, even if its fake, at the very least it help to not torture Zhao Yi any longer, he is pitiful already, I hope he goes back … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3669438_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3669438_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
The flyer took off silently. Beneath the massive airflow, tree branches trembled, and chunks of snow rustled downward around them.
Chu Yanyi stood by the window, raising his head toward the flowing galaxy, which radiated a humid, misty glow. Taking a deep breath, he opened the livestream feed Chen Ke had forwarded to him.
*
Inside a smoke-filled room, Zhang Rongtian leaned over the gambling table with both hands, staring intently at the unopened cards in front of him. His eyes were blood-red, and even the cigar dangling from his lips remained unlit.
As the final community card was flipped, a wave of cheers erupted around the room. Zhang Rongtian let out a massive sigh of relief, excitedly pumping his fist, pulling the Beta beside him into a fierce kiss.
“Luck is on my side today, let’s keep going!” Zhang Rongtian’s face was flushed with excitement. Holding his cigar between his fingers, he pushed all the chips in front of him forward, collapsing into a pile of red and green across the table.
“Young Master Zhang is truly generous,” the Beta brought a glass of wine to his lips. “Wouldn’t you all say so?”
“Absolutely! This single hand is worth several years of work for others.”
“Only Young Master Zhang could pull this off.”
…
Chu Yanyi rubbed his ear, turning off the sound of the noisy livestream.
“He’s been inside for three days straight. Zhang Xihong hasn’t noticed anything unusual yet, only warning him not to lose his ambition to play.” Chen Ke pulled up a few wiretap logs. “Judging by his current betting habits, in just three more rounds, that plot of land in the Second District will belong to us. Should we start now?”
“No,” Chu Yanyi stroked his chin, looking at the Beta nestling beside Zhang Rongtian, remarking with amusement, “Tell Ying not to intervene. Let him win more—the more he wins, the better.”
What he wanted was far more than just a single plot of land in the Second District.
A window suddenly popped up on the virtual screen. Chu Yanyi frowned slightly, and Chen Ke immediately stepped back to the other side, lowering his head, not daring to look around.
Chu Yanyi enlarged the window. Zhou Yi seemed to have settled in, and after gaining the ability to connect with the outside world, the first thing he did on the terminal was open a search application.
*
Covering himself cautiously with a blanket, Zhou Yi rolled over. No matter how much time passed, he couldn’t get used to sleeping on such a soft mattress. Thus, he quietly laid down onto the hard floor—the cold, familiar touch instantly bringing him a sense of relief.
Breathing and snoring echoed evenly from three different positions nearby. Beneath the blanket, Zhou Yi activated the terminal.
The sudden expansion of the virtual screen startled him severely. Hurriedly covering his wrist to block the light, he slowly pulled the blanket along and squeezed under the bed.
What caught his eye were various push notifications unfamiliar to Zhou Yi. One of them was a news report about Chu Yanyi attending a charitable event. He clicked on the news, and the text automatically scrolled at a pace suitable for reading.
The beginning of the news devoted a large section to introducing Chu Yanyi’s life, filled with no shortage of glowing praise. Then the tone shifted, mentioning that Chu Yanyi had recently acquired a new racing team.
Staring at the photo of Chu Yanyi taken under the racing team’s logo, Zhou Yi bit his nails forcefully, feeling his head begin to throb faintly once again.
Perhaps because he had stayed on the page for too long, the smart search nearby automatically popped up key search suggestions related to Chu Yanyi, acting as a prompt.
“Mr. Chu…” He silently mouthed the words, tapping open the search interface.
Dense public data, business models, interview summaries, anonymous leaks instantly popped up on the screen… Dense arrays of text and narratives surrounded a photo of Chu Yanyi giving a speech at an event, resembling an impenetrable suit of armor.
A titan in the industry, a self-made Alpha, a romantic playboy…
In the picture, Chu Yanyi wore a smile at the corner of his lips, his gaze warm and gentle. When looked at by him like that, it felt as though one had become the person he trusted most in the world.
Zhou Yi couldn’t help extending a hand, attempting to touch Chu Yanyi’s face on the screen with his fingertips, only to feel the cold wooden bedboard.
The 7th Pan-Interstellar Energy Investment Conference… Zhou Yi looked at the characters behind Chu Yanyi, imagining the grand scene of that day. It felt as if at some point, he had personally witnessed how Chu Yanyi adjusted his cufflinks before stepping onto the stage, how he adjusted the translator by his ear before speaking, and the casual movements of his fingers between speeches…
Before he could figure it out, these images faded away along with his vanishing memories.
In a place invisible to Zhou Yi, Chu Yanyi was standing before a virtual screen, hands resting on his cane, watching the content on the virtual display with great interest.
It was Zhou Yi’s shared screen feed.
“Satisfied with what you see?” Chu Yanyi casually scanned line after line of semi-truthful content, raising the corners of his lips with a hint of mockery.
What kind of person was Chu Yanyi?
Rumor had it he was the illegitimate son of an Imperial noble.
Rumor had it he was a sleeper agent for a prominent Federal family.
Rumor had it he was the secret lover of a big shot…
Chu Yanyi casually clicked a button on the side, saving this recording into a folder named “Zhou Yi.”
References[+]