After that examination, no one knew what Ren Junzhu said, but Liang Qu and Liang Zhao guarded Shen Yue even more strictly. For subsequent research, aside from Jiang Xuechen, who was allowed to treat Shen Yue’s body, almost no other nurses or doctors were allowed near him. If anything needed to be done, the two brothers did it themselves.
Life in the villa became increasingly difficult for Shen Yue. Ever since he was beaten by Ren Junzhu last time because his body carried a trace of the teddy bear bloodline’s scent, Ren Junzhu had stopped hiding his behavior. It seemed as if he had long been unable to resist hitting Shen Yue. Every time Shen Yue made the slightest mistake, Ren Junzhu would grab him and spank him.
Shen Yue was very thin, with little flesh on his body, and his skin was terribly thin. Ren Junzhu only hit him where there was more flesh. Servants often saw Shen Yue wobbling, lying over Ren Junzhu’s lap, crying so hard he could barely catch his breath, his body shaking with Ren Junzhu’s force, all the while begging, “I’m sorry.”
Once, Ren Suixing saw it. The little devil exploded on the spot. Like a small beast, he charged straight over. He pried Shen Yue away, craned his neck, and shouted at the man sitting on the sofa: “What are you doing?! You stinky old man, you dare hit him? That’s corporal punishment! It violates the special forces’ disciplinary regulations!”
Flames sparkled and crackled around his body. It looked like he wanted to set his own father on fire.
Ren Junzhu crossed his arms and glanced at Shen Yue, who was still kneeling on the ground, sobbing incessantly. He said casually: “Why are you back?”
Ren Suixing had been undergoing closed training for the past few days. This was a routine test often given by the school, unannounced, and only lasted about three or four days. Ren Suixing had found it a bit difficult to endure inside. Not because the tests were too hard or demanding, in fact, the more difficult the test, the more it stirred his fighting spirit. He was naturally unafraid of such things. It was just that he missed Shen Yue very much. It had been three or four days since he had gotten a hug from Shen Yue. He hadn’t slept well every night. So as soon as the training ended, he rushed back to the estate without stopping.
Who would have thought that as soon as he entered, he would find that damned old man bullying Shen Yue, even making him cry?
“This is my home! Why can’t I come back? I’m asking you, why did you hit him? You have to give me a reasonable explanation today!”
The butler walked over, wanting to say something nice and take Ren Suixing away. Shen Yue was once the Colonel’s wife, and now he was his subordinate recipient. Regardless of his status, not to mention just a few spanks on the butt, even if he wanted to do something more, no one else had the right to interfere. Ren Suixing should not anger the Colonel further because of Shen Yue.
“If I were really hitting him, would he still have the strength to cry in front of me?” Ren Junzhu spoke truthfully. If he truly wanted to hurt someone, you can ask whether Shen Yue would be able to cry or not.
“Are you having early menopause like the cafeteria lady? Finding trouble for no reason?!” Ren Suixing’s anger grew at Ren Junzhu’s indifferent expression.
Ren Junzhu said: “I think you’re the one having early puberty, getting rebellious and wanting a big slap on the mouth.”
“Go to hell!” Ren Suixing leaped up and kicked toward Ren Junzhu’s face. Ren Junzhu caught his ankle with one hand. Ren Suixing spun around and threw a punch at his face, the flames on his body heading straight for Ren Junzhu’s hair, as if determined to burn him bald.
Ren Junzhu turned his face to dodge, his sword-like eyebrows slightly raised: “Oho, you’ve improved quite a bit.”
The fierce little fire dragon, which had just been charging at him, suddenly wilted like a snake whose vital spot had been pinched. Only then did Ren Junzhu take him a bit seriously. Like a fierce beast, high in position and bored out of its mind, looking at this puny cub in front of him who had finally gained some skills, a trace of interest emerged in Ren Junzhu’s dark pupils.
The firelight reflected in his pupils. He wasn’t very angry at being provoked so much by his own cub. He just curled the corner of his mouth coldly.
Ren Suixing was hanging upside down by his ankle, still shouting wildly: “Smelly old man! Bastard! I will definitely beat you into a pig’s head!!”
Ren Junzhu held him and shook him, mocking: “Beat me? Right now, who is the one being held in my hand like a piece of pork?”
He wanted to tease the little brat a bit more. Then a hand touched his lap. This hand was soft and boneless, without any weight, only a warm, moist touch, and it was trembling slightly.
Ren Junzhu looked down and met a pair of black, watery eyes gleaming with a soft luster. Shen Yue was grabbing his knee, teardrops still hanging from the tip of his nose, clutching the hem of his clothes, pleading:
“Colonel, please, put, put the child down. This way, he will be very uncomfortable…”
“It’s all my fault…” Shen Yue’s voice was still weak and tearful. “If you want to hit someone, hit me instead. Don’t, don’t hang him.”
Even though he had just been punished and was extremely afraid of this fierce, domineering man before him, Shen Yue still mustered the courage to stop him. His entire body was plain white. His delicate profile still had a faint blush from crying. This posture was exactly like a mother who, despite suffering all kinds of bullying, still recklessly protects her young.
Ren Junzhu’s eyes darkened. He was somewhat irritated. Looking at Shen Yue’s slender, white neck wearing the suppressor collar, his gland completely covered, he unconsciously pressed his lips together.
He threw the child out and said in a deep voice: “Tonight, come find me in the study.”
Shen Yue tightly hugged the still-struggling child and nodded: “O-okay, I will go.”
“No!” Ren Suixing became even more displeased. “Shen Yue is staying with me tonight. Aren’t you going to eat the good food I bring you? I brought you the duck necks cooked by Yanxuan’s family chef. Yanxuan said they’re delicious.” Ren Suixing turned his head and looked at Shen Yue discontentedly.
Shen Yue quickly covered Ren Suixing’s mouth. But he noticed that Ren Junzhu didn’t look surprised at all, as if he had already known. Indeed, the entire estate was under his control. How could those little tricks between him and Xiao Xing possibly hide from him?
He lowered his head, not daring to look at Ren Junzhu’s mocking gaze. He had clearly promised to stop getting close to this child, yet he had still broken his own word. Ren Suixing was still there shouting at Ren Junzhu: “You just wait! One day, I will be stronger than you! I will defeat you!”
“I’m waiting,” Ren Junzhu said condescendingly.
At night, Ren Suixing paced back and forth in front of the study door like a spinning top. Shen Yue had been inside for a long time and still hadn’t come out. He stared at the door, his temper flaring, and finally couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to just punch the door down and rush in to take him back.
Just as he was about to go forward, the door opened. Shen Yue came out limping. There were still un-wiped tears on his face. The corners of his eyes were soaked red. His jaw was bruised and purple. There were even marks on the backs of his hands. His white hair was completely soaked.
“Shen Yue.” Ren Suixing hugged him. Shen Yue slowly squatted down. Ren Suixing frowned at him: “Did that smelly old man hit you again?”
“I’m going to argue with him!”
“Don’t…” Shen Yue embraced his body. “Don’t go, Xiao Xing.”
Ren Suixing’s brows knotted tightly. He felt something was wrong, but couldn’t say exactly what. He stared at the study door, wishing he could bore a hole through it.
Shen Yue calmed his emotions. He looked up and saw the butler in the distance watching them expressionlessly. He shrank back, clutching the child’s clothes tightly. The child in his arms was still pulling him to go back to his room.
Shen Yue opened his mouth, hesitated, and said: “Xiao Xing, it’s so late today. How about we…”
“No!” Ren Suixing said very forcefully. “You going to him is bad enough, and now you won’t even stay with me at night? I’ve been waiting for so long.”
“…” Shen Yue felt like he was sitting on pins and needles under the butler’s gaze, but he had no choice. He could only be dragged back to the room by Ren Suixing.
Ren Suixing had been very unhappy these past few days because he felt that Shen Yue was avoiding him. Moreover, he had sensed a problem. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out what it was. Although he was precocious, he was still only a seven-year-old child. Some things were still hard for him to understand all at once. He hadn’t slept well these past few nights and was becoming increasingly irritable.
At the medical center, a tiny figure sneaked into the identification room. He was wearing a hat, revealing slightly curly chestnut hair.
Bai Yanxuan looked around cautiously, saw no one, and closed the door. He had come to get the identification report.
After Xiao Xing had given him his hair, he had come twice. He used his innate ability to accelerate the extraction process. The third time, the results would be ready. But who would have thought that the G7 highway mountain spider attack case would break out? The medical center was completely packed with people, full day and night. Countless doctors and nurses were on standby 24/7. He would have been easily discovered if he came, so he kept putting it off until now for a chance to sneak in.
He walked to the machine. The sequence matching was not yet completed. He looked around, then raised his small, chubby hand and touched the typing instrument. The instrument began to emit a faint white glow.
Bai Yanxuan innate ability: Time in the Palm.
Attribute: Light and Wind. Acceleration type, speed-increasing ability.
Within an area, according to the awakened individual’s will, increases the speed of physical collisions and chemical reactions. The speed increase is controlled by gland pheromone concentration.
Bai Yanxuan was still young. Speeding up a single machine was already his limit. When his gland fully matures, he could even accelerate human cell metabolism, blood flow, and manipulate aging and death in others.
The white light faded. The machine coughed and wheezed, spitting out a piece of paper. Bai Yanxuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked over, picked up the paper, and buried his head, reading it intently.
After reading to the end, he said, “Huh?” and suddenly widened his eyes, revealing deep disbelief.
That day, Ren Suixing put on his backpack early, ready to go to school. He seemed somewhat impatient. This was strange. Ever since Shen Yue arrived, he would put off going to school as long as possible in the morning, only leaving unwillingly when Ren Junzhu got angry.
“Yanxuan!” Ren Suixing pushed the door open with his backpack on and rushed in. Bai Yanxuan and Zuo Ye were already waiting inside.
“How is it? Are the results out?!” He spoke urgently, pacing around Bai Yanxuan in circles.
Bai Yanxuan hesitated, as if wanting to say something but stopping. He looked at Zuo Ye. Zuo Ye said softly, “Give it to him.”
He handed the file folder behind his back to Ren Suixing.
Ren Suixing excitedly took it. He quickly opened the bag and pulled out the report inside. He read ten lines at a glance, and finally, no longer able to keep up, he flipped directly to the end with two quick swishes.
When he saw the last line, he froze for a moment. He doubted he had misread, so he looked again. He became completely stiff, then his whole body began to tremble.
“No… this is impossible…”
Bai Yanxuan said worriedly: “Xiao Xing…”
The paper slipped from Ren Suixing’s fingertips. At the very end, the identification opinion was clearly written: According to the DNA analysis results, the cumulative paternity index is less than 0.0001, indicating that the tested person is not the child’s biological mother.
“No, he is not my mother.” Ren Suixing murmured. His shoulders suddenly slumped, as if hit by a severe blow. He held his head, tightly curling up, as if unable to face this reality.
Tears slid down his youthful face. From birth until now, he had never cried. Even in the military camp, he had been knocked down countless times, black and blue, his entire body covered with injuries. No matter how painful and hard the training was, swamps, snowfields, without food or drink, he had always been like a tough child who didn’t seem his age at all. He had never shed a single tear. On the contrary, he grew stronger with each setback.
But now, he finally showed the vulnerability appropriate to his age. He shed tears and let out the whimpering sobs of an abandoned young animal.
Bai Yanxuan and Zuo Ye exchanged a glance. They had also never seen this little devil cry. He was very tough and proud, always saying that tears were a sign of weakness in men and that he would never cry. But at this moment…
Bai Yanxuan walked over to comfort him: “Xiao Xing, don’t be sad. From another perspective, the fact that he is not your mother is a good thing for you. You don’t have to be tormented anymore.”
Bai Yanxuan knew some of the situation between Ren Suixing and that criminal. As Ren Suixing’s good brother, he knew that Ren Suixing had actually been in conflict all this time, which was why his temper had been especially bad. This result could be considered a relief for him.
Bai Yanxuan signaled to Zuo Ye. Zuo Ye walked over. He didn’t say anything, just silently patted Ren Suixing’s back.
Ren Suixing kept his head down in their arms, making sounds of restrained sobbing. After a long time, he finally lifted his face, revealing a pair of bloodshot, hatred-filled scarlet eyes.
Ren Junzhu was in his office watching anti-terrorism videos sent from abroad when Jiang Xuechen knocked on the door and walked in, handing him a document.
Ren Junzhu glanced at it and put the document aside.
After delivering it, Jiang Xuechen did not leave. His gaze was clear and cold as he asked: “Is doing this really good?”
“…Would letting him know the truth be good for him?” Ren Junzhu countered.
Jiang Xuechen was at a loss for words. He looked at that document, a DNA paternity test report, stamped with the medical center’s seal.
Back in the interrogation room, Ren Suixing thought he had pulled Shen Yue’s hair without anyone noticing. He thought Ren Junzhu hadn’t seen. But how could he possibly fool Ren Junzhu’s eyes? The children distracting the on-duty doctor, stealing the access card, using innate abilities to reduce reaction time—Ren Junzhu had seen it all but did nothing to stop it.
The DNA sample extracted from the hair follicle had long been swapped by Jiang Xuechen. This report was the actual test result.
“Regardless of the circumstances, I believe Xiao Xing has the right to know who his mother is. Although he is young, his ability to bear things is very strong, and he also understands right from wrong. This kind of thing cannot be hidden forever. He will find out one day, and that will cause him even greater shock.”
“He defends a serious criminal like that, is that understanding right from wrong?”
“And what about you, Colonel?” Jiang Xuechen’s gaze became sharp. “What are you doing? I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time—”
“I don’t know Shen Yue, but ever since I returned to the country, you have been receiving treatment from me. People say you are unpredictable, but I consider myself to understand you. If Shen Yue truly committed the great crime of killing military officers, given your temperament, you would not have tolerated him until now. Even if you still have feelings for him, the Rosa rugosa (tu mi) pheromone can enchant people to lose all sense of right and wrong, their upbringing, their reason… but I don’t believe you are that greatly affected. But now, your hatred towards him is hard to suppress, yet your love is also unclear.”
Ren Junzhu did not speak. His brows were dark and gloomy, like a silent, cold statue.
Jiang Xuechen continued: “Even if I truly misjudge you, and you are indeed blinded by personal thoughts, then why would headquarters also agree? No matter how high Shen Yue’s value for exploitation, it cannot outweigh the spilled blood of countless fallen soldiers. I truly do not understand.”
Keeping Shen Yue alive, if Shen Yue could provide crucial clues to help headquarters eliminate Demiurge, he could indeed receive considerable leniency and not be sentenced to death. But that was not Ren Junzhu’s style. If someone had killed his soldiers, his comrades, no matter how great their value, Ren Junzhu would definitely kill them.
So Jiang Xuechen wondered whether there might be other hidden circumstances to this matter.
“You don’t need to understand,” Ren Junzhu finally spoke. “It would be best if you don’t let more people know about these thoughts of yours. If you don’t trust me, then trust headquarters and the Commander… This is already the best possible outcome.”
With that, he implied that nothing more could be disclosed. Although Jiang Xuechen had high prestige and a good level, he was only a military doctor. He had no authority to learn about higher-rank classified information.
He sighed and turned to leave. Just as he was about to go out the door, he said quietly: “I believe this is the best possible outcome for headquarters. But… if Shen Yue is only a suspect, not a proven criminal, can you lower the level of his suppressor? You know how much that hurts. His blood test results are back. They contain large amounts of secretion-promoting components that force him to secrete omega sex hormones and progesterone. There are also various unknown components that we are analyzing… His physical condition is very poor. Even if he ends up being sentenced to death, I hope he can hold on until then, rather than die on a hospital bed.”
Ren Junzhu remained silent for a long time. He gazed at a photo frame beside him. Inside the frame were seven people. Apart from himself and the person he was holding around the waist, there were five very sunny, handsome young men. However, these five people were all gone now.
The person in his arms was gently curving his lips in a smile, impossibly beautiful.
Ren Junzhu closed his eyes heavily, and his expression even showed a trace of gloomy, cold murderousness.