Ying Yulian kept his head low, sobbing rhythmically. Fear kept him from daring to look up at Lu Min. He had never seen his brother’s face look so dark; his mind was a complete blank.
His knees, pressed against the cold floor, had already turned a faint red and stung with pain. Ying Yulian wanted to stand, but his legs had gone weak. He tried to push himself up, only to collapse back down. The sharp pain in his backside caused a fresh wave of tears to well up instantly.
Lu Min had pampered him so much that he could not endure even the slightest bit of hardship. He reached out his hands, silently begging his brother to help him up.
However, Lu Min simply stood by the table with an air of indifference, watching Ying Yulian with cold eyes. He made no move to help.
“Brother,” the youth whimpered, reaching out again.
“You are not that fragile. Hold onto the chair and stand up yourself.”
Lu Min glanced coldly at Ying Yulian on the floor, his gaze lingering for a split second on the reddened knees. He hooked a nearby stool with his toe and kicked it over to the boy.
“Stand up, then sit down.”
Ying Yulian slowly stood and sat on the stool. His eyelashes drooped; he only dared to steal glances at the stern man before him through his peripheral vision. A deathly silence filled the room.
“Is your mouth sewn shut? Speak. Who taught you to do this?” Lu Min asked chillingly. “This is your last chance. I will count to three. If you do not speak, you will accept the punishment.”
Ying Yulian opened his mouth, several times on the verge of blurting out his feelings for his brother. But seeing Lu Min’s anger and sudden coldness, he could only press his lips together and grit his teeth, refusing to speak.
“Not talking, then?”
Lu Min let out a sharp, angry laugh. He truly could not understand where the child he had raised so carefully had learned these courtesan-like tricks to degrade himself. Perhaps he had failed as a guardian by indulging Ying Yulian to this point.
Neither in his past life nor this one did Lu Min have any real experience raising a child. He could only recall the most effective method his own parents used: corporal punishment. Yet, there seemed to be no suitable tools in the house.
A stick? It was too thick. What if he actually hurt Ying Yulian?
Lu Min’s gaze suddenly swept toward the props Ying Yulian had placed on the table for the blind box game. Among them was a paddle-like object made of leather, glowing with a soft luster under the lights. Lu Min walked over to see if it was suitable for punishment.
He turned so quickly that he did not notice the look of instant terror on Ying Yulian’s face.
Why is Brother turning to leave? Is it because I performed poorly? Did I do something else wrong? More than the punishment itself, Ying Yulian feared Lu Min leaving him.
Catching sight of a vase on the table, Ying Yulian reached out while Lu Min was not looking and gave it a slight flick with his finger.
Smash!
The vase hit the ground, shattering into a pool of glass shards.
“Brother, something fell.”
Ying Yulian blinked his tearful eyes innocently. He reached down, intending to pick up the glass. If he could just find a shard while his brother was not looking, he could cut himself. Surely Lu Min, out of pity, would stay to bandage his hand and would not leave.
“Who gave you permission to touch that?”
Seeing the shattered glass and Ying Yulian’s moving hand, Lu Min’s brow furrowed instantly. He strode over and used the leather paddle to block the boy’s hand.
Lu Min knew immediately that the boy had knocked it over on purpose. He usually kept the vase far back on the table precisely to avoid accidents. It would not have fallen unless someone moved it.
“Why did you knock this over?”
The leather paddle in Lu Min’s hand slid slowly up from the boy’s palm to his chin. Ying Yulian simply bit his lip and shook his head, still refusing to speak. He bit his lip so hard it broke, and a thin trail of blood trickled out.
“Do you have no explanation for this either?”
Lu Min was almost driven to laughter by the boy’s absolute silence. He tapped the paddle against Ying Yulian’s closed mouth, leaving red marks on that fair face. “Since you will not talk, there is no need to open your mouth at all.”
Lu Min found a small ball-like object among the props. He weighed it in his hand, then tugged at the restraint straps. The sound of his leather shoes on the floor was crisp and oppressive. He walked over to Ying Yulian, who sat frozen on the stool, crouched down, and tilted the boy’s chin up.
Ying Yulian had been raised too well. His eyes were like beautiful, clear pools of water, misty and pitiful. It was as if the pains of the past belonged to another lifetime. The boy seemingly never learned how to act obediently to appease his master when he was about to be hurt; instead, he played dead, meeting Lu Min’s fury with silence.
In both lives, Lu Min hated stubborn criminals the most.
However, the straps were tight. Recalling the softness of the boy’s skin and how easily he bruised, Lu Min hesitated. He decided not to put it on him yet. He would see how the boy behaved first.
“I will ask one last time. Will you speak?”
The boy was not a criminal. Despite his rising anger, Lu Min’s heart softened, giving the youth one more chance.
“There is nothing to say. Brother, if you want to punish me, then punish me.”
Lu Min had not expected him to remain so obstinate. If Ying Yulian had just lowered his head or even made up an excuse, Lu Min would have given him a way out. Ying Yulian spoke this way only because he saw how angry his brother was and hoped the man would vent his anger quickly. Besides, he did not know how to explain.
Should he say it was what the people who locked him up as a child taught him? His brother might feel pity at first, but he would soon ask why, why do such things in front of a man? What would he say then? That he had feelings for his brother that exceeded brotherhood? That he thought the feelings were mutual?
Tears fell one by one into Ying Yulian’s palms. The warmth made him flinch, his heart aching. The tears left dark spots on the carpet. He had been too naive, mistaking his brother’s limitless kindness for proof of romantic love. Now, he had degraded himself into this embarrassing, impossible situation.
Even if Lu Min punished him now, he was willing. As long as it made his brother happy, he would do anything. He reached out his hands, his lashes low, submissive and obedient.
“Brother, go ahead. It is my fault. I will endure it, no matter how much it hurts.”
Lu Min’s lips twitched. He struck Ying Yulian’s palms twice with the paddle.
Whack! Whack!
The palms instantly turned red. Because the boy bruised easily, the edges of the skin turned pink and began to swell. Ying Yulian had to bite his lip with all his might to keep from crying out. The man had not held back as much as he expected. His palms burned, and having been pampered for so long, he could not stop the tears from flowing.
“Brother, it hurts, please stop.”
“If it hurts, then tell me: who taught you? Why did you do it?”
Seeing Ying Yulian’s tear-blurred face, Lu Min felt a pang of reluctance. He was just a child, after all. Why be so harsh? Perhaps a good scare would ensure he never degraded himself like this again.
“Keep going, Brother. I will not tell you.”
Even though it hurt terribly, Ying Yulian remained silent. He simply extended his hands and closed his eyes. He had experienced worse pain in the slums, where he had endured beatings from Scarface without a sound. Physical pain was nothing; he was only afraid that his image in his brother’s heart had been ruined.
“Take off your pants.”
Lu Min pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. Since being picked up, Ying Yulian had been like a blank sheet of paper for Lu Min to draw upon. The person who had toyed with lives in a past existence had been raised into an obedient child. His clothes, food, hobbies, education, and social circle were all controlled and shaped by Lu Min.
Yet now, his child was presenting himself in a way meant for someone to toy with, even if that person was Lu Min himself. He had never taught Ying Yulian this. So who had? A classmate? Or lingering memories from the place he was sold to?
Regardless, Lu Min felt a sense of losing control. This was his child; why were others coloring him with such messy hues? He looked at the submissive boy before him. He hated the secrecy. Perhaps because they had been entangled for decades in a past life, Lu Min had spent ten years studying the previous Ying Yulian.
Lu Min had received countless provocative cards from him. He had analyzed every word to understand his personality and trauma to catch the madman. He considered himself the person who understood Ying Yulian best across two lifetimes.
The boy who, out of poverty, would kneel and use his tongue and hands to pick up coins from the filth, but who would also punch anyone who dared mock him for it. Early exposure to poverty and cruelty had made him use everything at his disposal to climb upward, until he climbed right into the sights of the police, specifically Lu Min.
Lu Min could see how Ying Yulian’s deep-seated inferiority had developed into an extreme pride. That was why, after every crime, he would call the police and demand Lu Min specifically. He only recognized Lu Min, the genius of the police force, as his destined rival.
The Ying Yulian of the past was like a book Lu Min had read until the pages were worn. But in this life, the boy who should have been too proud to bow to anyone had stripped away his clothes and dignity to please him. Lu Min felt that their relationship had swung from one extreme in their past life to another extreme in this one.
This is wrong, Lu Min thought. I should correct all of this.
“Come here. Lie down,” Lu Min said coldly.
Ying Yulian moved slowly, the rustle of fabric betraying his unease. He stopped before Lu Min, head down, seeing only the tips of Lu Min’s shoes and his own trembling knees.
At the sound behind him, his body tensed uncontrollably. He took a deep breath and submissively, slowly, reached out his hands, palms up. His fingertips trembled, revealing the nervousness he tried so hard to hide. This posture made him feel strangely vulnerable.
Lu Min did not act immediately. He stepped closer, close enough for Ying Yulian to feel his presence and smell that familiar, comforting scent of faint tobacco. Time seemed to stretch. Then, a warm, slightly calloused hand covered his, not striking him, but firmly grasping his trembling wrist. The other hand held the paddle, hovering over his pale skin, the warmth of the man’s hand radiating a silent omen.
The air stagnated. Ying Yulian held his breath. The hand stayed there for a moment as if confirming something, then moved slowly, as if letting the prey relax its guard. Ying Yulian’s breathing faltered, his cheeks burning. This suspense was more agonizing than the actual blows.
“This is your last chance,” Lu Min’s voice whispered in his ear. “Tell me yourself. Are you wrong?”
Ying Yulian’s lashes trembled, and a tear hit the table. Shame and an indescribable tension gripped him. He bit his lip and let out a nearly inaudible affirmative sound.
“I cannot hear you.”
“Brother, I was wrong,” he choked out, his voice wobbling. “It is all my fault. If you want to hit me, then hit me.”
Despite the shame, if it would appease his brother, he would do anything. The cool air made him shiver. However, the next strike did not come. Confused, he opened his teary eyes and looked back through the haze. Lu Min had walked to the living room table and picked up the remote to turn on the heater.
Noticing the boy’s confusion, Lu Min said flatly, “It is too cold. I am turning on the air conditioning.”
But should Brother not be hot? Ying Yulian looked at him. Whenever Lu Min was hot, his hands and face would flush. Right now, his veined, well-defined hands were flushed, his coat was off, and his sweater sleeves were rolled up. He clearly was not cold.
Before he could think further, Lu Min returned. The paddle fell again. The pain carried a numbing itch, like tiny insects gnawing at his bones. The burning sensation made him squirm until Lu Min’s warm hand firmly pinned his waist.
“Do not move.”
The voice was not loud, but it was absolute. With one hand controlling his waist, the other fell in a steady rhythm. The room was filled only with the sound of the strikes and the boy’s muffled sobs. Ying Yulian began to shrink back, instinctively trying to crawl forward to escape the relentless pain.
Should Brother not love me most? He wondered. The brother who never let him suffer was being so heavy-handed. Sweat soaked his hair; tears blurred his vision. His fair skin was now a patchwork of deep red.
Seeing him tremble, Lu Min finally stopped. Ying Yulian collapsed against the table, his back heaving with ragged breaths. He did not even have the strength to curl up.
“Why are you hiding? You did not hide when you were making mistakes,” Lu Min said, his eyes narrowing. He gripped the boy’s waist and pulled him back.
As the paddle was about to descend again, Ying Yulian spoke through his tears. “It is so cold, and the table is so hard.”
“How did you get to be so spoiled?” Lu Min sighed. He set the paddle down and lifted the boy by the waist to help him stand. “Go to the sofa.”
Ying Yulian tried to walk, but his knees gave out. He was about to fall when Lu Min caught him under the arms and picked him up. Nestled in Lu Min’s arms, the friction of the fabric against his tender skin made the pain flare up again. He buried his face in Lu Min’s chest, his tears soaking the man’s shirt.
“What now?” Lu Min asked, helpless. The boy was like a broken faucet.
He tilted Ying Yulian’s chin up and gently wiped away a tear with his knuckle. “What kind of boy cries this much?”
“I am not a crybaby, it is because you hit me so hard, and your clothes keep rubbing against me. It hurts.” Ying Yulian pulled away, feeling petty. He suspected his brother was doing it on purpose as further punishment.
“I can walk by myself,” the boy muttered. Thinking the punishment was over, he struggled to get down to escape the stinging sensation.
“I will change positions.” Lu Min adjusted him into a bridal carry, supporting only his back and the bend of his knees, carefully avoiding the areas he had struck.
“Brother, you are the best.” The corners of Ying Yulian’s mouth twitched upward, but he soon looked up cautiously. “Brother, are you not angry anymore?”
“If you tell me who taught you and why, I will not be angry,” Lu Min said calmly.
Ying Yulian looked down and fell silent again. He tugged at Lu Min’s sleeve. “Brother, let us just let this go, please. Let it be my secret.”
“A secret? I thought there were no secrets between us. Since when do you have secrets?” Lu Min chuckled. He placed the boy on the sofa and ran his fingers through his soft hair. His eyes slanted slightly. “Are you hiding other things from me, Xiao Lian?”
Lu Min’s hand slid from his hair down his cheek to his neck, like a crawling snake. He leaned in, whispering near the boy’s ear, “Have you already done these things with someone else?”
Facing the large mirror across from the sofa, Ying Yulian could see through his tears how Lu Min’s broad frame completely overshadowed him, like a giant serpent slowly coiling around him. The survival instincts he had honed in the slums told him that his brother’s mood had just hit rock bottom.
He bit his lip, turned with difficulty, and reached out his thin, white wrists to hug Lu Min’s neck. Lu Min caught his wrists and watched him silently.
If he would not say who taught him, it meant that person was important.
Was that person more important than Lu Min?
For the first time in a long while, Lu Min felt a sense of imbalance.
His life had been smooth sailing. His parents did not love each other, but they were wealthy; he had never been deprived of material comforts, and they granted him immense freedom. Even when he chose to become a police officer instead of taking over the family business, they had agreed. He had his close friend Chen Shen and his colleagues at the station.
However, he was not the first priority for any of them. His parents valued money above all else, while Chen Shen and his colleagues had their own families and lives.
There was only Ying Yulian.
Whether in their past lives or this one, they had invested far too much time in each other. In this life specifically, Lu Min had rescued Ying Yulian from those people. He enjoyed every bit of the boy’s attention and encouraged his dependence. Lu Min believed he should be the absolute priority in Ying Yulian’s heart—a brother to whom the boy could tell anything.
In Lu Min’s imagination, Ying Yulian should have confessed who had corrupted him. Lu Min would then hold the youth in his arms, comfort him, and teach this innocent lamb the difference between right and wrong. Afterward, he would shield the boy and deal with those who had led him astray.
It was not supposed to be like this. He demanded answers, yet Ying Yulian avoided them.
“Since you do not want to speak, there is no need to talk anymore.”