Stripping off his clothes, Shen Jiayu saw his miserable body—it looked like it had been chewed by a wild dog, covered in bruises, especially on his chest and thighs. The bite marks were deep, almost breaking the skin. His entire body smelled of a sickening, musky odor, as if he had been soaked in it. He could imagine how intense it had been.
Bang.
Shen Jiayu kicked over the trash can, his chest heaving. He could not accept that he had been on top of a man!
Physical intimacy with a man was unimaginable. His stomach churned, and he hunched over the toilet to vomit.
After a long time, he felt better. He showered, rinsed his mouth, and went out to continue munching on the remaining mangoes.
Once dressed, he stood before the mirror again. His fair skin began to break out in red rashes, and his lips were even more swollen. That pervert sure knew how to bite—there wasn’t a single mark above his neck.
Just twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the hotel door.
Shen Jiayu opened the door to find a row of bodyguards standing outside.
Seeing him emerge, all the bodyguards bowed their heads in unison.
“Young Master.”
Shen Jiayu nodded slightly, his voice a bit hoarse. “Go to the hospital.”
He was rushed to the hospital, where Shen Youlin’s secretary, Zhang Yi, had already arrived. Zhang Yi glanced at Shen Jiayu, then turned his gaze away to clear the area. Soon, the noisy lobby was cleared, leaving Shen Jiayu sitting alone in his seat, hooked up to an IV. His eyes were half-closed, his spine straight, his skin pale as paper; he sat there looking like a displaced immortal.
Zhang Yi glanced at him several times, stepped forward, and asked, “Second Young Master, should we transfer you to a VIP room?”
Shen Jiayu only opened his eyes and stared straight ahead, giving him no attention. His tone carried a hint of exhaustion. “No need.” Then, as if remembering something, “Arrange for someone to repair the mirror in the Lake Moon Park restroom.”
“Understood, Second Young Master.” Zhang Yi stepped aside and stood silently.
The entire lobby was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. A young male doctor came to adjust the IV and was startled—why was the previously noisy lobby now so eerily quiet? The entrances were filled with men in black suits who checked his credentials before letting him in.
He had not understood at first why the nurses’ work was being rushed to him, only being told a big shot had arrived. He had expected some government official, but seeing the man before him, he suddenly realized.
I have not seen this celebrity before, but his entourage is so large!
He peeked at him several times. If Aphrodite had a child in the mortal world, he must look like this, possessing transcendental beauty. He quickly looked away and resumed his professional demeanor. “How are you feeling now? Any discomfort?”
The God of Beauty opened his eyes and gave him a look. “No, I am fine.” With that, he closed his eyes again.
The doctor did not linger and left after finishing his work.
A few minutes later, the somber-faced Shen Youlin arrived with the cold wind. He walked up to Shen Jiayu, his voice filled with suppressed fury. “Shen Jiayu, where have you been!”
Shen Jiayu looked up at him. “I went for a motorcycle ride with some friends.”
“Is that all?” Shen Youlin did not believe a word. According to the video he received, Shen Jiayu’s condition was clearly far from normal when he was taken away. Ye Jin insisted that Shen Jiayu had suffered from gastrointestinal spasms. All surveillance nearby had been destroyed; he only had reports from Ye Jin, a few waiters, and his own subordinates.
Shen Jiayu replied in a low voice, “That is all.”
“Do you know how much energy I wasted in the past few hours! One hour later, and A-City would have been under martial law with a carpet search. Did you know we were looking for you? Why did you not contact us?”
“I did not want to.” Shen Jiayu turned his head away, his eyes complex. He would never reveal this to anyone. His pride and his self-esteem would never allow anyone to know that he had been kidnapped by a stranger and had slept with a stranger.
He clenched his fists, determined to investigate it himself and find that damn dog of a man.
Shen Youlin’s thin lips were pressed into a straight line, his facial muscles tense, radiating a chilling, cold aura that made people shudder.
“Shen Jiayu, that is your explanation!”
Shen Jiayu said nothing, meeting his gaze with silence.
The scene was dead silent, the air seeming to freeze; the heavy atmosphere made it hard to breathe. Seeing Shen Youlin’s anger rising, Zhang Yi hurriedly brought over a report. “President Shen, this is the Second Young Master’s report.”
Shen Youlin read it quickly. The values in the report were normal.
“It is a good thing he was sent here in time, otherwise the Second Young Master might have gone into shock.”
“Take him for a full body check tomorrow. Notify the butler, have the nutritionist, chef, and doctor readjust his diet and health management. Strengthen security, continue investigating surveillance along the route, search the entire city for that motorcycle.”
As if triggered by a keyword, Shen Jiayu suddenly spoke up. “I have the freedom to make friends! Why are you investigating me?”
Shen Youlin rebuked coldly, “I will not allow unstable factors in your life.”
Shen Jiayu stood up immediately. “Why!” Suddenly, everything went black before his eyes. Shen Jiayu knew he was about to faint. He braced himself against the dizziness and bit his tongue hard—he had to stay conscious! If anyone saw the marks on his body while changing clothes, that would be disastrous.
“Because I am your brother!”
Shen Youlin, his face dark, was also on the verge of exploding. He had put so much effort into this, and Shen Jiayu remained ungrateful and stubborn to the extreme.
For the next few days, Shen Jiayu recovered at home. His body was too drained, leaving him lethargic, though fortunately, his medical reports showed no significant anomalies. That damn homosexual—when I find him, I will definitely skin him alive.
After his body fully recovered, Shen Jiayu appeared at the Shen family ancestral hall.
On the red plaque, five words were written in soaring calligraphy:
Shen Clan Great Ancestral Hall
The Jingqiu Shen Clan Ancestral Hall, over seven hundred years old, backed by three mountains and spanning over a hundred acres. Upon entering, the walls were covered with various plaques. The hall enshrined 87 scholars including top graduates, numerous imperial plaques, founder of the Yuan Dynasty, ministers, generals, and envoys.
Pushing through the second door, it was a hall dozens of meters high, inside like a cave. Countless grids were chiseled into the surrounding walls, each holding a memorial tablet. Inside were thousands of pitch-black tablets arranged in all directions. The center tablet, red-backed with gold edges, was inscribed with sixteen golden characters:
The people are happy, the foundation of the nation is solid, the world is prosperous.
Above the center was an idol.
A black stone statue, only one meter high, worn down by time, its features blurred; one could only faintly see that it was a person lying prone. It was enshrined high in the shrine, behind it a withered black tree.
The Shen ancestral hall was not the gold-and-jade splendor of legend; in fact, there was very little gold to be seen. All the houses, altars, and tables were built and carved from golden nanmu wood, extremely heavy and ancient.
The shrine kept a candle burning; it had never been extinguished for over seven hundred years. Little sparks surrounded it.
Jiayu knelt on the cushion under the statue, a book of family rules in front of him.
Because he had violated three family rules at once:
Leaving home without reporting, deceiving others with lies, and bullying others.
He was punished to serve the gods for one night.
Every time he came to this ghostly place, he felt eerie and terrified, even though the surrounding candles should have been enough to keep it bright.
He remembered when he was very young, the first time he looked up at that mysterious black statue, he had cried his heart out. Among the thirty-some children of the Shen family, he was the only one who feared it. Even afterward, every time he knelt in the ancestral hall to worship his ancestors, he would go home and become seriously ill. It was not until he grew up that this situation improved.
Even now, he still felt a chill in this place, making him shudder.
Reciting the family rules until the second half of the night, a sudden cold wind blew, and the candle flame flickered a few times. Even though the door was tightly closed, Shen Jiayu instantly felt goosebumps. He blinked, but the flame remained unchanged. Then he looked up at the black statue on the shrine, his pupils suddenly sharpening. How could there be red on the statue… red veins…
His hair stood on end. He rubbed his eyes and looked carefully at the featureless statue, which remained a clean, pitch-black lump. Shen Jiayu felt it must be that he was too tired—it was past 2:00 AM, and his eyes had become blurry from looking at the family rules.
So, he leaned against the shrine and closed his eyes.
In his dream, a blurry voice repeated over and over:
Alien deity, leave, quickly leave.
Then he opened his eyes; the door was knocked open, and the hall guard called out, “Young Master, it is time to come out.”
Jiayu rubbed his eyes and turned to look at the black statue. It was the same as usual, with no change. It really was just my eyes playing tricks. As a result, he went home and developed a high fever all night.
Sunday, Red Mountain.
This was the famous holy land for racing:
Red Mountain 78 Curves.
The track extended from the field at the bottom to the mountain pass, with a total length of 9.552 kilometers, averaging one bend every 67 meters, requiring a gear shift every 8 seconds, with a vertical distance of 300 meters—a challenge to the limits of control.
At the entrance of the racetrack, there was a concrete floor embedded with various car keys. This was the rule of the Red Mountain racetrack: one round decides the winner; the loser leaves behind the car key that symbolizes shame.
“Second Young Master, long time no see.” The person in charge of the track came over to greet them enthusiastically. “Oh, and Young Master Zhang, it is rare to see you these days.”
Shen Jiayu nodded at him, and Wang Yue responded enthusiastically, “We are here specifically to support you today. I brought many brothers, and they are all waiting on the track. Oh, and the one behind you is that newly awarded team, Magic Claw, right?”
“What, is Young Master Zhang interested in them too?” The person in charge stepped aside, giving them a view. “Come over here, I will introduce you to two distinguished guests. This is the Second Young Master Shen.” The person in charge gave a wink, and a group of five or six racers stepped forward to extend their hands. “You must treat the Second Young Master well. If the Second Young Master is happy, next year’s sponsorship fee will be covered.”
These racers were all very young. Some had started racing since the age of eight or nine; 18-28 was their golden age, which was almost synonymous with their professional career. This group was high-valued, lived quite freely, and played quite wild in private.
Seeing the young master who looked like a fairy and was about their age, several people exchanged secret glances.
The leader extended his hand, and Shen Jiayu naturally shook it, saying quite solemnly, “Shen Jiayu.”
The other racers also introduced themselves one by one. Shen Jiayu usually watched racing, so he was quite familiar with the Magic Claw team. This was his first time seeing them in person, and he felt subtly excited.
The captain at the lead put on a charming smile. “Second Young Master, can I have your contact information? Magic Claw has many races ahead; if the Second Young Master has a chance, you can come and watch. I will take you in through the racer’s channel. You can also drive with us when you are free.”
“Sure.”
Shen Jiayu then added the other racers.
“Second Young Master, they have an exhibition race on the track shortly, want to go watch?”
Shen Jiayu nodded, and the group headed to the track.
Because today was Challenge Day, the entire auditorium was packed, people surging, and the atmosphere on the scene was very intense. Heads bobbed, and shouts of encouragement and cheers rose one after another, it was simply blood-boiling.