At the break of dawn, Geng Nuo lay face down on the bed, still unable to grasp a sense of reality. He felt as though he were swaying on the vast ocean, his entire body, down to his very fingers, too weak to move an inch.
After finishing his shower, Gu Chengayan sat on the edge of the bed in a bathrobe. The mattress dipped slightly on one side, and even this slight movement caused Geng Nuo to give a conditioned reflex start.
His eyelids trembled slightly, half-opening to reveal a pleading expression.
Gu Chengayan stretched out a large palm to ruffle Geng Nuo’s hair, which was half-damp with sweat, though his gaze was far from gentle, filled instead with a cold and piercing scrutiny. A single palm of his could cover Geng Nuo’s entire head, and with a bit of force, he probably could have crushed his skull directly.
Yet Geng Nuo felt not a trace of danger, and in his haze, he even rubbed against the large palm.
With a subtle expression, Gu Chengayan narrowed his eyes. “Pixiu certainly knows how to offer a token of allegiance, starting with a suppression followed by an elevation. The moment one fails, another is sent right over.”
Hearing this in his half-asleep state, Geng Nuo muttered a weak, defiant retort. “I came on my own.”
Upon hearing this response, Gu Chengayan raised an eyebrow. It seemed the boy had an agenda after all; having volunteered himself to Pixiu, they had hit it off immediately?
Right now, however, he was quite curious to hear the answer.
“What is it that you want?”
Geng Nuo had already drifted off into a dream. In the dream, a fair and handsome Omega gently stroked his head, just like his father, softly asking him what he wanted.
His lips twitched a few times as he murmured, “Money…”
After speaking, he felt a slight pang of regret. If money weren’t an issue, he would much rather propose marriage to this Omega.
Hearing this, Gu Chengayan frowned slightly, instantly losing interest.
He stood up, changed his clothes, and prepared to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he turned back, standing by the bedside to look down at Geng Nuo.
His majestic gaze swept inch by inch over the boy’s back. Everywhere were the marks he had personally left behind; the bruises on his waist were covered by heavier ones, and the inner thighs still bore bluish-purple tooth marks, while the unseen scenery on the other side was even more alluring. With a deep gaze, Gu Chengayan stared for a moment before calling out in a low voice, “Fran.”
The intelligent optical computer Fran flashed forward instantaneously. Currently maintaining the shape of a metal egg with two small wings attached to its sides, its hiding spot beforehand remained a mystery.
Gu Chengayan reached out his hand. “Get some cash.”
Without stating a specific amount, he left it to Fran to figure out on its own. The large eye on the metal egg blinked, shifting its form to transform into a flat, rectangular metal box, which slowly spat out twenty Galactic bank notes.
A single Galactic bank note had a face value of one hundred Galactic Coins; this stack was worth two thousand Galactic Coins.
Gu Chengayan took the money. It was only a thin stack, and frowning, he let out a tsk.
Clearly, he felt the amount was too small and not presentable enough.
Promptly, Fran puffed out another stack. This stack was much thicker, visually numbering around a hundred-plus bills.
Gu Chengayan smoothed the bank notes out and rolled them into a cylindrical shape. The diameter looked a bit too wide, though not entirely unacceptable, but after pondering for a moment, he changed his mind. Pulling a dozen or so bills out from the middle and visually confirming the thickness was moderate, he folded those dozen-plus notes flat, pinned them with two fingers, and bent down to tuck them away into a certain prized spot.
Compared to the delicate skin, the paper currency was undoubtedly far too rough, yet the trickling stream of fluid was effectively blocked right back.
“There, what you wanted.” General Gu murmured wickedly right against Geng Nuo’s ear.
Geng Nuo let out a distressed whimper without waking up.
Gu Chengayan straightened up. Judging by his expression, he was clearly much more amused.
The morning light pierced through the curtains, falling upon the messy sheets and the youth’s slender physique, illuminating the fair, tender skin to a crystal-clear translucency, while the mottled patches bloomed like vibrant, flamboyant flowers.
The well-dressed man stood against the light by the bedside, counting the remaining currency with a few quick flips before tossing it away casually.
The glow of dawn made the scene feel as though it were playing in slow motion; bank notes fluttered gracefully down onto the floor, the bed, and across the youth’s body, serving as a unique embellishment.
The visual was overwhelmingly decadent and lustful.
Gu Chengayan lowered his gaze for a moment, seemingly unattached to the lovely scenery before turning to walk away.
Yet the moment he turned his back, the corners of his lips curved upward into an almost imperceptible arc that vanished in a flash, so fleeting that even Fran might have suspected it was just an illusion.
As he reached the doorway, he gave Fran a calm instruction:
“Turn up the indoor temperature.”
When Geng Nuo woke up, it was just past noon.
Given his physical state, he shouldn’t have woken up nearly this early.
He had been woken up by hunger.
Trying to get up, he found himself unable to move. His entire body felt as though it had been dismantled and reassembled using the shoddiest of methods, leaving every single component malfunctioning and aching everywhere.
It took Geng Nuo quite a while to recover a shred of strength. Propping himself up with difficulty, the bank notes resting on his back slid off accordingly. Just as he pushed himself halfway up, he froze abruptly.
The sensation of a foreign object was far too distinct, and the physical discomfort could no longer be ignored.
There was actually something lodged inside… what on earth was it?!
Enduring the soreness, Geng Nuo reached out to retrieve the object, and the moment he saw clearly what it was, his whole body trembled.
It was actually a stack of Galactic bank notes, wrinkled beyond recognition and soaking wet.
How could it possibly be wet?
Did that even need asking?!
As a Beta, he wasn’t an Omega… so naturally, that was his… his…
Trembling with anger, Geng Nuo felt a surge of rage and grievance welling up in his chest, while his physical aches seemed to concretize the mental pain. Flattening the crumpled wad of cash bit by bit, he blinked his tear-filled eyes a few times until he could finally make out the denomination. Looking around, he found bank notes of the exact same denomination scattered all over the bed and the floor.
A voice in his head roared furiously: Screw you, who wants your stinking money!
Another voice chimed in with fierce exasperation: These are Galactic bank notes! A single one is worth 100 Galactic Coins, 1,000 Luke coins! With so many on the bed and the floor… so many… you can’t just lose your virginity and your money too!
Thus, wiping away his tears and ignoring the sticky mess on his body, he sobbed as he picked up the Galactic bank notes from the bed and the floor one by one.
Searching every possible corner where the notes might have drifted, even crawling back and forth underneath the bed, he finally sat down on the floor and counted the money while crying.
Geng Nuo cried so miserably, counting 132 one moment and 128 the next, repeating the process many times before he finally got an accurate count.
A full 130 bills, totaling 13,000 Galactic Coins. According to the salary rules in the contract… according to my ass! Pixiu probably wished he were dead, let alone following the contract.
13,000 Galactic Coins, plus a few odds and ends, was enough for three treatments for his father.
Putting the money away, Geng Nuo headed into the bathroom. He didn’t even dare look at himself in the mirror; those marks were truly shocking to the eye. After washing three more times, he still felt unclean, but staying in any longer would risk hypoglycemia. Dizzied by the steam, Geng Nuo wrapped himself casually in a bathrobe and stepped out.
The moment he emerged from the bathroom, he suddenly sensed someone else in the room.
It was Pixiu.
Geng Nuo looked at him with guarded vigilance. Smiling good-naturedly, Pixiu pointed a thumb backward. “I knocked on the door, but you didn’t hear.”
With the bedroom door a mile away, hearing a knock would have been a miracle. Too lazy to bother with him, Geng Nuo ignored him.
The bedroom had been given a complete makeover: the bedsheets were replaced with fresh ones, neat new clothes were folded neatly by the bedside, and a sumptuous employee meal sat on the dining cart. Geng Nuo frowned with unease. If failing to hear a knock was one thing, not hearing someone enter to tidy up the room was quite another. He began to worry about the money he had just stashed away, yet was unwilling to check it right in front of Pixiu.
“Don’t worry, all the tips General Gu rewarded you with belong entirely to you; we won’t take a single cent of commission.” Pixiu’s attitude was exceptionally warm and friendly, inquiring after Geng Nuo’s well-being, pointing out the various categories of delicacies on the cart, and telling him to have the kitchen whip up something else if it wasn’t to his taste.
If they aren’t robbing you, they’re plotting against you.
“What do you want by coming here?” Geng Nuo had no mood to play word games with him.
“Dealing with straightforward people is always so easy!” Pixiu laughed heartily, clapping his hands together as he cut straight to the point. “General Gu is very satisfied with you. Before leaving, he specifically instructed that you be kept for him. You won’t need to do any other work these coming days; I hope you can focus entirely on serving General Gu.”
Geng Nuo’s expression turned exceptionally ugly. Standing in place, the strange, aching soreness throughout his body served as a constant reminder of what he had endured last night.
Once wasn’t enough, there had to be a next time?
“I’m glad you came around.” Pixiu walked over, throwing a buddy-buddy arm around his shoulders to pull him toward the table and seat him down, personally serving the dishes. “Come on, there’s no need to pick a fight with money. Tsk tsk, that’s General Gu Chengayan. When I heard that brat Yuan Bingqing was courting disaster yesterday, he had probably already written his last will and testament, yet General Gu—who usually strikes so ruthlessly—actually let you soothe him into such a good mood.”
“Did you know? When he left this morning, anyone could tell he was in a fantastic mood. Geng Nuo, you’re truly a genius; you were practically born for this line of work!”
Whether this statement was meant as a compliment or an insult remained unclear, but it made Geng Nuo’s lips tremble with anger. Still, his mind worked fast, seizing any opportunity to turn the situation to his advantage.
If Marquis Wright truly was a major patron of the club, then his demise and Pixiu’s frantic efforts to curry favor with Gu Chengayan were undoubtedly bound together by a thousand intricate threads.
Regardless of the underlying reasons, General Gu Chengayan—who could execute Marquis Wright in public without facing any punishment—was clearly an exceptional choice.
The premise, however, was whether Pixiu could secure the man’s favor.
Feigning composure, Geng Nuo initiated negotiations with Pixiu. “You don’t need to play dumb. You should know why I broke in yesterday, and I’m well aware of what you were plotting from the very beginning.”
Pixiu raised an eyebrow in mild surprise before letting out a tsk and cursing, “Who has such a loose mouth?” Dropping his hypocritical facade, he pulled up a chair and sat opposite him.
Geng Nuo crossed his legs, sitting with them overlapped. The movement pulled at his muscles, causing a faint discomfort, but he let no sign of it show on his face.
Resting his hands casually on the table, he leaned back against the backrest with relaxed shoulders. The bathrobe he wore was slightly oversized, wrapping loosely around his frame with the collar gaping wide open to reveal ambiguous patches of skin beneath. Pixiu swept a playful, appraising glance over him, while Geng Nuo remained completely unfazed, his aura remarkably steady.
“If I offend General Gu, the worst it can do is cost me my life. In any case, Boss Pixiu never intended to let me live anyway, did you?” Geng Nuo said softly.
Caught in the act, Pixiu shrugged and made a downward-slanting gesture with his mouth to indicate his total indifference. Changing the subject, he teased, “Still, little brother Geng, you really do have a few tricks up your sleeve. Those patrol mechs you tampered with took my engineers quite a bit of effort to fix.”
Ignoring him, Geng Nuo continued, “If the esteemed General Gu were to have his good mood ruined in your club twice in a row, what would he think of you and your Mad Shark Club?” His delivery was slow and his expression indifferent, yet this very attitude caused Pixiu’s face to sink instantly.
Staring at him, Pixiu let out a dark chuckle after a moment. “How do you know his mood was ruined? In the Peisman Empire, from the Emperor down to the little brats selling newspapers on the street, everyone knows General Gu Chengayan is bloodthirsty and cruel. Smashing a waiter’s head open to spill some blood might actually make him more excited.”
“Is that so? Are you certain?” Geng Nuo retorted offhandedly. Reaching out a finger to hook at the collar of his bathrobe, he pulled it open even wider and said with heavily suggestive undertones, “I don’t think so, though.”