Ugh.
Everything was pitch black. The only sound was the constant, irritating crackle of static electricity.
Who dares disturb my slumber?
“Host, wake up! Wake up!” the System shrieked, its voice a chaotic mess of electric glitches.
“Host, if you don’t wake up now, your Xinghui is going to wipe out your entire family!”
Shen Qiu declared, The Shen family can go. It’s fine. Just let me sleep.
The System was utterly speechless, its voice dissolving into a series of electronic sobs. The sky is vast, the wilderness endless… Lord Primordial God, this Host is too difficult to manage! the System pleaded. Please, next time, assign me a gentle Host. Otherwise, my little mechanical heart will shatter into a million pieces, buried in the Mariana Trench, and you’ll never see me again, Lord Primordial God!
“Host, get up, now! If you don’t, Xinghui will completely blacken! He’s fallen into a severe depression. If you don’t wake up, he’s going to overdose on pills and kill himself! The Small World will be ruined!”
“What?!”
“Wait, how did he get depressed?”
“This is unacceptable. I’m the one who snatched his life back from the King of Hell.”
Shen Qiu refused to allow it. He had snatched the poor thing’s life back from the Palace of the King of Hell; the only acceptable death would be a natural one.
The monitor beeped steadily, tracking vital signs, its line fluctuating.
But the person who had been keeping watch had long since fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Shen Qiu struggled to open his eyes. His surroundings were a gloomy gray, with not a single ray of sunlight filtering in.
Where is this?
Shen Qiu tried to move his fingers, but a slender chain bound his wrist, padded with cotton cloth.
The chain kept him completely immobile.
Beneath his fingertips was warm, soft skin. Shen Qiu’s heart suddenly leaped, his emotions churning.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, they quickly fell upon the person in his arms.
The person lying in his embrace had their arms wrapped around his waist, their head pressed against his chest.
A cold tear fell onto his chest, and soft, fine strands of hair brushed against him. The person’s face was buried against his chest, their faint breath adding a layer of intimacy to the scene.
As a highly successful CEO, Shen Qiu had weathered all kinds of storms.
Yet he found himself unable to process his current situation.
System, where are we?
Host, according to the GPS, you are being held in a castle deep in the mountains.
What the hell is going on? I just passed out.
Host, your cancer flared up and you fell into a coma. With Xinghui’s cooperation, the Research Institute developed a drug. However, because you were unconscious for too long, you became a vegetative state.
【It is now four years later.
Four years later?
He had been kidnapped.
And by someone he knew.
By the “little white flower” Meng Xinghui.
Crackle— Host, the System has depleted its energy to awaken you. From now on, you are on your own.
Shen Qiu sighed heavily, reconsidering whether to wake him up.
But what would happen after he woke him? Ask him why he had locked him up?
Shen Qiu agonized over it for a long time. After a thousand turns of thought, President Shen, who had always been decisive in the business world, finally faced a crisis of a truly difficult choice.
Meng Xinghui mumbled in his sleep, tears streaming down his face. “Shen Qiu…”
The tears fell uncontrollably, making him look pitiful and miserable, as if accusing Shen Qiu.
A flash of helplessness crossed Shen Qiu’s eyes. He adjusted his posture to make the person in his arms lie more comfortably, then painstakingly raised his hand to pat Meng Xinghui’s back in comfort, whispering softly in his ear, “Be good, don’t cry. I’m here.”
Only after the man in his arms stopped talking in his sleep did the sweat on Shen Qiu’s forehead finally cease.
Meng Xinghui’s face was pale as he reluctantly rose from the other’s embrace, his mind flooded with unbearable pain.
“I don’t know why, but I just dreamed you woke up,” he murmured, his fingertips tracing the side of Shen Qiu’s face. “Too bad it was only a dream.” The corners of his eyes were still red from tears.
“When will you finally wake up?”
He gently pinched the earlobe of the man on the bed, his nose brushing against Shen Qiu’s cheek. “Everyone who hurt you has paid the price.”
“I drove Shen Corporation into bankruptcy.”
“Shen Ziqi is already behind bars for embezzling funds from the company.”
“As for Shen Deyuan, his own mismanagement led to the company’s collapse. He sold it off, and Mrs. Liao—the woman he’d always longed for—divorced him, taking all his money with her. They say Shen Deyuan was found under a bridge when they took him to the nursing home, so emaciated he was barely recognizable.”
“Mrs. Liao’s own son, driven by greed, pushed him down during an argument, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Now, Mrs. Liao and Shen Deyuan share the same room in the nursing home, tormenting each other for the rest of their lives.”
“I had someone buy out Shen Corporation for me. It’s already been absorbed and merged into your company. You must be thrilled—I’ve done everything you ever wanted to do.”
Shen Qiu held his breath. Meng Xinghui, how have you changed so much in these four years? When did you start scheming against me?
Meng Xinghui drew closer, his fingertips tracing a wanton path across Shen Qiu’s brows, eyes, and lips.
“Every year on Auntie’s anniversary, I go to visit her.”
Shen Qiu caught a faint fragrance wafting from the man above him. He tasted bitterness on his own lips—the man was crying.
Tears welled in Meng Xinghui’s eyes. He pressed his lips together, carefully adjusting his position, terrified that Shen Qiu would be dissatisfied. He moved slowly, his body rising and falling in a gentle rhythm.
The rigid contact was searingly hot. His earlobes flushed crimson instantly, sweat dampening his fair skin.
The corners of Shen Qiu’s eyes reddened. He suppressed the urge to wake up, stifling the arousal in his lower body, terrified of startling the man who was so intoxicatedly doing something so wicked.
But a man’s arousal isn’t so easy to quell.
Tears streamed down Meng Xinghui’s face. He just couldn’t soften. Shen Qiu must be so disappointed. I couldn’t satisfy him. The delicate, white flower, now dazzlingly beautiful, desperately tried to prove his worth, his waist nearly breaking from the effort.
Two hours later.
Meng Xinghui’s cheeks were flushed, his gaze was hazy, and his waist felt too weak to even lift.
Exhausted, Meng Xinghui collapsed into Shen Qiu’s embrace, his eyes filled with helplessness as a torrent of tears streamed down his face.
He couldn’t hold out any longer. He had failed to satisfy Shen Qiu, and the small Meng Xinghui curled up in the corner of his heart, weeping.
His tears fell like raindrops, drumming against Shen Qiu’s heart.
Shen Qiu found the situation both exasperating and amusing. Meng Xinghui was the one who had done the dirty work, yet he was also the one who ended up making himself cry.
Shen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, a wry smile on his face.
If I hadn’t opened my eyes by now, Meng Xinghui would have surely done something even more outrageous, he thought.
The person in his arms froze, still taking advantage of his boss. His warm lips trembled against Shen Qiu’s.
Shen Qiu reluctantly pulled away from the soft warmth on his lips. “Meng Xinghui, you’ve grown bold, haven’t you? Daring to take advantage of your boss like this.”
With tears still blurring his vision, Meng Xinghui quickly threw his arms around Shen Qiu’s neck.
His voice was thick with sobs. “Shen Qiu, you’re finally awake. I missed you so much.” He hugged him tightly, unable to believe his eyes. This is so good.
Tears dripped onto the side of Shen Qiu’s neck.
Shen Qiu hugged Meng Xinghui back, unsure of what to say. Is this position appropriate for us right now?
“Alright, no more tears,” he murmured, using his knuckle to wipe away the moisture from the corner of Meng Xinghui’s eye.
“You’re insane. Why didn’t you tell me?” Meng Xinghui couldn’t bear to recall the feeling of learning Shen Qiu was dying. His world had crumbled.
“I didn’t know it would strike so quickly.”
The man leaned quietly against his shoulder.
Only then did Meng Xinghui vaguely recall their relative positions.
His cheeks flushed crimson, then instantly turned pale. The blanket slipped from his body. “I—I—” He snatched up the disheveled bathrobe from the floor, hurriedly tied the sash around his waist, and bolted from the room.
The dim light of the bedroom left Shen Qiu alone to process everything. The heavy chains told him that none of this was an illusion—it was all real.
What the hell is going on?
Just as Shen Qiu was drifting off to sleep, the door opened from the outside.
The soft thud of leather shoes on the floor was kept as quiet as possible as a figure approached the bed.
Meng Xinghui wore a custom Italian suit, the trousers hugging his long legs in an alluringly austere fit. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes strained for composure.
His lips, pale and trembling, managed only two words: “Drink water.”
Shen Qiu took the glass Meng Xinghui handed him. Seeing the clear liquid with undissolved white powder at the bottom, he said, “I think we need to talk,” as he lifted the long chain from his wrist.
Meng Xinghui’s face remained impassive, his almond-shaped eyes fixed and unyielding. He said nothing.
It seems negotiations have failed.
Parched, Shen Qiu had no choice but to drink the water, powder and all.
As the drug took effect, Shen Qiu felt a presence sit on the edge of the bed through a haze of drowsiness. He heard the turn of a key, then the chain clattering onto the carpeted floor.
The door opened again after the man made a phone call.
The scent of disinfectant wafted past his nose.
Meng Xinghui flipped through a stack of medical reports, his gaze cold and sharp as he meticulously questioned the doctors about Shen Qiu’s condition.
The specialists answered one by one, “Based on the results, Mr. Shen is recovering well. With continued rehabilitation, his mobility will return to normal.”
A cool, detached voice echoed in the study, “I will invest another ten million into the research project. I expect to see results by the end of the year.”
The lead specialist adjusted his glasses. “Rest assured, President Meng. The drug research will yield results by year-end.”
“Li Li, you may take the professor and his team away.”
The man outside the study complied, escorting the group out.
Outside the window, the crimson roses bloomed in vivid splendor, echoing the distant green mountains.
“What should I do? Once Shen Qiu wakes up, he won’t stay obediently by my side.” Meng Xinghui’s gaze dropped as he twisted open the medicine bottle, forcing the pills down his throat. He sat in the study chair all night, the moonlight bathing him. His glasses lay on the table, and his almond-shaped eyes betrayed his anxiety and unrest.
His fingers picked at the skin, creating a dense map of small wounds.
Meng Xinghui let the wounds dry and heal on their own, unconcerned.
When Shen Qiu finally woke, he clutched his head and sat up in bed, pulling the needle from his hand.
A massive golden birdcage loomed before him. He was inside the cage, surrounded by bushes of vibrant red roses. A plush velvet carpet covered the floor. His head throbbed with pain. “That kid, Meng Xinghui…”
The only sunlight streamed in through the glass ceiling.
“The little white flower I raised has finally turned into a tyrannical rose.”
Shen Qiu’s movements were confined to the interior of the birdcage.
Meng Xinghui, draped in a bathrobe, appeared. The open robe revealed his slender, fair legs as his bare feet stepped directly onto the carpet. His eyes, framed by long lashes, were deep and brooding. He opened the door to the birdcage.
As if he hadn’t even seen a person standing there, Meng Xinghui walked right past Shen Qiu, lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and closed his eyes.
Shen Qiu crossed his arms and poked Meng Xinghui’s shoulder. “Stop pretending. Let’s talk. Let’s talk about how someone had the audacity to lock up his boss and take advantage of him.”
Meng Xinghui pulled the blanket over his ears.
Shen Qiu laughed in anger. “You had the guts to defile your boss, yet you’re too scared to talk to me?”
“Get up! Don’t sleep! Meng Xinghui!”
Meng Xinghui’s eyes flickered. He bit his lower lip hard. Shen Qiu hates me now. Yes, he was so wicked. Shen Qiu had treated him so well, yet he had harbored such thoughts. Right on cue, the wound was reopened.
The spreading pain was nothing compared to his heartbreak.
A wave of nausea surged through him. He pressed his hand firmly against his abdomen, his face turning pale as he trembled.
Seeing Meng Xinghui like this, Shen Qiu’s anger vanished, replaced by worry. “You?”
“Where’s your medicine?” Shen Qiu fumed, furious that this man had come here without even bringing his medication. The person in his arms was in terrible condition, his body shaking uncontrollably. When Shen Qiu lifted his hand, he found it covered in bloody wounds.
Meng Xinghui breathed in Shen Qiu’s scent, burying himself in Shen Qiu’s embrace, his fists clenched, his stomach churning with nausea.
Shen Qiu was so furious his heart was racing, and he couldn’t even find the words to scold him. “Where’s the first-aid kit?”
Meng Xinghui looked up, his eyes fixed on Shen Qiu’s anxious expression. He reached out to touch Shen Qiu’s face. “I just need to sleep for a bit.”
The pain had gone numb. As soon as he finished speaking, he slipped into unconsciousness.
Shen Qiu’s heart pounded as he carried him out of the aviary-like cage, searching for Meng Xinghui’s room. “Is anyone here?”
One of the rooms had a keypad lock, so Shen Qiu had to go down the long staircase to the main hall, which was filled with red roses.
The castle’s main gate was also locked.
“Seriously? We’re the only two people in this godforsaken place.”
Meng Xinghui was curled up on the sofa, his lips bitten bloody.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s one thing to lock me up, but you didn’t even bring a phone. Are you afraid I’ll contact the outside world?”