He thought, maybe I should just die?
“Finally caught you.”
Pan Wang pinned him hard against the wall. His right hand clamped around Hiiragi Yu’s throat while his left casually rummaged through the boy’s pockets.
“Hmm? Where’s the medicine?” Pan Wang muttered to himself, sounding mildly confused.
The sound sent a sudden, icy chill straight down Hiiragi Yu’s spine. Memories of that dreadful night flooded back, the pungent stench of cheap liquor and the heavy, relentless footsteps behind him, echoing like a death knell.
His fingertips began to tremble. The moment Pan Wang lowered his head to search for the pills, his grip momentarily slacked. Seizing the split second, Hiiragi Yu broke free and bolted toward the alley mouth.
He remembered the guard post at the entrance of Satoru’s school, there were always police cars parked nearby whenever classes let out…
Before he could take two steps, a blinding, white hot pain exploded at the base of his neck. His vision went instantly black. His legs gave out, and he slammed hard onto the cold asphalt.
Out of the corner of his eye, a faint sliver of light glowed. Squinting through the agony, he recognized the screen of his cell phone lying a few inches away.
The call interface was still active. Driven purely by instinct, he dragged his arm forward, reaching out to grasp at his last remaining lifeline. His throat bobbed violently as he tried to cry out for his father, but the heavy sound of approaching footsteps cut him off.
Pan Wang strolled over, picked up the phone, and scoffed, “Well, at least we save on the cost of medicine.”
A brief beat of silence followed over the line.
Then, Pan Youzhi’s cool voice came through the speaker. “Don’t mess things up this time.”
Those were the last words Hiiragi Yu heard before he succumbed to the darkness.
His head throbbed with a dull, sickening ache. His body felt weighed down, as though a heavy iron slab rested on his chest, making every breath a struggle.
His eyelids felt glued shut. Through the haze, a familiar, grating voice drifted into his consciousness.
“Why isn’t he awake yet?”
Zhou Hui’s expression was dark and ugly. One hand nervously rubbed his thigh, where a dull ache remained from the beating his father gave him after Cheng Shenzhi took Hiiragi Yu last time. He blamed the entire disaster on the Pan family.
Pan Wang bowed and scraped, offering a obsequious smile. “This little bastard’s health has always been terrible…”
Ever since Hiiragi Yu’s previous escape, the Zhou family had severed all business ties with them, giving Pan Youzhi a massive headache. So when the young master of the Zhou family reached out directly this time, Pan Youzhi hadn’t hesitated, warning Pan Wang in no uncertain terms to get it right.
Because of that, Pan Wang had been extra heavy handed.
Impatient with the flattery, Zhou Hui snapped, “Go get a basin of ice water!”
Pan Wang caught the hint immediately and hurried into the adjoining bathroom.
Zhou Hui stared down at the unconscious Beta sprawling across the bed. A sudden wave of dark restlessness washed over him, and he turned toward the closet to retrieve his whip. He had taken only two steps when a sharp, shattering crack rang out behind him.
He whirled around.
Hiiragi Yu had tumbled off the bed, slumped on the floor amidst a shower of jagged glass. He was tightly clutching the largest, sharpest shard like a weapon. His face was deathly pale and his eyes were wide with panic, yet his stance was rigidly unyielding.
Because he was gripping the shard with pure, desperate force, bright crimson blood welled from his palm, dripping steadily onto the floorboards.
Zhou Hui raised an eyebrow, a cruel smirk spreading across his face. He took two steps forward, brazenly flooding the room with his oppressive Alpha pheromones.
“What? You think you can pull off the exact same trick and escape again?”
Zhou Hui knew Hiiragi Yu hadn’t had any contact with Cheng Shenzhi over the past few days. The boy had obviously been used and tossed aside.
Malice swelled within his chest. He despised a tainted Beta, of course, but as a temporary plaything? He didn’t mind in the slightest.
The heavy, aggressive pheromones crashed down like a physical weight. Hiiragi Yu’s fingers tightened around the glass shard. Blood flowed freely from his torn palm, but he felt no pain, only a terrifying numb emptiness.
Hearing the commotion, Pan Wang rushed out of the bathroom sloshing a basin of cold water.
Zhou Hui gestured sharply. “Go on. Get your brother back on the bed.”
Pan Wang hesitated, eyeing the bloody glass shard warily. He vividly recalled how Hiiragi Yu had threatened him with a pair of scissors last time. But with Zhou Hui watching, he gritted his teeth, hoisted the basin as a makeshift shield, and lunged forward.
A cascade of frigid water slammed over Hiiragi Yu’s head and face. He tried to scramble back, but his limbs were stiff and completely drained of strength. Only his fingers remained locked around the bloody glass.
Suddenly, an exhausting thought drifted through his mind. Why not just die?
Wouldn’t I be free then? I could go find my mother…
His body grew colder, his vision blurring at the edges. As Pan Wang pounced, Hiiragi Yu instinctively swung his arm, slashing wildly into the air without looking.
Caught off guard, Pan Wang winced as the glass sliced across his arm, but he managed to grab Hiiragi Yu’s wrist. Before he could drag him up, a violent crash echoed through the suite.
The heavy wooden door was kicked off its hinges, slamming open against the wall.
An Alpha in a long black trench coat stood in the doorway. His face was carved from ice, his eyes burning with an ominous storm.
An overwhelming surge of top-tier Alpha pheromones erupted into the room like a shockwave. Pan Wang’s knees buckled instantly, an instinctual terror made him want to drop to the floor and crawl. Zhou Hui fared no better, collapsing to his knees with a dull thud, gasping for air.
Ignoring them completely, the Alpha walked straight toward the bed.
As Cheng Shenzhi approached, Pan Wang lost his balance and cowered, his face contorted in sheer terror. Suddenly, a blinding flash of movement cut through the air, a heavy impact cracked against Pan Wang’s cheek. A violent surge of heat washed down his forehead as crimson flooded his sight.
Pan Wang’s eyes widened in horror before he slumped limply to the floor. The last thing he saw was the tall Alpha kneeling down, carefully gathering Hiiragi Yu into his arms, and turning away without a backward glance.
An hour earlier.
Autumn rain always came without warning, sudden and relentless.
The night was pitch black, the windshield wipers sweeping rhythmically back and forth across the glass. Dim streetlights barely cut through the downpour until a blinding pair of high beams pierced the darkness, rushing down the road toward them.
Assistant Tao kept his eyes fixed on the road, tapping the brakes as they neared Hiiragi Yu’s residence.
Ever since bringing the boy back that first time, the boss had essentially relocated his entire base of operations here. Yet aside from ordering him to keep tabs on the boy and then inexplicably canceling the rescue operation at the last minute, he hadn’t taken any further action.
Assistant Tao couldn’t help but wonder what the boss was planning. Distracted by the thought, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small, dark figure darting out from the roadside bushes.
Startled, he slammed his foot on the brake. The tires let out a prolonged, piercing screech as the car skidded to a halt.
Cold sweat broke out across his forehead. Hearing faint crying from outside, his panic spiked. He reached for the door handle, but before he could step out, he heard the soft click of the rear door opening.
He turned just in time to catch the sweep of a black trench coat disappearing into the rain.
Realizing the situation, Assistant Tao grabbed a large umbrella from the trunk and hurried after his boss.
Cheng Shenzhi had already reached the side of the road, his sharp eyes scanning the brush. Moments ago, he was certain he had heard Satoru’s voice.
The rain beat down mercilessly.
Framed by the car’s headlights, Cheng Shenzhi spotted a small, shivering figure huddled in the shadows of the tall grass a few meters away. He stepped forward, parted the tall blades, and met a pair of tear filled eyes.
It was Hiiragi Satoru.
Where was Hiiragi Yu?
Cheng Shenzhi’s brows furrowed tightly as he scanned the empty street. His heart sank. Reaching back, he took the umbrella from Assistant Tao and held it over the little girl’s head.
The rain overhead suddenly stopped.
Satoru blinked in confusion. It took her a second to recognize Cheng Shenzhi’s face, but the moment she did, she threw herself forward, grabbing his sleeve and sobbing hysterically. “My brother… my brother was taken by bad guys!”
Cheng Shenzhi’s chest tightened. He scooped the little girl up into his arms and carried her back toward the car, his voice low and firm. “Do you know where he is?”
“No… but it must be Pan Wang! He took him!” Satoru clutched at his coat, completely helpless. “Uncle Cheng, can you take me to find my brother? Please?”
“I will find him.”
They slid into the back seat. Assistant Tao quickly offered a clean towel, but Cheng Shenzhi gestured for him to get behind the wheel.
“Drive.”
Cheng Shenzhi took the towel and gently dried the little girl’s wet hair. Pausing for a moment, remembering she was a young girl, he simply wrapped the plush towel securely around her shoulders.
Through hiccuping sobs, Satoru pieced together what had happened.
“My brother has night classes on Friday. He always picks me up from school himself and takes a taxi home, or leaves me at Grandma’s. But I waited for so long today and he never came. In the end, my uncle brought me back.”
She wiped her nose, her voice trembling. “I waited at home for a long time, but Dad and Pan Wang didn’t come back either. I called my brother over and over, but he didn’t answer. He never ignores my calls unless someone took his phone… I wanted to go look for my uncle, but he had already left. It was raining so hard, I didn’t know what to do, so I ran out…”
Cheng Shenzhi already knew the rest.
Satoru looked up at him, her large eyes swimming with fear. “It was the same last time… also on a Friday. My brother disappeared for three days because bad guys took him.”
The child began to shiver uncontrollably. Cheng Shenzhi pulled a plush blanket from the side compartment and wrapped it around her, his voice softening. “Don’t be afraid. I’ve already located Pan Wang. You’ll see your brother very soon.”
Satoru stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to discern whether she could truly trust the man in front of her. Finally, she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve and murmured, “Thank you, Uncle Cheng. You’re a good person.”
Cheng Shenzhi didn’t answer. He merely looked down at the GPS coordinates sent to his phone by his subordinates.
After all… he had been involved in what happened last time, too.
He was far from a good person.
The figure in his arms wouldn’t stop trembling.
The glass shard Hiiragi Yu clung to was slick and dripping with bright red blood, though whose blood it was, Cheng Shenzhi couldn’t tell.
Cheng Shenzhi released a gentle strand of comforting pheromones while lightly patting the boy’s back, just as he had done weeks ago.
“It’s me. Don’t be afraid,” he coaxed softly, his voice dropping to a low, soothing murmur. “Let go of the glass, okay?”
After repeating the gentle request several times, the young man in his arms finally seemed to register his voice. His rigid fingers slowly uncurled.
The bloodied glass shards tumbled from his grip, shattering into smaller fragments against the floorboards and splashing droplets of red across the hardwood.
Cheng Shenzhi reached down to inspect his mangled palm, but Hiiragi Yu suddenly lunged forward, clinging to his chest like a drowning man clutching a lifeline. He threw all his weight onto the Alpha, his entire frame shaking violently.
Cheng Shenzhi’s arms tightened around him, holding him securely against his chest while his hand gently stroked the boy’s trembling back.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered into his hair. “It’s over now.”