I won’t smash it. I promise no one will dare touch it. Fu Yu’s voice was deep and low as he slowly stepped closer.
With every step Fu Yu took toward Ruan Luo, Ruan Luo’s body grew tenser.
He was like a confused, helpless herbivorous cub standing before a carnivorous beast, teetering on the edge of utter annihilation.
Fu Yu had only walked three steps forward when Ruan Luo’s entire body was already completely drenched in cold sweat. His pale fingers clutched the edge of the piano so tightly they trembled, rendering him unable to even stand steadily, his breathing utterly disordered.
Fu Yu’s eyes turned pitch-black. He stopped advancing, simply standing there and reaching out a hand toward Ruan Luo. …I won’t come any closer. Don’t be afraid.
These words had little effect. Ruan Luo seemed to have bitten his tongue amidst his violent shaking; a trace of blood oozed from the corner of his lips, and his gaze grew increasingly unfocused. He was trapped in a state of absolute despair, murmuring, Don’t smash it, don’t smash it…
As he babbled, his body grew softer and softer. Leaning against the piano, he was about to slide down to the floor.
Fu Yu covered the distance in two large strides, reaching out with his long legs and scooping Ruan Luo directly into his arms.
Ruan Luo opened his eyes wide and feebly pushed against him. In his struggle, his bloody, battered hand scraped across Fu Yu’s face, leaving a bloody smear across his cheek.
The housekeeper and the maid who had followed behind held their breath in sheer terror.
Fu Yu suffered from severe mysophobia.
Soiling his clothes was already pushing him to his absolute limit, but now, his face had been dirtied as well.
They broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that Fu Yu would fly into a rage and abandon the sudden, fleeting tenderness he had shown Ruan Luo. At best, he would lock Ruan Luo back in the basement; at worst… he might beat him half to death again.
Yet, there was not a single trace of anger in Fu Yu’s eyes. He pinned Ruan Luo’s flailing hands tightly against his chest, lowering his head and speaking in a deep, soothing voice to coax him: Hush… hush… It’s okay now, Ruan Luo.
He even broke all precedent by releasing his comforting pheromones.
Whether it was the comforting pheromones taking effect or Ruan Luo’s body simply reaching its absolute limit, he stopped struggling. A weak, kitten-like whimper escaped his throat, and his head slumped against Fu Yu’s chest. His entire body went completely limp as he lost consciousness.
Ruan Luo? Fu Yu released Ruan Luo’s wrists. Raising his newly freed hand, he seemed about to stroke Ruan Luo’s pale face, but after a moment’s hesitation, he merely reached out and gently wiped away the blood near the corner of Ruan Luo’s lips.
He lifted Ruan Luo horizontally into his arms and strode purposefully toward his bedroom on the third floor.
As he walked, he commanded the housekeeper, Call Song Qi. Have him come over immediately.
The housekeeper hurriedly placed the call to Song Qi.
Song Qi was Fu Yu’s personal physician. Three years ago, he had been exceptionally close with Fu Yu, close enough to be considered a true friend.
However, over the past three years, for reasons unknown, Song Qi had unilaterally severed their personal ties. Aside from professional encounters, the two had virtually no other contact.
The housekeeper rarely called Song Qi, and calls made on Ruan Luo’s behalf were rarer still.
Ruan Luo had a weak physique and was perpetually sickly.
Yet Fu Yu had never summoned Song Qi to treat Ruan Luo. Discounting the instance three days ago, over the past three years, Song Qi had only been called for Ruan Luo a single time.
That time had also taken place in the basement. The housekeeper did not know what Ruan Luo had endured; he only knew that when Song Qi arrived, Ruan Luo no longer had a heartbeat. Fortunately, Song Qi performed timely emergency resuscitation and rushed him overnight to a private hospital under Fu Yu’s corporate group. The housekeeper had waited outside the ICU for three hours before Ruan Luo was finally pulled back from the gates of hell.
From that day on, Ruan Luo’s health became even more frail. He fell ill countless times, both severely and mildly, but as long as he wasn’t dying, he was left to endure it purely through sheer willpower.
To call Song Qi so frequently for Ruan Luo’s sake felt utterly surreal to the housekeepers- so surreal that it seemed completely out of character for the Fu Yu he knew.
When Song Qi arrived carrying his emergency medical kit, he saw Fu Yu sitting on a chair beside the head of the bed, gazing down attentively at the sleeping Ruan Luo. Fu Yu’s eyes were dark and unreadable, making it impossible to tell what wicked scheme he was plotting now.
Song Qi let out a cold sneer and said softly, I need to examine the patient. Mr. Fu, please step outside.
Fu Yu raised his eyes. Speak properly.
Song Qi held the medical kit in one hand while shoving the other into the pocket of his white lab coat. Maintaining polite civility while speaking to a sadist is already me giving face to your money. But while money can make the devil turn the millstone, it isn’t enough to make me surrender my human dignity to flatter my boss. Mr. Fu, after you.
Fu Yu glanced at him, deciding not to waste any more words.
Song Qi walked over to the bedside, checked Ruan Luo’s carotid pulse, and let out a sigh. What a beautiful child, just like a porcelain doll. Falling into your hands is truly a pity.
He withdrew his hand, looked directly at Fu Yu, and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. Though he was merely an ordinary B-rank Alpha, he flashed an aggressively mocking sneer at Fu Yu, a rare S+ rank Alpha: Does Mr. Fu really not know how many people hate you?… A priceless treasure that countless others would gladly hold in the palm of their hands becomes trash for you to trample on at will. If one day you suffer an accident and lie in the ICU waiting for my rescue, guess whether I’ll save you or pull the plug on your oxygen tank.
Fu Yu fixed his gaze sharply on Song Qi.
In the end, Song Qi was still somewhat fearful; he shrugged his shoulders. Just a joke, don’t be nervous. His vital signs are stable; he’s just excessively weak. His heart rate is abnormally fast, his pupils are constricted, and even in a coma, his brain nerves remain tightly strung; this is a psychological issue. His subconscious is still terrified, so I need to find a way to help him relax. I’ll start by administering some nutritional fluids. As for you, get out.
Fu Yu didn’t say a word. He stepped back to the doorway, leaning his tall frame against the door panel like a backdrop, his eyes glued to Ruan Luo on the bed.
Just as Song Qi was about to use his stethoscope on Ruan Luo, Fu Yu suddenly walked back toward the bed.
Song Qi raised his eyes, squinting at him in confusion.
Fu Yu swept an icy glare across him before lowering his eyes onto Ruan Luo’s restless sleeping face. Bending down slightly, Fu Yu used the pad of his thumb to gently wipe away the tear stain at the corner of Ruan Luo’s eye.
He then curled his hand into a fist, slowly rubbing the trace of Ruan Luo’s tear that lingered on his thumb.
Fu Yu’s voice was calm, devoid of emotion, yet distinctly husky: Don’t hurt him.
With that, he pulled open the door, stepped outside, and softly closed it behind him.
The housekeeper stood straight as a ramrod in the corridor outside, two maids standing behind him.
Fu Yu glanced at the two maids. Where is Auntie Jin?
Auntie Jin was the maid Fu Yu had assigned to attend to Ruan Luo.
The housekeeper replied, She and a few other maids finished tidying the piano area and went to change their clothes. Do you wish to punish her?
Fu Yu gave no instructions regarding that. Instead, he asked the housekeeper a question that left him thoroughly astonished: Have I ever smashed Ruan Luo’s piano before?
Fu Yu genuinely could not remember.
When his soul transmigrated here, he had not inherited any memories from that imposter.
Fu Yu was himself; there was only one real Fu Yu in heaven and earth. To him, the Fu Yu in that web novel written by an unhinged anti-fan was nothing more than a damn fake.
Back then, he had briefly skimmed through that novel simply because it was insanely popular.
It was so viral that even his Weibo feed, which usually recommended finance and military news, pushed gossip about his own web novel to him daily. Having some free time that day, he had clicked it open to glance at a few pages.
He only recalled that at a glance, the content was filled with unbearable, disgusting things. In the dozen or so pages he randomly flipped through, seven or eight of them depicted him tormenting an innocent Omega.
How was he tormented? He only remembered a few rough keywords from his quick skim, not the fine details.
Being asked this question so suddenly, the housekeeper felt a surge of panic. He didn’t know what Fu Yu meant or what answer he wanted to hear, so he could only speak the truth: You did smash it… Right in front of him. After that time, Young Master Ruan even…
He deliberated for a moment, then shut his mouth and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Fu Yu pressed, What happened to him?
The housekeeper was terrified to his core, but his excellent professional training allowed him to maintain his composure and dignity. Lowering his voice, he said, He also went mad for a few days.
Fu Yu clenched his fist. Though his expression still betrayed no anger or joy, the overbearing Tequila pheromones that involuntarily leaked from him pressed down so hard that the housekeeper nearly dropped to his knees. The pheromones at this moment didn’t carry a shred of comforting quality; instead, they billowed with intense, murderous intent.
His rage was overwhelmingly clear.
Unable to fathom Fu Yu’s intentions, the housekeeper carefully added, It was a long time ago- two and a half years ago, in fact. After Young Master Ruan remained incoherent for a few days, he recovered on his own.
Fu Yu turned around, intending to head downstairs, but suddenly halted his steps. Manager Ji, follow me to the basement.
Manager Ji swore that in all his fifty or sixty years of life, he had never felt so utterly panicked and helpless. Cold sweat poured down his face, and he repeatedly wiped it away with his sleeve.
Fu Yu’s countenance wasn’t any better.
When he had first transmigrated over, he had been in the basement…
At that time, however, he was irritable and agitated, utterly unwilling to look around.
After carrying Ruan Luo out, he had even harbored the thought of locking the basement forever, letting the entire place rot alongside that damned imposter in the sunless, decaying dust.
But now, he had changed his mind.
In this world, apart from himself, no one probably knew that in his original world outside the novel, this place was merely a wine cellar where he stored his collection.
Fu Yu followed Manager Ji down the long, sweeping corridor. After passing several rooms locked tightly behind iron doors, they arrived in front of a door left ajar.
Manager Ji pushed the door open.
The interior was pitch-black. An ordinary person standing here would likely be unable to see their hand in front of their face.
However, Fu Yu was a top-tier Alpha; his physical capacity and five senses were far beyond ordinary people.
He narrowed his eyes, scanned the room, and pressed his finger against the light switch on the wall.
Manager Ji coughed lightly. Mr. Fu, you forgot the lights here are set to turn on and off automatically at scheduled times. Please wait a moment while I use the master control to turn them on.
Once the lights brightened, Fu Yu drew in an imperceptible gasp.
The floor was covered in mottled bloodstains, some of which had already turned black.
There were stains on the walls as well.
The room contained only a single door, an iron bed with a thin mattress and a thin pillow without any bedsheets, as well as an iron desk and chair.
And then
In the corner of the wall stood a smashed, utterly ruined piano with shattered keys and snapped strings.
At that moment, Fu Yu felt as though he were not in his own estate, but rather inside a torture prison in some war-torn country.
Go outside, Fu Yu said faintly. He strode forward with his long legs toward the piano.
He placed his fingers on the battered piano and closed his eyes, his thoughts unknown.
When he opened his eyes, his gaze fell upon a different color peeking out from beneath the thin pillow on the monotonous, cold iron bed.
He walked over, sat down on the iron bed, and pushed the thin pillow aside.
Beneath the pillow, he discovered a razor blade, as well as
A diary.