Who Could Tell Him What Was Going On?

It was Shen Yu's hand.

He Lin lifted his eyes and met Shen Yu's open gaze. He let out a laugh. "Pretending to be unconscious?"

But he got no response.

Instead, the hand gripping his wrist tightened, while the hand on his shoulder moved to the back of his neck. Then Shen Yu suddenly straightened with all his strength, driving He Lin's face into his knee.

A crisp crack of bone rang out.

He Lin felt as though the bridge of his nose was about to break. The tip of his nose grew warm, and blood ran from his nostrils and dripped onto the floor. The pain hit him a moment later, and he backed away with a frown, clutching his nose.

Shen Yu didn't let him go.

Still gripping his wrist, Shen Yu raised a leg and kicked at his chest. He Lin blocked it with his other hand, but Shen Yu still had a free hand. Seizing the moment, he threw another punch at He Lin's face. He Lin's eyes widened in shock, and he narrowly turned his head aside. The wind from the punch brushed past his ear.

Wait, what? Was the knockout drug he'd bought fake?!

He Lin broke free of Shen Yu's grip and blocked the attacks coming his way. Gradually, he noticed something.

Shen Yu's eyes were vacant, and he kept using the same moves, as if... this body was fighting on instinct.

He Lin stopped fighting him, held his breath, and crouched on the other side of the bed.

Then the body seemed to quiet down.

He slowly crouched down and leaned against the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his entire face in them. He didn't move again.

He Lin: "..."

For once, He Lin considered his own life. He'd thought Shen Yu was a little white flower, only to peel it open and find a man-eating flower. He couldn't be sure he wouldn't get hit again if he went over.

He pushed all his earlier passion to the back of his mind. Now he looked at Shen Yu as if he'd seen a ghost.

A violent banging suddenly rang out.

"Xiao Yu! How are you? Are you all right? I don't care who you are in there. If you dare lay a hand on Xiao Yu, I guarantee you won't walk out of that room!"

A voice came from outside the room, its anger tightly restrained. Even with the room's excellent soundproofing, the person outside could still be heard clearly. Lu Xianchang was practically roaring against the door.

—The door was unlocked.

Lu Changfeng, his face dark, had granted access.

Before He Lin could hide, he came face-to-face with the two people who entered.

Hearing the noise, Shen Yu raised his head. His lively, pale-blue eyes had dimmed, all their radiance gone, leaving only a vacant gray. His hair was somewhat disheveled, his shirt had been unbuttoned and left open over his chest, and there were those glaring red marks from He Lin's rubbing.

Everything spoke of what he had just been through.

Lu Xianchang's vision went dark in waves. He clenched his teeth as anger surged through his veins. His chest heaved, his usually gentle eyes filled with hostility, and his gaze was like fire tempered in ice. Even his voice trembled slightly.

"What... did you do to him?!"

The moment Lu Xianchang demanded an answer, he lunged forward and roughly seized He Lin by the collar. Choosing to ignore the blood covering He Lin's face, he slammed another punch into it.

He Lin wanted to fight back, but he met Lu Changfeng's dark, brooding eyes, as if they would throw a person into a black hole and grind them to pieces. After taking Lu Xianchang's blow, he turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Before Lu Xianchang could strike again, he hurriedly explained, "I didn't do anything! Look at all the blood on my face. What could I have done? I've been beaten up like this!"

"You deserved it!"

Lu Xianchang watched Shen Yu bury his face again, and his heart trembled.

Without turning around, he lowered his head and called, "Changfeng..."

Lu Changfeng naturally understood what he wanted. As soon as he entered, he had focused on the... stray little brother who had made Lu Xianchang return to his side of his own accord. Shen Yu was like a terrified kitten that had withdrawn all its claws and only wanted to hide where no one could see him.

Surprisingly, he didn't exactly dislike him.

He put it down to Lu Xianchang. Because Lu Xianchang cared for Shen Yu, seeing Shen Yu like this made his heart ache too—he didn't want Lu Xianchang to be sad.

So as Lu Xianchang called him, he summoned his private doctor, then stepped forward, intending to pick Shen Yu up in his arms.

But he had only just crouched in front of Shen Yu and hadn't even reached out when a fist, accompanied by the faint scent of sweet wine, hurtled toward his face. Caught off guard, he took the punch squarely. He grunted, and blood streamed from his nose.

Who was Lu Changfeng? The heir to the Lu Family of Ancheng. When he was angry, all of Ancheng would tremble. If anyone dared hit him, Lu Changfeng would be considered merciful if he didn't drag out and kill all nine generations of their family. If he hadn't been wary of the other two families, he would have killed Old Master Lu and taken his position long ago. Only Lu Xianchang could get a smile out of him.

But now—

Lu Changfeng had taken a punch, and anger clogged his chest. A faint smile hovered at the corners of his lips, an expression that showed he was clearly furious to the extreme. But when he met Shen Yu's eyes, as if covered in a thick layer of dust and so dim that not a trace of warmth could be seen, a sudden pain pierced his chest. It came without warning, and his throat instantly tightened.

His Adam's apple bobbed heavily twice. When he spoke again, his voice had turned hoarse. Following Lu Xianchang's example, he called softly to him, "...Xiao Yu, don't be afraid."

He didn't know why.

He didn't want the person before him to be so lifeless and devoid of energy.

Shen Yu saw that the punch had sent Lu Changfeng leaning backward. He was sitting against the cabinet door, holding his bleeding nose. He hadn't made a sound and showed no sign of realizing he'd been hit. Instead, he was looking at Shen Yu with an inscrutable expression.

Shen Yu: "?"

By now, Shen Yu had regained some consciousness. He had only drunk a sip of the drug, and he hadn't been idle after passing out either, fighting the whole time. The drug had worn off quickly in his body.

But could someone tell him what was going on?

Why was Lu Changfeng in front of him? It looked as though he'd even punched him. That couldn't be right, could it? He remembered seeing the person who'd come over to chat him up before he lost consciousness.

His whole body ached, especially the knuckles of his right hand. Shen Yu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he realized he was still in the room. His collar had been unbuttoned, though, and there were some glaring red marks on him. He turned his neck slightly and saw Lu Xianchang, his eyes rimmed red, holding He Lin by the collar. He Lin's face was covered in blood.

His nose was bleeding too.

Shen Yu remembered the hand he'd thrust out when he regained consciousness.

...Had he hit him?

Lu Changfeng noticed a glimmer of light appear in those lifeless eyes. It was faint, but he caught it. He tentatively reached out again, soothing Shen Yu as he did. Seemingly afraid of frightening him, he even lifted the corners of his mouth, though the blood running down his chin made him look rather frightening instead. "I mean no harm. I just want to take you to see a doctor. Your hand is injured."

Shen Yu: "..."

What was with that tone, like he was coaxing a child?

Lu Xianchang also tried to reassure him from the side. "Xiao Yu, it's me, Brother Xian. He is..."

"Lu Changfeng."

Lu Changfeng moved a little closer. Seeing that Shen Yu had no intention of resisting, he reached out and gently gathered him into his arms.

The young man before him turned his head and leaned limply against his chest. Looking down, Lu Changfeng could see part of his pale, bloodless profile and his wide-open collar. His heart suddenly skipped, warmth rippled through his chest, and even his fingertips went slightly stiff.

He straightened Shen Yu up.

Lu Xianchang watched his retreating back, feeling somewhat reassured. He gave He Lin another vicious warning before following Lu Changfeng.