Deep in the corridor, the carefully waxed dark wooden floor reflected a faint light.
Every step Yuan Chen took left a clearly visible mark, but he had no attention to spare for it.
Only when the sweet scent, so thick it seemed almost tangible, led him to a tightly shut door did he barely steady his breathing, which trembled with anger and an indescribable tension.
A wooden tray sat outside the door, holding a glass of water and several pills.
Yuan Chen recognized them at a glance: pheromone suppressants.
Both the water and the pills remained untouched, exactly as they had been set down.
Several servants who had come at the noise appeared at the other end of the corridor. Faced with this grim-faced, intimidating guest, they stood rooted to the spot, anxious and at a loss.
Yuan Chen did not spare them so much as a glance. He reached straight for the cold door handle.
Rather than question people who had nothing to do with this, he would see for himself.
The unusually strong, chaotic pheromones seeping through the gap beneath the door were already proof enough that Shen Yi was inside-and in terrible condition.
He roughly twisted the handle, but the door was locked from within.
With a bang, he slammed his fist against the heavy door.
"Shen Yi, open the door!"
The only response was an extremely faint, pained moan.
Yuan Chen's gaze darkened. He raised his foot and kicked hard at the area around the lock.
The tremendous force made even the sturdy oak frame groan under the strain. After several kicks, the lock broke, and the door sprang inward a crack.
Dim yellow light spilled through the opening.
Yuan Chen turned sideways and barged in without hesitation, only to stop dead the instant he saw