At three in the afternoon, Lu Lianning sat on the sofa in Lintesa Manor. He reeked of cigarettes and alcohol, his hair long enough to cover his eyes, and his hands clasped tightly together. His white shirt bore a few mysterious bloodstains.
The oppressive gloom that hung around him gave the impression that he’d just escaped from a murder scene.
Across from him, Qi Zhen lay sprawled on another sofa, tossing a grape into his mouth with a cheeky grin. Glancing at Lu Lianning, he suddenly burst into laughter.
Reaching for a folder beside him, Qi Zhen pulled out a small stack of documents.
He cleared his throat dramatically. “Li Yan, resident of Wujingwan Town. His mother left when he was six, father died in a car accident when he was ten. He was raised by his grandmother. He lived next door to the Chen family and spent his childhood with Chen Yu and Chen Yaxin, the Omega siblings.”
“Three years ago, he married the older sister, Chen Yaxin. Less than a year and a half later, she passed away from a hereditary blood disease. Li Yan had previously worked as a henchman for Qin Liu, but after marrying Chen Yaxin, he left the crew and took a stable job delivering goods for a factory, earning a modest income. To cover Chen Yaxin’s medical expenses, he borrowed money from loan sharks. Before her death, she entrusted her younger brother to his care. With no money in the impoverished, remote town and unable to repay the debt, he brought Chen Yu here, changed his name, and faked his identity to work and hide from creditors, all while earning money to pay for Chen Yu’s treatment.”
In just a few sentences, Qi Zhen seemed to sum up Chen Miao’s entire life story from the past twenty years. He flipped to the birthdate section, clicked his tongue, and said, “He keeps calling you ‘Lu-ge,’ but it turns out he’s actually two years older than you.”
He waved the papers in his hand and tossed them to Lu Lianning. “Quite a tangled backstory. I heard he left Qin Liu’s crew not only because of his marriage to Chen Yaxin but also because Qin Liu wanted to recognize him as a godson.”
The papers fluttered through Lu Lianning’s fingers, scattering across the floor. It was as if he hadn’t heard a word of it. He quietly repeated, “Married? He had his own Omega?”
Qi Zhen stood up from the sofa, his eyes brimming with amusement as he looked at Lu Lianning and shook his head. “Ah Ning, someone with so many vulnerabilities should’ve been easy to control. How did you let it get to this point?”
–
When Li Yan opened his eyes, the room’s lights were off, but the curtains were open, allowing a faint light from outside to filter in.
He noticed Lu Lianning sitting beside him, head bowed, seemingly deep in thought.
Li Yan felt pain all over, as if needles were pricking him, with a particularly intense burning sensation on the right side of his face. He was certain it was swollen. Something felt off with his left eye, so he blinked twice and raised his hand to touch it. However, Lu Lianning, who had been silently sitting there the entire time, caught his hand.
Li Yan looked utterly wretched. One eye was bandaged with gauze, the other side of his face swollen, and beneath the blanket, his body bore the welts from the belt Lu Lianning had used on him, along with painful tears in a more private area…
Lu Lianning took a deep breath first. Li Yan could sense he was trying to control his emotions.
Li Yan wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but he didn’t feel emotional. “Is my eye blind?”
Lu Lianning replied, “No, just a cut above your eyelid.”
An eerie silence fell between them. Lu Lianning’s eyes swept over Li Yan’s face before he suddenly asked, “Do you think you deserved it?”
Li Yan clearly didn’t think so. He lay stiffly on the bed, devoid of anger, grievance, or questioning. Tilting his head slightly, his uncovered eye fixed on Lu Lianning as he replied, “Shouldn’t you at least cover my medical expenses?”
Lu Lianning almost lost control of his emotions. His fists clenched so tightly they left marks on his palms. “Money? For Chen Yu’s surgery or to pay off your debts?”
For a brief moment, Li Yan was taken aback, but he quickly accepted the situation. “You already know?” He looked up at the ceiling as if he finally understood the reason for Lu Lianning’s outburst yesterday. He explained, “I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I used a fake name to avoid debt collectors.”
Of course, it hadn’t been to deceive him—Lu Lianning understood that in painful clarity now.
The man lying on the bed, named Li Yan, hadn’t done a single thing for him from the very beginning.
Whether it was the lies, the schemes, the thoughtful gestures, the warm meals, or the pleasing and flattering in bed… It was all just because Li Yan wanted money.
All of it was because of that Omega named Chen Yaxin. Whether it was his wife’s dying wish or a simple request from her, Li Yan had been willing to go to such lengths.
Lu Lianning stared at Li Yan intensely, his voice trembling with resentment as the truth sank in. “You should be an actor—you really are brilliant at it.”
What he once thought were clumsy steps rushing toward him were merely Li Yan being tripped and knocked down by life. It wasn’t because he was special, but simply because he happened to be there.
In truth, Li Yan wasn’t picky. It wouldn’t matter who it was—if they managed to catch him, he’d probably throw himself into their arms.
Like that one-million-yuan offer for a night. It was far more than what Li Yan could ever earn from serving him. No wonder he quit…
And that deceased wife of his—a single word from her could make Li Yan treat someone with such care. If she were still alive, how much more would he have doted on that Omega?
Would he have cooked her meals and brought them to her bedside? Picked out fish bones for her? Let her warm her cold hands against his belly in winter? Would he have done all the things Lu Lianning thought were meant only for him!
Lu Lianning was nearly drowned by the overwhelming jealousy that swelled within him. Had they exchanged wedding rings? Had Li Yan’s body carried the scent of that Omega’s pheromones?
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Lu Lianning seized Li Yan by the collar, glaring at him and shouting irrationally, “If that Chen Yaxin truly loved you, she never would’ve entrusted her brother to you before she died! What can you even do! A Beta who didn’t even finish high school! How are you going to save him!”
Li Yan couldn’t tolerate Lu Lianning’s harsh words about Chen Yaxin for even a second. He reached up to pry away the hand gripping his collar. “What do you know? How is any of this your business! I already told you—I resigned!”
Lu Lianning stared at Li Yan’s bandaged eye, his teeth clenched tight. “You’re actually blind in both eyes! Can you just wake the hell up!”
Li Yan responded, “Who’s the one that needs to wake up?”
Lu Lianning froze. In Li Yan’s uncovered eye that remained clear and bright, he saw the reflection of his own angry, twisted face.
Yes. Who was the one not awake?
He looked at Li Yan’s face, one side swollen from the slap, the corner of his mouth bruised, and slowly loosened his grip…
Li Yan watched Lu Lianning, who was panting heavily, his eyes locked onto him as if Li Yan had committed some unforgivable crime.
“Forget it. I don’t want your medical expenses,” Li Yan said, avoiding that piercing stare. He tried to move his body. Lu Lianning felt dangerously unpredictable at the moment, and Li Yan knew he couldn’t stay here any longer. He couldn’t even remember how he had ended up at Lu Lianning’s house last night. Even if he had deceived him, he had taken the beating as an outlet for anger—if he deserved it, so be it.
But there was still Chen Yu. He’d just undergone surgery the night before, and Li Yan needed to call and check on him. He had also accepted the deposit Qi Zhen had transferred. Who knew if, after messing things up last night, they would come looking for him again?
Whether it was Lu Lianning or this entire city, Li Yan felt a sharp instinct to leave as soon as possible.
Suddenly, Lu Lianning let out an unexpected laugh, and the intense hostility surrounding him gradually dissipated. His gaze toward Li Yan transformed into an impenetrable, icy calmness that could send a chill through anyone’s heart.
“What a pity.”
Pity? Pity for what?
A wave of fear swept over Li Yan. He reached out, trying to grab hold of Lu Lianning as he turned to leave. Ignoring the pain in his body, Li Yan struggled to get out of bed, but he crashed hard onto the floor, crying out in pain as he called Lu Lianning’s name.
Without even glancing back, Lu Lianning walked out and shut the door behind him.
