When Lu Lianning returned home, Li Yan stepped out of the bedroom. The swelling on his face had gone down, and the bandage over his eyelid had been removed, revealing a fresh scar with a dark red scab cutting across his upper lid.
It was close to ten in the evening when Lu Lianning arrived. As he entered, someone moved forward to take his coat. People began setting dishes on the long dining table in the living room. Li Yan spotted Lu Lianning, and though he looked tired, there was still an inexplicable sharpness in his demeanor.
For the past few days, Li Yan had barely seen Lu Lianning. He would leave early and return late. Li Yan had no idea what was keeping him so busy. Strangers had also appeared in the house and guarded the entrance, making it impossible for Li Yan to leave. So now, seeing Lu Lianning finally come home early, Li Yan rushed out of the bedroom.
He couldn’t quite figure out why Lu Lianning refused to let him go, but lately, Lu Lianning seemed unwilling to even speak to him. Over the past few days, Li Yan had been groggy in bed, but now that he had mostly recovered, he naturally wanted to leave.
His phone had been confiscated by Lu Lianning after a single call from Chen Yu. Li Yan tried to stay optimistic, assuming that Chen Yu’s surgery had been successful…
Li Yan approached the dining table, and Lu Lianning, as if only just noticing him, glanced up and asked, “You haven’t eaten?”
Li Yan nodded. “No.”
Lu Lianning seemed amused. “Were you waiting for me on purpose?”
Li Yan didn’t respond, so Lu Lianning continued, “Then sit down. There’s more than enough for you.”
Li Yan sat, stealing occasional glances at Lu Lianning, though his expression remained unreadable. On the surface, Lu Lianning appeared calm and indifferent, as though he had completely forgotten the argument they had a few days earlier.
The sound of chopsticks tapping against porcelain filled the room. Li Yan couldn’t taste anything, taking several minutes just to lift a single bite to his mouth.
When Lu Lianning finally set down his chopsticks, Li Yan seemed to have collected his thoughts and said in a sincere tone, “Lu-ge, I know you’re angry. I lied to you, but I had no other choice. I’ve already taken a deposit from your friend, and I can’t pay it back right now. If you’re keeping me here because of that, I won’t be able to earn any money like this…”
After being ignored for so many days, he was anxious and uncertain about what Lu Lianning was thinking.
But instead of addressing his words, Lu Lianning studied his face for a moment and asked, “Is your body feeling better now?”
Li Yan nodded quickly, forcing a smile that seemed almost fawning. “Yes, much better…”
Hearing this, Lu Lianning looked at him and said, “Then pack your things. We’re leaving by tomorrow night at the latest.”
“Leaving!? Where are we going?” Li Yan saw Lu Lianning about to get up and sprang to his feet, the legs of his chair scraping loudly against the floor.
Lu Lianning tilted his head slightly and told him, “Wherever we go doesn’t matter to you anymore.” He added, “And stop calling me ‘Lu-ge.’”
Li Yan froze, struggling to make sense of what he meant. But it was clear that Lu Lianning didn’t have the patience to explain further.
Li Yan followed him, reaching out to grab his arm as Lu Lianning headed for the stairs. “Wait! What do you mean by that?”
Lu Lianning yanked his arm free. “Exactly what I said.”
Li Yan’s emotions flared instantly. “I’m not leaving with you! Chen Yu just had surgery, and I haven’t even seen him yet. I already quit my job! Why can’t you just let me go!?”
A cold smile tugged at the corners of Lu Lianning’s mouth. “Then just pretend the surgery failed and he died. Either way, you’ll never see him again.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Yan’s eyes reddened, and he swung his fist at Lu Lianning. The punch came so quickly and unexpectedly that Lu Lianning was caught off guard. He hadn’t anticipated that Li Yan would dare to attack him.
“Bastard!” Li Yan seemed particularly sensitive and concerned about Chen Yu’s fate.
Lu Lianning’s head snapped to the side from the impact, his hair falling over his eyes. The bodyguards near the door noticed the commotion and started to move toward them.
But Lu Lianning slowly turned his head back, his expression dark with fury. He shouted, “Stay back! Don’t interfere!”
He looked at Li Yan, who stood rigid, fists clenched, glaring back at him with equal fury. “What’s wrong? Can’t control yourself when it comes to Chen Yu? Why aren’t you pretending to be obedient anymore?”
He grabbed Li Yan by the collar, pulled him closer, and the two men began grappling right there in the living room.
The dull thuds of fists striking flesh mingled with the clatter of glass bowls toppling from the dining table. The room erupted into chaos.
The bodyguards exchanged glances, not daring to interfere. The two grown men fought in the living room, their bloodshot eyes locked in a gaze that seemed to wish they would tear each other’s flesh and bones apart.
Li Yan, a Beta who could barely manage to get out of bed, was now locked in a fierce struggle with Lu Lianning, an Alpha.
Despite his extensive experience with both fighting and taking beatings, he began to lose ground as time passed.
In the end, Lu Lianning pinned him to the floor, leaving him unable to stand. The living room was in complete disarray, filled only with the sound of their heavy breathing.
Li Yan lay on the floor, his body battered and bruised. But Lu Lianning hadn’t come out unscathed either; his lip was split from one of Li Yan’s punches, and his high-end suit bore footprints from Li Yan’s kicks.
Lu Lianning said, “I’ve changed my mind. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”
“You have no right to do this!” Li Yan let out a strained cry, his emotions surging. “What do you want from me? This is insane!”
He tried to struggle again, but Lu Lianning held him down and said, “Li Yan, you’re really testing my patience.”
The next morning, Li Yan was restrained by several people, sedated with an injection, and taken away.
At first, he fought back fiercely, and Lu Lianning stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching as Li Yan’s body stiffened, then slowly went limp.
Only then did Lu Lianning step forward, lifting Li Yan into his arms and carrying him to the car.
As they left the city, Lu Lianning didn’t look back. In the car, Li Yan slumped limply against his shoulder, his face, never particularly striking to begin with, looked even worse now.
Lu Lianning stared at him for a moment, feeling as though Li Yan had hit more seriously than him yesterday, yet somehow Li Yan’s face was more swollen than his own.
He adjusted Li Yan’s head, lowering it onto his lap. He turned the more swollen side outward so it wouldn’t press against anything.
They arrived in City A at 2 PM.
Shortly after, Lu Anling called to inform him that the butler from the family estate would be coming over.
Lu Lianning carried Li Yan into the house. The staff arranged by Lu Anling all lowered their heads respectfully, offering greetings without so much as a single unnecessary glance in their direction.
He laid Li Yan on the bed in the bedroom. Everything in the room looked both new and familiar, as if someone had been carefully cleaning and maintaining it.
Walking to the window, Lu Lianning gazed out. The view revealed a newly built artificial forest, with ancient trees forming a path and small pavilions scattered throughout the landscape.
He had felt a mix of reluctance and urgency about returning here. But now, as he turned to look at Li Yan lying obediently on the bed, he suddenly felt differently.
In City H, there was Chen Yu at the central hospital, the one who occupied Li Yan’s thoughts. That was why Li Yan had been so desperate to go out. But here, it was different. Li Yan knew no one; he was in unfamiliar territory. Even if he were allowed out, what could he possibly do?
This was City A, where the Lu family held unmatched power, with most of their core businesses concentrated in the region.
Originally, Lu Lianning hadn’t planned on letting Li Yan leave, but this was City A. If Li Yan could behave himself, perhaps he could loosen the leash a little.
Li Yan stirred awake just in time for dinner. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar room, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
If not for catching sight of Lu Lianning’s face, he might have believed he was still dreaming.
An intense pain radiated from his neck—a pain so severe it was almost unbearable.
It shouldn’t have hurt this much; he knew it was likely just his mind playing tricks on him.
When he was very young, he had a fever, and his grandmother carried him to a barefoot doctor1Barefoot doctors are healthcare workers in rural China with basic medical training in town for an injection. Whether it was because he was too nervous and kept struggling or because the doctor was inexperienced, the needle snapped off inside his arm during the injection. His screams were so loud that it seemed they might shatter the roof, while his grandmother kept soothing him, “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt.” Blood welled up as his arm was cut open to extract the broken needle.
Since that day, Li Yan couldn’t handle needles. The mere sight of one was enough to send his heart racing with fear.
Back then, he had no idea how many more needles he would encounter in Lu Lianning’s hands.
When Li Yan woke up, he didn’t scream or make a fuss, but he refused to eat his dinner.
Lu Lianning considered his passive resistance hardly worth noting. It was only the first day since they had arrived here, so he decided to let it slide for now. There would be plenty of time to put him in his place later.
But late that night, Lu Lianning woke to find Li Yan standing by his bedside, a fruit knife pressed against his throat.
Li Yan looked extremely nervous, his hands trembling as though he were the one with a knife at his neck.
“Make the guards at the gate leave! I want out of here! Don’t push me!” Li Yan’s bright eyes gleamed in the darkness. He gripped the knife handle tightly, panting heavily, as though trying to appear braver. He pressed the knife more firmly against Lu Lianning’s throat. “Get up! Make them open the door!”
