The entire courtyard of the Lu family villa was brightly lit.
In the biting cold wind, Lu Lianning, clad only in thin pajamas, was forced at knifepoint by Li Yan from the living room into the yard.
The nearby guards dared not approach. At that moment, Li Yan held the knife steadily, his body tense. “Make them back off even further!” His gaze was fixed on the gate, which remained tightly shut behind the iron bars.
“Tell them to open the gate! And get me a car!” Li Yan demanded.
Lu Lianning, however, made no move or gave any response. The Alpha bodyguards stared intently, the tension palpable.
Suddenly, Li Yan lost his composure. The knife pressed against Lu Lianning’s throat, drawing a bead of blood. “Don’t force me!”
Holding him hostage from behind, Li Yan couldn’t see Lu Lianning’s face.
All he heard was Lu Lianning’s voice, sharp as an icicle in the cold wind. “Who’s really forcing whom here?”
“If you want to kill me, then go ahead!” Lu Lianning stood there, the blood from the wound on his neck staining his collar, acting as though he were neither injured nor threatened with a knife.
“Let’s see who dares to open that gate for him!” His cold eyes scanned the group of bodyguards, their foreheads now beaded with sweat.
Li Yan took a deep breath, his grip on the knife loosening. He hadn’t expected Lu Lianning to be this unyielding, but he believed there was still a chance. Surely, these people would prioritize Lu Lianning’s safety. They wouldn’t disregard it simply to follow his orders.
If anything happened to Lu Lianning, Lu Anling wouldn’t spare them.
After all, Lu Anling was still head of the Lu family, and their direct employer. Weighing these considerations, one of the bodyguards finally stepped forward and looked at Li Yan. “Sir, please don’t get agitated… You can make any request.”
He gestured to the guards at the gate, and the iron gate slowly began to open.
Li Yan’s eyes lit up, and he let out a breath, pushing Lu Lianning toward the gate. However, Lu Lianning remained utterly uncooperative, his voice barely concealing his anger. “Didn’t I say not to open the gate for him…”
“Young Master Lu…”
Amid the tense and chaotic dispute, teetering on the brink of open conflict, Li Yan turned toward the open gate, about to speak, when suddenly a sharp pain pierced his shoulder, spreading a numbing sensation through his arm.
“Not good,” was all he could think before his body went limp, and the sweat-drenched fruit knife slipped from his grasp.
With a clatter, the knife hit the ground. Reacting swiftly, Lu Lianning drove his elbow into Li Yan’s abdomen.
Li Yan was completely numb, unable to summon any strength, and could do nothing as Lu Lianning easily broke free. He stumbled before collapsing onto the ground.
A group of people quickly closed in. As Li Yan lay on his side amidst the chaotic footsteps, he glimpsed a middle-aged man in his forties at a second-floor window, retracting what appeared to be a hunting rifle.
It was the butler Lu Anling had sent earlier that day. Li Yan hadn’t even had a chance to meet him.
Pinned to the ground, Li Yan felt a rough yank on his hair from behind. He looked up to see Lu Lianning’s face, twisted with hatred and anger. Glaring down at him, Lu Lianning nearly ground his teeth, but his voice was low. “You’re even more reckless than I imagined.”
–
Qi Zhen had been spinning in the swivel chair in his study for a while when he finally heard a noise.
Lu Lianning barged in without so much as a knock.
Qi Zhen raised his head in displeasure. “You’re really late this time…” However, as soon as he looked up, he noticed Lu Lianning’s bruised face and the bandage wrapped around his neck.
Qi Zhen was stunned. He never imagined anyone would dare lay a hand on Lu Lianning’s face, which looked like a work of art with its striking features.
The bandage on his neck made it all the more baffling!
From what Qi Zhen knew, Lu Lianning had only returned to City H yesterday. Had he not been aware of the situation, he might have thought Lu Lianning had been kidnapped.
“What happened to you?” Qi Zhen clicked his tongue.
Lu Lianning dropped himself rather bluntly onto the sofa in the study, fixing Qi Zhen with a calm yet serious gaze. “Li Yan hasn’t been very obedient since I brought him back.”
Qi Zhen paused, staring at Lu Lianning’s face. “He did all this!?”
Lu Lianning didn’t respond.
Piecing it together, Qi Zhen suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that tears gathered in his eyes.
“Ah Ning, are you serious? A Beta who’s practically in the palm of your fucking hand, and he still managed to hurt you!”
Lu Lianning’s temper flared at Qi Zhen’s laughter. “Shut up! Have you laughed enough!”
Seeing Lu Lianning’s expression turn ugly, Qi Zhen raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright… I’m done… No more laughing…”
Still grinning, Qi Zhen asked, “So, why’d you come to see me today?”
Lu Lianning’s expression became restrained as he shot Qi Zhen a sideways glance. “Aren’t you the expert here?”
It only took a second for Qi Zhen to understand what Lu Lianning wanted.
The smile on Qi Zhen’s face gradually deepened. “Ah Ning, you used to say you didn’t like this sort of thing.” He reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out what resembled a metal safe, though it was more like a miniaturized version.
He opened it and slid it across the desk, displaying the contents to Lu Lianning. “You won’t find these on the market. I acquired them at a private auction.”
Inside, Lu Lianning saw two rows of glass vials neatly lined up. He picked one up, noting its transparent body with light pink edges.
It looked completely harmless, and he studied the liquid inside through the glass.
Qi Zhen continued, “It’s perfectly safe to use on an Alpha, let alone just a Beta.”
Lu Lianning returned the vial to the case and moved to close the lid, intending to take it.
But Qi Zhen pulled the case back. Lu Lianning raised his eyes to Qi Zhen, who still wore a careless smile. “Such an expensive item. You think you can just take it for free, Ah Ning?”
Lu Lianning said, “What do you want?”
“I’ve had my eye on that painting in Uncle Lu’s house. My aunt’s birthday is next month, and I want to give it to her.”
Lu Lianning agreed almost without hesitation. “Deal.”
Qi Zhen’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected such a quick agreement, especially considering the strained relationship between Lu Lianning and Lu Anling.
With the box of vials in hand, Lu Lianning headed for the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back as if he’d remembered something. “Does this drug have any side effects?”
“Why? Are you still worried about his health at this point?” Qi Zhen found this version of Lu Lianning unfamiliar.
Lu Lianning’s expression remained aloof, a cold smile appearing on his lips. “You’re overthinking it. I just don’t want to break him too soon. It’ll be no fun if he’s ruined too early.”
“Oh, Ah Ning, if you really want to tame him, you can’t go soft. If you don’t give him an unforgettable lesson upfront, he’ll keep scratching you with his claws. If you can’t bring yourself to be ruthless, you might as well let him go now.” Qi Zhen advised, “Even if you can tolerate it, Uncle Lu would never allow someone who could hurt you to stay by your side.”
Lu Lianning found his words amusing. “Can’t bring myself to be ruthless? You’ve known me long enough. He held a knife to my throat and was ready to kill me, and you think I’ll go soft?”
Lu Lianning had always been proud and willful, with a bad temper and a vengeful nature, even for the smallest grievance.
Qi Zhen, who had grown up with him, understood this better than anyone.
Seeing the mocking smile on Lu Lianning’s face, Qi Zhen replied, “I suppose I did overthink it.”
