2: Pearl Throat

Title comes from the characters’ names. Zhu(-珠) pearl and Hou(喉) – throat. Also the ML’s brother’s name Yan(咽) – throat

Shen Cizhu met Xie Hou a year ago.

On that day, he returned to the imperial capital from the United States for a marriage union with the eldest daughter of the Sheng family.

S District, a Catholic church.

The Baroque-style building was wrapped in gilded exteriors, and rose spires pierced the snowy clouds, like numerous bloody blades of judgment ruthlessly shattering the sunlight.

White doves skimmed the sky, resembling hymns sprinkled upon the world.

The grandeur of Shen-Sheng engagement was overwhelming, and the news had spread throughout the business world, seizing domestic and international headlines. Countless media outlets sought to report it but were left out in the cold.

As the main door was pushed open, children with flower baskets sang innocent hymns.

Shen Cizhu entered. His long hair was loosely tied, and he wore a slight smile in a suit and leather shoes, showing no sign of a powerful figure.

The play of light and shadow in the church shimmered, dancing upon Shen Cizhu as if divine grace was upon him.

A man of excessively gentle beauty.

Even if every inch of his exposed skin was scrutinized, he showed no signs of anger. He patiently responded to the flattering comments and questions from the dignitaries present.

He possessed a deadly attraction to those in power, easily igniting the predatory and possessive instincts of males. He seemed oblivious to this, engaging with these people with patience.

As he spoke, his throat made a subtle movement. The remaining skin was completely hidden by his suit, and the buttons on his shirt were fastened to the very top. Raised under his mother’s aristocratic influence, Shen Cizhu naturally exuded elegance.

Only his neck remained exposed, and for a moment, the predators surrounded him, danger lurking at every turn.

“Cizhu, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen you. We’ve missed you a lot, especially that little guy from the Zhou family. If his mother hadn’t fought to stop him, he might have left for the United States long ago,” a young man sitting next to Shen Cizhu playfully asked, “Are you meeting him tonight? Bring us along, let’s have some fun together in the evening.”

Evening.

Together.

Play, something fun?

As the welcoming young lady held a signing registry and made her way from the entrance to the backstage, she couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Shen Cizhu. Her heart raced, full of worry, afraid that Shen Cizhu might agree.

…This kind of invitation had an overly lascivious undertone. Even someone like her, who had just entered society, understood its implications.

As her gaze swept over, Shen Cizhu sat at the center of the front row on the right. He was surrounded by a group of men in suits and leather shoes. Some offered him a Marlboro cigarette, while others handed him an S.T. Dupont lighter.

“Sorry,” Shen Cizhu raised his hand, smiled gently, and used the back of his black leather-gloved hand to push the cigarette away, avoiding any skin contact with the person.

His upper arm briefly revealed a muscular outline from his sleeve cuff due to his motion, appearing cold, pale, and lean, with a hidden strength.

“My younger brother doesn’t like the smell of smoke, and today is his wedding day. As his older brother, I should set an example.”

The person who offered the cigarette reluctantly took it back and sighed, “Cizhu, you’re always so kind. Shen *Lao’er is nothing more than a bastard born out of wedlock. Your father doesn’t even care for him. Why do you care so much? You’ve kept him by your side with your own hands. You have no idea how jealous I am…”

*老二(Lao’er) – the second eldest child

Someone chimed in, “Yeah, you haven’t been back to the country in a year. This time, you’ve come all the way back for his wedding.”

“What’s so interesting about the wedding of a bastard’s son? If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have come.”

The person in the back seat lazily extended his arm forward and said, “Did you personally buy the decorations for this church? Cizhu, you’re really too good to your little brother.”

“He’s my only brother. Naturally, I want to be good to him,” Shen Cizhu replied with a smiling expression.

The welcoming young lady was still watching from backstage.

Mr. Shen, at twenty-five years old, had a rich and striking beauty, thanks to his French-Chinese heritage, which endowed him with profound and vibrant bone structure. His skin was fair and delicate, akin to the luxurious porcelain glaze used in paintings. His facial features leaned more towards the East, with deep and fine eyebrows and an elegant nose bridge.

His jet-black long hair hung loose, creating a stark contrast against the white suit. His emerald green eyes and rosy lips added to his allure. His white teeth were only slightly visible between his parted lips, exuding an aristocratic and refined charm. Yet, this skin was now half-revealed, making it thrilling.

The only feature that appeared slightly fierce was his eye shape. His dark lashes framed the cold whites of his eyes, resembling the raised tail of a snake in his narrow and thin emerald irises. There was a subtle glint of cold light, and the area below his lower eyelids displayed a rosy pink.

There was a red mole right below his pupils, giving off a vivid impression.

Incredibly beautiful to the point of being unsettling… It simply didn’t look like the appearance a human should have. Instead, it resembled—

A snake.

That’s what the welcoming young lady thought.

Perhaps her prying was too obvious, as Shen Cizhu slowly glanced over, through the gaps between various religious icons, locking eyes with her.

There was no emotion in his eyes. He tilted his head, and the tenderness he had shown in front of everyone disappeared. He became distant and focused, like he was preparing for a hunt, overseeing the entire room from a position of authority.

Her legs suddenly turned weak, and she slumped to the ground, her face as pale as paper.

“Are you okay? Why are you sitting here?” She was helped up by someone.

It was the groom of today’s wedding.

Shen Cizhu’s half-brother.

“Oh, it’s okay, thank you,” the welcoming young lady expressed her gratitude repeatedly to the groom and quickly returned to the backstage with her registry book.

I see, she suddenly realized.

So, Mr. Shen wasn’t looking at me earlier.

After the groom took the stage, Shen Cizhu finally withdrew his gaze.

He turned his head to look at the entrance, murmuring, “It’s about to start.”

The conversation among the people gradually quieted down, and the children in their mothers’ arms looked up, anticipating because the wedding was officially beginning.

The church doors opened alongside the soft singing of the holy choir.

Innocent flower children came in, showering white roses on the red carpet. The bride, walking slowly, carried an elegance and grace unique to upper-class girls.

She held onto her father’s arm, her slender neck slightly lowered, and her pure white veil was filled with the joy of happiness.

The priest stood on the wedding platform, opening the Bible, and with a raspy voice, he recited the words, blessing the couple with a blessing and a sense of calmness. The elderly English accent conveyed a sense of sanctity.

As the wedding march played, the bride and her father slowly walked to the front of the wedding platform and stopped.

The groom approached and lifted the bride’s veil. The bride looked at him with joy, and he kissed her on the cheek.

The entire room erupted in cheers for a moment.

The priest blessed the newlyweds.

When the bride, teary-eyed with happiness, said, “I do,” a downpour of ancient Roman roses cascaded from the multicolored stained glass windows, and her snow-white veil was weighed down by the roses.

Swoosh.

A gust of wind swept through the dome, and the petals scattered like paper.

Such a beautiful and romantic scene. The bride gazed at it with happiness in her eyes as she watched her groom slip the ring onto her finger.

Creak… Crunch…

A sound came from above the bride’s head, as if a glass plate was vibrating and opening up a crack.

Curiously, she looked up.

Indeed, that glass panel had a crack, and from the pitch-black hole, there was the sound of flowing water. Then, water dripped down from the hole.

Drip… Drip.

A drop of something watery fell on the bride’s nose.

This drop of liquid slowly flowed from her nose to her lips, entering her mouth, and she uncontrollably tasted the taste of blood.

The strong smell of blood was still fresh, as if it had just been cut from flesh and started to flow.

Inside her throat, it felt scorching, expanding, and then contracting intensely. Even though this was all in her mind, she was terrified, almost fainting, in agonizing collapse.

“Ahh!” The bride let out a chilling scream. “Blood! It’s blood!”

Her snow-white wedding dress was covered in crimson. She covered her head, crouched down, and shouted, “Murder!”

The groom hesitated for a moment and then hurried over to shield the bride.

At this moment, thick blood suddenly poured down from the ceiling, along with some fleshy, extremely sticky substance, falling to the ground like animal eyeballs.

It wasn’t just the bride and groom; the entire wedding platform was covered in blood. People screamed and stood up, retreating.

Squelching sounds filled the air as the eyeballs and blood were crushed beneath high heels and leather shoes, releasing a foul odor.

Children in the arms of their parents began to cry, saying, “There’s a monster, Mom… there’s a monster…”

Panic and chaos ensued.

Both the bride and groom were soaked in blood, and the eyeballs on the ground were drenched in animal blood. The bride continued to scream.

As she was about to pass out, all she could see were the saintly figures beneath towering spires, gazing down at her with eyes full of pity and compassion, with blood oozing from the corners of their lips.

“Ah! Help! Help! Cough, cough… Help!” The bride cried out to the groom for help.

“Don’t be afraid. Don’t be scared… This is all fake, not real blood… Those eyeballs are not real… Someone is intentionally sabotaging the wedding…” The groom held the bride and led her down from the platform. He took off his coat and draped it over the bride’s head. His forehead was covered in sweat, and he shouted, “Doctor! Get a doctor!”

Guests in the wedding seats retreated, and private bodyguards and medical personnel quickly entered.

Plap.

Shen Cizhu’s black leather shoes lightly crushed one of the “eyeballs.” The curve of his well-pressed pants was revealed as he bent over, exposing a hint of his socked calf, which was slender and sensual, highly seductive.

With his gloved hand, he picked up the crushed “eyeball” and examined it closely. It was already beyond recognition and wobbled smoothly in his palm.

There was a bit of “blood” on Shen Cizhu’s cheek, but he didn’t seem to mind. However, the man next to him noticed it and shielded Shen Cizhu. A waiter was cleaning the floor in front of him. The man picked up a cloth and wiped Shen Cizhu’s cheek.

“Cizhu, throw this eyeball away; it’s too disgusting,” the man hurriedly said.

“It’s fine,” Shen Cizhu shook his head. He closed his palms, and his eyelashes dropped with his gaze, concealing his eyes. To others, he appeared to be frightened.

A few strands of his hair fell onto his face, making him look quite fragile.

Yes, that’s it. The man thought that Shen Cizhu was nurtured by the Shen family among the upper echelons of society. He couldn’t be harmed due to his good family background and beauty, so it was normal for him to seem so innocent and timid. Perhaps this is the first time he’s seen such a bloody scene… Poor guy.

The man was about to say something more, but to his surprise, Shen Cizhu slowly walked toward the door.

Behind Shen Cizhu was the hall, and there was still plenty of “blood” that hadn’t been cleaned up. Even the most advanced cleaning robots couldn’t handle it.

The blood had smeared the pristine white floor.

Inside this human inferno, the priest held the Bible with a pale face, muttering and reciting Jesus’s words, imploring divine mercy and salvation.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.”

“Don’t be troubled or afraid.”

When Shen Cizhu heard the priest say this, he stopped in his tracks, turned his head slightly, and looked at the church.

[I give you something different from what the world gives.]

Ah.

What I give.

Is sin.

Unfortunately, the heavens have gone completely dark, hiding this place under a shroud of pitch-black shadows, a place where even the divine cannot peer.

Swallowing the eye that the deity directed at me.

And so, all sins are thoroughly judged and forgiven.

My dear brother, why did you betray the Shen family?

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have staged this bloody spectacle for you.

Happy wedding to the couple.

TN:
Well damn these two have very extreme meanings of “happy”. Also Vicenzo anyone?