No one brought up Xu Yan again.

Wen Xun continued to make me breakfast and heat up milk every morning, and he still came to pick me up from work. But when he tried to come into my room at night, I stopped him.

Looking at his gentle smile, my legs went weak. If he hadn’t seduced me that day, would I have ended up being the one on the bottom?

No way.

Absolutely not.

Wen Xun wasn’t upset when I rejected him. He just gave me a meaningful look before turning and heading back to his room.

Watching him walk away so decisively made me feel relieved, but at the same time, there was a strange sense of loss in my heart.

This inner conflict didn’t last long before I fell into the trap again.

“You… you’re cheating!”

Wen Xun, already my perfect type, had now put on fluffy dog ears and a collar. Who could resist that?

As if that wasn’t enough, he leaned in and gently nuzzled my cheek. Then, he placed the leash of the collar in my hand.

“Big brother, the little dog is hungry.

“Is that okay?”

I subconsciously swallowed hard, tightening my grip on the leash before pulling him close and kissing him fiercely.

It was a long, long night.

I didn’t know how long had passed, but my voice was hoarse when I finally cursed him, “Wen Xun, you really are a dog!”

“Woof.”

No matter what, our relationship was now fully established.

Once confirmed, Wen Xun became even clingier, especially when I went to see Xu Yan. He always wanted to tag along.

At first, I refused, but when his eyes instantly reddened and he looked at me with so much hurt, I gave in.

“Why won’t you take me with you? Do you think I’ll embarrass you because I’m deaf? Waaaah…

“Big brother, I’ve been with you since I was eighteen, you can’t abandon me now.

“If it comes down to it, I’ll even settle for being the ‘small one.’”

His words were becoming more and more absurd. He knew I was soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to hear things like that, yet he kept stabbing at my heart.

Knowing there was nothing inappropriate between Xu Yan and me, I finally agreed to let Wen Xun come along.

It was mostly about helping Xu Yan sort out some messy issues—spending money, spending more money, and spending even more money. Without external pressure, all Xu Yan had to focus on was preparing for his exams. Although he was suspicious of my intentions, he had no choice but to accept my help.

To make it seem legitimate, I even spun the system’s mission into a story about a dream. I told Xu Yan that helping him was my way of doing good deeds and hoping for a blessing for my leg.

Maybe because rich people tend to be a little superstitious, Xu Yan didn’t question it further, only saying he’d repay me someday.

Seeing Xu Yan’s redemption value reach 90%, I felt a sense of peace.

With both my love mission and rescue mission nearing success, I happily bought a bottle of red wine to celebrate when I got home.

But just as I was leaving the winery, I was stopped.

The person leading the group was an old man who claimed to be Wen Xun’s grandfather and said he wanted to take him home.

I frowned, recalling how injured Wen Xun had been when we first met. Back then, he had told me that if I sent him to the hospital, he would die.

He never explained what had happened, and I didn’t want to pry, but I knew his life hadn’t been easy.

Now, faced with the man who seemed responsible for his suffering, I didn’t want to engage. I said, “That depends on whether he wants to go,” and started to leave.

But then I froze.

The old man’s next words stopped me in my tracks: “You think we abused him? Mr. Bai, you’ve been deceived.”

I didn’t want to believe him, but my steps slowed.

The old man didn’t seem to care. He continued speaking: “You think Wen Xun is obedient and sweet? You’re too naive. Do you know why he was locked up in a mental hospital? He’s a lunatic. Those scars on his body? He inflicted them on himself.

“The burn mark on his collarbone? He did that too. He has a tendency to self-harm, and it’s even worse with other people. Don’t you wonder why you, someone who’s been disabled for so many years, suddenly managed to take over the company without a hitch? What happened to those relatives who were trying to sabotage you? Haven’t you ever wondered where they went?”

He paused before dropping the bomb: “And do you really think the day you found him near the hospital was the first time you two met?”

At that, I couldn’t move any further.

Even though the winery had air conditioning and it was warm, I suddenly felt cold, as if I had been submerged in icy water.

Wen Xun was always a little strange. Sometimes the way he looked at me or the things he said would send chills down my spine.

But I didn’t dare believe it.

I didn’t want to.

He had been so good to me—gentle, considerate, and perfect in every way. How could I doubt him?

Maybe I was overthinking it.

I kept reassuring myself, again and again.

Even so, I argued, “So what? No matter who he is, he’s never hurt me.

“I don’t care if he’s crazy, deaf, or normal. What matters is that his kindness to me is real. I won’t turn against him.”

Hearing this, the old man laughed softly.

He looked at me with a hint of pity in his eyes.

He said Wen Xun was a masterful actor.

He excelled at pretending to be pitiful to gain people’s trust, only to slowly destroy them once they were completely dependent on him.

“He hasn’t hurt you yet, but do you know why he approached you in the first place?

“Why did he just happen to meet you on that mountain road?

“I’m telling you, it was all planned. He’s known you for a long time—ten years, to be exact.

“You’re just a pawn in a madman’s game.”

With that, he tossed me a pack of photos.

They were all of me, at various ages.

It was obvious they had been taken secretly, with only my back or profile visible in most of them.

The feeling of being spied on for so many years sent shivers down my spine.

In that moment, I remembered what the system had told me from the very beginning: Wen Xun is the main antagonist. You can’t reform him.