15: Murder

Xie Hou carelessly threw the Rubik’s Cube he held to the ground. This expensive cube, his own hand-crafted international competition-grade one, had developed a crack, and its parts scattered across the floor.

He remained completely unfazed, showing no emotion. It was as if he were a character from a sci-fi movie, created by neuroscientists to be the perfect specimen, allowing him to approach any situation with the utmost rationality and ensure he would never lose control.

Shen Cizhu continued his mutterings.

“Xie Yan said that men can’t do it with each other because men don’t have that thing that women do. It’s strange, there’s nothing there for men. So why would two men want to be in love?” Shen Cizhu’s voice was soft. “It’s like there’s no point to it.”

Xie Hou watched him in silence, his gaze somewhat detached.

Shen Cizhu was far from sober this night. His mind and body seemed to be drenched in alcohol and sickness, burning and dangerous.

Every word he uttered, every breath he took, was dripping with an unrestrained seduction aimed at ensnaring Xie Hou.

“This isn’t something a sick person should be thinking about,” Xie Hou said, unperturbed. He held Shen Cizhu’s delicate chin, even as Shen Cizhu continued to trace his wrist bone with a tongue scorched by the cigarette burn.

“Shen Cizhu, don’t cross the line tonight,” he warned.

“This isn’t crossing the line; it’s called treatment, do you know?” Shen Cizhu replied with a wicked smile, his green eyes sparkling. “When a snake is sick, it will swallow a little bird whole.”

He made it quite clear that the bird in question was Xie Hou. The undertones of his words were rather licentious, making it hard to determine if Shen Cizhu was genuinely naive or utterly shameless.

“Shen Cizhu,” Xie Hou said, lowering his eyes. In the moonlight, his straight, cold bridge of the nose appeared striking. “I’ve said—”

His words paused abruptly as Shen Cizhu’s head tilted slightly. If it weren’t for Xie Hou holding his chin, Shen Cizhu would have tumbled to the ground due to his unstable posture.

He closed his eyes, long hair obscuring his flushed cheeks, his warm breath gently wafting onto Xie Hou’s cold chest.

The cigarette had fallen to the floor, and the last ember was extinguished beneath Xie Hou’s foot.

Shen Cizhu’s body appeared fragile, but he seemed to engage in extreme physical activities regularly, challenging his already broken and ailing body. Even a small amount of red wine was enough to make him lose control and experience a mild fever.

Was this what his brother called protection? After ten years, this is what protection had become?

Arrogant, hypocritical, and mostly a form of madness that aimed to lead those around him to hell.

Xie Hou helped Shen Cizhu onto the bed. Even though Shen Cizhu had now completely lost consciousness, not pretending to be asleep, Xie Hou still maintained some distance from him, as if he were an upright gentleman.

Xie Hou disinfected his fingers with an alcohol swab, put on a pair of sterile latex gloves, ensured that everything was done correctly, and then slightly leaned over, using two long, cold fingers to part Shen Cizhu’s lips.

These lips were soft and thin, reddened by his illness, and Shen Cizhu’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. The tip of his tongue had been burned by his own cigarette and was slightly swollen. Xie Hou lightly touched it with an incredibly gentle touch, causing Shen Cizhu’s legs to tremble and tears to flow from his eyes due to the pain.

Look at how fragile he is.

Xie Hou got up and went to the living room to fetch two anti-inflammatory pills in capsule form. He then poured a glass of warm water. Just like when Shen Cizhu had fallen asleep on the couch earlier and had been carried to the bedroom by Xie Hou, he had said he was thirsty at the time. Xie Hou had left a glass of warm water on the coffee table. When Shen Cizhu woke up, he had come out to drink it, like an animal searching for sustenance.

Regardless of Shen Cizhu’s motives, Xie Hou seemed to have no improper intentions. He remained excessively indifferent.

Xie Hou returned to the bedroom. Shen Cizhu was still sleeping soundly, his cheeks a visible rosy hue. The color had started to fade from the eyes up, becoming a rose-like shade near the tip of his nose.

He looked as though he had been drinking, well, he was drunk, to begin with.

“Take the medicine, my brother will take you back home tomorrow,” Xie Hou repeated as he put the gloves back on. He placed the capsule in Shen Cizhu’s mouth, but Shen Cizhu didn’t swallow.

“I won’t take it… It’s bitter,” Shen Cizhu turned his head in discomfort, letting the water and the capsule flow out of his mouth.

Xie Hou picked up the anti-inflammatory pill from the pillow and threw it into the trash can. He then fetched two more capsules. He had become somewhat stubborn, rigidly following the rules.

Shen Cizhu still refused to take the medicine. As Xie Hou placed the capsule in his mouth, the oval-shaped end accidentally touched his upper teeth. Softened by the water, the capsule broke, and the powder fell into Shen Cizhu’s throat, making him cough. The water also sprayed out, causing him great discomfort.

“It hurts… I won’t take it,” Shen Cizhu said in his semi-conscious state. Although he was seven years older than Xie Hou, he seemed surprisingly childish, refusing to take the medicine like a child.

He also seemed to be rejecting the lower-quality medicine, perhaps he had never taken such a cheap brand of medication.

On the third attempt at trying to administer the medicine, Shen Cizhu’s eyelids lifted halfway. His dilated pupils emitted a misty, amber light, and his eyes moved slightly as he gazed at Xie Hou.

Xie Hou was sitting on the edge of the bed, just a breath away from him.

However, he still couldn’t see clearly. Xie Hou’s cold, porcelain-like skin had turned into a honey-brown shade from prolonged exposure to the sun. The ink-like lines of his young, boyish shoulders had developed into strong, hormone-charged muscle contours. The cool and beautiful but emotionally distant phoenix eyes had transformed into gentle, watery, and slightly drooping puppy-like eyes.

Both of these pairs of eyes were the same amber color.

Shen Cizhu, unexpectedly, admitted his mistake. He lowered his gaze and pulled himself back under the covers. His shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and he experienced intermittent cold sensations along with his fever.

“Why did you make me take the medicine?” he mumbled in a low voice, almost complaining, “Xie Hou, the medicine is so bitter…”

In the past, when I was sick, there was always candy to eat, right? Every time I finished it, you’d smile and pat my head, saying how well-behaved I was. Why is it different now? Is it because we broke up, and I can’t get that special treatment anymore?

The medicine is so bitter.

Xie Hou appeared calm, but his forearm showed protruding veins. Young people were good at endurance and rationality. His palm still held the third attempt at medication that he hadn’t put into Shen Cizhu’s mouth.

He raised his hand, threw the medicine into the trash can, and crushed the capsule into powder with his ice-cold gaze. Just cheap and worthless trash, easily solved, easily obliterated.

All without Shen Cizhu’s knowledge.

Xie Hou placed a clean paper cup filled with warm water on the bedside table. After changing into a black T-shirt, he left the bedroom and went downstairs.

A short walk downstairs led to the 24-hour convenience store. The store was dimly lit, and even the clerk seemed half-asleep.

Despite the somewhat desolate location, it was still part of the imperial city. So, the convenience store had electronic announcements. When Xie Hou entered, the emotionless electronic voice welcomed him. The store clerk woke up immediately.

She sat behind the cash register, her gaze curious and somewhat cryptic as she watched the young man’s figure. This was the first time she had seen this customer.

The young man wore black shorts and had flawless, cold, pale skin. He was tall and aloof. Even at this late hour, he showed no signs of fatigue. His amber eyes were so transparent they seemed to reflect everything. All of this made him seem… a bit unusual.

He stood in the snack section, took a quick look, and picked out what he wanted—a box of candy from a somewhat high-end brand, it was hard candy.

But then he put it back and picked up another box of candy, this time soft candy.

When she rang up the purchase, her fingers danced on the keyboard, and she thought to herself: He doesn’t look like he belongs here at all. He doesn’t look like a commoner, so why is he here? Is he a newcomer? Maybe one of those fallen young masters who recently went bankrupt and doesn’t understand the hardships of ordinary people.

So she chimed in, “These candies are quite expensive, a waste of money. Why not get a cheaper box? They’re all sweets, edible, and there’s no real difference. Plus, eating candy so late at night isn’t good for your health, is it?”

“There’s a difference; *he can taste it,” Xie Hou replied.
*the term used here is for when the gender is unknown or unimportant

Cheap or not, he could taste it, and if he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t eat it.

Her?

“Is it for your girlfriend? She must be really delicate,” the store clerk understood and smiled, her eyes narrowed, “But don’t eat too much candy at night; it’s not good for your skin.”

Xie Hou originally had something to say, but he couldn’t be bothered to talk. He just showed the payment QR code to the cashier and didn’t take a bag, ready to leave.

Outside the store, a drunkard was staggering around late at night, humming an unknown folk song.

Once again, the emotionless electronic female voice said, “Welcome. Have a good day.” Xie Hou pushed the door open and entered the night.

As he walked deeper into the night, by the time he reached the building where he lived, the moonlight had become sparse, and the sounds of insects whispered. He paused, neither too fast nor too slow, sparing not a glance behind him.

“Since the day I moved here, you’ve been following me. Is it fun?” he said, not looking at the people behind him but keeping a knife in his palm.

These were the same people who had tried to frame him as a murderer at the Luoyue Club tonight, but they weren’t the real culprits; they were just following orders.

“If you keep following, I don’t mind really becoming a murderer. Want to try?” The knife in Xie Hou’s hand gleamed cold and sharp.

The people behind him clearly saw it. They backed off without making a sound.

Xie Hou put the knife away. In his hand, along with the cold blade, he had the candy he had prepared for Shen Cizhu.

In the imperial city, he could run into Shen Cizhu.

He had moved to the imperial city at his brother’s request. His brother wanted to protect him because his life had become too terrible.

But Xie Hou didn’t think it constituted a threat.

Whether it was his parents’ death, unknowingly becoming the guarantor for his mother’s exorbitant debts, being threatened by creditors day and night, or even being framed as a murderer tonight and pursued by the real killers.

He could handle it all.

“Go back and tell my biological father that I have no desire to claim the family name or ancestry,” Xie Hou said.

“This kind of threat won’t work on me.”

“I won’t succeed his family, and I won’t atone for his mother’s sins.”

When Xie Hou returned home, the bedroom light was still dimly lit in a warm yellow hue. He put the medicine capsule mixed with the soft candy into Shen Cizhu’s mouth, his palm supporting the back of Shen Cizhu’s head, and the rim of the paper cup against Shen Cizhu’s lips, allowing the water to flow in slowly.

After eating the candy, Shen Cizhu finally managed to swallow the medicine.

Despite still considering the candy as cheap in Shen Cizhu’s eyes, he still frowned and muttered something.

But he ate them, first one candy, and then he wanted a second.

Xie Hou fed him the candy through the latex gloves, his fingers gently pinching Xie Hou’s finger. Without the strength to open his eyes, he could only smell the candy like a cat and licked it slowly.

Over a long period, Shen Cizhu had turned the candy into a syrup, and he opened his mouth, swallowing Xie Hou’s finger, soaked in candy, directly.

After everything was over, Xie Hou tried to get up, but Shen Cizhu was too hot, and he held onto Xie Hou’s cold arm, preventing him from leaving.

So Xie Hou had to sit on the edge of the bed.

He didn’t get into bed, just sat there with his eyes closed, thinking about how he had brushed Shen Cizhu’s teeth tonight.

The sheets, pillows, and everything were a mess because of Shen Cizhu.

---

3 AM.

Shen Cizhu suddenly opened his eyes due to the approaching suffocation, a sensation he was quite familiar with. It was the indoor oxygen being gradually depleted from the outside inward, approaching zero.

If it reached zero and the room was completely sealed, throwing a fire inside would cause an oxygen explosion, resulting in devastating destruction.

“Xie Hou!” He still had a grip on Xie Hou’s arm, and he didn’t know why he was holding Xie Hou’s arm, why he was sleeping on Xie Hou’s bed, or why Xie Hou was just sitting on the edge of the bed.

But right now, he couldn’t worry about all of that.

Xie Hou calmly opened his eyes, as if he had already expected this.

Click.

The sound of a lighter being opened came from outside the door. Shen Cizhu was fully alert now, and he didn’t understand why he suddenly lost his drunkenness. Even the pain from the earlier fever had disappeared. He was about to get off the bed to open the window.

They couldn’t be left without oxygen.

But Xie Hou wrapped his arm around Shen Cizhu’s waist and directly covered his mouth and nose with his hand as they approached the window. Xie Hou breathed heavily in a low voice. As expected, the window was sealed shut.

Someone knocked on the front door of the rental apartment, then the sound of a lighter closing followed. The fire was about to come inside!

“Run,” Xie Hou said without emotion, and using his elbow, he smashed the glass by the window. His arm was now covered in fresh blood. He held Shen Cizhu’s waist, didn’t say a word, and jumped out the window!

It was no different from jumping off a building, even though it was only from the sixth floor. They still had a slim chance of survival if their heads didn’t hit the ground.

However, Xie Hou’s intention was not to make Shen Cizhu jump off a building.

There were no protective barriers or air conditioning units on the fifth-floor exterior. When Xie Hou landed safely on the edge of the house directly below their rented apartment, he shattered the balcony glass. The room inside this house was empty.

“Can you walk?” Xie Hou asked Shen Cizhu.

“Yeah,” Shen Cizhu breathed heavily and nodded.

Above them, there was a violent shaking, accompanied by the deafening roar of shattered glass!

The ceiling vibrated, and countless dust particles fell down.

Shen Cizhu’s vision blurred.

As they emerged into a pitch-black corridor, they didn’t have time to close the door of the room they just left. The raging flames burst out of the room and the massive debris and fragments from the sixth floor, where Xie Hou and Shen Cizhu had been moments earlier, followed suit. It was as if a fiery tongue was consuming everything.

Xie Hou raised his hand to cover Shen Cizhu’s ears.

—Boom!

The walls were blown apart, and a towering inferno erupted. It felt like an earthquake as the fire raged on, committing murder.

If Xie Hou hadn’t bought all the units on the fifth and sixth floors in advance, the residents living there would have perished alongside him.

This was Xie Hou’s father demonstrating his power to him.

TN:

New level of toxic father unlocked.