3: Disparity

Outside, unlike the bright church, the night had fallen, eerie and gloomy. Shen Cizhu’s skin was pale enough to make him appear even more dazzling in this darkness, as if he were naturally suited to the shadows.

In this completely different darkness from the well-lit church, in a moment when no one was closely examining, he shed his gentle facade entirely.

With an icy, self-destructive allure and a seductive quality reminiscent of hell, he remained elegant as he cast a brief, satisfied glance toward the center of the hall, where the groom, his younger brother, was anxiously consoling the bride.

He only gazed for a moment before withdrawing his attention.

The snake-like corners of his lips were moist and brilliantly tinged with crimson.

Shen Cizhu still held the crushed “eyeball” in his palm, which he didn’t dispose of until he left the church.

Outside, a misty drizzle had begun, but it didn’t have a chance to touch Shen Cizhu’s skin. The bodyguard who had been waiting outside with a black umbrella opened it silently behind him.

The tall bodyguard was impressive, standing at 6 feet 4 inches tall, fully covering Shen Cizhu with his imposing stature.

He was robust, silent, and handsome, with his dark skin complemented by a well-fitted suit. He held only one umbrella, diligently shielding Shen Cizhu, while he himself got drenched in the rain.

In the garden, the cobblestones glistened from the rain.

Shen Cizhu, inside the umbrella, could only catch glimpses of the bodyguard’s neck and the sharp, cold jawline through the dark umbrella canopy.

“Xie Yan?”

Initially, Shen Cizhu was a bit incredulous, slightly widening his eyes and speaking in a tone that felt unusually genuine, “How did you get here?”

Xie Yan didn’t respond.

“It’s been a year, won’t you talk to me?” Shen Cizhu tugged at Xie Yan’s suit collar and pulled him closer.

Xie Yan raised the umbrella before stepping under it to keep the raindrops from splattering onto Shen Cizhu.

Xie Yan remained silent, resembling a mechanical and stoic figure. He lowered his gaze to Shen Cizhu.

“I…” Xie Yan hesitated for a moment before saying, “The family head asked me to escort you back home.”

“Father sent you, and you came. What a loyal dog you are,” Shen Cizhu scoffed.

After Shen Cizhu got in the car, Xie Yan stood at the door’s edge. The shadow obscured Shen Cizhu, who took a cigarette from Xie Yan’s hand.

Xie Yan slowly moved closer with a lighter in his hand. Shen Cizhu held the cigarette between his lips, and as it ignited, the smoke enveloped him. Shen Cizhu exhaled a smoke ring onto Xie Yan’s face, then casually tossed the lighter.

Even for such an expensive lighter, Shen Cizhu only used it once and then discarded it. Xie Yan was the only useless and extremely cheap thing he had retained.

Bending over, Xie Yan used a handkerchief to wipe the blood and rainwater from Shen Cizhu’s shoes. After cleaning them, he returned to the driver’s seat.

Shen Cizhu gazed at Xie Yan through the rearview mirror, and his expression was one of disdain.

Contrary to his monstrous physique, Xie Yan had incredibly gentle eyes, soft like water, and the downturned corners of his eyes made him resemble a loyal German Shepherd to his owner. Regrettably, his loyalty was not for Shen Cizhu but for Shen Cizhu’s father.

Xie Yan was just one of his bodyguards, his ex-lover at most, who had come and gone.

On their way back to the Shen family estate, Shen Cizhu sat in the back and smoked. Every time he coughed from the smoke, Xie Yan would steal glances at him.

Shen Cizhu relished playing with Xie Yan’s emotions.

“Xie Yan,” Shen Cizhu, who had suddenly become very affectionate, moved from the back seat to the front seat, hooking his shoes onto Xie Yan’s trousers and inching them upwards.

“My father is going to kill me when I get home. Before that, can’t you say a few words to me? After all, you’re my bodyguard. Can’t you protect me just a little? Huh?” Shen Cizhu leaned against the window, a wicked glint in his snake-like eyes. He used his fingertip to press against his temple, displaying arrogance and rudeness as he teased Xie Yan, his ex-boyfriend and his personal bodyguard.

Xie Yan stopped the car at the side of the road, his chest heaving. He looked at Shen Cizhu with a concerned expression, remaining still for quite some time.

With his rough, warm hands, he seized Shen Cizhu’s ankle, rendering Shen Cizhu motionless.

The contrast between the black leather and the pale, cold skin was particularly provocative. Shen Cizhu didn’t resist but allowed Xie Yan to continue despite the transgression. His mood was exceptionally good tonight, and he could even tolerate such offenses.

“Do you know that you did something wrong today? You were too impulsive. Why did you do this? You knew he would surely punish you,” Xie Yan frowned, his pretense of silence giving way to a concerned tone. His eyes were filled with worry.

“And what’s the problem with that? You’ll handle everything for me,” Shen Cizhu casually replied.

“Zhuzhu,” Xie Yan sighed helplessly, then released Shen Cizhu’s ankle.

“Don’t call me that,” Shen Cizhu turned his face away.

“I… I can’t protect you forever. I’m older than you, and maybe I won’t be around tomorrow… You can’t keep acting this way. If I’m not around, will you hurt yourself? I’d be heartbroken,” Xie Yan didn’t look at Shen Cizhu, focusing on the dark road ahead.

The rain had stopped, and the moon had appeared, partially obscured by clouds, looking half-dead.

“You always do dangerous things, and I’m really worried about you,” Xie Yan’s voice grew softer, almost a mutter. “You care too much about your family and me. I’d rather you didn’t love me. If I were to die one day, what would you do?”

“F*ck you! Get lost…” Shen Cizhu suddenly sat up and punched Xie Yan fiercely. The punch was delivered with full force and split Xie Yan’s lip.

Shen Cizhu slammed Xie Yan against the car’s window with his punch. He straddled Xie Yan’s lap and leaned over him, his long black hair falling onto Xie Yan’s chest. His actions were tender yet cruel.

“You’re not allowed to die,” Shen Cizhu touched Xie Yan’s face.

This was not a banquet, not a public event. Shen Cizhu didn’t bother to maintain his gentlemanly facade. He roughly tore open his suit’s collar, revealing his pale collarbones. He was too hot, his mind was in turmoil.

“Xie Yan, you’re not allowed to die,” Shen Cizhu’s hand moved down, caressing Xie Yan’s heart, and he issued a warning, “If you dare to die, I’ll go dig up your grave, strip your skin, and turn your bones into a skeleton. Even in death, you’ll have to watch me make love to others.”

This was more about possession than love.

Xie Yan silently looked at him, like a large dog watching its vulnerable owner.

This gaze made Shen Cizhu nauseous.

“Next time you get angry, don’t take matters into your own hands, okay?” Xie Yan’s lip was still bleeding.

“It’s not your business,” Shen Cizhu tilted his chin and raised the corners of his eyes, saying, “You don’t matter to me now.”

“I’m still your bodyguard, and that will never change, Zhuzhu,” Xie Yan still preferred to call him Zhuzhu, the nickname that Shen Cizhu disliked hearing.

A year had passed, and Xie Yan was still as foolish and uninteresting as before.

“Does your wrist still hurt?” Xie Yan asked.

“You fool, I hit you, why aren’t you asking if you’re hurt?” Shen Cizhu mocked Xie Yan, with a slight curl of his lips.

Shen Cizhu had thick, black eyelashes that covered his emerald eyes, giving him a cold yet dazzling appearance. His long hair had completely disheveled when he was punching, and the red hairband dangled from Xie Yan’s fingers.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Xie Yan shook his head and gently held the hairband.

He had been raised by the Shen family for many years to be Shen Cizhu’s top bodyguard, and his physique was not something ordinary people could contend with. The punch had not harmed him, but Shen Cizhu’s knuckles had turned red.

Xie Yan embraced Shen Cizhu with one hand and quickly retrieved medication from the glove compartment with the other. “I’ll… I’ll apply the medicine for you.”

His hand was large, with a darker complexion, thin yet strong bones. The back of his hand had prominent blue veins, and his fingers were long and powerful. Over the years, he had performed many difficult tasks, which had roughened his hands.

These hands had protected Shen Cizhu from many situations.

The car fell into dead silence. Shen Cizhu turned away from Xie Yan, kicked open the car door, and grabbed the medicine, then snatched the hairband back from Xie Yan.

As he got out of the car, he tied the hairband tightly around his wrist, using it to forcibly calm the volatile genetic code that was causing him to nearly lose control due to the adrenaline rush.

He stood beneath a streetlight in the bicycle lane for a moment. His long hair fluttered in the wind, and his tall, slender figure, now just wearing a shirt and black leather vest, displayed beautiful lines. It was the end of April, and the night had already fallen.

The rain didn’t clear the clouds but instead caused them to gather thickly, shrouding the moon. The moon scattered silver light in fine fragments, illuminating the road, concealing countless vehicles that passed beneath it.

This was the Imperial City, the golden city where money flowed freely. Even in the deep of night, the high-rise buildings made it seem like daylight. Gazing upwards revealed a display of splendor, and Shen Cizhu’s shadow, bathed in moonlight, was mixed with the light from street lamps, making it difficult to see clearly.

Crackling.

Blood vessels and nerves began to burn again, crackling like electricity coursing through his body. Shen Cizhu’s expression remained unchanged, but he lowered his eyes, scanning from his brain to his heart.

The auditory hallucinations returned.

“If it weren’t for your face, he would never have known I was cheating! It’s all your fault!”

“Why aren’t you his son? Why?!”

The woman’s hysterical screams rang substantively in Shen Cizhu’s ears, and she unrelentingly strangled his neck, causing a splitting headache.

“The Shen family has never had a place for you. You’re just a sacrificial lamb,” the man from his memories was stingy with even a glance at Shen Cizhu.

The man sat in a high position, firmly gripping a cane with a snake’s head, his voice tinged with anticipation and disdain. “Cizhu, when my true son returns, the Shen family can cast you aside. Until then, you must protect everything that belongs to the Shen family…”

“Glorious and wealthy, none of it belongs to you.”

It was unbearable.

Shen Cizhu’s vision turned crimson, and he clutched his chest. His trembling fingers gripped the wall, and his lips, slightly parted, couldn’t control their restrained gasps. His breath was cold, and his damp eyelashes reddened his eyelids.

He was still hallucinating, with intense, high-pitched sounds, as if to force him to stay alert. In an attempt to maintain his clarity of mind, he tightened the rope on his wrist even further. His vision gradually dimmed, and the darkness seemed to be taking over this sea of whiteness. “Ha… it’s so noisy…”

Creak, crash.

Not far away, a cluster of palm trees trembled in the wind, their numerous dense branches and leaves looking like ghostly shadows. It was as if tortured souls were screaming after being scorched by a wildfire. The massive cloud formations grew increasingly lower, having already claimed their victory over the moon, and they rushed towards Shen Cizhu’s location, nearly submerging it.

Suppressed, suffocating, and with his head burning and screaming…

“Be careful.”

At this moment, someone was approaching from a distance. A bicycle bell rang out, its worn-out, hoarse friction mingling with the footsteps of nighttime passersby, coincidentally echoing the situation.

It was cold enough, bland enough, like handfuls of ice splintering and colliding on dark, bamboo leaves.

Shen Cizhu’s consciousness returned in an instant. His heart rate gradually stabilized, and a droplet of water slid from his nose to his neck.

He didn’t heed the warning to move aside, only raising his eyes to look at the newcomer.

An eighteen-year-old youth, dressed in a sleeveless black tank top, slowly pedaled his bicycle from a distant, shadowy path.

The young man’s voice was pure as snow, and his demeanor was as cool as the spring breeze.

Long, slender fingers rested on the bike’s handlebars. Within extremely close range of Shen Cizhu, the young man used his long legs to come to a halt and prevent the inertia-driven collision. His sports shoes made a soft scuffing sound as they touched the ground, and he kept his head slightly lowered, with his arms extended straight to support the bike.

Shen Cizhu stood in front of this person, looking down slightly. The auditory hallucinations had disappeared, replaced by the young man’s low, icy breath. Despite his composed and emotionless appearance, he was still young and didn’t want to cause an accident.

“Sorry, are you okay?” The young man’s arm was pressed against the handlebars, and he lightly used his hand to grip it, faint blue veins clearly visible on his hand’s back, resembling ink brushstrokes.

Then he lifted his head. His amber eyes moved from the bottom up, casting a faint gaze at Shen Cizhu. He had a pair of very standard phoenix-shaped eyes with thin, white eyelids and a slightly raised eye tail.

Utterly aloof, he appeared to be a young sexual anhedonia patient.

Shen Cizhu’s gaze lingered on the young man’s throat. There was a mole at the edge of his Adam’s apple, as alluring as blood.

Suddenly, Shen Cizhu felt a bit thirsty. His tongue passed over his lips, and he had the urge to lick that piece of neck.

The line of the neck was just too perfect, long and sensuous, almost glowing white in the darkness.

It would be perfect to have it bound by a red cord and slowly tightened. At that moment, as the five fingers gripped that part of the neck, one would feel the boiling heat of the blood pleading for mercy.

Absolutely exhilarating…

Shen Cizhu’s fingers closed slightly, his green pupils dilated, and he was filled with excitement and murderous intent that was not easily detected.

He wanted to kill him.

Shen Cizhu was that kind of madman. However, when he met this person’s gaze again, it was filled with warmth and concern.

“It’s all right.” Shen Cizhu developed a mischievous idea, his eyes slightly lowered. He shook his head apologetically and said, “I’m sorry. My failure to evade was what caused you trouble…”

While he sounded accommodating, his eyes were on the young man’s worn-out sneakers. There were signs of damage on the shoe’s surface due to the sudden stop.

The gap between them was too significant.

One in a well-tailored suit, gentle and alluring.

The other in old, plain clothes, cold and uncommunicative.

This person didn’t seem embarrassed or awkward when facing the wealthy, and his physical condition was excellent. Even when sitting on a bike, he didn’t show any signs of neglect. He looked like a young master from some family. However, he was too poor. Apart from his face, everything else about him showed visible signs of destitution.

“In the end, it was my fault. I’ll compensate you,” Shen Cizhu said sincerely.

“No need.” The young man once again pedaled the bike, his tone indifferent. “I have other things to attend to. I’ll be on my way.”

He was quite young but had a strange aloofness.

As they passed each other, Shen Cizhu smelled the scent on the young man’s body. It was as pure as frost and snow, the kind of scent that snakes loved the most. It was exceptionally clean, enough to trigger a snake’s shiver and appetite.

TN:
Okay wow. That’s disturbing😭.