Seven suddenly cried out, waking from the dream drenched in sweat. There was a figure sitting vaguely at the bedside. He sat up startled, only to hear the person say, “Don’t panic, it’s me, Andy.”

“You?”

“I was outside and heard you shouting. I thought something had happened!”

“What was I saying?”

Andy paused before replying, “You were asking why they didn’t kill you, and also…”

“And what else…” Seven’s voice was a bit hoarse.

“…and you said you love Rong Qing.”

“You must have heard wrong,” Seven replied as he turned on the bedside lamp. Andy noticed that Seven had already put on his glasses, though his face was streaked with wetness, indistinguishable as either sweat or tears.

“Right, maybe I did hear wrong,” Andy conceded. He raised his hand to pat Seven on the shoulder but withdrew it as Seven instinctively flinched. With a smile, Andy said, “You go back to sleep.”

He walked to the door, then turned back suddenly to say, “I’m sorry for what I said during dinner.”

In the dim light, or perhaps it was just his vision, Andy thought he saw Seven give a faint smile.

When they saw each other again the next morning, the tension that had previously marked their interactions seemed to have dissolved, and they greeted each other like old friends.

After breakfast, Seven asked, “How many years do you think I’ll get?”

Andy sighed, “Three to ten years. First, we need to prove that you were raped. If it can be proven, you’ll be released without charges. Unfortunately, your body has been cleaned, and the only evidence left is a trace of semen on your underwear.”

At this, noticing the disgusted look on Seven’s face, Andy spread his hands and added, “You’ll need to get used to it. If the prosecutor sees that these words disturb you, they will hammer you with them repeatedly!”

Seven smiled slightly and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t be so easily shaken.”

This was the second time Seven had smiled at Andy. Andy realized that Seven’s smile had a touch of innocence, as if it was only in those moments that one could remember he was just an underage boy—quiet, innocent, like someone you might see in a church choir.

Snapping back to reality, Andy continued, “As for you being Old Donald’s illegitimate son, I won’t mention it because bringing it up could easily make the jury think you intentionally wanted to harm the Sutherland family’s eldest son out of a deep-seated hatred because they abandoned you and your mother.”

“It was my mother who abandoned them,” Seven said coldly.

Andy shrugged, “Anyway, they won’t bring it up either, as it would be a huge scandal, and Donald would never want it made public.”

Seven nodded, “I understand, so the best I can hope for is three years…”

Andy smiled and said, “Three years… but it’s still worth it to trade for that bastard’s dick. Seven, you’re really something. One shot blew his balls off—lucky for him. Otherwise, sitting in prison for three years just for his leg wouldn’t have been worth it.”

Seven replied indifferently, “I shot from very close range, there was no chance I’d hit his thigh.”

Andy paused, then burst into laughter, My God, what was I thinking about, a choir boy?

With a humorous tone, Andy asked, “Seven, do you believe in God?”

Seven glanced at him through his glasses and said, “I can’t even trust the people I see, how could I believe in an invisible God.”

Andy raised his hands in a surrender gesture and said, “Alright then!” He pulled out an application form and continued, “This will be the prison where you serve your sentence. The court will have two options: one is to serve your time in the Virgin Islands where the crime was committed, and the other is to let you return to your birthplace, Miami, to serve your sentence. Since you’re a minor, the court will surely agree to your request. I suggest you’d better go back to Florida to serve your sentence.”

Seven took the application form and said, “Can I think about it?”

Andy looked at him and sighed, “Of course.”

They went over every detail again and again, thoroughly considering where the prosecutor might find a breakthrough.

Until the end of the morning, they finally took a break. Seven sat on the terrace watching the sunset over the sea.

Andy filtered through all the documents inside, confident that this case, which was clearly a rape case, posed no challenge. He poured two glasses of red wine and walked to the terrace, smiling as he handed one to Seven, “Going to a juvenile correctional school, you can still attend classes there. Three years will pass quickly, and then you can return to Austria to continue your studies. Let’s celebrate for now!”

Seven’s gaze fell on the deep red wine, and he seemed to hear that person’s voice again, “Have a drink to celebrate, Xiao Qi.”

Long fingers, the same deep red wine—they seemed to still be swaying before his eyes. He asked, “Celebrate what?”

With a slight smile, Rong Qing said, “You’ll know soon enough.”

At that moment, his heart was pounding; he drank the wine in one gulp, overwhelmed by a feeling of complete surrender.

Seven looked up at Andy and said, “No, I don’t want to drink.”

Andy shrugged as his phone rang. He set his wine glass down on the terrace and went to answer it. The voice on the other end was soft yet immediately gripped one’s attention, saying, “Come outside.”

Glancing at Seven, who was still gazing at the sea, Andy walked out and entered the presidential suite next door where he met Rong Qing.

He was dressed casually in a black shirt, sitting leisurely in a European-style chair with a cup of tea in his hand. The air was filled with the faint aroma of green tea, which seemed to suit the scholarly vibe of Rong Qing as he appeared to be waiting leisurely for his old friend.

“Daniel…” Although Rong Qing’s expression was always polite, years of intuition suddenly made Andy feel uneasy.

“Has he signed it?” Rong Qing asked quietly, gazing at the floral cup in his hands.

“What?” Andy was momentarily taken aback, then said, “The prison choice form? He said… he wants to think about it.” His tone was somewhat dismissive, but Rong Qing didn’t react, only nodding before asking, “I heard you found new evidence?”

Relieved by Rong Qing’s relaxed tone, Andy walked over and chuckled, “A blatantly obvious piece of evidence.”

“Let’s hear it,” Rong Qing said with a smile, setting down his teacup.

“Do you remember the shoes under Seven’s feet?”

Rong Qing smiled faintly, “The limited edition PUMAs, I bought those.”

“Exactly! The day before the incident, Seven wore them to the beach, right? And he accidentally got the soles wet.”

Rong Qing slightly lowered his eyelids, “There was such an incident.”

“Here’s where the problem lies. When the crime unit investigated, they didn’t find any wet shoe prints from those shoes anywhere in the villa, but they found these shoes in Kiefer’s bedroom. What does this tell us…” Andy snapped his fingers excitedly, “Clearly, he was carried or lifted into the room, he was held hostage.”

Rong Qing lifted his head and smiled. “Did you manage to get that piece of evidence?”

Andy handed a folder to Rong Qing and, with a laugh, picked up a glass of wine, saying, “It’s very clear. The Virgin Islands really are a haven for the wealthy, even a small police station uses such high-end cameras.”

As Rong Qing flipped through the documents, Andy commented, “If Seven had walked in by himself, there would definitely be more than just one place with traces of that PUMA print, right?”

“Exactly!” Rong Qing responded, reaching out to take a matchbox from beside the crystal ashtray.

Andy’s expression changed as he involuntarily set down his wine and asked, “Daniel, what are you planning to do?”

Rong Qing’s smile turned slightly menacing as he said lightly, “He won’t sign the prison transfer application. I know him too well.” He added with a smile, “So, let him serve ten years. Whether he endures torture here or goes back to Florida, you’ll need to explain that to him.”

A green match was taken out and struck lightly; the flame quickly engulfed a corner of a photograph.

Andy reflexively stood up, but a bodyguard pressed him back into his chair. He watched helplessly as those steady hands nonchalantly destroyed an important piece of evidence, turning it all to ash. The pristine crystal ashtray was now stained black.

Slowly lifting his head, Andy looked at Rong Qing and said, “Daniel, is this also part of your revenge, or has it exceeded your original plans? Your angel is dead. Isn’t the price Seven has paid enough to assuage the grudge in your heart?”

This accusation seemed to touch a raw nerve in Rong Qing, who suddenly looked up and declared, “Not enough! His entire lifetime wouldn’t be enough to settle the debt!”

Andy glanced up at the sky, let out a laugh, and said, “How do you want him to compensate you? By working in one of your prison factories, painting license plates, ironing sheets, and calling someone ‘Boss’ every time he eats or uses the bathroom? Serving his sentence under your watchful eye? I’ve always admired you. Back in the Cheetah Training Squad, we were taught to separate emotions from the physical, and you were the best at it. That’s why you’re the boss. You were born that way, you are now, and you always will be.

“But Daniel, there is one emotion you can’t completely separate from the physical. Once it takes root, it becomes part of your blood, your very being. Daniel, have you ever heard of the word ‘love’? If you don’t believe me, just think about Seven and see if some part of you, deep in your heart or your gut, doesn’t hurt just a little.”

Andy shoved the bodyguard’s hand away and stormed out of the room. Once outside, he punched the wall hard and cursed, “Shit!”

He entered his own room, opened the door, and was about to speak when he saw Seven suddenly stand up. Andy had interacted with Seven many times, but he had never seen such an expression on his face before.

Andy turned his head sharply and saw Rong Qing standing right behind him.

“Daniel, you…” Andy started softly.

Rong Qing walked past him and sat down in front of Seven. “Xiao Qi, can we talk?”

Seven’s face was as pale as paper, but his tone was steady as he replied, “What is there left for us to talk about?”

Rong Qing looked at his own hands and said, “Xiao Qi, if I told you that as long as you sign the prison transfer form, we could… call it even?”

“Call it even?” Seven sounded as if he had just heard a very funny joke. He seemed to calm down all of a sudden, his face no longer pale. In a quiet voice, he said, “In your eyes, compared to your angel, I’m nothing but trash. But have you ever thought that trash doesn’t want to stand on the same level as an angel? I don’t care about making things even with you. I just want to have nothing to do with you anymore. I told you, I don’t want to see you again.”

Rong Qing was silent for a long time before letting out a mocking laugh. “What’s this? Only now you’ve gained some self-awareness, realizing you’re nothing but trash? Then what was all that shameless fawning over me before? Your tuition fees, painstakingly conned from the hands of countless men, and yet, with just one phone call, you dropped everything from your prestigious school and ran to the Caribbean. That night, you drank one glass after another, wasn’t it just so you could crawl into my bed?”

Andy shouted, “That’s enough, Daniel! Do you even realize what you’re saying?”

“Look at you. In just one day and night, you’ve managed to tame this cold-hearted man who values money above all else. I must admit, you have a certain talent for this.” Rong Qing calmly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and smiled. “Maybe I should fulfill your wish before you head to prison. Get out, Andy!”

Seven’s face suddenly changed. He pushed back his chair and tried to run to the terrace, but a bodyguard caught him by the waist.

Andy tried to rush forward but was blocked by two other bodyguards. Rong Qing let out a laugh and said, “If you don’t want to leave, that’s fine. Stay and watch.”

Standing in front of the struggling Seven, Rong Qing suddenly struck him across the face. The slap sent Seven’s glasses flying and knocked him unconscious. The bodyguard released him, and Seven collapsed limply into Rong Qing’s arms.

“Daniel, you’re insane. You don’t do things like this,” Andy shouted as he struggled against the guards.

Rong Qing sneered. “Don’t you understand? No matter how tame a wolf appears, it’s still a wolf. And no matter how fierce a sheep pretends to be, it’s still a sheep. As a sheep, you must follow the laws of the food chain.”

A bodyguard placed a stack of documents on the table, and a man who appeared to be a government official quickly signed Seven’s name on them.

Seven had regained consciousness by then. He slowly lifted his head, and Andy finally noticed how strikingly beautiful his face was. It was a classic Eastern visage, with delicate yet distinct features. Unlike the sharpness of European contours, his lines were soft and gentle, giving the illusion of someone who could be easily conquered.

Seven lay in Rong Qing’s arms, panting softly as he stared at the forged signature on the document. Rong Qing smirked and said, “This guy here is a handwriting expert. For the past three months, he hasn’t done a damn thing except mastering your handwriting. Let me tell you, even if this document were sent to any forensic lab, no one would dare say it’s not your signature.”

He grabbed Seven’s fingers and forcefully pressed them onto the document.

Andy wiped the sweat off his brow and cursed under his breath, “Shit.” He couldn’t believe where his thoughts had gone. He had actually thought Rong Qing was about to rape Seven. The realization of how much that idea had shaken him left him drenched in sweat.

Rong Qing half-carried and half-shoved Seven onto the bed, sneering as he leaned in close, “This afternoon, I’ll get an eye specialist to check your vision. You’d better be grateful I haven’t declared, ‘The game is over,’ just yet.”

Just as quickly as he arrived, Rong Qing left the room. Andy let out a long breath, picked up Seven’s glasses, and helped him sit up.

Seven slowly opened his eyes, and Andy froze. His irises weren’t the usual black of an Asian; they were a deep, murky green. At first glance, they appeared pitch black, but under closer inspection, the green shimmered through, pulling you in like quicksand.

When his gaze lowered, Seven looked calm and soft, like any other pretty boy. But when his eyes met yours, he had the air of a saint—untouchable and pure. Yet something about him would drag you straight to hell, turning you into Lucifer himself.

“Let me tell you something,” Andy said, his voice rough. “Florida’s juvenile detention center may still be a CCA-run shithole, but it’s a far cry from the nightmare of the Virgin Islands. Mammon is fucking hell.” Seven didn’t say a word. He took his glasses, slipped them back on, and remained eerily composed.

——-

Note: The Correction Corporation of America (CCA) is a privately operated prison system created due to the overwhelming number of criminals in the United States, which made it too costly for the government to manage.