Chapter 24 Part 1

As if intimidated by that voice, Luo Li couldn’t resist the fear and briefly opened his eyes.

He only caught a glimpse—a patch of dark gray fabric, and the congested purple-red organ throbbing menacingly right in front of him.

The young Western heir was clearly brimming with confidence about himself. And he had every reason to be; just that one look was enough to make the naive, innocent boy tremble all over.

Luo Li desperately averted his gaze, his damp eyes fixed on the ceiling, then on the hanging paintings and carpets—anything but look at him.

He was even more brazen and overt than Wado, standing less than half a meter away and forcing Luo Li to take notice.

Tears glistened at the corners of the boy’s eyes. Even with his eyelids tightly shut, Andrei would kiss them, lick his long, thick lashes, and then rub his scent into that pretty little pink nose.

Andrei knew he had seen it. The Eastern boy’s resistance set his blood boiling, his veins swelling with excitement. Luo Li didn’t need to do a thing—just a few soft sobs on that chair, and Andrei’s illness value would skyrocket.

As for whether Agamemnon would actually show up…

Who cared?

Andrei pinched the corner of Luo Li’s patient gown, the soft rustle of fabric against skin reaching his ears.

Luo Li didn’t dare open his eyes. He had no idea how much time passed before the young man’s scorching breath, mingled with ragged gasps, drew near as if to kiss him.

His large hand covered Luo Li’s flat belly, as if measuring something, followed by a low chuckle.

The patient gown slipped from his grasp, the hem brushing against the boy’s thighs, burning hot.

Then came a loud “Bang!”

The lights went out. The door burst open.

In the chaos, he seemed to hear Kang Xun’s voice: “Hey, Luo Li, where are you?”

Luo Li felt the ropes binding him loosen suddenly. He jumped off the chair in a panic. In the pitch darkness, he heard the messy sounds of fighting and struggling.

He wanted to find Kang Xun but feared Andrei would spot him first if he made a sound. As he hesitated, someone lightly patted the small of his back.

Luo Li tensed up, but he still couldn’t see who was behind him—and he didn’t dare respond.

Then, that person took his hand.

It felt like leather gloves, the cool, hard clasp brushing his fingertips. The gesture of holding hands was polite and restrained, like that of a steady elder.

Luo Li’s heart pounded wildly as the man led him out by the hand.

He could sense the man deliberately slowing his pace so he wouldn’t struggle to keep up. Though silent, Luo Li heard his even, low breathing and steady, resolute footsteps, which inexplicably put him at ease.

The moment they stepped out of Room 201, lightning flashed again. The light pierced the dim corridor, illuminating the man’s firm jawline.

Noticing Luo Li’s gaze, he paused just like last time and released his hand.

With his military cap brim pulled low, he was about to vanish into the darkness once more.

Luo Li’s heart was in turmoil. For some reason, sensing the man’s intent to leave filled him with overwhelming dread.

“W-Wait!”

His voice still carried a sob. “Y-You can’t leave!”

He had no idea how to deal with such a sinister, cunning player or this heart-pounding game.

If this man left again, he wouldn’t know what to do next at all.

It was all this guy’s fault.

He was the one who kept vanishing, abandoning him and causing all this trouble!

How could he just walk away?

Luo Li’s footsteps pitter-pattered as he tried to catch up, but an invisible barrier seemed to separate them, no matter how hard he chased.

Gasping for breath, Luo Li leaned against the wall, wiping away his tears with hiccuping sobs.

In the end, anger and grievance overwhelmed him. In a fit of desperation, he shouted at the man’s retreating back: “Daddy…!”

Beneath the lightning, the man’s footsteps halted.

But he didn’t turn around. Instead, there came a creak, like a door opening.

Luo Li rubbed his sore, red eyes and ran over.

By the time he arrived, the man was gone, leaving only a deep staircase leading to an unfamiliar place.

【Hidden Location: Top Floor (Unlocked)】

【Side Quest “Adoptive Father’s Secret” Received. Host may choose whether to explore the side quest. Note: Side quest completion does not affect final settlement success.】

Luo Li hesitated for a moment, then stepped onto the staircase before him.

~~~

A dim path led to a rusty iron door somewhere.

As Luo Li descended the stairs, a sharp disinfectant smell hit him from afar. The door, overgrown with withered vines, bore faded, corroded letters at the top.

“…Army Military… Laboratory…”

This was…

A government military laboratory?

Luo Li pushed the iron door open a crack. In the distance, he glimpsed various instruments and equipment, along with glowing blue refrigerated cabinets.

“What are you looking at?”

A low male voice came from behind. Luo Li shuddered and quickly hid his hands behind his back.

The man in military uniform stood under the shade of the trees, glancing at him from afar. “This way.”

He pointed to another path.

Luo Li followed behind, having to tilt his head up to see the man’s nape. The thick black greatcoat made him look exceptionally burly, like a majestic statue.

He was really intimidating…

Pushing open the final door revealed a terrace. Lush green vines climbed the transparent dome overhead, while a flower bed in the corner held red camellias on the verge of blooming.

Heavy rain drummed against the dome, filling the terrace with the sound of rain, yet it felt warm rather than lonely.

The floor-to-ceiling window to the left swung open on its own. Agamemnon turned around.

The boy’s long hair was a tangled mess, his face streaked like a dirty kitten’s, his legs filthy, and one button missing from his patient gown.

“Go take a bath. Then come out for dinner.”

Luo Li didn’t understand but obediently went anyway.

The bathroom had all the toiletries ready. Without overthinking, he turned on the hot water and soaked comfortably in the tub.

Only when he was about to get out did he realize he had no change of clothes.

Knock knock knock.

Someone rapped on the bathroom partition door. Through the fogged glass, the man’s tall silhouette took shape.

“Clothes.”

Luo Li cracked the door open and took the clothes from him. “Thank you…”

It was a set of crisp white loungewear, comfortable and perfectly fitted. When he stepped out dressed, he found Agamemnon still standing right outside the bathroom, gazing at him with lowered eyes.

Had he been standing there the whole time Luo Li was bathing?

The little boy wore shorts, half his smooth legs exposed, pink knees pressed together demurely. His hair wasn’t fully dry, the curly ends clinging to his slender neck, making his face look even smaller and more delicate.

“Why were you standing outside the whole time?”

Agamemnon reached out and wiped a water droplet from below his earlobe. “Did you want me to come inside?”

“Ah, no… I mean…”

For some reason, the words felt off.

Luo Li blushed a little, cleared his throat nonchalantly, and busied himself drying his hair with the towel.

After a bit, he glanced back and met Agamemnon’s gaze again.

The man said nothing, just watching him silently.

Luo Li hid half his face behind the towel, trying to ignore that stare. But as he looked up, he spotted a pink towel folded in the corner and felt something was wrong.

He picked up the pink one and compared it to the one in his hand.

Oh no.

He must have grabbed the wrong towel.

And he’d already used it to wipe his body…

“Um, I didn’t mean to. I grabbed the wrong one… I’ll wash it clean and give it back.”

“No need. Don’t wash it.”

Agamemnon stepped forward, grasping one end of the towel to dry his long hair. Luo Li closed his eyes, feeling warm breath on his forehead. Then, his waist was encircled in an embrace.

The soldier’s dark green eyes fixed on him intently, as if waiting for something.

Luo Li pursed his lips and ventured, “S-Sir?”

“Dean?”

Agamemnon’s straight brows furrowed subtly before relaxing.

“Let’s eat.”

Luo Li breathed a sigh of relief and carefully extricated himself from the embrace.

The table was laden with a feast: steaks sizzling with oil, bacon wrapped and drizzled with cheese, strawberries and mangoes diced and mixed with yogurt in pretty glass bowls. There were also nuts, pastries, and exquisite sashimi—delicacies Luo Li had never even seen before.

The boy’s eyes lit up. He licked his teeth, rolled up his sleeves, and dug in ravenously.

Agamemnon sat across from him, watching unwaveringly.

Luo Li ate with abandon. After some time, he lifted his misty eyes from the steam.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

The man crossed his hands. “I’m not hungry.” He paused, lips curving faintly. “Don’t worry, there’s no poison in the dinner. I’m just not hungry.”

Luo Li let out a small “oh.” Figuring Agamemnon had brought him to the top floor and wouldn’t bother harming him now, he relaxed and devoured everything on the table.

Agamemnon watched Luo Li finish his dinner, then pushed open the door to a bedroom. “Come on. I bought a new storybook. I’ll read it to you tonight.”

Ah…?

This bedroom…

Wasn’t this Agamemnon’s room?

Luo Li instinctively glanced at the room next door. The pink door—that had to be his own room.

“You haven’t slept in that room for ages,” Agamemnon said. “You told me you were afraid of the dark and wanted to sleep with me. Forgot already?”

Of course Luo Li had no memory of it. He hesitated for a moment before taking the hand Agamemnon extended to him.

Agamemnon shrugged off his outer coat and selected a book from the bookshelf. Then he wrapped an arm around Luo Li’s waist and drew him onto his lap.

Luo Li saw that it was a book of Greek myths.

He couldn’t help lifting his head. “Um, I’m already nineteen years old.”

He was far too old for bedtime stories.

Agamemnon lowered his dark green eyes. “Is that so?”

The disappointment in his gaze vanished in an instant. He set the book aside and smoothed Luo Li’s long hair at the nape of his neck. “No story, then. If you like it, you can read it yourself tomorrow morning.”

He patted Luo Li’s shoulder. “Sleep now, Lili.”

Luo Li sat there stunned for a moment. Even after settling beside the man on the bed, he still hadn’t quite grasped what was happening.

Agamemnon was nothing like the newspapers described. The reports painted him as a beast in human clothing, driven mad by lust—a monster who had adopted an enemy nation’s child captive not out of humanitarianism, but to satisfy his perverse desires.

Yet in reality, the man was so solemn he bordered on stuffy, like some ultra-conservative old father.

Luo Li even doubted that the person in the photo passionately kissing his adopted son was Agamemnon at all.

The boy leaned blankly against the headboard for a good while before finally lying back down. His slender back turned toward the man, his long hair slipping aside to reveal the pale, snowy curve of his neck.

Agamemnon propped himself on one elbow and watched. After a moment, Luo Li rolled over. His pointed little chin rested on the edge of the blanket, his thick lashes damp and tangled. Lying there on the bed, he looked just like a slightly larger doll.