Chapter 70: Heart-Manipulating Older Chaebol

Zheng Shiyan took a deep breath. In the end, he still cared about his dignity.

He couldn’t bring himself to admit that this kid had suddenly groped his chest out of nowhere, scaring him into shoving the boy away.

He simply schooled his features into a stern expression and grumped, “It was an accident.”

Because of Han Wu’s unique blood-clotting disorder, the doctor didn’t dare delay. He immediately had the medical staff wheel Han Wu into the operating room for emergency bandaging and a clotting factor injection.

Han Xu hurried along at his brother’s side, anxiously demanding to know what had happened.

Before the medical staff wheeled him away, Han Wu glanced back from afar at Zheng Shiyan, whose face had turned stormy.

“It wasn’t bullying.”

Only after hearing that did Han Xu relax slightly, though his gaze toward Zheng Shiyan remained laced with wariness.

By the time they finished treating the wound and returned, Zheng Shiyan had been forced to wait right there. He leaned against the wall, phone to his ear.

His long fingers drummed impatiently against the phone’s edge. He was clearly swamped with work and had already burned through what little patience he had for this place.

Yet when Han Wu came back, he displayed an unexpected stubbornness, flatly refusing hospitalization.

Zheng Shiyan arched a brow. “You don’t want to stay here?”

He’d assumed Han Wu just wanted to go home with his brother, so he waved a hand dismissively, leaving it for the brothers to decide.

But Han Wu’s pale eyes locked onto him with unwavering focus. In a calm, emotionless tone, he dropped a bombshell. “I want to go with you.”

Zheng Shiyan blinked. “…What?”

“Bro?” Han Xu sounded equally stunned, confusion thick in his voice.

Wasn’t his brother supposed to be closest to him?

Han Wu’s gaze stayed pinned on Zheng Shiyan. He repeated himself. “Take me to your house.”

The corner of Zheng Shiyan’s mouth twitched. A ridiculous feeling welled up inside him.

What was wrong with this kid?

“I don’t know what game you’re playing.”

His expression darkened. “But I don’t have time to humor you.”

Han Xu jumped in hurriedly. “Bro, what if your wound starts bleeding again? It’s safer here.”

Zheng Shiyan nodded in agreement. “Besides, I’m not going to babysit you.”

Even after the rejection, Han Wu stubbornly tried to follow Zheng Shiyan anyway—only for the nearby medical staff to intercept him in time.

Zheng Shiyan wasted no more time. He grabbed Han Xu and left the hospital at once to procure the tools they’d need to capture the merman.

He’d originally planned to film the entire operation, but Han Xu insisted they could only do it at night.

“That’s going to be a hassle. Are we supposed to work by floodlights?” Zheng Shiyan objected.

“No lights,” Han Xu replied without hesitation.

Zheng Shiyan eyed him. “Mermen fear light?”

Han Xu froze.

He’d instinctively assumed as much. But more importantly…

“We absolutely cannot let the villagers see us. They can’t know we’re hunting for a merman!”

“Then how do we even get a boat in there?”

Han Xu shook his head. “We don’t need anything big. Ordinary fishing boats will do just fine there.”

Zheng Shiyan disagreed inwardly. If you could just putter around the shallows in a fishing boat and snag a merman, the secret would’ve been common knowledge ages ago. Why else would he have gone to all this trouble to track down Han Xu?

He suspected they’d need something far more advanced, like a submersible. But for the moment, he decided to play along with Han Xu’s plan.

He also had a sharp hunch that the villagers knew far more about mermen than they let on.

They were on their way to buy equipment suited for nighttime filming when the hospital called again.

The doctor sounded exasperated as he explained that Han Wu was being completely uncooperative with treatment. The boy kept demanding to see Zheng Shiyan.

“What the hell?” Zheng Shiyan rubbed his throbbing temple, his patience fraying to the breaking point.

In the end, he told the doctor to hand the phone to Han Wu.

There was a long silence on the line, broken only by faint breathing.

Zheng Shiyan waited a few seconds before recalling the pale youth’s name. “Han Wu?”

The moment he realized who it was, Han Wu’s voice came through—clear and utterly stubborn. “I want to see you.”

“…”

“I don’t want to stay in the hospital.”

His tone was perfectly level, as if he were commenting on the weather. The demand, however, was a total headache.

“I want to live at your house.”

Zheng Shiyan drew in a deep breath, his temples pulsing.

“Kid,” he said deliberately, “you’ve got the wrong idea about me.”

He wasn’t some pushover saint who granted every wish.

But right then, a burst of frantic commotion erupted on the line, along with the medical staff’s panicked shouts. “Quick! Clear the room of anything sharp! Hold him down!”

“Mr. Zheng,” the doctor said, “the patient’s showing self-harm tendencies. We can’t keep him under control. You might want to consider transferring him to a larger hospital.”

“…”

Psycho.

Zheng Shiyan’s eyes flicked to Han Xu, who was nearby holding a map and discussing search parameters with someone. He hadn’t overheard yet.

Zheng Shiyan took a steadying breath and tamped down his irritation. Into the phone, he murmured, “Fine. Have him sit tight. I’ll be there shortly.”

He had no choice but to turn back to the hospital. Striding inside, he yanked the white-haired kid into a quiet corner.

“What the hell do you want from me?”

Zheng Shiyan’s voice was low, laced with barely contained fury.

Han Wu met his gaze. It was a rare sight—Zheng Shiyan looking so frazzled and openly repulsed by him.

Kind of entertaining.

His mission wasn’t just to keep Zheng Shiyan away from the protagonist shou. He also had to make the man despise him. So this time, 05 had gone with an aggressively bold strategy.

Zheng Shiyan was the sort who expected the world to bend to his rules. Defying him at every turn was the perfect way to get under his skin.

“I want to stay with you,” Han Wu repeated.

Zheng Shiyan’s stare all but screamed that he thought the kid was deranged.

“First off—and I’ll say it one last time—I’m not into guys. And I don’t like kids.”

These brothers had only just come of age.

“Second, if you actually want to help your brother, stay put, get treated, and heal up properly. Only then can you dive in and assist him.

Not waste my time. Not waste everyone’s time!”

He went on like that for a while, but Han Wu’s expression never shifted. His eyes roamed somewhere on Zheng Shiyan’s body, as if he hadn’t understood a word.

Right then, his phone rang at the worst possible moment. It was his father.

Zheng Shiyan inhaled deeply, forcing his anger down, and answered.

“Father? What’s wrong? I’m doing fine.

Yeah, I saw the photo. Things are moving along here too.”

He turned away, keeping his voice as even as possible while reassuring his father that everything was under control and he’d be back soon.

But as he spoke, Han Wu’s eyes drifted back to the body encased in that tailored suit.

Zheng Shiyan was tall and upright, with long, powerful legs beneath his suit pants.

His shoulders and arms filled out the shirt nicely—solid and strong. His waist was slim, but full where it counted…

Suddenly, Han Wu reached out and groped him.

“You can rest assured… Uh?”

Zheng Shiyan was still holding his phone, his face full of disbelief as he lowered his voice. “Let go!”

But Han Wu pressed his entire body against him.

After groping his chest, he even reached down to touch between his legs.

Zheng Shiyan’s ears turned red, and he shoved the boy away with all his might.

Han Wu nearly stumbled and fell from the push.

His face showed no expression whatsoever, but he immediately turned toward the hospital room’s window. With swift movements, he reached for the latch, looking for all the world like he was about to jump.

???

Zheng Shiyan forgot all about the phone and rushed over to grab him. “What are you doing? Get back here!”

“What’s going on over there?” his father asked in confusion from the other end of the line.

Zheng Shiyan clung desperately to the teenager. After just a few minutes, he was already drenched in sweat. He could only blurt into the receiver, “I’ll call you back!” before hanging up.

He whirled on Han Wu with a low growl. “Cut it out!”

He had never in his life encountered such a troublesome brat. The kid was begging for a good thrashing!

“You really want to die, don’t you?”

Zheng Shiyan was so furious that he pinned the boy to the floor.

Han Wu’s bangs fell messily over his face. Held like that, he finally quieted down and gazed at Zheng Shiyan with eerie calm.

Those pale eyes roamed over him intently, and then… the boy’s hand pressed against his chest once more.

His fingers sank deep into the soft flesh.

A faintly satisfied expression flickered across the teenager’s face.

Zheng Shiyan: “…”

“Stop touching.”

His temples throbbed. For the first time in his life, he felt an overwhelming urge to strike someone—but he had no idea where to even start.

He had Han Wu by the collar now, and the skin on the boy’s neck was already red.

The young man’s hair and eyelashes were pure white, making him look fragile enough that his bones might snap at any moment. And yet his strength was astonishing.

Perhaps sensing the firmness beneath, Han Wu tilted his head and twisted one of Zheng Shiyan’s nipples between his fingers.

“!”

Zheng Shiyan’s neck flushed red as he yanked the boy’s wrist away.

His chest heaved violently. In the end, his anger turned to a bark of incredulous laughter—a short, cold snort from deep in his throat.

“Fine. You’re coming with me.”

“Get up!”

For the moment, the priority was to keep Han Xu stable and push forward with the plan to find the merman.

As a seasoned businessman, Zheng Shiyan had no choice but to compromise—for now.

He didn’t believe he couldn’t tame one little kid.

He hadn’t bought any property here, since his original plan had been a quick in-and-out operation. He’d been staying in a suite at the city’s finest hotel.

He figured he could just book an adjacent suite for Han Wu.

Gripping the boy’s restless wrist tightly, Zheng Shiyan dragged him out of the hospital.

Han Wu had finally gotten his wish. But unlike his brother Han Xu, Zheng Shiyan couldn’t care less about his illness.

On the drive back to the hotel, the afternoon sun soon left Han Wu looking wilted. He kept rubbing at his eyes.

By the time they reached the lobby, he was so dazed that he nearly wandered off after a tall guest heading in the wrong direction.

Zheng Shiyan raised an eyebrow and had to raise his voice. “Han Wu!”

The boy’s unnaturally pure white appearance was impossible to miss. With his eyes red and looking on the verge of tears, he drew stares from everyone in the lobby.

Zheng Shiyan felt like the villain once again. Frowning, he strode over and practically hauled Han Wu into the elevator.

Han Wu leaned against him and sniffed, finally recognizing who he was.

“So thirsty. My eyes hurt.”

His voice was hoarse.

Zheng Shiyan hesitated. Remembering the doctor’s warning that the boy could drop dead at any moment, he took him back to his own suite and drew the curtains.

The moment they entered the room, Han Wu made a beeline for the bathroom. Zheng Shiyan heard the faucet turn on.

He ignored it and called the front desk to confirm that a room had been arranged for Han Wu.

“Alright, off to your own room. It’s right next door.”

There was no response from the bathroom.

Zheng Shiyan kicked at the door. “Han Wu?”

After waiting a moment, he pushed open the ajar bathroom door.

Han Wu had already submerged himself fully in the oversized bathtub. All Zheng Shiyan could see were the boy’s long legs draped over the edge.

The faucet was still running. The tub was overflowing, water spilling steadily onto the floor.

His discarded clothes lay scattered on the tiles, thoroughly soaked.

Zheng Shiyan blinked at the overwhelming expanse of pale skin and retreated in exasperation, planning to wait until the boy was done.

But he stopped short. Something was wrong.

Hadn’t Han Wu’s head been underwater the whole time?

“Han Wu!” he called with a frown.

He rushed back and hauled the teenager out of the tub.

Han Wu rose with the motion, his drenched silver hair plastered to his cheeks, droplets cascading down. It only accentuated the exquisite delicacy of his features.

He looked just like he had when they first met—completely soaked through.

Those gray-blue eyes seemed especially vacant and otherworldly amid the steam.

He straightened up, sending a spray of water droplets flying, and without the slightest hesitation, wrapped his arms tightly around Zheng Shiyan’s waist.

Caught off guard, Zheng Shiyan toppled backward with him.

“?

His back slammed hard against the cold tile floor.

Zheng Shiyan winced in pain, but at least the kid was still alive. He hadn’t even caught his breath when Han Wu, pressed against him, started acting up again. He leaned down and latched onto Zheng Shiyan’s ear, sucking hard.

The sucking was forceful enough, but he even made wet smacking noises right by his ear.

And he’d filled the tub with cold water. His entire body—hair, chest, even his mouth—was icy.

Zheng Shiyan jerked his head away, brows knitting in fury. Irritation, disgust, exasperation—he didn’t even know what to say anymore.

This boy operated on a completely different wavelength. Communication was impossible.

“Enough.”

He tried to shove him off.

“I said that’s enough…”

Every time he pushed, Han Wu clung harder, his teeth grazing Zheng Shiyan’s earlobe. When Zheng pushed outward, he tugged in the opposite direction. His breath blew hot and moist straight into Zheng Shiyan’s ear.

“Urgh!”

Zheng Shiyan’s face flushed red.

“I’m warning you—my patience has limits!”

Zheng Shiyan yanked Han Wu’s hair, forcing his head up from his ear. A thin strand of saliva stretched between them.

His earlobe was red now, marked with the imprint of teeth.

Even with his scalp pulled back, Han Wu showed no hint of remorse. His gaze drifted downward.

Zheng Shiyan’s clothes were soaked through. His white shirt had turned practically transparent.

…He must have been freezing. His nipples stood stiff and prominent against the damp fabric.

Han Wu stared fixedly, as if he’d found something far more intriguing.

Zheng Shiyan realized what was coming and went wide-eyed. Enraged, he bent his knee and kicked the boy away.

“Are you still nursing or something?!”

Off-balance, Han Wu staggered backward. His head cracked against the edge of the sink with a resounding “bang.”

He collided hard that time. By the time he lifted his head again, a ghastly bruise had already bloomed across his temple and cheekbone.

?

Zheng Shiyan himself was stunned. He hadn’t expected the consequences to be this severe.

The young man blinked, only now seeming to register the pain. He gently cupped his injured cheek and mumbled in a muffled voice,

“It hurts.”

“…”

He had forgotten again… This brat couldn’t take a single hit.

Just as a flicker of regret passed through Zheng Shiyan’s heart, his phone rang from his pocket at the worst possible moment.

He pulled it out and saw that it was Han Xu calling.

“Mr. Zheng, I heard from the doctor… that my brother went home with you?”

The voice on the other end was laced with clear unease. “Sorry to bother you. I’ll come pick him up right now…”

“…”

Zheng Shiyan looked up, meeting Han Wu’s gaze.

It had only been one kick, yet the young man’s stomach was covered in bruises too. A thin trickle of blood was starting to seep from the broken skin at the corner of his eye.

Paired with the bruising on half his face, he looked utterly pitiful—like he’d just been through a brutal beating.

“…”

How on earth was he supposed to explain this?

Zheng Shiyan pressed hard against his throbbing temple, his tone suddenly softening as he spoke into the phone.

“…No need.”

“Your brother can stay here with me.”