Chapter 27 Part 2
The driver, instructed by Shi Yan to pick up Shi Xu, didn’t pry into their affairs.
He assumed Gu Sui was a friend, but his assumption quickly changed.
Gu Sui kept calling Shi Xu “wife.” The driver initially thought he misheard, until Shi Xu acknowledged the endearment.
He was calling Shi Xu “wife,” and Shi Xu was allowing it.
Had he gone mad, or had Shi Xu?
He didn’t know Shi Xu well, but he knew Shi Xu wouldn’t tolerate such familiarity.
He glanced at the rearview mirror frequently, seeing Gu Sui leaning against Shi Xu. Just as he expected Shi Xu to push him away, Gu Sui snuggled closer, his head on Shi Xu’s shoulder, his voice soft and clingy. “Wife~”
He didn’t say anything else, just the single, affectionate word.
Shi Xu didn’t seem annoyed, not responding, but not silencing him either.
The driver stared, stunned, then met Gu Sui’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
Gu Sui winked at him, mouthing the words: This is my wife, don’t look!
The driver: “…”
I wasn’t looking at him, I was looking at you!
Before leaving, Shi Xu had instructed Gu Sui to act affectionate, to convince Shi Yan they were a couple.
This wasn’t difficult for Gu Sui. He wanted to be affectionate with Shi Xu every day, not as an act, but genuinely.
He realized the advantage of this request. Shi Xu wasn’t as resistant to his touch, even indulging some of his requests.
Shi Xu’s compliance was exhilarating, making him forget Shi Xu’s earlier warnings, pushing his boundaries.
He nuzzled Shi Xu’s shoulder, whispering, “Wife, I… want… a kiss…”
Shi Xu smiled, his hand reaching behind him, pinching Gu Sui’s arm hard. Gu Sui winced.
The pain was insignificant, like a mosquito bite, but he was afraid of angering Shi Xu.
He immediately straightened up, his voice trembling. “Wife… don’t be angry… I won’t… anymore…”
Shi Xu looked away, staring out the window.
Gu Sui remained silent until they reached the estate, carefully leaning against Shi Xu’s shoulder.
He was happy that Shi Xu hadn’t pushed him away.
[Wuwuwu, Wife is so gentle, I love Wife so much~] Invisible hearts floated around Gu Sui.
The driver continued to glance at the rearview mirror, puzzled by the man who was still beaming despite being reprimanded.
So happy even after being ignored by Shi Xu, this guy was either lovesick or an idiot!
Upon arrival, a servant informed Shi Xu, “Master is waiting for you in the study.”
Shi Xu told Gu Sui to wait in the living room, going to the study alone.
Shi Yan hadn’t changed much, but his hostility had intensified.
The moment Shi Xu entered the study, a heavy pressure descended upon him.
“Shen Qiao reinstated you. Why did you hesitate? What are you playing at?” Shi Yan, clearly furious, launched into a tirade.
Shi Xu stood in the center of the room, calmly enduring the reprimand.
Shi Yan: “You feel wronged? You think this will bring you justice?”
Shi Xu: “I don’t.”
Shi Yan: “Then why didn’t you accept Shen Qiao’s offer?”
Shi Xu countered, “Is being the captain of the Anomaly Management Bureau really that desirable?”
Shi Yan frowned. “What do you mean?”
Shi Xu chuckled. “I mean, I don’t want to be captain anymore. I want to retire early.”
Shi Yan slammed his hand on the desk. “I trained you for this! You can’t just throw it away! Do you know how many people want this position?!”
Shi Xu said indifferently, “If they want it, let them have it.”
“Is this because of your friend? What did he say to you?”
“This has nothing to do with Qi Yu.”
“Then sever all ties with him.”
Shi Xu met his father’s furious gaze, his voice firm. “He’s my friend.”
“You can have many friends. If one is gone, you can find another. No one can guarantee a lifelong friendship. A friend who only hinders you isn’t a true friend. A friend who offers no benefits isn’t a true friend.” Shi Yan’s tone was chillingly indifferent, suggesting this was his usual approach to friendships.
His words didn’t affect Shi Xu. “He’s my friend,” he repeated.
Shi Yan choked back his anger, his face reddening.
He felt Shi Xu slipping away from his control, which was why he summoned him. Now, seeing Shi Xu, his suspicion was confirmed.
Shi Xu was truly breaking free.
This was unacceptable.
“Xiao Xu, are you disobeying me?” Shi Yan’s anger vanished, replaced by a paternal concern. “Have you forgotten your promise to your brother?”
Shi Xu remained silent.
He remembered his older siblings’ kindness. After his brother’s death, his sister changed, moving out of the estate. He only saw her during holidays, his attempts to contact her ignored.
He attributed her behavior to grief over their brother’s death.
The last time he saw her was at his 8th birthday party. She said the same thing as their brother.
He had a premonition that he wouldn’t see her again.
But he didn’t try to stop her, knowing it would be futile.
They were their father’s tools, meant to obey, their futures predetermined.
“You have the ability to break free from your father’s control. Why don’t you?”
Initially, it was just habit. After his siblings died, he was alone. As a child, he had to obey to survive.
So he closed himself off, becoming an obedient robot, the only way to survive.
Because his brother and sister told him to live, to carry on their hopes and dreams.
At 17, after learning the truth in the rift, he resolved to confront Shi Yan.
Why did you abandon my brother?
It wasn’t a car accident, was it? Why did you lie?
Why did you send him on such a dangerous mission?
Did you also lie about my sister’s death?
Is she in the rift too?
Did she… also become a Variant?
He was ready for a confrontation, but he was severely injured in the rift, spending months in the hospital, enduring Lin Zhi’s psychological probing and tormented by nightmares, both physically and mentally exhausted.
When he recovered, his hair turned white, and he gained superhuman strength and stamina, a reward for killing the SSS-class pollutant and escaping the rift.
He wasn’t happy. As his physical wounds healed, his desire for confrontation faded.
He knew Shi Yan had tampered with his memories while he was unconscious, altering them.
He always listened to his brother.
In the fabricated memory, his kind brother’s dying words were: Xiao Xu, take care of Father for me. Obey him, understand?
He was trapped, unable to break free, powerless to resist.
When Qi Yu asked why he didn’t rebel, his answer wasn’t a lie.
He was foolish.
He knew his brother wouldn’t restrict his freedom, yet he willingly remained trapped in Shi Yan’s fabricated dream, bound by those false dying words.
After his siblings died, his life lost meaning. He embraced self-destruction, waiting for the day he would reunite with them.
He thought it would always be this way, until death claimed him.
But just as he was about to jump into the abyss, someone shattered his shell, revealing the truth.
Light flooded in.
A pair of shimmering golden eyes, gazing at him, only him.
“Do you want to disappoint your brother?”
Shi Xu: “Even if I did something wrong, my brother wouldn’t be disappointed in me.” The truth was out. The shackles that bound him were broken.
His brother wouldn’t trap him.
His brother wanted him to be free, to be…
“My brother wanted me to be happy.”
Shi Yan’s eyes widened, realizing Shi Xu knew the truth.
The wrinkles around his eyes disappeared, but his face still looked old, his eyes clouded with rage.
At an age when he should be enjoying his life, he clung to things that weren’t his.
Shi Xu didn’t understand. What did his children’s achievements have to do with him?
Was his vanity that strong?
“You raised me, and I’m grateful. But my achievements are my own, earned with my life.” Shi Xu casually dismissed Shi Yan’s perceived “contribution.”
Shi Yan’s hands gripped the desk, making it tremble.
“Without my training, would you have achieved this? Without me, would you even be alive?”
Shi Xu chuckled.
If not for his own resilience, he would have died long ago, during Shi Yan’s brutal training.
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to be your son. Because being your son is a misfortune.”
He knew his words would anger Shi Yan, and seeing his father’s rage brought him an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Having abandoned self-destruction, he found a new purpose:
Revenge.
He would do everything Shi Yan didn’t want him to do.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Shi Xu smiled. “I have a boyfriend. He’s… a bit special…”
