Chapter 53: Twisted
Shi He rarely reminisced about the past, nor did he dream much.
He was probably six years old when he was locked in a cold, eerie basement to reflect on his mistakes. Outside the basement window of the Shi estate was the garden, and he could clearly hear the voices of other children his age outside.
“Shi He, Shi He, serves you right…”
Because just moments ago, little Shi He had pushed his older cousin, Shi Hun, into the rose bushes in the back garden after Shi Hun threw away his lunch.
This wasn’t the first time. Every weekend, Shi Hun would find all sorts of excuses to disturb him—sometimes scribbling all over his drawings, sometimes finding ways to keep him from eating or resting, and stealing his belongings.
The servants couldn’t control it, and the adults cared even less to intervene.
Shi Hun was Old Master Shi’s most cherished maternal grandson.
As the eldest son of the Shi family and a universally recognized “good elder,” little Shi He’s father immediately believed Shi Hun’s words. He first locked Shi He in the basement, then sent people to the hospital to comfort Shi Hun.
Little Shi He was locked up until deep into the night. There was nothing in the basement; it was just an empty room.
Little Shi He knelt on the floor, maintaining a single posture, completely motionless.
Footsteps approached, sometimes slow and sometimes near. Holding a measuring ruler, his father opened the basement door and switched on the light. He had been drinking; today was the day of the Shi family gathering, and it was also Shi Hun’s birthday.
“Shi He, do you know what you did wrong today? It was just a trivial matter, so why couldn’t you just endure it? If you don’t even have this shred of tolerance, how can you qualify to be the heir to my Shi family?”
“Shi He, I’m punishing you today because you’re far too impatient.”
Reeking heavily of alcohol, the man grabbed little Shi He’s arm.
He dragged his hand up, his attitude cold. “Raise it higher.”
The ruler made of red sandalwood struck his palm one blow after another.
He didn’t hold back his strength at all.
After fifty strikes were delivered, both his hands were purplish-red and swollen, hurting so badly he couldn’t even move them. He didn’t shed a single tear, staring expressionlessly at his father, Shi Jiande, only to receive a harsh slap in return.
Was explaining of any use?
It was useless.
Shi Jiande knocked little Shi He to the ground. “Did I give you permission to look at me like that?”
Those eyes were far too calm and pure, clearly reflecting the adult’s hideous expression. Those words were nothing more than excuses; there was no such thing as “for your own good”—it was merely greed and a twisted desire for control at play.
Shi Jiande held the title of the eldest son, and only because his son had been tested as an S-grade Alpha from a young age could he take a step forward into that position early.
Shi Jiande picked up a phone call and left.
Little Shi He lay all alone on the cold, damp floor of the basement. He lay motionless from the pain, his pitch-black phoenix eyes staring fixedly at the ceiling.
More than once, he thought it would be better if he just died.
Unfortunately, he was born into the Shi family. Dying left him unsatisfied, and living was even more sickening.
…
This was a night of torrential rain, and it was also Shi He’s tenth birthday.
Shi He had never properly eaten a birthday cake. After his father went missing, his mother suddenly brought it up. Gripping Shi He’s arm and holding the car keys, she said, “Mommy will take you to buy a cake.”
Ten-year-old Shi He looked at the torrential rain outside the window and instinctively shook his head.
This wasn’t suitable weather to go out. “Mommy, I’m not celebrating my birthday anymore.”
The woman tightened her grip, practically shoving Shi He into the passenger seat. She slammed the car door shut, walked hurriedly back to the entryway, and grabbed her wallet.
The house they lived in was on a mountain. The torrential rain washed over the ground, and the windshield wipers were almost useless. Shi He gripped the overhead handle. “Mommy, let’s go back first.”
“Even if your father isn’t here, Mommy will take good care of you.”
“Could it be that you don’t believe me?”
The woman stepped on the gas pedal, driving even faster instead.
Until the car’s tires skidded, crashing head-on into another vehicle and flipping onto its side on the ground. Shi He’s forehead slammed against the car window, and he completely lost consciousness.
…
At fifteen, the vanished Shi He returned to the country. Devoid of both father and mother, he was a complete freak within the seemingly harmonious Shi family. He had only returned to live for less than a week before encountering those childhood pranks one after another.
Hideous people grew up to become even more hideous.
Why were they still alive?
The youth’s features were indifferent, his aura detached. Standing at the doorway of his room, he looked at the dirtied interior. Without a single word, he walked to the kitchen and selected the sharpest knife.
The Shi estate was massive; each branch had its own separate courtyard and small building.
Right now, Grandfather wasn’t home, and only the teenagers of the younger generation were in the house, waiting for the evening family banquet.
“I tore his books to shreds. He really thinks he’s some kind of top student just because he studied abroad for a few years.”
“He brought bad luck and killed both his parents. Serves him right that he’s deaf.”
“Those two from the Gu and Wen families must be blind, insisting on being friends with Shi He. I invited them to my birthday party a few days ago, and not a single one agreed. Who do they think they’re fooling?”
It was precisely dinner time when Shi He kicked open the front door of his second uncle’s house. At a single glance, he saw six people gathered in the courtyard dining. In the corner lay his belongings, which had all been thrown out into the yard and tossed into a brazier to burn.
Shi He closed the door, walked inside, and first plunged the knife straight into the shoulder of the ringleader, his dear cousin Shi Shun. The knife went halfway in, making him shriek in agony as fresh blood poured out.
The youth leaned close to his ear, his dark eyes pitch-black like a man-eating demon. “Let me tell you a secret. I know exactly how to make you die faster. Do you want to try?”
The few people nearby surrounded Shi He, wanting to stop him, but not a single one dared step forward, terrified of provoking Shi He further.
“Can’t we talk things out properly?”
“Shi He, how did you turn into this after returning from abroad?”
“Your parents would be heartbroken if they saw you like this.”
Shi He exerted force with his fingers, pulling the knife out expressionlessly. Blood gushed even more heavily, triggering a wave of screams.
Wearing his hearing aid, his thin lips curved upwards. “What kind of good people are you pretending to be now?”
“Stop sickening me.”
Shi He didn’t pause. Holding the knife, he stabbed every single person seated there, the blade stained with the blood of one person after another.
It was agonizing, but it wouldn’t kill them.
“Grandfather won’t let you off.”
“Serves you right… even your parents didn’t like you.”
These wealthy young masters and young ladies, raised with delicate skin and tender flesh, had never suffered any hardships and howled in pain.
By the time the old master heard the noise and rushed over, Shi He had already packed his bags and left the Shi estate. He had even wiped the knife clean and tossed it at the doorway of the old master’s room. Old Master Shi had to take two pills to steady his mind.
Such a scandal, Old Master Shi wouldn’t allow anyone to spread.
The Shi family had only recently recovered; no more problems could be permitted to arise.
“Send people to bring that wretched obstacle back to me.”
“Do not make a sound. Call the doctor to the house.”
…
A faint metallic clinking sound rang out, accompanied by the sound of soft-soled slippers stepping onto the floor.
Ruan Zhimian was wearing a beige nightdress. The ties at the shoulders and neck were sewn with soft lace, its style minimalist, making him look even more soft, warm, and adorable.
Supporting himself against the wall, he walked slowly out of the bedroom.
He wanted to find Shi He. He didn’t know where Shi He had gone, or if he wasn’t home at all. Fortunately, the chain was long enough to allow him to move to the main hall.
At 5:00 AM, the light was somewhat dim, and the living room curtains weren’t closed.
Not long after Ruan Zhimian walked out, he spotted the Alpha sleeping on the living room sofa with tightly furrowed brows, looking exceptionally restless.
So, Shi He was here.
Ruan Zhimian bent down, grasping the chain in his palm to suspend it in mid-air, reducing the friction sound against the floor. He walked bit by bit to Shi He’s side, only to discover that everything Shi He held tightly in his embrace was his clothes.
There were yesterday’s, today’s, and some brought over from the dormitory at some unknown time that he seemed to have worn before.
Wait, why was that garment here too?
They had all been meticulously washed clean with Ruan Zhimian’s favorite brand of laundry detergent, dried, leaving behind a subtle, lingering fragrance.
An Alpha in their susceptibility period… desperately needed their partner’s pheromones. If there were no pheromones, these items could provide some comfort.
Ruan Zhimian lowered his head, approaching with flushed ear-tips, and gave Shi He a gentle kiss.
Right at this moment, a frantic knocking sound came from the door. The Alpha, who was deeply trapped in a nightmare, opened his eyes, catching Ruan Zhimian who had just stolen a kiss from him and hadn’t shifted away yet.
Most of Shi He’s nightmares had been concentrated in the year right after the car accident. After going abroad, he had nightmares consecutively for half a year, dreaming of different scenes every night, completely uncontrollable by medication.
Dreaming of it again today was not a good omen, as if reminding him that a person like him would never receive any love.
Outside the door a few meters away were the voices of Ruan Xubai and Old Master Shi.
A furious shout: “Shi He, open the door.”
A calm tone: “Shi He, is my brother with you?”
The noisy knocking echoed by his ears as Ruan Zhimian was pulled into Shi He’s embrace and kissed thoroughly, one hand obscuring his dark eyes.
He bit the snowy-white, flushed earlobe, his dark eyes obsessive and twisted. “The people here to rescue you have arrived. Are you going to follow them and leave me?”
Translator’s Note: We got a deep dive into Shi He’s past explains so much about why he is the way he is. His childhood was basically a checklist of emotional abuse and trauma.
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