Chapter 65: Electrotherapy is the Best Method
“So you’ve been playing dumb for the past two years? Yuanyuan, you truly make me feel disappointed, disappointed to the core.”
Yu Xiuqing looked down from his high vantage point at the person on the floor, taking in the youth’s face twisted in agony. Yet, there was not a single shred of pity in his eyes; instead, they were brimming with hatred and disgust.
“…”
Shen Yuan was in so much pain that he couldn’t utter a single word. Curled up into a tight ball, he gazed through the hazy mist in his eyes, quietly looking at this man who was as breathtakingly handsome as ever, yet exuding an aura of lethal intent.
He didn’t cry, nor did he scream.
He didn’t even move an inch.
His clean white shirt was soaked with fresh blood, dyed a glaring, piercing crimson. He lay completely motionless, his face as deathly pale as snow, as quiet as a fragile porcelain doll.
Seeing this unresisting, tearless demeanor without a single plea for mercy, Yu Xiuqing felt an abnormal surge of irritability in his heart.
He roughly yanked the youth up, slightly raising an eyebrow. His chilling, dark eyes narrowed, his gaze full of piercing scrutiny:
“Idiot, speak. How many times did you secretly contact Yu Peishang over these past two years? How did you contact him?!”
Shen Yuan looked pitifully at the ferocious and violent handsome face before him, a flash of pain and struggle crossing his eyes.
His mind was completely blank, and a continuous ringing echoed in his ears. He simply didn’t know how to explain anymore.
“Very well. You forget what you’ve done and continue to play dumb, is that it? I have ways to make you remember!”
A cruel smile curled the corners of Yu Xiuqing’s lips. He then forcefully threw the desolate youth over to the bodyguard.
“Change locations for the interrogation.”
He coldly dropped these words and turned away. The aura surrounding him carried an endless darkness and oppression, much like the eerie calm right before a torrential storm.
Qi Yunzhao was forced to catch Shen Yuan. He glanced down at the small figure in his arms, only to see the youth’s tender, smooth cheeks stained with mottled tear tracks. Crystal-clear droplets hung from his long, thick eyelashes, looking like peach blossom petals blooming just after the rain.
Yet, this exquisite little thing was shivering incessantly, letting out fragile, fragmented moans from his small mouth:
“I didn’t burn… it wasn’t me…”
Qi Yunzhao’s gaze darkened imperceptibly, flashing with a hint of helplessness, and the hand gripping the youth’s shoulder tightened slightly.
His superior’s order to change locations for the interrogation made his heart involuntarily hang in suspense.
Various cruel torture methods surfaced in his mind, and he felt a pang of heartache for this little fool.
How could Shen Yuan possibly endure it?
He would be tortured to death there while still breathing!
“What are you standing around for in a daze? Hurry up and get over here!”
The man’s impatient urging echoed from outside the door.
Qi Yunzhao snapped back to his senses. He immediately called out an “I’m coming,” and hurried outside.
Psychiatric hospital.
Shen Yuan was forcibly locked onto a hospital bed, both his hands and feet shackled with silver iron rings. His entire being looked no different from a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
His face was terrifyingly pale, his gaze vacant, and his eyes filled with absolute despair. His throat was already hoarse from crying, allowing only faint, low whimpers to escape, sounding exceptionally heartbreaking.
Yu Xiuqing stood right beside him, one hand casually tucked into his pocket. He leaned over slightly, raising his other hand to pinch the youth’s cheek, forcing his entire face to turn and look at him.
“Don’t be afraid, Yuanyuan. Soon, you will remember everything about your betrayal, remember the memories of how you colluded with Yu Peishang. You will obediently spit it all out.”
His handsome face was extremely close to the youth’s, so close they could almost smell the breath exhaled by one another.
Hearing this, Shen Yuan’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. He shook his head in absolute terror, tears rolling from the corners of his eyes, looking incredibly pitiful and innocent.
What was Xiansheng going to do to him…
An intense terror enveloped his fragile heart.
Yu Xiuqing could feel him cowering, yet this did not affect his mood in the slightest. Instead, he grew even more excited. A bizarre light flickered in the depths of his eyes as he spoke nonchalantly:
“I’ll give Yuanyuan one more chance. Are you going to confess the truth about your illicit affair with Yu Peishang or not?”
He spoke lightly, his thin, cold lips brushing against the youth’s tender lips as if by accident.
Shen Yuan shuddered all over, his cheeks burning hot. He instinctively tried to turn his head away, but was pinched so tightly he couldn’t move an inch. Unforgiving tears slowly slid down his face once again.
How could he confess to things he had never even done? He couldn’t provide a single piece of information the other wanted.
This helpless, aggrieved appearance fell into the man’s eyes as blatant betrayal and stubbornness!
“What kind of benefits did Yu Peishang give you? To make you risk your life to burn the evidence of his crimes?!”
Yu Xiuqing stared intently into the youth’s misty, tear-filled eyes, his voice as icy as snowflakes in the dead of winter.
“Wu…”
Shen Yuan let out a sob, pressing the corners of his lips together tightly without speaking, while his small body trembled violently.
“Yuanyuan, how could you treat me this way…”
The emotion on Yu Xiuqing’s face revealed a heavy sorrow. He simply couldn’t understand how this little thing—who only knew how to follow him around and sweetly call him Xiansheng—could have contacted the person he hated the most, and even possessed the audacity to betray him!
Thinking of this, his sorrowful expression was wiped clean, replaced by a terrifying sharpness and fury: “Even tied up by me, you still want to cover up for that scum!”
Just as the words left his mouth, a bottle of disinfectant was suddenly splashed onto Shen Yuan. The liquid instantly flowed into his nasal cavity and eye sockets. He coughed violently, choking until he was nearly asphyxiated.
But before he could even catch his breath, his head took a heavy punch. His ears rang loudly, and he only felt stars dancing before his eyes, as if his head were about to be ripped apart.
“I am very angry right now, Yuanyuan.”
Yu Xiuqing involuntarily clenched his fists tight. The murderous intent surged within his deep, pitch-black pupils, glaring with the ferocity of a starving wolf locking onto its prey.
Shen Yuan was dizzy and disoriented, the scenery before him fracturing into countless shifting lights and shadows. The man’s familiar voice echoed in his ears once more:
“Begin.”
Begin…
Begin what?
He couldn’t open his eyes at this moment.
He didn’t know what the other was ultimately going to do to him.
“Understood.”
The doctor nodded. He started the transcranial magnetic electrotherapy machine, adjusting the patient’s brainwaves to the optimal level.
He took a few plastic conductive wires. Since Shen Yuan’s head was slumped weakly after being struck by the man, the doctor easily adhered them to various positions on the youth’s scalp.
Yu Xiuqing rolled his wrists and took a few steps back with his long legs. His eyes were dark and deep, quietly watching as the pale little face of the youth was surrounded by a dense web of electrotherapy wires.
Qi Yunzhao withdrew his gaze, turning to look at the man’s cold, sharp face. His tone carried a hint of doubt: “Sanye, this… can it restore Shen Yuan’s memory?”
One must know that the pain of electrotherapy was not something just anyone could endure. The slightest mishap could result in death.
Yet Yu Xiuqing was absolutely determined to use electroshock on Shen Yuan to awaken his memories, demonstrating just how furious he truly was.
“Let’s try.”
Yu Xiuqing’s expression was calm, but his voice was cold to the extreme. He didn’t seem to care whether Shen Yuan would be electrocuted alive; he was merely stubbornly executing a punishment on him.
He then cast a sidelong glance at the bodyguard, continuing:
“Shen Yuan often experiences temporary amnesia. Yu Peishang must have taken advantage of this to silently destroy the goods. Electrotherapy is the best method.”
Qi Yunzhao swallowed nervously. He gathered his courage for a good while before carefully speaking up:
“However, the power of electrotherapy is immense, and Shen Yuan’s brain is already defective. It is highly likely to cause severe brain damage, or even death. Shouldn’t Sanye reconsider?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Xiuqing’s mild expression shifted drastically. His gaze pivoted, landing squarely on the bodyguard.
He didn’t speak. The depths of his eyes were filled with scrutiny and fury, as if trying to find the slightest flaw in Qi Yunzhao.
Qi Yunzhao felt his heart palpitate wildly under the stare, but he forced himself to look back at the man. His strong psychological fortitude allowed him to conceal any issues perfectly. Feigning nonchalance, he asked:
“Sanye, what are you looking at?”
“Are you feeling heartache for him?”
Yu Xiuqing’s tone was incredibly flat, his voice devoid of any inflection. Yet Qi Yunzhao felt an intensely thick sense of danger, cold sweat continually seeping from his back.
Although this question was asked casually, it made one feel as though they were walking on thin ice; a single misstep could cost them their life.
Qi Yunzhao’s heart jolted massively. He forced his gaze to remain steady on the man’s face, speaking word by word:
“Sanye, this is not heartache. This is concern. Concern that if Shen Yuan loses his life because of this, we will lose many clues.”
Yu Xiuqing narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting unpredictably. Then, he raised his hand and, under Qi Yunzhao’s forced calm, gently patted his shoulder, smiling:
“As long as you don’t have any crooked thoughts about Shen Yuan, it’s fine.”
With that, he grabbed Qi Yunzhao by the tie, yanking the man directly toward his own chest, grinding out through gritted teeth:
“Otherwise I won’t let you off, understand?”
Having followed Yu Xiuqing for so many years, Qi Yunzhao had never looked at this man directly from such a close distance.
Staring into those deep and dangerous eyes, he felt his breathing almost stop.
“Understood, Sanye. I would not, nor would I dare to covet anything of yours.” After speaking, Qi Yunzhao lowered his head, respectfully stepping aside, saying no more.
Yu Xiuqing sneered. He pulled a disinfectant wipe to wipe his hands, his expression bearing undisguised disgust, as if he had touched something filthy.
On the other side, the doctor had already pressed all the activation keys for the electrotherapy equipment, waiting only for the final switch.
He turned to face Yu Xiuqing, saying respectfully: “Yu Xiansheng, everything is ready. Shall we begin?”
“Mm, begin.”
The man nodded without hesitation.
The doctor expertly pressed the button. The voltage on the monitor spiked to a high value, emitting an ear-piercing bzzz sound that sent shivers down one’s spine.
A massive electrical current was transmitted into Shen Yuan’s brain through the wires. He felt as if all the blood in his body were boiling, every nerve pulled taut to its absolute limit.
The damage caused to the body by such high-voltage operation was also immensely severe, like a dull knife hacking away at flesh, the agony beyond description.
“Ah… Ah…”
The intense pain made Shen Yuan cry out involuntarily. The cold sweat on his forehead fell as densely as raindrops, his entire being looking as if he were about to explode.
Watching the youth’s heart-wrenching, lung-tearing state, Yu Xiuqing felt a tremble in his heart, a sudden, inexplicable complexity welling up inside him.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his brow, forcing himself not to harbor any mercy or emotion toward Shen Yuan.
Translator’s Note: Things are taking a very dark turn here. The author doesn’t hold back on the angst and the brutal reality of Yu Xiuqing’s psychopathic tendencies. In this chapter, we see the absolute power imbalance between Sanye and Shen Yuan, as well as Qi Yunzhao’s careful tightrope walk to survive his boss’s paranoia.
Recommended Reads
