Chapter 9: Almost Had a Fight
Jiang Chenyan was a good swimmer. Once he kicked the person away, he swam vigorously to the edge of the pool, gripping the rim with both hands as he gasped for air.
The people who kidnapped him had long since vanished. He lifted one leg onto the pool edge and used his other hand to push himself up, intending to climb out.
Just as he stabilized himself on the ground and was about to pull up his other leg, his ankle tightened. The person in the pool had gripped it again.
His heart tightened. He kicked out violently but couldn’t break the grip.
He twisted around to look back. When he saw the person’s face, he couldn’t help but be startled. It was Mu Si’an.
This was quite unexpected. He had originally thought it would be Xie Huaijin.
After all, he had truly offended Xie Huaijin.
In the pool, Mu Si’an was shirtless. Water droplets slid past his well-defined collarbones and down his tight chest, dripping into the pool and creating ripples.
The scene was sensual, but Jiang Chenyanâs vision felt like it was going dark. Why is it another naked body???
Mu Si’anâs looks leaned toward the feminine. Currently, his wet hair was plastered against his forehead, and several strands trailed past the corners of his eyes. His eyes were dark and bright, yet his lips were hooked in a half-smile.
It was… eerie.
Jiang Chenyan frowned deeply. “Let go.”
“And if I don’t?”
Mu Si’anâs voice carried a hint of casual laughter as his gaze fell on Jiang Chenyanâs tense profile.
Jiang Chenyan didn’t waste more words. He raised his foot and kicked toward the other’s face. Mu Si’an reacted quickly, letting go and leaning back to dodge. He wiped the water from his face and commented, “Quite the temper.”
Jiang Chenyan stood on the edge, looking down at the person in the pool. “Why did you bring me here?”
It couldn’t just be to see him shirtless; that would be too perverted.
“What? Can’t I invite you for a bath?”
Mu Si’an smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Jiang Chenyan felt a chill run down his spine.
“Your way of ‘inviting’ is quite unique.”
Mu Si’an didn’t respond. He simply walked out of the pool step by step. Water slid down his bare torso, dripping onto the floor and creating a wet patch. Jiang Chenyan instinctively looked away. Only when their gazes disconnected did he exhale. At least he wasn’t perverted to the extreme; he was wearing something below.
Mu Si’an looked down at Jiang Chenyan, his eyes filled with playfulness. “It’s been too boring lately. I want you to play a game with us.”
Jiang Chenyan caught the word “us.” His heart sank. “What do you mean? There are others?”
“Shen Shiyue is there. Do you want to go see him?” Mu Si’an said slowly, his gaze locked onto Jiang Chenyanâs face, catching every flicker of change.
As expected, Jiang Chenyanâs expression shifted.
“You kidnapped him?”
Mu Si’an didn’t speak; he just raised an eyebrow, acknowledging it.
Jiang Chenyan felt a wave of irritability.
He knew that according to the damn plot, the protagonist shou was destined to be targeted by the protagonist gongs. Perhaps his direction had been wrong from the start. He shouldn’t have shown his sharp edges; he should have taken Shen Shiyue and stayed far away from this mess.
“I’ll go with you.”
Regret was useless now. The only thing he could do was his best to protect Shen Shiyue.
Forget the mission; he had already considered Shen Shiyue his first friend in this world. That hadn’t changed.
Mu Si’anâs lips hooked into a meaningful smile. “Heâs been waiting for you for a long time.”
Jiang Chenyan didn’t say more and followed him with a cold face.
When he was led into the flight-shuttle hanger and saw the silver-white interstellar shuttle suspended before him, Jiang Chenyan was completely stunned. He stopped. “Wait? Where exactly did you take him?”
“What? Scared?” Mu Si’an turned and raised an eyebrow.
“Scared you’ll lure me on and kill me to silence me.”
Mu Si’an let out a low laugh. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“You better not be lying.”
Mu Si’an casually adjusted his sleeves, a faint smile on his lips. “I have no reason to lie. I just simply want you to play with us for a while.”
Jiang Chenyanâs brow was knit. He tapped his optical computer, his fingers rapidly sending a message to Shen Shiyue, but the screen showed no new message notification.
Mu Si’an took in the scene. He let out a low laugh. “Don’t waste your energy. We took his optical computer long ago.”
Jiang Chenyanâs finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds before finally dropping powerlessly.
He had no other choice but to follow Mu Si’an onto the shuttle.
As the hatch closed, Jiang Chenyan stopped looking at Mu Si’an. The lights of the night and the city reflected on his face, making his expression look unpredictable.
Throughout the journey, he remained tense, fearing Mu Si’an was taking him to some desolate planet.
The shuttle flew all the way to the brightly lit city center, eventually stopping in front of the largest chain bar in the sector.
The bar’s sign flickered with neon lights, clashing with the surrounding holographic advertisements. The noisy crowd and rhythmic music could be heard vaguely from across the street, leaking an air of luxury.
Along the way, Jiang Chenyanâs frown deepened.
They were already outside the campus area…
When he saw the neon sign of the bar, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He turned around abruptly. “Mu Si’an, are you guys sick?”
Sensual and dangerous images from the original book flashed through his mind. Could they have already discovered Shen Shiyueâs Omega identity? According to the original plot, it was after his identity was exposed that Xie Huaijin developed a massive interest…
Bar-play.
He didn’t dare think further; a chill crawled up his spine.
Mu Si’anâs brow furrowed slightly for the first time, showing displeasure but mostly confusion. “I haven’t done anything to you yet, have I?”
Jiang Chenyan ignored him and got off the shuttle first. He turned and asked, “Where did you hide him?”
“What’s the rush?” Mu Si’an stepped forward and gripped his wrist with a strength he couldn’t break. “Follow me inside and you’ll find out.”
Inside the bar, bizarre lights flashed to the rhythm of heavy bass. The deafening music carried a mixture of alcohol and pheromones that hit his face.
Jiang Chenyan felt like gagging from the smell.
He followed Mu Si’an into a private booth where quite a few people were already gathered. Jiang Chenyan scanned the room; there were a few familiar faces. He realized they were the guys he and Shen Shiyue had beaten up earlier.
In the center of the booth on a leather sofa sat Xie Huaijin. He was wearing a black T-shirt that clung to his body, showing the bulging muscles of his arms and back. Every curve carried an oppressive weight.
He was speaking in a low voice to someone beside him, an ill-intentioned smile on his face, his gaze frequently darting toward that person. That person was buried in the shadows, head lowered, so Jiang Chenyan couldn’t see them clearly.
But looking at the silhouette, they did look a bit like Shen Shiyue.
The people in the booth noticed the two entering. The music suddenly stopped, turning the room into a dead silence as all eyes fixed on Jiang Chenyan.
Time passed second by second. The silence in the booth was suffocating.
Gazes from all directions carried undisguised malice.
“You’re here?”
Xie Huaijin had a cigarette in his mouth. He took a drag and exhaled smoke. He looked up nonchalantly, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Chenyan.
“Let him go.” Jiang Chenyan stepped closer, his gaze fixed on the person beside Xie Huaijin who still had their head lowered.
He deliberately emphasized his words. The person slowly looked up, and Jiang Chenyanâs heart sank. The face was completely unfamiliar; it wasn’t Shen Shiyue at all.
A strong sense of unease gripped him. Jiang Chenyan turned to Xie Huaijin. “Where is he?”
The moment he spoke, the booth erupted in a roar of laughter.
Jiang Chenyanâs gaze turned cold. “Xie Huaijin, are you sick?”
“You still dare to insult me at a time like this?” Xie Huaijin stood up abruptly, looking down at Jiang Chenyan, mocking his overestimation of himself.
He took a step forward. “Don’t forget, Shen Shiyue is in my hands.”
Jiang Chenyan: “This is illegal.”
“I simply invited you both over to play. How does that constitute a crime? You aren’t an Omega, why so delicate?” Xie Huaijin smiled, his eyes devoid of warmth. “Besides, didn’t you also cripple my people?”
Jiang Chenyan finally scanned the room properly. Indeed, a few of the people he and Shen Shiyue had beaten were missing.
So, they kidnapped Shen Shiyue to vent their anger on his behalf?
He took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation. “What do you want?”
Xie Huaijin crushed the cigarette butt on the floor. His gaze lingered on Jiang Chenyanâs face for a moment before he suddenly hooked his lips into a playful smile.
“Simple. Drink all these bottles on the table, then kneel down properly and kowtow a few times. Then we’ll let this matter go. How about it?”
Jiang Chenyan stood still. If his body hadn’t trembled slightly, Xie Huaijin would have thought he hadn’t heard.
Everything around him was becoming illusory, as if heard through thick glass. His stomach churned with a physiological disgust that almost broke through his throat.
He wanted to pick up the wine on the table and splash it in Xie Huaijin’s face.
Jiang Chenyan slowly picked up a glass of wine, his fingertips turning white from the force. The booth fell silent. Every gaze was focused on his hand.
In all honesty, Jiang Chenyan was indeed striking. His brow bone was sharp, and the corners of his eyes tilted up slightly. When he was quiet and enduring, he carried a natural air of cold alienation.
The fingers gripping the glass tightened, and his brow furrowed slightly, making one’s heart itch.
No one knew who started the thought, but a sense of expectation aroseâwhat would Jiang Chenyan look like if he were drunk? Would he let down all his guards, or would he get angry and show even fiercer claws?
That hand finally moved.
In the next second, everyone was stunned.
Jiang Chenyanâs wrist flicked violently. The wine in the glass “splashed” all over Xie Huaijin’s face.
Droplets dripped from Xieâs hair, soaking his clothes.
Jiang Chenyan slammed the empty glass down and met Xie Huaijin’s suddenly darkening gaze. “Why should I kneel to you?”
He kneels to heaven, earth, and parents. What kind of thing was Xie Huaijin?
The air in the booth froze. No one dared to breathe.
Mu Si’an hadn’t expected Jiang Chenyan to be so fierce. Seeing the wine dripping from Xie Huaijin’s face, he instinctively intercepted the two, whispering a warning: “Huaijin, don’t be impulsive.”
He was afraid that if Xie Huaijin lost it, he might actually kill Jiang Chenyan.
The two refused to yield, appearing as if they were on the verge of a fight.
Until a violent crashing sound erupted from a corner of the booth…
Shen Shiyue stumbled out, followed by a few people whose footsteps were unsteady.
“Jiang Chenyan?”
Recommended Reads
