Chapter 56: As Long as You Can Vent Your Anger, You Can Beat Me to Death!
At dawn, Shen Yanzhou left for the company. He didn’t return to the Junting Shengshi Villa until evening. Uncle Chen met him.
Shen Yanzhou asked, “How was he today?”
Uncle Chen pinched his chin. “Mm, he ate breakfast and lunch on time, which was good. But he seems to have something on his mind. Heâs not very active. He went back to his room right after eating.”
Shen Yanzhou pursed his lips and said nothing, stroking upstairs with large strides. Uncle Chen frowned, sensing an abnormal pressureâsomething was wrong!
Shen Yanzhou pushed open the door to Lin Yuanâs room. Lin Yuan was sitting on the sofa, fiddling with six coins in his hand. He was staring out the window, lost in thought. Seeing Shen Yanzhou enter, he stood up.
“Brother,” he called out softly. Then he stole a glance at Shen Yanzhouâs expression.
All day, he had been restless. Many types of emotions he couldn’t explain or sort out were tangled together, making his already aching heart even more uneasy. Under the circumstances last night, he had done things that made him feel ashamed and indignant. He vaguely remembered that he hadn’t only called Shen Yanzhou “Husband” many times, but had also clung to him and begged him to do it many times. Just thinking about it made his small face turn bright red.
Besides shame, he was also worried. Although he hadn’t escaped this time, he had still gone against Shen Yanzhouâs requirements by meeting with someone from the finding-relatives website privately. If Shen Yanzhou investigated, he could find out in a minute. He would definitely be unhappy, and he wondered if he would go crazy and punish him again because of this. At the same time, he was very dejected, hating himself for being so uselessâstupid and clumsy, always being set up by others, unable to do anything right. Thus, all day, his mood had been twisted and unpleasant.
Now, looking at Shen Yanzhou before him, he cautiously tried to analyze his current mood through the expression on his face. However, the expression on Shen Yanzhouâs handsome face was flat, making it impossible to read any emotion. The two didn’t speak, and the atmosphere in the room was somewhat stagnant.
“Uh, Brother, was the company busy today?” Lin Yuan truly didn’t know how to break the silence between them and asked a random question.
Shen Yanzhou didn’t answer this meaningless question. “Come here.” His voice wasn’t loud, but his tone was very heavy.
Lin Yuanâs heart panicked slightly, and he took small steps to stand in front of him. He lowered his head slightly, not daring to look directly into his sharp gaze.
“Last night, what did you call me?” Shen Yanzhou asked in a low voice, his mood unclear.
Lin Yuanâs small face turned red. He buried his head even lower. “I… I don’t remember…”
Shen Yanzhouâs gaze darkened. He leaned down slightly, approaching his ear: “Then let me remind you. You called me ‘Husband.'”
The tips of Lin Yuanâs ears flushed crimson. He instinctively shook his head. “No… I… at the time… my mind wasn’t clear…”
The coldness in Shen Yanzhouâs eyes intensified. He knew itâhow could happiness come so easily! Last night, amidst the soft cries of “Husband,” he had lost himself, thinking he possessed the boy completely. Thinking about it now, it was actually just a physiological response under the influence of drugs, devoid of emotion. If he wanted him to call out, he would call out. His goal was merely to get him to agree to help him detox!
Was he some kind of cheap tool? And now he was denying it, refusing to acknowledge it once the pants were back on!
Shen Yanzhou gritted his teeth. What exactly did he count for in the boy’s heart? Thatâs why he was so tirelessly searching for his relatives everywhere, to the point of being lured away by a single call from a stranger.
Shen Yanzhouâs face grew cold. He reached out a long finger, tilted the boy’s chin up, and stared into his eyes. “Iâm asking you, do you know what mistake you’ve made again?”
Lin Yuanâs brow instinctively knit tighter. Panic rose in his heart. “Brother, yesterday, I really didn’t intend to escape…” He avoided the main point, trying to use one fact to cover another.
Shen Yanzhouâs expression was stern. “I know that. I’m not asking about that. Lin Yuan, Iâll give you five seconds. If you still can’t remember…” He spoke word by word, “The punishment will be doubled.”
Lin Yuanâs small face collapsed instantly. “Brother! I… I only met that person once!” he shouted hurriedly. “I know I shouldn’t have been thinking about finding my family anymore. I was wrong…” He lowered his eyes. His long eyelashes couldn’t hide the panic and nervousness in his gaze.
Shen Yanzhouâs handsome face was cold. “You know you were wrong? Heh, youâre quite quick to admit it now. Youâre getting more and more daring, meeting people behind my back!”
Lin Yuan tried his best to explain: “Brother, I didn’t mean to go behind your back! I was shopping outside yesterday morning, and that person suddenly called me to meet! I truly didn’t mean to hide it from you!”
“He said meet, and you met? Do you treat my words as wind passing through your ears? How much do you want to leave me and go find your parents and relatives?” Shen Yanzhou was relentless.
Lin Yuan had a bitter expression. He didn’t know how else to defend himself; his small mouth pouted, and he looked dejected.
“Lin Yuan, shouldn’t disobedience be punished?” Shen Yanzhou narrowed his eyes.
Lin Yuan knew he was angry again, and he was even more afraid. His lips trembled, and the corner of his mouth quirked down in a piteous way. He didn’t speak.
Shen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. “What, you won’t even answer my question?”
Lin Yuan muttered softly, “Yes… I should be punished…”
Shen Yanzhou grabbed his wrist and led him toward the door.
“Brother!” Lin Yuan cried out in panic. “Where are we going?”
Shen Yanzhou spat out a cold word: “Do you even need to ask?”
Lin Yuan understood. “No, Brother! I don’t…”
Shen Yanzhou seemed to have lost his patience. He scooped the boy up and threw him over his shoulder, walking out of the room. Lin Yuan swallowed his unfinished words. He stopped making a sound. He knew crying and begging for mercy would be useless. He had violated his taboo again; he was certainly going to be taught a harsh lesson.
Lin Yuan felt awful. What was wrong with wanting to find his parents and family? Why wouldn’t he allow it? Why did he have to punish him? He was already unlucky enough; why was he so heartless as to bully him?
His heart felt empty and cold. His nose stung, and tears flowed down silently.
Shen Yanzhou carried him through the corridor, went to the back yard, and entered the basement. He set Lin Yuan down. Only then did he see that his small face was wet with tears. Seeing him cry, his expression softened slightly without him realizing it. He reached out and gently wiped the tear tracks from his cheeks.
[…]
Lin Yuan bit his lip and shook his head, making a final struggle: “Brother, don’t do this…”
[…]
His chest rose and fell slightly.
[…]
Shen Yanzhou took two steps forward, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want this one?” He took the rattan whip. “Do you know what these barbs are for? One strike will tear away a layer of flesh!”
Tears poured from Lin Yuanâs eyes, his lips trembling: “Just use that one! Brother, as long as you can vent your anger… you can beat me to death!” He cried out, then lowered his head, sobbing silently.
Shen Yanzhouâs heart was incredibly agitated right now. He knew Lin Yuan was acting out, with a stubborn streak in him. He wasn’t just being stubborn with him, but with himself as well. He was single-mindedly focused on finding his family, but he had met the wrong people and nearly been killed; he must feel lost and frustrated. Now that he was pushing him again, he was at the breaking point.
Shen Yanzhou gripped the rattan whip and tapped it against the palm of his other hand. His eyes were dark and unreadable.
[…]
Translatorâs Note: “FĂš jÄŤng qÇng zuĂŹ” (č´č诡罪) is a Chinese idiom meaning to offer a humble apology. Here, Lin Yuan is essentially doing a very dark, forced version of it. The “Five Emperors’ Coins” (äşĺ¸éą) Lin Yuan was fiddling with are common items used in Chinese metaphysics for divination or protection. Poor Lin Yuan is so overwhelmed by his failures and Shen Yanzhou’s pressure that he’s entered a “death wish” state.Â
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