Chapter 18 [Checkmated by the Little Beast]
It wasn’t the first time You Yuanyuan had commanded him to call him “Dad.”
Xing Lie’s thoughts drifted back to the year he was fifteen.
He had just been brought back by You Yuanyuan to this Zunyue Tai villa. He had never seen such a massive villa before—surrounded by forest, with white walls and dark tiles, four stories high, containing over twenty rooms. The exterior walls were covered in green climbing vines, with beautiful little flowers blooming on their branches.
Inside, the villa was so beautiful it felt like stepping into a fairyland. The path from the main gate to the grand hall was paved with floor tiles so polished they could serve as mirrors, flanked by beautifully manicured topiary plants. Upon entering the grand hall, there were glass doors on all four sides, making it incredibly transparent and bright. Outside each door lay a different landscape and decoration.
At the time, having just arrived in the big city from a small county town, he was completely unfamiliar with all of this. Having never seen the world, he was curious about everything new. Just as he was still immersed in the overwhelming sense of awe…
You Yuanyuan stood in the courtyard. That face, as cold as frost and high and mighty, looked like a flower blooming on a high peak untouched by mortal dust, as beautiful as a celestial being. Looking down at the 1.7-meter-tall him, he said, “You will live here from now on. However, you must call me Dad.”
Xing Lie’s beautiful visions and wonderful mood took a sharp nosedive, shattered into nothingness by those words.
He hated the title “Dad.”
Hated it to death, hated it with a burning madness.
The man who sired him, Xing Feilian, was his dad. But a person like that was unworthy of being a father—worse than a beast, devoid of all conscience, committing every evil deed imaginable, heinous and atrocious to the core. He was the absolute worst kind of villain, the most disgusting bastard!
Every derogatory term could be applied to that beast, Xing Feilian.
It was Xing Feilian who had defiled the title of “Dad.” Xing Lie had never called Xing Feilian “Dad.”
From then on, the word “Dad” had to vanish from his world entirely.
This was his heaviest, deepest scar, yet it was ripped wide open by You Yuanyuan, the very person who brought him home. It hurt so much he almost ground his teeth to dust.
“I’m not even registered in your household, what right do you have to make me call you Dad!” Xing Lie retorted sharply.
Before being brought back from the orphanage, he had always disguised himself as a docile, obedient teenager. But with a single sentence, You Yuanyuan forced him to reveal his true form, fully exposing his untamable, wild nature.
Since You Yuanyuan had come of age, virtually no one had dared to clash with him face-to-face, red in the face with anger. Yet now, he was being defied by a fifteen-year-old boy. Furious, You Yuanyuan directly delivered a few kicks to him, giving him a brutal show of dominance.
Yet he never made a sound. He let You Yuanyuan kick him, beat him, and still didn’t utter a single “Dad.” Stubborn as a little wild beast.
The housekeeper, Tao Shu, also knew that the boy brought back and registered in his household would not be an obedient, docile master. Therefore, Tao Shu never expected him to call him “Dad” either.
Xing Lie couldn’t remember exactly how many times You Yuanyuan had commanded him to call him “Dad,” but either way, he never did.
Today, You Yuanyuan was resorting to his old tricks again. Knowing perfectly well he wouldn’t say it, You Yuanyuan remained just as persistent. In all likelihood, he just wanted an excuse to teach him a lesson.
He said, “You Ye, I feel that calling you ‘Dad’ lets me off too easily. After all, your home is such an honorable place. If I can come and go as I please just by calling you Dad, that would be looking down on you too much. Therefore, you should make me pay a much heavier price.”
“For example?” You Yuanyuan was curious to hear what kind of medicine he was selling from his gourd.
Xing Lie’s gaze was deep and wicked as he said, “For example, you force yourself on me, and I won’t resist.”
Almost instantaneously, You Yuanyuan’s face darkened, his eyes freezing over like a ten-thousand-mile snowstorm. Suppressing his raging fury, his entire body exuded an extremely icy aura, as if trying to freeze Xing Lie into ice shards.
If this were the past, he would have long since released his suppressive S-grade Alpha pheromones to teach Xing Lie a lesson. But now, aside from physically hitting him, he had no other options.
Xing Lie had completely cornered him into a situation where he couldn’t back down gracefully. One must know that back when he was a top-tier Alpha, he naturally had the capital to force himself on Xing Lie. It was just that every time, Xing Lie managed to break free.
If he were still a top-tier Alpha now, and Xing Lie said he wouldn’t resist… That would absolutely be a heaven-sent opportunity. He would seize it to thoroughly humiliate this ignorant little bastard, Xing Lie.
But… he was an Omega now!
After differentiating into an Omega, his skeletal frame was a size smaller than before, and his strength had diminished as well. He didn’t have a single thought of forcing himself on Xing Lie.
For Xing Lie to say those words was simply the ultimate insult to him!
If he didn’t know that Xing Lie was still unaware of his differentiation into an Omega, he would definitely think Xing Lie was intentionally saying this to provoke him.
At this moment, You Yuanyuan clenched his fists until they cracked, so angry that a tinge of red stained the corners of his eyes. His rosy lips trembled slightly. “What the fuck do you think you are? Do you really think you’re some sort of delicacy? Scram!”
He desperately wanted to beat the little beast up, but he lacked a justifiable reason.
Xing Lie’s gaze gradually turned dark and gloomy. His body radiated an extremely low air pressure, as if he was about to unleash his S-grade pheromones the next second, yet he was trying his hardest to restrain and control himself.
The atmosphere between the two was tense, like drawn swords and bent bows, feeling as though a life-and-death battle could erupt at any moment.
“Aiya, forget it, forget it, forget it,” Zhou She hurried over and stood between the two, acting like a neighborhood peacemaker. He said to Xing Lie, “If you want to come back, then come back. You Ye is just joking with you; you don’t need to pay any price. Alright, break it up, break it up.”
Bracing himself, Zhou She used one hand to grab the unfinished vitamin drink from the wooden table, and the other hand to pull You Yuanyuan back upstairs.
Sigh, being a secretary is a high-risk profession. If not me, then who!
Xing Lie turned around, watching Zhou She drag You Yuanyuan away. A bloody, sweet curve curled at the corner of his lips.
The servants in the house were shocked to realize that this time, when the two argued, they hadn’t actually clashed by releasing their S-grade Alpha pheromones. Truly… far too strange!
Zhou She dragged You Yuanyuan back to the third-floor bedroom.
Closing the door, he breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Seeing that You Yuanyuan still hadn’t swallowed his foul anger, he said with heartache, “You Ye, don’t be angry, don’t lower yourself to that little beast’s level. He doesn’t know you’ve differentiated into an Omega, and he doesn’t know you can’t top anymore…”
“Shut up!” You Yuanyuan couldn’t bear to hear it.
Zhou She hurriedly covered his mouth, but out of concern for You Yuanyuan, he still said cautiously, “Liu Yisheng said that before your heat period, it’s best not to have violent emotional fluctuations. Otherwise, it will disrupt your body’s metabolism, causing your heat to arrive early.”
You Yuanyuan knew this as well, but he couldn’t help being angry. Closing his eyes, when he opened them again, he had switched back to his secondary personality.
The secondary personality had a more resilient mindset, able to quickly adapt to and accept the current situation. He wouldn’t overthink things and approached situations with an optimistic, upbeat attitude. Moreover, he could always propose some naive ideas to solve problems.
At this moment, he said, “I’m not angry anymore, I’m not angry. I won’t lower myself to the little beast’s level. Besides, he probably didn’t do it on purpose since he still doesn’t know I’ve differentiated into an Omega.”
You Yuanyuan took the unfinished cup of vitamin drink from Zhou She’s hand, tilted his head back, and drank it all.
Zhou She exhaled a breath. Truly so exhausting.
You Yuanyuan looked at him and smiled faintly. “Secretary Zhou, you’ve worked hard. Let’s increase your salary by 20% starting this month.”
“Not at all, not at all, thank you, You Ye. Doing things for You Ye, Zhou She will absolutely dedicate himself until his dying breath.” Zhou She secretly rejoiced in his heart. A salary raise, wonderful.
Lunch the next day.
You Yuanyuan stopped eating after only a few bites again; he truly had no appetite.
Xing Lie noticed him head upstairs early, his gaze retracting, the emotions in his eyes unclear.
After Xing Lie finished eating and went up to the second floor, planning to go to the gym, he saw You Yuanyuan standing at the door of his bedroom.
“You Ye, looking for me?” Xing Lie found it strange. Yesterday he had angered You Yuanyuan to the point of exploding, yet today You Yuanyuan was acting like nothing had happened, and was now waiting at his door.
What scheme is this old thing plotting?
You Yuanyuan looked at Xing Lie with a clear and pure gaze. Although his eyes naturally looked a bit cold, his gaze right now held no chill. He reached his hand out toward Xing Lie: “Give me back my Steel Rose.”
Steel Rose was his nunchucks forged from pure silver.
You Yuanyuan and Zhou She had searched all over the bedroom but couldn’t find them. Since Xing Lie was the one who brought him back yesterday, they must have been taken by Xing Lie.
With a look of you finally remembered your sticks on his face and a teasing smile in his eyes, Xing Lie walked toward his bedroom door. Unexpectedly, You Yuanyuan took a step back, seemingly intentionally keeping his distance.
Xing Lie scoffed internally. He walked over, opened his bedroom door, and said, “They’re on my desk.”
His meaning was for You Yuanyuan to go in and get them himself.
You Yuanyuan slightly furrowed his beautiful brows. He smelled the Glass Wood pheromones wafting out from Xing Lie’s room. It was quite strong; he didn’t dare go inside.
“You go get them for me.” You Yuanyuan took another step back, distancing himself further from the bedroom door. His pale, cold skin felt faintly hot.
Oh no, my heat period is approaching, I’m too easily affected by Xing Lie’s Glass Wood pheromones.
Xing Lie knew why You Yuanyuan had been repulsed by him and avoiding him lately—because his top-tier Alpha pheromones could easily induce an Omega’s heat. Furthermore, judging by You Yuanyuan’s anorexia and his consumption of vitamin drinks, his heat period was approaching very soon.
“Didn’t You Ye love coming into my room before? Why are you avoiding it like a snake or scorpion now? Is there something in my room that You Ye is afraid of?” Xing Lie stood by the door, a wicked smile in his eyes.
You Yuanyuan covered his nose and mouth, masking the flushed heat within his body, his voice sounding soft and muffled: “After you get them out, I will take you somewhere.”
“Where?” Xing Lie.
“Get them out first.” You Yuanyuan retreated another two steps.
Xing Lie noticed that You Yuanyuan right now was different from yesterday again. It was hard to make him explode at the slightest touch, and he even knew how to use detour tactics.
He held back his wicked impulse to drag You Yuanyuan into the room. A few seconds later, he walked into the bedroom, retrieved the Steel Rose from his desk, and handed it to You Yuanyuan.
Taking them, the cool metal felt much more comfortable in You Yuanyuan’s hands. He tucked them back into the waistband of his pants. Turning to head downstairs, he said, “Follow me.”
Watching his agile and beautiful back, Xing Lie’s gaze inexplicably followed him. His body moved as well, following You Yuanyuan outside.
The main doors of the villa were double-leaf doors made of cast aluminum. Pitch-black in color, they featured reliefs of mountains, forests, and green bamboo, looking heavy, dignified, elegant, and grand.
The doors opened to an asphalt surface outside.
You Yuanyuan walked to the right, and Xing Lie followed behind him. One after the other, the two gradually entered the forest.
There were no asphalt paths in the forest; the ground was covered in soft, green grass that felt spongy underfoot. The mixed scent of grass and earth drifted into their noses, fresh and pleasant.
The forest had formed naturally, so the trees inside grew wild, dense, and lush. The branches of each tree intertwined with those of another, full of vibrant leaves. Sunlight could only pierce through the gaps in the foliage. Usually, the mist that lingered in the morning only slowly dissipated by the afternoon.
Xing Lie knew where You Yuanyuan was taking him.
It was the training base he had been to countless times before. He called it “Purgatory in the Woods.”
Ever since he moved out at the age of 22, he had never been back here.
At a glance, an area of over five hundred square meters was filled with brutal training equipment made entirely of wooden materials.
There was a swinging wooden bridge suspended in the air, attached to tree trunks ten meters above the ground. Fifteen wooden planks were hung by chains, requiring one to step across them one by one. But the planks would swing, and a careless step would result in a fall.
There was an elevated single-plank bridge, spanning the length of ten trees, with a surface only ten centimeters wide. It was fifteen meters off the ground.
There was an aerial chain, also tied to the trees, totaling fifty meters in length. One had to grasp the chain from the end and swing all the way across.
There was a simulated infrared electrical web. Ropes were wrapped around the trunks of several trees, and one had to pass through without touching the ropes, or else face punishment.
There was a low-crawl net, also made of ropes wrapped around tree trunks, but tied very low—less than thirty-five centimeters off the ground. One had to crawl for fifty meters.
There were wooden hurdles, each row higher than the last. The lowest was one meter, the highest two point three meters, requiring a running jump to vault over.
There was a wooden climbing frame, fifty meters high. One had to step on protruding wooden blocks to climb up quickly, then slide down a rope.
There was an underground tunnel he had once dug; he didn’t know if it could still be entered now.
There was also a small wooden cabin he had built himself using timber. The space inside was barely large enough for two adults, covered by a tent on the outside for camouflage.
…
Having not been here for three years, some of the wooden materials were already covered in moss.
Back when he was still studying, he had to come to the forest base for training every day after school, returning covered in bruises. Sometimes the injuries weren’t from falling, but from You Yuanyuan’s beatings.
However, for the current Xing Lie, these obstacles posed no difficulty.
So, what was You Yuanyuan bringing him here for now?
[Author’s Note:]
[Xing Dog in the past: “This little wooden cabin is my personal secret base. No one is allowed inside!”]
[Xing Dog later: “Every day I think about how to trick the cold beauty inside and then… mm-hmm-hmm.”]
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