A Spoiled Sweetheart's Survival Guide to the Love Battlefield - Chapter 1

The winter night air was thick with a biting chill. Even the tangled, messy withered branches on both sides of the road seemed dipped in strands of frost. The shadows of the trees slumped listlessly, twisting into a dark mass on the ground. The dim, yellowish lights from the roadside shops looked bleak, as if they were exhaling cold air, casting an ominous aura over the entire scene.

Shi Song’s spine tingled with a creeping numbness; he felt as though someone was staring at him from behind.

This bizarre sensation had persisted for several days, leaving him feeling utterly insecure.

Shi Song bit his lower lip and quickened his pace. He wanted to get back and call Lin Yiming after all, Lin Yiming would definitely find a way to help him.

As the sound of footsteps behind him drew closer, the ominous premonition in his heart grew increasingly distinct.

Just as he was about to turn into the entrance of his apartment building, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

“Who—ah!”

He couldn’t help but let out a sharp cry of alarm, but his mouth was immediately smothered.

An unyielding force dragged him ruthlessly into the dark alleyway. His desperate struggles and cries for help were entirely suppressed, the arm locking around his neck squeezing hard enough to cause a dull ache.

He was pinned face-forward against the rough wall, his shoulder slammed so hard against the stone that it felt as if it might shatter, causing his heart to skip a violent beat.

There are others?

The sound of unhurried footsteps approaching from the side caused the dread in Shi Song’s heart to magnify. He whipped his head around to look…

Two exceptionally tall men strolled over. Shi Song couldn’t quite make out their features in the dark, but the look in their eyes carried an unmistakable, blatant malice, as if they were looking at a toy they could toy with and manipulate at will.

“Tsk, you’ve gotten thinner again,” one of them said, reaching out to gently stroke Shi Song’s cheek, speaking in a slow, deliberate manner. “How pitiful.”

The disgusting, greasy sensation made Shi Song’s scalp go numb.

He couldn’t help but shrink back, his eyes uncontrollably welling up with a layer of moisture, his voice incredibly soft and trembling: “Wh-who are you…”

In the past, no one would have ever dared to treat him this way.

But the current Shi Song no longer possessed his once-luxurious lifestyle. He wore old clothes that had turned white from washing, and his thin, emaciated body looked even more alluring beneath the loose fabric. From the man’s angle, Shi Song’s pristine collarbones were perfectly visible, and even his fingers, pressed against the man’s chest, retained a delicate grace from a life of privilege.

Clearly, it was this overly conspicuous beauty that had brought about his disaster.

The man beside him seemed captivated, uncontrollably pressing his fingers against Shi Song’s small, exquisite Adam’s apple.

He used a great deal of force. Shi Song felt a sharp, suffocating pain, and just when he was about to lose consciousness from the lack of air, the man finally let go, leaving distinct red marks on his pale neck.

In this state, it seemed as though anyone could bully him, and anyone could mold and abuse him as they pleased.

“What do you want…”

The undisguised malice in their eyes terrified Shi Song to his very core. The clothes he wore provided no protection against the wind, and the sheer terror caused his body to tremble violently.

He bit his lip, forcing his voice to rise: “What exactly do you want! I’m warning you, Lin Yiming won’t let you get away with this!”

“Lin Yiming?”

To his horror, the man opposite him repeated the name as if he had just heard the funniest joke imaginable. “The man is currently enjoying his honeymoon, deeply in love with his partner. You think he’d still protect you like he did before?”

“What?”

In the darkness, Shi Song instantly felt completely ice-cold, as if a bucket of freezing water had been poured over him from head to toe. His lips trembled, and his throat tightened painfully.

Seeing that Shi Song truly cared about this, the other man added maliciously, “Did you see that century wedding he prepared for Su Tang?”

“Tsk tsk, it’s my first time seeing so many celebrities present at once. I heard it’s because Su Tang loves following celebrities, so he really spared no expense.”

“Exactly. Before this, I thought their families were just entering a business marriage like the rumors said. But ever since I heard he personally chose an island for Su Tang and named it after him, I realized that true romance still belongs to the Lin family.”

“I also heard that Madam Lin directly gifted ten percent of the company shares to Su Tang. It looks like she is genuinely satisfied with this daughter-in-law.”

They spoke back and forth, painting a vivid and colorful picture of that wealthy, high-society marriage.

Shi Song’s eyes turned red in an instant, and his heart spasmed with agonizing pain. His eyes were watery and vacant, his expression deeply heartbreaking.

“Lin Yiming really got married…” he murmured in utter disbelief.

In his mind’s eye, Shi Song could almost see the scene of the two getting married.

Lin Yiming must have been wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, with the beautiful Su Tang leaning against him. Step by step, they walked through the floral archway amidst the applause and blessings of the crowd. Lin Yiming would place the ring onto Su Tang’s hand, gently imprinting a kiss that symbolized eternity and vows.

Those were all promises Lin Yiming had once made to him.

Shi Song felt his chest tighten, and his stomach, which had been empty all day, flared up with a tearing agony.

The violent emotional upheaval caused him to clutch his abdomen. He staggered, leaning against the wall with his body half-bent, finding it incredibly difficult to breathe, as if knives were slashing through his nasal passages.

The cancer diagnosis given to him by the hospital during the day was still vivid in his mind. Every single indicator showed that his twenty-something body was already exhausted and dying. In the future, his only chance of surviving for a few more months was to sustain himself with the most expensive medications.

At first, Shi Song refused to believe it. But now, this near-shattering pain finally brought him a sense of reality.

Everything that had happened recently was not a dream; he was truly going to die.

Shi Song bit down hard on his own arm, attempting to use the physical pain to divert his attention. But in the face of this crushing agony, his actions proved utterly futile.

His current appearance was indeed pitiful.

But now, everyone in Beijing knew that Shi Song was an ungrateful wretch. Seeing him made people want to step forward and slap him twice just to show their loyalty to the Wei family, wishing only for him to fall even further from grace.

The desire in the eyes of the three men intensified.

Shi Song was simply too beautiful. A foolish, delicate little beauty like him should inherently be kept caged, bound by a golden chain, living like a canary.

They wanted to cruelly capture this bird, clip its wings, and treat him with their darkest desires. They wanted to grind his dignity to dust until those beautiful eyes held only them, and his soft lips could only beg them for mercy.

In any case, the current Shi Song no longer possessed the family background that could shield him. He was drowning in debt, displaced, and so poor that he could barely afford to eat, forced to live in a slum. No company dared to hire him.

Making such a person disappear was simply too easy.

When the time came, everyone would assume that Shi Song had fled to escape his debts to the Wei family and hidden away. As time passed, who would still remember such a beautiful yet fragile canary?

“Don’t be sad,” the man pinning him down smiled, coaxing him maliciously. “Why don’t you come home with us, and we’ll help you pay off your debts?”

Even if Shi Song was foolish, he could still hear the underlying malice in those words. His struggles grew more frantic: “Get lost! Get away from me!”

However, his current resistance was like a newborn kitten scratching with its claws—it possessed no deterrent force whatsoever. On the contrary, it only served to arouse greater desire.

“Even if I broke up with Lin Yiming, aren’t you afraid of retribution from the Wei family?! Are you not even afraid of Wei Huaiweichen?”

Driven to absolute despair, Shi Song pulled out his final saving straw, his voice trembling as he threatened them. His eyes were exceptionally bright, making his threat look somewhat convincing at first glance.

But his words only made the men opposite him burst into laughter: “Hahaha, do you think we don’t know? The Wei family disowned you long ago.”

“Not throwing you in prison and only making you compensate twenty million yuan is already the most merciful Wei Huaiweichen has ever been. You’re still counting on him to save you? Hahaha.”

“No…”

Realizing that his last card had been exposed, Shi Song bit his lip.

That vibrant, crimson color made the gaze of the men opposite him darken further.

“I heard that Wei Huaiweichen has already taken control of all the Wei family’s assets. As for you… he must hate you to the bone.”

“Since he already possesses everything, then it is only right that you are inherited by us.”

The man opposite him laughed softly, whispering his name into his ear, sending a chill straight to his heart.

“From today onward, the ones who own you are us.”

“Shi Song.”

Beijing, Xianyun Ji.

The October wind blew the ginkgo trees along the sidewalk into a vibrant yellow. Cars driving over the fallen leaves made a rustling sound, as if the ground were paved with crushed gold. The gentle breeze swept the noisy voices of the crowd together, rising and falling in pitch, brimming with the warmth of everyday life.

Shi Song was staring blankly out the window when Lin Yiming’s concerned voice echoed in his ear: “Songsong?”

Startled, he snapped his head back: “Ah?”

Shi Song looked at Lin Yiming with a touch of bewilderment, his eyelashes fluttering gently.

The sunlight was light and soft, filtering through the elegant Chinese-style latticed window of the private room and falling upon his face, creating a play of light and shadow.

The young man was exceedingly beautiful the kind of appearance that instantly captured everyone’s attention. His soft, flowing hair reached his earlobes, and his body carried the faint, clean scent of shower gel. His light-colored eyes appeared exceptionally bright under the sunlight.

Above his eyelid sat a small, red mole, which accentuated his pale skin and exquisite features.

These features were perfectly sculpted; anyone who saw him would want to hold him in the palm of their hand.

Lin Yiming’s gaze softened. Using the serving chopsticks, he placed a small piece of fish belly into Shi Song’s bowl: “Songsong, what’s wrong?”

Only then did Shi Song realize that he had actually lost himself in the memories of last night’s dream.

In that dream, he was heavily in debt, riddled with illness, and targeted by a group of madmen he was reduced to absolute wretchedness. It was clearly an absurd progression of events, yet it felt terrifyingly real.

He could even remember the despair he felt in the dream when he heard that Lin Yiming had married someone else. But in reality, how could such a thing happen?

The two of them had only been dating for three months, and they were currently in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Lin Yiming was entirely obedient to him, to the point where even his usually fastidious roommates couldn’t help but praise Lin Yiming as the perfect boyfriend.

Even so, while staying with Lin Yiming today, he couldn’t shake off an underlying sense of discomfort.

Lin Yiming smiled helplessly: “You’ve been distracted all afternoon. Are you unhappy on our date?”

“No,” Shi Song quickly changed the subject. “I just remembered that I haven’t finished my watercolor assignment yet. I’m going to be used as a bad example by the teacher again.”

His tone carried a hint of complaint, his voice soft and sweet, gently brushing against Lin Yiming’s heart.

“Then how about I log onto a video call to supervise you after we go back?” Lin Yiming joked, his eyes crinkling.

Shi Song paused, seemingly considering the possibility seriously, before shaking his head two seconds later: “Forget it, your time is precious, I shouldn’t impose.”

Even though he spoke with a serious expression, to Lin Yiming, it sounded like a form of coquettish spoiling.

Watching Shi Song pick up the fish from his bowl, blow on it to cool it down, and eat it bite by bite, the affection in Lin Yiming’s eyes deepened: “How could that be? I wish I could spend more time with you.”

Normally, Shi Song would definitely tease him into saying a few more sweet words, but now he merely offered an unnatural smile and buried his head back into his food.

As they neared the end of the meal, Shi Song excused himself to use the restroom.

From the outside, Xianyun Ji appeared to be just an elegant small red building, but its interior layout was vast. The wooden floorboards were somewhat aged, emitting a creaking sound when stepped upon.

Shi Song initially intended to find a waiter to ask for directions. As he approached a corner, he overheard two staff members whispering in secret behind the wall. As he drew closer, their voices became clear.

“What’s going on today? We have such a grand setup.”

“You don’t know? A major boss arrived today. You know how powerful Boss Liu is, right? He begged and pleaded just to invite this titan over, hoping to secure some help. He explicitly instructed our manager yesterday that absolutely nothing must go wrong today.”

“Holy crap, that subservient man earlier was Boss Liu? I barely recognized him. He has millions deposited with us.”

“The other guy is way more powerful than him. I looked up some gossip yesterday out of curiosity. That big boss is only in his twenties, born into absolute nobility. He established his own company while abroad, and it has expanded to an terrifying scale, practically surpassing the massive enterprise his parents spent decades running.”

“That incredible? Who is this boss?”

“The surname is…”

Right at that moment, Shi Song’s voice interrupted them: “Excuse me, could you tell me where the restroom is?”

“Hello,” the waiter immediately switched to a highly professional smile. “Go straight ahead, turn left, and then turn right.”

Shi Song smiled: “Alright, thank you.”

The voices of the people behind him gradually faded.

Entering the restroom, Shi Song turned on the faucet, placing his long, well-defined fingers under the running water to rinse them thoroughly.

Once autumn arrived, the tap water in Beijing became piercingly cold. Before long, the knuckles of his hands flushed with a faint pink hue, his fingertips rounded and pristine, looking like pieces of art.

“Songsong.”

Just then, a warm, gentle voice echoed from across the hallway.

Shi Song’s heart thudded violently, a subtle yet profound premonition flashing through his mind.

He turned off the faucet and slowly lifted his gaze to look…

The man reflected in the mirror was tall, with a broad posture and cold, striking features. A few stray strands of hair fell loosely by his ears. His eyelashes were exceptionally long, as dark as a crow’s wings, and his pale complexion resembling someone who hadn’t seen daylight in ages accentuated his beautiful eyes. His pupils were overlaid with a layer of light gray, carrying a mint-like coolness. The corners of his lips were curved slightly upward into a faint arc, carrying a trace of world-weary detachment.

An appearance like this was impossible to forget.

“It really is you.”

The man curled his lips, looking at Shi Song through the mirror.

His spine tingled with an inexplicable numbness. Shi Song stared at those dove-gray eyes in the mirror; they were too cold, as if shrouded in an invisible shadow.

He bit his lower lip slightly, a strong sense of unease forcing him to take two steps back.

He opened his mouth: “Um…” Shi Song hesitated, unsure of how to address the man before him.

“What a coincidence,” the man’s voice remained calm, carrying a faint, ambiguous smile. “I heard earlier that you had classes today. I thought I wouldn’t see you until next week.”

The voice in his ear was deepened by the afternoon breeze, and the slightly raised tone carried an intimate quality, yet it felt as though the surrounding space was being quietly encroached upon.

Shi Song felt the tip of his ear tingle slightly.

The panic of having his lie exposed caused him to shift his gaze away uncomfortably.

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