Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 1

The moonlight filtered through pale layers of clouds, casting eerie shadows upon the earth.

Flickering, dim lights; blurred whispers; a sensation of suffocation surged forward like a rising tide.

A man draped in heavy black robes was painting blood-colored incantations across every inch of Gu Nian’s body.

As the final stroke fell, Gu Nian’s brain reeled with a dizzying sensation, as if struck by a sudden, violent blow. His consciousness drifted in and out of focus, and a blurred face gradually began to solidify before his eyes.

“Look closely at that face!”

The man’s rasping voice pulled Gu Nian’s fading consciousness back from the brink. In the final moment before falling unconscious, he saw it clearly—a face that looked exactly like his own.

“Good luck.”

Moonlight spilled diagonally across the room, faintly illuminating the headboard. Despite the coolness of the night, the windows were locked tight.

As his awareness gradually returned, Gu Nian’s fingers twitched imperceptibly. He snapped his eyes open, scanning his surroundings like a predator lurking in the dark.

The room was large, and the expensive silk bedsheets spoke of the owner’s immense wealth. However, the costly cabinets and furniture were devoid of any ornaments; looking around, he couldn’t find a single sharp object that could serve as a “weapon” for self-defense.

A surveillance camera blinking in the corner caught Gu Nian’s attention. In this strange room, he caught a faint scent of something unusual.

Gu Nian sat up silently, but his attention was immediately snatched away by a strange sensation at his ankle. He whipped back the soft duvet, and a thick, heavy chain met his eyes.

One end of the chain was firmly bolted to the floor of the room, while the other was shackled around his slender ankle. The interior of the cuff had been carefully lined with a layer of sponge to prevent chafing.

Before Gu Nian could investigate further, a man suddenly pushed the door open and entered.

He had a prominent brow bone and a high-bridged nose. The dim light silhouetted his tall, upright frame. His shirt sleeves were casually rolled up, revealing a section of cold, white wrist bone, and a half-finished cigarette was gripped between his thin, long fingers.

Once he saw the man’s face clearly, Gu Nian couldn’t help but feel a jolt of shock.

Pei Jichuan!

Ever since Gu Nian had overthrown the previous “Big Boss” and taken over his forces, this name had frequently rung in his ears.

The power managed by the previous boss had been split into two sectors: the “white” and the “black.” The legitimate businesses on the surface were handled by Zhou Yi, while the side that couldn’t see the light was controlled by Gu Nian.

In Country Z, no conglomerate possessed more financial power than the Pei Family. Pei Jichuan, who had recently ascended to power within the family, acted with ruthless decisiveness, single-handedly driving the Pei Family to new heights.

“You’ve been unconscious for three days.”

Pei Jichuan pushed the door shut and walked slowly to the table, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.

Gu Nian watched him, his fingers twitching slightly, but he did not speak.

Pei Jichuan suddenly turned around. Through the bright moonlight streaming from the window, Gu Nian saw his eyes they were bloodshot, seemingly harboring the precursor to a violent storm.

In the next second, Pei Jichuan suddenly lunged forward. He violently grabbed Gu Nian’s throat and pinned him down. His fingers tightened gradually, and oxygen became scarce.

Driven by the instinct to survive, Gu Nian subconsciously reached up to grab Pei Jichuan’s wrist.

“Why did you try to commit suicide?” Pei Jichuan’s tone was grim. His emotions hovered on the edge of a breakdown, and even his breathing was slightly ragged.

Alarm bells rang in Gu Nian’s mind, yet his abnormally weak body made it impossible for him to fight back.

Suicide? Gu Nian tilted his head with difficulty, his peripheral vision catching the gauze wrapped around his wrist.

The only thing he could be certain of right now was that this man was indeed Pei Jichuan, but he possessed none of the original body’s memories. The few clues available were insufficient to explain the relationship between the original owner and Pei Jichuan.

The air grew thinner and thinner. Gu Nian truly felt that Pei Jichuan was going to strangle him to death.

His weakened body couldn’t summon even a shred of strength. Just a second before he was about to slip into darkness, Pei Jichuan suddenly released his grip.

Gu Nian collapsed onto the bed, coughing violently and gasping for air. The mechanical asphyxiation caused his vision to go dark in waves.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

A doctor in a white lab coat entered carrying a medical kit, appearing to be completely oblivious to the “attempted murder” scene before him.

Pei Jichuan gave a slight nod to the doctor, who went straight to the bed to check Gu Nian’s condition.

“Since he’s woken up, there shouldn’t be any major issues. We are still investigating the cause of the coma,” the doctor reported to Pei Jichuan while performing the examination. His hands subconsciously avoided the fresh bruises on Gu Nian’s neck.

Due to the various painful treatments he had undergone for cancer before the soul swap, Gu Nian had a reflex-like discomfort toward doctors in white coats.

This man is dangerous. The situation is unclear, and I cannot let Pei Jichuan become suspicious for now. Gu Nian lowered his eyes, struggling to steady his breathing.

“Fine. If there’s nothing else, you can leave,” Pei Jichuan said abruptly, his eyes fixed on the doctor’s examining hands.

The doctor complied and left with his kit.

The moment the doctor closed the door, Pei Jichuan reached out, gripped Gu Nian’s chin, and forced his face around.

Gu Nian’s entire body went rigid the instant he approached. The neural reflexes honed over years of training amidst a hail of bullets almost overrode his restraint, but looking at his current thin arms and legs, he wasn’t sure he could actually win a physical confrontation.

“Your courage is truly growing. Why did you try to kill yourself?” Pei Jichuan’s cold gaze pierced straight into the depths of Gu Nian’s eyes.

Gu Nian controlled himself, meeting the gaze with a look that appeared soft and vulnerable.

Looking at this vivid, living face, Pei Jichuan suddenly recalled the heart-stopping moment three days ago when he had finished his work in the study and returned to the bedroom, only to find the bathtub filled with a vast expanse of crimson and a deathly pale face.

A suspicion began to form in Gu Nian’s mind. He spoke in a weak voice, “Pei Jichuan… you’re hurting me.”

Gu Nian’s frail voice seemed to sting him. Pei Jichuan let go abruptly and stood up in irritation. The years they had spent together had caused Pei Jichuan to grow increasingly soft-hearted.

Pei Jichuan had thought the other had finally accepted him, but this suicide attempt had undoubtedly shattered his secret hopes.

At this thought, a hint of gloom clouded the corners of Pei Jichuan’s eyes.

“Do you want to leave me that badly? Why can’t you just believe that I love you? Lin Nuo, you can have anything you want—except to leave me.” Pei Jichuan paused, gently lifting Gu Nian’s gauze-wrapped hand. His pitch-black pupils were inexplicably terrifying.

“In this lifetime, even death shall not tear us apart again.” Pei Jichuan lowered his head and kissed the back of Gu Nian’s hand. “If there is a next time, I wouldn’t mind letting you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair.”

Gu Nian’s breath hitched. A chill surged up his spine. He had never heard of Pei Jichuan having a lover; the relationship between these two was clearly far from simple.

Time to gamble. Gu Nian’s hands gripped the bedsheets tightly.

“Pei Jichuan, I can’t feel your love at all.” Gu Nian’s eyes suddenly turned red, but he stubbornly tilted his face up, refusing to let the tears fall.

“Is your love hitting me and monitoring me? If this is your love, then you might as well just strangle me to death!” After speaking, he violently kicked the chain on the bed.

Pei Jichuan fell silent for a moment. The inexplicable surge of rage gradually cooled down. He had intended to have a proper talk once the other woke up, but the development of the situation had clearly spiraled out of control again. This was an irreconcilable conflict, but he only… wanted to protect him.

He suddenly found himself avoiding Gu Nian’s reddened eyes.

Gu Nian saw Pei Jichuan’s contemplative expression and let out a sigh of relief, quietly stretching his neck. The strength used just now had nearly snapped his neck.

“I’m sorry…” He couldn’t explain himself. Pei Jichuan looked down at Gu Nian, his voice deep, though his words were still tinged with a hint of stiffness.