No One Is Allowed To Lay Eyes On The Evil God’s Precious Beauty - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Eaten by Him Until Not a Trace Remains

After the New Year, the temperature in Yunjing showed no signs of rising. Wu Yi was driving, and seeing the pedestrians hurrying along the sidewalk, he couldn’t help but shrink his neck despite being inside the warm car.

Sigh, he suddenly felt that it was actually quite good for Qing Zhu to get a driver’s license. At least in the future, he’d have a free chauffeur whenever he went out.

Qing Zhu looked out the window in silence throughout the journey. From Wu Yi’s perspective, his eyelashes were slightly lowered, and that casual air about him actually softened his sharp edge. Although a sense of danger remained, it had become something familiar.

The place Shen Yue had chosen was a highly private club. After showing their reservation information, they entered an expansive garden. At dusk, looking through the car window, Wu Yi could see the wide driveway’s central fountain scattering a dazzling mist, illuminated by surrounding spotlights into a sort of inexplicable divinity.

As expected of an artist; the places he picks are so unique.

Someone was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing the car pull up, the person smiled and hurried over to open the door.

Wu Yi got out of the car and saw A-Mu standing by the door smoking, wearing a ripped denim jacket in the middle of winter. A-Mu smiled when he saw him.

“Was there a traffic jam on the road?”

“No,” Wu Yi answered, only then realizing A-Mu might be implying he was late. “I just left home late.”

A-Mu was about to say something else when he saw a tall man with long hair wearing a black overcoat step out from the other side of the car.

The man had clearly been a bit cramped inside the car, so his brows were slightly pressed together as he emerged, looking not particularly happy. Beyond his exceptionally superior physique, what drew the most attention was that cold yet demonic face.

Seeing that the other man was half a head taller than himself once standing straight, A-Mu froze for two seconds. The ash from his cigarette fell away. Only when his gaze met the other’s did he regain his senses to ask: “And this is?”

Wu Yi glanced at Qing Zhu’s expressionless face and could only brace himself to answer, “This is my brother.”

“Huh?” A-Mu couldn’t help but laugh. “Exactly how many brothers do you have?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Yi felt Qing Zhu’s interested gaze fall upon him.

He pursed his lips and just let it all go. “He is my one and only ‘Bro.’ Uncle A-Mu, let’s go inside.”

“What did you just call me?”

A-Mu was puzzled all the way in. He extinguished his cigarette and looked back at the silent man. Before he could figure out the true relationship between the two, he saw the man suddenly look up at him.

Those were eyes unlike any normal person’s—dark red pupils shimmering with a faint, ghostly light, clean yet deep, making it impossible to read the emotions within. Working in this industry, A-Mu knew a lot about makeup and styling, but inexplicably, the moment he saw those eyes, he felt that nothing about this man was a result of external enhancement.

An inexplicable chill ran down his spine, but he still nodded to the man in greeting.

Wu Yi was completely unaware of the exchange of looks between them. He was happily led to the private room, drawing everyone’s attention the moment he entered.

The people present were all those Shen Yue had introduced him to before. Hearing the sound, they turned around with clearly happy smiles.

“It’s Xiao Yi!”

“Come try this dessert. Sister Lian insists it’s not good, but I think it’s quite excellent.”

The group chatted happily. When they saw the man following behind him, they all froze for a moment.

Wu Yi hopped over to take a look and said in surprise, “Isn’t this the dessert from my shop? Who said it wasn’t good?”

As he spoke, the atmosphere relaxed again. Everyone pointed toward Sister Lian in the center.

The woman gave a light cough and said reservedly, “I’ve been off sugar for a long time, so I don’t like sweets anymore. It has nothing to do with the shop.”

Her defensive explanation made everyone laugh. As the host, Shen Yue naturally put an arm around Wu Yi’s shoulder.

“Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, I was hibernating for a bit,” Wu Yi blurted out some nonsense.

Shen Yue could tell he didn’t want to explain, so he didn’t push. He looked up at the mysterious man standing opposite them, who didn’t seem nervous at all in a room full of strangers.

“By the way, I haven’t asked yet. This is…”

Wu Yi had already answered A-Mu once outside. Although he hesitated, he slowly repeated it.

“He’s my brother.” After saying this, he saw a playful glint in Shen Yue’s eyes and quickly added, “The brother who watched me grow up since I was little!”

Hearing this clarification, Shen Yue became a bit more serious. He withdrew his hand from Wu Yi’s shoulder and politely extended it toward Qing Zhu.

“Hello, I’m Shen Yue. It’s just a gathering of friends today. Welcome.”

Usually, he would add something to make a new guest feel less nervous, but the man before him looked extremely relaxed and composed, without a hint of anxiety, so he swallowed the rest of his words.

From the moment Shen Yue reached out, Wu Yi couldn’t stop looking at the person beside him with a worried expression. Fortunately, he was cooperative and gave Shen Yue a firm handshake.

“Qing Zhu.”

Shen Yue curiously asked which characters were used for his name, and after learning them, he couldn’t help but remark, “Truly unique.”

Seeing Qing Zhu’s peaceful attitude, Wu Yi finally relaxed. He was soon pulled away by A-Mu and the others to admire some upcoming stage costumes.

“Sister Lian is preparing her new script lately. Speaking of which… that brother of yours is really good-looking. What does he do? Is he interested in trying to enter the entertainment industry?”

Hearing this, Wu Yi didn’t know how to respond and could only give an awkward smile. “He’s… unemployed.”

“Isn’t that perfect? He’s so handsome and has a unique aura. I happen to know a very powerful agent…”

“Probably not.” Wu Yi hesitated, and to kill their idea, he continued to expose his flaws. “Besides, his education level is very low; he’d make a fool of himself.”

“What does that matter? Hardly anyone famous in the industry actually studied for it. As long as he can read, it’s fine.”

“Um, but he has a very explosive temper and hits people. Better not.”

“A lapse in private morals isn’t a big deal… as long as he’s not too high-profile. His image is just too good.”

Wu Yi scratched his head, feeling like he was going to lose hair from worry. “He can’t help it. Um, he’s the type who thinks he’s the center of the universe. When he gets impatient, he doesn’t care about anything. He might even hit the agent the moment they meet.”

“Ah… well, in that case, never mind. But he looks quite normal right now.”

Wu Yi followed their gaze toward Qing Zhu, who had walked out onto the terrace.

He had taken off his overcoat, wearing only a thin sweater underneath that outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His long hair was loose behind him. From this angle, he was indeed excessively good-looking.

Wu Yi awkwardly retracted his gaze and explained dryly, “Yeah, because he’s not having an episode right now.”

“Fair enough. I really didn’t expect…”

The group chatted for a bit and moved on from the topic. But before Wu Yi could breathe a sigh of relief, they turned the conversation back to him.

“But honestly, I feel like you’re more suited to be a minor star. Your face is very photogenic, and you have good character with no bad habits. Do you know how much stars can make these days?”

Wu Yi looked at them earnestly but still politely declined. “Never mind, I’m not short on money.”

“I couldn’t tell; a little tycoon, are we?”

They teased him, but they seemed to know from Shen Yue that he was alone without parents, so they didn’t dwell on that topic.

Wu Yi sat with them for a while, listening to gossip from the theater world. He kept glancing toward the terrace and saw Qing Zhu standing outside alone the entire time. He couldn’t help but imagine a scene of the man standing desolately in the cold wind, so he eventually stood up, grabbed a cup of mulled wine, and went out.

After all, he was the one who brought him here. It wasn’t Qing Zhu’s fault he didn’t fit in. He wasn’t exactly human to begin with, so he probably wasn’t great at socializing.

Even though Qing Zhu always made him angry, he didn’t want to see a lonely silhouette.

The temperature outside was much lower than inside. He shivered the moment he stepped out. He was wondering if he should comfort Qing Zhu and ask him to come back in when he saw the man holding a phone. The screen showed a blue test page.

A slender, pale finger tapped ‘Submit,’ and a perfect score of 100 appeared again.

Wu Yi: “…”

The man looked down at him, and then, as if finally satisfied, exited the page.

“Finished playing?”

Wu Yi couldn’t describe his feelings. He walked over and placed the mulled wine on the ledge in front of him. “You’ve gotten a perfect score so many times, why are you still doing it?”

“Just in case.” Qing Zhu put his phone down and picked up the glass to take a sip.

The dark red wine was swallowed past his pale lips, seemingly adding a bit of color to them. Wu Yi was very curious. “You actually have moments when you’re not confident?”

Qing Zhu put down the glass, seemingly unsatisfied with the taste, and said, “Some of the questions are quite interesting.”

“…”

Wu Yi didn’t find them interesting at all. He had almost failed his test back then and had done practice questions until he wanted to cry.

Forget it, forget it. He’s not human, after all.

He comforted himself with this thought again, then tried to convince him to go back inside. But before he could find the words, the sliding door behind them opened, and footsteps were heard.

“So you’re out here.”

It was Shen Yue. He had been making the rounds inside and had been served quite a bit of alcohol. His eyes were bright now, his cheeks flushed, but he didn’t look very drunk; instead, he seemed high-spirited.

“It’s cooler out here,” Wu Yi made a random excuse.

Shen Yue smiled and turned to Qing Zhu. “Mr. Qing watched Xiao Yi grow up, yet you don’t look very old yourself. What year were you born?”

He was a talkative person used to treating people like brothers, so these questions came naturally.

However, once the question was asked, Wu Yi was the one who froze. He didn’t know the answer, but without even thinking deeply, he knew how absurd it was.

Qing Zhu slept for two hundred years at a time… he had likely lived for an unknown amount of time. He wondered if saying he was several thousand years old would scare Shen Yue to death.

“The same year as him.” While Wu Yi was still dazed, Qing Zhu answered composedly.

Shen Yue realized, “I see. Then what month is Mr. Qing?”

“…”

“The beginning of the year.”

“Then it seems you are older. My birthday is in the middle of the year.”

Wu Yi scratched his head again, only wanting to end this awkward conversation quickly.

Fortunately, Shen Yue also realized they were having a strained conversation and soon turned to him. “Actually, I came out specifically to find you. I’ve prepared a gift for you; would you like to go upstairs and take a look?”

The keyword ‘gift’ triggered Wu Yi’s interest. Without thinking, he nodded. “Sure!”

Before leaving, he told Qing Zhu to go sit in the room and stop doing those boring driving test questions.

Walking upstairs, Wu Yi was full of anticipation but still said intentionally, “Brother Shen Yue, you really don’t have to keep preparing gifts for me. I really liked the last one you gave me; I put it in the most prominent spot on my cabinet.”

Shen Yue: “Is that so? Did you ever open it? The pieces inside are my favorites; I guessed you’d love listening to them too.”

“I did! Several of them are ones you’ve performed before. I’ve been listening to it before bed these past few days.”

The gift Shen Yue had given Wu Yi was a device similar to a music box. It featured a miniature violin that would spin and play melodious violin music when opened.

The design wasn’t particularly unique; Wu Yi had seen many similar items in gift shops. But perhaps because the violin Shen Yue gave had obvious signs of aging and wear, it looked very distinct.

“It’s not artificial aging,” Shen Yue said, his hand pausing on the doorknob. “That was the violin my mother bought for me when I was little. It wasn’t expensive because it was technically just a decorative piece; the tone isn’t accurate. But I played with it all the time as a child. It was the first instrument of my career. I kept it in my cabinet until I made it into a music box recently.”

As he spoke, the flush on his face seemed to spread to the corners of his eyes, making Wu Yi feel that he was very sad in this moment.

But the emotion was fleeting. Before Wu Yi could offer words of comfort, Shen Yue gave him a gentle smile.

“Come in.”

Wu Yi followed him inside and saw many boxes piled up.

“I’ve prepared gifts for everyone, but I decided to give yours first.”

The other boxes were very exquisite, but Shen Yue just picked up a small box from the middle and opened it.

Wu Yi looked down and saw a coin-sized round pendant. It was gold and very beautiful, with a cute penguin engraved on the hollowed-out pattern. This familiar design made his heart skip a beat.

He regained his composure and played dumb. “So cute! Brother Shen Yue, do you like penguins?”

“Do you like it?” Shen Yue simply asked. “I made it by hand. It might not be very expensive or very beautiful.”

Wu Yi was someone who loved beauty. He always wore various accessories even for simple outings. This time, his wrist had an additional fine gold thread ring embedded with a gemstone, making him look even more luxurious and noble.

This gift, in comparison, was truly nothing special.

Yet Wu Yi accepted it with great joy, appearing a bit shy. “Thank you, Brother. I love it so much. Is this pure gold? It’s so expensive.”

Watching Wu Yi lower his head and hold the pendant up to his neck with a happy expression, Shen Yue couldn’t help but recall that wretched and desperate night.

Since achieving fame at a young age, he had never felt that kind of forced hopelessness. When the matter was settled, he didn’t want anyone he knew in his successful life to see that side of him.

That night, the cold wind was blowing, and he was truly in total despair. But vaguely, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him, and his mind suddenly cleared. He didn’t know if he was dreaming or awake; he just didn’t dare move. Listening to that intermittent, blurred voice, he thought… perhaps a deity had come to save him.

The story of a favorite of heaven falling from grace always becomes fodder for ridicule. Would anyone feel mercy? Would anyone pity his situation?

When a soft weight fell into his arms, his thoughts finally seemed to drift far away. From the overwhelming smell of alcohol and the damp scent of water, he caught a trace of a very faint fragrance. A slow yet firm voice sounded in his ear, like a midnight lily-of-the-valley slowly blooming.

“Brother Shen Yue, do you know? I have a set of high-collared sweaters. This necklace should go perfectly with them.”

Shen Yue pulled himself back from his brief memory and melancholy. A look of doting unconsciously appeared in his eyes as he looked at Wu Yi.

“Okay. Next time you wear it, take a photo for me.”

“Mhm!”

“Not only that, tell me immediately if anything happens in the future. Don’t be so polite with me, okay?”

“I know.”

Shen Yue looked at his obviously evasive eyes but didn’t push him further. He simply reached out and ruffled Wu Yi’s fluffy hair.

Forget it. As long as he knew the truth himself, why insist on a clear answer? In any case… he already had the definitive answer in his heart.

…

As soon as the announcement of the genius violinist Shen Yue joining the BY Symphony Orchestra was released, it instantly blew up the internet. Even his former orchestra’s official account was swarmed.

Aha? Weren’t they just fighting with the old employer a while ago? I remember the orchestra said he was acting like a big shot and being late, so they replaced him with that newcomer for those performances.

So what’s happening now? He just used the old employer as a springboard and soared directly!

People actually believed that? I say everyone who bashed Shen Yue back then should go apologize. It was clearly the orchestra trying to push someone else and making Shen Yue give up his spot at the last minute; that’s why he fell out with them. To be fair, he’s the principal; that was a dirty move.

Holy crap, really?

The fans finally get a chance to speak, lol. I got flamed to death just for saying one word for Shen Yue before.

I went to see Shen Yue’s performance a few years ago. He’s a really patient person. He had other activities after the performance, but knowing we came specifically to see him, he took the time to take photos and sign autographs. He was running when he finally left. I don’t believe someone who treats music so seriously would do such a thing.

Whatever. They can fill the whole orchestra with cronies for all I care. We’re not sticking around anyway.

Looking forward to Principal Shen Yue’s debut performance with the European orchestra [Heart

The plane soared into the sky. Shen Yue sat by the window watching the aircraft rise. The roaring vibration made his ears uncomfortable, but the instant reversal of public opinion finally gave him a sense of exhilarating relief.

He thought he should thank the person who gave him the strength to persevere.

…

Two months later, Shen Yue’s popularity skyrocketed. He attended many performances with the orchestra, and the topic of his “affectionate eyes” while looking down at his violin hit the trending searches, instantly becoming a hit across all entertainment platforms.

An interview with overseas media revealed that Shen Yue had an unshakable weekly habit: practicing basic etudes for two hours every morning at home. After interviewing his neighbors, the list of pieces made everyone fall silent.

My male god usually plays so many high-difficulty pieces, but he practices this normally?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Lullaby??

Why are there even Chinese viral songs? I’m done.

I was going to try and steal some techniques, but after seeing this list, I’m a bit hesitant.

A few days later, Shen Yue finished a performance and happened to encounter a media interview. He froze for two seconds, then gave a helpless smile.

“They aren’t exactly practice pieces. My younger brother likes listening to them. He’s been having some insomnia lately and can’t sleep well, so I play them for him.”

The media found this very novel. “Your profile shows you are an only child. Furthermore… listening to music to sleep in the morning isn’t very logical. Could it actually be your lover?”

Shen Yue couldn’t help but laugh. He shook his head and then turned serious, saying, “He’s back home. He has a very good routine and goes to bed early. It’s not the kind of relationship you think. In my heart, he is my real younger brother.”

Once this interview was released, it set off another wave of excitement.

Okay, okay, another younger-brother-obsessed guy.

Another?

Look, the CEO of Fengyue is at the auction again. He just bought a five-million-dollar antique brooch.

Jealousy makes me unrecognizable!

For a while, many marketing accounts caught the scent of the trend and started a new wave of discussion.

Wu Yi woke up groggily and opened his door, only to hear loud music accompanied by a rigid AI voice effect.

“…”

Wu Yi rubbed his eyes and looked at Qing Zhu, who was sitting on the sofa in loungewear, expressionlessly scrolling through videos. He felt a strong sense of incongruity.

“Qingqing, you’ve been too addicted to your phone lately. You’ll get nearsighted!”

He went over, wanting to act like a parent and snatch the phone away from the internet-addicted child, but the screen was turned toward him first.

Seeing Fu Liuye and Shen Yue both being interviewed by reporters at the beginning, his eyes instantly widened, and he forgot all about his intended intervention.

The video automatically replayed. Once certain he had finished watching, Qing Zhu took back the phone and exited the app.

“This is the first video I saw when I opened it today,” he explained calmly.

Wu Yi didn’t come back to his senses for a long time. When he finally did, his face was full of worry. “Why do I feel so embarrassed?”

“You are already the envy of the masses. What is there to be embarrassed about?”

Wu Yi pursed his lips. “You’re being sarcastic again, aren’t you?”

Qing Zhu shook his head, neither confirming nor denying.

“You’ve become worse and worse ever since you learned how to use a phone.” Wu Yi puffed up his cheeks and went back to his room to brush his teeth. “It’s all because of the phone! I have to strictly control your screen time!”

At this rate, he had a premonition that Qing Zhu would soon be led astray.

After breakfast, they were going out for a gathering with Aunt Cen’s family. Ever since she found out that Qing Zhu had merged with the body, Cen Yue had been wanting to take the whole family out. They were delayed because Qing Zhu was taking his driving test, but now that he had his license, the two of them drove to their destination.

Finally not having to drive himself, Wu Yi sat happily in the passenger seat, sipping from a large cup of milk tea and checking his chat logs.

“Grandpa Qin messaged me yesterday asking if you have time recently. He said he wants to take you to dinner.”

He naturally knew why. Last month, Qin Yifan was hospitalized again. Qing Zhu had intentionally waited for him to suffer enough before leisurely making a trip to the hospital.

After he returned, Qin Yifan’s condition improved. He had probably fully recovered by now and wanted to thank him.

Hearing no response from Qing Zhu, he turned his head and whispered a complaint, “Speaking of which, it’s so strange. Qin Yifan was so annoying before; I felt irritated just seeing him. But knowing he might actually die made me feel kind of uncomfortable.”

Some time ago, Qin Sijin ran into him when she went to the school to look for Qin Yifan. She apologized to him very seriously and told him many things about Qin Yifan, giving him a deeper understanding of the person.

Qin Yifan had been naughty since childhood. He was quite sensible at first, but one time he accidentally followed Qin Donglin into the basement and touched a box on the altar. After a serious illness, he became like a different person—perverse and irritable, having no patience for anything. He even learned to act sweet in front of elders at a young age, only to turn back into a cynical brat the moment their backs were turned.

Wu Yi felt some pity hearing this but couldn’t help saying, “That’s still no reason for him to bully classmates at school.”

Qin Sijin looked at him deeply and said with difficulty, “We are very aware of that, so we are doing our best to make amends now. It wasn’t just his personality that changed… even his habits and social interactions turned the complete opposite of what they were. He was actually a very polite child. Now that he’s grown, he not only comes up with bad ideas but is also slow-witted. Sometimes he truly can’t understand how much his actions affect others.”

Wu Yi thought of Qin Yifan’s “no need to eat” theory and suddenly couldn’t find words to refute.

“Plus, his health has been poor all these years. He spends at least a quarter of every year in the hospital, so his psychology became even more twisted. You said before that he’s jealous of healthy people… there’s actually some truth to that.”

Qin Sijin’s attitude was sincere. She didn’t ask him to forgive Qin Yifan; she only hoped he wouldn’t show too strong a bias in front of Qing Zhu. After all, Qin Yifan was her brother, and even though she couldn’t stand him for a long time, she didn’t want her family member to lose his life and vanish forever.

Wu Yi hadn’t promised her anything that day; he had simply remained silent when Qing Zhu told him Qin Donglin had begged him to go to the hospital.

Mentioning this person now, Wu Yi’s mood was somewhat complicated. Remembering that Xie Jingchuan had recently mentioned receiving a significant extra grant and guessing it was the Qin family’s doing, his expression softened a bit.

“So, are you going?”

Qing Zhu drove composedly, without much expression. “No.”

“Why?” Wu Yi blinked, unable to imagine what other plans he might have.

“Not interested.”

Wu Yi hummed at him, “You’re just too lazy to go, you shut-in.”

Don’t think he didn’t know. Qing Zhu spent all day holding his phone. He had secretly checked Qing Zhu’s screen time a couple of days ago; it was over twelve hours every day.

If Qing Zhu were a normal human, he’d be nearsighted by now.

“…”

They met up with the three from the Fu family. Cen Jin would be starting primary school in the middle of the year. After staying with the Fu family for a while, she had become much more lively. She wanted a hug the moment she saw Wu Yi, but when she saw Qing Zhu, her simple face showed obvious fear.

Fearing she might offend Qing Zhu, Cen Yue simply picked her up and walked toward the scenic spots.

“Does Mr. Qing recognize this place? I remember Old Fu’s notes mentioned you went to Taihe Lake in Yunjing together. This is it. It’s been renovated many times over the years.”

Qing Zhu looked at the budding willow branches hanging down, reflected in the lake surface not far away. A row of cranes flew across the center, and with the bright sun overhead, the scenery was pleasant.

“I remember.”

After saying this, he recalled an amusing anecdote about Fu An. Cen Yue listened with great interest, her face covered in an unmaskable smile.

Wu Yi walked behind. Fu Liuye asked about his recent situation, and he couldn’t help but yawn.

“Still not sleeping well?”

Fu Liuye had heard him mention difficulty falling asleep some time ago and had taken him to see doctors a few times. He even had the family cook send medicinal meals every day, but Wu Yi didn’t like the taste and ended up not eating them.

“Yeah.” Wu Yi nodded, looking puzzled himself. “I don’t even know why. Clearly, I’m very tired, but I just can’t sleep.”

“I’ll take you to see a Chinese medicine doctor again later.” Fu Liuye said, looking at his weary face. “You’re too thin. You need to eat on time. You’ll become malnourished at this rate.”

Wu Yi didn’t like being nagged and couldn’t help but grumble with a pout, “Brother, you’re turning into Aunt Cen.”

Fu Liuye couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m just worried. Tell you what, if you eat well, I’ll take you abroad for a trip once I’m done with this busy period. How does that sound?”

“Really?” Wu Yi’s eyes lit up. He had never been abroad! Although Shen Yue had invited him before, he was busy then and didn’t have any of the paperwork ready, so he hadn’t gone.

“Yes. I’ll have the cook send you good food every day. If you’re near the school, just come home to eat, and I’ll have the driver pick you up. I’ll have someone handle the passport and visa. You just need to take good care of yourself.”

This wasn’t difficult. Wu Yi nodded and agreed.

Just then, Cen Jin ran over. Fu Liuye went to pick her up. Seeing she had lost a shoe while running, he strode toward the grass steps to find it for her.

Cen Yue and Qing Zhu were standing by the railing of Taihe Lake talking. Wu Yi took in the scene and felt it was very heartwarming. If it were a few years ago, he probably couldn’t have imagined he would have such a relaxed and warm day.

“So happy, aren’t you, Wu Yi?”

A mood-killing voice sounded. Wu Yi’s expression changed slightly as he turned around to see a pale Qin Yifan wrapped in a down jacket.

A smile hung on his lips and the corners of his eyes, but it looked malicious.

Seeing him, Wu Yi wasn’t surprised at all. He pursed his lips. “Why are you eavesdropping on people?”

“I’ve been standing here the whole time. You’re the ones who insisted on talking in front of me. You can’t blame me.”

Wu Yi saw him leaning against a large tree. Coming from their previous direction, it seemed they really couldn’t have seen him.

Even so, he didn’t apologize, just gave a casual “oh.”

“Truly enviable. How are you so lucky? Just because of that man, everyone is revolving around you now, giving you all the best things.” Qin Yifan tilted his head with a sarcastic look. “Fu Liuye and Shen Yue both received favors from that Mr. Qing, didn’t they? No wonder they’re so good to you. Too bad the people on the internet won’t know the inside story. ‘Brother-obsessed,’ indeed.”

He gave a cold laugh.

Wu Yi’s face darkened, and he frowned at him.

He felt something was wrong with Qin Yifan’s state. Last time at the Qin house, he seemed quite normal, so why was he so strange again? This version of him was actually quite similar to how he was back at Xuanweifang.

It was as if… a single person had split into two completely different personalities.

Perhaps because his emotions were written on his face, Qin Yifan read his confusion.

“Ah, you think I look like a lunatic right now. Even someone as stupid as you can see it. Too bad you’re so dumb you can’t understand anything.”

“…” Wu Yi suppressed the urge to curse. “If you aren’t cured, go back to the hospital for a while. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”

“Don’t go. Don’t you want to know why I’m like this?”

Qin Yifan’s words seemed to carry a certain pull. Even though Wu Yi knew he shouldn’t listen to his nonsense, he turned back as if possessed.

“If you have something to say, say it. I don’t have time to waste on you.”

Qin Yifan stood straight. The dark circles under his eyes were terrifyingly heavy. He said, “You should cherish this. After a while, I might not be like this anymore.”

“Who cares about you…”

“And my current state was bestowed upon me by your Mr. Qing. Are you really not curious?”

Looking into his pitch-black eyes, Wu Yi felt an unfounded sense of unease. “What do I need to be curious about?”

“For instance, I only touched a tiny bit of his power and was tainted by such sinister and ominous energy. It eroded my body for all these years, making me neither human nor ghost. Do you think your Mr. Qing is as clean and kind as he appears on the surface?”

Wu Yi certainly knew Qing Zhu didn’t have a kind personality, but hearing Qin Yifan’s instigating words still made him unhappy.

“You being tainted by his power is your own fault for touching things you shouldn’t. You can’t blame others for that.” Besides, hadn’t Qing Zhu already removed those things for him?

Unexpectedly, Qin Yifan burst into laughter upon hearing this.

“Then do you know how he helped me return to normal?”

Wu Yi’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively wanted to avoid the answer. “What does it have to do with me?”

“How could it have nothing to do with you? Aren’t you clingy with him all day?” Qin Yifan took a step forward. His face, hidden in the shadows of the tree, was hit by flecks of light, but the sunlight only made his complexion look more grayish-black.

“He extracted that wisp of evil energy that had existed in my body for over a decade. For all those years, that energy fed on my vitality, causing me to become incredibly weak at regular intervals. Those were also the moments when I was briefly and completely conscious. Once that power disappears, I will gradually return to normal. But for me, this ‘normalcy’ has long been linked with pain. Do you think I’m actually happy?”

Wu Yi stood frozen, watching as Qin Yifan stepped closer until he was right in front of him, then pulled his lips into a sarcastic sneer.

“Think about it. Just a negligible wisp of his power from when he was asleep could turn me into this. Then as the owner of that ability himself, how terrifying and dark must he be? I only came to warn you because I see how pitifully gullible you are.”

“Wu Yi, you don’t really think he’s like Fu Liuye and Shen Yue, truly pampering you unconditionally, do you? If he wanted to, he could crush you with one hand. So, why is he still pretending to be this calm and harmless? What is he trying to get from you? I’ve heard about what he was like before. Aren’t you afraid that one day he’ll show his true nature again…”

Wu Yi’s shoulders heaved violently. “You’re lying!”

Qin Yifan looked at him with pity in his eyes. “You’d better keep that innocence. Let me see if you end up being eaten by him until not even a trace remains.”