The Dangerous Omega Who is Good at Disguising Always Wants to Hook Me! - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: This Is a Monster

Although their previous interactions seemed normal, Shen Yunshu was indeed an eccentric madman. His normalcy was merely skin-deep; the moment he encountered something of interest, he became fanatical.

“My cousin’s advice is correct, Brother Qi. You really shouldn’t have agreed to Second Uncle. Aside from necessary matters, you’d better stay far away from him. He only looks normal in front of ordinary people.”

In the bar’s lounge, Qi Yan was taking things out of his locker. You Yi was in the back adjusting his bass. Thinking of the scene he witnessed when he went to see Shen Xiliu, You Yi lowered his voice with a subtle expression: “It’s a good thing my cousin was there and took a strong stand. Otherwise, Second Uncle would have dragged you two straight into the lab for breeding—”

Qi Yan’s eyelid twitched, and he showed a look of disgust. “The way you put that is too foul.”

“Ahem, I’m just telling it like it is. He really is capable of that kind of thing.” You Yi didn’t have the heart to finish the sentence. He scratched the back of his head and tried to be as tactful as possible. “You know, people in science often have a bit of that ‘mad fanatic’ trait. I shouldn’t speak ill of my elders.”

“But, my second uncle is truly not normal; he has no bottom line. As an Alpha, for the sake of research, he even dared to use himself as an experimental subject and personally gave birth to a child. If the subjects weren’t you and my cousin this time, well, you know.”

“I don’t really want to know, and besides, I’ve already promised him.” Qi Yan was somewhat surprised. Although he had heard rumors about Shen Yunshu’s personality, he hadn’t expected him to have done something like that.

An Alpha giving birth sounded shocking indeed—especially someone like Shen Yunshu. He was likely practicing the philosophy of “giving birth to a child just to use it as a toy.”

“If you regret it now, call my cousin. He has ways to refuse,” You Yi suggested kindly. When he arrived earlier, Qi Yan had already promised Shen Yunshu. At that time, Shen Xiliu had a rare, dangerous expression on his face. Whenever that expression appeared, someone was bound to have terrible luck.

If Qi Yan regretted it now, Shen Xiliu would surely be very happy. As long as Qi Yan was unwilling, he had plenty of ways to send Shen Yunshu away.

Qi Yan shook his head. “No need. Since I’ve promised, I will cooperate fully. I’m not just a research subject; I’m a researcher too. With Mr. Shen there, I trust he won’t let Director Shen go overboard.”

You Yi paused his movements and smiled happily. “You really do trust him. If my cousin knew, he’d be thrilled.”

You Yi found it interesting—he himself was a member of the Shen family and knew they were consistently mentally unstable, yet Qi Yan actually trusted Shen Xiliu.

“Alright, I’m finished. I’m heading out first.” Before Qi Yan could speak again, You Yi stood up, grabbed his bass, and prepared to leave. He suddenly turned back to ask: “By the way, Brother Qi, haven’t you been very busy lately? Why are you still coming to the bar to help?”

“Just some small business,” Qi Yan said with a smile, though the mirth in his eyes was faint.

Lately, the number of strangers secretly spying on him in the bar had been increasing. Qi Yan knew exactly who was watching. There were only three places he frequented: the school’s experimental building, the PHY Life Science Research Institute, and the bar. Outsiders couldn’t enter the first two, making the bar the best place to observe him.

Qi Yan finished changing and tidied his hair. Staring at himself in the mirror, he slowly curled his lips into a smile. In that half-smile, he created a perfect illusion of a gentle and suave gentleman.

In the mirror, his face was well-defined, his sharp brows and eyes exuded a sense of wildness, and his long, deep peach-blossom eyes carried a soul-stirring, flirtatious charm whenever his gaze shifted.

Looking at himself like this, Qi Yan felt he was drifting further and further away from the guy who looked so much like him.

“Though both are equally hypocritical,” Qi Yan thought of Yi Yang, whom he met at the restaurant, his tone ghostly. “I’m almost jealous of him.”

The similarity between Yi Yang and Yi Hongli was actually lower than his own. Wasn’t that guy the one who actually grew up by Yi Hongli’s side?

“He should be arriving soon, I expect.” Qi Yan stared at himself in the mirror, a perfect smile fixed on his face.

Song Yili organized the information she had sent people to investigate. Yi Yang wasn’t meticulous enough in his work, so she didn’t feel at ease and specifically ordered another investigation into Qi Yan.

Unfortunately, no new information was found. It seemed someone had locked down his records; only superficial information could be accessed, while anything deeper was impossible to find. This made Song Yili feel uneasy.

Although the possibility was slim, as a precaution, Song Yili had secretly obtained a strand of Qi Yan’s hair and performed a paternity test with Yi Hongli. The results left her very disappointed.

The matter of hiding things from Yi Hongli had been delayed for too long. Song Yili knew she couldn’t keep it hidden anymore. She adjusted her mood and went to greet Yi Hongli when he returned home.

“Is Xiao Yang not at home?” Yi Hongli glanced at the living room. “I heard he came back today.”

Song Yili took his coat with a smile. “He went out again, of course. The wedding is almost here; he can’t sit still at home and wanted to spend more time with Xiangting.”

They look so much alike. Qi Yan and Yi Hongli were at least fifty percent similar, and even more so when Yi Hongli was younger.

Looking at the familiar face before her, Song Yili thought that Qi Yan had perfectly inherited the strengths of both sides. If he hadn’t left with Xia Yunqie back then, Yi Hongli would likely have doted on this son very much.

Unaware of Song Yili’s thoughts, Yi Hongli nodded and said, “That’s fine. Nothing must go wrong with the alliance with the Shen family. How are the wedding preparations coming along?”

“Everything is going smoothly. We’re letting the two of them make the choices; we elders just need to keep an eye on things. After all, young people have their own ideas.”

They chatted about their children like a normal couple, the atmosphere warm and natural. Therefore, Song Yili did not immediately bring up today’s discovery.

Only after dinner was finished did Song Yili hand the prepared documents to Yi Hongli. “It’s quite a coincidence. This was something Xiao Yang and Xiangting encountered during a date. Because he looks so much like Xiao Yang, and remembering you’ve been looking for that mother and son, we paid a bit more attention and specifically investigated. We didn’t expect it to actually be him.”

Yi Hongli took the file. His brow furrowed when he saw the name “Qi Yan,” and he continued to flip through it. By the time he finished, he hadn’t said a word.

However, based on Song Yili’s understanding of him, she knew Yi Hongli was in a terrible mood. Having held a high position for years, even without speaking, he radiated an aura of natural authority.

“…It’s good that he’s found. I will send people to handle it immediately.” Yi Hongli stared at the name “Qi Yan,” his face as grim as still water. How could his son take someone else’s surname?

Even if it was a son he loathed, it was unsettling.

“However, since we couldn’t find her for so many years, it seems she married someone influential to hide so well.” The corners of Yi Hongli’s mouth dipped slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

“Time was tight, so Xiao Yang didn’t find much. She might not necessarily have remarried,” Song Yili said. “The name change might just be so we couldn’t find her…”

Yi Hongli interrupted her: “You don’t need to speak up for her. Whether she remarried or not has nothing to do with us. If that old fogey hadn’t left me such a stumbling block, I wouldn’t have had to waste so much effort.”

His jaw tightened, and his tone grew cold. “I will conduct a thorough investigation. Since I’ve found Yanzhi, I will find her soon.”

“It would be best if she could be found quickly,” Song Yili said with some trepidation. “Hongli, Xia Yunqie hasn’t appeared for all these years. She probably hasn’t discovered that hidden item, right?”

“With her personality, if she had found it, she couldn’t have remained silent for so many years. I suspect even she doesn’t know what Xia Qingshan left for her.”

Yi Hongli stared sharply at the photo of Qi Yan in the file. Compared to Xia Yunqie, the person he needed to worry about more right now was this biological son he hadn’t seen in years.

In the photo, Qi Yan was wearing a white lab coat, focused on a pharmaceutical experiment. His expression was calm and rational, looking very much like a young Yi Hongli, yet his aura was more gentle and composed.

But Yi Hongli didn’t believe for a second that his son had become gentle and friendly. Everything was merely a disguise.

Qi Yan was almost a perfectly scaled-up version of the seven-year-old in his memory. Yi Hongli closed his eyes and could still recall the image of Yi Yanzhi—not the innocent, childish look of an eldest son, but another image he didn’t want to remember.

Yi Yanzhi had been brilliant from a young age and was highly favored by Yi Hongli and his parents. Even though he loathed Xia Yunqie, Yi Hongli had no intention of letting his child leave with her.

So, he deliberately kept Xia Yunqie away, using her frail health and unstable mental state as an excuse to prevent the mother and son from meeting.

Children naturally admire their fathers. Yi Hongli and his eldest son had a good relationship; he believed he held a significant place in the boy’s heart.

Yi Hongli believed that as long as he kept Yi Yanzhi away from Xia Yunqie and had those around him brainwash the boy, Yi Yanzhi would eventually forget his incompetent, naive, and foolish mother and understand his father’s choices.

However, Yi Hongli never expected that when the conflict between him and Xia Yunqie finally exploded, Yi Yanzhi would choose Xia Yunqie.

It was a very cold night. The child, whom he had forcibly separated from his “crazy” mother, stood by his bed holding a knife, the cold moonlight reflecting in those pitch-black, innocent pupils.

In a calm and childish voice, he said: “Dad, either let me and Mom go, or I’ll keep coming back.”

I’m not doing it this time because I want to talk to you. If I come back again, I will do it.

That was what Yi Yanzhi’s eyes told him. It was the first time Yi Hongli felt true fear.

Why had his well-behaved eldest son suddenly become like this?

Yi Hongli suspected that foolish woman Xia Yunqie had told Yi Yanzhi things she shouldn’t have. In a fit of rage, he couldn’t stop himself from raising his hand against Xia Yunqie, but the result was disastrous.

A faint pain throbbed in his right arm. Yi Hongli placed his hand on it, recalling the child’s voice—

“Minors aren’t prosecuted. I’m only seven. I’ll have plenty of chances.”

So, next time, I definitely won’t miss.

The hand that had just struck Xia Yunqie was stained with blood. The room was chaotic, filled with the woman’s incessant crying and screaming. Yi Hongli had stared with wide eyes at Yi Yanzhi, who stood protectively in front of Xia Yunqie.

Was this still his child?

No. This was a monster.

Staring at the young man in the photo who looked so much like his younger self—possessing peach-blossom eyes identical to his mother’s and an appearance that was gentle, handsome, and reliable—Yi Hongli felt a wave of nausea.

The little monster had put on a human skin.