The "Honest" Beta Deceived Day and Night by a Twisted Obsessive - Chapter 10

 “Be good, turn the camera around.” 

Whatever you fear most is exactly what will happen. The moment Duan Huaijing returned to his room, a video call notification from “The Eyes” popped up.

Duan Huaijing clutched his phone, scanning the room frantically for a suitable spot. “The Eyes” was incredibly observant; if he noticed Duan wasn’t at home, he would start his suspicious interrogation and descend into madness again.

The video timed out and disconnected. Before Duan could even process the “Missed Call” notification on the chat screen, another call rang out immediately.

He started to panic. The Xie family estate’s interior design was a world away from his own apartment; anyone could tell the difference at a glance.

The WeChat ringtone played relentlessly like a death knell. Duan Huaijing’s eyes suddenly landed on the large bed with its black sheets. He decided there was no better option, he threw himself onto the bed and answered in the final seconds before the call dropped.

Duan Huaijing’s face appeared on the screen, while the other side kept their camera off.

Tensing, he brushed a hand through his hair. “I just went to shower. Didn’t have my phone on me.”

The voice of “The Eyes,” distorted by a voice changer, made it impossible to recognize. “Where are you?”

Duan Huaijing’s expression didn’t flicker. “At home. I just got new bedsheets.”

It was unclear if “The Eyes” believed him. After a few seconds of silence, the voice spoke again. “Turn the camera around. Let me see your surroundings.”

Duan Huaijing’s grip on the phone tightened, his palms sweating. He absolutely could not let him see. One look and everything would be exposed.

When the camera didn’t flip after a short wait, the voice of “The Eyes” grew displeased, carry an air of suffocating impending doom. “Be good. Turn the camera around.”

Duan Huaijing knew he couldn’t dodge this. He lowered the phone slightly and flipped the camera.

He decided to gamble.

The screen shook a few times as if the owner were nervous. The first thing that came into view were pale, soft legs resting against the black sheets. Duan Huaijing’s legs were fair and shapely, and due to his twisted posture, his knees were flushed with a faint pink.

The viewer’s gaze instinctively moved down to the shocking color of medicinal liniment spread across his ankle.

“How did that happen?”

Judging by the tone, he was temporarily more concerned with the injury than the location.

Duan Huaijing breathed a sigh of relief; his gamble had paid off. The topic had successfully shifted.

He pointed the camera back at his face, lowering his brows to project an image of someone who had been wronged but had no one to stand up for them. “Some people were chasing me… trying to make me take off my clothes. I twisted it while I was running away.”

“Who chased you?” The Eyes pressed, stepping closer with every word.

Ever since becoming Xie Ming’s fiancé, Duan Huaijing had been targeted by those around him. He was a very vengeful person; he could rattle off their names without a second thought.

Was “The Eyes” offering to get revenge for him?

At that thought, Duan Huaijing felt his blood start to boil.

The way those people had humiliated him wasn’t something a single slap or an apology could erase. Why should the victim be the one forced to “adjust” and lick their wounds in silence?

He wasn’t powerful enough yet, so he could only keep a tally in his heart. But now, someone was offering to vent his anger for him. And even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be traced back to him.

There is no such thing as true empathy in this world. Duan Huaijing knew “The Eyes” sounded like he pitied him, but it was like hearing about a needle pricking someone else’s flesh—you know it hurts, but you don’t feel the sting.

Fearing “The Eyes” might show mercy or think “enough is enough,” Duan Huaijing licked his dry lips and subtly added fuel to the fire. “They also insulted me. They wanted to force me to do… those things. right in front of them.”

“Anyone who bullies my baby deserves to die.”

The voice-processed tone was emotionless, but having known him for so long, Duan Huaijing knew the man was furious.

Hidden behind the phone screen, Duan Huaijing let out a triumphant smile.

He picked at his phone case, his nerves so high with excitement that every cell in his body felt like it was vibrating.

Die, die, die, die, die!!! All of you, just die!!

He took a deep breath, masking his dark emotions and resuming his usual timid, easy-to-bully facade. Only for a split second did the loathing hidden in the depths of his eyes flicker.

He planned to chat for a few more minutes and then find an excuse to hang up, but then Knock, knock.

Duan Huaijing’s heart leaped. His hand froze on the phone case as he stared at the door.

He suddenly remembered Xie Yun saying he would come by tonight.

This early?!

He didn’t want his secret discovered, but he couldn’t just cut off “The Eyes” either.

What do I do, what do I do!

The polite knocking continued.

The call timer on the screen kept ticking up. Duan Huaijing tried to make some noise to drown out the sound of the knocking for “The Eyes.”

But he forgot that he was only deceiving himself.

“Who’s outside?” The Eyes heard it and began to question him.

Duan Huaijing acted as if he’d just realized, letting out an “Ah” and trying to sound natural. “It’s just. the delivery guy. I haven’t eaten yet.”

He swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the bedroom door.

In a normal conversation, this would be the perfect excuse to hang up: “I’m going to go eat, talk to you later.”

But caught between two urgent matters, his mind was a mess of fire and ice. He forgot that if he and “The Eyes” were “normal” people, they wouldn’t have ended up in this situation in the first place.

Sure enough, “The Eyes” spoke with feigned understanding. “Is that so? Then hurry up and open the door.”

Duan Huaijing was so worried about what Xie Yun might think that he didn’t catch the strange shift in the other man’s tone.

He pointed the camera at his own chest so the other side couldn’t see the room. As he approached the door, a message popped up on his phone from “The Eyes”: “Keep the video on while you get your delivery.”

What?

Duan Huaijing held his breath, wanting to scream.

Another knock came, as if the person outside was checking if he’d fallen asleep.

Duan Huaijing took a deep breath. In one fluid motion, he simulated a crash, cut the Wi-Fi, and disabled his mobile data. Within moments, the call disconnected automatically.

It showed as a “Connection Interrupted.”

If “The Eyes” asked, he’d just say the internet at home was bad. A perfect excuse.

He smoothed out his emotions, grabbed a water pitcher, and poured some over a towel he’d just dried. Once it was damp, he draped it over his head while walking to the door.

The door opened. Xie Yun’s hand was still raised, poised to knock again. Seeing the door open, his gaze settled on Duan.

“I was just washing my hair, and with my leg like this, I was a bit slow. Sorry for keeping you waiting, Big Brother.” Duan Huaijing lowered his head and fidgeted with his hands. With the cute-patterned towel on his head, he looked incredibly soft.

Xie Yun’s eyes swept over the damp tips of his hair. He gave a quiet “Mhm” before saying, “It’s fine. I’m the one disturbing you.”

Duan Huaijing looked at the medicine bottle in his hand. “Are you here to apply the medicine?”

Xie Yun looked into the room. “Is it convenient?”

He meant he was going to help apply it.

Duan Huaijing twisted the hem of his shirt several times before letting go and stepping aside. “It’s fine. Thank you, Big Brother.”

He closed the door behind Xie Yun. Turning around, he saw Xie Yun looking at the bed where he had just been lying.

The sheets were wrinkled and messy from where he’d thrown himself down.

Duan Huaijing braced himself and pretended not to see it. He didn’t explain; after all, the more you explain something you’re guilty about, the more it feels like a cover-up.

He brought a stool over for Xie Yun. “This should be okay to sit on.”

“Thanks.” Xie Yun nodded, sat down, and spread his legs slightly.

Duan Huaijing sat on the edge of the bed in a stiff, “model student” posture, picking at the skin on his fingers where Xie Yun couldn’t see.

Neither of them seemed to know what to say. Duan Huaijing felt even more uneasy.

What  is this situation?

Xie Yun held his gaze for two seconds, then leaned down and lifted Duan’s lower leg onto his own lap.

Duan Huaijing was terrified of people touching his legs because he was ticklish. Now, a warm palm was circling his leg in an absolute, controlling grip. He instinctively tried to pull away.

But Xie Yun didn’t give him the chance. He held the leg firmly against his expensive trousers. The contact was smooth and firm; Duan Huaijing could feel every movement the other man made.

And vice versa.

Duan Huaijing froze like a wooden statue, not daring to move.

The pungent scent of the medicinal oil hit his nose. At first, he was incredibly uncomfortable, tensing his thighs and glutes. But Xie Yun’s technique was excellent, and perhaps because he was dressed more casually at home, the intimidating distance from earlier that day had lessened.

Gradually, Duan Huaijing began to relax.

Xie Yun felt completely different from “The Eyes.” Although he didn’t like either of them, Xie Yun at least had a sense of boundaries and propriety.

“The Eyes” felt intrusive, his possessiveness and need for control were so strong it felt like he wanted every inch of Duan, inside and out, to be stained with his scent.

With no place to put his gaze, Duan Huaijing ended up looking at Xie Yun’s hands.

Xie Yun had long, elegant fingers. To rub the medicine in properly, he was applying a bit of pressure, making the veins on the back of his hand pop out clearly.

Are veins really that easy to see?

He’s probably faking it.

Duan Huaijing quietly let his own arm hang down. Soon, his veins popped too, but compared to Xie Yun’s, they looked like tiny noodles.

He felt a bit annoyed. So what if he has veins? I have them too.

His indignant gaze returned to Xie Yun’s hand. After a few seconds, his internal fire fizzled out.

He didn’t notice that Xie Yun needed to pour more medicine. Sensing his gaze, Xie Yun’s eyes flickered between their hands before slowly lifting his gaze.

Caught off guard, Duan Huaijing locked eyes with Xie Yun. He instinctively looked away, his darting eyes betraying his panic.

Xie Yun’s gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. Then, without saying a word, he continued pouring the medicine into his palm.

Duan Huaijing kept watching him out of the corner of his eye. He saw that the other man’s palms were stained by the medicine.

Honestly, he couldn’t read Xie Yun at all. He didn’t understand why someone with no blood relation and no emotional foundation would treat him this well.

Since he was a child, everything he received came with conditions. Everything was a trade-off for something else he’d had to give up.

But in front of Xie Yun, he didn’t feel that crushing weight of guilt. He didn’t feel like it was “making a mountain out of a molehill” for a busy CEO to be personally applying medicine to him.

If it were anyone else, he’d be overthinking their motives, wondering if they were trying to make him feel indebted so they could control him.

Xie Yun seemed to have a magic power that made everything feel right and proper, pulling him out of the cycle of feeling like he “didn’t deserve it.”

Xie Yun’s attitude truly echoed his words: “It is not a small thing.”

But why?

Duan Huaijing couldn’t wrap his head around it.

As his focus drifted, he didn’t notice the man in front of him was breathing a bit more heavily. Those large hands were gripping his pale, delicate ankle a limb that looked like it could snap with a single twist. The posture seemed relaxed, but it carried an underlying intent that allowed no escape.

If Duan Huaijing dared to pull back even an inch, the other man would feel it immediately and tighten his grip, making it impossible to run. He could only stay by his side.

The medicine was soon applied. Before withdrawing his hand, Xie Yun’s palm seemed to linger, sliding slowly across the ankle as if measuring its size.

The oblivious Duan Huaijing didn’t notice.

A dark glint flashed in Xie Yun’s eyes, like someone looking at a perfect, private treasure.

Duan Huaijing felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. His whole leg felt numb. Just as he finished his thanks and tried to pull his foot back, Xie Yun suddenly gripped his calf.

Duan Huaijing propped himself up with both hands on the bed. His leg was raised and resting on another person, it was a very strange, vulnerable position.

Xie Yun’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He looked cold and restrained, but the thumb that was pinning the calf moved, gently wiping away a stray drop of medicine that had trickled down the ankle.

It was itchy and tingling.

The sensation shot straight to his brain, weirder than having his feet tickled.

Duan Huaijing instinctively hunched his shoulders and slowly pulled away from Xie Yun’s palm. He did his best to ignore the feeling and thanked him again.

Xie Yun let out a low “Mhm” from his throat. “Rest early.”

“Okay, Big Brother,” Duan Huaijing said, feeling as if he’d been granted a pardon.

Xie Yun closed the door behind him to save Duan the movement. Once the door clicked shut, Duan Huaijing let out a massive sigh of relief.

Good thing he left quickly. “The Eyes” still needed an explanation, and he couldn’t wait too long.

He didn’t know that Xie Yun hadn’t rushed away. He stood outside the door, turning back to look at it. It was as if he could see through the wood to Duan Huaijing lying on the bed, his poor leg dangling off the side to keep the medicine from staining the sheets.

Xie Yun closed his eyes. His Adam’s apple bobbed rapidly several times. Then, he raised the hand that had just touched Duan Huaijing’s ankle and pressed it against his nose, inhaling deeply.

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