The "Honest" Beta Deceived Day and Night by a Twisted Obsessive - Chapter 21

Dead.  he was dead.

Duan Huaijing’s body instinctively recoiled a step, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help twitching upward. Realising Xie Yun was still standing there, he quickly pressed his lips back into a thin line.

“He got what he deserved,” Duan Huaijing said, playing the part of the ignorant bystander perfectly, keeping his voice steady to hide the thrill of joy.

Xie Yun’s voice was low. “Mm.”

“Then. if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to my room.” Duan Huaijing stood awkwardly, his hand hovering as he pointed toward the stairs.

Xie Yun stared at him, saying nothing.

Unsure what the silence meant, Duan Huaijing added, “Goodnight, Brother.”

He didn’t wait for a reply before scuttling upstairs. The moment he shut his door, he leaned against the wood and let out a heavy, shuddering breath.

Outside, the wind howled and rain lashed against the glass. The room was dark, but Duan Huaijing simply stared into the shadows.

His heart was still racing.

Was “The Eyes” really dead?

Xie Yun had said so, and there was no reason for him to lie. Firstly, Xie Yun had no idea that the “friend” who leaked the location was actually him; secondly, no one knew about his secret entanglement with “The Eyes.”

Duan Huaijing licked his lips, his hands trembling with a chaotic surge of excitement.

He pulled out his phone, found the contact for “The Eyes,” and sent a message just like he always did. He waited several minutes. No reply.

He really is dead. Usually, the man replied within seconds.

Duan Huaijing’s finger hovered over the screen for a moment before he did the one thing he’d been wanting to do for ages: he deleted the contact.

Only then did he truly exhale. He slid down the door until he was crouching on the floor.

It was remarkable how quickly someone could vanish from your life. A single gesture, a button pressed, and he was finally free.

He took deep, greedy gulps of air, his forehead damp with sweat that made his fringe stick to his skin. He looked a mess, but when he lifted his head, his eyes were burning with a hidden fire.

A strange, eerie smile spread across his face.

Dead. He’s dead. Good riddance! Hahahahahahaha!

Free! He was finally free!

Duan Huaijing laughed out loud, his behaviour verging on the manic, as if he were purging years of suppressed misery in one go. In the unlit room, he knelt on the floor, laughing like a madman. Only he knew how cathartic this moment truly was.

However, whether from the intensity of his laughter or the sheer duration of it, he soon began to retch. Propping himself up with one hand, he stumbled toward the bin and began to heave.

He wiped his mouth with a bit of tissue and tapped the edge of the bin lightly.

“The Eyes” was gone.

Now, it was time for the next phase of his plan.

Break off the engagement with Xie Ming.

He pulled himself up, tossed the tissue, and turned away. His face was flushed from the exertion, but the cool breeze through the window brought the scent of damp earth. Tomorrow would be another rainy day; he could finally get some decent sleep.

****

The next day, after a bit of digging, Duan Huaijing discovered that his “fiancé” had already moved on to a new lover and was currently partying at a bar.

He wasn’t surprised. A leopard doesn’t change its spots. Xie Ming’s stint with Tong Mian might have lasted longer than usual, but it was just a matter of time before the novelty wore off.

Duan Huaijing figured this was a good opportunity. With a new flame by his side and his head in the clouds, Xie Ming might just agree to end the engagement on a whim.

However, while he was waiting for a bus, a woman suddenly grabbed his wrist with a vice-like grip. He flinched in pain.

Seeing him try to pull away, the woman’s shrill voice rose. “Getting brave, are we, Duan Huaijing? Not answering your phone, ignoring my messages, you think you can just rebel?!”

In an instant, every eye at the bus stop was on him. Duan Huaijing hated being the centre of attention; the scrutiny made him feel as though he’d been stripped bare in the middle of the street.

Those gazes felt like a spell, pinning him to the spot.

His mother, on the other hand, seemed to relish the attention. She held her head high and, ignoring his struggle, shoved a small pink packet into his hand. Before he could react, she forced it deep into his pocket.

“You remember what I told you, don’t you?” she demanded.

Duan Huaijing kept his head down, foolishly hoping that if he couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see him. Thin and dazed, he looked like the easy target he was.

“You said so much,” he muttered under his breath, “how am I supposed to remember which bit?”

His bus was arriving, and his mother didn’t have time to linger. She shot him a look of pure disgust, as if even looking at him dirtied her eyes. “Sort it out yourself. The wedding date with the Xie family is coming up. If you can’t wrap Xie Ming around your finger soon, you really are a useless brat.”

She walked away like a victorious goose. Duan Huaijing watched her go, then felt the powder in his pocket. He had a sinking feeling this wasn’t anything good.

Inside the bar, the lights were a hallucinogenic whirl of colours, and the music was a deafening throb.

Duan Huaijing scanned the room and spotted Xie Ming.

Before approaching, he checked his pocket to make sure the packet his mother gave him was still secure. He had no intention of using it; he just wanted to break the engagement and get as far away from this hellhole as possible. He only kept it because he didn’t want some random person picking it up if he threw it away.

But he had forgotten one thing: Xie Ming’s friends were all vultures.

The moment Duan Huaijing arrived, the chatter stopped. Heads turned. Xie Ming, sitting in the centre with a new beauty in his arms, opened his eyes irritably when the noise died down.

Seeing Duan Huaijing, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, followed quickly by mockery. “What are you doing here?”

His cronies immediately started jeering. “Young Master Xie, your ‘wife’ has come to find you! The party’s over!”

“The sister-in-law really is devoted, coming all this way.”

“Nuo Nuo, come here. Your Brother Xie’s ‘main wife’ is here. Don’t let the sparks fly onto you.”

The one called Nuo Nuo was the new boyfriend. His voice was soft, but his words were sharp. “We’re not married yet, so don’t call him that. Let’s see if Brother Xie even acknowledges this engagement.”

Xie Ming didn’t correct him. He just kept his eyes on Duan Huaijing.

Duan Huaijing could feel the mockery and the hunger for a scene coming from every direction. He felt like a monkey in a zoo.

Taking a deep breath, he placed a printed contract on the table before Xie Ming could speak. “I’ve drafted the agreement to dissolve the engagement. Just sign it.”

The room went silent. People exchanged bewildered looks.

What?

Is Duan Huaijing mad?

Xie Ming’s expression froze. He looked as though he’d misheard, but the black and white text on the table was real. Duan Huaijing actually wanted out.

Xie Ming let out an angry laugh. “Say that again?” He felt his pride taking a hit. He’d bragged to everyone that he’d have Duan Huaijing tamed within a month, and now the man was trying to cut ties before the month was even up.

Duan Huaijing repeated himself.

The smile slowly faded from Xie Ming’s face, and the atmosphere turned hostile.

Nuo Nuo’s eyes darted around. He clung to Xie Ming’s arm and pouted. “Brother Xie, why are you hesitating? You haven’t actually fallen for him, have you?”

Xie Ming snorted.

His friends, seeing his apparent lack of interest, chimed in. “Exactly. Relationships should be mutual. It’s no fun forcing people together.”

“A man like you, Brother Xie, should enjoy himself while he’s young. Why get tied down and deal with all that mess?”

Xie Ming gave a playful, mocking smile. He remained silent for a moment, and just when everyone thought he would agree, he spoke: “Dissolve it? No. Let’s just keep it as it is.”

He watched with malicious glee as Duan Huaijing’s face began to crumble.

He didn’t like Duan Huaijing, and he hated being controlled, but now that he knew Duan Huaijing hated being tied to him just as much, the idea suddenly became entertaining.

A meaningless engagement with a boring man was suddenly quite fun.

Duan Huaijing was stunned. “But you used to”

“I’ve changed my mind,” Xie Ming interrupted shamelessly. “Problem?”

Duan Huaijing swallowed his words, his chest tight with fury. He tried to reach for the contract, but as he leaned over, the boyfriend spotted something in his pocket.

As Duan Huaijing stood up, a hand swept past him. He didn’t think much of it until he remembered the packet. He slapped his pocket.

Empty.

He lunged to grab it back.

Nuo Nuo dodged him easily, holding the pink packet aloft. He tore it open right in front of everyone and took a sniff.

“Aphrodisiac.”

The crowd wasn’t surprised by the substance, but the boyfriend’s expression suggested there was more to it. “What kind?” someone asked.

“Ten times stronger than anything on the market,” Nuo Nuo said confidently. “Even a Beta would turn into a puddle of water with this.”

The jeers reached a fever pitch. “Ah, so that’s the game! Pretending to want a divorce just to play hard to get. How clever!”

The room erupted in laughter.

Duan Huaijing was never good with words. He had a million things to say, but they all got stuck in his throat.

Xie Ming uncrossed his legs and tapped the table. Nuo Nuo immediately understood and handed him the drug.

Xie Ming glanced at Duan Huaijing, who felt a cold dread pooling in his stomach.

Xie Ming stared at the powder for a few seconds, appearing to recall something before masking his expression. He tore the packet fully open and poured the powder into a fresh glass of wine. He swirled it until it dissolved, then raised the glass toward Duan Huaijing.

Duan Huaijing backed away, his whole body tense with resistance. He was ready to bolt.

Xie Ming, feeling his ego bruised by the rejection, grew impatient. He stepped forward as Duan Huaijing stepped back.

With Duan Huaijing pinned against a wall, Xie Ming grabbed his chin and forced the liquid down his throat.

Duan Huaijing struggled, causing the wine to spill down his collar, soaking his shirt and clinging to his skin.

He gasped for air. Everyone here was on Xie Ming’s side; if he fought harder, someone else would just come over to hold him down.

How did it come to this?

He’d ended up drinking the very drug his mother had forced on him. He thought bitterly, If I’d known, I would have just dumped it in your glass earlier.

The crowd laughed, treatng him like a joke.

Xie Ming picked up the contract from the table, flipped through the pages with a smirk, and then tore it to shreds in front of everyone.

“I’m not done playing yet. In your dreams.”

*****

Duan Huaijing didn’t even remember how he made it back to the ancestral home.

His hair was sticky, his clothes were a mess, and it was pitch black outside. He looked like a complete wreck.

When he pushed the door open, the last person he expected to see was Xie Yun.

He stood frozen, hand still on the door. “Brother?”

Xie Yun turned around, his gaze scanning Duan Huaijing from head to toe. “Mm.”

Duan Huaijing didn’t stop to wonder why Xie Yun was still awake or why he was staring. The air felt thin, and his heart was thumping. He was desperate for oxygen.

“Why are you back so late?”

Duan Huaijing wondered if his ears were failing him. Was Xie Yun actually asking where he’d been?

He turned to look at the source of the voice. Xie Yun’s eyes were partially obscured behind his glasses as he repeated the question.

“The bar,” Duan Huaijing muttered awkwardly.

As he spoke, a wave of heat surged through his body, crashing through him without rhyme or reason. He suddenly remembered the drug. His expression darkened.

He caught Xie Yun’s gaze, then made a clumsy excuse to leave.

“Duan Huaijing.” Xie Yun called out to him.

Duan Huaijing stopped but didn’t turn around, afraid Xie Yun would see his flushed face and glazed eyes. “Yes, Brother?”

After a long pause, Xie Yun spoke softly, his true emotions hidden behind his lenses. “Go to sleep.”

Duan Huaijing nodded frantically and fled.

He didn’t see the man behind him, watching his retreating back with a look of pure, unadulterated obsession.

Xie Yun clenched his fists until his fingernails bit into his palms.

Spying is exhausting. Next time, why don’t you just tell me? Where did you go today? Who were you with? Did you talk to them? What did you say? I don’t like you being touched by anyone else, so who exactly was that person you were chatting with? When did you meet? Where? I want to know everything.

Did you think of me while you were with them? I’m going mad thinking about you. What about you?

You smell like another Alpha.

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