The Sickly Beauty is Too Good at Seducing - Chapter 9

Shen Congbai had focused all his attention on Feng Yu, nearly forgetting that the wolf, Shen Que, was lurking right behind him.

With tears shimmering in his eyes, he replied in a small, shaky voice, “I don’t know.”

“Is that so?” Shen Que toyed with his eyelashes, his tone slow and deliberate. “Or perhaps, do you need me to help you remember?”

Sensing something was wrong, Shen Congbai’s slender wrists propped his body up as he tried to retreat across the bed. The quilt was kicked aside, bunched into a messy heap. His delicate, pale feet turned a soft shade of pink, his toes curling helplessly in his distress, a sight that caused Shen Que’s pupils to darken further.

“Ah!”

Shen Congbai’s ankle was caught in a large, firm grip. Shen Que used just enough force to keep him from escaping without actually hurting him, effectively halting his retreat. With his lean forearm muscles tensed, Shen Que gave a slight pull, dragging Shen Congbai back down beneath him.

Shen Congbai’s heart hammered against his ribs. Being pinned by Shen Que felt different from the oppressive weight of Feng Yu. Shen Que carried a scent that was clean and oddly grounding, a lingering fragrance of sandalwood often found in Buddhist temples. It was an aura so sacred it should have inspired peace.

Yet, when he saw the raw desire etched onto Shen Que’s face, that sacred image shattered instantly, like the split between heaven and earth, black and white.

Shen Congbai swallowed hard, turning his face away and bracing his arms between them. It was exactly the same the suffocating madness, the heart-stopping tension, he was just like Feng Yu.

The only difference was that Feng Yu’s emotions were too volatile to hide his “craziness.” Shen Que, however, had been immersed in the business world for too long. If you didn’t look closely at the perfect mask he wore, you would never see the dark, surging waves hidden beneath the surface.

Shen Que tilted his head slightly, his breath ghosting over the side of Shen Congbai’s neck. He sounded like a divine guardian and a malicious demon all at once, his voice rasping with a hunger he could no longer hide: “Wuwu still hasn’t answered me. Between me and Feng Yu, who makes you feel better?”

Shen Congbai’s entire body stiffened. He swallowed with difficulty and forced himself to speak: “Of… of course it’s you.”

At his answer, the smile on Shen Que’s face deepened, but his next words hit Shen Congbai like a bolt of lightning: “Liar.”

He caressed Shen Congbai’s face. “You were asleep. How could you possibly know if my kiss was ‘comfortable’ or not?”

Shen Congbai’s heart skipped a beat. He tried to maintain his composure. “I… I meant three years ago… Mmph!”

In the next instant, Shen Congbai’s lips were sealed and firmly enveloped.

Shen Que was in no hurry to force his tongue inside. Instead, he lingered on the surface, tracing the petal-like shape of Shen Congbai’s lips. Only when Shen Congbai’s jaw went slack and his mouth opened did Shen Que invade with an unstoppable momentum. His tongue hooked around Shen Congbai’s slender one, using the heavy scent of sandalwood to bury the last fading traces of mint.

He didn’t know how long Shen Que’s madness lasted, but by the time it neared the end, Shen Congbai’s tongue felt entirely numb.

He was kissed until his face was covered in tears. Seeing him catch his breath, Shen Que leaned down to kiss him again, only to have Shen Congbai suddenly lash out and slap him across the face.

Shen Congbai clutched his swollen, reddened lips, looking ready to cry. “Don’t touch me!”

A bright red palm print appeared on Shen Que’s sophisticated face. Hearing the youth’s words, he curled his lips in a mocking sneer. “What? Is Wuwu going to stab Brother again, just like he did three years ago?”

After the revelation that Shen Congbai was a “fake” young master, the two hadn’t immediately turned against each other. Shen Congbai had hidden in Shen Que’s apartment for half a month. Then, one day after waking from a drunken stupor, he had caught his usually restrained and polite brother looking down at him, softly kissing his lips.

He had just broken up with Feng Yu and learned that his identity of over twenty years was a lie; he couldn’t control his emotions and screamed that Shen Que was “disgusting.”

To his horror, the “madman” Shen Que had been keeping a dagger under his pillow the whole time. Hearing the insults, Shen Que had actually smiled and placed the hilt of the knife into Shen Congbai’s palm.

Recalling that night, Shen Congbai shook his head violently, trying to fling the memory of the blood-stained blade from his mind. He sobbed, “You madman.”

“Why did you have to ruin it? Why couldn’t you just restrain yourself in front of me.”

Everything could have been fine. It was all Shen Que’s fault for insisting he liked him and ruining everything.

He broke down into heavy sobs, biting down on a patch of skin on Shen Que’s neck and tearing at it frantically. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, making him gag.

He screamed in despair, “Shen Que, I’m begging you, please let me go.”

Shen Que let out a self-deprecating laugh. “But if I let you go, who will let me go?”

“Wuwu, I only have you left.”

“You’re lying!” Shen Congbai’s eyes were bloodshot, like a cornered animal. “You’re the most cold-hearted of all! You threw me abroad all alone and didn’t even come to see me when I was dying!”

“I hate you!”

In his past life, as he lay dying, he had made countless calls to this man, only to be met with the cold, automated system messages of the network. He was cold-blooded to the core, yet here he was, pretending to say he liked him. It was all a lie to coax him—he just saw him as a beautiful toy to collect.

Shen Que’s expression darkened instantly at his words. He barked, “Shut up.”

Realizing his tone was too harsh, he softened slightly. “Don’t use your health to say spiteful things.”

Shen Congbai went quiet, his face covered in wet tear tracks, his chin looking pitiably sharp. He turned his shimmering dark eyes toward Shen Que.

“You’re so mean.” Tears fell “pitter-patter” onto the back of his hand. Shen Congbai was crying so hard he could barely breathe. “You… you never even treated me as a brother. You never cared about what I thought!”

The man had declared his love without consent, sent him abroad without a word, and even now, he had kissed him despite his clear rejection. Even when Shen Congbai said something out of anger, the man had the nerve to yell “shut up” at him.

He leaned in and bit the same spot again, using his teeth while simultaneously tugging at Shen Que’s hair. Tears and snot were smeared all over Shen Que’s collar.

Shen Que didn’t move an inch, letting Shen Congbai vent his fury on him.

“Bastard Shen Que, I hate you the most. You aren’t even a fraction as good as Feng Yu…”

Shen Que’s fingertips trembled. The jealousy-fueled anger from before was washed away by Shen Congbai’s tears. He murmured to himself, “How could I not care about you?”

He felt the protruding bones of Shen Congbai’s spine and felt a sense of confusion. How did he end up raised like this?

He had thought that by sending the boy abroad, away from himself, away from the annoying Feng Yu, and away from the disgusting people of the Shen family, the boy could finally put on some weight.

Who knew that after three years, he would be even thinner than before?

The boy had been so full of life around Feng Yu getting angry, laughing loudly. Why was it that the moment he returned to his side, he did nothing but cry?

Still, at least he was throwing a tantrum now. At least he wasn’t looking at him with those apprehensive eyes anymore, pretending to be obedient while following every word.

He leaned down and rubbed his face against Shen Congbai’s hair, letting out a deep sigh. “What on earth am I going to do with you?”