Had Tian Zhu been in the mood to think about it, he’d have been wary of Ling Xian’s wrath.
Ling Xian was hardly a patient man, and neither was he reasonable. He was spoiled, overprotected and childish, throwing his cruel tantrums without any consequences.
At this point, Ling Xian was boiling over with madness, and Tian Zhu should have expected it.
Obviously it was impossible to find any trace of Aspen and that had left Ling Xian in an increasingly bad mood anyway. He didn’t like that there was someone who had had the audacity to hurt him and even hide under his radar.
Now someone that Ling Xian considered a useful subordinate – a man of questionable morals who brought him information and drugs – had died from a lightning strike.
Suspicious but not impossible, with absolutely no sign of tampering.
But Ling Xian was the type of guy who needed someone as a scapegoat even if it was a natural catastrophe, so the victim was without a doubt his little brother.
Not to mention that both Aspen and the Deer were somehow linked to Tian Zhu.
[Master, do you want me to play you some music?] ShuShu’s voice was quiet, something like a whisper. She couldn’t even see Tian Zhu, so she was running in a circle, using her tiny paws to scratch at the display and rub over her fur in nervous motions. [Master?]
“Mmmmh…” Tian Zhu half hummed, half groaned.
Lying on his side, he had gotten less responsive the past hour. Just as he had been determined to give in to the drug, Ling Xian’s drug dealer had died and out of pure spite, Ling Xian decided that he liked having Tian Zhu in a state of withdrawal, now that it was forced.
Eyes closed and glasses on his nightstand, Tian Zhu fumbled for his phone to at least tilt it towards him.
He forced his eyelids apart a bit, trying to focus on the blurry image of two black, beady eyes staring back at him.
[Master… It’s okay if you want to sleep. Do you want me to play you an audio book? Or music? Or a movie? Or should I talk?]
ShuShu was getting more and more worried. She crouched down into a tiny ball of gray fur, little paws sticking out from under her. Her ears and nose twitched.
“You can talk”, Tian Zhu slurred. Her voice was calming whenever the withdrawal acted up.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[Okay! But Master, you have to plug me in, or the battery will go out while you sleep. …Master. Master! Master, you have to plug in the phone!]
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“I’ll go downstairs now, so I’ll have to turn you off again.”
[It’s okay! You should go eat something!]
The smile turned wry. Food… A good idea, although his stomach hated it. Could this actually kill him? Would Ling Xian let that happen?
Probably not – that would mean Ling Xian had actively killed him, rather than letting him die. Too much involvement. He was perfectly fine with injuring Tian Zhu, but it seemed like he drew a little line at turning into a murderer.
Tian Zhu stumbled down the steps. Some of the staff were watching him from further away, their faces tinged with something like uncertainty. They played along with the whole family ostracizing him, but seeing their employers ignore Tian Zhu’s increasingly bad state so openly was surprising to them.
“Good-” Tian Zhu paused to search for a nearby clock. “…afternoon.”
“So you still know that it’s afternoon?” Tian Zhu’s father humpfed in annoyance. “Sleeping away all day like a waste!”
…But aren’t you pleased I’m doing that?
“Go get yourself cleaned up. We’ve got guests coming over.”
“Guests?”
A piercing glare had Tian Zhu turn around. Ling Xian was standing in the door, glowering at him.
…Ah. He shouldn’t have gone downstairs yet.
Shu Yun was coming.
Tian Zhu felt his eye twitch. “Should I stay upstairs?”
“It’s rude to hide away from a guest.” Lawrence was talking to Tian Zhu, but his focus was on the staff. Half keeping up appearances again – if the guests knew that Tian Zhu had “fled” from them, it’d be considered an insult.
Now it was too late.
Tian Zhu searched for the worst outfit he had – something that would make him blend in with the surroundings, not stand out at all, and kept him as plain and boring as he could possibly be.
This much, no one said anything about. Tian Zhu simply settled on the sofa in the living room where they’d all gather and acted like a plant.
Just sit quietly and breathe.
His mother came over after a while. She threw him a glance but otherwise didn’t pay him any attention, sitting down with her legs crossed. She was wearing a beautiful red dress that made her look years younger, and even more like a swan next to Tian Zhu who was acting like an ugly duckling.
Tian Zhu had long perfected the act of sitting somewhere and letting his thoughts wander. It took half an hour until the guests arrived, and during the whole time he hadn’t moved an inch while everyone bustled around him.
He heard his parents and Ling Xian greet them at the door, then lead them into the living room while the staff bustled around to get refreshments and snacks.
Shu Yun and her twin Nan Yu entered, every hair and every crease on their clothing placed perfectly like two traditional dolls.
They were nice to look at for sure, but Shu Yun’s mere presence had Tian Zhu tense.
He felt cold sweat running down his neck when Shu Yun did a move that spelled bad luck for him – acknowledging his existence.
“Long time no see”, she said, acting as if she didn’t know how everyone else in the room turned to Tian Zhu at that moment, their eyes filled with shock and wariness.
“Hello”, Tian Zhu replied in a polite tone, avoiding her eyes.
Lawrence and Yang Mi only wanted to greet the twins, not interrupt the meeting of the young adults. After all, their parents hadn’t come along, so most of it was to prove themselves as future in-laws.
Nan Yu made Tian Zhu nervous.
Compared to Ling Xian, Nan Yu was overtly murderous. He might not have killed anyone before, but he sure was willing to if necessary.
Some small-talk started between the pair of fiances. Tian Zhu counted the time, guessing that it would be fine to retreat after he stayed for a bit.
Just as he opened his mouth to declare his intention to leave, Shu Yun’s snake-like eyes twitched over to him. She smiled – as if she had waited for him to make a move, only to crush it in that exact movement.
“By the way… I’ve been reading a lot of posts lately.” She took up a cup of tea and took a small sip. “About the dreams. You had wanted to tell me about your experience, didn’t you, Tian Zhu?”
He most certainly hadn’t wanted to.
Tian Zhu wondered if he regretted it. If he had stayed inside the safe-room just like those first times, if he hadn’t started playing the game, if he hadn’t met Aspen, then his life would be exactly as before. Shu Yun wouldn’t be interested in him, Ling Xian would treat him like a mild annoyance.
But he didn’t regret it.
Pain and suffering, it was endurable. He could take the broken bones and physical abuse, the drugs, the stares of his family.
He didn’t regret it at all, talking to Aspen.
As a bird who finally gained a little bit of freedom, he preferred the minutes he could freely soar over never having known the joy of it.
All this was punishment for him stepping out of his bounds, but if he could, he would do it all over again.
Tian Zhu pursed his lips, not giving a reply to Shu Yun. She wasn’t finished yet anyway.
Author’s Note
We are back to an intermission~
I’d like to once again remind everyone that this story does and will continue to deal with very heavy topics.
If at any time during reading you feel uncomfortable, take a break or stop completely. Don’t hesitate to call for help if any of the topics inside the story trigger you.
Thank you for the chapter!
Ah! The tension!! o(>< )o
thanks for the chapter~
And his *** brother who still hasn’t understood that River didn’t care about his *** fiancée…
You know how to raise hatred for the bad guys, that’s for sure ^^’. (I started the fanart, but not finished yet :3)
Ling Xian doesn’t care that Tian Zhu isn’t interested in his fiancee. His fiancee is interested in Tian Zhu, and that’s almost worse xD (Remember that Ling Xian has a bad complex about his brother)
I don’t regret having a very harmonious relationship with my sister when I see this ==’.
I want the most beautiful rake in all history please XD! (for my sanity.)
Thanks for the chapter ! ^^
damn i wish they all d*e horribly, extra on his “family”