The atmosphere at the clinic as soon as Yichen left, Haoran swayed on his feet, nearly losing his balance as the stress—or is it the twin resonance, but Haoran still doesn't know Qixian is his twin brother so he called it "stress" that finally took its toll on his body. "Sihan... can you go too? Please, go find him."
"But look at you, you can barely stand," Sihan said, instantly dropping the logs and rushing over to support Haoran as he began to sink toward the floor.
"I'll be fine... I just need to rest," Haoran pleaded, grabbing Sihan's sleeve with a desperate grip. "But I have this feeling... I think Qixian is in real danger. Please, Sihan, don't let anything happen to him."
"Okay, okay, I hear you," Sihan promised, his expression softening into one of grim determination. "Let me get you to your bed first so you can actually rest, and then I'm right behind Yichen."
"Thank you..." Haoran whispered, his voice fading into exhaustion as Sihan carefully hoisted him up to lead him toward the safety of his room.
____________
Qixian drifted back to consciousness in a world of suffocating darkness. The air was damp, smelling of cold concrete and old blood.
"So, you're finally awake? Aww, and here I was planning to order my assistant to splash some water on you to liven things up. What a waste," a voice drawled. Jin Rou stepped into the dim light of a single overhead bulb, looking impeccable in a tailored suit that contrasted sharply with the grim surroundings.
Qixian let out a dry, raspy scoff, his head lolling to the side. "Is this how low you've sunk, Jin Rou? Resorting to kidnapping because you can't win a war of words?"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Jin Rou roared, lunging forward to grip Qixian's neck. His fingers dug into the skin, cutting off the air.
"What? Did I... hit a nerve?" Qixian managed to smirk, even as his injuries stings.
"I was planning to make your end quick, but I've changed my mind," Jin Rou hissed, his eyes wide and manic as he released his grip. "I want your death to be filled with agony. I want it to be slow and painful."
"Are the rumors really affecting you that much? You're acting like a cornered animal," Qixian chuckled darkly, the sound echoing off the soundproofed walls.
The humiliation burned in Jin Rou's chest like acid. "How dare you speak to me that way."
"The eldest son is an orphan. The eldest son is illegitimate," Qixian began to hum the words like a taunting nursery rhyme. "Does it ring a bell?"
"Both are completely fabricated! You spread those lies just to dismantle my pristine reputation!" Jin Rou snatched a heavy whip from his assistant's hand and lashed out. The leather cracked against Qixian's chest, tearing through his shirt.
Qixian was forced onto his knees, his wrists bound by heavy chains to a hook in the ceiling above his head. But despite everything he didn't scream—he was used to it since the day that happened seven years ago.
"Your little rumors put my position as heir in jeopardy. I could lose my entire inheritance because of your mouth!" Jin Rou's smile didn't reach his eyes. "And then you have the audacity to go behind Dad's back and arrange an engagement with the Gu family? You think you can replace me?"
"Oh, I see. You're jealous because Father is finally realizing who the real asset is?" Qixian baited him.
"Silence!" Jin Rou screamed, whipping him again, harder this time.
"This will last exactly for a whole night," Jin Rou said, his breathing heavy. "Every second you spent trying to ruin my life, I'll return to you tenfold." He began to strike continuously, the rhythm of the whip becoming a sickening sound in the room. "Are you ready to understand the weight of what you've done?"
Qixian gritted his teeth, his body jerking with every strike, but he didn't let a single cry escape. 'You're lucky I'm suppressing my pheromones right now,' Qixian thought bitterly, his blood dripping onto the floor. 'Lucky enough to meet people like me who have a lot of patience, Jin Rou. Something you've never possessed.'
Jin Rou checked his designer watch, then looked back at Qixian's battered form. "We have an hour left. If you want to walk out of here alive, you will call your contacts and clear my name. You will tell them it was all a lie, or maybe call that Gu Yichen."
Qixian's smirk was bloody but defiant. "You think I'd do that? You pathetic little piece of shit growing in a disgusting mud."
Jin Rou sighed dramatically, his face twisting into a mask of false disappointment. He squeezed the handle of the whip and struck again, the sound of tearing skin filling the silence. "Wrong answer."
"There's no right answer for you, Jin Rou." Qixian spat.
Jin Rou gripped the handle of the whip tightly as he struck harder again, that he continued for a minutes. "Now, say 'please,' and maybe I'll consider stopping," Jin Rou demanded, leaning in close. He began to mockingly mimic a plea. "'Please, Jin Rou! I'll do whatever you say! Just stop!'"
"Is that right?" Qixian countered, his eyes flashing. "Are you actually pleading with me to tell you what to do?"
"Regret is relative, Qixian," Jin Rou replied, stepping back and handing the whip to his assistant. "Hit him until he understands his place. Hit him until he's ready to beg to clear my name."
Jin Rou checked his watch one last time. "I'll be back soon. And by then, I expect him to be as obedient as a filthy dog." He let out a menacing, hollow laugh as he turned to leave.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Jin Rou, leaving me alone with these weak fools," Qixian warned, his voice low and steady despite his injuries. "Every second counts. I'll make sure the karma hits you ten times harder than that whip."
Jin Rou simply waved him off, disappearing through the heavy steel door.
As soon as the sound of Jin Rou's car faded in the distance, Qixian's expression shifted. The silence vanished. "Let me go. This is your one and only warning," he said to the assistant.
The assistant spat on the floor. "You think I'm scared of a tied-up brat? Just because you're a Zhou doesn't mean you can look down on me."
"Sure. You chose this." Qixian's eyes darkened as if he was waiting for it. He stopped fighting the backflow. Suddenly, a wave of Spider Lily pheromones—laced with the scent of death and decay—flooded the room. It was so thick the assistant began to gag, his knees buckling.
"You think you can scare me with—" The assistant suddenly let out a yelp of pure agony as the pheromones began to attack his lungs like a physical weight.
"I'm an Alpha, remember?" Qixian said, maintaining his lie while utilizing the raw power of his true nature. "You should have taken the warning while it was still an option, a B-tier Alpha is likely just a mutt to me."
The assistant collapsed, falling unconscious before his head even hit the concrete. Qixian immediately pulled back his aura, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he focused every ounce of his remaining strength on the lock at his wrists. "Damn it!" he swore, his bloody fingers fumbling with the cold steel. "Open up already, you fucking piece of trash!"