Next Morning
Sunlight streamed through the curtains. Yichen stirred in bed, reaching for Zhiyuan. His hand touched empty sheets.
He opened his eye and saw Zhiyuan standing by the closet, buttoning a crisp dress shirt. His fever was still there Yichen could tell by the slight flush on his cheeks but he was determined.
"Zhiyuan?" Yichen sat up, rubbing his eye. "What are you doing?"
Zhiyuan didn't turn around. "Getting ready for work."
"What? No." Yichen threw the covers off and stood up. "You have a fever. You should be in bed."
Zhiyuan finally looked at him. "I can't stay in bed forever, Yichen. I have a company to run. Miss Zhang can't handle everything on her own."
Yichen walked over, putting a hand on his forehead. Warm. Too warm. "You're burning up. The company can survive one more day."
"I've already missed too many days." Zhiyuan gently moved his hand away. "I need to do this."
Yichen's jaw tightened. "Then I'm coming with you."
"No."
"Yes. I can't let you go alone. Not after everything that's happened."
Zhiyuan sighed, turning to face him fully. "Yichen, listen to me. You need to be at the hospital today. Dr. Shen and Guo Lian need you there. Xiao Xue and Miss Zhang will be there too. They need protection."
"I can protect you and be at the hospital."
"No, you can't." Zhiyuan cupped his face gently. "You can't be in two places at once. And right now, they need you more than I do."
Yichen's eye searched his face. Worry. Fear. Love.
"I don't like this," he said quietly.
"I know." Zhiyuan smiled softly. "But please, trust me. I can protect myself for one day. I'll stay in the company building there would be lots of people. Lots of security. I won't go anywhere else."
Yichen clenched his jaw. He wanted to argue. Wanted to insist. But he saw the determination in Zhiyuan's eyes.
"Okay," he finally said, the word heavy. "Okay. But stay in the company. Don't leave for anything. I'll pick you up myself when work is done."
Zhiyuan's smile grew. He nodded. "Deal."
Yichen pulled him close, kissing him deeply. When they parted, he rested his forehead against Zhiyuan's.
"Be careful," he whispered. "Please."
"I will." Zhiyuan kissed him one more time, soft and sweet. "I promise."
He grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door. At the last moment, he turned back.
"Take care of them, okay? And take care of yourself too."
Yichen nodded. "I will."
The door closed. Yichen stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty space where Zhiyuan had been.
Then he grabbed his phone and called Miss Zhang.
"I need you to check on Zhiyuan at the company every hour. Text me updates."
Miss Zhang's voice came through, tired but alert. "Every hour? That's a lot."
"I don't care. Just do it."
"Yes, boss."
Yichen hung up and looked out the window. Something in his chest felt tight. Wrong.
But he pushed it down. He had to trust Zhiyuan. Had to believe everything would be okay.
He got dressed and headed to the hospital, praying this wasn't a mistake.
Zhiyuan sat in his car for a long moment, staring at the message on his phone.
Unknown number: I know who killed your father. Come alone. Location shared.
His heart pounded. His hands shook. He knew he should call Yichen. He knew this could be a trap.
But the words burned in his mind. I know who killed your father.
He started the engine
The location was an old tea house on the edge of the city. Empty. Quiet. A single figure sat in the corner, head down.
Zhiyuan walked in, eyes scanning everything. No one else. Just this one man.
He approached the table slowly. The man looked up.
Young face. Nervous eyes.
Zhiyuan sat down across from him. "Are you the one who texted me?"
The man nodded quickly. "Yes. Thank you for coming. Thank you."
"What's your name?"
The man hesitated. "Wang Jie."
Zhiyuan studied him. Something felt off, but he couldn't place it. "You said you know who killed my father."
Wang Jie nodded again, looking around nervously. "Yes. I know."
"Who?"
Wang Jie looked down at the table. His voice was quiet, shaking. "It's... Yichen."
Zhiyuan froze. The word hung in the air like poison.
"Excuse me?"
Wang Jie looked up, tears in his eye. "I know you don't want to believe it. I wouldn't either. But please, just listen to me."
Zhiyuan's voice turned cold. "Do you think I came here for jokes?"
"I'm not joking" Wang Jie reached into his pocket. Zhiyuan tensed. But the man only pulled out a small USB drive. He placed it on the table between them.
"Everything is on here. Proof. Years of it."
Zhiyuan stared at the USB. Didn't touch it.
Wang Jie continued, words tumbling out fast. "Years ago, Yichen was part of human trafficking and other Bad things. Really bad things. I was one of them. One of the people he... he hurt."
Zhiyuan's face stayed still, but his heart was racing.
"I escaped. Lucky. Very lucky." Wang Jie wiped his eye. "But now he knows I'm alive. He's afraid I'll tell you everything. So he wants to kill me."
"That's not—"
"The night your father died," Wang Jie interrupted, leaning forward, "I was in the same hospital. Different floor. I went to your father's room because I heard... I heard something."
Zhiyuan leaned closer despite himself. "What?"
Wang Jie's voice dropped to a whisper. "I saw Yichen. He was talking to a nurse. He gave her something. Told her to put it in your father's IV. I saw it. With my own eye."
Zhiyuan's blood ran cold.
"And then he saw me." Wang Jie's face twisted with fear. "He saw me watching. Since that night, he's been hunting me. Everywhere I go, his men follow. I went to the police, but they didn't help. They tried to arrest me too! Because they're his men. Yichen's men. All of them!"
He grabbed Zhiyuan's hand across the table. Zhiyuan flinched but didn't pull away.
"Please. You're the only one who can stop him. You're Zhenlong's son. You have power. Please save me. I don't want to die. I don't want to die like your father."
Tears streamed down his face. He looked broken. Terrified.
Zhiyuan stared at him. At the USB on the table.
His mind raced. Yichen's face flashed in his memory. The way he held him. The way he promised. The way he loved him.
Could it all be a lie?
"Why should I believe you?" Zhiyuan's voice was rough.
Wang Jie looked at him, desperate. "Because I have nothing to gain from lying. Because I'm scared for my life. Because if I'm lying, why would I come to you? Why would I put myself in danger?"
He pushed the USB closer.
"Look at it. Just look. Then decide."
Zhiyuan's hand reached out slowly. His fingers touched the small drive.
Everything could change in a second.
He picked it up.
Zhiyuan sat in his car, the USB drive heavy in his hand. His mind was a storm. Everything Wang Jie said played over and over.
Yichen killed your father. Human trafficking. He's been lying to you.
He wanted to throw the USB away. Wanted to go back to the mansion and pretend this never happened.
But he couldn't.
With shaking hands, he started the car and drove away. Behind him, inside the tea house, Wang Jie watched him leave.
The moment Zhiyuan's car disappeared, Wang Jie's scared face changed. A slow, cruel smile spread across his lips.
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Boss? He took the USB."
On the other end, Louis's laugh echoed. Loud. Happy. Evil.
"Good job, Wang Jie. Very good job." Louis was still laughing. "I'll transfer the money to your account tonight. You can leave now. Disappear for a while."
"Thank you, boss. Thank you."
Wang Jie hung up and walked out of the tea house, whistling. The trap was set. The poison was planted.
Meanwhile – At the Hospital
The hospital room was peaceful. Soft light. Quiet beeping of machines.
Guo Lian lay in the bed, still pale but awake. His one good eye watched Dr. Shen sitting beside him, holding a small bowl of soup.
"Open," Dr. Shen said gently, holding a spoon to Guo Lian's lips.
Guo Lian stared at him. "I can feed myself."
"Yeah yeah I know how strong you are now open up"
Guo Lian's lips twitched. A small smile. He opened his mouth. Dr. Shen carefully fed him the soup, then wiped a drop from his chin with a soft cloth.
Yichen stood by the window, watching them. A small smile touched his face. Even after everything, there was still love. Still hope.
"Maybe you should take some rest too Dr shen," Yichen offered quietly.
Dr. Shen didn't even look up. "No. This is my job."
Guo Lian's eye moved to Yichen. "Thank you. For saving him."
Yichen shook his head. "It's—
His phone buzzed.
Yichen pulled it out. A message. From an unknown number.
He opened it.
The world stopped.
Photos. Many photos. Dr. Shen, naked, on a dirty floor. Masked men standing around him, posing, laughing. Their hands on him. Marks all over his body. His face bruised, crying, broken.
Yichen's hand started shaking. His face went white.
More photos one of them was zhiyuan sitting in a old tea house.
Below them, a message:
"Want me to show these to your pretty boyfriend he's with me"
Yichen's mind went blank his eyes wide open
Yichen's phone slipped from his hand. Clattered to the floor.
"Yichen?" Dr. Shen looked up, concerned. "What's wrong? You're white as a ghost."
Yichen couldn't speak. Couldn't move.
Guo Lian struggled to sit up. "Yichen? What happened?"
Yichen bent down slowly, picked up the phone. His hand still shook. He looked at Dr. Shen kind, gentle Dr. Shen who had helped everyone, who had never hurt anyone.
The photos were because of him. Because of what he used to be. Because of the monster he used to be.
"I... I have to go," Yichen whisper. "...I.."
He stumbled toward the door.
"YICHEN!" Dr. Shen called.
But Yichen was already gone, running down the hallway, the photos burned into his mind, the guilt crushing his chest.
Yichen's heart pounded as he ran through the hospital hallway. He grabbed his phone and dialed Miss Zhang.
"Miss Zhang? Where's Zhiyuan?" His voice was rough, panicked.
Miss Zhang sounded confused. "What do you mean? He hasn't arrived yet."
Yichen stopped walking. His blood went cold. "What? He left the mansion an hour ago. He should be there by now."
Miss Zhang's voice turned worried. "He didn't come. The security downstairs hasn't seen him. Let me call him—"
Yichen hung up. He dialed Zhiyuan's number.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
No answer.
He called again.
Nothing.
His hands shook. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Meanwhile – At the Mansion Office
Zhiyuan sat behind his desk, alone in the quiet room. The USB drive sat in his hand like poison.
He took a deep breath and plugged it into his laptop.
Files loaded. Folders appeared.
He opened the first one.
Pictures. Dozens of them.
Yichen. Standing in a dark warehouse. Surrounded by scared people. Women. Children. Their faces showed fear. Yichen's face showed nothing.
More pictures. Yichen with bags of white powder. Drugs. Stacked like merchandise.
More. Yichen holding a knife. Standing over a body. Blood everywhere.
More. Yichen cutting a body. Piece by piece. His face calm. Like he was chopping vegetables.
Zhiyuan's stomach turned. He wanted to look away. He couldn't.
Another folder. Videos.
He clicked one.
A recording played. Yichen stood with other men, all laughing. He was younger. Harder. His eyes empty.
"I can't wait to get this throne from Zhenlong," Yichen said, grinning. The men around him laughed loudly.
"Then what?" one asked.
Yichen's smile turned dark. "Then I won't have to hold back anymore. No rules. No limits. Everything I want, I take."
More laughing. They raised their glasses.
Zhiyuan stared at the screen. His face was pale. His hands shook.
This was Yichen. The man who held him at night. The man who promised to protect him. The man who said he loved him.
This was who he really was.
The video ended. The room was silent.
Zhiyuan sat frozen, staring at the dark screen. His mind was empty. His heart was broken.
He didn't know how long he sat there. Minutes. Hours.
His phone buzzed. Yichen calling. Again.
He stared at the name on the screen. Yichen
He didn't answer he couldn't..
The phone buzzed again. Miss Zhang.
He didn't answer that either.
He just sat in the dark office, surrounded by the truth, wondering if anything in his life had ever been real.
Zhiyuan sat frozen in his chair, staring at the frozen video on his laptop. His mind was spinning, pieces clicking together like a nightmare puzzle.
"I can't wait to get this throne from Zhenlong."
The words echoed in his head.
"Then I won't have to hold back anymore."
Zhiyuan's hands trembled. His breathing was shallow.
He had me. So he killed my dad. He didn't need Zhenlong anymore. That's what he meant. That's what this video means.
His father's face flashed in his mind. Zhenlong, smiling at him. Calling him stubborn. Promising to go fishing.
Yichen killed him. The man I love killed my father.
Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't notice.
Everything was a lie. The protection. The love. All of it. Just to get close. Just to take everything.
He gripped the edge of the desk, trying to breathe.
I let him in my bed. In my heart. I trusted him with everything. And he was planning this all along.
The room felt like it was closing in.
Then—
BANG!
The door burst open. Yichen stood there, breathing hard, sweat on his face. His one good eye was wide with panic.
"Zhiyuan!" he gasped. "Why aren't you picking up your calls? I've been calling for hours! I was so worried—"
He stepped forward, reaching out.
Zhiyuan flinched. Stumbled back. His chair scraped against the floor.
Yichen froze. Confusion crossed his face. "Zhiyuan? What's wrong?"
Zhiyuan didn't speak. Couldn't speak. He just looked at Yichen like he was seeing a stranger. A monster.
Yichen's eye moved past him. Landed on the laptop. On the frozen video. On the men laughing. On his own younger face, saying those words.
His face went white.
"Zhiyuan...from where did you get this old video"
Zhiyuan's voice came out small. Broken. "Why...you know you did something wrong?"
"No. No, please. Let me explain."
"You killed my father." Zhiyuan's voice cracked. "You had me, so you didn't need him anymore. That's what you meant, right? In the video? 'Get the throne from Zhenlong'?"
Yichen shook his head desperately. "No! When did I said ....that video is years old! I was young and it was a joke and—"
"And what? You changed?" Zhiyuan laughed, but it was empty, hollow. "People don't change, Yichen. They just get better at hiding."
"ZHIYUAN!" Yichen shouted, then caught himself. Lowered his voice. "Please. Please listen to me. I love you. I would never—"
"Don't." Zhiyuan held up a hand, stepping back further. "Don't say that word. Not now. Not after everything."
Yichen's eye filled with tears. "You have to believe me. I didn't kill your father. I was asleep next to you when that nurse—"
"Why you didn't stopped the nurse if you saw him" Zhiyuan's voice was sharp. "Maybe because you wanted it to happen"
Yichen froze.
The room went silent.
Zhiyuan stared at him, horror dawning. "You knew. You already knew."
"Zhiyuan, please—"
"GET OUT."
"Please, just let me—"
"GET OUT!" Zhiyuan screamed, grabbing a lamp from the desk and throwing it. It smashed against the wall near Yichen's head. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!"
Yichen stood there, shattered. Tears falling. Hands shaking.
"Zhiyuan, I love you. I have always loved you. I would never—"
"LIAR!" Zhiyuan's voice broke completely. He was sobbing now, ugly and broken. "You're all liars! Everyone leaves! Everyone lies!"
He grabbed another thing from the desk a paperweight and threw it.
Yichen didn't dodge. It hit his shoulder. He didn't move.
"If you won't leave," Zhiyuan whispered, broken, "then I will."
He grabbed his keys and ran past Yichen, out the door, down the stairs.
Yichen stood alone in the destroyed office, surrounded by broken things, the video still frozen on the screen.
"Zhiyuan..." he whispered to the empty room.
But there was no answer. Just the echo of a slammed door and a shattered heart.