Yichen stood frozen for a moment, then moved to the laptop. His hands shook as he pressed play on the video.
His younger self appeared on screen. Laughing. Surrounded by men. Drinking.
"I can't wait to get this throne from Zhenlong."
Yichen's heart pounded. He remembered this night. His birthday party. Years ago. He was drunk. Showing off. Being an idiot.
"Then I won't have to hold back anymore. No rules. No limits. Everything I want, I take."
The men laughed. The video ended.
Yichen stared at the screen. Then he noticed something. In the corner of the video, barely visible. A figure sitting at the edge of the frame.
Zhenlong.
He was right there. Watching. Smiling slightly. Like he knew it was just drunk talk. Like he wasn't threatened at all.
"This is from years ago," Yichen whispered. "This is nothing. This is a joke."
But Zhiyuan didn't know that. Zhiyuan saw his words and thought the worst.
"No, no, no..."
Yichen ran out of the office, down the stairs, out the front door. The driveway was empty. Zhiyuan's car was gone.
He grabbed his head, panic rising. "Where did you go? Where did you go?"
He pulled out his phone, called his men.
"I need you to find out where Zhiyuan went this morning. Track his car. His phone. Anything. NOW!"
He jumped in his car and sped down the driveway, eyes scanning everywhere, hoping to see a familiar car.
Meanwhile – By the River
Zhiyuan sat on a bench near the quiet river. The water moved slowly. The sun was setting. Everything looked peaceful.
He was the opposite of peaceful.
He hugged himself, rocking slightly. Tears still fell. His body shook with silent sobs.
"Why?" he whispered to the river. "Why does everyone lie to me?
"I just wanted to be loved," he whispered. "Is that so wrong? Is that too much to ask?"
The river had no answer.
He thought of Yichen's face. The panic. The tears. The way he said "I love you."
Was any of it real?
He didn't know anymore. He didn't know anything anymore.
Then—
Something cold pressed against his neck. A sharp pinch.
Zhiyuan tried to turn, but his body wouldn't move. His vision blurred. The world tilted.
He saw a figure standing behind him. Masked. Smiling.
Then everything went black.
Meanwhile – At the Hospital
Dr. Shen sat beside Guo Lian's bed, holding his hand. Guo Lian was sleeping, finally resting peacefully. Dr. Shen rested his head on the edge of the bed, exhausted but grateful.
The door opened softly.
Dr. Shen looked up, expecting a nurse. Instead, he saw figures in masks. Not hospital masks. Dark masks. And one of them held a gun.
Dr. Shen's blood froze.
"Don't move," the masked man said quietly. "Don't scream. Don't do anything stupid."
Dr. Shen's hand tightened on Guo Lian's. Guo Lian stirred, eyes opening slowly.
"What..." Guo Lian started.
Another masked man moved to the bed, pressing a cloth over Guo Lian's mouth. He struggled weakly, but he was too weak from his injuries. His eyes rolled back. He went limp.
"GUO LIAN!" Dr. Shen screamed, lunging forward.
A gun pressed to his head.
"I said don't move."
Dr. Shen froze, tears streaming down his face. "Please... please don't hurt him. He's already hurt. Please."
The masked man smiled behind his mask. "Boss wants to see you both. Something about a family reunion."
He nodded to the others. They grabbed Dr. Shen, binding his hands. Another lifted Guo Lian's unconscious body onto a stretcher.
"No," Dr. Shen begged, struggling. "Please, take me but leave him! He needs medical care! He'll die!"
"Not our problem."
They dragged them both out of the room, into the dark hallway. The hospital was quiet. No one saw. No one stopped them.
The door closed behind them, leaving the room empty, machines beeping uselessly, the last trace of warmth fading away
Yichen's car screeched near river He saw Zhiyuan's car parked nearby, empty. A note sat on the windshield.
He grabbed it. Read it.
Meet me here. Come alone. Louis
Yichen's jaw tightened.
He drove straight to the destination
The warehouse was dark. Silent. His footsteps echoed.
He moved deeper, eyes scanning, hand on his gun.
Suddenly—
LIGHTS!
Bright lights blazed on, blinding him. He blinked, trying to see.
When his vision cleared, he saw it. A single chair in the middle of the room, facing a raised stage. And all around him, men with guns. Dozens of them. Blocking every exit.
Yichen's heart pounded.
Then laughter. Loud. Crazy. Echoing off the walls.
Louis walked out from behind the stage, clapping slowly.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Louis giggled, his one eye wild with excitement. "You came! I knew you would! So predictable, old friend!"
Yichen glared at him. "Where's Zhiyuan? Where are they?"
Louis held up a hand. "Patience, patience! All in good time." He gestured to the chair. "Sit. We have so much to catch up on."
"I'm not here for games, Louis." Yichen's voice was low, dangerous. "WHERE ARE THEY?"
Louis sighed dramatically. "So impatient. Fine. Have it your way."
He snapped his fingers.
Curtains behind the stage dropped.
Yichen's blood turned to ice.
Three figures hung from the wall, their arms chained above them. Unconscious. Limp.
Guo Lian. His body still weak from the hospital, hanging like a broken doll.
Dr. Shen. Bruised, battered, head down.
And Zhiyuan.
Zhiyuan.
His beautiful Zhiyuan, chained like an animal, head hanging, not moving.
"NO!" Yichen screamed. He lunged forwad
Guns cocked. Dozens of barrels aimed at his head.
He stopped.
Louis laughed, delighted. "Ah, the look on your face! Priceless! I wish I had a camera!"
Yichen's hands shook with rage. "You're my enemy, Louis! I took your eye! I took everything from you! So take ME! Kill ME! Why are you hurting them? They did nothing to you!"
Louis walked closer, tilting his head like a curious child.
"Because," he said softly, "this is how I finally break you."
He circled Yichen slowly.
"I made you run around day and night. First chasing Guo Lian. Then Dr. Shen. Then Zhiyuan." He stopped in front of him. "You look so tired, old friend. So exhausted. I thought you would give up by now."
Yichen's breathing was heavy. His body ached. He hadn't slept. Hadn't eaten properly. Hadn't stopped running.
Louis nodded, satisfied. "But here you are. Still energetic. Still fighting." He sighed. "All my planning, going to waste."
He shrugged.
"But at least I made you all separate, yes? That was the hard part. Turning your pretty boyfriend against you. Making him run away. Making him easy to grab." Louis giggled. "And now here we are. Our final show."
Yichen stared at Zhiyuan's still body. "If you hurt him—"
"I will hurt him." Louis's voice turned cold. "I will hurt all of them. And you will watch. And then, when you're completely broken, I will kill you."
He walked toward the stage. Toward Dr. Shen.
"Let's start with the doctor, shall we? He's my favorite. So much fight in such an old body."
Louis pulled out a knife. Ran his finger along the blade.
"I wonder how much he can take before he breaks?"
Yichen screamed, struggling against the men holding him back. "LOUIS! DON'T TOUCH HIM! FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME LIKE YOU SAID!"
Louis turned, smiling. "Oh, I will fight you. After I've broken you completely."
He raised the knife toward Dr. Shen's face.
Louis raised the knife toward Dr. Shen's face. The blade glinted in the harsh light.
Dr. Shen's eyes snapped open. He gasped, seeing the knife inches from him. He struggled against his chains, but they held tight.
"No... please..." Dr. Shen's voice was weak, terrified.
Louis smiled. "I want you to feel this."
He dragged the knife slowly down Dr. Shen's cheek. Not deep enough to kill. Just enough to hurt. Blood welled up, dripping down his face.
Dr. Shen screamed.
"LOUIS!" Yichen roared, struggling against the men holding him. "STOP! STOP IT!"
Louis glanced back, grinning. "That's it. Keep screaming my name. I love hearing it."
He turned back to Dr. Shen. Ran the knife down his other cheek. More blood. Another scream.
Guo Lian stirred on the wall. His head lifted weakly. His eyes found Dr. Shen. Saw the blood. Saw the knife.
"No..." Guo Lian's voice was barely a whisper. "Don't... don't hurt him..."
Louis's face lit up. "Oh! The wounded warrior speaks!" He walked over to Guo Lian, grabbing his face roughly. "Look at you. So weak. So broken. Your doctor boyfriend tried so hard to save you. But for what? So I could hurt you both together?"
He punched Guo Lian's wound. Guo Lian screamed, body arching in pain.
"GUO LIAN!" Dr. Shen cried, tears mixing with blood on his face.
Yichen struggled harder. "LET THEM GO! THIS IS BETWEEN US! JUST US!"
Louis ignored him. He walked to Zhiyuan, who hung limply, eyes open but empty. Staring at nothing.
"And you." Louis tilted Zhiyuan's face up. "The pretty CEO. The reason my old friend here lost his mind. You know he killed your father, right? Well, my men did it, but he might as well have. All because of you."
Zhiyuan didn't respond. Didn't move. His eyes stayed dead.
Louis frowned. "No reaction? Boring." He slapped Zhiyuan across the face. Hard.
Zhiyuan's head snapped to the side. A small sound escaped his throat. But his eyes stayed empty.
"ZHIYUAN!" Yichen screamed, tears streaming down his face now. "LOOK AT ME! PLEASE!"
Louis turned back to Yichen, delighted. "Are you crying? Oh my god, you're CRYING!" He clapped his hands like a child. "This is the best day of my life!"
He walked back to Dr. Shen. Pressed the knife against his hand.
"Let's see how many fingers he has."
"NO!" Yichen dropped to his knees, the men finally letting him fall. "Please, Louis. PLEASE. I'll do anything. Anything you want."
Louis raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"
"Yes! Just stop! Stop hurting them!"
Louis considered. Then smiled. "Get on your hands and knees."
Yichen did it immediately. Humiliated. Broken.
"Crawl to me."
Yichen crawled across the dirty floor, tears falling, sobs escaping his throat.
Louis watched, eyes gleaming with sick pleasure. "Look at you. The great Yichen. Zhenlong's best soldier. The man who took my eye." He laughed. "And now you're CRAWLING to me like a dog."
Yichen reached his feet. Looked up, face wet with tears. "Please. Let them go. I'll stay. I'll do whatever you want. Just let them go."
Louis crouched down to his level. "Beg."
"Please."
"Louder."
"PLEASE! Please, Louis, I'm begging you! Don't hurt them anymore! They're innocent! They never did anything to you!"
Louis's smile widened. "Again."
"I'M BEGGING YOU! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST STOP!"
Louis stood up, laughing. "Oh, this is beautiful. This is better than I ever imagined."
He looked at his men. "Record this. I want to watch it forever."
Then he turned back to Dr. Shen, raising the knife again.
"I said stop!" Yichen screamed. "You promised!"
"I promised nothing." Louis shrugged. "I just wanted to see you beg. And you did. Beautifully." He pressed the knife to Dr. Shen's hand. "Now for the real show."
Dr. Shen screamed as the blade cut into his finger.
Guo Lian cried out, struggling against his chains, blood seeping from his wound.
Zhiyuan just hung there, eyes dead, not reacting to anything.
And Yichen broke completely. He screamed, sobbed, begged, crawled, did everything Louis wanted.
Louis just laughed and laughed, drinking in the pain like fine wine..
Louis's eyes burned with pleasure as he watched Yichen break. But it wasn't enough. He wanted more.
He walked away from Dr. Shen and moved toward Zhiyuan. The pretty CEO still hung limp, eyes empty, not reacting to anything.
"Let's see if this gets a reaction," Louis murmured.
He grabbed Zhiyuan's face roughly. Ran his hand down his chest. Squeezed hard in places that made Yichen's vision go red.
"Stop touching him!" Yichen screamed from the floor. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!"
Louis laughed. "Why? Is this yours? Does it hurt to watch?" He squeezed harder. Zhiyuan whimpered softly but didn't move.
Yichen tried to stand, but the men pushed him down. He could only watch as Louis's hands crawled all over the man he loved.
"Please..." Yichen begged, voice broken. "Please don't... not him..."
Louis leaned in, licking Zhiyuan's neck. Zhiyuan flinched but stayed silent.
Yichen's scream tore through the warehouse.
Then—
HISSssssss...
A strange sound. White gas started pouring through vents in the ceiling. Filling the room fast.
Louis's eyes widened. He tried to speak, but his throat closed. He coughed, covering his mouth with his arm.
"Gas!" one of his men yelled. "It's gas!"
Louis stumbled, grabbing Yichen and dragging him toward the exit. His men followed, some already collapsing.
At the same time, masked figures dropped from the ceiling. Yichen's men. They quickly placed masks on Guo Lian, Dr. Shen, and Zhiyuan. Cutting their chains. Carrying them out.
Louis reached the exit door, still dragging Yichen. Outside, gunfire erupted. Yichen's men were everywhere, shooting at Louis's men.
Louis pushed Yichen away and hid behind a pillar. Bullets flew. Men screamed. Died. One by one.
Yichen grabbed a gun from a fallen man and ran to cover. He spotted one of his own.
"Did you rescue them?" he shouted over the gunfire.
The man nodded. "All three! They're in the van!"
Yichen breathed for the first time. "Good."
The shooting continued. Louis's men fell. Soon only a few remained, trying to run.
Louis himself tried to slip away into the darkness.
But Yichen's men saw him. Grabbed him. Threw him at Yichen's feet.
Louis looked up, blood on his face, but still smiling. "Oh hey! Nice to meet you again, old friend!"
Yichen stared down at him. His face was cold. Empty. The broken, begging man from minutes ago was gone.
Now there was only the monster Louis always knew.
"Tie him to that pillar," Yichen said quietly.
They did. Louis laughed. "What are you going to do? Kill me? I'm not scared of death!"
Yichen walked to him slowly. Pulled out a knife.
"Good," he said. "Because I'm not going to kill you fast."
The first cut was shallow. Across Louis's cheek.
Louis screamed. Then laughed. "That's it? That's nothing!"
Second cut. Deeper. Across his arm.
Louis screamed louder. Still laughed. "You can do better!"
Third cut. Across his chest. Blood poured and cut the rope making Louis fall down.
Yichen stood over Louis, his chest heaving. His hands were covered in blood not his own. His face was cold, empty. The man who had begged and cried minutes ago was gone.
Now there was only the monster Louis always knew existed.
Louis looked up at him from the floor, blood dripping from the cuts on his face. He was still smiling. Always smiling.
"Come on, old friend," Louis laughed, his voice wet with blood. "Is that all? Little cuts? I've had worse paper cuts!"
Yichen grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him up. His fist connected with Louis's face. Hard.
Louis's head snapped back. He laughed.
"That's it! That's more like it!"
Yichen hit him again. And again. Louis's face became a mess of blood and swelling, but he kept laughing.
"You hit like a girl!" Louis coughed, spitting blood. "My grandmother hits harder!"
Yichen's fist slammed into his stomach. Louis doubled over, gasping, then straightened up laughing.
"Ooh, that one tickled! Do it again!"
Yichen did. Again. Again. His knuckles split open, but he didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
Louis's laughs turned to coughs. Blood sprayed from his mouth. But still, that insane smile remained.
"You... you think this... hurts?" Louis wheezed. "I've been in pain... every day... since you took my eye! Since you took my everything! This is NOTHING!"
Yichen grabbed him by the throat. Squeezed. Louis's face turned red, then purple. His hands clawed at Yichen's arm.
"Go... ahead..." Louis choked out. "Kill me... I win... either way..."
Yichen squeezed harder. Louis's eye started to bulge. His struggles grew weaker.
Then Yichen let go.
Louis collapsed, gasping, coughing, laughing weakly.
"Can't... do it... can you?" Louis whispered. "Too soft... now. That boyfriend... made you soft."
Yichen grabbed a pipe from the floor. Swung it at Louis's leg.
CRACK.
Louis screamed. Then laughed. Then screamed again.
"Good one!" he gasped. "Break the other! Come on!"
Yichen swung again. Another crack. Louis's other leg bent wrong.
Louis's screams filled the warehouse. But between screams, laughter still came. Crazy. Broken. Insane.
"Look at you!" Louis wheezed, tears mixing with blood. "So angry! So hurt! Because I touched your pretty boy? Because I made you BEG?"
Yichen dropped the pipe. Grabbed Louis's face.
"You made me watch them suffer," Yichen said quietly. "You made me crawl. You put your hands on him."
Louis grinned through broken teeth. "Worth it."
Yichen's fist connected with his face one last time. Louis fell back, body limp, but still conscious. Still breathing. Still smiling.
Yichen stood over him, chest heaving, tears falling, covered in blood.
Louis's eye fluttered. He looked up at Yichen. For a moment, the smile faded.
"We were... friends once," Louis whispered. "Remember? Xiapu. School. Before everything."
Yichen stared at him.
"I remember," he said quietly.
Louis smiled one last time. Small. Almost human.
"Good... at least someone... remembers..."
His eye closed. His breathing slowed. Stopped.
Yichen stood there for a long moment, looking at the body of the boy he once knew. The enemy he had become.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving Louis behind forever.