The theater was evacuated immediately.
The rest of the disgruntled audience members were led to another hall. Some tried to raise their phones to sneak a recording of the scene, but the manager was sharp-eyed and stopped them one by one. If a scandal involving Young Master Si broke out here, he could kiss his career goodbye.
Wiping sweat from his brow, the manager ushered the last customer out the door, then straightened up to glance toward the corner. Chen Bai shot him a look from a distance, signaling for him to leave as well. He nodded hurriedly and pulled the doors shut as if fleeing for his life.
The more one saw, the more one could get wrong. Were the scandals of people in Si Jiang’s social stratum something he was allowed to witness?
The entire space fell silent. Only the movie screen remained, frozen on an image of a solitary, high-reaching moon.
Chen Bai gripped Si Jiang’s shoulders, his arms beginning to ache from the strain. Si Jiang’s entire body was straining forward—his neck, his hands, his head, his very malice. He looked like a tree extending gnarled, twisted branches, desperate to envelop and swallow the person opposite him.
He had just tried to grab Zong Yan’s hand, but Bai Mao had knocked his arm away. In response, this madman, who had long since lost his reason, actually raised a fist to strike the unsuspecting Bai Mao.
Then Zong Yan had caught his hand.
The moment that slightly cool body temperature touched his skin, Si Jiang felt as if he had been injected with poison; even his nerve endings throbbed with pain.
"You’re helping him?" he asked softly.
Zong Yan frowned, just about to speak.
"You... are helping him."
Zong Yan’s eyes slowly widened.
Bai Mao took a breath of disbelief. "No way...?"
A single tear seeped from Si Jiang’s trembling eyelid. It was large and dark, a drop he hadn't even realized was there. It fell to the floor, vanishing into the grime of the carpet.
Si Jiang was actually crying?
For a moment, Bai Mao began to second-guess himself. Had he spoken too harshly? Was this guy some kind of "paper tiger" who was all bark and no bite? Or had he truly wronged him? No, regardless of the circumstances, one shouldn't break down in tears in a public place.
He was suddenly overcome with awkwardness, wanting nothing more than to escape this bizarre scene.
"Senior, let’s go..." he called to Zong Yan again.
"Senior, Senior... what a wonderful Senior."
The man who was crying opened his mouth, his voice dripping with venom. "Do you really know what kind of person your 'Senior' is?"
Si Jiang tried to fling Zong Yan’s hand away, but for some reason, he didn't succeed, and he didn't continue to struggle. He simply tilted his head, staring at Bai Mao with an expression that would make anyone shudder, and continued in a low voice:
"Do you know she’s a pervert?"
He felt the grip on his arm tighten.
*Heh, getting anxious? Don't want your little junior to know your true face?*
He refused to let her have her way!
"Do you know she once imprisoned an innocent person in a restroom? She gave him no light, wouldn't speak to him, and made him crawl on the floor like a dog to eat?"
"Do you know she would tie a collar around a person's neck and lead him around like a dog on a leash?"
Si Jiang watched Bai Mao’s shocked face with satisfaction. His neck moved like a snake, swerving around Zong Yan to lean closer to Bai Mao.
"Does your Senior always act upright and outstanding in front of you? Can you imagine her breaking someone's leg and dragging them across the floor?"
"Her body is covered in scars left by violence. Whether it was her biological parents or her stepfather, they were all psychos, all lunatics! Can a family like that raise a normal child?"
"Si Jiang, shut up," Zong Yan warned coldly.
"Why should I shut up? Who do you think you are? What, afraid I’ll talk trash in front of your little junior?"
"But every word I say is the truth. You’re just a little pervert raised by psychotic parents. You even like to f—"
*Slap!*
Zong Yan struck him across the face.
The sound of the slap drew everyone's eyes. Chen Bai quickly contacted the manager, telling him to find a way to get everyone else out of the vicinity.
Si Jiang held his face, standing there motionless.
Zong Yan lowered her gaze and looked at Bai Mao, who was standing frozen in place. She let out a sigh.
"Bai Mao, I—"
"Senior, you don't need to explain." Bai Mao reached out to interrupt her. He lifted his head, his eyes as clear and bright as ever, filled with trust. "Even if what he said is true, I believe you must have had a reason for doing those things."
"I won't believe the words of a bully. I only trust what I see with my own eyes. Senior, you are a good person." He shot an indifferent, angry glance at Si Jiang. "Let's get away from this madman."
the youth's sincerity was like a beam of light, making the one harboring malice look utterly pathetic.
For a moment, Zong Yan seemed truly moved. She involuntarily took a step toward him.
But that single step drove the person behind her completely insane.
"I’m going to kill you."
Chen Bai didn't hear him clearly. "What did you say?"
"I’m going to kill you!"
Chen Bai was startled. Just as he reached out to pull him back, Si Jiang had already lunged at Bai Mao. His hands reached for Bai Mao’s throat. Bai Mao backed away in terror, his foot missing a step as he fell onto the stairs. Zong Yan hurriedly bent down to pull him up.
Chen Bai took the opportunity to lock his arms around Si Jiang’s shoulders, pinning him against his own body.
"Si Jiang, you’ve lost it! This is a public place!"
Si Jiang’s body shook in his grip. "I’m going to kill you!" he roared at Bai Mao.
But only one person knew that he wasn't looking at Bai Mao. He was looking at her.
Zong Yan pursed her lips. Meeting Bai Mao’s uneasy gaze, she said, "You go back first."
"Huh? No way, he’s completely lost his mind. Senior, let’s leave together."
"Be good, Bai Mao. Go back." Zong Yan shook her head firmly. She gave a small smile and patted Bai Mao’s head. "Don't worry. Leave it to me."
Bai Mao gritted his teeth, glancing at Si Jiang, who looked as if he wanted to leap across the space and tear him apart. "But..."
"Bai Mao, this is between him and me."
Bai Mao left, looking distracted and turning back every few steps.
Once he was gone, the confrontation between the remaining three became even more oppressive. At this moment, Chen Bai hated the woman in front of him with a passion. If not for her, how could his brother have ended up like this?
Yet, because he also knew that Si Jiang would have protected Zong Yan’s identity even at the cost of his life, he had remained silent. Now, however, it seemed nothing could ever return to normal. He thought despairingly that Si Jiang might truly be insane. No one could save him now.
Zong Yan put her hands in her pockets and walked calmly toward the two of them.
"Don't come any closer," Chen Bai warned her. He was barely able to restrain Si Jiang; his brother had turned into a wild beast.
But there wasn't a trace of fear in Zong Yan’s expression. She simply walked up to Si Jiang, and facing his contorted features, she asked, "Si Jiang, why are you doing this?"
Si Jiang’s struggling movements faltered.
Chen Bai said resentfully, "He hasn't been able to sleep again lately. He was clearly getting better abroad, but as soon as he came back and saw you, it started all over again."
"Did you do something to him again?"
"He even set a fire at home today! If the automatic sprinkler system hadn't been installed, he would have been burned to a crisp!"
"You should leave too," Zong Yan interrupted him.
"Ha?" Chen Bai was incredulous. "What did you say?"
"I said, please leave the area as well."
"If I leave, do you think you can actually control him?" Could a woman this thin restrain a grown man in a frenzy? Chen Bai didn't believe it.
Zong Yan placed her hand on Si Jiang’s face, right where she had slapped him. Chen Bai felt Si Jiang’s body shudder again, and then, he actually began to slowly relax.
"Ugh." Zong Yan frowned.
Si Jiang turned his head and bit down hard on her palm, glaring at her fiercely. Zong Yan didn't resist. Instead, she placed her other hand on his neck, that long, pale neck resting in her palm. She gripped the back of his neck.
Si Jiang stopped struggling.
Chen Bai was utterly speechless. He let go of his hold. He had worked himself to exhaustion, only to feel like he had become a prop in whatever "play" these two were performing.
*F—.*
He looked at Si Jiang. His damn brother didn't even spare him a glance. His eyes were glued entirely to Zong Yan.
*F— it.*
*I don't care anymore! Let them do whatever they want!*
Chen Bai stormed off in a huff.
Now, only Zong Yan and Si Jiang remained. In the vast theater, the air conditioning was running at full blast, sending goosebumps over one's skin.
Zong Yan moved her fingers. "Let go."
Si Jiang didn't hear her.
Zong Yan squeezed the back of his neck and slowly pulled her hand out from between his teeth. The man continued to glare at her like an untamed beast. She turned her hand over to inspect the bite mark. He had bitten hard and deep, but it hadn't drawn blood.
Zong Yan didn't dwell on it. She simply asked him, "Si Jiang, what exactly do you want?"
"You said you wanted me to sleep with you, and I did."
"You wanted compensation, and I didn't refuse."
"You even bought the props yourself, and I cooperated with you."
"What else do you want?"
Si Jiang’s voice sounded as if it were soaked in blood. "You came to see a movie with him."
"And?" Zong Yan prompted him patiently. "I have the right to see a movie with anyone."
Si Jiang’s forced expression began to crumble. "But I was the one who mentioned it first..."
As soon as he saw the release news, he had contacted Zong Yan. Because they had once discussed this movie. It was a sequel to a classic they had watched one night.
Back then, he had said to her, "Master, if there’s ever a second one, can we watch it together?"
He remembered with absolute clarity that Zong Yan had nodded and promised.
"You’re a liar." His tears suddenly broke through the dam. "You’re just a liar."
Si Jiang couldn't take it anymore.
"You said you would watch this movie with me."
"Then you ditched me and went with him."
"You said we would spend New Year’s together."
"So when I was abroad, I kept thinking... I’m such a fool."
"You said you wouldn't abandon me." He grabbed Zong Yan’s collar, his expression one of profound sorrow and self-loathing. "You promised me you wouldn't abandon me."
"But after you slept with me, you treated me like trash."
"You threw me away into the world I hate the most."
"Zong Yan, you lied to me."
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
司少 | Young Master Si | Honorific for a young man from a wealthy/powerful family.
学弟 | Junior / Underclassman | Refers to Bai Mao in relation to Zong Yan.
主人 | Master | The term used by Si Jiang for Zong Yan, indicating their past D/s dynamic.
