“Are you afraid?” the young man asked softly, turning slightly toward the boy sitting beside him.
They were seated on a park bench.
Not far away, the sounds of children laughing and playing drifted through the air—neighborhood kids were enjoying the playground equipment while several women sat nearby, chatting idly in a relaxed manner. Occasionally, the crisp chirping of birds punctuated the atmosphere, creating a scene of ease and leisure.
Yet, the air around the bench seemed frozen.
Upon hearing the question, the boy’s downcast lashes trembled. He opened his mouth, but no coherent sound emerged, and he maintained a somewhat cold silence.
“Mm, I knew it. I shouldn't have let you spend so much time with those people,” the young man murmured to himself.
He didn't seem to mind the boy’s distant reaction. Reaching out, he hooked an arm around the boy’s thin shoulders, pulling him sharply closer until there was barely any space between them.
“It’s alright… after you see blood today, the part of my bloodline within you will learn to love it.” The hand gripping the boy tightened slightly, forcing him to turn and face the young man.
Then came an embrace, one heavy with a sense of oppression.
The young man rested his chin atop the boy’s soft hair, pressing a portion of his body weight onto the shoulders of the person in his arms. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a woman nearby casting a suspicious, startled look their way. He turned his head to meet her gaze and pulled his lips into a polite smile.
His features were undeniably handsome—the kind most favored by women—yet the smile he wore now only sent a chilling shiver down the spine of anyone who saw it.
Ms. Su jerked her head away, retracting her gaze. She knew she looked abrupt and unnatural, but she truly could not bear to look into those pitch-black eyes.
Those eyes were more terrifying than any villain she had ever seen in a movie.
They seemed to hold a sediment of chaos and evil; though they appeared calm on the surface, once stirred, they would surely bring about a catastrophe!
Furthermore, the words she had just overheard… what was going on? Was this man some kind of dangerous criminal?
Ms. Su didn't stop to wonder why the other women around her couldn't hear the pair’s conversation, nor why she could suddenly hear their low-volume, private chat. She was currently immersed in a wave of panic, feeling as though she had stumbled upon something terrible.
Her hand, tipped with red-painted nails, reached into her bag and quietly pulled out her phone.
“I… I don't think I want to hurt them…”
Just then, she heard another voice—thin and small. Perhaps because the speaker lacked confidence, the words sounded weak. “I don't think I want to do this…”
The word “hurt” instantly shattered Ms. Su’s lingering hopes. This child said he didn't want to hurt people! That meant the “blood” the man mentioned earlier meant exactly what she thought it did!
Was this man inciting the child to commit a crime?!
What a scumbag… Ms. Su unlocked her screen. With a slightly trembling hand, she tapped the dialer, then switched to the messaging interface.
*It would be bad if that man hears me speaking. It’s better to report this to the police via text…*
While Ms. Su was frantically typing to explain the situation, the conversation on the bench continued.
“Are you questioning me?”
The young man released the boy, forcing him to look directly into his eyes. The boy’s eyes were brimming with trepidation and unease, a sight that seemed to please the young man. He let out a low chuckle. “I know all geniuses go through this period of confusion. You possess extraordinary abilities, yet you obsess over how to fit in, how to be ‘mediocre’…”
His voice seemed to carry a trace of magic; even Ms. Su, who was merely eavesdropping, felt a momentary wave of grogginess.
“…There is no need for that. Cast aside that unnecessary suffering and live truly, just as I do.” His fingers pressed against the boy’s slender, fragile-looking neck, feeling the faint pulse beneath.
“You cannot hear your own heart, but I can feel it. Beneath my hand, it is like a wild beast; the blood is pumping, and I know it is about to… break out of its cage.” As if truly sensing something, the young man paused for a moment before whispering his conclusion like a sigh.
Ms. Su listened in a daze, even forgetting to hit send on her message. Then, she snapped awake with a start, her heart racing in alarm.
Did this man have some kind of power of suggestion? Even she, a bystander, had been momentarily entranted. What must it be like for the boy facing his words directly?!
Steeling herself, Ms. Su peeked out of the corner of her eye to observe the two.
The boy was being forced to meet the young man’s gaze. His free hands at his sides didn't dare to resist; instead, they gripped the hem of his shirt so tightly that his fingertips turned white.
He lowered his eyes to avoid eye contact, his tone becoming increasingly wavering and hesitant. “But I don't want to commit a crime… I don't want to hurt anyone either…”
He couldn't help but open his eyes to look at the young man, seemingly trying to appear more firm, but his dwindling volume betrayed his softening resolve.
The young man chuckled softly. His fingertips lightly tapped a rhythm against the boy’s fragile carotid artery in sync with his heartbeat. His tone was light. “You call this a ‘crime’? Those are just the concepts those people have brainwashed you with. How pathetic… to be bound by the rules they’ve set. But you are an outlier. The rules they set will only hurt you, control you… and eat you.”
He lowered his voice on the last three words, making them sound blurred and sinister.
The boy looked as if he had been struck, merely muttering the word “outlier” under his breath.
Listening from the side, Ms. Su’s heart twisted in her chest. She desperately wanted to rush over and tell him that everything this man said was bullshit and not to believe a word of it.
She checked her phone anxiously; the police were still over ten minutes away.
She was alone and unarmed, and she didn't dare to confront the young man directly. Yet, she feared that in the next second, the boy would be successfully brainwashed, and the two would leave, leading the boy down a path of no return.
She watched helplessly as the boy’s fragile psychological defenses were dismantled step by step by the young man. Then, she heard the young man’s words, spoken like a victory speech:
“Very well. Then let me see your determination.”
To this, the boy replied: “Okay, Brother.”
The final string in Ms. Su’s mind snapped.
She pulled out her phone and sent a text to someone she thought she would never contact again in this lifetime. Then, she made a series of urgent calls to the property management. Finally, she switched off her phone and, with the grim determination of a soldier going to war, she turned around and spoke coldly:
“Sir, what you just said isn't right.”
Immersed in a mix of fear and fury, she failed to notice that the women who had been sitting near her were continuing their conversations normally, as if they hadn't noticed her at all.
“Oh?” The young man’s smile flattened for a moment, then he asked back with a hint of interest, “And where exactly do you think I am wrong?”
Being stared at by those eyes, Ms. Su felt her legs go weak.
Biting the tip of her tongue, she tried to keep her voice as steady as possible before speaking. “Everything is wrong! You! Uh, I heard what you said earlier. You’re actually telling a child to commit a crime? Are you even fit to be a guardian? Huh?! You idi—forget it, I won't use foul language. Anyway, I’ve already called the police. I advise you not to try anything funny. My husband is in the nearby neighborhood; I’ve already called them. There are seven or eight young, strong men in my family, and they’ll be here any second. You’d better not… *cough*, better not try anything.”
Her speech was stumbling, and she even accidentally choked on her own saliva at the end. Normally, Ms. Su would have found this incredibly embarrassing and would have fled the scene immediately, but right now she had no mind for such things. she just stared warily at the young man to prevent him from turning violent.
Fortunately, the young man did not make any dangerous moves. He merely frowned, looking as if he were being annoyed by a small insect.
*Fine, call me an insect if you want,* Ms. Su thought, gritting her teeth. In the eyes of a pervert like this, it didn't matter what she was, as long as the child wasn't led astray. She turned her gaze toward the boy standing between them.
The boy seemed stunned by this sudden turn of events. He looked at the young man sitting lazily on the bench with a trace of confusion, occasionally casting quick, puzzled glances at Ms. Su.
The boy’s face was youthful, and the rounded, cat-like corners of his eyes reminded her vividly of her own younger brother when he was an innocent, well-behaved child.
When Ms. Su saw that look, her heart softened completely. She used her gentlest tone to address him: “Don't be afraid, child. I heard what you two were saying. Don't be scared, and don't believe a word he just said.”
Seeing that the young man hadn't reacted to her words, Ms. Su grew bold enough to stand up and slowly approach the boy.
But as she took a step, the young man’s earlier words flashed inappropriately through her mind. She knew there was a high probability those words were meant to brainwash the boy, yet a flicker of hesitation crossed her mind.
*What if what that man said was true…*
Her footsteps faltered for a moment, but when she met the gaze of the boy standing alone once more, that hesitation was instantly dispelled.
She didn't believe that a child with such confused, clean eyes could be the “outlier” the young man spoke of. Even if there was confusion in his heart, it should be guided and resolved by a proper, reliable adult… not through some murky brainwashing!
She stepped forward, pulling the boy behind her in a protective stance like a mother hen guarding her chick. Facing the young man’s suddenly cold gaze, she took a deep breath and was about to speak when a broad, solid back suddenly appeared in front of her.
The man seemed to have rushed over; his back was still heaving slightly from the exertion.
He didn't ask what had happened. He simply stood silently and firmly in front of Ms. Su, wordlessly joining the confrontation.
The several burly men following him arrived a few steps later, shouting in rough voices as soon as they appeared: “We’re here, we’re here! Which coward dared to bully our sister-in-law?”
Ms. Su’s side suddenly had several more people, their momentum instantly overwhelming the other side of the bench, making the young man look solitary and outnumbered.
Ms. Su bit her tongue to suppress the sudden moisture in her eyes. She let out a long breath and sneered at the young man. “See? I told you not to try anything. The police will be here soon.”
The next ten minutes passed exceptionally quickly, blurring by as Ms. Su whispered comforting words to the boy.
When the sirens wailed, the group was taken to the police car. Ms. Su finished her statement, and everything proceeded rapidly.
By the time she walked out of the police station, the sun was setting. Ms. Su stared blankly at the person waiting for her at the entrance, feeling that everything today had been utterly surreal.
*Is it over? Is it really over?*
The ease with which the matter had concluded gave her a sense of unreality. She then laughed and scolded herself inwardly, thinking she had read too many novels.
Matters like this should be left to the police. Why was she, an ordinary person, worrying about the aftermath?
The relief of surviving a close call and the satisfaction of having helped a child intertwined. She even forgot the awkwardness she should have felt upon seeing her long-separated first love—perhaps after experiencing today’s events, such awkwardness no longer mattered.
She walked up to the man, lightly patted his shoulder, and spoke naturally: “Thank you so much for today. Let me treat you to dinner.”
…
What Ms. Su didn't know was that at the very moment she truly believed the matter had ended, time for the entire world came to a standstill for a fleeting moment, before continuing its flow without a trace.
The memories of today’s events in her mind were beginning to blur. Before long, she would be unable to remember exactly what had happened today; she would only recall that due to a chance encounter where she “did a good deed,” she had reunited with her long-lost lover.
Even less could she have known that the moment she stepped out of the police station’s front door, the duo took advantage of the frozen time to erase all traces of their existence…
And then walked brazenly out through the back door.
***
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The Protagonists Keep Adding Scenes For Me | Chapter 1 | A Heroic Intervention | Novela.app | Novela.app
