Chapter 21

"Can you take me in for a few days..."

Aside from turning to his girl-friend for help, he had nowhere to go. If his brother was throwing him out, he would certainly take back the allowance and all the cards he'd given him. The production fee from the show wouldn't be paid to him for a while — Yun Zhi felt in an instant like he had been reduced to a penniless wretch with nothing to his name.

The hitching sobs right in his ear — but Fang Yixing couldn't see Yun Zhi, and a sudden ache pulled at his chest.

"You can stay at my place. Stop crying first, alright?" His voice was gentle and unhurried. "Where are you right now? I'll come to you."

Yun Zhi wiped his tears and immediately declined. "No no, don't come here — I'll come find you."

For some reason Fang Yixing had a vague sense that Yun Zhi was strongly resistant to him coming to his home. He chose the closest convenient meeting spot and arranged to wait for Yun Zhi there.

Yun Zhi packed his things while still on the phone with Fang Yixing. Fang Yixing asked what exactly had happened, and Yun Zhi told him everything that had occurred over the two days off. Mindful of others finding out about the soul swap, he left out the part about the original host's diary entries.

By the end, Yun Zhi's voice had gone flat and dejected. "I don't know what I did to upset brother. If there's a conflict between family, why not just talk to me about it? I'd change anything."

Fang Yixing was silent for quite a while after hearing all of this.

Something felt off to him.

He had seen Yun Zhi's brother at the police station — the depth of Jin Zeli's care for Yun Zhi couldn't possibly be an act. And with Yun Zhi's likeable nature, even without a blood connection, over ten-odd years of shared life the bond between them had to be very deep.

The business about removing Yun Zhi from the household register had a strange feeling to it.

Fang Yixing turned back into the living room, grabbed a jacket, snatched up his car keys, and was heading out the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Xie Sibo was sprawled on his living room rug, a can of beer in hand, watching the 101 — no, 100-something beautiful Omegas on the television with great enthusiasm. He looked back as Fang Yixing moved to leave. "You have a guest and you won't even entertain me — and now you're running off? You really can't stand me, can you?"

Fang Yixing turned and gave him a look of genuine disdain, then said quickly, "I have something to take care of. Watch your TV."

* * *

The housekeeper had called Jin Zeli when it happened — but Jin Zeli was in a meeting with his phone on silent. An hour later, the meeting ended. He saw the housekeeper's messages, and walked toward the parking garage without a pause, leaving the executives behind him exchanging bewildered looks.

"Where is Jin Zeyong now?" Jin Zeli swung his long legs out of the car, his expression terrifyingly dark.

The servants guarding the villa gate hurried him in. The housekeeper came running out to meet him. "Young master — young master Zeyong has been sent to the guest room to rest."

"Sent to rest" was the diplomatic framing. In reality, he had been confined to the guest room with someone standing guard outside the door. The servants didn't dare be lax — terrified of infuriating Jin Zeli again.

Jin Zeli strode toward the guest room with purpose, then suddenly paused to ask, "How is Yun Zhi?"

The housekeeper hurried to keep pace beside him and said carefully, "The young little master wasn't hurt, but he did have quite a fright. He asked to be left alone in his room for a while. Staying shut up alone isn't good for him either, though — young master, would you like to check on him first?"

"I'll go in a moment." Jin Zeli's face remained cold, his eyes fixed on the closed guest room door with a murderous light.

"Young master." The two guards at the door greeted him respectfully.

Jin Zeli: "Open it."

The moment the door opened, Jin Zeyong came shouting out from inside. "Brother, you're here! These low-bred people locked me in — brother, tell them to let me out right now!"

Jin Zeli's lips pulled into a thin line. Without apparent effort, he reached out and closed his hand around Jin Zeyong's throat. High-tier Alpha pheromones detonated in a tidal wave, their thick gunpowder scent crushing Jin Zeyong flat in an instant.

Jin Zeyong was also an Alpha — feeling his older brother release overwhelming pheromones against him, his instincts kicked in and he began releasing his own to resist.

A degraded, rotten cheap-wine pheromone couldn't hold its own against powerful gunpowder pheromones. Jin Zeli defeated him almost immediately.

His whole body trembling, pressed to his knees under the weight of the pheromones, and with a hand at his throat.

The concentration of gunpowder in the room was intense. The pressure on Jin Zeyong's throat made blood rush to his face, turning it livid.

The people outside weren't faring much better.

The pheromones Jin Zeli had released were aggressive and oppressive — hitting the ordinary Alphas outside with a headache so severe they stumbled out of the villa entirely.

Even the Betas couldn't stand it. Their pheromone sensitivity was duller, but acrid gunpowder pouring into the nasal passages — if they didn't run, they'd suffocate.

No one remained outside the door.

Jin Zeyong stretched out a hand for help. No one came.

The pressure on his throat had veins standing out along his neck. He was nearly asphyxiated. Both hands scrabbled uselessly at Jin Zeli's arm — but the difference in strength was absolute. He couldn't move Jin Zeli by a fraction.

Jin Zeli in this moment was like a demon come to claim a life. Jin Zeyong had violated his forbidden line, and felt the threat of death closing in on him.

He used the last of his strength to force out the words, begging for his life. "Brother... brother... please... please... spare me..."

Jin Zeli didn't withdraw his pheromones. He didn't relent in the face of the man's pleas. His face was terrifyingly dark. He said, word by word, "You dared lay eyes on Yun Zhi — and you think I'll spare you?"

Jin Zeyong's eyes were bulging from their sockets. On the verge of death, he gasped, "Brother... weren't you planning to throw him out of the house...?"

Hearing this, Jin Zeli produced a mocking smile, and flung him aside. "You had someone investigate me? Who told you to? That woman your mother?"

Jin Zeyong's head struck the bed frame — he had no time to register the pain. He scrambled terrified under the desk inside, voice shaking as he apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, brother — I overstepped. Please, in consideration of my mother raising you, spare us both."

......

Yun Zhi had arranged the meeting place with Fang Yixing, then took out a small black backpack, packed in all the important documents and ID cards he could take with him, left his wallet on the table, and went downstairs and out.

Even though what his brother was doing — throwing him out without explanation — was deeply unreasonable, he still wanted to find his brother to say goodbye properly. Something like a thank-you for these weeks of looking after him.

Part on good terms, at least.

The moment he got downstairs, Yun Zhi sensed something was wrong.

Looking across the vast villa, there wasn't a single servant in sight.

He walked a few steps forward and heard a faint, pleading voice — the voice of that infuriating rich kid!

"Brother... brother, I'll never investigate you again, I swear! Brother, I'm your blood brother — before father died he asked you to look after me and you agreed! We're the real family..."

Yun Zhi had made his way to outside the guest room, pressed himself against the wall, and heard Jin Zeli's cold voice: "Would real family deliberately abandon me alone in the wilderness when I was seven years old? Would real family only ever contact me when they need money? Do you think I don't know what you and your mother are after? I simply can't be bothered to deal with you."

"But if you dare lay a finger on Yun Zhi — the Jin family has no use for you." Jin Zeli's lips curved. His eyes were cold and sharp. "Even removed from my household register, Yun Zhi is mine. He is the Omega I raised, and the only Omega he can be is mine."

Such bare, unambiguous words — Jin Zeyong couldn't fail to understand.

His eyes went wide with horror. Realizing what he had nearly done to Jin Zeli's prized possession, the color drained entirely from his face, and he fainted on the spot.

Jin Zeli turned his gaze away with obvious revulsion, apparently not wishing to look at his blood brother for even a moment longer.

He pulled a wet wipe from the guest room and wiped his hands as he walked out. Reaching the villa entrance, he saw the servants and security guards gathered together, and said with a furrowed brow, "He's fainted. Drag him out."

Jin Zeli went up to the second floor, pushed open Yun Zhi's bedroom door. No one there. The bathroom and walk-in wardrobe, both empty.

He turned to the housekeeper following him and asked, "Where did Yun Zhi go?"

The housekeeper was equally baffled. He had still been there when he left.

* * *

Yun Zhi gripped his backpack straps tight without realizing it, walking fast and light. While most of the servants were flooding back into the villa, he slipped out from the side, desperate to get away from this cage.

The servant guarding the gate greeted him. He kept his expression casual and nodded, saying, "Open the gate. I'm going out to play — I'll be back in the evening. Hold down the fort — don't let any more people my brother dislikes come wandering in."

The servant answered with a sheepish nod and respectfully saw him out.

Yun Zhi's footsteps were rapid, his heart thundering hard the entire way — nearly beating right out of his throat.

He had never imagined this. His brother. His beloved brother. Had harbored those kinds of intentions toward him all this time.

He had never been his brother's cherished little sibling. He had been a docile golden canary, caged and entirely at his mercy.

Ma Zijun's messages, the original host's diary, and the abnormal things his brother had said and done these past weeks — all of it had given him clear enough signals. He could only blame himself for his own lack of vigilance. He had been far too easily fooled by his brother's tender words.

Yun Zhi was a rare Omega. Starting now, he had to protect himself in this less-than-friendly world.

He walked briskly out of the villa district and stopped at a quieter intersection with fewer passersby. He lit up his phone screen to check — a few minutes to the agreed time. Fang Yixing should almost be here.

In the distance, Yun Zhi spotted a black car driving toward him at speed. He waved eagerly.

Suddenly, from behind him came the sharp, screeching sound of tires on pavement. Yun Zhi turned in surprise — and saw Jin Zeli pull up in a car and stop directly in front of him.

The car door opened. Long legs stepped to the ground. Jin Zeli glanced briefly at the approaching black car, then looked away, his fathomless eyes landing at last on Yun Zhi's pale face.

Standing only a step apart, Jin Zeli's tall figure blocked out the sunlight behind him, casting Yun Zhi into shadow.

"Trying to sneak off somewhere, Yun Zhi?" He lowered his eyes and asked, almost idly.