The secret beneath the mask

Song Guansui didn't even give Jiang Manyan any time to react or get up. He walked straight over and naturally reached out to take her right wrist.

The force wasn't strong, but it carried an undeniable authority as it led him towards the recliner.

If it weren't for the fact that before lying down, his hand on Jiang Manyan's shoulder seemed to casually press down, and a clever force forced Jiang Manyan to naturally kneel on the soft cushioned floor next to the recliner, the scene would really look like a leisurely get-together between two close brothers.

Jiang Manyan lowered her eyelashes, casting a small shadow under her eyes, and her face showed no sign of resistance or emotional fluctuation.

He didn't even try to get up. Still kneeling, he raised his hand and, with a practiced ease that made one's heart ache, began to massage Song Guansui's legs with just the right amount of force.

It felt as if this was just one of countless repetitions in the past, completely natural.

"Brother, is there some happy occasion that you've come today?"

He asked in a low voice, his tone calm, even carrying a perfectly measured curiosity, like a well-behaved younger brother concerned about his older brother.

Song Guansui did not answer immediately, but the smile on his lips deepened.

He half-closed his eyes, enjoying the other's service, but his gaze was like a tangible searchlight, carefully tracing Jiang Manyan's demure profile, from her slightly trembling eyelashes to her soft, bloodless lips.

That gaze, carrying an almost playful scrutiny and a deep-seated, mad possessiveness, made Jiang Manyan feel the tangible gaze even without direct eye contact. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and alarm bells rang in her mind.

After a long while, so long that the air seemed to freeze, Song Guansui slowly spoke, but not to answer his question. Instead, he asked a question in return, his voice deep and magnetic, carrying a hint of imperceptible coldness.

"I heard... you and the second young master of the Qin family are quite close?" He deliberately emphasized the word "close".

Jiang Manyan paused almost imperceptibly as she massaged her legs, her fingertips tightening slightly before returning to normal, her tone remaining calm and composed.

"Young Master Qin is an outstanding individual, with exceptional insight and sincerity. We do indeed have some mutual appreciation." He downplayed the issue, defining their relationship as a gentleman's friendship.

"appreciate!"

Song Guansui seemed to have heard something extremely interesting, and let out a soft snort.

Suddenly, he raised his hand, his icy fingertips like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, and lightly stroked Jiang Manyan's cheek.

The fingers slowly slid along his delicate jawline, leaving a sticky sensation, and ambiguously traced his slightly protruding Adam's apple, rubbing it back and forth with a chilling sense of possessiveness.

"Did he... ever 'admire' you like that?"

His words were ambiguous, his gaze fixed on Jiang Manyan, not missing a single subtle change in her expression. His voice was even lower, filled with a dangerous undertone.

Jiang Manyan's body tensed instantly, like a fully drawn bow, but she forced herself to relax in a very short time.

He frowned slightly, raised his honey-brown eyes, and looked at Song Guansui, his eyes revealing helplessness and a hint of offended forbearance.

“Brother is joking… How could brothers do such a transgression?” He also used a double entendre, pointing out both the abnormality of Song Guansui’s behavior at this moment and implying that his relationship with Qin Lingfeng was not the twisted one they had.

Clearly, this calm and distant response did not satisfy Song Guansui.

The false joy in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister and malevolent aura.

The hand gripping Jiang Manyan's chin tightened suddenly, knuckles turning white, while the other hand wrapped around his waist, easily pulling the kneeling man up and pressing him hard into his arms!

Caught off guard, Jiang Manyan fell into an embrace filled with a cold, incense-like scent that was also incredibly dangerous.

He instinctively struggled to pull away, but was held even tighter by the iron-like arms. Their bodies were pressed close together, and they could almost feel each other's heartbeats—one violent and angry, the other trying to suppress his fear.

"brother!"

Song Guansui's deep voice rang close to his ear, filled with hot breath and icy hatred.

"What if you weren't Song Yu's son?"

Jiang Manyan was shocked. What did Song Guansui mean by this? Before he could think about it, Song Guansui's cold voice rang out again.

"We met first... and you were the one who started it all!"

These words were like a vicious curse, instantly striking the most unbearable scene deep in Jiang Manyan's memory.

In the cold winter when he was eleven years old, his mother, Jiang, was severely punished by Liu on trumped-up charges and was thrown back into the cold courtyard on the verge of death.

There was no medicine available, and no one answered our cries for help.

With nowhere else to turn, he remembered his elder brother, whom he hadn't seen for five years and who had become a stranger and more imposing figure.

He knelt in the freezing snow outside the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, almost losing consciousness from the cold, before barely managing to beg for a chance to meet.

He served him with utmost care, grinding ink and laying out paper, serving tea and water, and even enduring immense fear and humiliation to massage his shoulders and legs, using every clumsy and ingenious way he could think of to please him, just to get a little bit of medicine to save his life.

At that time, Song Guansui merely watched him from a high and mighty position, coldly observing him frantically begging for mercy like a panicked little animal, before finally tossing him a bottle of wound medicine as if bestowing charity.

He kowtowed and thanked him as if he had found a treasure, but as he turned to leave, he inadvertently met Song Guansui's gaze—a gaze that was complex and difficult to decipher, containing scrutiny, mockery, and a hint of dark and excited interest that he couldn't understand at the time...

Perhaps it was his extreme vulnerability, despair, and forced appeasement at that moment that was interpreted by Song Guansui as a kind of silent "provocative" behavior in his distorted perception.

Memories were like whips soaked in icy water, lashing at his heart. Humiliation, anger, and sorrow intertwined, almost bursting through his chest.

But no... now is not the time!

Jiang Manyan tried her best to suppress her surging emotions, instead softening her body and ceasing to struggle. She even gently rested her slightly flushed cheeks on Song Guansui's shoulder.

He is no longer the child who could only despair and helplessness in the cold winter. He has Jincheng, which nourishes his soul, Qin Lingfeng, who was willing to risk his life and give up his rights for him... and he has grown into someone who can stand on his own!

Song Guansui sensed his sudden compliance, and the muscles in his tense arms seemed to relax a little, as if he was quite satisfied with this reaction.

He lowered his head, buried his face in Jiang Manyan's neck, and took a deep breath, as if greedily absorbing her scent, enjoying this seemingly tender moment of tranquility.

"Why aren't you saying anything? My good brother... Don't forget whose man you are..." His voice was hoarse with a satisfied tone.

The warm breath and the deep, sexy voice sent shivers down Jiang Manyan's spine, making her heart pound.

“Brother,” Jiang Manyan suddenly spoke, interrupting his possessive words. Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of deliberately feigned grievance and dependence.

Song Guansui frowned slightly, as if he was displeased at being interrupted, but Jiang Manyan's next words shattered that displeasure and made it disappear.

I miss you so much.

Song Guansui paused.

Jiang Manyan seemed oblivious, continuing to speak softly in a nasal tone, like a younger brother who relied entirely on his only relative.

"I've been all alone for the past ten days, with no one to talk to... I'm so bored. I'm so happy that you came to talk to me."

His implication was: Don't bring up those unpleasant people and things; cherish this rare time of "brothers" getting together.

As he spoke, his slender hand, like a soft vine, slowly climbed up Song Guansui's chest. His fingertips, with a tentative and awkward air, mimicked Song Guansui's earlier movements, gently stroking back and forth on the slightly protruding, sexy Adam's apple, with a naive yet ambiguous teasing.

Song Guansui's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, and his breathing seemed to falter.

Jiang Manyan sensed the subtle change, but her tone became even softer and sweeter, with a hint of coquetry.

Brother...let me see your face, okay? I can hardly remember what you look like now.

Before he could finish speaking, the hand that had been lingering at his throat suddenly changed direction and, with lightning speed, covered the cold, hard silver mask!

"Well!"

Lost in Jiang Manyan's gentle words, Song Guansui suddenly let out a suppressed groan, as if stung by a scorpion!

The strange warmth from just moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by a fit of rage! Almost instinctively, he shoved Jiang Manyan away violently!

Jiang Manyan had no idea that his reaction would be so violent, and she fell backward in surprise!

He was about to fall heavily to the ground...

In a split second, Song Guansui suddenly realized what was happening, and then seemed to regret it. He leaned forward and his strong arms caught his falling body in time, lifting him up in his arms.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, leaving only the sound of two hearts pounding so close together...

Song Guansui stood still, as if he had been thinking for a moment, and then gently placed him back on the recliner.

This series of changes happened in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Manyan lay on the recliner, slightly out of breath, somewhat dazed. He had just... wanted to test why Song Guansui was wearing a mask after five years apart. Was there some secret hidden beneath that mask, perhaps a breakthrough...?

But Song Guansui's extreme reaction... far exceeded his expectations.

Unless... the face beneath that mask wasn't the one he remembered, a face that inherited all the best features of Song Yu and Liu Shuwan, a face so handsome it was almost arrogant.

Song Yu was once universally acknowledged as the most handsome young man in the central district, and Song Guansui resembled him remarkably, even surpassing him. Such a proud man... could he have been disfigured?

This thought was like ice water poured over her head, causing Jiang Manyan, whose feelings for Song Guansui were extremely complicated, to suddenly feel a surge of complex and indescribable bitterness and pain.

What exactly did Song Guansui go through all these years after he fled? What could make such a prodigy wear a mask and become so... twisted?

When he finally came to his senses from this chaotic thought, the courtyard was already empty.

The blue flower petals continued to fall silently, as if the brief but intense confrontation just now was merely an illusion.

Song Guansui has passed away.

He vanished without a trace once again, carrying with him his unknown secret and his suddenly triggered rage.

Jiang Manyan was left alone, facing the complete silence of the courtyard.