welcome
The cold touch of metal pressed against his skin, and the heavy weight was not just a physical restraint, but more like a sledgehammer, shattering Cheng Xiaorui's last perception and fantasy of Chen Zihan.
He stared blankly down at the chain, which glowed faintly under the bedside lamp. Then he slowly raised his eyes and looked at Chen Zihan, who was looking at him tenderly. In an instant, a huge sense of absurdity and tearing almost swallowed him up.
"This is... Chen Zihan?"
"Is it Chen Zihan who was bullied in the corridor of the first grade and huddled in the corner, not even daring to raise his head?"
Memories flooded back like a flood. That boy, with his thick black-framed glasses, his messy hair, his mosquito-like voice, who always glanced at him with timid yet longing eyes... That boy, whom he had reached out to help time and again out of a moment of pity...
"Is it Chen Zihan who showed the first shy but sincere smile after he handed him a tissue and helped him clean his glasses?"
"Is it Chen Zihan who followed him closely every time he stepped forward, his eyes full of dependence and gratitude?"
'Is it Chen Zihan who would secretly practice smiling just because he casually said, "You look beautiful when you smile," and then when he looked over, she would try her best to smile the brightest?'
The image in his memory, pure, cowardly, in need of his protection, and even a little pitiful, was now overlapping and clashing violently with the person in front of him who was locking him with chains but still had a gentle smile on his face.
How could it... become like this?
The person who always helped me and gave me the most unconditional smile...
The person I once truly considered a friend... is now... chaining me?
A bone-chilling chill, colder than the metal on his ankles, began in his heart and instantly spread to every part of his body. It wasn't anger, but a deeper despair and fear stemming from a complete collapse of trust. It was as if for the first time, he truly saw that beneath that familiar, even handsome and gentle face, lay a completely unfamiliar, twisted, and terrifying soul.
He always thought that the friendship between him and Chen Zihan was sincere.
Cheng Xiaorui's lips trembled slightly. He wanted to question, to scream, to tear the man in front of him to pieces, but all the sounds were blocked in his throat, and ultimately turned into a dead silence, confusion and coldness. He looked at Chen Zihan, his eyes no longer filled with anger, but with a nearly broken, bottomless sadness and disbelief.
Chen Zihan seemed very satisfied with his shock and silence at the moment. He stretched out his hand and wanted to touch Cheng Xiaorui's hair as usual, but Cheng Xiaorui suddenly turned his head away, and his action was full of complete rejection and physical disgust.
Chen Zihan's hand froze in mid-air, the smile on his face faded a little, but his eyes became deeper. "You'll get used to it, Xiaorui," he said softly, his tone still gentle, but with unquestionable certainty. "From now on, you will never think of leaving me again."
The chains made slight noises as Cheng Xiaorui trembled unconsciously, as if playing a silent elegy for his completely lost freedom.
On the third night of his chained captivity, the persistent low-grade fever and desperate situation finally overwhelmed Cheng Xiaorui's remaining sanity. When Chen Zihan tried to feed him a sedative as usual, Cheng Xiaorui suddenly swung his hand away, sending the pills and the water cup flying out and shattering on the ground.
He stumbled to his feet, the chains rattling, dragging behind him like a tail of humiliation. He pointed at the shackles on his ankles, his red eyes bloodshot, his voice torn and trembling with extreme anger and grievance:
"Why?! Chen Zihan! Tell me why?! Why do you treat me like this--!" He almost roared, and every word was filled with blood and tears.
"I've lost my mom... I've lost my home... I have nothing... I already have nothing! Why are you still treating me like this? Why won't you even give me this last bit of freedom?! What else do you want to take from me?!"
This collapsing questioning sounded particularly mournful in the silent night, like the howl of a wounded beast, filled with endless pain and confusion.
Chen Zihan listened quietly, not angry, and even the mask of gentleness on his face didn't break at all. He waited until Cheng Xiaorui finished yelling, exhausted, and fell back onto the bed, gasping for breath, before he slowly walked forward.
He squatted down and looked at Cheng Xiaorui who was sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes were as deep as a dark pool, filled with complex and strong emotions that Cheng Xiaorui could not understand.
"You're wrong, Xiaorui." Chen Zihan's voice was unusually calm, but with a terrifying certainty, "You still have me." He stretched out his hand, and regardless of Cheng Xiaorui's dodging, he insisted on wiping away the tears and sweat on his face with his fingertips, his movements gentle.
"You've lost a lot, I know. That's why I can't let you go." His eyes were paranoid and focused. "This world has taken everything from you. It doesn't deserve you. Only with me is it safe. Only I will never let you lose anything again."
"You ask me why?" Chen Zihan's lips curled up in a faint, yet chilling arc. "Because right now, I'm the only one in the world who still regards you as my most precious treasure, holding you carefully in the palm of my hand. Because I love you more than anyone else, I need you, and I can't live without you."
These twisted words were more suffocating than any roar. Cheng Xiaorui looked at him, feeling cold all over, even losing the strength to cry out. He realized that, in Chen Zihan's logic, this extreme possession and imprisonment was actually equivalent to the ultimate love and protection.
Just as Cheng Xiaorui collapsed and screamed, Chen Zihan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He calmly pulled it out, and the screen lit up—a figure in a black coat standing outside the apartment door on the surveillance camera. Lu Ziyi.
Chen Zihan's eyes froze instantly. He leaned over and, before Cheng Xiaorui could make any more noises, covered his mouth tightly with a piece of soft cloth he had prepared long ago.
"Ugh...!" Cheng Xiaorui's cries were blocked, leaving only terrified whimpers.
"Shh—" Chen Zihan whispered in his ear, his voice as cold as iron, "Your 'savior' is here. Unfortunately, he came at the wrong time."
He dragged Cheng Xiaorui behind the bedroom door, his arms like iron hoops around his body, so that he could barely see a corner of the living room entrance through the crack in the door. Cheng Xiaorui struggled desperately, but was held tighter, making only vague nasal sounds. He watched helplessly as Chen Zihan pulled out a metal baseball bat from the cabinet in the entrance.
“Ding Dong——”
The doorbell rang, and the crisp sound echoed in the silent apartment with an ominous foreboding.
Chen Zihan took a deep breath, his face quickly shifting back to his harmless, gentle expression. He held the baseball bat tightly with one hand behind his back, and slowly opened the door with the other.
"Chen Zihan," Lu Ziyi stood at the door, his eyes sharp as an eagle, "Cheng Xiaorui is..."
His words stopped abruptly.
Just as the door was fully opened, Chen Zihan moved. He swung his arm hidden behind his back, and the baseball bat made a sound of wind as it hit Lu Ziyi's forehead accurately and fiercely.
"Bang!"
There was a dull thud, followed by the horrible sound of bones breaking and colliding.
Lu Ziyi didn't even have time to react. His pupils suddenly constricted, his body swayed, and a gash appeared on his forehead. Bright red blood gushed out, quickly staining his pale cheeks and the collar of his stiff coat. He fell straight back, landing heavily on the corridor floor, unconscious.
Cheng Xiaorui witnessed this horrifying scene, and a suppressed, extremely terrified scream came from his covered mouth, and the blood in his body seemed to freeze.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Zi regained consciousness with a sharp pain in his forehead and a feeling of being restrained and suffocated.
He found himself tied tightly to a heavy wooden chair, the rough ropes digging deep into his wrists and chest, almost making it difficult for him to breathe. He shook his dizzy head and tried to see his surroundings clearly.
The first thing that caught his eye was Cheng Xiaorui, sitting a few steps away by the bed, his feet still bound with the conspicuous iron chain. His face was as pale as paper, his hands tied behind his back, his mouth stuffed with a cloth, and he stared at him with tearful eyes filled with fear and despair.
Then, he saw Chen Zihan.
Chen Zihan sat on the sofa across from him, slowly and methodically wiping the blood-stained baseball bat with a clean piece of gauze. His movements were graceful and focused. Noticing Lu Ziyi had woken up, he looked up, a strange smile a mixture of innocence and cruelty appearing on his face.
"Brother, are you awake?" Chen Zihan's voice was brisk, as if he was just entertaining an ordinary guest. "Welcome."
He put down the baseball bat, stood up, walked to Lu Ziyi, leaned over and looked at the dark red blood scab that had solidified on his forehead, and said with a hint of regret:
"Look, I've already told you that outsiders are not welcome here. Why... don't you obey?"
Lu Zi also tried to struggle, but the ropes wouldn't budge. He raised his eyes, looking past Chen Zihan and meeting Cheng Xiaorui's on the bed.
Chen Zihan brought the medicine box and gently
Lu Ziyi disinfected and bandaged the wound on his forehead, as if he was not the one who had just done the brutal blow.
"Okay, this way it won't get infected." He was satisfied.
He looked at his "work" carefully, and then, like magic, he brought out black tea and snacks from the kitchen and placed them on the small coffee table next to the chair where Lu Ziyi was tied.
"Brother, try my black tea. Xiaorui once said it was delicious." He spoke cordially, as if entertaining an old friend. Lu Ziyi looked at him coldly, his lips pursed tightly, and said nothing.
Chen Zihan didn't care. He walked to Cheng Xiaorui.
She removed the cloth from his mouth, but still tied his hands behind his back, and passed a cup of black tea to his lips. "Drink some water, Xiaorui, your voice is hoarse."
Cheng Xiaorui turned his head abruptly, and the tea splashed out, scalding the
The back of Chen Zihan's hand turned red. The smile on Chen Zihan's face froze. He slowly put down the teacup, looked at the red mark on the back of his hand, and his eyes gradually darkened.
"If you don't obey, you will be punished." He said softly.
He walked up to Lu Ziyi and suddenly grabbed the piece of
The bloody gauze was pressed hard against the wound that Lu Ziyi had just bandaged!
"Ugh!" Lu Zi also groaned in pain.
Blood immediately oozed out of the corner, staining the gauze red.
"No! Stop!" Cheng Xiaorui screamed and struggled to rush over, but was tripped by the anklet and fell to the ground in a mess. Chen Zihan let go of his hand and looked at Lu Ziyi's rapid breathing due to pain, and then his gentle expression returned.
He walked back to Cheng Xiaorui, helped him up, and said softly
Ask: "Now, would you like some tea?"
Cheng Xiaorui looked at Lu Ziyi's pale face, tears blurred his eyes.
He glanced away and finally nodded tremblingly.
"Ha... madman." Lu Ziyi said suddenly.
In the evening, Chen Zihan prepared a table full of delicious dishes.
He dragged Lu Ziyi and his chair to the dining table, then held Cheng Xiaorui, who was chained, and let him sit on his lap, feeding him mouthful by mouthful like a child.
"Look, don't we look like a family like this?" Chen Zihan whispered in Cheng Xiaorui's ear, his tone full of longing, "You, me, and... my brother, this guest..."
people'. "
Lu Zi was also tied up on the opposite side and forced to watch this terrifying scene.
The vomiting scene, his eyes were as cold as a knife.
After dinner, Chen Zihan even took out his camera and shot it at the
The way of tying is also the same as Cheng Xiaorui who was chained
According to.
"Leave it as a souvenir," he said with a smile, "to commemorate me
The day when our family reunites. "Late-night whispers
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Chen Zihan locked Lu Ziyi in the living room and fell asleep holding Cheng Xiaorui, who was curled up in the corner of the bed.
In the darkness, he hugged Cheng Xiaorui tightly, as if to
He rubbed it into his own flesh and blood. "Xiao Rui, look, no one can separate us now." His voice was filled with dreamy satisfaction. "Lu Ziyi is here too. He'll never be able to take you away from me again."
"We'll be together forever, forever..." Cheng Xiaorui stiffened in his arms, tears silently soaking the pillow. He could sense Chen Zihan's paranoia fermenting and expanding at a terrifying rate. The Chen Zihan they once knew had completely transformed into a dangerous stranger, lost in his own delusions.
And tomorrow, what awaits them is not sure whether it will be more extreme "happiness" or a surprise.
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