Chapter 17
As my consciousness emerged from the deep darkness, the first thing I felt was the incredibly soft touch of the mattress beneath me and an unfamiliar, sweet smell in the air.
Lin Yao slowly opened his eyes, and what came into view was a ceiling decorated with intricate golden patterns, and a dazzling crystal chandelier emitting a soft yet cold light.
This is not the simple ward of the D City Medical Center, nor is it Lu Cheng's dormitory full of personal atmosphere.
"Awake?" A voice with a hint of laziness and complacency sounded.
Lin Yao suddenly turned his head and saw Qin Mu leaning against the doorway, wearing a silk nightgown, shaking a cup of amber liquid in his hand, with a victorious smile on his lips, and looking at him with burning eyes, as if admiring a rare treasure that had just been acquired.
"Acheng... Where is Acheng?!"
Lin Yao sat up instantly, his face drained of all color, his blue eyes filled with genuine panic and anxiety, like a drowning man. He threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed, his movements hurried and fragile, as if he couldn't even stand without Lu Cheng's support.
"I want to see him! Where is he?! How is he?!"
Lin Yao portrayed the sincere worry and dependence, and the panic and helplessness of losing shelter to perfection.
Her silver hair was scattered messily around her pale cheeks, her slender body was trembling slightly under the wide nightgown, her blue eyes were filled with tears that were about to fall, and her whole body was like a glass statue of a beauty that was about to shatter, breathtakingly beautiful, but also so fragile that it made people's heart ache.
Qin Mu's eyes were filled with love. He quickly stepped forward, gently pressed Lin Yao's shoulders, and spoke in a deliberately gentle voice, "Don't worry, don't be afraid. Lu Cheng is...fine."
"You lied to me!"
Lin Yao suddenly shook his hand away, tears finally falling, her voice filled with sobs and accusations, "How could he be okay? He watched me fall into the turbulent water... Why didn't he save me?! I want to find him! I want to ask him! Let me go!"
He struggled to get around Qin Mu and rushed to the door.
"He can't save you!" Qin Mu's voice suddenly rose, and he uttered a cruel "truth".
"Because he sold you to me."
Lin Yao froze in an instant, as if frozen in place. He looked at Qin Mu in disbelief, the tears in his blue eyes frozen, leaving only empty confusion and huge shock: "...What?"
"I said," Qin Mu spoke each word clearly and slowly, as if he was admiring the process of Lin Yao's collapse.
"Lu Cheng, the son of the noble Lord of City D, has exchanged you for City B's precious resources, enough to support City D through the next cold winter."
He sighed, as if with a hint of regret. "Resources are scarce, City D is plagued by starvation, and City Lord Lu has become gray with worry. As the heir, Lu Cheng naturally has the responsibility for his people. Between this huge responsibility and... you, he made a choice. A choice that suits his status."
"Impossible..." Lin Yao muttered to himself, his body swaying, "He promised me... He said he would never leave me... He said I was everything to him..."
His voice became increasingly low, filled with the despair of being abandoned by the whole world.
"That's the truth." Qin Mu took out a miniature projector and turned it on.
A "real" image emerged: Lu Cheng stood beside a solemn-looking Lu Tianheng, facing a confidently smiling Qin Mu. Processed audio intermittently uttered keywords like "resources...shortage...exchange...Lin Yao...agree..."
Lu Cheng's face was filled with the pain of struggle, and finally, under Lu Tianheng's stern gaze, he nodded heavily.
"Pictures speak louder than words, Yaoyao."
Qin Mu put away the projector, his voice carrying a subtle hint of temptation. "I know this is cruel, but this is reality. In the face of survival and resources, so-called promises and feelings... are vulnerable."
Lin Yao seemed to have lost all his strength and fell back to the bed. He lowered his head, his silver hair covering most of his face. Only his slender shoulders were shaking violently and silently.
Crystal tears fell one by one on the expensive carpet, leaving dark marks.
He curled up like an abandoned child, whispering broken sentences over and over again: "He doesn't want me anymore... For resources... He sold me... Acheng... doesn't want me anymore..."
The suppressed, heartbreaking sobs were more heartbreaking than any wailing. Qin Mu looked at this extremely fragile and beautiful scene in front of him, and the desire to conquer and possess him was satisfied as never before.
This deal is totally worth it!
He squatted down, gently lifted Lin Yao's chin, and forced those tear-filled, heartbreakingly fragile blue eyes to look at him.
"Look at me, Yaoyao."
Qin Mu's voice was low and magnetic, with unquestionable "affection".
"He gave up on you, he was blind! It was me, Qin Mu, who bought you back from the abyss with real money and resources when everyone else abandoned you. Because from the first time I saw you, I was determined to be with you! To me, you are the most important. What are those resources? No matter how much it costs, as long as I can have you, I am willing to do it!"
He deliberately emphasized the contrast between "real money", "huge price" and "you are the most important", portraying himself as an infatuated man who can sacrifice everything for love, which is a world of difference from Lu Cheng who "sold his lover for resources".
Tears still hung on Lin Yao's eyelashes. Disbelief first filled his blue eyes, and then a faint hope rose, as if grasping at a life-saving straw: "Really...really? In your heart...Is I really more important than those resources...?"
His voice was hoarse after crying and was cautious and tentative, as if Qin Mu's affirmation was his only salvation at the moment.
"Of course!" Qin Mu said firmly, his eyes burning like fire, "You are the only treasure in my life! Those things are not even worth a hair of yours!"
Lin Yao looked at him steadily, as if confirming the purity of this "sincerity".
A few seconds later, the fragility and suspicion in his eyes melted away like ice and snow, replaced by a mixture of great grievance, lost and regained dependence, and the peace of mind of finally finding a sense of belonging.
He suddenly threw himself into Qin Mu's arms, wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, buried his face deeply in his neck, and burst into tears, as if to vent all the grievances, fears and pain of betrayal.
"Wu...Qin Mu...you are the only one left...you are the only one left for me..." The hot tears instantly soaked Qin Mu's clothes.
Qin Mu held the trembling and crying body in his arms, feeling the complete dependence. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise up, outlining a complacent and victorious smile as if he was in control of everything.
Everything was as planned! Flawless! This beautiful, fragile, silver-haired beauty was finally his!
He couldn't see that tears were still flowing on the face buried in his neck, but deep in those blue eyes, all the fragility, dependence, and grievances had disappeared without a trace, leaving only cold sarcasm and a hint of cruel pleasure like playing with prey.
The corner of Lin Yao's mouth curled up into a cold and sarcastic arc at an angle that Qin Mu couldn't see.
What a perfect performance! From the initial panic and search for Lu Cheng, to the collapse, despair, and heartbroken tears after learning the "truth," to being "touched" by Qin Mu's "affectionate confession" and finally throwing herself into his arms for the only refuge... every emotional turn, every subtle expression, every perfectly timed line, was as precise as if it had been scripted by the most demanding director.
He was like a top puppeteer, controlling a marionette named "Lin Yao" and performing a wonderful play on the stage carefully built by Qin Mu, which made the other party satisfied and thought he was in control of the overall situation.
And Qin Mu was the utterly stupid audience member who sat in the audience, applauding and cheering for his superb acting skills, but completely unaware that he was the real actor.
…
The scene of City B came into view through the window of the aircraft.
Unlike the cold and hard industrial style of City D, City B is more like a huge greenhouse garden.
Towering buildings are surrounded by lush aerial plants. Clear artificial canals flow along the streets, and colorful aircraft shuttle through transparent tubes like fish. The air seems fresher, with a faint floral scent.
The only thing that remains unchanged is the huge energy dome that shrouds the city and emits a soft glow. It is like an indestructible eggshell, isolating the pollution and danger from the outside world, and at the same time isolating... the truth.
Lin Yao sat quietly beside Qin Mu, looking at the prosperous and exquisite scene below, with a look of confusion from a new arrival and a hint of imperceptible alienation on his face.
Qin Mu was very proud and pointed at the landmark buildings outside the window from time to time, introducing the superiority of City B.
"Look, that's the Central Ecological Park, which is three times larger than the one in D City... Over there is the B City College, which has the best psychiatric research facilities in the four cities... You can go wherever you want in the future..." Qin Mu's hand naturally rested on the back of Lin Yao's hand.
Lin Yao shrank slightly, but did not struggle. He just hummed softly, but his eyes were always vaguely cast towards the city center - there stood a tower-like structure that was more magnificent and heavily guarded than the surrounding buildings.
The dome core energy tower of City B.
…
Entering Qin Mu’s luxurious apartment at the top of the city, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer an unparalleled view overlooking the entire city.
The interior of the room is extremely luxurious, with expensive artworks everywhere, smart home running silently, and high-end fragrances in the air.
"This will be your home from now on."
Qin Mu opened his arms and showed his "canary cage".
Lin Yao walked to the French window and looked down at the city below, which resembled a miniature model. The sun shone on his delicate profile, his silver hair had a soft sheen, and his figure was so slender that it seemed like a gust of wind could blow it away.
"Does it look like Rapunzel imprisoned in a tower by a witch?" He suddenly spoke softly, with a hint of ethereal self-mockery in his voice.
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Silly boy, how can you be a prisoner? You are the master here! You can go wherever you want, and I will give you the best protection."
He walked forward and wanted to hug Lin Yao from behind.
Lin Yao, however, moved aside without leaving a trace, walked to the sofa next to him and sat down. He picked up a soft pillow and curled himself up into a ball, revealing only a pair of blue eyes that were slightly tired. "I'm a little tired... I want to rest."
Qin Mu's hand stopped in mid-air, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by doting: "Okay, you have a good rest. If you need anything, just tell the housekeeper directly."
He considerately left the room.
After the door closed, the fatigue on Lin Yao's face instantly disappeared. He stood up and walked to the window again, his eyes fixed sharply on the energy tower.
Princess Rapunzel? He sneered inwardly.
He doesn't need long hair to act as a rope. As long as he wants, there is no place in the world that he cannot go.
Qin Mu, the "prince" who thinks he controls everything, is his newest and most convenient "tool" to reach the core of City B and verify the truth about the dome.
The new stage has been set, and he will be the one to write the script.
He turned around and lightly slid his fingertips across the expensive mahogany tabletop, leaving an almost invisible scratch.
Like a wild animal marking its territory, City B, and Qin Mu, who was lost in his sweet dream, were ready to face the true hunter?
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