It has nothing to do with you
Kneel down at my feet!
The moment Chen Chao gave the order, Steve knelt down without hesitation. He knelt at Chen Chao's feet, his upper body straight, putting all his weight on his knees, without any shortcuts.
Unlike when facing Karim, his body offered no resistance to Chen Chao's commands. He had always been willing to kneel before Chen Chao, but Chen Chao had almost never asked him to do so before.
Chen Chao has always been very restrained in the use of power.
Even when Steve would kneel before him, he would never act as a "master." He had always tried to give Steve as equal love as possible.
But at this moment, Chen Chao unrestrainedly exuded the pressure of a superior, and Steve felt as if the gaze falling on him had the force of a thousand pounds, making every pore of his body tremble and tighten.
Steve's palms were slightly sweaty from nervousness, but strangely, he felt no fear or apprehension at that moment.
When he first sat down next to Chen Chao, he was not only flustered but also terrified. He was worried that Chen Chao would see through his deception, afraid of hurting Chen Chao, and terrified that Chen Chao would force him to confront the darkness deep within his heart.
But the moment he knelt, all fear and unease vanished. The overwhelming power robbed him of thought; his only focus was obedience. He knelt on the ground, quietly awaiting Chen Chao's next command, waiting for his god to guide him toward the future.
"Lin Yu, look up at me." Chen Chao's voice wasn't loud, but his tone left no room for refusal.
Steve obediently looked up, his devout gaze falling on Chen Chao's face.
"Lin Yu, do you believe me?" Chen Chao asked.
“Yes, boss, I believe you.” Steve answered without hesitation; it was a belief etched into his bones, a fact that needed no confirmation.
"You will obey my every command, won't you?"
"Yes." Even if the fans are shattered to pieces, even if they are doomed forever.
"Alright, I ask that you now completely surrender yourself to me, follow my guidance, and let my world consist only of me. Can you do that?"
Steve knew that Chen Chao was asking him to enter a deep hypnotic state. Special agents are generally not easily hypnotized, and with their additional anti-hypnotic training, they are virtually immune to hypnosis.
Unless they voluntarily relinquish control over themselves and proactively lower their guard.
Secret agents are always afraid of losing control. They are proud, powerful, and confident; they are disciplined, calm, and perfect. In their world, losing control not only means danger but also potential betrayal.
They wouldn't allow themselves to do that.
They can endure physical loss of control, but they would never willingly surrender their inner selves. They carry too many secrets, they have too much reserve, and their profession and training do not allow them to do so.
Steve looked up at Chen Chao, remaining silent. His instincts were warning him not to do it. All the training he had received since childhood instilled in him the idea that Z-class agents could not be hypnotized.
But now it was his boss who was asking him to do this, the boss to whom he was willing to completely surrender himself, body and soul. He wanted to do it; he longed to give himself away completely, to be possessed without reservation.
Instinct and emotion were battling within him, and he struggled to find an answer.
Chen Chao looked at Steve, neither pressuring nor urging him. He quietly waited for Steve to come to his own answer.
Torn between inner turmoil, Steve closed his eyes. After about half a minute, he finally overcame his struggle and looked at Chen Chao with renewed determination, answering each word earnestly: "Boss, I can do it."
He trusted his boss, so he was willing to relinquish all control over himself. Even if every cell in his body was screaming to stop him, he was going to do it anyway.
Chen Chao smiled with satisfaction, leaned forward slightly, and patted Steve's hair on his forehead as a reward.
"Then close your eyes and do as I say."
Steve closed his eyes, forcing himself to dismantle all the defenses he had built up during training, letting Chen Chao's voice reach the depths of his heart.
“From now on, you will only hear my voice. Besides following my voice, you don't need to think anything; your world consists only of me.” Chen Chao's hypnotic voice was not gentle. Every word carried immense weight, each sentence a command. But this was exactly what Steve needed. He subconsciously followed Chen Chao's instructions, clearing his mind of everything.
"Now, imagine what I look like, and recall the tone of your voice when you called me 'Boss' the first time we met." Chen Chao paused for a moment, and after waiting for enough time, asked again, "Do you remember now?"
Steve nodded.
What were you feeling at that time?
"Back then, I thought the boss was so handsome and had such a strong presence at such a young age, and I wanted to get more of his attention."
Chen Chao raised the corners of his mouth, his eyes sparkling with laughter.
Do you remember the first time you knelt before me?
"Remember."
"Did you think your plan had succeeded at that time?"
Under deep hypnosis, Steve actually smiled shyly and replied embarrassedly, "At first, I just hoped that you would allow me to stay by your side during my vacation."
"Does it make you happy to scheme against your superior?"
“…Happy.” Steve blushed.
Chen Chao led Steve through their memories, allowing Steve to relax completely and open up to him.
"Now imagine you and I are in the bathroom together, I'm standing behind you, and you're looking at yourself in the mirror. Tell me, what do you look like in the mirror?"
“It’s very sad.” Steve frowned unconsciously.
Why the sadness?
Chen Chao received no answer, and Steve, kneeling on the ground, began to tremble slightly.
"Now reach out and touch your reflection in the mirror. Don't be afraid, I'm behind you, I'll catch you." Chen Chao took a step back, no longer pressing him directly.
Steve slowly reached out his hand towards the mirror, but was startled and pulled away the moment he touched it. He took a step back and bumped into Chen Chao's arms.
Tell me how you feel?
"it hurts."
Why does it hurt?
“Because…” In reality, Steve trembled even more violently, and tears streamed down his face.
"Don't be afraid, you're safe in my arms." Chen Chao's voice was firm and unwavering. "Feel my body temperature."
Guided by the voice, Steve's trembling stopped, and he regained his composure.
Is it warm?
"Um."
Do you feel safe?
"Um."
"Do you want to save yourself in the mirror?"
"think."
"Then would you be willing to help me save him?"
"willing."
"Alright, Lin Yu, I demand that you drop the pretense in front of me from now on. I don't expect you to be completely honest, but you can't force yourself in front of me in the slightest."
"..." Steve, under hypnosis, did not answer immediately.
"Can you smell my scent?"
"Um."
"What does it taste like?"
"The scent of green grass."
Do you like it?
"like."
"If you agree to my request, you can be enveloped in this scent forever."
"Okay, I agree."
Chen Chao breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if Steve agrees to enter a deep hypnotic state, it doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants.
In a deep hypnotic state, Steve's mind is completely unguarded, and the slightest carelessness could leave permanent damage. Steve has entrusted his naked heart to him, making it even more crucial that he doesn't push him.
He could only use this state to shed his disguise for now; everything else would have to wait until Steve regained consciousness before he could gradually break through.
Healing is never a simple matter.
“Very good. Now we’ve come out of the bathroom together. We’ve walked to the bedroom window, and you’ve reached out and drawn back the curtains. The sunlight streamed in, bringing the rest of the world back to you. Can you feel it?”
"I felt it."
"Okay, now your five senses are slowly awakening, and you have returned to the real world. This world contains me, the country you love, our memories, and our future. When you can feel everything in this bedroom again, open your eyes."
The agents' senses are trained to be extremely sensitive. This is the room Steve is used to. He can hear the ventilation system running with his eyes closed, smell the faint leather scent emanating from the sofa, and feel Chen Chao's presence in front of him.
When Steve regained his senses, he opened his eyes. He saw Chen Chao looking down at him, his eyes filled with tender comfort.
He suddenly burst into tears.
He unconsciously buried his face in Chen Chao's lap and burst into tears without any restraint. The panic, grievances, and heart palpitations that had been suppressed for days, along with the unspeakable longing, cries, and expectations, all surged forth with his tears at this moment.
Chen Chao didn't speak, but gently stroked Steve's hair again and again, firmly telling him that he was here.
About half an hour later, when Steve had finally finished crying, Chen Chao asked softly, "Can you still stand up?"
Steve checked his feet; they were numb, but he could still feel them.
"It should be possible."
"Then stand up first."
Steve, supporting himself on the sofa, staggered to his feet. The moment his blood returned to his body, he nearly lost his balance and collapsed to his knees again.
Chen Chao looked at him, patiently waiting for him to recover and stand up straight again.
Once Steve had finally regained his balance, Chen Chao also stood up. He stood in front of Steve and commanded, "Hold me."
Chen Chao couldn't touch Steve, as that would trigger Steve's stress response, but he could let Steve hug him. He understood how important real body temperature was to Steve at that moment.
Steve hugged Chen Chao tightly, burying his face in Chen Chao's chest and murmuring, "Boss, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just..."
“I understand, I don’t blame you.” Chen Chao stroked Steve’s hair comfortingly. “But you have to promise to give me everything, to give me your most authentic reaction. You can resist, you can attack, you can be cowardly, you can be pathetic, I accept you no matter what. But I will not allow you to pretend, and if it happens again, I will definitely be angry.”
Steve was startled; he was clearly afraid that Chen Chao would be angry.
"But, boss, I'm afraid I'll hurt you."
"Idiot, since you've handed everything over to me, then any consequences are my responsibility. I will try my best to protect myself. If I get hurt, it's because I didn't control myself, and it has nothing to do with you. Lin Yu, remember this. Whatever happens in the next few days is none of your business. My only request of you is to drop all defenses and pretenses and give me your most genuine reaction, understand?"
"Yes, boss."
Steve understood. Chen Chao took on everything for him, determined to pull him out of the cannibalistic swamp.
He had to hold on tightly to the rope Chen Chao handed him without hesitation.
He was willing to surrender himself, trusting that his boss would bring him safely back to shore.
"Boss, thank you."
"I'll say it again: I don't need your thanks, I want you back."
"Yes, I will come back."
"Alright, are you hungry? I'll have the chef bring your food."
"Um."
"Then you rest on the sofa for a while, I'll go to the study to make arrangements. I'll call you when I'm done."
"Okay, boss."
Chen Chao left the bedroom and wearily rubbed his temples in the study. Being a complete controller is never easy; it requires immense mental energy, and the past few moments had already made him feel drowsy.
He knew that none of this could be rushed.
Both he and Steve need more time.
But today, at least, is a good start.
Everything will surely go smoothly.
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