Drunk out of control
The celebration for the full month of her debut was held at a seven-star hotel owned by the Yu family. The light from the crystal chandeliers shone on the champagne tower, casting a luxurious, cool glow. Yun Heng, wearing a high-end suit, stood in a corner, an untouched glass of soda water between his fingers, looking at the elegantly dressed crowd, like an outsider who had strayed into the bustling city.
Yu Xiao had orchestrated this celebration. Within a month of debuting, Yun Heng had exploded into fame thanks to a few cover singles. Her Weibo followers had soared from triple digits to tens of millions, and she was bombarded with endorsement offers—all thanks to the resources Yu Xiao had poured into her, a precise, premeditated bombardment. But the more she stood in the spotlight, the more suffocated she felt. She kept thinking of the wind in the wheat fields of her hometown, clean and free.
"Teacher Yunheng, please come this way." Yu Xiao's assistant came over, his tone respectful but with an undeniable sense of strength, "Master Yu is waiting for you."
Yun Heng followed him through the crowd and saw Yu Xiao surrounded by a group of executives, a wine glass in hand, his profile looking particularly sharp under the lighting. He was wearing a black velvet suit with a silver brooch pinned to his collar, the same one Yun Heng had worn on stage during the third public performance. This subtle echo was dug up by fans and became a trending topic, with the hashtag #YuXiaoYunHengCoupleStyle# dominating the search results for a long time.
"Are you here?" Yu Xiao turned his head with a smile in his eyes. He reached out to pat his shoulder, but Yun Heng dodged him calmly.
The air around them suddenly became tense, and the executives dispersed tactfully, leaving the two of them standing there.
"Don't be so nervous." Yu Xiao's voice was lowered, with a hint of helplessness, "I just want to have a drink with you to celebrate the full month of your debut."
"I don't drink." Yun Heng's voice was as cold as ice. "If you have nothing else to do, I'll go back first."
"Go back?" Yu Xiao laughed, a hint of subtle sarcasm lingering in his tone. "Go back to that dorm with windows facing north? Yunheng, you're a top star now. You deserve to live somewhere worthy of you."
"It's my place, I choose it myself." Yun Heng turned to leave, but her wrist was grabbed. Yu Xiao's fingertips were cold, with the vapor of champagne.
"At least, drink this." Yu Xiao handed the glass to his lips, his tone a little paranoid and insistent, "Just consider it... a celebration of our successful 'cooperation'."
"We have nothing to celebrate." Yun Heng shook off his hand, and the champagne in the glass spilled out, splashing onto the expensive velvet suit, leaving a light golden streak. "I will terminate my contract as soon as possible."
Yu Xiao's face instantly darkened, and the smile in his eyes disappeared without a trace: "Terminate the contract? Do you think you can get away with it?"
"Whether I can leave or not is not up to you." Yun Heng's voice was soft but resolute. "I can give up the wheat field and my debut position, but I won't be your puppet anymore."
After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.
The clamor of the celebration party continued, but Yun Heng felt that the laughter and clinking of glasses had turned into sharp taunts, piercing his eardrums. When he returned to the dormitory, it was already late at night. He kicked off his high heels (forced on him by his stylist), threw himself on the bed, and stared at the ceiling in a daze.
After an unknown amount of time, the door was slammed open.
Yun Heng sat up suddenly and saw Yu Xiao standing in the doorway. His black suit, tie askew, shirt collar open, reeked of alcohol, and he looked like a wild animal out of control. He had obviously drunk a lot, his steps unsteady, his crimson eyes fixed on the person in the bed.
"Why are you here?" Yun Heng instinctively stepped back, his back hitting the wall. The cold touch made him shudder. According to the contract, their dormitories were in different buildings with tight security. He couldn't figure out how Yu Xiao got in.
Yu Xiao said nothing, only inching closer. The scent of alcohol mixed with cedar cologne filled his face, creating an extremely aggressive aura. His towering figure cast a shadow, completely enveloping Yunheng, bringing with it an oppressive feeling of impending storm.
"What are you hiding from?" Yu Xiao's voice was hoarse and heavily intoxicated. "Are you scared now? Why weren't you scared when you promised to come back in the wheat field?"
"You're drunk." Yun Heng clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, trying to remain calm. "I'll have my assistant take you home."
"Don't call them!" Yu Xiao suddenly growled and reached out to grab his wrist with such force that it seemed as if he could crush his bones. He pushed Yun Heng onto the bed, and they fell onto it together, the springs groaning harshly.
Yun Heng's back slammed against the hard bed, causing him to groan in pain. He struggled to get up, but Yu Xiao held his shoulders, pinning him to the bed. His body heat pierced through the thin fabric, burning like fire.
"Why do you always avoid me?" Yu Xiao tugged at his collar, his eyes bloodshot, filled with drunken paranoia and grievance. "Am I not good enough to you? I give you the best resources, suppress the negative information about you, and even plant the best wheat fields for you... What else do you want from me?"
The smell of alcohol lingered on Yun Heng's face, tinged with a sickening sweetness. He stared at Yu Xiao's face, so close to him, at the emotions swirling in his eyes—anger, resentment, and a near-desperate possessiveness—and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
This is not the usual Yu Xiao who knows how to restrain himself, but a beast whose dark side has been magnified by alcohol.
"Let me go! Yu Xiao, wake up!" Yun Heng struggled with all his might, driving his knees hard into his abdomen. Yu Xiao felt pain, but his strength was limited. Instead, he tightened his grip around his waist and pressed him into his arms.
"Don't hide from me..." Yu Xiao's voice lowered, with a hint of pleading, and his hot breath swept across Yun Heng's neck, "Just this once, don't hide from me..."
His fingertips began to move restlessly, sliding up along Yunheng's waistline, and a kiss with the smell of alcohol fell on the side of her neck, like a branding iron with sparks, burning Yunheng so much that she trembled all over.
"Yu Xiao! You bastard!" Yun Heng's resistance was a futile struggle. The collar of her shirt was ripped out of shape, revealing an ambiguous red mark on her collarbone. Shame and anger swirled in her chest like magma, but she could only utter broken sobs.
He had never felt so humiliated - in this circle dominated by capital, even the right to refuse had become a luxury.
In the chaos, Yun Heng grabbed the lamp on the bedside table and, without thinking, threw it at Yu Xiao's back. The glass lampshade shattered with a clang, and fragments flew everywhere. Yu Xiao finally stopped moving.
He let go of his hand and looked at Yunheng in disbelief, then looked down at the broken glass on his back. Blood seeped down his shirt, staining it red.
"You hit me?" Yu Xiao's voice trembled, not because of the pain, but because he couldn't believe it.
Yun Heng took the opportunity to push him away and scrambled to the door, pressing his back against it and breathing heavily. His shirt was disheveled, his neck was red, and tears welled in his eyes like beads that had been cut from their string. He looked fierce and frightened, like a young animal cornered.
"Get out!" His voice was hoarse and filled with tears. "Get out of here!"
Seeing him like this, Yu Xiao suddenly sobered up. After the alcohol wore off, he was left with a wave of panic and regret. What had he just done to Yun Heng?
The possessiveness amplified by alcohol, the reckless questions, the uncontrolled touches... were like countless slaps in his face.
"Yun Heng, I..." Yu Xiao wanted to explain, to apologize, but he found his fingertips trembling, unable to even utter a complete sentence. He looked at the broken glass on the ground, at Yun Heng's red eyes, at the red mark on her collarbone - these were all evidence of his loss of control.
Yun Heng didn't look at him again, but just leaned against the door. The disgust in her eyes was like an ice pick, piercing his heart and making it ache.
Yu Xiao slowly stood up. The wound on his back stung, but it was not even a fraction of the pain in his heart. He said nothing more, but gave Yun Heng a deep look before turning and stumbling out of the room like a desperate deserter.
The door was gently closed, isolating the two worlds.
Yunheng slid down the door and sat on the floor, hugging her knees and bursting into tears. Her cries echoed in the silent dormitory, carrying with them a long-simmering sense of grievance, anger, and fear. He raised his hand and touched the kiss mark on the side of his neck. His fingertips were cold, as if they were stained with poison.
Not long after, there was a gentle knock on the door. It was the assistant's cautious voice: "Brother Yunheng, are you okay? I thought I heard a noise just now..."
"I'm fine." Yun Heng sniffed and wiped away her tears with her sleeve. Her voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. "Let the cleaning staff clean it up."
When the cleaning lady came in, she saw the broken glass on the floor and the blood on the bed, and her face turned pale with fear. Yun Heng turned away and looked out the window at the night sky. The neon lights of the city were dazzling, but they could not illuminate the desolation in his eyes.
The phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text message from Yu Xiao. It only had three words: "Sorry."
Yun Heng looked at those three words and suddenly felt an immense irony. He deleted the message and blocked the number, throwing it away like a piece of dirt.
This circle, this person, this relationship controlled by capital... he has had enough.
The next day, Yun Heng canceled all his plans due to feeling “unwell.” Sitting in his empty dormitory, looking at his torn shirt, he suddenly made a decision.
He turned on his computer and began writing his second long letter. This time, there was no hesitation, no retreat, and every word was like a sword tempered by fire.
To Yu Xiao
"I don't want to talk about what happened last night.
But I must say this: My body, my will, has never belonged to anyone else. Even if you are Yu Xiao, the crown prince of the Yu family, you have no right to force me to do anything.
A month after debuting, I felt like I was living in a glass jar. I could see the sun, but I couldn't breathe. Your "goodness," your "resources," your "protection" were essentially shackles.
I am not your property, not someone you can vent your anger on when you are drunk, and not a commodity you can buy with your capital.
From today on, I will terminate my contract with Yu Corporation, terminate my contract with "All People Create Stars", and completely draw a line between myself and you, Yu Xiao.
I will pay back the penalty in my own way, even if it means growing wheat for the rest of my life.
From now on, the mountains are high and the waters are far away, and we will never meet again."
The moment he clicked send, Yun Heng turned off his computer and packed his simple luggage. There were no luxury items or trophies in his backpack, only the plain ring engraved with "Heng Xiao"—he would return it to Yu Xiao personally and then throw it away completely.
As they walked out of the dormitory building, the sun was shining brightly. Yun Heng looked up at the sky and suddenly felt relieved.
Perhaps the road ahead will be difficult, perhaps he will have to bear a huge penalty, perhaps he will never have a stage to sing on again. But at least, he has won back his dignity and freedom.
Yu Xiao was in his office, processing photos of his back wound on his computer, when he saw the long letter. The blood-stained shirt, the reflection of the broken glass, and every word in Yun Heng's long letter overlapped, like a belated judgment.
He slammed his phone to the ground, and the cracks on the screen were like spider webs, reflecting his pale face.
This time, he really... lost Yunheng completely.
His lonely figure was reflected in the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. Outside the window was the business empire of the Yu Group, so prosperous that it seemed like an illusion. But for the first time, he felt that these things were actually nothing.
In a world without Yunheng, no matter how big the empire is, it is just an empty city.
This entanglement that started with capital finally came to a complete end in the drunken loss of control.
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