OL CH37

The images on the screen stung Bai Su’s eyes like needles. The sensational headlines—Dating, Marriage Alliance, Impending Good News, Wedding Bells—acted like sharp daggers repeatedly stabbing into the youth’s heart.

How could this be! How could his Uncle Qin marry someone else!

Bai Su desperately wanted to convince himself that all of this was fake, but the man in the photographs was undeniably the Uncle Qin he spent every day and night with.

With such an intimate posture, even if he tried telling himself that Qin Yichen and this woman had merely crossed paths by chance, that they weren’t close at all, and that these reports were just tabloid clickbait fabricated to grab eyeballs, he couldn’t bring himself to swallow the lie.

The usually bright, smiling youth suddenly fell deathly silent. Seeing this, the female classmate’s eyes flickered slightly; saying nothing more and realizing her objective had been achieved, she quietly slipped away.

Bai Su quickened his pace, returning to his dormitory alone. Locking the door behind him, he collapsed onto the sofa.

Only then did his expression slowly twist into something sinister, a thick, bloodshot haze rising in the depths of his eyes. Bai Su pulled out his phone, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white, and began masochistically scouring the web for recent news articles related to Chen Tian.

Sure enough, that wasn’t the only piece of news of its kind. Though they were all published by second-rate gossip blogs and tabloid sites, the photographs were indisputably authentic.

Bai Su suddenly realized that he had been blinded by the sweet, blissful days, losing his vital vigilance.

His uncle was such a flawless being—what kind of delusion had possessed him to think he could monopolize the man so easily!

Suddenly, Bai Su realized that he had overlooked—or rather, deliberately chosen to ignore—countless harsh realities.

For instance, the Qin family was a prestigious dynasty that had stood tall for generations. Such old-money clans harbored deep secrets and endless business alliances cemented by marriage. Furthermore, families like these prized bloodline and succession above all else. No matter what, the head of the family would inevitably desire an heir of his own blood.

Even with Qin Fei around, had Qin Yichen truly never thought about having a child of his own?

Bai Su clutched the hem of his shirt tightly in his fists, biting down hard on his lower lip. He, obviously, was physically incapable of bearing children.

His mind had been flooded with nothing but the euphoria of being accepted by Uncle Qin, but now, battered by these online reports, he was violently jolted awake, his joy shattering into dust.

Was what he understood as being together with Uncle Qin the same thing Uncle Qin had in mind?

Could Uncle Qin merely be treating him as a fleeting plaything?

No, impossible. Uncle Qin wasn’t that cruel. He believed in the man’s kindness and care; there had to be genuine love between them. Yet, how much weight did that genuine love truly carry in Uncle Qin’s heart?

Although same-sex relationships weren’t entirely unacceptable in modern society, same-sex marriage was still not legalized. For a prominent family of this stature, even if such an arrangement existed, it would never be acknowledged in the light of day.

So, unlike what he had envisioned, was their romance destined to remain hidden in the shadows? And would Uncle Qin inevitably marry a woman anyway?!

Thinking of the woman photographed beside Uncle Qin, who was likely Qin Yichen’s marriage partner—she would move into their villa in the future and become the Qin household’s matriarch in name.

Or perhaps not just in name; she might truly share a marital bed with Uncle Qin, sharing the man Bai Su loved most, and even bearing children tied to his flesh and blood!

He already has me, why does he need anyone else!

Bai Su roared silently in his heart.

Even if it were merely in name, he could never accept it. Bai Su could not stomach the thought of a child that wasn’t borne of both of them.

In an instant, extreme thoughts flooded his mind, one manic idea after another.

Bai Su had no idea how terrifying he looked right now, a deranged crimson swirling in his eyes. Overcome by extreme emotion, he could not suppress the hostility brewing inside, hurtling toward a terrifying abyss.

He had to go back. He had to see with his own eyes whether the news was true or false; he would never allow this matter to slip beyond his control.

Uncle Qin belonged to him. To him alone!

Without him even realizing when it had started, his obsession had dug its roots this deep.

Yet Bai Su had no desire to curb it. All he knew was that he needed to see that man—he had to find him.

If the truth truly matched what the reports claimed, he didn’t know what kind of madness he might unleash.

Closing the news tabs, Bai Su booked a return flight online as swiftly as possible. Methodically packing his luggage, he informed the faculty advisor that an unexpected family emergency had arisen, preventing him from continuing the independent research session, and requested leave to fly home early.

Everything proceeded without a hitch. Sitting in the departure terminal waiting for his flight, Bai Su raised his phone and gazed at his lockscreen wallpaper—a picture of the man intently working at his desk. His finger gently traced over the man’s sculpted, deep-set brow and eyes.

Bai Su’s expression was outwardly gentle, yet the dark tempest churning in his eyes grew increasingly ominous and turbulent.

Meanwhile, back at home, Chen Tian was eagerly preparing a surprise for his little treasure, blissfully unaware that his surprise had been warped into a full-blown shock by tabloid paparazzi.

The gossip hadn’t caused any real widespread uproar—it was just minor tabloid gossip that an average netizen wouldn’t even stumble upon unless actively searching for it.

A figure of Chen Tian’s stature, being a semi-public corporate titan, paid zero heed to such vapid gossip. Thus, he had no inkling that this deliberately orchestrated piece of minor scandal was brewing an immense catastrophe for him.

By the time Bai Su made it back to the Qin ancestral manor, he arrived just in time to see Uncle Qin get into a car and drive off.

Watching Chen Tian through the car window, phone pressed to his ear and chatting with someone with an unusually tender, gentle look in his eyes, Bai Su’s heart was devoured by jealousy once more.

Clenching his fists, he had no interest in attending to the luggage he had just dragged back. Dumping his bags at the entrance of the manor, he promptly flagged down a taxi and followed Chen Tian’s car.

The taxi tailed the black sedan the entire way, eventually arriving at a high-end, discreet restaurant with strict privacy—a place Chen Tian had brought him to several times before.

Watching Uncle Qin step out and confirming he had entered the restaurant, Bai Su waited a moment before paying the driver and exiting the cab.

Keeping a careful distance to avoid detection, he slipped inside and found a discreet corner table. From there, he watched with his own eyes as the man he loved so deeply walked over and took a seat at a dining table.

Across from him sat an elegantly dressed woman with short hair, though once again, she presented only her back to him.

After a long wait, the woman finally turned her head, only for Bai Su to realize she wore oversized sunglasses that concealed half her face in an undeniably bizarre fashion.

Yet even without a clear look at her face, judging by her styling, clothing, and figure, Bai Su could tell with absolute certainty that this was the very same woman from the photographs.

With cruel reality laid bare before him, Bai Su suddenly felt that his past self—so smug and overjoyed these past days after finally attaining the love he had craved for years—was utterly laughable.

So it had all been an illusory dream. From beginning to end, he had been living in his own self-deception!

On the other side of the restaurant, Chen Tian accepted the black velvet box handed over by the person across from him. Glancing over the item inside, a satisfied look spread across his face.

Sounding genuinely delighted, he said, “As expected of world-class craftsmanship. Sophia, thank you so much.”

“Oh, stop, Xiao Chen, you’re being far too polite! What kind of relationship do we have? There’s no need to treat me like an outsider!”

The woman across the table covered her face with a laugh and took a sip of herbal tea, clearly in high spirits.

Chen Tian nodded and was about to speak further when he suddenly sensed a familiar spiritual fluctuation.

His gaze snapped to a distant corner, where a youth clad in all black sat with his head down, completely alone.

Even without seeing the face beneath, Chen Tian was certain that it was his lover, the one he spent every day and night with.

Why is Xiao Bai here?!

Chen Tian was caught off guard, but more importantly, he had just sensed that his lover’s divine soul fluctuation was wildly erratic.

Spiritual fluctuations rarely occurred within mortal planes. Even with Bai Su’s heavily injured soul fragments being inherently unstable, in their previous life, such a reaction had only triggered when contaminated by dark filth—and the catalyst back then had been Bai Su misunderstanding him.

At the thought, Chen Tian’s chest tightened. Making a casual excuse, he excused himself and walked toward the men’s restroom.

Sure enough, the youth seated in the corner rose immediately, tailing behind him.

Consumed with worry for Bai Su, Chen Tian waited directly inside the restroom. Moments later, the youth clad in black stepped in.

Seeing that Chen Tian was clearly waiting for him, Bai Su froze for a split second before breaking into a wide smile. “I thought I was being so careful… I didn’t expect Uncle Qin to catch me after all!”

A bright smile stretched across the youth’s face, but Chen Tian could see that the warmth never touched his eyes. Those eyes, typically gentle and sunlit, were now overflowing with stubborn, deranged frenzy.

A wave of alarm shot through Chen Tian, and he asked urgently, “Xiao Bai, why are you here? Did something happen?”

Before he could finish his sentence, the youth suddenly raised an arm and slammed his hand against the wall behind him, trapping Chen Tian in a cramped triangular space.

With his other hand tugging at Chen Tian’s collar, Bai Su crashed forward with a burning, fierce kiss.

Bai Su bit down so hard that Chen Tian’s lips ached, as if the youth wished he could rip away his flesh and swallow him whole into his stomach.

Such an aggressive kiss made it impossible for Chen Tian to ask any further questions, but Chen Tian couldn’t care less about his own pain.

Sensing the acute distress in Bai Su’s emotional state, he could only wrap his arms tightly around him, gently stroking the boy’s back in an effort to calm him down as quickly as possible.

Only after a long while did the youth in his embrace seem to settle from his volatile agitation.

Chen Tian let out a small breath of relief. But just as he lifted his head to ask what was going on, a bizarre, sweet fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

Along with the scent, Chen Tian’s mind plunged instantly into dizzying chaos. His limbs turned so limp that he lost all motor control, collapsing entirely into Bai Su’s arms.

In the final moment before losing consciousness, he heard the youth murmur softly in his ear, like a lover’s quiet whisper:

“Uncle Qin, I really didn’t want to treat you like this…

“But… you really are being far too disobedient…”

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Author’s Note:

Chen Tian: Kabedon? Blackened yandere? Confinement play? Am I about to become a winner in life again??? Don’t ask, the answer is just pure joy!