Chapter 147: Special Story: Mu Si × Bo Yu 2

Bo Yu felt a sudden, murderous urge.

No one had ever dared to provoke him like this before, except for Mu Si, who never denied himself the luxury of that sharp, insolent tongue.

"You want to die..."

But then he noticed that Mu Si was actually smiling.

Even Bo Yu could hardly remember the last time this child had smiled at him. Was it true that everyone fared better once they left his side?

"It's dark now," Mu Si suddenly remarked.

Bo Yu didn't catch the meaning, but it didn't matter. "Your world is about to go dark, too."

Mu Si didn't take offense. He finished settling the tab for the last few customers and extinguished the cake shop's neon sign. "If you don't find a way to go back soon, you won't be able to go back at all."

The tall, slender young man stood in the shadows of the night. His gaze held a hint of a smile—part handsome, part dangerous.

"Your phone," Bo Yu demanded, reaching out.

Mu Si spread his hands. "Do you think I can afford one, sir?"

"..."

He was poor, yet utterly unapologetic.

Bo Yu looked toward the empty street, eventually deciding to see if he could borrow a phone, offering a thousand euros as a reward for the favor.

"I advise you not to," Mu Si said without turning his head, as if he could read his thoughts. "The people who roam this town at night are all young. They have a certain... admiration or greed for beautiful Eastern faces."

Mu Si’s tone was languid; it was hard to tell if he was complimenting or insulting him.

"Have you never looked in a mirror?"

In all fairness, Bo Yu was blessed with an exquisite face. His innate aristocratic air gilded his features; had he not lost his legs, he would have been flawless. But he was broken. And he refused to accept his brokenness.

Bo Yu glared at him coldly. "I am staying at your place tonight."

It wasn't a request; it was a notification. He was certain Mu Si wouldn't refuse him. Before leaving, this man had been bold enough to... to even say he liked him—that monster... Bo Yu’s own internal monologue censored the memory with a sharp beep. Such filth.

As expected, Mu Si agreed. "Fine. Beg me."

"What did you say?!"

"Beg me."

"..."

The lights of the cake shop died out. The glass door reflected half of Mu Si’s silhouette; he wore a black casual shirt, his neck and knuckles appearing starkly pale.

"Or you can just sit here and wait for someone to pass by at midnight. Perhaps you'll meet a kind soul who will lend you a phone, or perhaps you'll end up doing something else..."

The man fancied himself superior, yet he was utterly helpless. Shen Jixing could have knocked him down with a single punch. Bo Yu was nothing without his bodyguards, which was why Mu Si couldn't understand why he dared to travel alone.

"You really can't accept it, can you..."

"You bastard!" Bo Yu stared at him frostily, having never endured such verbal indignity. "If you dare to spout nonsense again, tomorrow, once I return, I will..."

His chin was suddenly gripped.

"Spouting nonsense?"

Mu Si leaned over, looking down at him. "When have I ever lied? Then again, you don't know me, nor do you care about me, so you have no idea what my habits are."

"I was covered in bruises from fighting these people the first day I arrived."

"What about you? How many punches can you take?"

Bo Yu’s gaze narrowed.

Mu Si gave a soft, mocking laugh. "You truly are a qualified guardian, sir. You never had any idea what the young master and I went through."

Bo Yu did know. When Shen Jixing was eighteen, he had asked to leave. Bo Yu had sent people to follow him in secret. He knew Shen Jixing had nearly met with disaster under a bridge, but he hadn't sent anyone to intervene; he had simply wanted the boy to suffer the hardships of the outside world.

But Shen Jixing had never expected anyone to save him.

He left the bridge, looking out at the vast, indifferent world, seemingly unaware of any place that could shelter him—any place that was absolutely safe. But he was clever. He slept in the lobby of an ATM.

There was no home in this world to house him, but at least there was still a country that protected its own. Yet, the order abroad was even more chaotic. How could someone with Mu Si's combat skills end up like this?

Mu Si lowered his eyes to meet Bo Yu’s amber ones—eyes that were gentle and elegant, like maple leaves in autumn, yet so cold and merciless.

"Are you afraid, sir?"

Bo Yu stared back, offering no answer as to whether he was afraid or not. "I will never beg you."

Mu Si’s fingertips lingered on his chin before he slowly let go and turned, walking away without a backward glance.

"Suit yourself."

In truth, Mu Si didn't know how long he could hold out. Kindness was always the foundation of his nature. Besides, he still loved this man. This villain.

His black boots paused on the pavement. His dangling hand was suddenly gripped. Bo Yu’s voice came, cold and clipped. "I never intended for you to be bullied. The only one allowed to bully you is me."

"..."

"I'm not a three-year-old child. You can't placate me with that," Mu Si replied, having no interest in dwelling on what had already happened. "Besides, who are you capable of bullying?"

It was only because they had been willing to be bullied by him once. But Mu Si no longer wanted to play along.

For Bo Yu to beg was a fantasy; he was born arrogant and never lowered his head easily.

He pulled his hand away. "Go then."

Mu Si’s eyelashes fluttered, his thin lips pressed tight into silence before he walked away, disappearing from Bo Yu's sight.

Bo Yu closed his eyes slowly, sitting quietly beneath the maple tree, feeling the unfamiliarity of everything around him.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Laughter and shouting echoed from a distance. He saw a group of young men approaching, carrying bottles, talking and laughing about something unknown.

"..."

Bo Yu turned his wheelchair and moved to leave, but a stone caught in the wheel, blocking his path. He bent down to move it, but the movement was difficult for him.

Just as his eyelashes trembled in a rare moment of loss of control, someone kicked the stone away.

He lifted his amber eyes to look at him. His gaze held shock, a flicker of anger, and a trace of helplessness.

Without a word, Mu Si grabbed the wheelchair and pulled him away before the young men could reach them.

"I knew you would come back," Bo Yu said, his calm masking his tension.

Mu Si led him to a secluded building, scooped him out of the wheelchair with one arm, and placed him directly on the steps.

Bo Yu was stunned. "Where are you putting me?"

Mu Si didn't say a word, locking the wheelchair downstairs to ensure it wouldn't be stolen. Then, he picked him up from the stairs. The long climb was a path Bo Yu could not traverse on his own.

"Into my world."

Mu Si opened the flimsy door. The modest room was not even as large as Bo Yu’s bathroom. Bo Yu surveyed his living quarters and sneered, "So, this is the kind of place you've been living in recently."

Mu Si unbuttoned his shirt with one hand. "Yes."

"Tomorrow, once I return, I will have someone arrange a new house for you. Consider it a meager reward for your service..." Bo Yu decided he would graciously overlook Mu Si’s behavior.

But then he heard Mu Si say, "I don't care for anything you have to give me. I'll take my reward myself. And you won't have a tomorrow."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Mu Si looked out at the moonlight through the window. "It means, sir, that you have just lost your freedom."