CHAPTER 113: NO ONE SAW IT COMING

It was fortunate for Sian that the peacock-faced man had stormed off with a fierce expression the moment the announcer began to speak—because frankly, Sian had neither the time nor the patience to deal with that scoundrel.

Sian stood still, unmoving, yet he drew countless gazes with his jade-like face and snow-white hair.

He lifted a glass of red wine from the table and brought it to his lips, but just as his cherry-colored lips touched the rim, a hand reached out from beside him and snatched the glass away.

Lan Qisheng smiled gently, noticing the furrow in Sian’s brow.

"This wine is strong, my love—and you’re still too young to drink."

The foolish pup looked proud of his nonsense.

Too young?

Doesn’t drink?

Wasn’t Sian the same person who had emptied the wine cellar at this idiot’s villa?

Before Sian could object, Lan Qisheng swiftly downed the wine himself.

Sian: "..."

He did that on purpose. That bastard.

And why was he a bastard? Because someone shamelessly drank from where Sian’s lips had just been.

Sian sighed angrily.

And so did several onlookers whose eyes were sharp enough to catch the subtle interaction between the two.

[Oh my God, I just witnessed a cliché indirect kiss scene unfold before me...]

[You two lovebirds, have some pity on us single dogs, please!]

[Honestly though, they look so good together...]

[No, no! Impossible! Sian belongs to us! I won’t let anyone take him!]

[Haha, look at Sian’s face. That sigh makes him look like an old man bullied by his mischievous spouse...]

[Bullied? I feel like Sian’s seconds away from smashing that guy’s head with a hammer, lol.]

"Can you stop fooling around?" a sharp voice cut through the air.

"Mr. Soldier, we have a job to do and lives to save. If you’ve forgotten"

There was no mistaking who that voice belonged to.

Lan Qisheng’s ocean-blue eyes narrowed with hatred, meeting the dark, unreadable eyes full of complicated emotions across the room.

Complicated to Sian, perhaps—but Lan Qisheng understood that man too well.

Which is exactly why he hated him.

Because... that man was just like him.

He had fallen for Sian too.

But it didn’t matter. Sian was his—and his alone.

No matter what, he wouldn’t let Sian’s eyes or love wander to anyone else.

Sian, sensing the electric tension crackling between the two like predestined enemies, sighed and shook his head with boredom.

After that silent—but—intense battle between the two men, they agreed on a temporary truce to deal with the potential threat at the party.

But even after patrolling the hall for nearly an hour, nothing unusual happened.

Not even a hint.

Sian began to doubt himself.

Maybe his instincts were wrong.

Maybe he was just being overly sensitive.

Just as the three began to relax, Sian’s phone buzzed in the pocket of his tailored coat.

"Hello?" Sian answered softly, his voice gentle and eyes glowing with light.

Lan Qisheng knew in an instant who was on the other end just from the look in Sian’s eyes.

Because only one person could make Sian unconsciously drop all his defenses, soften his gaze, and sound that warm.

He wished that person were him.

But... it wavered.

Lan Qisheng’s expression darkened as he watched Sian speak to the man on the phone.

Why? Why does he care about him so much? What’s their relationship? How and when did they meet?

Ever since learning of Sian’s connection to He Jinyun, Lan Qisheng had a million questions swirling in his mind.

But he never dared voice a single one—not to Sian.

What if Sian thought he didn’t trust him?

What if he got angry?

Worse... what if the truth was something Lan Qisheng couldn’t bear to hear?

From the very beginning of their relationship, Lan Qisheng had been painfully aware that his place in Sian’s heart wasn’t that deep.

Sure, he held a special spot—at least he wasn’t like the "others"—but he also knew Sian didn’t love him to death. Not that deep.

Which meant Sian could leave him at any time.

And Lan Qisheng was terrified of that.

Because, simply put, he couldn’t live without him.

"What?!"

Sian’s sudden growl snapped Lan Qisheng out of his dark thoughts.

That serene, gentle expression Sian wore just a moment ago had shattered—replaced with rage, hatred... and even sorrow.

Sian does get angry often. But this time, both Lan Qisheng and Jiao Liangchen could feel it:

A suffocating aura so intense it seemed capable of wiping out an entire nation.

"He Jinyun. Repeat what you just said," Sian demanded coldly.

"Gege... I’m sorry.

We couldn’t stop them—we still don’t know their full plans. We were tracking one of the higher-ups in the organization and found out those bastards have planted nuclear reactors filled with some kind of drug. It must be a virus. I’m scared that... that it might be the same virus that wiped out our previous world, so—"

"Damn it. Tell me you and your men managed to locate and destroy those damn things," Sian snarled, his teeth clenched so hard that his lips suddenly began to bleed. He had bitten his tongue without realizing it.

"Sian, you’re bleeding—"

Lan Qisheng reached up and gently wiped the corner of Sian’s mouth, but Sian coldly brushed his hand away and barked into the phone:

"He Jinyun, speak—now."

"I’m sorry, Gege. We only got the man to confess the plan... We still don’t know where those things are."

Sian’s amber eyes darkened—so much so that their glowing hue almost vanished, nearly turning black.

If this was true—if what he feared was real—then this world was on the brink of destruction.

No, worse... it was about to become a living hell.

Just like his previous world.

The memories he had locked away in a sealed box to protect his emotions came rushing back like the flooding Nile.

Sian clutched his head with one hand while the other still held the phone tightly.

"Sian, don’t scare me—what’s wrong? What happened? Sian, answer me!"

Lan Qisheng shook him desperately, trying to bring him back to reality.

Just then—

A sudden explosion tore through the air.