Chapter 4: Bullied to the Extreme

When Meng Yue found Zhao Tian, the latter was rummaging through a somewhat dilapidated house.

Seeing Meng Yue approach, Zhao Tian was slightly surprised.

The other members of the team might not have noticed, but Zhao Tian was well aware that Meng Yue had no real desire to stay in his squad. He had only joined for some specific purpose.

As such, the two of them were not familiar with each other, and without others around, they wouldn’t exchange a single word.

When Meng Yue saw Zhao Tian’s expression, he knew what the other was thinking.

There was no time to waste, so he said directly, “Mengmeng has been taken. We must rescue him.”

At first, Zhao Tian didn’t fully process what he had said.

Then he stepped closer, his face filled with displeasure, and sneered at Meng Yue, “Mengmeng? Hah, you sure call him intimately.”

The little one had only been gone for a short while, and he’d already managed to attract another annoying pest. Truly disobedient.

Meng Yue wasn’t surprised by Zhao Tian’s reaction, but it didn’t matter—Lu Meng was his, no matter what.

“Zhao Tian, the most important thing right now is Mengmeng.

We can discuss other matters after we find him.”

Zhao Tian understood that, of course. He sneered but still followed Meng Yue to search the area where Lu Meng had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yan had returned home and was turning the place upside down.

His black eyes, consumed by Lu Meng’s disappearance, had turned completely red, and his expression had twisted.

Finally freed from suppression, “Cheng Yan”—or more accurately, Cheng Jin—watched the now-unsteady Cheng Yan.

Taking advantage of an unguarded moment, he struck and knocked him unconscious.

Cheng Jin crouched and picked up a silver dagger from the ground.

With this, he could suppress that demon.

As for…

Cheng Jin kicked the unconscious Cheng Yan and smiled with the same face.

“You can enjoy the feeling of being suppressed for a change.”

---

Lu Meng was still unaware that two groups of people were frantically searching for him.

After being kissed by that man, whether it was from exhaustion or something else, he passed out completely.

When he woke up again, he found himself inside a small wooden cabin.

Although the cabin was small, it had everything one might need.

Lu Meng was lying on a large bed.

The bed had been thoughtfully layered with several soft quilts, making it extremely comfortable.

Creak…

The door was pushed open, and someone walked in.

Lu Meng looked up and asked with a displeased expression, "What will it take for you to let me go back?"

The man chuckled softly, placed a plate of fragrant food nearby, and then sat down beside Lu Meng.

“Little darling, wouldn’t it be nice to stay here with me?”

“No, I don’t want to. My husband is still waiting for me to return.”

The obedient little spouse thought only of his husband.

But this ordinary statement triggered something in the man.

“Enough! What’s so great about Cheng Yan? Do you like him that much?”

Startled by the sudden outburst, Lu Meng’s face turned pale. He clutched the quilt tightly in his hands and shrank back.

Seeing that he had frightened him, Li Yuanzhen wanted to comfort Lu Meng, but the moment he reached for his hand, the young man swatted it away.

“Don’t come near me! Stay away!”

“Alright, I won’t come closer. Little darling, can you not be afraid of me?”

“I didn’t mean to lash out at you. I’m just jealous. You’re always thinking about Cheng Yan, and it hurts me.”

The boy’s resistance and the suppressed jealousy made Li Yuanzhen feel unbearable pain.

He couldn’t imagine what would happen if the boy stopped acknowledging him entirely.

Just the thought of it made him feel like he couldn’t breathe.

The pain on the man’s face softened Lu Meng’s heart a little. Perhaps he didn’t mean to. He decided to forgive him.

Summoning his courage, Lu Meng said, “I won’t be afraid of you, but you have to take me back.”

“Alright.” Li Yuanzhen looked at the boy who wanted nothing more than to leave him, and bitterness filled his heart. But he couldn’t do anything to upset him further.

Li Yuanzhen carefully picked Lu Meng up from the bed and left the small house he had meticulously prepared for him.

Originally, he had dreamed of living here with his little darling.

But dreams, in the end, must come to an end.

How pitiful he was.

“Finally, I’ve found you.”

Cheng Jin looked at Li Yuanzhen, lightly tracing the dagger in his hand.

Li Yuanzhen’s expression darkened when he saw the dagger with its unique engravings. He hadn’t expected them to find this thing.

“Put Lu Meng down, or else…”

They both understood the unspoken threat.

Li Yuanzhen carefully set Lu Meng down before turning to face Cheng Jin directly.

“So it’s you. What’s this? You defeated Cheng Yan?”

Hearing this, Lu Meng was confused. Wasn’t Cheng Yan standing right in front of him?

Cheng Jin knew what Li Yuanzhen was implying—he wanted to expose his identity in front of the boy.

But so what? Cheng Jin never intended to hide it. He simply hadn’t been able to take control before.

“Rather than worry about that, you should focus on yourself first.”

Cheng Jin lunged at Li Yuanzhen, and the two became entangled in a fierce fight.

Lu Meng had no idea why they were suddenly fighting again.

He was tired and didn’t want to bother anymore, so while they weren’t paying attention, he quietly took a different path and slipped away.

Halfway through the fight, Li Yuanzhen turned around and, noticing that Lu Meng was gone, panicked.

At that moment, Cheng Jin slashed his arm with the dagger.

Bright red blood immediately flowed out. Li Yuanzhen clicked his tongue, decided not to continue the fight, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Cheng Jin, now victorious, was just about to search for Lu Meng when he realized the boy was already nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, Lu Meng, who had wandered off alone, encountered Zhao Tian.

Relieved at the sight of Zhao Tian, Lu Meng was about to ask if he could take him back when Zhao Tian suddenly scooped him up into his arms.

Without a word, Zhao Tian carried him to a nearby spot, sat down, and then…

Smack... Smack!

Lu Meng froze. When he realized what was happening, his eyes turned red.

In his heart, there was nothing but shame and grievance.

He was already grown up, yet he was being spanked like a disobedient child.

Zhao Tian only delivered a few light smacks before stopping, worried about causing him pain. His strikes had been very gentle.

But when he heard the boy’s sobbing, he panicked.

Hurriedly, he turned him around to face him.

What he saw was the boy softly crying.

“Little Meng…”

As soon as he called out, he was met with the boy’s angry face.

“Zhao Tian, you’re too much!”

“I hate you!”

This was the first time Zhao Tian had ever heard the boy say his name, and to think it would be in such a situation.

Zhao Tian’s eyes darkened at the thought of the men coveting Lu Meng. He reached out, pinching Lu Meng’s soft lips.

“Even if you hate me, I won’t let you leave.”

“After all, you were only gone for a little while, and you’ve already drawn the attention of other men.”

“You really are naughty.”

Lu Meng became even angrier at Zhao Tian’s words. He hadn’t done anything to attract anyone—it was those men who sought him out!

He already had a husband, yet these people kept bullying him. They were all terrible!

“Little Meng, may I kiss you?”

Having just been bullied, Lu Meng huffed, “No way!”

Zhao Tian lowered his gaze to the boy in his arms, whose cheeks were puffed out in anger. He found him utterly adorable.

He grabbed Lu Meng’s small, soft hand and began kissing his fingers one by one.

The ticklish sensation on his hand made Lu Meng uncomfortable.

He tried to pull his hand back, but Zhao Tian held it firmly.

“Little Meng, you’re mine.”

“My dear, I love you.”

With his confession, Zhao Tian kissed him again.

Lu Meng, unable to break free, bit down hard on Zhao Tian’s tongue, and the taste of blood quickly filled his mouth.

But even then, Zhao Tian didn’t let go. Instead, his kiss grew fiercer.

After what felt like an eternity, the kiss finally ended.

Lu Meng, completely fed up, refused to talk to Zhao Tian anymore.

Zhao Tian looked at the still-angry boy and kissed his forehead.

“Little Meng, when the time comes, I’ll take you away with me.”

“Please don’t say no, alright?”

Lu Meng was about to refuse when his knees suddenly weakened. Before he knew it, he was already in Meng Yue’s arms.

“Zhao Tian, have you forgotten? We agreed that whoever found Little Meng first would notify the other.”

“So what are you doing now?”

“Monopolizing him?”

Zhao Tian stood up leisurely, touching his lips where Lu Meng had bitten him. His gaze was full of provocation.

“And what if I am? My business with Little Meng is none of your concern.”

“You don’t have the right.”

Meng Yue didn’t want to argue further. Carrying the boy, he turned and walked away.

Zhao Tian ultimately didn’t stop him.

Right now, he needed to clear the game plot first.

As for Cheng Yan, that sickly man doomed to die early, he had to be eliminated!

Meng Yue carried Lu Meng all the way to his doorstep.

When they arrived, he reluctantly set him down, stroked his soft hair, and said gently, “Go inside.”

“And remember, don’t come out after dark, okay?”

In the story, nighttime was when ghosts roamed freely. With how timid Little Meng was, it wouldn’t be good if he got scared.

Lu Meng nodded and softly expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you, Meng Yue.”

“Little Meng.”

“Hmm?”

Lu Meng turned around, only to feel a light kiss on his lips.

If Meng Yue weren’t standing so close, he would’ve thought he imagined it.

Meng Yue couldn’t hold himself back and gave the soft, sweet boy another hug.

“I’m leaving now. Think of me, okay?”

Compared to Zhao Tian and the man who had kidnapped him, Meng Yue had now dropped to third place on Lu Meng’s list of “bad guys.”

And since Meng Yue had brought him home, the boy agreed to his request.

Meng Yue, thrilled by the reply, couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Thank you, my dear.”

Lu Meng went inside.

Meng Yue stood there, watching until the door closed, before reluctantly leaving.

By now, the sky was on the verge of falling into darkness.

Something had awakened.

Back home, when Lu Meng didn’t see Cheng Yan, he brushed aside his lingering doubts.

He lay down on the soft bed, chatted with the system for a bit, and drifted into sleep.

By the time he woke up, Cheng Yan would surely be back.

T/N: To those who aren't familiar with this kind of story, let me explain:

The gong (top) has a fragmented soul, which means his soul has been split into several parts. Each fragment might have a different personality, memory, or even exist in a different world or timeline. These fragments are often scattered and need to be found or reunited, either by the shou (bottom) or through the events of the story.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***