Chapter 1162: Little Angel and the Lunatic 04

The bedroom was very quiet.

Xi Er woke up again, sat up, and once more heard the rattling of the silver chain, a clear tinkling.

Instinctively, he looked toward the corner of the curtains; no one was sitting there.

The dim, lightless bedroom made Xi Er uncomfortable, just as uneasy as when he was locked in the attic.

He slowly turned his blue eyes, observing everything in the room; his gaze fell on the corner where the living room corridor met, where a mirror stood.

Xi Er walked to the full-length mirror, looked at his reflection, expressionless, like a soulless porcelain doll.

He changed into another set of clothes, longer than yesterday's, and the garments still carried that man's scent.

After a long while, he unfurled his wings and touched his blue feathers.

On Tian Shi Xing, the pure blue that symbolized baseness and inadequacy made him lower his eyelids, and suddenly he recalled the man's words.

But… it was gone.

Xi Er's unease grew heavier; he folded his wings and left the bedroom. The silver chain's clasp on his ankle no longer restrained him, the long chain was gone, replaced by a shiny clasp.

Just on this floor, the sheer number of rooms left Xi Er unsure where to go, almost getting lost in the hallway.

In the spacious, quiet, luxurious hallway, Xi Er walked slowly, his long hair messy and disheveled, blankly staring at one turning corridor after another; the paintings on the walls made him feel suffocated and oppressed.

After several failed attempts to find his way, Xi Er felt a tightness in his chest, his vision dazed and blurry; the hallway ahead seemed to shrink rapidly, making him feel dizzy.

He suddenly collapsed to the ground, his arms barely supporting his body, his soft white hair falling over his eyes, and waves of darkness clouded his mind.

His chest rose and fell slightly as he breathed slowly; Xi Er knew this was the reaction to losing the Energy Heart Stone, yet he could do nothing about it.

His trembling body leaned against the wall for a long time before finally regaining a bit of strength; he tasted blood in his mouth, feeling utterly miserable.

Xi Er noticed the shiny clasp flashing at his ankle; impelled by some impulse, he reached out and touched it—it was the one that man had placed on him, but the man was gone.

What is this place? Is it really a prison?

A sudden footstep startled Xi Er; he looked toward the newcomer with some fear—it was another person he had never seen.

The assistant hadn't expected to see Xi Er here either.

"Do... you need help?"

The assistant glanced once, then dared not lift his head, hesitating but unable to step forward.

Mr. Jin Chen's possessiveness over anything he likes is extremely strong; others cannot touch them, and if he were to help the person up, his arm would likely not be spared.

But if he didn't help… if something happened, Mr. Jin Chen would never forgive him.

The assistant never imagined that his morning work dilemma would be whether to help or not.

Xi Er shook his head, braced his palms on the ground and shifted backward, silently resisting.

"Then please wait a moment; I'll go call Mr. Jin Chen." The assistant hurriedly left after saying that, going to find Jin Chen.

Xi Er still remembered that person was Mr. Jin Chen.

He inhaled deeply with pain for a long time before barely standing, then followed behind that person, walking slowly.

At that moment, in the estate's underground second chamber.

A kneeling man in a suit had blood on his cheeks, his life hanging by a thread.

Jin Chen sat opposite them, his distinctively jointed fingers idly tapping beside the wheelchair.

"Give you one last chance—who arranged for you to come in?" the butler scolded, the iron whip on his hand hooked with barbs, more terrifying than any torture device.

"If you don't tell the truth, Mr. Jin Chen won't spare you."

Unable to withstand fear, the man gritted his teeth and said, "It's the head of the family… he, he had me go undercover in the assistant team, and when necessary… when necessary, report to him Mr. Jin Chen's recent schedule."

It was only about the schedule; the man thought that even if discovered, he'd merely be expelled, never expecting it to be this serious.

As soon as the man finished speaking, Jin Chen grabbed an antique porcelain from the display cabinet behind him and hurled it at his head.

With a crack, the priceless porcelain shattered into pieces; the man's skull burst open, blood gushing as he fainted.

Jin Chen's hand was splattered with fresh blood, his expression unchanged, his gloomy brows and eyes lowered; he took the handkerchief the butler offered and gently wiped it.

"Dispose of them."

"Yes."

The assistant hurriedly entered, glanced at the colleague being dragged away on the floor, asked nothing, and in a low voice told Jin Chen: "Sir, that person is looking for you."

"Go back."

The assistant pushed him out of the basement, thinking that person was still fallen in the hallway and hadn't gotten up; unexpectedly, upon returning to the main floor, he saw Xi Er hesitating at the stairwell.

He hesitated whether to go down, but Xi Er, frightened by the extreme darkness, had his eyes brighten slightly; upon seeing Jin Chen, he hurried over.

Jin Chen tossed aside the handkerchief; the assistant understood and left, leaving only the two of them in the hallway.

He reached out to the swiftly approaching Xi Er, who made no other move; thus his palm met the slender fingertips, icy cold to the extreme.

Xi Er leaned in close, almost lying on Jin Chen to smell, caught the scent of blood, then lightly touched his forearm.

"It's not my blood." Jin Chen was in an excellent mood, unusually offering several explanations; he tightened his arm to pull the person into an embrace, but Xi Er wrinkled his nose and stepped back, clearly resisting the bloody smell.

He hated that smell.

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, leaning back lazily, "If you won't let me hold you, you'll have no food later."

Xi Er: "..."

He bit his lip, torn, then willingly threw himself into the embrace, nestling in the arms and covering his nose with his hand.

Jin Chen found it amusing, yet noticed Xi Er's arms bore some bruises; he lifted the shirt to see, the thighs also showed various degrees of bruising, some even turning purple.

"What happened." The smile on his face vanished instantly, and he gently rubbed the bruise on the thigh with his fingertip.

Xi Er had been exhausted since early morning; sitting in his embrace, he weakly lifted his eyes, let out an "ah," pointed at the corner, then pointed back at his own leg.

"Did you fall?"

Xi Er nodded, moisture welling in his eyes; touched by this question laden with hidden concern, he felt like crying.

He sniffed, leaned against Jin Chen's shoulder, and quietly gripped the hem of his clothing.

Jin Chen held Xiao Tian Shi, gently patting her back, and operated the wheelchair to go upstairs.