Chapter 3203: Saving the Zero-Protein Bai Ze Love Story 04

Inside the basement.

The man of lean build lowered his head, his wrists bound and hung from the torture rack, a white shirt clinging to his body; the back of the shirt bore several tears, whip marks, the fabric soaked with blood, some wounds fresh, the bloodstains not yet dry, spreading damp red patches across the pallid shirt.

His face was as pale as paper, his lips chapped, devoid of color. Several buttons of his shirt had been torn open, the collar gaping, almost baring his entire chest; the lines of his pectoral muscles flickered in the dim light, and together with those mottled wounds, they conveyed an indescribable sense of fragility and vague allure.

Hearing the door open, Bai Ze weakly lifted his head.

His gaze was somewhat unfocused, clearly from pain and blood loss clouding his consciousness, yet the moment he saw who had entered, his eyes snapped into focus; his voice was hoarse, weak as if it might break at any moment: 'How is your hand…'

Yiqi stared at him coldly, taking in Bai Ze's wounded back and body—the crisscrossing whip lashes, the bleeding wounds—each one shocking to behold.

He had struck them himself, so of course he knew how heavy they were.

But…

Yiqi's gaze fell on Bai Ze's face, his voice low: 'Why still refuse to tell me who they are?'

Bai Ze moved his lips, but his throat was dry, unable to produce any sound.

'Why are you helping others bully me?' Yiqi asked again, his voice trembling slightly.

Bai Ze lowered his eyelids, still silent.

Yiqi waited a long time.

The basement was quiet save for their breathing; Yiqi stood there, watching Bai Ze's bowed head—the look of preferring to be beaten rather than explain—sparked a nameless anger in his chest.

He glanced angrily at the whip beside Bai Ze, still stained with blood, bent to pick it up, gripped it tight, then after a few seconds threw it down.

Yiqi stood there, sourness and resentment spreading in his chest; he ought to be furious, ought to lash Bai Ze with the whip a few more times until he agreed to speak.

But he couldn't bring himself to strike.

His heart churned with anxiety, like a fire burning within; he didn't understand why the method Serena taught him was ineffective, his mother having said that to deal with a stubborn person you must be harsher, make him hurt and fear him, then he will obey.

Yet Bai Ze was already in such agony—why still say nothing?

Just who is that adulterer?

Even if they are merely nominal fiancés now, that is no excuse for Bai Ze to betray him!

So angry, so angry, so angry.

The more Yiqi thought, the more vexed he became, his chest heaving violently: 'I hate you to death.'

Bai Ze's eyelashes fluttered; he kept his head lowered, silent for a long while, then suddenly spoke softly: 'It was I who wanted to let them go…'

'No one forced me…' Bai Ze's voice was faint, as if he had expended all his strength, 'You still cannot kill them.'

Yiqi fixed him with a heavy stare, as if trying to see straight through Bai Ze.

'Those people are assassins! They wanted to kill me! I waited so long, waited for you to come, and you… you let them go right in front of me!'

'You…' Yiqi's eyes began to redden, 'Do you not know they almost killed me?'

His left arm began to ache faintly again.

The spot where those assassins had stabbed him that day—no one knew what weapon they used—the wound refused to heal, despite changing to the best medicine and re-bandaging repeatedly; from time to time a piercing pain shot through.

Yiqi raised his right hand, pressing it to the wound on his left arm.

Bai Ze saw this and almost instinctively wanted to step forward, but he was bound by chains; the iron links coiled several times around his body, the other end fixed to a wall ring, so he could only struggle uselessly in place twice, the chains clanking, 'Let me see the wound…'

Yiqi lowered his hand, the corners of his eyes glistening with moisture, his amber-brown eyes gradually overlaid with darker waves.

He stepped forward a few paces, stopping just out of Bai Ze's reach, deliberately not letting Bai Ze see the injury on his hand, yet from an arm's length away, lowering his gaze he could make out the intersecting whip marks on Bai Ze's body.

Those wounds were especially glaring in the dim light—raised red swellings, some split open to exude fine beads of blood.

Yiqi gazed at those scars, a sudden inexplicable irritation welling up inside him; he did not want to see them.

He roughly pulled Bai Ze's open shirt together, fastening the buttons one by one, then leaned in and sank his teeth hard into Bai Ze's shoulder through the fabric, leaving a deep bite mark.

Bai Ze let out a muffled groan, his suspended fingers curling, he tilted his head and closed his eyes lightly.

Yiqi straightened up, stepped back, his voice tinged with spite, speaking heedlessly: 'Since you won't say anything, I won't come see you again!'

He turned and walked toward the door, pausing at the threshold without looking back.

'Tomorrow I'll set you free—I'll go find that convenient older brother, Dage, to annul our engagement!'

Annul the engagement.

Those four words felt like a bucket of cold water poured over Bai Ze.

He couldn't spare attention for the sting in his shoulder or the odd sensation from the bite mark; he hastily lifted his head, hoping to call out to the retreating figure already at the door.

'Yiqi…'

Yiqi did not turn back.

He strode out of the basement, his footsteps echoing up the stairs, growing fainter; the iron door slammed shut behind him.

Bai Ze slowly closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, a hint of moisture beneath his lashes.

——

Jin Chen came down from the fourth floor and happened to see Weisen standing in the corner of the stairwell.

The butler clasped his hands before him, posture upright, expression solemn, as if guarding some important secret; yet his stance was odd, huddled in the corner, as though afraid of being discovered.

Jin Chen sensed something off and quickened his steps downstairs.

'Weisen, where is Yiqi?'

Weisen bowed slightly, his expression unchanged, replying, 'Young Master, the young master is resting in his room.'

Jin Chen let out a soft sigh of admiration: 'Truly loyal.'

Weisen maintained a proper smile.

'You might as well be transferred to District Ten tomorrow,' Jin Chen continued, smiling at him, 'They're badly in need of someone like you there.'

Weisen's smile froze for a second.

He quickly made his decision, decisively turning toward the far end of the corridor: 'Actually I also don't know whether the young master went to the basement.'

Jin Chen's brow twitched.

Basement.

What a wicked place!

He lifted his foot and continued forward; just after rounding the stairwell corner, he saw a figure rush out from the direction of the basement.

Ziqi's face still bore undissipated anger, his aura low and frightening; seeing Jin Chen, he visibly startled for a moment, then quickly adjusted his expression, blocking the stairwell entrance, lifting his head to glare at him.

"What are you doing?"

Jin Chen looked down at him, casually patting his hair, "What are you cultivating your sentiments for in the basement at this hour?"

Ziqi blinked, tilted his head to dodge his hand, his tone weakening halfway, "None of your business."

Jin Chen didn't argue the point, "Who's locked in there, Bai Ze?"

Ziqi's brow twitched; he almost instinctively denied it, his mouth speaking before his mind could catch up, "No, why are you asking this?"

He sized up Jin Chen's expression, guiltily averting his gaze, then turned back and feigned sleepiness with a yawn.

"I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep."

Jin Chen leaned against the railing with a half-smile, "Fine."

He reached out and patted Ziqi's shoulder: "Go on, as long as no one's locked inside, I'll go rest too."

Ziqi let out a heavy sigh, his tense shoulders visibly relaxing; he hurried past him, charging up to the third floor, only then fully relaxing, he leaned against the wall and slowly squatted, burying his face in his knees.

Jin Chen stood where he was, listening to his footsteps fade away, and shook his head.

What a worried state—if it's not Bai Ze locked inside, then there's nothing ghostly about it.

He turned and walked toward the basement.