Neil finally sat down, and it seemed my conditions had given him enough reassurance to momentarily let his guard down and engage in conversation with me—or so I thought. As he settled next to me, barely a meter away, I couldn't help but notice how much thinner he looked, even more so than the previous two Neils. I couldn't help but wonder if he had endured considerable hardship to become this thin. Should I start feeding him every meal like I did with Neil Caster? But before that, I needed to address the matter at hand. Just as I was about to reveal the secret, an unexpected twist unfolded."I want to tell you my secret...""Mr. Lucas Junior, you don't have to tell me your secret. Let's just talk.""Don't you want to know my secret? If you knew, you could hold it over me, even threaten me if necessary.""No need. I can do without knowing the secret.""Can I ask why?""I don't want Mr. Lucas Junior to lose your Lucas Group, and even if Mr. Lucas Junior yourself wouldn't harm me, others
"Neil, who gave you this list?""It was Jerry.""Jerry Lee?""Yes."The investigation resulted from Rizo had also been released, confirming Neil's condition. Indeed, he had suffered a head injury, which left him in a coma for six months. Moreover, apart from fractures in his left hand and right leg, he had multiple superficial wounds that took over three months to heal. When he woke up, he couldn't remember anything from before. The doctors diagnosed him with possible temporary amnesia but couldn't determine how long this "temporary" would last. Other than this, his injuries were not severe, although the fractures still impacted his daily activities to some extent. Richard Lee arranged for numerous tests to ensure Neil was fine before finally allowing him to be discharged from the hospital.The medical condition remained consistent, but the medical expenses told a different story. Rizo found that the amount on the actual medical bill was significantly less than the one Neil had—almost
"I want to know, is it possible?""When I was at the Black's house..." He hesitated for a moment, then began, but stopped again."Were you beaten?" I couldn't bear to let him struggle to say it himself, so I started prompting him."Yeah, I was beaten.""Did many people beat you?""No, just one person.""Who? The Black CEO? Peter Black?""Yeah..."When the name was mentioned, Neil’s expression reverted to how it was when we first met, distant and guarded. It seemed that the CEO was someone he preferred not to be associated with, just as he had appeared before we had spoken. But Neil had indeed been to the Black's house, reportedly more than once. There must have been substantial interaction between them. Could there have been issues between them? Was Neil subjected to severe mistreatment?"Did he physically assault you?""No, not really.""No? Then what did he do to you? Was it something more severe?""Yeah, it was something more severe."As I spoke, I noticed his eyes welling up with
"Never mind, let's tend to your wound first." I was still very worried about his injury."No, no need," Neil insisted, clutching his clothes tightly."Mr. Lucas Junior, perhaps you should take Neil to his room and help him with the medication. He might be feeling shy," whispered Rizo softly in my ear, just loud enough for me to hear but not Neil.I thought he had a point, so I gently led Neil to his room. As soon as I closed the door and turned around, I was taken aback by his reaction. He assumed I was going to force him and had backed into the corner of the bed, unable to retreat any further because of the wall behind him. Despite having no more room to move, he continued to press his feet against the mattress, gripping the sheets tightly with both hands.I wasn't angry at his misunderstanding. Instead, his behavior made me realize the deep trauma inflicted by the previous assault. Even a simple act of pulling him into a room and closing the door was enough to cause him great anxiet
I held Neil's hand, gently stroking the back of it."Neil, honestly, I'm very worried about leaving you alone here.""Mr. Lucas Junior, are you worried about my eyes? It's okay, I usually just sit until I feel sleepy and then go to bed. I wake up and see things again.""But your home isn't in a livable condition right now.""I'll be more careful. I heard a noise in the kitchen just now, so I ran over and ended up falling.""I can't let you take risks, and you can't guarantee those bad guys won't come back, can you?""I'll lock the door.""But what if they decide to break it down?""They haven't tried... yet.""They might next time, and that next time might be very soon.""Will they... do you think?" He hesitated, seeming to think my points made sense."They might. Come back with me to my place. Stay there while I check things out and make sure it's safe here. Then I'll bring you back, okay?""Uh... okay.""If you are worrying that I might do anything to you, I promise...""Mr. Lucas J
As we came downstairs in the morning, we were greeted by a table full of dishes prepared by Ethan. In that moment, I realized I had only told him about Neil's eye problem, completely forgetting to mention that Neil's appetite was quite small, nowhere near that of Neal Caster. Looking at all that food, I felt a wave of anxiety. I was torn between the possibility of upsetting Ethan or asking Neil to go through the trouble of eating more than he could handle.Ever since our last adventurous journey, Ethan had become accustomed to sitting beside Neil, slipping naturally back into his fatherly mode as soon as we took our seats. He had prepared numerous fish dishes that were beneficial for the eyes, along with meals based on traditional herbal recipes. I wanted to catch his eye and subtly hint that his efforts might be in vain, but the more he explained, the more excited he became.However, it turned out that I was the one worrying needlessly. Not only was Neil genuinely interested in Ethan
"I remember it very well. Visiting that old Chinese doctor isn't something I do often, so I had to make an appointment well in advance. I recall it was... Ryan, check your phone. I sent you the appointment details with the old doctor." I checked the date and time, confirming my dreadful suspicion. I needed to inform Ethan about this immediately."Alright, that's all for now. Neil and I have plans," I said, ready to end the call."Hey, hey, hey, you haven't told me about Neil's TCM plans.""Just make sure your wife and children don't harass Neil anymore. Don't worry about TCM; I'm hanging up," I insisted."Wait, I want to say one last thing to Neil.""Hurry up!""Uncle Lee, what's up?" Neil asked."Neil, stay close to Ryan. Ryan is a good kid; he'll protect you. If anything happens, you can call Uncle Lee, okay?""Okay, understand, Uncle Lee.""Goodbye."I hung up, finding Richard Lee quite verbose. But considering his final praise in front of Neil, I forgave him. I instructed Neil to
The Black family? Peter Black? The moment that name crossed my mind, I immediately glanced at Harry. He had just learned about Neil's background from me and understood Peter Black's obsession with Neil. He could indirectly guess the purpose of the Black family's visit to the hospital, especially since he was certain he had no dealings with any of the Blacks."Go notify the security team. Make sure to stop every single member of the Black family," Harry ordered."Yes, boss," the employee replied, quickly leaving to carry out the instructions."I'm going to meet him. You go find Neil," Harry said."Okay," I responded. "Be careful. That person is not to be underestimated.""How about this? If anything happens, you come and save me?"My phone rang—it was Harry's doing. I wanted to roll my eyes but I reconsidered. Being able to instantly know what the other was going through wasn't a bad thing. I answered his call, put on my headset, and opened the door to head out. Harry did the same, fol
Three days later, on a bright and sunny day, the warm light bathed the earth, as if even the sun was adding a touch of radiance to our wedding. The venue was set up like a dream—white flowers adorned every corner, and the air was filled with a faint, sweet fragrance, as though each petal had been carefully chosen just for us. The guests had all arrived, their faces lit with brilliant smiles, their eyes brimming with blessings and hope. In that moment, all the exhaustion and pain seemed to be forgotten, replaced by nothing but boundless joy and warmth.This day belonged to us three couples, the happiest day of our lives. Neil and I, Peter and Nick, Harry and Nelson—standing together, it felt as if fate had already woven an invisible thread, tying us all together. Each of our faces radiated joy, our eyes filled with love and devotion for one another. Just before the ceremony began, I stole a glance at Neil standing beside me. His eyes sparkled softly, filled with warmth and unwavering d
Ethan continued to describe that miraculous moment: "When Neil's blood entered your body, everything changed dramatically. At first, nothing seemed unusual, but soon, the operating room was filled with dazzling light. Countless beams of light intertwined in the air, and the entire hospital was suddenly powered down, as if a mysterious force had illuminated it. Everyone was startled, and you, it seemed, experienced some kind of extraordinary transformation in that instant." There was a calmness in Ethan’s eyes. "Then, the situation settled. Power was restored, the readings on the instruments returned to normal, and your arm miraculously reconnected, fully healed. The symptoms of blood loss vanished in an instant, as though nothing had ever happened."I murmured, "If this is true, then what the Black Wolf said in the virtual world must also be correct. It claimed the calamity has been averted, the curse is broken." The Black Wolf had told me that these changes signified that the crisis
Everything went black, and I was suddenly jolted back to reality. The chaotic scene of battle unfolded around me—Kim and Peter had been knocked to the ground by the vengeful spirits, and Maria was visibly struggling, her strength fading. I looked around in shock, my heart heavy with realization. All of this suffering, all of this fighting—it was because of the decision I had made. I had refused to let go of Neil, going to any lengths to bring him back to life. But in doing so, I had led us into an endless cycle of calamity, and even Neil had been forced to endure so much pain. Perhaps the root of all this, the key to ending it, lay within myself.Slowly, I rose to my feet, a sense of clarity settling over me as I began to understand the true meaning of goodness. It was selfless letting go—it was the willingness to forsake oneself for the sake of others.I took a deep breath, releasing all my obsessions, letting go of the desire to fight for selfish reasons or love. I would fight now,
Ken Yimo raised his hand high, summoning the fragile thread of magic he could barely muster, and hurled it toward the demon with all the strength he had left. Though his magical abilities were far from impressive, his gaze was resolute, unwavering in the face of death. The demon, however, merely smiled faintly, effortlessly neutralizing Ken's attack. The vast disparity in power sent Ken crashing to the ground, his body feeling as fragile as an ant under the weight of the demon’s overwhelming force.But just as Ken fell, something in Fred's heart shifted. He could no longer bear to watch this crumbling scene unfold. Tears welled in his eyes as he screamed in desperate anguish, his voice cracking with raw emotion, “Ken, no! Don’t sacrifice yourself for me! I’m not worth it!” His words were soaked in sorrow and despair, filled with regret—as if all his anger and jealousy had now melted away into nothing but remorse.Ken Yimo struggled painfully to rise from the ground, blood and bruises
Nick forced himself to put on a defiant expression and coldly said, "Who's afraid?" But I could see a flash of fragile fear in his eyes, and my heart ached even more. Nelson had just recovered, his face pale, his body swaying slightly. Upon hearing Harry's call, he struggled to lift his head, his eyes still filled with trust and dependence on Harry. He parted his lips weakly and whispered, "Harry..." His voice was so faint, it seemed like it could vanish into the air at any moment. Neil, the most sensitive of the three, looked at us with fear in his eyes. But he didn't cry out for help; instead, he anxiously glanced at Nelson, as if silently urging us to take care of the more fragile brother first.Facing the scene before me, a surge of anger filled my chest, and I coldly demanded to know what Fred wanted. Fred stood in the shadows, his gaze as cold as ice. He gave a faint smile, revealing a sickly, cruel satisfaction. "It's simple," he said, his voice low but carrying an undeniable o
Meanwhile, the others had scattered, continuing their search for any trace of Neil, their faces grim with concern. The tension in the air was thick, and every passing second felt like we were hurtling toward something far darker than we had anticipated.As everyone scrambled in panic, Maria suddenly called out, "There's a trace of magic here!" Her voice was tinged with urgency and surprise, clearly indicating that she had discovered something unusual. We hurried over to find her standing at the entrance of Ken Yimo's bedroom, eyes closed in concentration, her hands moving gently through the air as though she were carefully unraveling an invisible barrier. Soon, the tips of her fingers began to glow faintly, as if she had torn through a thin veil. In that instant, the magical barrier dissolved, and everything behind the door came into view, causing me to gasp in shock.Inside the bedroom, Ken Yimo lay on the cold floor, his face ashen, as though he had endured some immense shock. Scatt
"It turns out that Ken's coldness stems from such a painful past," I murmured softly, a deep, indescribable sorrow washing over me. The suffering Ken had endured was far beyond our comprehension. No wonder he kept everyone at arm's length, as if wrapped in a hard shell to shield himself."What's even more tragic is that our 'old-fashioned' people, upon learning about Ken's sexual orientation, grew even more hostile toward him. They have no idea that his sexuality was, for the most part, twisted by that monstrous foster father of his," Maria sighed, her eyes filled with profound sympathy and understanding for Ken. She shook her head, adding, "They ostracized him, yet they have no clue what kind of pain he went through."I couldn't help but ask, "What happened after that? What did Ken go through?"Maria gently shook her head, a shadow of sorrow crossing her face. "He left our place. By the time I found him, that beast of a foster father had gathered thirty or forty people, trying to for
Ken Yimo chuckled gently, the smile on his face tinged with a trace of self-mockery, as if he had already come to terms with his fate. "For me, Neil’s safety is the most important thing. As long as he can get away from here, away from all this conflict, I fear nothing."His words were firm and tender, that kind of selfless, fatherly love stirring something deep within me. I clenched my fists in silent resolve, taking a deep breath. "Alright, Ken. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to take Neil away. I won’t let him come to any harm. I swear, I will protect him with everything I have."A flicker of gratitude passed through Ken Yimo's eyes as he nodded slightly. "I know you will, Ryan. Your care for Neil, your dedication to him—it's something even I deeply admire. He’s a child who deserves love and protection... Please continue to show him kindness, and give him the warmth he truly needs."His words struck a chord deep within me. I had planned to turn and leave, to end this
Ken Yimo nodded slightly, his expression laced with a complex mixture of emotions. “Yes. Fred knows he’s nothing more than a replacement. But he... he’s different. Despite everything, he still desperately seeks my attention. He doesn’t mind being my servant, if it means he can be close to me.”"A child with ambition," I murmured to myself, trying to grasp the psychological dynamics at play in such a twisted situation.A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Ken Yimo's lips. "Do you think Fred acts out so recklessly, causing chaos everywhere, even disregarding the reputation of the Yimo family? What do you think he’s trying to achieve?"I furrowed my brows, pondering for a moment, before the realization dawned on me. "Could it be... that he's doing it just to get your attention? He’s deliberately being reckless, making sure everyone knows."Ken Yimo nodded, his tone unnervingly calm. "Exactly. He knows that by antagonizing people, the Yimo family will inevitably be ostracized. But what