When Xie Zhiyun was in school, he had someone he treasured above all others.
Back then, every student at school knew that Xie Zhiyun had a "weak spot" no one could touch. He protected it fiercely, and anyone who did would have to fight him for it.
Some had seen the usually scowling Xie Zhiyun soften in private around Bai Ling, the corners of his mouth lifting as he gently called him "Xiao Bai."
And Bai Ling never let him down. He cared for Xie Zhiyun and acted meek and sweet.
Some said Bai Ling was just like a little kitten Xie Zhiyun had raised to protect its owner.
But Bai Ling had been faking it all.
At their graduation ceremony, Bai Ling dropped his disguise. The cat revealed the fangs it had kept hidden for so long and betrayed Xie Zhiyun.
It turned out that Bai Ling was the illegitimate son of the Bai family, the most prominent of the noble clans. He had approached Xie Zhiyun with an agenda from the very beginning.
After that, Xie Zhiyun vanished from Bai Ling's world without a trace.
*
Years later, Bai Ling, who had regained control of the Bai family, was invited to a celebration banquet for a newly appointed officer.
The guest of honor was none other than Xie Zhiyun!
Before Bai Ling could approach, the sight before him pinned him in place, as if he were standing on an icy plain.
Xie Zhiyun gently rubbed someone's earlobe and tucked a loose strand of hair behind their ear. His eyes held the same tenderness as before, and he wore the same warm smile.
Bai Ling heard Xie Zhiyun say to that person, "Xiao Bai, meeting you is the greatest good fortune of my life."
Only then did Bai Ling realize that there was a kind of regret that gnawed at the heart and bones, with no way to atone.
Those words had once belonged to him!
*
Later, in a dim hotel room, Bai Ling handcuffed Xie Zhiyun to the bedpost and leaned over him, his whole body clamoring with desire for Xie Zhiyun and the agony of being unable to have him.
Xie Zhiyun remained clear-eyed, not even sparing Bai Ling a sidelong glance. "Let me go. You can still be the one I treasure above all others."
Bai Ling clutched the pale wrist reddened by the handcuff. "Xie Zhiyun, did you ever love me?"
Xie Zhiyun replied coldly and mercilessly, "Maybe I did once, but now I love..."
At that moment, the once meek cat who had fiercely protected its owner lost control again. He bit hard into the corner of his owner's lips.
But the words he spoke were full of anguish, struggle, and regret: "Leave him and come back to me. Please... don't give up on me."
Reading guide:
A fatherly, MAX-strength, unhinged bottom VS a naturally two-faced, fragile white lotus top
# Sweet and satisfying school romance in the early chapters, with a redemption theme
# Later, the beloved returns to win back his wife
# An old-school redemption story about a ruthless little madman saving a white-lotus lunatic
Theme: Redemption
