Chapter 43: I make him suffer, I drive him mad, but I just can't pull it out these past few years...

Four years later.

Time is like a blade, silently cutting through bones.

Years rolled through the undercurrent of political intrigue. Chen Huixing stood tall, power growing wildly in his grasp like a vine. Even the phrase "at the peak of his powers" seemed a bit frivolous.

Cen Yuean still

held the title of commander-in-chief, but in reality, his real power had long been stripped away. Yet, Chen Huixing's family held him in check.

Power was like a knife, pressed against his throat, neither falling nor retreating.

People in the military said that Chen Huixing was just standing by, acting as his regent. He held the power, why would he get involved in bloodshed?

Today was the birthday of Chen Xinze's son, born three years ago, a few months younger than Chen Huixing's daughter.

The word "jade" in his name suggests a wealth of gold. Liang Yi had chosen his name.

Chen Huixing had chosen his own daughter's name without asking for suggestions.

Because his nickname contained a character that Chen Huixing found objectionable: Nan, Nan'an.

Pei Jiqing had become increasingly reluctant to go out in recent years, so Chen Xinze had mentioned it to Chen Huixing several times.

The banquet only invited a few close relatives, along with Mu Xinbai's family.

Chen Xinze hadn't intended a grand affair, but upon closer inspection—the Shen family had always been numerous.

Bloodlines are like vines, clinging to power and influence, spreading a tangled web.

His eldest brother, in particular, had suddenly become particular about family ties

in recent years. Old rules, new ambitions, had given him several Shen family members. 

He prioritized family names, not talent. Liang Yi had tried to persuade him, but it didn't help. His eldest brother and his family arrived, and Chen Xinze greeted them. 

Chen Huixing and Pei Jiqing's daughter, Shen Zhizhi, nicknamed Xiaonan, wore a skirt, had picturesque features, was intelligent and beautiful, and was a spitting image of Pei Jiqing. 

Chen Huixing had raised her with care, practically from infancy. 

Chen Xinze had seen his brother peel a pomegranate for her, his fingers twisting the bright red peel and picking out the glistening pomegranates one by one. The little girl nestled in his lap, swinging her legs. When she spit out the seeds, Chen Huixing would naturally reach out to take them. 

Chen Huixing had never witnessed his elder brother so tender and steadfast. 

Wearing a sharply tailored dark coat, Chen Huixing held a girl as delicate as a porcelain doll, calling her "uncle." His free hand clasped the fingers of the Omega beside him, the ring on his ring finger gleaming warmly. 

Pei Jiqing stood beside Shen Huixing, his light-colored trench coat making him look even colder, like a cloud that could never reach shore. 

He was more beautiful than before, but that beauty was cold. The bright light that once shone between his eyebrows and eyes was now shrouded in darkness, as if crushed and hastily pieced together, leaving only a silent weariness and gloom. 

Chen Xinze remembered that he wasn't like this before. Back then, he was the most soothing presence around his eldest brother, his eyes and brows brimming with warmth, his voice rising ever so slightly, like the warm water between ice and fire, mediating the relationship between him and his eldest brother. 

Pei Jiqing nodded when he saw him. 

Chen Xinze recalled Liang Yi's religious faith. One year, they had performed a ritual for his deceased father. 

Incense and candles curled upward, and the ashes of burnt yellow paper fluttered like butterflies in the wind. 

Liang Yi bowed his head and clasped his hands together, his low chanting echoing through the hall, his devotion so profound that he seemed to want to immerse himself in the wisps of smoke. 

Chen Xinze stood by, his brows serene, his posture hardly reverent. As he glanced at the monks chanting with their eyes closed, he couldn't help but wonder—could this really lead to the salvation of someone he had never met? 

He had never had the image of his Alpha father in his life, only a vague outline pieced together from the occasional words between his father and eldest brother. 

Later, he got tired of listening and walked out of the hall. The wind blew the unburned paper ashes across the stone steps. 

When Shen Xinze walked out, he saw his eldest brother and Pei Jiqing standing in the corridor, and the light and shadow fell on their overlapping figures in a dappled manner. 

Shen Huixing was tall, and it was obviously Pei Jiqing who was trapped in Shen Huixing's arms, but Pei Jiqing's fingers ran through his hair, and his gesture was gentle and almost protective - as if he was the one who could hold it all up. 

The family gathering that year when Pei Jiqing gave birth to Zhizhi was very lively. The cries of the newborn baby were intertwined with the laughter, and the table was filled with delicious food steaming with warm aromas. 

Pei Jiqing sat in the center of the crowd holding Zhizhi. The baby in the cradle was well-behaved, and the look on his face with his eyes lowered and staring should have been as gentle as a painting. 

But when his eyes swept over Shen Huixing, Shen Xinze saw that the warmth in his eyes suddenly faded, and he was as cold as the frozen lake in deep winter, without a ripple. 

That look was so unfamiliar, as if the distance between them wasn't the distance of a dining table, but frost and snow. 

Two years ago, Shen Xinze resigned from his public office. 

The day he handed in his resignation at the police station, he expected his elder brother's fury, a fresh form of admonition, as he had countless times before, to teach him a lesson. 

But this time, Chen Huixing simply looked at him silently, the weariness in his eyes like thick, unmeltable ink. Finally, he simply waved his hand and said, "Whatever you want. I can't control you anymore." 

Only then did Shen Xinze realize that his elder brother's brutal discipline and unquestionable toughness would eventually wear out. 

He had already devoted all his energy to managing his sister-in-law. 

In his memory, Shen Huixing had always been tall, like an impenetrable wall. 

The crisp sound of a belt against his body was like the cold sweat that woke him in the dark night. The pain and fear were deeply engraved in the rings of Shen Xinze's growth. 

Their Alpha father had passed away too early, so early that Chen Huixing had to forge himself into a mountain. 

Chen Xinze had never even seen him lose his composure. He had only heard about it from his father's memories—when the white banners fluttered at the funeral hall, young Chen Huixing clutched his father's trembling hand and said, "You can't fall. We must protect everything that belongs to you." 

And now, that mountain of hope had finally shown cracks. 

The last time Chen Xinze had seen his eldest brother in a bad mood was about three years ago. The public opinion storm had come with swiftness and ferocity. The headlines were sharp as knives, and rumors on social media spread like wildfire, saying that his eldest brother had escaped surveillance and lacked the self-awareness of an S-rank Alpha. 

Chen Xinze remembered that his eldest sister-in-law was abroad at the time, nursing a baby. Separated by time zones and vast oceans, outsiders could only see fleeting glimpses, never grasping the underlying truth. 

For the first time, he opened his eldest brother's office door like an adult, asking if he needed help, no longer the troublemaker. 

The faint scent of cigarette smoke lingered in the air, something unusual. Chen Huixing had always hated the smell of cigarettes, frowning even at the mere touch of tobacco on someone's fingertips. 

"I don't need your help," Chen Huixing's voice was hoarse, "Just take care of yourself." 

Chen Xinze was bored: "I'm just being sentimental." 

But when he was leaving, Chen Huixing's voice stopped him: "You're married now, so you're more responsible. Don't be so willful anymore."

At that moment, Shen Xinze felt an indescribable revulsion. That tone was all too familiar, the tone of admonition he'd heard over the years. Seeing his eldest brother's current downfall, he'd come here wanting to help, but he'd unexpectedly gotten a lecture instead.

Shen Huixing wasn't one to just stand there and listen. Since childhood, his brother had told him nothing, and even when he was beaten so hard he couldn't even get up, he still forced himself to do it. So, driven by pride, he said, "I'm being sentimental, but big brother, you should take it easy in this high position. You're married now, so don't make your sister-in-law worry about you."

He saw Shen Huixing's brows furrow slightly, and the pleasure he felt in that moment was more satisfying than all the rebelliousness of his youth.

Chen Huixing looked at him: "You all think he's great?"

Chen Xinze thought he was sick: "Don't you think so?"

Chen Huixing: "Then have you ever considered that everything is fake, everything about Pei Jiqing is fake, someone set a trap for you to fall into, a trap set just for you." Chen Xinze

thought his brother was crazy: "What's the purpose?"

Chen Huixing looked at him: "I don't know, maybe to drive me crazy."

The brother who was as calm as a mountain now showed a look of paranoia.

Chen Xinze wanted to entertain relatives, so he greeted his eldest brother and sister-in-law. Zhizhi

slid off Chen Huixing's lap, the hem of her skirt like a blooming lily of the valley.

She trotted over and grabbed Chen Xinze's sleeve, her face raised with the curve of baby fat: "Uncle, where's Chengyu?"

The eyes inherited from Pei Jiqing were sparkling, full of undisguised expectation.

Chen Xinze's fingers gently scratched her soft hair, and his fingertips rubbed her face. His voice softened unconsciously: "Upstairs, he has been waiting for Zhizhi to play with toys together."

The nanny took Zhizhi to the second floor, and Pei Jiqing suddenly said, "Slow down." Zhizhi turned around and

waved: "Dad, see you later."

Chen Huixing's hand naturally rested on the back of Pei Jiqing's waist.

After all, they were a real family, so Chen Xinze didn't treat Chen Huixing too much, and told them to do as they pleased.

Liang Yi now likes quietness more and more, and likes living in the mountains. He said that he wanted to pray for the two younger generations, and he would not go down the mountain unless there was something important.

Halfway through the banquet, Chen Huixing suddenly came over and asked him to check the surveillance.

Chen Xinze noticed that Chen Huixing's tie had been undone. He looked puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Before he could finish his words, Chen Huixing's voice was agitated, "Pei Jiqing's missing."

Confused, Chen Xinze said, "Call my sister-in-law."

"Why hold this here? Damn it, have them seal all the exits."

His voice trembled with nervousness. "I just missed him for a few minutes."

Mu Xin had carefully chosen the venue—a vast expanse of greenery stretching to the horizon, with the white reception room dotted like a pearl.

Chen Xinze said, "Maybe my sister-in-law just went to the restroom."

But Chen Huixing's expression had changed. He looked so alarmed, as if Pei Jiqing was about to elope.

The banquet was held at dusk, and the sun had already set.

When they found Pei Jiqing on the terrace, he was leaning against the carved railing, a cigarette between his fingers. The smoke shrouded his slender wrist, a bruise etched prominently against his cold, pale skin.

Someone was leaning over to light a cigarette for him. The lighter made a crisp "click" sound, and the flame illuminated his drooping eyelashes, casting a butterfly-wing-like shadow under his eyes, and the lines of his profile were as clean as snow.

Pei Jiqing raised his hand nonchalantly and pushed back his drooping black hair.

This casual action exposed his entire face completely to the moonlight - the shadow cast by his brow bone was like a meticulously drawn ink line, and the curve from the bridge of his nose to the peak of his lips was stunningly stunning.

The night wind swept across the open collar of his shirt, and cigarette ash fell from his palm. That bit of nonchalant decadence gave birth to a kind of breathtaking beauty.

Shen Xinze recognized the man standing next to Pei Jiqing at a glance - Yan Jiu, the great-grandson of Lingyue Group, was a dandy who relied on his prominent family background to hunt for beauties in the world of romance.

At this moment, he was whispering something in Pei Jiqing's ear, and Pei Jiqing suddenly smiled, his eyebrows curved into a crescent arc, and he even leaned in slightly to get closer to him.

The gesture was too intimate.

Shen Xinze's heart sank suddenly.

Before he could react, Shen Huixing rushed forward like an angry lion.

He pulled Pei Jiqing behind him with such force that the thin wrist instantly turned red again. Then there was a muffled "bang" sound - Yan Jiu was kicked out and hit hard on the carved pillar, and the wound on his forehead gushed out blood.

"Chen Huixing!" Yan Jiu roared, covering his wound, "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have all the power!"

He staggered to his feet, but could only lean against the wall, his voice full of poison: "I will make you pay the price -"

The last half of the sentence was almost squeezed out through gritted teeth: "It was your fucking bitch wife who took the initiative to talk to me!"

The night wind suddenly stopped.

Behind Shen Huixing, Pei Jiqing let out a soft "ah!" "That joke you just told was really good."

Shen Huixing snatched the half-burned cigarette from Pei Jiqing's fingers, the crimson butt tracing a dazzling arc in the night.

He raised his foot and crushed Yan Jiu's chest with such force that his ribs crackled under the weight. Then, without hesitation, he pressed the burning sensation against his temples. With a sizzle, the smell of scorched flesh, mixed with Yan Jiu's heartbreaking screams, exploded in the air.

If Yan Jiu hadn't ducked at the last moment, the scorching cigarette butt would have burned into his fragile eyeballs.

The crowd around him swarmed over like startled bees, scrambling to grab Shen Huixing's arm.

But he simply shrugged off all resistance, turned, grabbed Pei Jiqing's wrist, and walked back.

Pei Jiqing stumbled twice as he was dragged along, but as he passed Chen Xinze, he suddenly raised his hand, gestured goodbye, and apologized for ruining Chengyu's birthday party. The frown in his eyes was almost cruel.

Chen Xinze stood there, watching his eldest brother's violent back and Pei Jiqing's fluttering clothes, his throat tightening.

Over the years, Chen Huixing had become less and less like the man he remembered—the always calm and composed brother, now like a ferocious beast whose scales had been touched.

The several similar incidents in recent years alone were enough to prove it, and Pei Jiqing was the thorn that dug deep into his flesh, causing him pain and driving him mad, yet he couldn't pull it out.

The night breeze brushed against his cheek, and Chen Xinze suddenly felt that perhaps they had all gone mad long ago.

Chen Xinze signaled to the waiter to help Yan Jiu, who was curled up on the ground, to his feet. The man's temples still bore hideous burn marks, and blood mixed with soot formed dark red lines on his skin. He cursed and screamed.

Meanwhile, Pei Jiqing was roughly shoved into Chen Huixing's car. The muffled thud of the car door slamming startled a nightingale from the treetops.

"What?" Pei Jiqing lazily raised his wrist. Moonlight streamed in through the car window, coating his slender wrist bones with a cold glaze. "Are you going to handcuff me again?"

Chen Huixing suddenly pinched his chin, his knuckles turned white due to the force, and the violence in his eyes almost turned into substance. He lowered his voice very low, and each word seemed to be ground out from between his teeth: "Pei Jiqing, do you really have to make me angry?"

Pei Jiqing's eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, but the corners of his lips curled up in a happy arc.

He knew too well how to ignite Chen Huixing's anger, just like the deliberate smile he gave Yan Jiu just now, and the three points of charm brought out when the tail of his eyes was slightly raised, all of which accurately stepped on the most sensitive nerves of alpha.

In the past few years, he has been repeating this game tirelessly. Watching the suspicious Chen Huixing lose control and go crazy for him is the only entertainment in this golden cage.

"You are not getting a divorce," Pei Jiqing suddenly released his strength, and the whole person leaned against the car window limply, his voice as light as a sigh, "This is the only fun I have had in the past few years."